Lavellan

From Tenant to Baby: CH 13 Andrew kept up a steady stream of conversation for the 20-minute drive it took to get to the zoo. Jordan found himself leaning forward in his seat to look outside; surprisingly, the parking lot was quite full. Then again, the farthest spaces were taken up by long trailers, their loads having been unloaded already. The small group driven by Mel was able to get a reasonably decent parking spot near the front and the two caregivers hopped out first. Rather than start to unclip the two in the van, however, they went to the back and started to unload the ice chest. “Don’t worry, I got this, Mel,” Derek assured, Grabbing a handle and popping the ice chest up on two wheels. “Can you get the boys out of the van?” “Sure!” She agreed. At the instruction, Andrew started to bounce in his seat. “I’m so excited! This is gonna be so fun!” Jordan was surprised as Mel came to his side first, though. Her kind face peered in at him with a warm and gentle smile. Nervously, he found himself working the pacifier in his mouth. “Okay, baby boy. Andrew knows the rules, but I’m gonna explain them to you. These are very serious rules for your safety. Can you be a good boy and listen?” She cooed, reaching across to grab ‘his’ diaper bag. “Ye’, ma’am!” He responded quickly. “Good boy,” She praised. “Now, you’re not to run off, run ahead, stay behind, or anything else of the sort when we get into the zoo. There’s going to be a lot of people running about and while they’re all good people, that doesn’t mean we trust them with your safety. Understood?” Easy enough. Jordan didn’t have the plan to leave Derek or Mel’s side at all anyway. “Unders’ood.” He slurred. Mel quickly found what she wanted in the bag and pulled out a pacifier clip. It was plain red but stood out brightly against his clothes. She clipped it to his onesie and pacifier immediately. “Second rule is that when your binky is not in your mouth, I want this cover on it.” She held up said cover and put it in his pocket. “I don’t want you to get sick. If you lose the cover, tell me or Daddy and we’ll wipe your binky down and get you a new cover.” Jordan whined slightly as the word ‘binky’ caused a tightening in his chest. It was such a babyish term. And to call it ‘his’ binky too…it made him feel so small. Much smaller than even the car seat and outfit did. And referring to Derek as ‘Daddy’ wasn’t much better. In his mind, he could justify it by saying ‘Andrew’s Daddy’. But Mel had no intentions of doing the same. “Okay,” He agreed anyways. “Good boy,” Mel reached down and untied his shoes, tightening the laces and retying them quickly with double knots. “Don’t want you to trip…Now the third rule and this one is very important. Does Baby have his listening ears open wide?” She asked, cupping her hands around her ears theatrically. Unable to help his amusement, Jordan laughed and mimicked her movements. “They’re open.” Mel smiled wider. “Perfect! Rule three is that above all else, Derek and I are your caregivers for the day. What we say goes and that trumps anyone else at this zoo. If anyone else is watching over you at any point, you two still listen to me and Daddy. Everyone here is good people, but they can get a little carried away with their instincts. Do you get what I mean?” “Mmm,” Jordan hummed, turning the rule over in his head. “Don’t let anyone else boss us around unless you say so?” “Basically, yes.” She nodded, petting his hair. “One final rule and we can get going. Rule four is that if you need the potty, you have to let us know. Andrew has been here many times so he knows how often the bathrooms come up. And both of you are padded, but just in case we’ve packed extra clothes and things. Just let one of us know and we’ll take you to the nearest potty, okay?” It would be a little humiliating asking to be escorted to the bathroom, but if it were between that and having an accident, Jordan would take the humiliation. Upon his agreement, Mel finally unlatched his seat and helped him get out of it. Free, she let him out of the van and waved him off to go stand by Derek while she went to release Andrew. However, Jordan couldn’t help but overhear her words to him. “-want you to look after Jordan, okay? He’s new and can be overwhelmed easily. Keep him out of trouble, but make sure he has fun.” “I promise, Mommy!” Andrew swore. Mel retied his shoes too and grabbed his diaper bag before shutting and locking the van doors. The four of them made their way to the entrance of the zoo where they were immediately greeted by a greying-haired man. He was shorter than Derek but taller than Jordan. He wore jeans, a Hawaiian-style button-up, and a baseball cap as he approached. “Derek! Melanie! You made it just in time.” He went up to Melanie, embracing her in a gentle hug and pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek before pulling away. He greeted Derek with a grasped hand and half-hug. “The tables have been set up, we have stroller stations everywhere, and the zoo is almost in full swing.” “Good! We have everyone’s snack bag packed up here, Mark.” Derek rattled the handle of the ice chest. Immediately, ‘Mark’ waved over a man driving a golf cart. “Tony, take this chest up to the Safari Cafe, please. And make sure it stays cool until lunchtime.” “You got it, boss.” The man dressed in a polo printed with the zoo logo said as he loaded the ice chest into the cart and started to drive up the path until he disappeared into the trees. Jordan tuned out of the conversation then as he looked around. There were a few picnic tables littered around the front entrance with a few groups seated at them, but he could see the majority of people were inside milling about. They were distinguishable between caregivers and littles as most of the littles were dressed in a similar state to himself and Andrew. However, Jordan noticed a couple of people dressed in parts of fursuits. Even for the cool breeze, Jordan couldn’t help but think it would be too hot for the furred paws and boots pretty soon. But who was he to judge- His train of thought was interrupted by Derek’s arm coming around his shoulder and pulling him in for a hug of his own which Jordan happily returned. “-is my new assistant, Jordan.” “Well, hi there, Jordan,” Mark cooed, bending down just a bit unnecessarily to ‘get on his level’. “I hope you enjoy the zoo today. We have a lot of fun things planned for you kids.” “Mm,” Jordan hummed nervously, pulling at the hem of Derek’s shirt slightly. “‘M e’cited.” Mark’s smile widened. “Yeah? I’m excited for you. And…” He looked around conspiratorily before leaning a bit closer. “If you’re my super special helper and let me know how you enjoyed the trip at the end, I can sneak you a free ice cream.” He whispered and Jordan immediately looked at Mel. “Only if Mel and Derek say it’s okay…” Mark tossed his head back with a laugh. “That’s a good boy you have there!” He looked at Derek and nodded towards the gates. “Head on in. They’re handing out maps and itineraries if you guys want the full experience.” “You’re the best, Mark!” Mel called back, leading the way into the entrance. If the picnic tables outside were buzzing with activity, the inside was even busier. Immediately, Derek went up to one of the tables and grabbed a map, itinerary, and welcome packet. “Aw! Look at you, all cute with your paci,” The woman handing out the papers cooed to Jordan. Derek chuckled as Jordan hid into his side and led the two of them back to Mel who was dropping Andrew’s diaper bag into a small red pull wagon. Derek followed her lead and showed her the pamphlet. “They have some nice things going on this year.” He explained and Mel’s eyes widened in excitement. “Mooommy!” Andrew whined. “Can I see?” Quickly, Mel held the paper closer to her chest. “Nope! Zoo day is a surprise for all the little ones. You’ll just have to wait and see.” Curiously, Jordan pulled on Derek’s hand to get his attention. Slightly embarrassed by his question, Jordan stood up on his tiptoes to whisper it in Derek’s ear who leaned down to accommodate. “We’re gonna get to see all the animals, right?” He asked, which was really the only thing he wanted to do. Derek gave him a reassuring nod. “Of course, baby boy. We’ll see everything and do every activity. That’s what the itinerary is for. It tells us exactly where we need to be at what time and gives us plenty of time to look at everything.” “Yeah!” Andrew agreed. “The path is the same every year, but the activities are always different! Last year, there was a scavenger hunt and the winners got to hold a snake. And then we get to go to the gift shop.” “Which!” Derek interrupted, checking his watch. “If we want to be on time, we need to head out now.” Andrew grabbed the handle of the wagon and started to pull it quickly. “C’mon! I want to see the monkeys!” They started walking, Derek taking large strides to stay closer to Andrew as he eagerly pulled the wagon, and Jordan slowing down to get a look at everything with Mel. As they walked, Mel reached down and looped her hand with his causing his cheeks to pinken. “You don’t mind walking with Mommy, do you?” She asked sweetly. “N-no…it’s fine.” Jordan stuttered, clearing his throat. As they walked along the path, there was a parting in the trees that several people were squealing at. Andrew had no issue squeezing in to ooo and ahhh at what a sign soon revealed to be ‘gibbons’. Jordan stood farther back, peering over the excited heads to see two skinny black monkeys chasing each other around an intricate game of tag. After taking a few photos, the first group left leaving just their group and the ones slowly approaching from up the trail. For a moment, Jordan let go of Mel’s hand to lean against the wooden barrier. The gibbons were on a small island beside a roaring waterfall. The cage they were in was massive, and they even enjoyed using it to run from each other until one gibbon grabbed a handful of food and the game stopped in favor of a snack break. Taking that as a cue to move on, Andrew and Jordan backed off from the rails to give the next group a chance to see. Andrew grabbed the wagon once more and started to pull it again while Jordan willingly looped his fingers with Mel’s again. This trend continued, both caregivers making sure each boy had a fun experience. And Jordan quickly got lost in the trails. Sure, it was strange at first to see a grown man being pushed around in a stroller, but after the third or fourth one, he learned to accept it. As his anxiety waned, he pulled his hand from Mel’s to put the cover in his binky like she said and let it hang down his shirt before grabbing her hand again. “Good boy,” She praised, causing him to smile. The first activity they came across was in front of a large tank half-filled with flowing water. Inside the tank, several river otters rushed around, taking turns swimming up the length of a slide that went through the enclosure before jumping out of the water onto the land provided. “Okay boys, this is the first potty stop. Does anyone need to go? Speak now or hold your peace.” Derek announced, halting the pair before they glued themselves to the glass. Jordan couldn’t help but smile as he noticed a little pulling on her caregiver’s sleep at the announcement and shyly pointed to the bathrooms across from the exhibit. “I’m okay,” Jordan spoke and Andrew mimicked him. Thinking that was that, Jordan was surprised as Mel walked over to Andrew with narrowed eyes and reached her hand into his shortalls. “Mommy!” Andrew cried, not out of embarrassment, but because she held him tightly from going over to the otters. “I wasn’t fibbing!” Satisfied that he was dry, Mel removed her hand and patted his padded butt with a thump. “Just checking, baby. Now go have fun.” Mel headed for Jordan next and he stumbled back. “I’m dry, I swear.” He pleaded, causing her to laugh. “I know you are, sweet boy.” She cooed, pulling him in for a hug instead. “Andrew would just rather sit in a wet diaper than stop playing, so I always make sure to check him.” She pulled away right as a woman arrived in the area with a 5-gallon bucket and a large basket. She wore a bright red shirt with the zoo’s logo and had her hair done up in a bun. “Alrighty, babies, toddlers, and other interested folks. My name is Judie and we are beginning our otter interaction experience.” She went to the side of the tank and started to go upstairs connecting to the slide. As the bucket came into view of the tank, the otters all jumped out of the water and rushed to the adjoining panel of glass. “If I could please have everyone line up in an orderly line with no pushing or shoving at the bottom of the stairs.” Andrew grabbed Jordan’s hand and pulled him over with the handful of other littles who were lining up. “One at a time I will call you up and we are going to feed our hungry little beasties!” She called out leading to a bunch of squealing yelps from the otters in the enclosure. “You will put on a glove, I will hand you a piece of a fish, and you will hand it to the eager otter through this window.” She motioned to a window that had an otter already sticking its paws through eagerly. “Then you will take your glove off, put it in this basket to be disposed of, and sliiiiide down the slide and the next little will come up. Sound good?” She asked holding her thumb up. Several hands raised to mimic her and she smiled. “Okay! First up!” Jordan watched a girl make her way up the steps. She wore a black skirt with pink ruffles along the bottom and Jordan’s face darkened bright red as a pink patterned diaper was clearly visible from under her skirt the higher up she climbed. “What’s your name, cutie?” “Melody,” The girl smiled shyly. “Such a pretty name! This here is Charlie.” She pointed to the otter excitedly sniffing the window. “Can you put this glove on for me, baby?” Jodie asked, holding out a blue glove. Melody did as told and was handed a piece of a fish that she made a face to. But she smiled once more as the otter happily took the fish. As she slid down the slide, the otter followed her through the water and Jordan waited with bubbling excitement for his turn. It came quickly, but seeing as how Andrew was in front of him, he went first. “And what’s your name?” “My name’s Andrew!” Andrew answered, slipping the glove on and accepting the fish. “Well, hello, Andrew! I love your outfit.” Jodie praised as he fed the otter and took off the glove. Jordan took a moment to peer over at Derek and Mel, thinking they would just be waiting, but Mel was standing by the slide exit with a camera ready and Derek had his own phone out taking photos of Andrew at the top of the stairs. It was a cute scene, but butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he thought about them doing the same to him- “Next up!” Jodie called and Jordan marched up the steps with shaky legs. As he stepped up, Jodie was quick to compliment him. “Aww! You’re matching with little Andrew, that’s adorable.” She cooed. “What’s your name, baby?” “J-Jordan.” He stuttered, taking the glove and slipping it on. He was handed the fish and crouched down to the opening in the window. The otter at the window was tapping frantically at the glass, both paws poking through to reach for the fish. “This is Delta, Jordan. She’s very sweet so there’s no need to be afraid. She’ll gently take the fish.” Jodie promised as Jordan’s hand shook. Delta was very gentle as she took the fish from him. Her wet paws brushed his fingers and shoved the fish into her mouth. Even through the glass, Jordan could hear her smacking, giving happy chirps. “And down the slide you go,” Jodie encouraged. “Make sure you watch Delta follow!” The slide was actually a pretty fun experience as Delta swirled around him, tapping the tube at the bottom before swimming back on the land to get more fish. At the bottom of the slide, Derek waited arms out for him and scooped him up immediately. Looking over, Mel was putting the camera away in one of the diaper bags. “Did you enjoy that, Jordan,” Derek asked happily, bouncing him a bit before setting him back down. Jordan nodded. “It was fun!” “My otter was Echo! Who was yours?” Andrew asked quickly while pulling the wagon. “Delta.” “Nice!” After that was the bear exhibit, then the birds and the small group made their way across a wood slat bridge. They approached an exhibit with water tanks on both sides, but Jordan’s attention was taken by the beaver milling about until Andrew started pulling at his hand. “Jordan, Jordan, c’mon. Come look!” He said, ducking down into a somewhat hidden tunnel entrance under the exhibit. Curious, Jordan followed. When he saw a toothy maw of an alligator, he couldn’t help but yelp in surprise, falling onto his butt. Andrew laughed, letting go of his hand to scoot closer to the glass. Apparently, what he thought was an empty tank or an extension of the beaver exhibit, was actually an alligator tank! “Baby boy, are you alright?” Derek called down, a hint of worry in his voice. When his heart no longer felt like it was beating out of his chest, he spoke up. “‘M fine! I didn’t know there was an alligator!” “Andrew,” Mel spoke in a warning tone. “Did you pull a trick on Jordan?” “It was just a goof, Mommy,” Andrew defended immediately. “That wasn’t very nice of you.” She scolded. Jordan was surprised as arms suddenly encircled his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Jordan,” Andrew apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean for you to get scared.” When he let him go, he scrambled out of the tunnel and started dusting off his shorts. “I wasn’t scared…” None of them called him out on the lie, instead, Mel grabbed his hand again and started walking down the trail. “...Jordan, did you know that crocodiles and alligators carry their babies in their mouths?” Andrew piped up. “That’s cool.” Quickly the scenery shifted from water animals to a safari. “This is the second potty stop,” Derek informed as they found themselves on a large patio area. “We’re going to stay here for a quick snack and keep on going.” Mel claimed a table to pull their wagon up to and sat down. Plenty of people were already there, munching on sandwiches Jordan recognized as the ones Mel had prepared. There was a cafe ready and accepting orders as well, but Jordan watched the cashier handing ‘Melody’ a paper sack as well as a bottle of lemonade. A short, curvy woman took the bottle from her and poured it into a covered cup with a crazy straw sticking out. “Jordan! You gotta see this!” Andrew called him over to the rails of the patio, pointing down. When Jordan came over, his eyes immediately widened at the sight of a lower patio that overlooked the giraffe exhibit. He hadn’t realized they had gotten so high up! But from where they were there were several slopes leading to one lower patio from the giraffes. Each patio had a few tables and Jordan couldn’t tame his excitement. Giraffes were his favorite of course. “Daddy,” Andrew called over his shoulder to Derek who was sitting at the table with their paper sacks. “Can we go see the giraffe’s really quick?” “Not yet, buddy.” The older man denied. “It’s snack time. Come over and eat before the face painter gets here and your candy melts.” “Face painter?!” Andrew cried. “I want to get my face painted!” “And you will,” Mel assured. “But not until you eat.” Sufficiently motivated, Andrew sat down, tearing into his bag. “Jordan, c’mon. Let’s eat and then we can do the face paint and then we can see the giraffes!” Giving one last longing look to the giraffes, Jordan departed from the rails and took his spot beside Derek. Along with his food, Derek set a chilled sippy cup in front of him before biting into his own purchased corndog. “Are you excited for the giraffes?” Derek asked. “Very.” “Well, there’s a lot more than that to look forward to after them.” Which, Jordan was sure there was, but still. “They’re my favorite.” Rather than respond, Derek ran a gentle hand over his back, urging him to eat. A/N: Deleted and reuploaded because it wasn't showing up on my profile or the search bar. Something about the technical difficulties I think?

As the title suggests I have succumb to the hype. I can honestly say it's a very good show. I had a Bluey marathon on a video call with a friend and it was very headspace inducing for us both. I like the characters. They bring a lot of variety that most children shows don't have. And for the characters to have lore besides "this is dad. This is mom. This is neighbor #1." It's very refreshing. 10/10 would recommend. ?

I was getting this error a lot too. I also noticed that the posts I made during that time haven't showed up on my profile? I can go to the threads and stuff and see that I posted, but for some reason it just doesn't show on my profile. ?‍♂️

I'd wanna be able to teleport because I don't like driving at allllll. It would also make vacations super easy because all you'd have to do is POOF and boom you're in Italy or something.

That would be very cute! I'm really excited for this next chapter. I think you all are going to love it! ?

From Tenant to Baby: CH 12 Jordan became a recluse the week of his midterms. 90% of his time was spent in his unit studying his textbooks and performing practice tests. He had to pass. His brain wouldn’t let him relax until he did. He barely ate, only eating the things Derek brought and left outside his door. He went through an entire case of red bulls as well. It had gotten so bad that Derek pulled him aside one morning he went to work on the files. “Buddy,” Derek started softly. “I…I know you’ve been working very hard lately. You’ve been doing a very good job.” Jordan sensed a ‘but’ coming, but his brain was mentally counting the files he believed he could go through in one night. “Kiddo…Have you showered recently?” He asked gently. “Wha-?” Jordan paused to process what Derek had asked. When he did, shame flashed over his face. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry-!” The words flooded out of his mouth and he immediately went for the door. How could he show up to Derek’s home filthy?! Arms circled his waist before he could sprint out the door and Derek’s calm laughter filled his ears. “It’s not that big of a deal,” He assured. “How about you take a break here? No work, just take a hot shower and we can watch some movies. You don’t have any midterms tonight, right?” So Jordan agreed. And when he turned in the final midterm, he crashed on the couch of his unit, too tired to even get into bed. Worried when he didn't show up the next morning for work, he let himself into Jordan’s unit. Embarrassingly, Jordan had wet himself in the middle of the night, too tired to even grab a pull-up from Derek. All of which led to the morning of the zoo trip. Jordan wore a simple outfit of shorts and a tee shirt. The weather was great outside; they were in the golden weeks when the autumn breeze was the perfect relief from the summer heat. Derek had assured him that he didn’t need to bring anything other than his phone just in case. Everything else would be taken care of at the zoo or Mel’s. The drive to Mel’s passed in a blur and the pair invited themselves into the house. Mel was in the kitchen, pink apron on, as she used a small cookie cutter to cut fruit into several different shapes. Upon seeing the pair, her lips pulled into a wide smile. “Hey, you two! It’s so good to see you again! Derek, I’m running a bit behind. Do you think you can start bagging up those sandwiches?” Mel nodded to several platters of sandwiches, all with the crusts cut off. “Gotcha,” Derek agreed immediately, going to the sink to wash his hands. “I can help,” Jordan offered quickly. “What can I do?” “Aw, sweetie,” Mel cooed. “I think Derek and I are good here, but can you be a dear and go see if Andrew is ready? He’s been torn over his outfit for days.” This would be the first time Jordan would meet Andrew…if he were being honest, he was a bit intimidated. But, there was no way he could say that to Mel without sounding like a scared child on their first day at daycare. So, he nodded and went down the hall towards the nursery where he assumed Andrew would be. He was correct in his assumption as the door was cracked open and he could hear movement inside. Pushing the door open slowly with a creak, he stepped inside. “Mommy!” A voice cried out from the closet. “I can’t find my elephant onesie anywhere!” Andrew whined as he stepped out of the closet. Andrew looked around Jordan’s age. He was a couple of inches taller, and a bit bulkier, but not enough to be physically intimidating. The first thing Jordan noticed was that he was shirtless, wearing sweatpants, and the waistband of a diaper was peeking from the pants. Realizing that it was a stranger and not Mel in his nursery, Andrew’s eyes widened. “Oh!” He said in surprise. “You must be Jordan, right?” “...Guilty.” Confusion overtook Andrew’s face and he pushed a pair of black-rimmed glasses further up his nose. “Is that what you’re wearing to the zoo?” Feeling a bit self-conscious, Jordan looked down and analyzed his outfit. Khaki-colored shorts and a light blue tee shirt…”Well…yeah? What’s wrong with it?” He asked, pulling at the shirt as if he’d find some mystery stain that made it unpresentable in public. “Everyone’s going to be dressed up!” Andrew stated as if it were obvious, the previous whine coming back in full force. “And if you look like that people will assume you’re a daddy. Or you’ll just look boring.” Oh god. The last thing Jordan needed was someone coming up to him thinking he was a daddy. “I didn’t bring anything else…I might just have to take my chances.” He sighed. “Wha- No!” Andrew immediately protested. “Wait here!” And with that, he took off down the hall. “Mommy! Where’s my elephant onesie?!” Jordan heard him shout. “Check the laundry room, baby,” She replied. It was only a few moments later before Andrew returned with said elephant onesie in his arms. “Okay, I know exactly what we’re gonna wear.” The excitement was clear in his voice as he darted into the closet again. “C’mon!” Nervously, Jordan followed. “I don’t know if I want to wear any of this either…” He admitted. Andrew didn’t seem deterred. “Well, you can wear these and be seen as a little in a zoo full of other littles, or you can wear what you have and constantly be called ‘Daddy’ by every little that meets you.” He shrugged. “Your choice.” Jordan watched as Andrew pulled clothes off hangers and held them out to him. “Besides, it’ll blow Daddy’s mind!” “Daddy?” “Derek. He’s pretty much everyone’s pseudo-daddy.” “Oh…” Awkwardly, Jordan accepted the clothes into his arms. “Um…Where’s your bathroom?” Andrew smiled, shifting around to step out of the closet with his bundle of clothes. “Don’t worry, you can change in here. I’ll change in the nursery. OH!” He interrupted himself. “Diaper or pull-up?” “N-Neither!” Jordan stuttered out his denial. A loud groan filled the closet. “C’moooon! Don’t be a Debbie Downer! Commit to the outfit! Do you really want to use the public bathrooms at the zoo?” Andrew threw excuse after excuse at him. Jordan knew if he wanted to, he could go into the kitchen and either Derek or Mel would assure him he didn’t have to go along with Andrew’s plan…But a part of Jordan wanted Andrew to like him. If he were going to be working for Derek long-term, he needed to get along with all his close associates and friends. Mel loved him, of course, but Andrew was her little boy. Surely, his opinion meant a lot to her. “...I’ll take a pull-up.” It wasn’t the response Andrew wanted, but he popped out of the closet and returned with a printed pull-up anyway. “Okay, get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.” The closet door was soon shut leaving Jordan alone with the borrowed clothes. His outfit consisted of a onesie printed with a bunch of cartoon lions, a pattern matching the elephant one Andrew had. It also had a pair of short-styled overalls. That was on top of the pull-up Andrew had given him. Jordan put them all on, relieved that they fit and didn’t hang too loose. As he stepped out of the closet, Andrew was nowhere to be seen. Jordan walked down the hall as if he were walking on eggshells. He could hear Mel cooing and praising Andrew for dressing himself and looking so cute with Derek agreeing readily. As soon as Jordan came into view, all taking ceased. He ducked his head, crossing his arms in front of himself as if it would hide him from view. “Surprise!” Andrew called out, bouncing excitedly. “Oh my goodness!” Mel was the first to break out of her silence, a doting smile appearing on her face. “Look at you! How adorable!” Derek for his part immediately dropped the sandwich bag he was holding and walked around the counter toward Jordan. Before Jordan could process it, he was pulled into a tight hug. “You look so cute, buddy.” He muttered softly. “Did you want to try the little lifestyle for the trip today?” “Well…Andrew said people might mistake me for a daddy in the clothes I was wearing before. And I figured that it would be better to just dress up and blend in than put up with that…” Jordan explained. Both caregivers gave small chuckles at that and Derek finally pulled away. “You both look very cute.” He praised. “We’re just about ready to head out, but since you’re trying out the whole-” He tugs gently on the strap of the borrowed shortalls. “-thing, do you want to use a car seat with Andrew?” He turned to look at Mel who was packing all the snacks into an ice chest. “You still have that extra car seat, right?” “Of course!” Andrew, for his part, grew even more excited. “Oh! Jordan pleeeease ride in a car seat with me! We can be car seat buddies.” He pleaded, a small pout overtaking his lips. “At least for the ride there?” “I don’t know…” “Please, please, please!” Jordan sighed, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” “Yes! I’ll go hook it up!” Andrew dashed out of the door quickly before any more could be said. Meanwhile, Derek gave Jordan another, much softer hug. “I think you’ll love it, kiddo. And if you want to stop, we will. Just say the word.” “But since you’re joining in the fun,” Mel spoke up quickly. “How about you pick out your lunchtime snack for me.” Derek, unprompted, started to lead Jordan over to the counter where all the food was laid out. Various fruits were cut into shapes, sandwiches were made and bagged up, and small pieces of candy were matched into every paper sack. “You don’t have any allergies, right?” “Actually,” Jordan muttered quietly as he surveyed the available options. He gave a small shy look upon seeing the fruit options all laid out on the same cutting board. Apples, oranges, pineapples, and bananas altogether. “I’m allergic to pineapples. Not throat closing up hospital allergic. But my hands and face get all red and itchy…” Mel’s face fell instantly as she too saw the dilemma. But quickly perked back up. “I have just the thing!” Going to the fridge, she pulled out a box of strawberries and started to rinse them off. Jordan watched as she sliced and cut them up using a heart-shaped cutter and put them in a small container. “What kind of sandwich would you like, baby?” She doted. “We have anything you could think.” “Peanut butter and jelly would be great.” Jordan chose and Derek immediately bagged one up. “And candy?” Picking one on the counter, Jordan couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched Mel try to subtly throw two of them into his paper sack. The bag was assembled, she closed the top and used a marker to write his name, and put the bag into the ice chest with the rest. It was then that Andrew returned and dashed back to the nursery. “No running in the house, Andrew James!” Mel called after him. “Sorry, Mommy! I’m just packing our diaper bags!” It was only when Jordan saw both Derek and Mel carrying diaper bags over their shoulders that he realized Andrew had packed one for him as well. Face beet red, his embarrassment only grew as the door to Mel’s van slid open exposing two adult-sized car seats ready and waiting. Andrew jumped in immediately, sliding into the farthest car seat and buckling himself in. Mel took the diaper bag off her shoulder and put it in the seat beside him and Derek followed her lead before turning to Jordan. “Alrighty, baby,” Derek said softly. “Hop in.” Uncertain and hesitant, Jordan stepped into the van and settled into the seat. He was surprised by how must the seat wrapped around him. Wiggling nervously, he found himself barely able to shift. Derek’s hands came in and pulled the straps together with a click. “Comfy, kiddo?” Jordan couldn’t bring himself to speak as he noticed that his feet didn’t even touch the floorboards. The size of the can and the seat left him feeling very small. Especially as Derek towered over him even outside of the van. Something on his face must have tipped Derek off that he was feeling a little overwhelmed because Derek reached over his seat to the seat next to him and fished around in the diaper bag until he pulled out a matching pacifier to his onesie. “Here you go,” He took the plastic cap off and held the nipple up to Jordan’s mouth. “You liked this last time, I remember.” Anything to distract him from the shame bubbling up, Jordan thought as he took the pacifier into his mouth. Derek leaned down and kissed his forehead quickly before shutting the door. He hopped into the passenger seat with Mel in the driver’s seat and she started the van. “Let’s get this show on the road!” She cheered. “Jordan,” Andrew spoke immediately. “Have you ever been to this zoo?” Rather than explain that he had been a few times as a child (that would involve taking the pacifier out and he wasn’t going to give up an excuse not to talk) Jordan just shook his head. “It’s so fun! There’s always something new every year! Last time, they had an art show where they brought out some of the animals and let them paint on canvases. I have one of an otter’s paws in my big boy room. Oh! Did you know that some otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift away? And! And! Sea otters use kelp like blankets to act as an anchor.” It seemed that Andrew didn’t need any help carrying on a conversation as he continued to spill information about otters. And when he ran out of otter facts, he switched to the next topic that came to his mind. “Hey, Jordan, do you like superhero movies?” He asked, pausing long enough to see Jordan nod emphatically before continuing. “Me too! I don’t have a favorite. I think they’re all really cool. And that new movie is coming out next month! Mommy said if I’m really good this week, we can go on opening night.” This time, Jordan found himself speaking up in a quiet voice. One hand reached up to hold the pacifier from falling out of his mouth but didn’t completely remove it. “I ordered my ticket in advance,” He admitted. “I dunno if you know bu’ I used to work a’ FlixWorld and we would always know ‘head of time when movies were coming out. So I bought it then.” “Wow!” Andrew’s eyes widened comically. “That means if Mommy says yes we can go together! That would be so cool!” Jordan wilted just slightly, giving the pacifier a few comforting sucks before taking it out again. “I might not go…I quit to work for Derek ‘n my boss was pretty mad a’ me.” “Well, he can’t keep you from going as a customer right?” A shrug was the only answer and silence descended in the van for a few minutes. Feeling like it was his fault for the silence, Jordan forced himself to break it. “They have giraffes, right?” “Uh-huh!” Andrew jumped on the conversation quickly. “They have a whole family. And one of them is named after Daddy!” Jordan’s jaw dropped and he scrambled to grab the pacifier before it could hit the floor. “Really?!” Derek chuckled from the front seat. “Yeah…It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when we get to them, how about that?” Excited now, Jordan nodded. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad.

From Tenant to Baby: CH 11 Contrary to what Derek had said the previous night, Jordan woke reasonably early the next morning. Small glimmers of light shone in from the window to light up the room. For a moment, Jordan forgot where he was upon waking. It took him sitting up and rubbing his eyes to realize he didn’t see the familiar surroundings of his unit, but rather, the nursery. And then, of course, it all came flooding back to him. The memories came with a small amount of embarrassment, but that was nothing as he thought about the loving glances Derek gave him the entire night. Curiously, Jordan pushed the blanket aside to check if he’d wet himself as usual. He pulled at the snaps of the onesie until they opened up and moved the flaps aside to check the state of the diaper. It was hard to tell with its thickness, but Jordan noticed that some of the small designs of the diaper were half-faded. It must have been the boosters or maybe the brand of diaper aiding its absorbency, Jordan assumed. He was snapping the onesie into place when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. The nursery door creaked open and Derek peered in to see Jordan already awake. A soft grin stretched across his face. “Hey, buddy,” He cooed as he stepped into the room. “Did you sleep well?” Jordan couldn’t help but return the smile as he nodded. “Crib is pretty comfy…” He admitted. Derek came over and lowered the crib bars with another click. He surprised Jordan by pulling him into a secure hug, but it wasn’t unwelcome at all. “I’m glad to hear you had a good night, baby boy. Are you ready for breakfast?” “Mmm,” Jordan hummed, pretending to think about it. “What’s for breakfast?” Derek laughed, arms coming down to scoop Jordan into his arms to carry him. The blanket and stuffed toy were left behind in the crib as they made their way down the hall. “We have oatmeal with your choice of bananas, blueberries, or apples. And if you’re good for me, I’ll let you have some chocolate milk to go with it.” Jordan was about to comment on his behavior before he spotted an adult-sized highchair sitting in the dining room. The food tray was already detached and sitting on the table, and Derek easily sat Jordan inside. To add to his predicament, Derek started to buckle a small black strap around his waist to, Jordan assumed, keep him from escaping. There wasn’t much space in the chair to squirm around. In fact, most movements caused his thick diaper to press against the leg divider, not in a painful way, but in a way that he wouldn’t be forgetting he was wearing it. “Hands up, baby,” Derek directed and snapped the tray into place when Jordan obeyed. There was a short pause as Derek looked him over, a very pleased look on his face. But a hint of mischief took over. Before Jordan could question him, Derek leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll be right back.” And then he went into the kitchen. One of the pluses of having an open floor plan was that Jordan could see exactly what he was doing the entire time. The first thing Derek did was pour a sippy cup of chocolate milk. The second was to reach into a drawer and pull out something Jordan couldn’t see. And finally, Derek grabbed a small jar that held what looked like cheerios inside. Derek was practically giddy as he came back to Jordan. “Alrighty, little guy, let’s see those hands.” Curiously, Jordan held them out. Imagine his surprise as Derek started slipping mittens over his hands and strapping them into place. “Hey!” He tried to complain but Derek merely laughed and booped him on the nose. “Hay is for horses, baby boy. And mittens are for little babies.” Almost as if to prove his point, Derek placed the pacifier back into Jordan’s mouth which he held onto as he watched Derek place the sippy cup into the small cup holder spot on the tray and spill a handful of cheerios onto the main portion. “Daddy can’t let his baby get hungry while he finishes breakfast.” “I w’n boo be’wees,” Jordan pouted. “Aww,” Derek cooed. “Can you ask Daddy nicely for blueberries?” “P’ease? I w’n boo be’wees ‘n my oa’meal.” “Blueberries in your oatmeal. Got it.” Derek disappeared into the kitchen once more after kissing Jordan’s forehead again. Wanting to ignore the cheerios, Jordan reached a hand for the sippy cup. Only, he found that his mitten hand wouldn’t properly grab it without dropping it. So, he reached out with both mitten hands and found it much easier to hold onto. As Derek put the finishing touches on breakfast, he occasionally looked over to make sure Jordan was alright. Each time Jordan would do something he felt was ‘babyish’ enough to please Derek and each time Derek awarded him with a happy look and gentle praise. The first time Jordan managed to pop a cheerio into his mouth after quite a bit of failure, Derek called out, “Good job, baby boy!” This continued until Derek returned to the table with a plate and a bowl. He sat both in front of his seat and Jordan gaped as he saw a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast on Derek’s plate. “Wha- How come you don’t get oatmeal?” He asked. Derek gave him a knowing look as he spooned up a bite of the blueberry oatmeal and brought it up to Jordan’s mouth. “Eat up, baby.” Breakfast passed slowly as Derek fed Jordan in between bites of his food. Occasionally, Jordan would reach for the sippy cup and take a drink. When all the food was gone, Derek looked at Jordan. “Jessie’s appointment concludes after breakfast. I usually encourage the after-appointment talk to happen after the little one takes a shower. It sort of…brings them out of the mindset so we can reflect on the visit as a whole. Are you okay with that?” Realistically, Jordan knew it had to end eventually. But he couldn’t help but feel that they were in their own little bubble. Despite all the embarrassing parts, it was nice, he had to admit. Letting Derek care for him, having his undivided attention, not having to think about anything but what they were doing…it was nice. “Yeah, s’fine.” He agreed because he knew it couldn’t last forever. As Derek walked into the kitchen with the dishes, Jordan found himself reaching for the pacifier and slipping it into his mouth. It was one of his favorite parts, he had to admit. There was something so calming about it. Any anxiety or worries he had seemed to melt away as he sucked on the rubber nipple…He might have to get one of his own. For practical use of course…After all, he wasn’t a little. This was all just to help Derek… After the dishes were clean, Derek returned and removed Jordan’s mittens. The tray was removed, the belt was unlatched, and Derek helped remove Jordan from the seat. “Hop in the shower, bud. I’ll get you some clothes and you can meet me in the living room when you’re ready.” Call it self-indulgence, but Jordan couldn’t help it as he hugged Derek tightly. The man didn’t hesitate as he returned the hug, only pulling away when Jordan started to. The shower helped Jordan wake up immensely. And when he stepped out he found that Derek had gathered the onesie and trashbag that had the diaper inside and replaced it with some of Jordan’s clothes that he had left over the past few weeks. Derek was sitting on the couch in the living room with a notepad and pen waiting, his reading glasses perched on his nose. Upon Jordan entering, he smiled. “Hey, buddy, come take a seat,” He encouraged, patting the spot beside him. As Jordan flopped down beside Derek, he watched the man get into what he could call his ‘business mindset’. “Now, did you enjoy the appointment?” He asked. “Uh,” Jordan stuttered. “Yes. I did.” “Good,” Derek noted it on the notepad. “Was there anything I did that you wouldn’t want to be repeated? Or perhaps something I said?” Jordan shook his head. “Everything was fine. Nothing terrible.” “Noted,” He marked it on the pad. “There was a moment last night where you seemed to get upset about something. Do you mind telling me about that?” “I just got overwhelmed.” Jordan shrugged. “I was probably tired and…” He trailed off, but Derek reached over to pat his knee comfortingly to spur him on. “I’m not used to having so much attention on me.” He said honestly. “It’s nice…but at the time it just felt like a lot.” Derek nodded, giving him a moment to add on, but he didn’t. “Well, kiddo…in those times I want you to know that it’s okay if you want to step back. Or if you’d like to cry it out, that’s okay too. You wouldn’t be upsetting me or ruining the experience. Just anyway you feel you need to release those emotions.” The questioning went on until Derek had an entire page of notes, but the subject didn’t change as he put it to the side. “I have an invitation for you actually.” “An invitation?” “Yeah,” Derek smiled, a look of excitement in his eyes. “Every year a bunch of us in the community get together at a zoo. We book the entire day and since we have someone from our network high up in command there, we can staff it with people who are ‘in the know’ about this whole lifestyle.” “Oh wow, that’s pretty cool…” “It’s great. It gives the littles in our network a chance to get into their mindset without fear that they’ll be judged and they make great memories every year.” Derek looked ecstatic just thinking about it. “I was planning to go with Mel and Andrew again this year, but we’d love it if you came along too.” Jordan’s eyes widened. “You want me to go?” “Of course! You’re part of the network now,” Derek assured. “But also, you’ll get an inside look at experienced littles in their mindsets. You could even make a few friends…” “...Sure that sounds fun. Are you sure everyone else will be okay with me going?” “Definitely!” Derek seemed to get even more excited. It was pretty sweet to see. “Besides, I’m inviting you and my word holds a lot of weight in the Network. Nobody wants to upset 33% of the babysitters in the community. Especially since that would jump to 66% if Mel heard about it. She really likes you. She was the one who gave me the idea to invite you.” It was a very nice gesture, but something he said tripped something in Jordan’s mind. “Only 66%? There’s another babysitter?” If possible Derek grew tremendously bashful. “Well…technically it’s just me and Mel. But there is another guy named George. He’s pretty unorthodox. He doesn’t do the same babysitting we do. He’s a bit more hardcore, so Mel and I don’t tend to include him on our ‘Babysitters’ Bus. You’ll meet him at the zoo event maybe.” Sensing that there was something more that Jordan wasn’t being told, he figured it was best to just leave it be. He was being invited to a pretty exclusive event after all. He didn’t want to make waves. “I have a few midterms to do before next week.” He admitted. “So besides coming down for work, I’ll be pretty busy studying. I just don’t want to be distracted at the event, y’know?” “Of course! School always comes first. I’ll bring you dinner while you’re studying so you don’t have to worry. That sounds fair?” It was that easy. Sometimes Jordan wondered exactly what it was he did to deserve such a cool boss…. A/N: This chapter is a bit short but I'm setting up for the zoo event. I have a lot planned for it!

Wizard's Familiar: Part 1 A/N: This was a commission from a friend based off her characters. I meant to have it written in time for Halloween, but I was too busy to finish it in time. This is part 1 of 3 and it follows the journey of a young wizard (Corbin, 17) who gets a bit too proud of himself and drinks a potion against the wishes of his familiar Stella. The potion, to his horror, turns him into a small little kitten, presumably for a week! This story consists of: Transformation, nursing, bottle feeding, pet grooming, litter box usage, and humiliation. Corbin was seconds away from adding his final potion ingredient when a thunderous crash sounded through his chambers. Turning quickly, he was barely able to make out a smug ‘mrow’ from his familiar, Stella, as she jumped down from the remains of his shelf. He cursed the cat wildly, setting his ingredient down before rushing over. “You idiot cat!” He seethed. “These are loaners from the library! If Madam Walsh thinks I’ve damaged them she’ll never let me check out books again.” ‘Prrrrr’ Was the only response he gave as he started to inspect each book for damages and set them on his bed. He would have to rehang the shelf later. “You’re supposed to be an otherworldly guide to aid my magical journey.” He huffs in annoyance. “But you’re not acting very wise or noble.” In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that the cat was reportedly 25 years older than he, and still as spry as ever, he would have thought the council had made a mistake and assigned him just some regular stray rather than a familiar. But, Stella was a familiar. She had proven herself time and time again in Corbin’s studies. The books were no worse for wear, at least, from what he could see. So, he sat them down and turned back to his potion. Stella had jumped up onto his desk and stretched out casually as if she hadn’t almost cost him hours of research. As Corbin approached the cauldron, she gave a long, drawn-out yowl, her ears pinching back to further her point. Corbin merely rolled his eyes. This had been an argument between the two of them for weeks. “I’m making the potion, Stella. Now you can either help me or not, but I’m unlocking my magical potential with or without you.” He had found a potion recipe deep in the back of his Theoretical Brewery textbook a month before. The potion promised to boost the consumer's natural proclivities for magic in less than a day. It was listed as only recommended for Alpha-Tiered witches and wizards, but Corbin was familiar enough with its components that he felt he, a Beta-Tier, was able to brew it passably. Stella wholeheartedly disagreed with him. She felt he was better off asking a professor for help, or better yet, not taking any ‘shortcuts’. Corbin waved her off more than once. And it was with a final toss of the last ingredient that the potion turned a soft pink color. Bubbles popped all across the surface and even in the capped bottle he poured a dose into. It needed to cool for an hour before he was able to drink it, so he busied himself with refilling Stella’s water and food bowls. Her litter box was self-cleaning after every use thanks to magic so he didn’t have to worry about that. After all his upkeep chores were finished, he sat down in front of the vial of potion and stared at it until the last grains of sand from his hourglass trickled down. As he brought the lip of the vial to his mouth, he couldn’t help but hear a constant purr coming from Stella. Well, it was about time she came around. The potion was odd tasting. There was a hint of sweetness but no discernible notes other than that. It was a bit thinner in consistency to jelly, but Corbin forced it down quickly enough before he started to gag. Immediately, a warmth overtook his body. “Finally! I’ll finally reach my true magic potent-” Corbin was interrupted by a loud POOF and his entire field of vision went black. ~~~ A high-pitched noise filled the air around him and he tried thrashing, feeling the weight of something heavy, almost like gravity, holding him down. “There, there, little one,” A sweet voice approached him. “Hold still, I’ll get you out.” Corbin was unprepared as what was apparently his clothes was pulled away from his face, leaving him staring up into Stella’s heterochromic, calico eyes. “Stella!” He tried to call out but flinched as yet another high-pitched sound rang out. He could only watch as Stella leaned down, running her sandpapery tongue over his forehead a single time. “Hold still, kitten,” She warned. Suddenly, Corbin felt teeth latch onto the back of his neck and pull him up. Rather than fight, he found his entire body going limp. He expected it to hurt, but there was no accompanying pain. Still, he couldn’t help the motion sickness as he watched the world rush by. Stella didn’t stop until she found her way to her push bed and dropped him inside. Corbin was discombobulated at the sudden fall and had no time to right himself before the same tongue started to groom what he could only assume was a kitten's body. “Oh my aether! Stella, what happened?! How could this happen!” He cried, trying hard to escape her grooming tongue. “Well, I tried to warn you, kitten, but you didn’t want to listen! That potion was meant for much more experienced wizards than you.” Stella lectured, and Corbin almost preferred the grooming. “I need to get help. I have to change back!” “You will,” She assured. “It’ll only take a week. Now sit still and let me finish cleaning you if you’re going to be on my bed.” The room filled with frantic mewls of panic as Corbin’s grooming continued. He tried to push her away with his now fuzzy orange paws, but she was so much larger than he was in this form. “I can’t be a kitten for a week! I have classes!” “Should have thought about that before you brewed a potion you weren’t ready for.” Feeling like his plea had fallen on deaf ears, Corbin tried to escape the confines of the plush bed. “I can’t do this. I need to go get help.” His fuzzy little body rolled off the edge of the bed, landing on the cold mat. He shook it off and started to wobbly make his way to the door, but each step seemed harder and harder. Eventually, he slumped against the cold wood and meowed as loud as possible. Usually, the door would just open for him, but it seemed everything was working against him. Hearing no approaching footsteps, he meowed louder. No answer. Poor little Corbin continued calling out until eventually, his meows were little more than croaks. Exhaustion sunk into every bone in his tiny body and he collapsed to the floor. Somehow, however, he knew he had only been meowing for less than an hour. Meanwhile, Stella lounged on her plush bed, grooming her own paws, and kneading the fluff of the bed in exactly the right way she liked it to be. At this point, Corbin just wanted to sleep it all away. But while he had made the quest to the door, going all the way back seemed just too tiresome. “Stella.” He called out, and her ears twitched, but that was the only reaction. “Stellaaaa!” “Yes, kitten?” She answered monotonously. “I’m tired…please help me.” He caved in. “Help you? Oh but I’m just your silly captor. Just a senile old cat that doesn’t know anything about magic or feline biology.” She drawled, making no move to come to retrieve him. “How can I ever help the great and powerful Corbin? He’s so powerful he doesn’t need a familiar.” Corbin gave a sad mewl, chin resting against the cold hardwood floor. “I’m sorry. Please, Stella. It’s cold here.” Stella gave a long purr of a sigh, but got out of her bed. She strutted over, barely stopping to dip down and grab him by the scruff of his neck and carry him back to the bed. Immediately, she started to groom him again. This time, he stayed still. Her movements were helping warm his tiny body back up from the journey, pushing sleep into his subconscious. “Get some rest,” She suggested. “You’ll be famished when you wake up.” “Hmph…Goodnight, Stella.” A pleasantly comforting purr radiated across the bedding. “Goodnight, little kitten.”

From Tenant to Baby: CH 10 Derek looked at Jordan hesitantly. “I don’t know…” “Oh come on,” Jordan stepped closer, tugging on Derek’s sleeve to be just that little bit more insistent. “I could do it.” “The kind of stuff I had planned is a bit more than what you’ve seen, bud. And a world more than what you’ve experienced.” Derek tried to warn him, but Jordan wasn’t taking no for an answer. Call him a martyr, he didn’t care. There was no way Derek wasn’t having a playdate tonight. “Let me fill in,” Jordan demanded. “I can do it.” Derek sighed, turning the pot on low and covering it once more. “Listen, if we do this- If!” Derek stressed as Jordan’s face twisted into a smirk. “It’s the whole experience. Everything I had planned for Jessie, I do for you.” “Well, yeah. I figured.” “If you want to stop, we can whenever you want. But I’m gonna treat you like every other little I’ve taken care of. Got it?” Jordan nodded, smiling. “Sure.” Derek stirred the pot one final time before turning the Jordan. Excitement lit up the man’s eyes as he looked over at Jordan as if seeing him for the first time. “Okay…” He took a deep breath and let it out. “Wait here.” And then he disappeared. Distantly, Jordan could hear the sounds of the tub filling in the bathroom. And then the sound of the nursery door opening and closing. Jordan stood, waiting nervously until Derek suddenly appeared from around the corner again. “Okay, baby boy,” He spoke and Jordan was reminded of the same tone he used when comforting Jordan after an accident. “Let’s get you out of these big boy clothes and into the bath.” He took Jordan by the hand and led him toward the bathroom. The tub that Jordan had seen many times before was filling up quickly with suds. Several toys had been tossed into the water and Derek closed the toilet seat lid to sit on top of it. “C’mon, baby. Stand in front of me.” As soon as Jordan moved, Derek was reaching for the button on the front of his pants and slipped them down his legs. Jordan had to fight back a smart retort, he was supposed to be playing the part after all. This was for Derek. “Oh my my,” Derek hummed, thumbing at the waistband of Jordan’s underwear. “These are much too grown up for such a small baby. It’s a wonder you haven’t had an accident yet.” A blush made its way onto Jordan’s cheeks. “I can hold it just fine.” He couldn’t help but deny it. And rather than seem put out that Jordan was breaking the scenario, Derek only smiled. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of everything.” Soon enough, Jordan was stripped down and the water faucet was turned off. Derek helped Jordan into the tub, guiding him to sit down. And even though Jordan was playing a part, he couldn’t help but melt into the suds while closing his eyes. The bath was just his favorite temperature and it did wonders to soothe his muscles. “Good boy,” Derek praised, causing Jordan to open his eyes once more. Derek merely ruffled his hair and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Daddy’s going to check the food again. You play a little before we get you cleaned up, okay? Just shout if you need me.” As Derek left, Jordan reached for the bath markers. He didn’t quite have the imagination to play with the boat or ducks in the tub, but drawing was something simple. In a way, if he were bad at it, it meant he was playing the part well. Starting with a yellow marker, he started to draw the outlines of a sun along the way. That done, he traded it out for a black marker and started on some funny sunshades for the sun. By the time Derek came back, Jordan had colored nearly everything within reach, committing everything to his fun landscape. “Oh wow, my little artist has been busy!” Derek cooed. “I see a pretty pink flower…and a dog! Isn’t that just adorable.” Jordan keened with pride at his simple drawing. Sure, it was just basic scribbles, but Derek seemed to genuinely enjoy it. “Let’s get you washed up for dinner.” Derek moved on as he grabbed a loofa from the cabinet and a bottle of lavender-scented baby soap. He started easy, running the soapy loofah along Jordan’s arms. The smell was light and pleasant but reminded Jordan heavily of real babies he had met and held before. At Derek’s direction, he leaned forward to allow his back to be washed, and then his front. “Alrighty, baby, let’s see one of those little feets.” Derek reached for Jordan’s leg, soaping up just above his knee and lower, pausing to tickle the vulnerable sole. Jordan was, of course, very ticklish and gave a furtive kick before Derek stopped. “Okay, okay,” Derek soothed. “No more tickles. Let’s get that other leg.” After his legs were washed, Derek once again reached for the cabinet and pulled out another bottle. This time, it was baby shampoo. And Jordan had to say, getting a scalp massage from Derek was one of the best things he had ever experienced. And Derek was very caring as he rinsed Jordan’s hair, cupping his hand over his eyes to make sure no suds got into them. Hair and body washed, Derek grabbed a small cloth to wash his face. Jordan couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose as the cool cloth passed over his face, smearing suds. And a dissatisfied noise left his mouth as the suds were wiped away as well. “Easy, baby. I’m making sure to keep it from your eyes.” What followed was something Jordan hoped he could eventually forget. Derek was great of course, asking permission before he touched Jordan’s privates again. Jordan coped through most of it by closing his eyes and pretending it was just another nighttime diaper change. Immediately after, Derek started to drain the tub. Before Jordan could get cold Derek was quick to bring out a hooded towel to wrap him in. Rather than lead him to the nursery, however, Derek reached down and scooped the younger man into his arms. “Oh my god, please don’t drop me,” Jordan couldn’t help but beg. But Derek didn’t even waver. “Nonsense, baby boy. Daddy’s got you just fine.” Derek assured as he brought him to the changing table and laid him down on top. Jordan was acutely familiar with the diapering experience, thankfully. Derek smeared just a bit of ointment into the crease of the thigh where the rash had almost disappeared before grabbing a diaper from the drawer. Jordan had come quite a long way from his first diaper change. No more did he shake and shiver on the table with quiet anxiety. He merely lied back and allowed Derek to handle it all. “Jessie had picked her diapers ahead of time, but I’ll spare you the pink bunnies.” Derek smiled even as he pulled out a suitably babyish printed diaper. Jordan sighed but balked as Derek pulled out a couple of inserts and laid them inside the diaper before slipping them under him. “What are those?” Jordan asked, already feeling the layers of padding under him. Derek gave a sly grin. “Jessie loves thick diapers. It gets her in the baby mood. So I always add a couple of boosters whenever she visits.” And Jordan could feel the difference immediately as Derek powdered him liberally and pulled the front of the diaper up to tape it on. “This is so weird.” He couldn’t help but muse. Looking down, Jordan could see the bulk of the padding without even trying. “Good weird or bad weird?” Derek tried to clarify, helping Jordan sit up slowly. He felt exposed, sitting on the changing table with his thighs pushed apart. “Not bad. But not something I ever thought I’d be doing.” Jordan held out his hands as Derek started to dress him in what he first thought to be a tee shirt, but turned out to be a onesie when Derek pulled it down to cover his diaper and snap it into place. It was mostly white with a few planets dotted around the front. “You look adorable.” Derek cooed and Jordan saw how bright his eyes were. He looked like Christmas had come early! “You really like this, then?” Jordan couldn’t help but ask. Derek nodded quickly. “Oh, yes. Definitely.” When the older man had finished getting his eyeful, he reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a pacifier and a clip. He clipped the pacifier to the neck of the onesie and held it to Jordan’s lips. “Want to give it a try?” No excuse not to, Jordan supposed, as he opened his mouth. Derek gently set the rubber bulb inside and Jordan took it without complaint. Derek couldn’t seem to stop staring at Jordan as he nervously began to suck on the pacifier. It was a bit awkward at first as he wasn’t sure exactly how, but pretty soon he found a nice rhythm. Finally, Derek helped Jordan down from the table. “I have the living room all set up for a cute little boy to watch a movie while Daddy finishes dinner,” Derek explained, taking Jordan to the kitchen. The diaper caused an intense waddle that Jordan wasn’t too jazzed about, but he quickly forgot about it as he saw the setup Derek must have put together while Jordan was in the bath. There were puzzle piece mats across a large portion of the floor. The coffee table had been moved to sit behind the couch leaving the area wide open. A fluffy blanket spread out on the mats and various toys sprawled around. Derek led him over to sit amidst them, momentarily bending down enough to kiss Jordan’s head.”Now be a good boy and watch the princess movie and play with your toys while I finish cooking.” “That’s the plan.” Jordan agreed, but with the pacifier, it came out as more, “Da’s da p’an.” It earned him a pinch on the cheek, but pretty soon he was left alone to ‘play’. The movie was a bit more entertaining than the toys, to Jordan at least. Sometime between the movie starting and Derek walking in with two large bowls, Jordan let the pacifier drop from his mouth to dangle by his shirt. At the sight of the food, his mouth started to water. “Finally, I’m starving.” Derek carefully sat down beside Jordan, careful not to block the television. He sat both bowls on the floor beside himself and reached into his pocket for something. “Have to ensure my baby doesn’t make a mess right after the bath.” He explained as he pulled out a handful of fabric. Unfolding it, Jordan blushed at seeing a bib in Derek’s hand. It looked like any regular baby bib except for the larger size. The front even had a smiling earth cartoon on it. But all Jordan did was lean forward so Derek could secure it around his neck. “Are you ready, baby?” Derek asked as he picked up one of the bowls and spooned up a bite. It was then that Jordan realized his plan to feed him. It made sense with the bib and the whole babying thing of course but still caught him off guard. And he couldn’t even shuffle nervously without feeling the thick bulk of his diaper crinkling. The onesie didn’t help the noise at all. Nervous, Jordan crossed his legs in front of him and buried his hands in his lap to keep them from trying to grab the bowl. “Okay…” He nodded. Derek smiled pleasantly while he spooned up a bite of the soup. He made sure to get a little bit of everything; the chicken, the dumplings, the carrots, all in little chopped-up bites. Jordan was touched at the sight of him gently blowing the contents of the spoon to make sure it was cool enough to eat. “Okay, little one, open for num-nums.” Jordan actually squirmed at that but opened his mouth obediently. The soup was wonderful. Perfectly seasoned, well portioned, and perfectly warm. The temperature outside had begun to sink lower as the seasons changed, and while Derek always made sure his home was properly warmed, the soup made Jordan feel all cozy and warm inside. “Mmm!” He hummed, trying to let Derek know his effort was appreciated. They developed their own pattern as they ate. Derek would feed Jordan a few spoonfuls until the movie grabbed his attention. Jordan had seen it before of course, but it was still a decent movie that he was easily distracted by. During this Derek would take the time to eat his bowl until switching back. “C’mon, buddy, bite-bites.” He called Jordan’s attention back to the spoonful of soup. There were only a couple of times that Jordan paid more attention to the movie than his food, and both times Derek hadn’t quite managed to avoid spilling a drip of broth onto Jordan’s chin. But he was quick to either wipe it off with the spoon or use the bib as a napkin. Both of their bowls were empty as Rapunzel confronted Mother Gothel. Derek took the bowls into the kitchen and re-emerged before encouraging Jordan to climb up onto the couch. Jordan let Derek take the bib off and maneuver him until he was leaning into his side almost bonelessly. The soup was great at making his body feel all warm and heavy. It was then that Derek revealed that he was holding a bottle. “Oh, man,” Jordan mumbled, hesitancy and embarrassment creeping into his voice. There was only one person that bottle was going to, after all. Derek chuckled. “It’s not that bad, baby boy. C’mon. Do you want to hold it or me?” Derek asked, gently pushing Jordan up so that he wasn’t hiding so far into Derek’s side. “I’ll do it,” Jordan said immediately. He couldn’t imagine being held by Derek and bottle-fed. It was too intimate. It would be too much. And Jordan didn’t want to ruin such a good night when Derek was so happy already. The cool bottle was pressed into his hand and Jordan shifted to make himself more comfortable on the couch. Eventually, he settled, still leaning into Derek’s side but less hidden than before. Derek’s arm reached across his shoulder, pulling him in before resting his hand on Jordan’s thigh. The movie continued to play as Jordan brought the rubber nipple to his mouth and latched on. At first, he couldn’t manage to get any of the water out. He must have made a noise of frustration because Derek’s hand started rubbing soothing circles on his thigh. “You got it, baby.” He encouraged. The first drips of water were amazingly refreshing after working to get the best angle and pressure on the nipple. Jordan opened his eyes that he hadn’t realized he closed to see Rapunzel lifting lanterns with Eugene. He chanced a small peek up at Derek, thinking he would be watching the movie as well, but the man was staring down at him with a beloved glance. The only noises were the movie and the small sucking noises as Jordan sipped the bottle. With nothing else going on, the pair gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment. Was this what Derek’s usual clients felt? This closeness? The security? If so, Jordan didn’t know how they managed it. He wasn’t doing anything but holding a bottle to his mouth with one hand and gripping the hem of Derek’s shirt in a vice grip and yet it was almost overwhelming. Having Derek’s sole attention on him, ready to give him anything he needed, was both uplifting and pressurizing. It was almost addicting. But Jordan knew he couldn’t get used to this. He wasn’t a little. He couldn’t fulfill that part of Derek. This was just…this was pretend. By the next morning, everything would be as it was before. Was it selfish that Jordan didn’t want the night to end? The bottle was only half empty as Jordan removed it from his mouth and set it aside, but he couldn’t drink anymore. Not with Derek looking at him like that. Not with Derek filling him with false hope. Because he knew he couldn’t be what Derek wanted. He couldn’t be what Derek needed. He wasn’t a little. He couldn’t just slip into a headspace and forget everything and let Derek handle it. His mind was constantly thinking about what could go wrong. “Kiddo,” Derek’s voice broke his thoughts, bringing him back down to earth at the worried tone. “What’s wrong? What’s got you so upset?” He asked, shifting to face Jordan more so that he was practically leaning across his chest. Jordan barely managed a shrug, burying his face into Derek’s chest. He held onto the older man as if he were a buoy in the ocean and Jordan was lost at sea. “Is this too much? Do you need to stop?” Derek asked, petting down Jordan’s back and starting to stroke his hair. “C’mon, use your big boy words for me.” “M'okay,” Jordan forced out between one shuddered breath and the next. “S’just…dunno…” Having nothing else to do, Jordan grabbed the dangling pacifier from his collar and slipped it into his mouth. Having something in his mouth kept him from having to talk but it wasn’t as involved as the bottle. The movie ended not long after, but Derek never once stopped trying to soothe him. Jordan was his focus. “Are you ready for bed now, baby boy?” Derek asked, pausing the rolling credits. Jordan nodded as his eyes dropped. The emotions of the night had been heavy and he really just needed to sleep it off. Derek scooped him up with as much ease as before and carried him to the nursery where he was gently deposited on the crib mattress. “Okay, baby,” Derek spoke while grabbing a folded blanket at the end of the crib. “Sleep tight, rest easy, and if there is anything you need at all, just call for me.” He draped the blanket over Jordan, tucking it in around him. There was rustling above him and Jordan craned his neck up to see Derek fiddling with what must have been a baby monitor perched on the shelf beside the crib. “What about in the morning? Do I just wait for you to come to get me?” Jordan asked, reaching to rub at his eyes. It was then Derek had a fond smile. “I don’t think you’ll be waiting long. You tend to sleep late unless someone wakes you. Which I probably will after breakfast is ready.” Before Jordan could retort, Derek returned to his side and tucked something very soft under his arm. Looking down, Jordan saw the same blue bunny character printed on the sheets in plush form. “Someone to keep you company.” He reached to make sure the pacifier clip wasn’t buried in the blankets before reaching up and petting Jordan’s hair lovingly. “You comfy?” Jordan nodded, giving an indulgent smile to Derek. “It’s not so bad in here.” “Good,” He leaned forward to kiss his brow. “Goodnight, baby boy.” “G’night.” Derek lifted the bars into place with a click to secure them and slowly left the room as if he expected to be called back immediately. The main light of the room was turned off leaving only the gleam of a small night light shimmering in the corner. However, the door was cracked and Jordan could just barely make out the beams of light coming from the bathroom down the hall. Not that that would make a difference, he was currently locked in a crib and thickly diapered until morning. Feeling the tendrils of anxiety peering into his subconscious, Jordan placed the pacifier into his mouth to give himself something to focus on. He was glad Derek gave him the plush as well, squeezing it close also served to lessen his tension enough that he felt sleep come back rather quickly. A/N: I meant to get this out much sooner. I even took some time off work to get it done. But I immediately caught the flu and was sick in bed. I even spent overnight in the hospital because asthma and flu don't mix. I'm feeling much much better now, and I'm glad I can finally get this chapter out. I was really looking forward to getting to this part!

A pacifier clip does wonders in my opinion. It's a handy little accessory but also adds to the whole little aesthetic! Some books might help to. A friend of mine has a little sensory book that has different swatches of things to touch as well.

Same! I playtest my ideas with a friend for this story and she's constantly telling me to "make the baby cry" because she lovessss the aftermath. This has been her favorite chapter since the promotion scene previously :3

I know, I'm mean for the cliffhanger ? But it's perfect for what's coming next! You'll just have to be patient!

https://youtu.be/-K_NN_KeElo I've laughed so hard my ribs hurt. I never thought a man treating Ulfric Stormcloak like a petulant child could be so hilarious. Man is literally talking to himself for 25 minutes straight. And it's AMAZING!

"Woody tosses Buzz Lightyear's salad repeatedly" I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity

Ghibli marathon! 1. Howls Moving Castle 2. Spirited Away 3. Princess Mononoke And if we're still awake: 4: Kiki's Delivery Service 5. Totoro

From Tenant to Baby: CH 9 Jordan woke the next morning to a hand lightly shaking his shoulder. He couldn’t help the confused whine that escaped him as he buried his head deeper into the pillow he rested on. “I know, I know,” Derek chuckled. “But we can’t stay in bed all day.” “S’ too early,” Jordan complained, eyes cracking open slightly. “I don’t know about that, buddy. But take your time waking up. I just wanted to let you know to use my shower and freshen up when you’re ready. I have clothes laid out and more of that rash ointment for you to use.” As Jordan stretched he felt the telltale feeling of a soaked diaper wrapped around his waist. Of course, it was to be expected, but it was nothing like the pull-ups. Immediately, he noted that they were quite a bit bulkier. But, Jordan realized with surprise, the tapes were just as secure as they were the night before when Derek taped them. And if he needed it, he was almost sure the diaper could take another wetting. Not that he would, of course. “Thank you, Derek,” Jordan said warmly, slowly sitting up in the bed, and feeling the duvet fall onto his lap. “No problem, kiddo. I’m going to go get started on breakfast. Join me when you’re ready.” It took Jordan a bit longer to force himself out of bed after Derek left. But encouraged himself with the thought that he didn’t want the food to get cold and have Derek’s effort go to waste. He showered quickly, dropping the heavily used diaper into the trash can and tying up the bag before stepping under the hot spray. Using Derek’s soaps and washes, Jordan cleaned up and stepped out of the shower. The clothes Derek left behind consisted of a simple white tee shirt, black basketball shorts, and…a pair of dinosaur-patterned briefs. Before Jordan could be too embarrassed, he spotted a handwritten note beside the stack of clothes. ‘Sorry about the underwear. Besides padding, it was all I had to fit you. It was this, building blocks, or Bluey. ~ Derek’ At least he apologized, Jordan reasoned as he reluctantly dressed. He threw the pajamas into the laundry hamper and headed for the kitchen. He made sure to throw the tied-up bag into the trash upon entering. Spotting him, Derek gave him a bright smile. “Good morning, kiddo! Did you sleep well?” “Mhm,” Jordan hummed as he leaned against the counter. “Whatcha making?” “Pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Which reminds me, how do you like your eggs?” Derek asked, nodding his head to the carton of eggs sitting by the stove. Jordan knew it wasn’t a request, but he walked over to the stove and started cracking eggs into a bowl anyway. “Scrambled. You?” He went to the fridge and poured a bit of milk into the bowl and while he was at it, he grabbed the shredded cheese as well. Derek’s voice was soft, and even though Jordan wasn’t looking at him, he could tell he was being watched. “I’ll…I like them over easy if you’re comfortable making them. If not, scrambled is good too.” Jordan scoffed as he cracked two more eggs into the pan as it heated up. “I’m a college student and eggs are cheap. I’ve learned how to make eggs 101 different ways.” “Well then by all means Mr. Chef.” But Jordan could tell he was just teasing. When Derek’s eggs were done, Jordan set them on a plate next to the countertop griddle where Derek was scooping up tons of tiny sand dollar pancakes. As he poured his mixture into the pan, he asked, “I can do the bacon too, if you need.” “It’s in the oven already. Should be done in a few minutes. Mind getting the table ready when you’re done though?” “Gotcha.” Pretty soon, The pair were eating their meals peacefully at the table. Jordan learned that Derek preferred jams and jellies on his pancakes rather than the sugary syrup which, in a way, made sense. Derek complimented him on his eggs and Jordan couldn’t help but preen. It wasn’t a big deal, but it felt like he was giving back to Derek in his own way. After all, the man had done for him. It was a nice, serene breakfast all things considered. That is until Jordan’s phone started to vibrate constantly in his pocket. Confused, because nobody usually called him so early in the morning, he dropped his fork onto his plate and fished his phone from his pocket. ‘Trevor :(‘ lit up the screen and Jordan couldn’t help but groan. “Is everything alright?” Derek asked worriedly. And Jordan set the still buzzing phone on the table. “It’s Trevor. I was hoping to just send him an email saying that I quit but he must be trying to call me in.” The screen went black as the call went to voicemail, but merely a minute later, it started buzzing again. “You can always tell him you quit over the phone…” Derek suggested. Another groan as Jordan grabbed the phone. That was the right thing to do, of course. But he wanted the least amount of contact with Trevor as possible. “Prepare to hear him scream at me.” As he accepted the call, Jordan could have sworn he heard Derek mutter something like ‘he better not’ under his breath but he couldn’t be sure as Trevor immediately started speaking. “Jordan? Helloooo? Jordan? Are you there?” Jordan sighed. “Yes, I’m here. And I have to tell you-” “Jesus H. Christ, Jordan I’ve been calling and calling and you haven’t been picking up!” Trevor interrupted him. “I need you to come in. Dajah and Kiko never showed up to open this morning and I can’t get ahold of Dustin or Whitney.” “I can’t-” “The first show is in less than an hour and we don’t even have the popcorn ready yet. I need to fill the registers and I need someone to set up the kiosks-” Already, Jordan felt stress leeching into his bones. For a moment, he forgot his plan to quit. He imagined himself having to run back to his unit for his uniform and rush to the theater where there would probably be a line of disgruntled guests. He’d have to take all their orders and promise to take them to their seats seeing as how the popcorn wasn’t ready. Not to mention that was only if Trevor managed to set up a drawer in time. And Jordan could only hope the janitors did a proper cleaning job the night before. “So I need you to get here ASAP!” “I-I was supposed to be off…I-” “I don’t care. I need you to be a team player. Pick up the slack.” Jordan’s hand shook as he wiped it down his face, and suddenly, Derek was there beside him. The man abandoned his meal and came around the table to stand beside him. Jordan curled into the man’s side immediately taking comfort in his presence. Derek wasted no time, petting his hair. “You can do this…” “Trevor I quit!” Jordan blurted, tensing as if he expected the world to explode. The line was silent suddenly, and for a moment, Jordan feared Trevor had hung up on him before he could hear him. “Trevor?” “No.” “What?” Jordan stuttered. “You aren’t quitting. I need someone to come in and help me open. Like hell you’re gonna quit on me without so much as a two-week notice! Y’know if this is about Dustin getting the promotion and not you, I thought you were better than that. We were really looking to you to fill in Victoria’s manager spot while she went to New York this Christmas. But you can forget all that. Now, I want you here in the next 15 minutes and MAYBE I will reconsider-” Derek’s hand came into Jordan’s field of view and for a moment he was confused. But then Derek tapped the hand holding the phone to his ear and Jordan understood…Well, he supposed, he was already quitting. Might as well burn the whole bridge. He dropped the phone into Derek’s hand and leaned further into him as he heard Trevor finally reach the end of his tirade with a, “Do I make myself clear?!” Derek continued to pet his hair as Jordan wrapped his arms around his waist to cling to him. He could feel the vibrations as Derek spoke. “Hello, this is Derek K. I am the owner and supervisor of the establishment young Jordan here is now employed at as of yesterday morning. I do not appreciate the unprofessionalism I have witnessed from you today Mr. Trevor, was it?” He didn’t wait for a response. “If you have any further questions regarding Jordan’s self-termination from FlixWorld you can direct all inquiries to my office at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Thank you.” The line beeped as Derek hung up the phone and set it down on the table. Jordan went to reach for it to start texting the work group chats for someone to come in, but Derek grabbed his hand in a loose but firm grip. “Uh-uh, buddy. It’s breakfast time now. We have a meal to eat. Just the thought of eating as his heartbeat fluttered as fast as it was made a nauseous feeling well in Jordan’s stomach. “I’m not hungry anymore. I really should find someone to cover-” The chair beside him scrapped the ground as Derek pulled it out and sat down. They were so close that their knees touched, but Derek didn’t seem to care. “I would like you to try two more bites of everything on your plate before you leave the table.” He reached for Jordan’s plate, setting aside two sand dollar pancakes, and a strip of bacon, and using his fork to scrape over some of the egg scrambles. Jordan looked up at Derek with hesitant eyes. But was met with only a smile. Reluctantly, Jordan took the fork from Derek’s hand and started to eat the portioned meal. “Good boy,” Derek praised, pulling his plate over and doing the same. Every so often he would squeeze Jordan’s knee or pat him on the back until Jordan realized he had eaten his entire plate. Nausea that took over his stomach was mostly gone as well as the shaking in his hands. It seemed that a good meal did him well. And when Derek finished his plate, he took the dishes to the kitchen. “Go wash up and then I’ll give you your orientation.” Washing up consisted of washing his hands, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair. But when he finished with that, he met Derek inside his office. Part of him expected the phone to start ringing off the hook from Trevor, but it was silent. Derek smiled at him upon entry. “Alrighty, kiddo. This cabinet is where I keep all the files. The top drawer is clients. The middle drawer is business associates. The bottom drawer is financials.” He said pointing to each drawer labeled as such. “I try to keep it organized alphabetically, but some things are a bit shuffled up.” Jordan walked over and pulled open the top drawer. Immediately, he was greeted with manila folders with small paper tags labeled by last and first names. “So, you want me to create a catalog of all your clients?” “Yes, if possible.” Derek pointed to his computer. “Just something I can search easily to find the information listed in the folder without having to dig through the files.” Walking over to the said computer, Jordan sat down with a file for an ‘Acomb, Wesley’. He opened a simple note program and opened the folder. “So you’ll want to keep it organized by name,” Jordan mused as he typed. In the folder was a paper that was a printout from the website the appointments were scheduled on. All the boxes were filled in with ‘Wesley’s information but Jordan focused on the basic info. The next page was a handwritten note in Derek’s handwriting. ‘Wesley = very shy, almost nonverbal. Brings preferred items. Likes trains. Will not eat rice or noodles. No known allergies.’ The page following it was also handwritten, but not in Derek’s handwriting. ‘Make sure that Wes does not have anything to drink 30-40 minutes before he sleeps. Make sure he goes to the bathroom right before bed. He is a very heavy wetter and gets very upset if he leaks. I made sure to pack boosters and an extra set of pajamas just in case. He will not lie on a changing table. I’ve packed a changing mat in case you don’t have one.’ Derek kept very detailed accounts of visits, Jordan noticed. The following pages were typed-up reports of all of ‘Wesley’s visits including the date, the time of arrival, and almost hour-by-hour updates. Some visits were just overnight. Some were over multiple days. “Wesley is the little one of a man named Danny,” Derek informed from behind him. “He’s been coming to me for years. I don’t need all the appointments cataloged, but maybe, if you can, mark down if something out of the ordinary occurred. I highlighted them in red.” Jordan noted more and more on the computer. “Well, I’ll have plenty of work to do.” He chuckled. “Sorry,” Derek winced. “If you could do maybe one per workday, you should finish by the end of the year. I wouldn’t want you to sit at the computer all day.” “It’s fine. This will be easy,” Jordan closed the folder. “I can probably do two or three a day. Maybe more. Data entry is a part of my curriculum anyway.” Putting ‘Wesley’s folder away, Jordan couldn’t help but flip through until he found an Andrew. Andrew Phipps to be specific. This folder was much thicker than the others around it. And all the information was prefaced with a photo from the website, only the face wasn’t blurred. The face of the young man was tanned. The cheeks held plenty of freckles as well as a deeper tan of someone who was outside quite often. Green eyes stared at Derek, a smile visible from the sides of the pacifier. Andrew had light brown almost blonde hair that reached passed his ears. “Ah, I see you’ve found Mel’s baby.” Derek mused. Flinching as if caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Jordan gave a nervous laugh. “Uh yeah…Just curious is all.” “Nothing wrong with that.” Derek smiled as if he had a secret to hide. But considering Jordan was elbow-deep in the secret he had hidden before, he doubted there could be anything else. For the rest of the morning, Jordan marked down what it was Derek wanted him to do and familiarized himself with the layout of the files. And things developed into their own form of normal. Almost a week passed. ----- Jordan spent most nights in his unit but occasionally, Derek would invite him down to stay the night. Only on those nights would Jordan agree to be diapered. Any other night he would wear a pull-up. And he found that Derek was right. His accidents were stress related. Out of the 7 days that passed, he only wet the bed on 5 of them. It was still a lot but gave Jordan hope that it wouldn’t be forever. He dove head-first into the files in Derek’s office. But Derek was careful not to leave him at the computer for more than a few hours at a time. Often he would come in and get Jordan to stand and walk around. It was a job, but it didn’t feel that way. It was refreshing. And then…There was a canceled appointment. Derek had informed him beforehand about it. A Jessie Turner had an overnight stay planned. Derek had gone to the store to get the things to make her favorite meal, chicken and dumplings soup. And Jordan spent the morning putting up soft blue curtains in the nursery. The bedding was changed out for some sort of bunny pattern. They even had Tangled queued to play on the television. Jordan had planned to be gone soon to give Derek time to cook and get into his ‘Daddy Mindset’ (Jordan’s words, not Derek. Derek got a good laugh out of it though) But then the office phone rang. Jordan, hesitant to answer as Derek never told him he could, called the man in from the kitchen. Derek answered cheerfully. “Jessie! I’m starting to get dinner together now. What’s up?” Jordan’s eyes widened. He needed to make himself scarce. He closed the folder in front of him and made his way to the cabinet to put it away, unintentionally listening in on Derek’s phone call. “Oh…No, it’s fine. Don’t worry. I’m just glad it’s a happy emergency.” Jordan paused. Looking over from the other side of the room, he watched Derek’s shoulder deflate. “We can totally reschedule. I’m open same time next week. Perfect. Really, it’s no problem. Tell her I said congrats! Okay…talk to you later…bye-bye…” Derek hung up the phone with a sigh. “She’s not coming.” “Oh, man…That’s rough.” “Her sister just announced an engagement so they’re going out to celebrate…” Derek turned, giving a small shrug. “It happens.” “But you planned such a fun evening.” Jordan felt affronted on Derek’s behalf. “These things happen. It’s just how things work.” Derek headed for the kitchen. “I’m still making the soup if you want to stick around.” “Definitely.” Jordan agreed. “Especially now that you’ve been stood up.” He followed Derek into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. Derek laughed. “I wasn’t stood up. It was just a cancellation.” “But you were looking forward to it. You had your Daddy Mindset planned and everything!” “I always look forward to it!” Derek stirred the pot, looking at Jordan in fond exasperation. “I was just more looking forward to it today because it’s been a while.” “It has?” A second of silence passed before Derek nodded. “For me. For this. Yeah. Business always gets slow toward the end of the year, but she’ll be here next weekend…so it’s fine.” Despite Derek’s insistence that it was fine, Jordan could see the slight longing on his face. The slump of his shoulders. The frown dipped the corners of his lips. And it was such a foreign sight on Derek’s face. Jordan didn’t like it. Not one bit. But he couldn’t force Jessie to show up… “What if I filled in?” The offer was extended before Jordan could think it through. But rather than retract it, he doubled down. “I may not be a little like you were hoping for, but I can pretend…” A/N: I've been really motivated to work on this story. It's really one of my favorite things right now! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed making it. ❤️

I think,” Jordan started, wetting his dry lips as he gathered the correct words. “I think I’d feel stupid in them.” He said honestly. “I’ve never thought about wearing them before. I didn’t even know they made something like that until today.” I think you're referencing this moment. And I intended it to be him not outright saying no. He's hesitant. Voicing concerns that he'd feel silly. It's true he's never desired wearing diapers before and didn't know it was even an option until the truth about Derek's babysitting came out. Derek is quick to assure him that he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to because Derek values Jordan's comfort above his desires for a little boy. i go into a little more detail on chapter 8.5 about it, but Jordan is very apprehensive about the whole babying thing. And part of that is because he's afraid he'd like that. And if he liked it, he'd want Derek to take care of him. But, in his mind, he isn't a little. He doesn't identify as one at least. He hasn't yet come to terms with his own feelings in that regard. But Derek is very open about his willingness and desire to baby Jordan. But Jordan doesn't understand that it's because Derek cares about HIM. And not that he just sees him as another adult to baby. hope that makes sense! ?

From Tenant to Baby: CH 8.5 Derek was a simple man of simple pleasures. One of which just happened to be caring for littles. Some people had a smoke at the end of a long day, and some people had a glass of wine, for Derek it was something as simple as running a bubble bath or reading a bedtime story to a little one. But he had to acknowledge that watching Jordan follow him down the hall with eyes that held all the trust in the world in Derek was better than any babysitting session he had ever had. Derek could tell much about what someone was thinking by looking them in the eyes. For Jordan, he saw trust that Derek would take care of him. But there was also fear. Now, he wasn’t sure if it was the fear that Derek would suddenly turn him away, or if it was a fear that he might like whatever followed. In the first case, Jordan had nothing to worry about. Derek was quite confidently smitten. In the second case, Derek could only hope. Jordan walked around as if he held the fate of the world on his shoulders. It was admirable to see a young soul so determined, but Derek didn’t like how drained Jordan often seemed. And Derek thought of Jordan’s manager; Travis? Trey? He couldn’t quite remember. He wasn’t a violent man. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. But watching Jordan break down so quickly was a sight Derek never wanted to see again. It was such a shame there wasn’t anyone in the Network involved in the management of FlixWorld. He so badly wanted to watch Troy’s face crumble the same way Jordan’s had when the rug was ripped out from under him. Derek would just have to seek his own restitution…Eventually. “Derek?” Said man was knocked from his thoughts and realized he had been standing in the living room, staring at the couch intently longer than necessary. Jordan had called out to him, most likely worried. Giving his warmest smile, Derek spoke. “Just thinking that we should find something milder to watch before bedtime. Don’t want to give you bad dreams and all.” He sat down at the end of the couch and gently guided Jordan to sit beside him. At the boy’s hesitant glance, Derek motioned for him to rest his head in his lap. “What do you say, little buddy?” The new nickname was sudden, but Jordan merely rubbed his cheek into the fabric of the sweatpants covering Derek’s thigh like a cat preening for pets. “S’fine with me.” Derek grabbed the remote and started to scroll through the many shows and movies. Eventually, he landed on an older 90’s sitcom about a family. He leaned back against the couch, running his hand through Jordan’s hair slowly and methodically. He couldn’t help it as pride welled in his chest when Jordan slowly grew limp, relaxing under his touch. From his position, Derek could just barely see the waistband of the diaper peeking out of the back of Jordan’s pajama pants. It reminded him of seeing the pull-up poking up from his pants at Mel’s. The look the two caregivers shared was a knowing one. Derek knew then, Jordan was special. He only wished Jordan didn’t have to sit in a wet pull-up long enough to cause a rash. But Derek had no other way of bringing attention to it without upsetting Jordan in a way that Derek couldn’t comfort while he was driving. When the first episode ended and Derek was sure Jordan was nice and sleepy, he used the hand not tangled in the boy’s hair to stroke down his back. “I think it’s time for a certain someone to go to bed,” He said in a slightly sing-song voice. “Time s’it?” Jordan muttered, body tensing up rigid momentarily as he stretched, but relaxing just as quickly. “Time for bed,” Derek reiterated. “You’ve had a very big day. You need your rest.” He hated having to dislodge Jordan from his lap, but he needed to get him down the hall. “C’mon, kiddo. Do you want to sleep in the guest room or in the big bed with me?” Jordan’s shoulders raised and fell in a shrug, causing Derek to chuckle. “Big bed it is then.” Tucking Jordan into his bed was a delightful experience. With Jordan pliant and trusting in his hands, Derek didn’t worry about overstepping. He tucked the duvet in securely around Jordan before making sure the boy’s phone was charging on the nightstand. He made sure the en suite bathroom light was on and the door was closed just enough that the light could be seen from the bed. And finally, he brushed Jordan’s hair off his forehead and pressed a light kiss to his brow. The poor boy was trying so hard to stay away, his eyes fluttering closed before blearily opening again. “Goodnight, Jordan,” Derek rumbled softly. He went over to the other side of the bed, climbing under the covers slowly so as not to disrupt Jordan. He didn’t bother trying to read. He himself was tired and he was sure Jordan would be out before the first page was finished. And as he rested his head on the pillow, his heart warmed to hear a quiet, almost mouse squeak of a voice. “G’nigh’, ‘erek.” Jordan slurred. His quiet snoring soon drifted through the air. A/N: Just a cute little half chapter that popped into my head this morning while I was at work. A rare POV shift that I hope answered some questions and raised some questions as well ;3

Welcome to DD! I hope you find what you're looking for here. If you have any questions comments concerns don't hesitate to voice them! ?

Somewhere where the only seasons are Summerx1000 or those two weeks in February it's suddenly in the negatives and everything's closed because nobody knows how to drive on ice.

With news of Rick Riordan coming out with 2 new books next year and the Percy Jackson show projected to come out in 2024, I wanted to reread the series to refresh my mind because I was a BIG Percy Jackson nerd in school. I went to a Barnes and Noble with a friend looking for a box set or an estimated price on them, and I couldn't seem to find them. I was looking in the YA section right around the Divergent series and Hunger Games as those were popular series as well around the same time. But they weren't there. I assumed they might have been on a display somewhere in the store so I went up to the counter and asked someone for help. They offered to show me where they were and I was so embarrassed to see they were in the children's section. Not only that, but the area was decorated in brightly colored animals and vines. There was even a little plastic table with easy reader booklets on top. I told the worker, "Oh I figured they would be in the YA section. I didn't think to look back here." She just smiled and walked off. My face must have been bright red. I had to crouch to fully look at the shelf and the books were listed right by the Warrior Cats series I remember reading in elementary school. I didn't even buy anything as I left. My friend was apparently looking all over for me as well. I ended up just going to walmart and getting the first 5 books in a box set for 20 dollars instead of 45 dollars at Barnes and Noble. When I told him, my friend got a bigger kick out of the situation than I did ?

From Tenant to Baby: CH8 As the two of them stepped back into the main room of the nursery, Derek leaned against the wall casually. “Now that we’re both on the same page as far as all of this,” he motioned to the nursery. “I hope you’ll feel more open to talking to me about your accidents.” Jordan froze on the spot. “Wha-what do you mean?” He stuttered, feeling as if Derek was looking at him and could see through him. He was no longer wearing the pull-up but he felt that Derek would find out he wore one some way. “Your accident you had here. You were hesitant to sleep over again because you felt it would happen again. This leads me to believe you had an accident at home the night after.” Derek spoke softly, even as Jordan hunched his shoulders forward. “And…I saw that you were carrying your sheets in the basket yesterday morning.” “I…” Jordan trailed off, at loss for words. “I’m not angry or upset with you, kiddo. I think your accidents mostly have to do with the kind of stress you’re under.” Derek reached a hand out to Jordan and Jordan found himself letting Derek pull him close into a hug. “And, if you decide you want to work for me, I’m sure they’d go away eventually.” Taking a deep breath, Jordan found himself opening up. He couldn’t hide it from Derek if he already knew. “You think so?” “Of course,” Derek ran a comforting hand through Jordan’s hair. “But I want you to know that I’m here for you even if they don’t. I mean-” Jordan feels his motion to the nursery. “I definitely have the supplies to help.” Jordan was surprised that the pang of shame he felt at the words wasn’t nearly as sharp as he expected. He wasn’t a little. He didn’t want to be treated like a baby. In a way, he was out of place in the nursery. But here Derek was, so used to caring for little ones, and unbothered by Jordan, that he would open himself up to help. Even if Jordan couldn’t possibly fall into the role of a little. “It’s fine. Those are supposed to be for your clients.” He shrugged. “I can go to the store myself and-” “They’re for anyone who needs them.” Derek interrupted firmly. “I have boxes upon boxes of more in the workshop. You needing them during the nighttime is no issue.” Jordan pulled away but paused as Derek lightly touched his chin and directed his gaze upwards to point at his face. “I-” “You aren’t a bother, Jordan.” Something on Jordan’s face must have betrayed his thoughts as Derek sighed. Not an annoyed sigh or an angry sigh, but something a touch sadder. The hand touching Jordan’s chin reached up to cup his cheek and the other hand mirrored it. Jordan could pull away if he wanted to; Derek wasn’t holding him in place. But it was a secure touch. Reassuring and grounding as well. “You aren’t a bother. You aren’t imposing. You aren’t making me do anything I’m not more than happy to do for you. If anything, I want you to tell me if I’m crossing boundaries. Understand?” Derek told him firmly and Jordan nodded just slightly. “I notice you get overwhelmed quite a bit. That can be part of your stress as well, but my hope is that you find yourself able to relax around me.” “It’s hard,” Jordan told him honestly. “It just takes time.” Derek let him go and took a step back. “I promised you could get some homework done tonight. How about you go and do that and take some time to think it over? I’ll have dinner ready tonight and we can discuss your decision then.” ~~~~~~~~ Back in his unit, Jordan released a breath that he felt he had been holding the entire time and as he did with most of his problems, he chose to ignore it and buried himself in his classwork. They were finally getting into the harder units of the semester and with midterms approaching quickly, Jordan knew he needed to focus even harder. In fact, he only stood from his desk, stretching the tension out of his back, hours later. A low-level headache thrummed behind his eyes from staring at the computer for so long, but he felt that he had made a lot of progress. The class he was forced to retake was no easier the second time around, but Jordan was confident that he could pass this time if he stayed on top of his work. He took a shower. Paying extra attention to the uncomfortable almost burning feeling along his crotch. The warm water irritated the rash more than sitting at his desk had and Jordan debated going to the store just for some ointment to ease it. But…he didn’t know the best brand for this kind of rash…And Derek had offered to help him. Surely, with an entire nursery in stock, he would have something for a rash… Dinner that night was take-out pizzas that Derek must have left to get right before Jordan walked over. They were hot and fresh on the coffee table. Plates, napkins, and drinks sat around the boxes of pizza. Before he forgot, Jordan held out the folded pajamas he had borrowed. “Here you go. Thank you for letting me use them.” Derek opened his mouth and closed it quickly before accepting the pile of clothes. “Of course…let me just put these away. Get comfy and I’ll be right back.” Jordan sat down as he watched Derek disappear into the nursery. He imagined Derek going to the closet and putting the pajamas away. Or maybe, if Jordan stayed the night again, he would just leave them out on the changing table to grab later…Or maybe, he put them away and chose a different set…Or…A flinch jerked his shoulders as the door to the nursery closed suddenly. Derek’s footsteps returned from down the hall and he flopped down next to Jordan on the couch. “Alrighty, what are we watching tonight?” He asked Jordan, catching him off guard. “Uh…You pick. I always pick.” Jordan said quickly, a flush rising from his neck. Did he let Jordan pick so often because he was indulging him like he would a child? Derek shrugged, scrolling through the services until he reached Breaking Bad. “Do you mind? I’m in season 4.” “That’s fine.” Jordan nodded. “I’ve only seen a few episodes but my old roommate talked about it all the time.” Without a word, Derek set the episode to play and Jordan reached for the first box of pizza. Opening the top, he couldn’t help but scrunch his nose at the sight of a supreme pizza. But, he wasn’t going to complain…Especially not with Derek providing it. A deep chuckle sounded from beside him, halting him as he reached for a slice. Looking up, Jordan saw Derek struggling to hold back laughter. “What?” He asked, embarrassed. “There’s a pepperoni underneath it if you don’t like supreme, kiddo,” Derek spared him an adoring look. “I forgot to ask and I just assumed if you didn’t want supreme, pepperoni was a safe bet.” “Well…I’ll eat it. I just…Too many toppings.” Jordan explained even as he switched the pepperoni to be on top and grabbed a couple of slices. Was Derek so prepared with an alternative option because he was used to accommodating picky littles? “Yeah?” Derek asked, grabbing his own slices. “Is it a texture issue?” Jordan shook his head. “No. It’s more like I can’t see what’s on it. Like, even if I picked off all the toppings I didn’t like, I’d still somehow taste them, you know?” “Ah,” Derek nodded. “Makes sense. I’ll keep that in mind.” They ate in silence for the majority of the episode. When Jordan leaned back, stomach full, Derek gathered the boxes and took them into the kitchen. He returned with a familiar crinkling package of wipes and dropped one on Jordan’s waiting hand. “Mouth and hands.” Jordan wipes them both thoroughly, not wanting to get pizza grease on Derek’s couch, and dropped the now orange-tinted wipe onto his empty plate. Derek grabbed both their dishes and paused as he turned to the kitchen. “Did you want any more sippies- Ah!” He cut himself off, a shy apologetic look overtaking his face. “I meant, did you want any more to drink…” Giving a chuckle of his own, Jordan shook his head. “No thank you. I have plenty of sippies here.” He teased motioning to his half-full cup. It was an awkward conversation, but for once, Derek was on the receiving end. It helped Jordan relax just slightly that there were still things that Derek slipped up on. Even if Jordan wondered if Derek slipped because he saw Jordan as a little… Of course, the tables turned when Derek returned and motioned for Jordan to follow. Television forgotten, Jordan found himself once more in the nursery. He gave a shaky breath as Derek handed him another set of pajamas. These didn’t seem quite as oversize as the other set. They were patterned with red, green, and yellow dinosaurs on a light blue background. “Do you want a pull-up for tonight? Or would you like to try something else?” “What…Uh, what’s something else?” Jordan asked but felt as if he already knew. Even so, Derek opened up one of the drawers on the changing table and motioned inside. “I have plenty of patterns to choose from…” He gave an encouraging look as he urged Jordan forward. The drawer was exactly as Jordan had left it. Not a single diaper out of place. “You want me to wear diapers?” He couldn’t help but ask, certain this was the strangest exchange they have had to date. “Want is a...different term than I would use.” Derek huffed a forced laugh. “I am giving you the option. I certainly wouldn’t mind, and I think dipping a toe into this lifestyle would benefit your work greatly in this company. But if you say no, I won’t be upset.” “I think,” Jordan started, wetting his dry lips as he gathered the correct words. “I think I’d feel stupid in them.” He said honestly. “I’ve never thought about wearing them before. I didn’t even know they made something like that until today.” “That’s fair.” Derek said, hand going to the front of the drawer and pushing it closed. “And like I said I have plenty of pull-ups you can wear-” “I’ll try them.” The words were out of his mouth before Jordan processed them. But as he gazed upon Derek’s face and watched him turn to Jordan as if he were a precious artifact gifted to him on a velvet pillow, he couldn’t muster up the shame to regret it. “You…If you’re still offering of course.” Slowly, without words, Derek reached for Jordan. His hands landed on the younger man’s shoulders and trailed down his arms before going back up again. As he continued the motion, Jordan felt a bit of tension leave his body. His shoulders gradually lowering until they were no longer hunched up by his ears, but his arms remained crossed over his chest. “You’re such a good boy,” Derek mumbled almost too quiet for Jordan to hear. “Mel said the same thing…” “She was right…” Derek ruffled Jordan’s hair as he opened the drawer once more. “Do you want to pick, or would you like me to.” “Honestly, I may back out if I look in there.” Derek nodded, stepping aside as he patted the changing table top. “I assume you want me to put it on. Unless you want to…” “I’ll mess it up.” Jordan sighed, walking up to the changing table and using a convenient step stool to climb on top of it. Derek’s hands immediately coming to his sides to help make sure he didn’t fall. Only as he laid back onto the mat did he remember his rash, the rough fabric of his underwear chafing against raw skin. “I have- I have a thing. A rash. When I took a nap in the car I…I still had the pull-up on and…Just ignore it.” He stuttered over his words, face a bright shade of red. “Shh,” Derek shushed him gently, large warm hand petting over his stomach, just under where his hands were twisted together, almost shaking with tension. “I’ll take care of it. Trust me, kiddo. I can take care of it all.” A small noise left Jordan’s throat as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry.” “No reason to apologize. Just relax.” Derek’s voice took on the tone of warm honey. And even as he didn’t speak, he made himself heard. Small hums of an indistinguishable tune left his lips. Jordan heard the crinkling of the diapers in the drawer before it closed. The hand on his stomach never left, a comforting constant weight holding him from teetering off the edge it seemed. “I’m going to take off your pants. Don’t worry about trying to help.” He assured as his hands went to the button of Jordan’s jeans. “Okay.” Derek slid his pants down his legs easily, pausing to pull them off each of Jordan’s feet before folding them up and dropping them in the seat of the rocking chair. “Take a deep breath.” He encouraged as his hands rested on Jordan’s bare thighs. “I’ll stop at any point you need.” Jordan trembled with anxious energy. His hands separated from their tangled pile on his stomach and in turn pressed into the cool padding hard enough to feel the hard wooden top of the table. “I’m okay.” He breathed. Derek didn’t respond verbally, but his hands did trail up, never losing contact with Jordan’s skin as he hooked gentle fingers under the waistband of his underwear. “Like I said before, don’t worry about trying to help.” The underwear were a bit more awkward as they scraped against his rash. Jordan could only assume they joined his pants on the chair as they made no noise. Derek gave a sympathetic coo as he traced a feather light touch over the inside of Jordan’s thigh. “Poor kiddo,” He tisked. “Don’t worry. Derek’s got the exact thing that’ll clear that right up.” “Okay.” It seemed like the only thing Jordan could say as he heard another drawer open and close before he heard the click of a tube opening. “This will be a little cold. Are you okay with me touching your private area, Jordan?” He asked gently and Jordan could only give a small ‘Mhm’ sound. Derek was right. The cream was cold. But it soothed the itching burn that Jordan hadn’t even noticed was there so intently almost immediately. Derek’s touches were delicate but firm. Applying the cream liberally across his privates. The entire time keeping up a steady stream of ‘It’s alright,” “I have you,” “Just breath.” Once, his free hand touched Jordan’s knee and coaxed him to raise it up until his foot was propped up on the table. “There we go. Just so I can reach your bottom, buddy.” Derek assured, smearing the cream across the rash there before closing the tube and placing it back in the drawer. “Now it’s time for the diaper, buddy. Can you lift your his up for me? Just a bit. I’ll tell you when you can lay back down.” Jordan obliged, hands clenched into anxious fists in the fabric of his shirt. The diaper crinkled loudly in the quiet nursery as Derek lined it up under him. A warm hand soon resting on his stomach. “Lay back down,” He coaxed and Jordan lowered himself down to feel the soft, surprisingly thick padding underneath him. “Good boy.” Jordan whimpered, eyes still shut tight as Derek shushed him. “Time for the powder.” Jordan felt the barely there cloud of powder dusting his private area, the smell encompassing him. “You’re gonna make me smell like a baby.” He couldn’t help but comment as Derek finally put the bottle down and wiped the excess off his thighs and stomach. “It’s one of my favorite smells.” Derek answered honestly and without further delay, the diaper was pulled up over his crotch. Derek was quick as he taped the diaper shut, not giving Jordan any time at all to feel exposed. “There we go.” His fingers automatically traced the inside edges, making sure the leak guard was in place. The pajamas came next, Jordan having to raise his hips for the pants. Derek pulled Jordan into a sitting position, coaching him gently through taking his shirt off and replacing it with the pajama top. “There we are…How does that feel, kiddo?” He asked and Jordan finally opened his eyes. Looking down at his lap he could obviously tell the bulk of the diaper at his crotch. And even the smallest shift of his hips caused the diaper to crinkle loudly. The pajamas were warm and soft. They smelled like the fabric softener Derek used constantly. “It’s a lot.” Jordan surmised, shaking just a bit. “Overwhelming?” Derek asked quickly. “Do you need me to stop?” Jordan shook his head. “I just…I feel like…I feel a lot.” He stuttered along as Derek pulled him into a tight embrace that he melted into. “I feel like one more thing and I’ll explode.” He finally said. “So no crib tonight. Got it.” Derek said in an almost serious tone. But he took calming Jordan very seriously. “I’ve coached many-a-little through panic attacks, anxiety attacks, doubts, etc. It’s nothing new to me.” He assured Jordan as Jordan went to pull back. “I’m not a baby.” He finally whispered into Derek’s shoulder. Even though everything about his appearance said that was a lie. Derek merely pet his back and helped him down. “We have a show to watch, don’t we, buddy? Let’s go before we miss it.” That was the end of that as Derek headed for the door. Leading Jordan along with calm patience. Jordan simply followed along, worried about what the night could hold. A/N: And here we start dipping into the nitty gritty. All it took was about 15000 words! As a little update, I was thinking about starting a patreon for just general support, maybe some early access, but mostly for commissions. Since posting on this site, I've gotten a few messages about some of my other series that have been pushed to the wayside and I've never been really good about setting up commissions. I've taken a few for other works on other sites not ABDL related, but that's my extent. Nothing's set in stone right now, I was just mainly looking into how the website itself works. *Shrugs* Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

"Mhm." Max nodded slowly. As he looked around the room. "Looks good in here."