Lavellan

I've tried both and find they both have their pros and cons.

Decided to treat myself to my own little Christmas gift to myself and ordered some Little Kings. They haven't arrived yet, but I'm excited to give them a try. Some of my friends have tried them and they say that they're their new favorite diapers. To be honest, I have never tried any of the cutesy printed diapers, and I'm really looking forward to it. I lean more DL than AB, but even I can't deny how cute and small they would probably make me feel. I've also never tried the hook-and-loop style diapers either, so I wonder how I'll like those. Fingers crossed! And I might even post my first ever photos if I feel especially adorable in them! ❤️

From Tenant to Baby: CH 16 Things were okay for Jordan. After his meltdown in the zoo bathroom, he cried out almost all of his energy which left behind a sort of peace that he couldn’t explain. It gave way to a blossoming trust in Derek. Derek would fix everything. Derek would take care of him. Of course, he always trusted Derek to have his best interests at heart, but…well he couldn’t explain it to himself let alone someone else. Despite being in a zoo full of strangers wearing something he never considered wearing before, he felt safe. The world around him passed in a blur of voices and noise. He didn’t even realize he was asleep until he was constantly being woken up. But each time he was awakened, Derek was there to soothe him back to sleep whether it was with something soft, soothing music, or tucking him in. Imagine his displeasure when he was shaken awake once more and that comfort wasn’t there. He tried to go back to sleep on his own, of course, but no tossing and turning helped him to drift off. But there was Derek once more. His lucidity came back to him slowly as he rested in Derek’s arms. Every time those niggling thoughts reared their ugly heads, Derek was there to chase them away. This wasn’t ‘weird’. This wasn’t ‘shameful’. This was, as Derek put it, “just a little boy” being taken care of by his daddy. Jordan carried this peace with him as he toddled into the living room. Andrew sat in the middle of the living room, puzzle pieces spread all around him. On the television, a cartoon that Jordan didn’t recognize was playing. Unsure of what he was supposed to be doing, Jordan sat down a couple of feet away from Andrew. “Wha’ doin’?” He slurred around the pacifier tucked into the corner of his mouth. Andrew gave him a small smile, most of his energy from the zoo seemingly gone. “Doing my puzzle. Do you wanna help?” Jordan nodded, scooting a bit closer, but grabbing pieces meant that he would have to put his new giraffe toy down to fit them together. Sensing his hesitation, Andrew grabbed two handfuls of pieces and put them in front of him. “You can start sorting by color. Blues go in one pile, greens in another, and on and on. I’ll put them together!” He offered. That was a much easier task. Jordan sorted several piles of pieces for Andrew who carefully cataloged them and put them in their piles almost as if he had his own system. Wondering just what it was they were putting together, Jordan looked for the top box, but couldn’t see it anywhere. “Where’s the cover?” He asked, plopping down on his butt instead of his knees, his padding crinkling loudly. “I don’t use it. Makes it too easy. Like cheating.” Andrew explains quietly, almost bent completely over to assemble pieces. “Oh…” So Jordan continued to sort. But as he sorted, he couldn’t help but look up at the cartoon playing on the television. It was a very simple concept to follow with brightly colored characters having wacky antics. As time passed, he couldn’t help but get sucked into it. The piles in front of him were quickly abandoned in favor of watching the show, but Andrew didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, after what must have been 10 minutes of him just continuously watching the cartoon, Andrew got up and retrieved what looked like a small bean back for him. Jordan hummed a small thanks as he was able to recline back and watch the show without straining his neck and Andrew went back to his puzzle. Lunch turned out to be grilled cheese sandwiches and baby carrots. Although, Jordan received carrot slices. He got up from the chair to sit back on the floor, legs spread akimbo and a duck-shaped plate between his legs. Derek of course had the forethought to secure a bib around his neck before he got crumbs all over. To wash down the sandwich, both boys were given sippy cups of juice. However, Andrew had to be heavily persuaded to eat his carrots. “C’mon, baby boy. Be a good boy and eat your carrots or no dessert tonight.” Mel threatened sternly. “Look at Jordan. He’s eating his carrots without causing a fuss.” Jordan was, of course, eating his carrots without a fuss. They were like little french fries all cut up and not too hard to bite through. He was even given a small dollop of ranch to swirl em in before popping them in his mouth with a crunch. “He’s a baby!” Andrew protested. “He does know what’s going on.” As if to prove him wrong, Jordan reached over and held a few of the carrot fries to Andrew. “An’rew,” He slurred even without the pacifier. “Wan’ some of my carrot fries? Fry carrot?” Andrew of course sighed and took the cut-up carrots and stuffed them in his mouth. “Thank you, Jordan.” “I think I should rethink my decision to let Andrew be such a big boy today. I thought he’d be a good big brother to Jordan, but we might just have to take care of two babies tonight.” Jordan heard Mel sigh as she settled back onto the couch with Derek. “I’m not complaining,” Derek replied. After the plates were taken away to the kitchen, Mel disappeared with Andrew down the hall. Jordan wasn’t able to think on it that much before Derek pulled him into his lap once more for a cuddle that Jordan excitedly returned. “Hi, baby,” Derek greeted, burying his face him Jordan’s hair. “I missed you.” “Hi, Daddy,” Jordan mimicked, a giggle on his breath as he rested against Derek’s shoulder. “We been toge’ver all day!” A hum was his answer. Strong arms reached around to embrace him further. The rough denim fabric of Derek’s pants was uncomfortable to Jordan’s thighs but not so much that he wanted to move. “I missed hugging you then.” Derek amended. “I am hug deprived. Hug-starved even.” Jordan squeezed him tighter. As if he could force more hug-nourishment into Derek’s body by force. “I hug Daddy…” “Oh, Baby,” Derek sighed in euphoria. “You’re such a good boy.” “Love you, Daddy,” Jordan voiced the warmth in his chest. The fondness that steadily built over the months of knowing Derek. The desire to be close constantly. The trust. Immediately, Derek’s eyes were on him. He was pulling away slightly just to look him in the face. “You love me?” He asked, cupping Jordan’s cheeks. The boy gave a small nod, a shy grin stretching across his face. “Love you lots.” A flash of hesitance. “You love me?” “Yes!” Derek assured without hesitation. “I love you so much, baby boy. More than anything.” Derek pressed a reverent kiss to Jordan’s forehead before pulling him back into a tight hold. They stayed that way even as Mel returned, a heavily pouting Andrew in tow. Jordan peeked from his spot in Derek’s lap to see that Andrew’s hair was still damp from what must have been a bath. He wore nothing but a shark-printed tee shirt, a thick diaper that pushed his legs apart as he walked, and light blue mittens identical to the ones Jordan used in the high chair at Derek’s. “This one’s just had his bath, so the tub is free whenever.” Mel surmised as she sat down on the couch and patted her lap. “C’mon, Roo.” She cooed but Andrew crossed his arms. “Be a good boy and come sit with Mama.” “I want to finish my puzzle,” Mel didn’t respond, holding a strong, steady gaze with Andrew who shifted from foot to foot before speaking again. “Me finish puzzle? P’ease, Mama?” He spoke in a soft voice, ducking his head to give her puppy dog eyes. Mel held firm until Andrew sighed and slumped into her lap much like Jordan was with Derek. “There he is. My good boy!” She muttered sweetly and Jordan couldn’t help but blink as he noticed slightly red marks on the back of Andrew’s thighs leading to his diaper-covered butt. Had he been spanked? “What do you say we watch a movie?” Derek asked, grabbing the remote and flicking through the menu. Hums of agreement filtered through the room and Derek pressed play on a princess movie Jordan couldn’t remember. As the opening credits started to play, he oh so gently nudged Jordan to let him up, but promised to return quickly. True to his word, Derek returned not long after with two baby bottles full of what looked like milk. Mel took one of the bottles gratefully and Derek scooped Jordan back into his arms with care. “C’mon, baby,” he coaxed while adjusting Jordan to lay back in his arms as he did before lunch. In perspective, Jordan felt like this situation was much different than his first bottle experience. Whereas the first time, he felt utterly exposed. As if a spotlight was shining directly onto him and a sign was painted on his face calling him an imposter, he couldn’t help but feel different right now. Cradled in Derek’s arms being fed, it was exactly what a ‘little baby’ would do. He looked up, seeing Derek looking at him exclusively and ignoring the movie as it played on. One of Jordan’s hands reached up to not grab, but rest against Derek’s arm holding the bottle in his mouth. The liquid was warm and faintly sweet tasting. Like before, Jordan found he couldn’t finish the whole bottle. But Derek seemed to understand as he pulled the bottle away and set it on the end table. He didn’t release Jordan, however. His arms returned to holding Jordan in a secure cradle, only replacing the bottle with the pacifier. Jordan stopped Derek’s free hand before it could duck under his knees. “What are you doin’, baby?” Derek mused softly. But his hand was limp, allowing Jordan to pull it closer and rest it against his chest along with the giraffe plush. “Such a silly boy.” Derek’s pointer finger reached up to gently tap the button of the pacifier in Jordan’s mouth, surprising them both at the happy coo Jordan released. The movie passed in relative silence. Jordan didn’t even realize it was over until the credits started to roll and Mel set another one to play. The entire time Jordan basked in Derek’s presence, occasionally doing something that made Derek faun over him. Dinner passed in a similar blur of sitting on the floor and being fed spaghetti until his face and onesie were covered in sauce despite the bib. He was bathed with the same gentle care Derek always had with him and dressed in a lightweight footed sleeper and booster/diaper combo. Because “he had so much to drink and hadn’t yet used the potty so he’d leak otherwise”. Jordan cuddled up to a much more agreeable Andrew under the lightweight blanket as the door was cracked the baby monitor was turned on once more. Whatever conversation they had thought to have was driven away by twin yawns of exhaustion. The poor boys were out in mere minutes. ___________ Jordan woke slowly the following day and gave a full-body stretch. The calm fuzz that encompassed his thoughts the day before was gone leaving just a hint of embarrassment behind. Sitting up, Jordan noticed that Andrew was missing from the crib and the bars were in the lowered position. Surely Derek or Mel wouldn’t leave them that way. Crawling off the mattress, Jordan started to look for his clothes from the day before. The tee shirt and shorts, of course, he expected the onesie was in the wash from how messy he made it. The diaper around his waist was dry, much to his pleasure and surprise. It made it very easy to strip out of the sleeper in the closet and tear the tapes off to the diaper before discarding it in the nearby diaper pail. He took a wipe from the changing table to clean the powder off before getting dressed in his old clothes. He would prefer a shower, of course, but that could wait til they went home. Jordan made his way down the hall towards the shuffling he heard in the kitchen, expecting, again, Derek or Mel. But he was once more surprised to see Andrew standing at the stove and pouring steaming water from a kettle into a mug with a tea bag inside. At the sound of his entrance, Andrew looked over and nodded. “Morning, pal,” He said amicably. The childish lilt that had decorated that voice all of last night was gone, leaving behind a mature tone. “Morning,” It felt like Jordan was meeting a stranger as he noticed Andrew had changed into a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. “Any coffee?” He asked, deciding to treat this like they were roommates and not two littles. Andrew nodded, a hand reaching up to push up glasses that weren’t there out of habit before pointing to the corner counter. “Heated and ready. Sugar in the cabinet, cream in the fridge.” “Thanks,” Jordan whipped up a steaming cup of coffee in minutes, only taking a moment to drop an ice cube inside to cool it to drinking temp quicker. “I’m planning on making french toast before Derek and Mel wake up,” Andrew spoke up after a few sips. “You want to help out?” Derek and Mel; not Daddy and Mommy then. “Totally.” Jordan smiled, getting one in return from Andrew. “Awesome.” Jordan took the lead, taking eggs from the fridge and cracking them into a large bowl. He almost dropped an entire egg, shell, and all when he heard Andrew say, “So…you and Derek, yeah?” “I…what do you mean?” “Oh come on.” Andrew pulled the cinnamon off the spice rack. “Derek doesn’t just bring any little around.” “I don’t know what answer you want…” Jordan said honestly. “Yesterday I-” He stuttered over his words. “I’ve never done that before. I don’t know what happened, but I’m not…I’m not like that.” “Like what?” “I’m not a little!” Jordan spits out, dropping an eggshell into the trash with a little more force than necessary. “...Pal…I don’t know what you think being a little means…It’s not a race or ethnicity. It’s not a definitive ‘you are or you aren’t’.” Andrew stated calmly. “If I had to describe it…I would say it’s like being a vegetarian. It’s a choice you make. Supported by the actions you take to enforce it. You don’t have to meet any criteria. You don’t have to start at a certain time. You don’t have to be doing the whole-” He throws a hand out towards the nursery down the hall. “For years on end before you earn a laminated card declaring your little status.” “...Sorry.” That was all Jordan thought to say, mixing the eggs with a fork to burst the yolks. “I’m just new to all this. I don’t know the specifics and-” He dropped the fork into the bowl with a clatter before covering his face with his hands. “God. I told Derek I loved him last night! Why the hell would I do that?!” Andrew sighed behind him, reaching over to pat his back. “Because you do. And I know he does too.” “You can’t know that.” “Did he say it back?” Andrew challenged. Jordan hesitated but nodded. “But of course, he said it back. What else was he supposed to say?!” “‘Aww, you’re so cute’, ‘That’s so sweet’, ‘I’m glad to hear that’, Etc,” Andrew answered smugly. “So if he said ‘I love you’ back, of course, he loves you!” “He said…he loves me more than anything,” Jordan admitted. Andrew’s jaw dropped in response and he wrapped his arms around Jordan to shake him just a bit. “Then. What. Is. The. Problem?!” And then it was like they’d been friends for years. They divide the work between the two of them. Andrew dipping slices of thick bread into the mixture before dropping them on a griddle for Jordan to monitor. When all the bread was on the griddle, Andrew took over so Jordan could start prepping the rest of the fruit (minus pineapple of course) to go with the meal. It was like this that Mel and Derek found them; laughing and carrying on like old friends. The pair of them were rather rumpled as they shuffled into the kitchen, hair a mess and pajamas still on. “That’s what’s making all the racket,” Mel mused, but she was smiling as she immediately headed for the coffee pot. “Sorry,” Andrew apologized, but his face held a mischievous grin. “We’re making breakfast though if that’s any consolation.” “Hm…” Derek hummed as he looked over the tray of fruit and pillaged a slice of cantaloupe. “I suppose we can forgive the interruption of our beauty rest.” “And you tell me I sleep forever.” Jordan couldn’t help but joke, gaping as Derek stole a sip from his mug. The morning passed in a soft and fond air. The two boys who were being waited on last night now serving the two caregivers. Even going so far as to refill mugs of coffee and pour glasses of juice. “So,” Mel spoke, wiping syrup from her lip. “What’s the game plan for that movie you boys want to see?” “Well,” Jordan piped up. “My ticket was for the last showing of the opening night because I assumed I’d be working when I bought it…which means that showing wouldn’t end til 2 am. So I’ll need to exchange it for something earlier in the day if we all want to go at the same time.” Andrew’s eyes lit up in excitement. “So you’ll go? Even though your boss might be there?” Jordan shrugged, hiding his pink cheeks by looking at his mostly empty plate. “It’ll be busy. He might not even see me. And it’s not like he’ll make a scene in front of a lobby full of customers.” “He better not,” Derek spoke up, mimicking his words from when Jordan quit all that time ago. “And you and Andrew can drive down, meet us, and stay over at my place so that you don’t have to drive back late at night.” “That’d be nice,” Mel noted. “Roo do you have any orders due that night?” Andrew shook his head. “I’m free that entire day.” “What do you do?” Jordan couldn’t help but ask. “Mostly website management for everyone in ‘The Network’,” He used his fingers for quotations. “But occasionally I take orders for gaming pcs. I assemble and ship them out.” It was the first mention of ‘that side’ of their lives the entire morning as a group, but everyone else continued as if it were completely normal. “So I can handle getting the tickets and let you both know the time. We’ll meet in the lobby, grab snacks, and head in together.” Derek said, pushing his chair back and taking his plate to the kitchen before Jordan could protest. Before Jordan even realized it, they were piling into Derek’s truck, him shyly holding the toy giraffe in his lap as he waved goodbye to Mel and Andrew standing on the porch. “...That was fun,” Jordan spoke up as Derek drove down the driveway. “Yeah? I’m glad.” It was silent for a moment, and Jordan thought that was it, they weren’t going to speak about it anymore. But then Derek awkwardly cleared his throat. “I’m uh…” He paused. “I apologize for raising my voice at the zoo.” Confused, Jordan tilted his head to look at Derek who had his eyes glued to the road. “What?” Surprised by the question, Derek shot a glance over. “The zoo…I raised my voice. I shouted in front of you. With George…Remember?” “...Well I remember George.” Jordan offered. “He was rude. Didn’t really know how to take a hint. But I was kind of dealing with my own thing at that time…” He didn’t outright say ‘I was too busy pissing myself’, but his face heated up anyway. “I didn’t notice you yelling.” “Oh…” Derek seemed caught off guard. “I’m sorry anyway. That environment isn’t the time to be so brutish.” Jordan shrugged as he tried hard to remember that moment despite his brain cringing away from it. “You sure did tell him off though. That was cool…I…I liked when…you called me yours.” “Well…yeah. Of course.” Derek seemed unsure of the line of thought. “I’m quite taken with you, actually.” “Yeah?” Jordan asked, trying not to be hopeful. “Jordan. I’ve wanted you as mine since I helped you do your laundry!” He admitted shyly. “The first time, even! When you came over for the first time.” “...I love you,” Jordan repeated the words, hands tangled into the fur on the stuffed giraffe’s mane to ground himself. “I love you too.” Derek didn’t hesitate. “I love you so much. I’ll tell you every day if you want if it helps you believe me.” Taking a shaky sigh, Jordan brought the giraffe to his chest. “I want to be yours.” “You are,” Derek swore. “You are.” A/N: The next chapter will be the last in the main section of this story. But fear not, I have plenty of ideas left for small spin off tales between Derek and Jordan!

I understand the sentiment but I think there's also a thoughtful way to do giftcards. For instance, my family is very harshly against giftcards on Santa lists for Christmas because they too like to see people open a physical item and feel joy. But this year was an exception because I just moved to a new apartment and my roommate and I have an amazon list of things we need around the house. Most of it is too expensive for a christmas gift in my family (not to mention technophobes who also wait til the last minute to shop), so I was given an amazon gift card and told to send pictures of the things I buy with it instead. I also gifted a play station gift card to my brother because I know it's his favorite past time and he hates "pay to win" functions. So in a way, I "paid for him to win". There's also the people who give gift cards along side other gifts. A coworker gave a 5 dollar Bath and Bodyworks giftcard to everyone in our stockings at work. So we had sweets and can get a nice lotion or something later. I think the trend nowadays is to use them as stocking stuffers? ? But, I see your point. And you're right. Giftcards have kinda harshed the Christmas gift flow over the years. But, there's a wrong and a right way to gift giftcards. 1, as long as theyre giftcards to actual places the person enjoys and not just a visa card. 2, still wrap them because everyone should tear into a present on Christmas (and have fun with it! Triple wrap it in a big box!) 3, have purchase ideas in mind for that person for that giftcard. "Hey, I know you're reading that series. Heres a B&N card to grab a few more." "You've been talking about a new set of shoes coming in February, here's a Nike giftcard to buy them." Etc.

I got an Amazon gift card, a new suitcase for a trip I'm taking next year, and some money for my gaming pc fund! The favorite gift of the morning though was a blanket I made for my nephew ?

Or even further "baby kittens already litterbox trained!"

From Tenant to Baby: CH 15 Jordan was amazingly docile when Derek carried him back to the stroller and playground. He allowed himself to be put back into the said stroller and buckled in without complaint. Only briefly look at Derek rifling through the diaper bag before going back to watch the tortoise. One of his fingers came up to hand onto the loop of the pacifier, but he kept it firmly in place until Derek was unveiling a bar of chocolate from the diaper bag. It was as he was handing it to the pleasant boy that Mel made her way over from the playground. “Everything alright, Derek?” She asked worriedly. “I saw you rush off.” Yeah,” Derek nodded, slipping the diaper bag back under the stroller. “Jordan just met George and had an accident. The poor boy was pretty upset, isn’t that right baby?” Derek asked rhetorically as he peered into the stroller. Jordan merely hummed, too busy sucking on the morsel of chocolate in his hand. Mel gave a knowing sigh as she sat down on the bench beside Derek. “Poor boy,” She agreed. “He’s a little S-L-E-E-P-Y,” Derek spelled. “So we’ll see how quickly he conks out so we can head home for an N-A-P.” “Sounds good to me,” Mel smiled as she noticed Andrew running over with his new friend in tow. “This is my Mommy and this is my Daddy, and this is my baby brother!” He announced, pointing to each person as he introduced them. If Jordan heard his assigned title, he didn’t react, content to lick at the remains of chocolate from his fingertips. Derek, of course, pulled out wipes as soon as he noticed and started to clean his hands. The new friend’s jaw dropped in awe. “You have a daddy, a mommy, AND a baby brother?! That’s so cool!” Andrew gave a wide smile, shuffling his feet shyly. “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.” “As much as we’d love to stay longer, sweetie,” Mel addressed the girl. “It’s time for someone,” She points to the stroller. “To get some shut-eye. We need to head to the front.” Rather than complain like Derek assumed he would, Andrew nodded, quickly giving the girl his contact info before turning back to the stroller. Derek had to admit, Andrew had stepped up quite a bit when it came to caring for Jordan. Besides his mischief, he seemed to take the older brother role very seriously. That being said, he did step in before Andrew could grab the handle of the stroller. “I got it, buddy.” He assured. “Let Daddy push the baby for a little bit so you can look around more.” Andrew pouted but gave in rather quickly. Meanwhile, Jordan stayed silent. Mel fondly pulled the sun visor all the way down, shielding Jordan away from most of the sun’s rays as Derek pushed him along. There were a few more animals they passed, but the main goal was to get to the front entrance. Periodically, Mel would check in on Jordan, much to Derek’s contentment. Very soon after the group departed from the playground Mel checked in to see the boy fast asleep, head lilted to the side in the stroller. “He’s out like a light,” Mel chuckled. The sounds of the stroller wheels and the ambiance of nature were the only other noises. Even Andrew was making an effort to stay quiet. “Do you think he’ll nap at home?” “Oh, definitely,” Derek nodded. “He’s been so wiped from midterms, plus us getting up early this morning, and his episode earlier. I’m sure he’ll sleep to dinner if we let him.” “Now if only we can get Andrew to do the same.” Derek smothered a laugh into his hand. “Sorry, Mel, slim chances of that.” Eventually, the group did make their way to the front where there were a handful more people making their way out of the gates. Mark was still there, waving, hugging, and high-fiving littles as they passed. Upon seeing Derek and Mel, of course, he made his way over. Derek could pinpoint the exact moment he noticed Jordan was asleep as his eyes widened and he proceeded to tiptoe over instead. “Hey, you guys,” He stage whispered. “You’re a bit early, but I reckon it’s because you’ve gotta get the little guy home?” “Yeah,” Derek agreed. “He’s been pretty tired lately. I’m surprised he made it as long as he did. But he had a blast. Really, the entire zoo was amazing.” “I swear it gets better every year!” Mel added on. “Mommy, we’re going to the gift shop right?” Andrew interrupted his glasses perched on the end of his nose as he bounced on his toes. Mel sat a placating hand on Andrew’s shoulder to still him before pushing the dark frames back into place. “Yes, baby. Be patient.” Mark waved the small group off. “Go on before the boy explodes. I’m glad you all had fun. And I’ll meet you out in the front with your ice chest when you’re done.” Walking into the gift shop, a cool jet of air came from a fan above the entrance. A small bell rang as well. “Hng,” Jordan suddenly shivered, eyes cracking open just slightly. “Hey, buddy,” Derek cooed to him, leaning over to peer into the stroller. “You up for picking out a toy?” But Jordan merely sighed, letting his head flop to the other side, hoping to find the comfortable position once more that let him rest. “I know what he’d want,” Andrew spoke up and immediately headed for the wall of stuffed animals. It wasn’t hard to find a giraffe; there were plenty in a variety of poses and sizes. The one he chose was a larger one without hard bits of foam in the legs to get it to stand straight. It was the cutesy-er design of them all and he held it out to the caregivers proudly. “He’d want this one!” “Well, let’s see,” Derek took the giraffe and carefully shook Jordan’s shoulder causing the boy to let out a tired huff. “I know, buddy, I know. But look what daddy has for you!” Jordan’s eyes cracked open just the smallest amount, but as he saw the stuffed giraffe being held out to him, he reached for it quickly. Derek chuckled at the boy's antics but obediently tucked the stuffed toy into his awaiting arms, being careful to rip off the pricetag to present to the cashier. There was no trouble for Jordan to slip back to sleep, this time with the giraffe pressed close to his cheek. The caregiver pair let Andrew pick out a toy of his own, a 1000-piece puzzle, and paid for both at the register. The cashier couldn't help but coo at the sleeping boy in the stroller. Mark was waiting for them outside the gate as promised and helped carry the ice chest to the van and load it up. He waited as Derek lifted the once more disgruntled, sleeping Jordan into the car seat before wishing the family a safe trip home as he pushed the stroller back. The drive home was quiet, the radio playing soft music that the caregivers were happy to see had Andrew nodding off as well. Once they arrived at Mel's home, they ushered their boys straight to the nursery. In the nursery the shortalls were discarded as well as the shoes, leaving both boys only in their onesies. It was then Mel noticed Andrew was soaked and shook her head fondly as she took him to the changing table. Derek took the time to lower the bars of the crib and lay Jordan inside. The boy was asleep once more before he even tucked the blanket under his chin, arm wrapped protectively around his new toy. Andrew was soon to join him smelling of fresh baby powder. "Now you be nice to Jordan and try not to wake him," Mel warned. "Just wait for me and I'll come to get you when I see you're awake." "Yes, Mommy," Andrew said obediently and Mel kissed his cheek before tucking him in. Derek made sure to turn on the baby monitor before they left and shuffled into the living room to slump on the couch. Derek couldn't help it as he pulled his phone out and used it to look through the camera in the baby monitor at the two sleeping boys. A warmth bubbled in his chest. Mel leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder, and couldn't help but laugh at what she saw on his screen. "It hasn't even been a minute, Derek," she teased. "Leave me be, woman," Derek defended weakly, too drawn into the adorable way Jordan was burying his face in the synthetic fur of the toy. "I'm having a religious experience." A huff of amusement met his joke. "I should have prepped a bottle of water for him…" Derek mused too late. "Come on, Der," Mel shoved him lightly. "He'll be okay taking a couple of hours of a nap. If we're smart we would too." She was right, of course, and Derek set his phone aside. "I know. It's just...he's so new. And he's too shy to even speak up, let alone know what he wants. I want this to be good for him. As good for him as it is for me." He said, showing true vulnerability to his business partner of years. "You're doing great," she assured him. "He's loving it. You're loving it. We're all loving it...you've got a sweetheart, you lucky duck." Derek sighed happily, half tempted to open his phone again. "I did...he was right there from day one...I hoped, of course. But I never thought I'd get to this point so soon." "Yeah?" Mel spurred him on. "Yeah...He found a pacifier on the couch the first day he came in to do laundry. And I had onesies and diaper covers in the dryer. I was so afraid he'd get weirded out and leave…" Derek leaned his head back against the couch. "I pushed him quite a bit. But he trusted me so fast. It's like he was born for this life." "You deserve it," Mel said with conviction in her tone. "You've waited this long for your perfect little boy and you found him." "You know, I thought I scared him earlier when he had his accident. George was being pushy when he found out Jordan was new. And I just felt…" Derek sighed out the tension he didn't know he was holding in his shoulders. "He's not officially mine. But the thought that George could take him from me, or worse, scare him away from this lifestyle...I raised my voice and he started crying." "He's just a baby." Mel reasoned. "Everything is new and scary. Even if you had scared him, there's no way he'd stay upset for long. He loves you." "You think so?" "I know so." The two caregivers lay against each other on the couch, finding themselves drifting off along with their charges. An hour passed before Derek jolted awake from two twin chimes from both their devices. Mel was up quickly, snatching her phone out of her pocket and opening the baby monitor. Derek looked over her shoulder to see Andrew sitting up in the crib, looking down at Jordan. The boy looked over at a clock on the wall and bit his lip, contemplating something. "Don't you dare," Mel muttered as the boy turned to Jordan's sleeping form. "Yknow," Derek's voice was rough with sleep. "Now might be a good time to mention Andrew packed diapers only when he knew Jordan was in pull-ups." Mel's jaw dropped. "He didn't!" "He did." It was then that the boy in question jostled Jordan's shoulder. Mel was up and off the couch immediately, dropping her phone in Derek's lap. Derek picked it up and took it to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, watching as Mel wagged her finger at Andrew as she lowered the bars. "You know better," she scolded quietly. "Now come on. You can stand in the corner until lunch is ready." Andrew came along without protest and Derek saw Mel lead him into the living room before he looked back to the camera at Jordan. The boy rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. But soon he huffed and pulled himself to sit up while rubbing his eyes. Derek still hoped he would go back to sleep, knowing how much he needed the rest. But even so, he went to the cabinet and pulled out a sippy cup. One of the non-spill ones that had no spout but a 360 rim. He filled it up with orange juice and waited until Mel walked in to pour a cup of coffee to call it. "He still sleeping?" Mel asked, stirring in sugar. "Nope. But he's trying to…" Derek watched as Jordan flopped back onto his side. Never once letting go of his giraffe. The phone vibrated just a bit as the microphone picked up a weak moan of displeasure before Jordan sat up again. "Oh no, he's grumpy." Derek winced, putting his cup down and heading down the hall. Jordan’s head turned to him as he entered and Derek couldn't help but coo at his disheveled hair and sleepy gaze. "Aww, bubbas. Did someone interrupt your nap time?" He asked rhetorically as he lowered the bars of the crib. "That's no fun." Jordan surprised him by immediately reaching out to him upon his lowering of the bars. But Derek wasted no time in scooping him up. "Come here, my sleepy boy." Derek slipped a finger under Jordan's onesie as he walked towards the kitchen, but knew the boy would be dry so soon after his last accident. He sat down at the dining table as Mel brought out their coffees and the sippy cup to sit down as well. "You want a sippy, baby?" Derek offered the cup and rather than grab it, Jordan just leaned forward and placed his mouth in the rim. He sighed as he took a few grateful sips before releasing the rim and leaning into Derek once more. "I should have made a bottle," he mused but Jordan stayed silent. "Winnie says the photos should be out for approval by tomorrow morning," Mel spoke up after a bit. "That's great," Derek smiled. "I wonder if they got any of this little guy…" "If they didn't, I did. Don't worry." The pair continued to talk about the business. How they'd handle the holidays. Who they had on the roster coming up etcetera. But they both paused as the sound of suckling rang out into the dining room. Derek looked down from his shoulder to see Jordan nursing at his thumb. The boy looked adorable with his eyes half-lidded, and pointer finger curled over his nose. Looking up, Derek saw Mel giving a look of adoration at the boy, pulling her phone out, and taking a photo. When she was finished, Derek held the sippy cup up for Jordan and smiled as he took a few more sips. But his thumb was right there waiting for him when he pulled away. "I think the baby wants a binky." Mel mused. "Baby has a binky right here," Derek spoke, reaching to fish out the pacifier dangling from the clip on Jordan’s onesie. But, he noted, it had a few bits of fur from the giraffe attached to it. "Oh but it's all icky and fuzzy." Mel responded by grabbing a wet wipe from the counter and tossing it over to Derek who cleaned the pacifier once more. "There we go, baby boy." He said as he offered the pacifier again. "All clean." Jordan, seemingly more awake now than before, turned to take the pacifier back into his mouth, giving Derek the chance to wipe his thumb with the wipe. He leaned against Derek, eyes blinking up at him full of trust. Derek couldn’t help but squeeze him tighter, kissing his forehead. “You’re such a sweet boy all cuddled up with your giraffe.” He mused and Jordan let out a small sound of pleasure. “S’mine?” He asked, looking down at the toy. Derek gave a hum of affirmation. “For being such a good boy at the zoo.” “Mmm,” Jordan hugged the giraffe closer. “F’ank ‘Oo.” He slurred and suddenly seemed to realize Andrew wasn’t around. “And’woo?” Mel answered immediately. “He’s in trouble for pulling such mean tricks on you at the zoo and waking you up. He’s in time out right now.” Derek’s heart swelled with love at the concerned look that passed over Jordan’s face. “We…We go- to the movies tho…right?” “Movies?” “He be good,” Jordan promised, shifting anxiously. “Wasn’ mean of me.” “Oh baby,” Mel cooed heavily as she scooted closer to hug him gently. “Of course, you can still go to the movie together. He’s just excited to have a new baby around.” Feeling just a little euphoric about the situation Derek couldn’t help but drive the point home a little deeper. “You’re just a little baby. Just a little guy,” He explained, rocking Jordan slightly. “He’s such a big boy he forgets he needs to be gentle with such a little baby.” With each word, he watched as Jordan’s tension melted away faster than any bottle or pacifier could manage. Derek took a moment to readjust, instead of Jordan sitting in his lap he had him lay across it, fully leaning into one of his arms. And Jordan let him. “Look at that cutie-pie,” Derek cooed, watching Jordan’s slime peek from the shield of the pacifier. “Such a sweet baby.” Mel stood, presumably to let Andrew out of time out or to start lunch, but Derek was fully absorbed in giving Jordan his undivided attention. “Can the baby speak or is he too widdle?” Derek asked earning a small grunt of a response from Jordan. “Can baby say ‘Daddy’?” Derek pushed. “Or is that too hard? Too big of a word for baby?” Jordan’s lips worked the pacifier and Derek could see him comprehending the words. But no sound came out. Not discouraged in the slightest, Derek raised a hand and started to tickle Jordan’s tummy. “C’mon, buddy, say ‘Daddy’. Or ‘Dada’ if ‘Daddy’ is too big for baby.” Jordan gasped, pacifier falling from his lips as he immediately started squirming in Derek’s secure hold. “Noooo!” He giggled. “Oh, baby knows that word but he can’t say ‘Daddy’?” Derek teased. “C’mon, it’s easy.” Jordan held out for only a moment more before he started chattering. “Daddy! Daddydaddydaddy!” He cried, residual shocks of ticklishness radiating through his body even as Derek halted the assault. “There we go! Now was that so hard?” Mel shuffled back into the dining room to finish off her cup of coffee. “Mel!” He called out, a smile wide on his face. “Daddy bein’ mean of me!” She gasped both in play and surprise. “Daddy’s being mean to the baby? I just let someone out of time out who did the same thing! How rude. Does Daddy need to go in time out?” She asked, petting Jordan’s tousled brown hair. “Yeah!” Jordan nodded quickly. “Well I know a certain boy excited for a playmate in the living room, so why don’t you run along there and I’ll make sure Daddy gets in big time out, yeah?” As much as Derek wanted to keep the precious boy in his lap, he amended that he should let him get to know Andrew on a more personal level. Plus, he needed to help Mel make lunch for 2 hungry boys. It wouldn’t be long until they started having growling tummies. Derek sighed, as he let Jordan go and toddle his way to the living room and stood with Mel to bring the dishes to the kitchen. “You always ruin my fun,” He said lightheartedly. “If I left you to make goo-goo eyes at Jordan, you’d never move!”

I assure you, it's very relevant. Working on the next chapter on my story and Grammarly and I have differing views on what needs editing!

Glad you're enjoying the story right now! Derek's name is Derek Kay. The baby giraffe's name is Kay! ?

From Tenant to Baby: CH 14 Jordan finished all but his candy when the face painter arrived and started to set up his table. As soon as he set out a large book of what Jordan assumed to be designs, the surrounding caregivers gathered around to sign their littles onto the waiting list. Mel was one of the first in line, of course, and she urged both Andrew and Jordan to eat their food in time for their turn. “Can I save my candy for later?” Jordan asked, pushing both candy bars away from him. “Sure, bud. I’ll put them in your diaper bag and you can eat them later.” Derek said, doing just that. “What design are you thinking you want?” Jordan shrugged. He had never had his face painted before. And at this point, he was probably fine with anything if it meant he could go see the giraffes sooner. He shifted in his seat, both from excitement and the growing need to pee. But much to Jordan’s annoyance, a line outside the bathroom had steadily grown. That, their close priority to the face painter, and the giraffe exhibit, he was sure he could hold on until the next stop. “Baby Jordan and Baby Andrew?” The painter called out as a little rushed back to their mommy excitedly, butterfly wings painted onto her cheeks. “Jordan can go first because I scared him earlier,” Andrew offered, but also because he was still eating his bunny-shaped apple slices. That settled, Derek walked Jordan over to the table and encouraged him to sit down. “So, what would you like to get done?” The painter asked and Derek started to flip through the book. “He has animals, cartoon characters, colors, shapes, whatever you want, sweetie,” Derek encouraged. “...Giraffe?” Jordan asked softly, hands twisting in his lap. Derek’s laugh came warm and rich as he closed the book and sat down in the chair beside him. “Poor boy’s so excited to see the giraffes he hasn’t mentioned anything else.” He informed the painter while he started to mix his colors. “That’s adorable,” The painter smiled. “Daddy, would you mind putting a headband on him to keep his hair out of the paint?” “Got it,” Derek grabbed a headband from the table and slipped it over Jordan’s ears to push his hair back. The painter brushed on the yellow base first. Jordan tried to stay still but the cold wet brush passing over his nose and under his eyes made him wince. “Shh, you’re alright, kiddo,” The face painter soothed, placing a hand on Jordan’s chin to hold him still. “Now the brown.” The design didn’t take long to do at all, and when it was finished, the painter held a small hand fan in front of Jordan’s face for a minute or so. When it was sufficiently dry, Jordan was given a mirror to show him the design. It was cute, of course. The furred horns of a giraffe poke up from his eyebrows and the upper portion of his face had a giraffe-patterned mask around it. “Do you like it?” The artist asked. “Uh-huh!” Jordan smiled. “Thank you!” “No problem, kiddo.” The artist returned his smile and Jordan stood just as Mel was leading Andrew over. Andrew ended up getting a lion painting on his cheek, and finally, finally, they were on their way down the first ramp to the second platform. There was already a worker there standing next to an ice chest who waved at them as they approached. “Hello there,” She greeted. “You’re just in time to feed the giraffes!” She reached into the ice chest and pulled out a head of lettuce and started to rip off leaves. At the sound, the four giraffes in the enclosure started to rush over. She handed a sprig of the lettuce to both Jordan and Andrew. “This is Lulu!” She introduced herself when the tallest giraffe leaned her head onto the rails and started to lick at the lettuce in Andrew’s hand. “She’s 12 years old and the bossiest of our group.” “Oh my goodness there’s a baby!” Jordan said as he saw a much smaller giraffe shuffle from around the corner. “That’s Kay! She’s our newest addition. Sadly, she was an orphan, but Lulu’s been taking good care of her since she arrived a couple of years ago.” The worker pointed to the farther animals. “That’s Wilson and Mary. They’re the oldest ones. Originally we only had the two of them, but from a very generous donation from a benefactor named Mr. Kay, we were able to expand the entire enclosure and introduce Lulu and Kay.” Jordan’s head immediately turned to Derek. “You have a baby giraffe named after you!” He smiled widely. Derek at least looked bashful but played it off with a shrug. “I insisted they didn’t but the poor thing didn’t have a name, so I agreed…” Looking back over the ledge, Jordan’s lips pulled in a frown as he realized Kay was too short to get the food. Luckily, the lower platform was just the right height! “I wanna go down there,” Jordan said, pointing at the most down platform. “I wanna feed Kay!” “Can you ask nicely, baby?” Mel piped in. Jordan suddenly realized how childish he was being. Demanding things, getting all overwhelmed over an animal at the zoo…He looked down shyly at his shoes. “Can I please go down there to feed Kay?” He asked. “Awww,” Derek cooed to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Of course, you can buddy. C’mon. Let’s go.” As they headed down the last ramp, Jordan pulled the cover off the pacifier and popped it into his mouth again to hopefully cut back on the childish outbursts. Kay, of course, was smart enough to see that he was approaching with a handful of lettuce and made her easy over immediately. Holding his arm out over the rail, Jordan couldn’t help but giggle as Kay’s long tongue reached out to wrap around the lettuce leaf. “Did you know a giraffe’s tongue is long enough that it can lick inside of its ear?” Andrew asked. “Really?!” It seemed that Kay wanted to prove that fact as Jordan suddenly felt something cold and wet brush against his wrist. He jerked his hand back but not fast enough for Kay to get a decent lick in. The pacifier fell out of his mouth as he winced. “Ewww!” Unhelpfully, Derek and Mel started to laugh. Thankfully, Mel managed to laugh and dig through one of the diaper bags for a package of wipes. “Come here, baby.” Her smile was soft and indulgent. Pouting, Jordan shuffled over and let Mel wipe down his entire arm. She even took the time to grab a fresh wipe and wipe down his pacifier. “There we go. All clean.” She said in a sing-song voice. “Are we ready to move on?” Derek asked, looking over the itinerary. “We’re getting a little off schedule if we want to make it to the next activity in time.” “I’m ready.” Jordan agreed knowing it was his fault they stayed so long at the giraffes. The small party continued, pausing briefly to take pictures in front of the lions and elephants because of their matching onesies. It wasn’t long before the next activity started right outside the meerkat exhibit. Several workers, being led by a red-shirt attendant shuffled up the trail with a handful of actual penguins between them! Jordan’s eyes widened as the woman began speaking into a microphone. “If I could just have everyone make way for our penguin parade! Please and thank you!” She asked sweetly. “We have a wild bunch of African penguins making their way to the playing enclosure for the day!” Their small group stepped back along with the few other people milling about. Jordan was glad as Mel brought out the camera once more and started to record the penguins bumbling down the path. “And in a somewhat orderly fashion, we ask any little one to join in the parade with their best waddle!” Immediately, Andrew started to bring up the rear of the troupe, swaying side to side. “Yeah! He’s got it! Let’s get going!” This encouraged many other people to join in as well until there was an actual small parade trapsing up the trail. “C’mon, bud, have a go,” Derek encouraged, nudging Jordan as the group grew further away. “Don’t want to be left behind.” Blushing, Jordan shook his head. “I don’t know…” “It’s easy,” Mel joined in, letting Derek grab the wagon handle and grabbing Jordan’s hand. “Come on, waddle with Mommy.” Her feet shuffled as she swayed, pulling Jordan along. “Don’t leave me out of place,” She teased. Nervously, Jordan started to shuffle his feet. The pacifier again went in his mouth as he found it a welcome distraction from the embarrassment he felt brewing. “Aaand we’re waddling, and waddling, and waddle, waddle, waddle,” The parade leader sang into the microphone. “Just like the penguins dooo!” “Yeah, baby, just like the penguins!” Mel encouraged. “Show Mommy your waddle!” “Tryin’!” Jordan giggled, despite how silly he felt, he had to admit it was funny to see such a large group of people just following the lead of a handful of penguins. As the parade came to an end at the new enclosure, Andrew returned to the group with an unbeatably wide smile. “Mommy! I led the penguin parade!” He cheered. Mel patted the camera around her neck. “I have it all recorded! And Jordan was the caboose! You two did so well in the penguin parade!” She praised them, looking to Derek to back her up. “It was adorable.” He agreed with a happy smile. “But we’re coming up to the next potty stop for anyone who needs to go. Neither of you has gone all day.” He raised his eyebrow questioningly. Jordan knew it would be packed. They were the last ones in the group that would make it to the area and he was sure the bathroom would fill fast. He needed to use the bathroom, of course, but he was sure he could wait a little longer. Maybe until they looped back around to the entrance even. Andrew, however, scampered ahead, ducking around a corner quickly. “What is he doing?” Mel asked rhetorically as she went to follow. Except Andrew returned quickly pushing a large adult-sized stroller. “Oh, Babe,” She smiled. “Do you want to get pushed in the stroller?” She cooed to him. But Andrew shook his head, an eager smile on his lips. “No! I want Jordan to try.” Taken by complete surprise, Jordan froze. “Wha-” “I’ve been in a stroller plenty of times, but Jordan hasn’t. And he’s trying all the little stuff today, so he should try this! And I wanna push him!” He demanded, and Jordan was sure he’d stomp his foot if he didn’t know better than to do so in front of Mel. “But you haven’t even asked him if he wants to be pushed around,” Mel reminded. “You can’t force him to do things he doesn’t want.” Jordan couldn’t help but think forcing him to do things he didn’t want to do was a fine line when it came to the group. Sure, he could always say no, but then he would be faced with the disappointment of everyone involved who was just trying to show him a good time. Such was the case now as Andrew pouted his lip and looked at Jordan like he would cry in the next minute if Jordan said no. “Jordan,” Andrew started to ask, lip quivering a bit. “Can you please let me push you around in the stroller? Just for a little while? If you wan’ we can switch later, but-” He sniffled and Jordan’s shoulders tensed up. “But can I please?” Of course, Jordan wasn’t about to say no to that. So he walked over and slowly sat down in the stroller. He found that it was much like the car seat in the way it held him securely and kept his feet from touching the ground. “Yay!” Andrew cheered, walking around to buckle him in and pulling the sun shade down partially. “Let’s go!” “Hold it!” Derek called, halting Andrew from shooting off with the stroller. He took both diaper bags out of the wagon and situated them in the bottom of the stroller. “There’s no reason to take both the wagon and the stroller.” They walked around the corner to see a small station with a couple more strollers and a few wagons. The station was attended by the familiar face of Tony from the front of the park and he smiled at the group. “Aw! I see we have a little one enjoying some relaxing time. Are you wanting to return the wagon?” He asked. Derek turned over the wagon without issue and the small group was off once more into the trails. Jordan found it wasn’t so bad in the stroller. He could lean back and enjoy the scenery without having to walk. Andrew was very conscious of making sure he could see the next few animals from his seat, even going so far as to crouch down and point them out to him if they were hidden so he didn’t have to move. If it weren’t for the constant buzz of conversation, Jordan could even attempt to fall asleep. Of course, that was when Andrew let out a loud squeal and stopped pushing him. “I’m gonna go play!” He shouted suddenly, darting off. From the stroller, he could hear Mel sigh fondly. “I don’t know where he finds all this energy.” She chuckled. “I swear I don’t give him coffee.” Derek shared her chuckle as he leaned over to peer into the stroller. “You wanna go join him, bud?” Derek pointed over to the side and Jordan finally noticed a playground themed around monkeys. Andrew was already climbing up a small rock wall with a little girl. Both of them already talking avidly. Instead, Jordan shook his head, leaning his head back against the stroller. The day was catching up to him already. They had walked quite a bit and there had been many exciting moments. “Poor baby, getting all tuckered out. Let’s just take a moment to relax then, yeah?” Derek smiled. “I’ll go keep an eye on Andrew,” Mel smiled knowingly at the two of them, heading for a bench on the playground as Derek pushed the stroller farther down the trail to a giant tortoise exhibit where said giant tortoise was splashing around in a mud bath. Derek was careful to position the stroller so Jordan could watch, but also so that he could see him as he sat down on a bench. “All we have left is the aquarium section and then we’ll head home for a well-deserved nap.” “Mmm…had lots of fun today,” Jordan mumbled honestly, feeling his eyes droop. “I’m really glad to hear that.” Derek’s smile was audible. The pair of them settled into a soft silence, only the splashes of the tortoise could be heard. Jordan even found himself drifting off slightly. Just brief moments of his eyes closing before his head jerked up and he was awake. He found that each time it happened, his urge to go was more and more urgent. He shifted and wiggled in the stroller and finally got up the courage to ask Derek to take him to the potty, after all, it must have been cleared out now. But as his mouth opened, someone sat on the opposite bench on the other side of Jordan. “Well well well!” A stranger of a man said cheerfully. “Derek, I thought I’d never catch up with you today!” “Hello, George,” Derek said amicably. And Jordan’s eyes widened at the realization that this was George, the unofficial third babysitter. “Having fun?” “Oh, I had a blast.” But rather than elaborate, George leaned in to peer into the stroller. Jordan blushed, leaning to the side to hide his face. “Who’s this little guy?” Derek cleared his throat. “This is Jordan. He’s my new assistant. I invited him today.” “Ain’t that special,” George reached his hand in and ruffled Jordan’s hair. “I haven’t seen him around at all.” “He’s new.” Was all Derek said but George’s face looked like a cat that caught a canary. “A newbie and I haven’t met him?! Derek that’s criminal,” He smirked. “You and Melanie have been hogging him all to yourself!” Jordan noticed as Derek pulled the stroller a bit closer to himself. He wasn’t aware of any history between the two, but he could feel tensions rising. He worked the pacifier in his mouth anxiously, hands twisting in his lap as his need to go to the bathroom grew. “He’s shy.” “When do I get my turn, then?” George asked. “You know I’m in the market for a little. It’s only fair I get a chance to see a newbie in action. Help break him in and all that.” His hand reached into the stroller once more and Jordan flinched as he tugged on the pacifier clip, dislodging the pacifier from his mouth. Unconsciously, Jordan let out a small whimper. “Stop,” Derek told George harshly. “You know the rules, no poaching at events. And he’s not a toy to be passed around. You’re going to frighten him.” George removed his hand but didn’t stop looking in on Jordan who squirmed uncomfortably. “It’s not poaching. I’m just making sure he knows there are options.” It was then George started talking to Jordan directly and Jordan found himself quickly being overwhelmed. “I have just the things in my playroom for you that I know you’ll love. Have you ever listened to hypnosis tapes before? I have plenty of those. And you seem to love that paci quite a bit…You know they make some that strap around your head?” He asked rhetorically. “They help the baby feel all helpless and weak.” Jordan already felt that way as his bladder demanded to be emptied. Oh god, he didn’t want to wet himself in front of the stranger. Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked to Derek, but the man was glaring daggers at George. “I’ve had quite a few littles in my nursery over the years and I know exactly the right way to get them begging for the baby treatment. I have quite the experience, unlike Derek who’s only babysat other peoples’ babies,” George didn’t know how to read the room. Or maybe he didn’t care. The only thing Jordan knew was that Derek’s hand reached out to grab George’s wrist as it reached out to touch Jordan’s exposed knee. “He’s mine, George,” He said sternly. “Back off.” It was then the dam that was Jordan’s bladder collapsed and Jordan found a morning’s worth of juice funneling into his pull-up. Immediately, his lip started to quiver. The tears welling in his eyes spilled over. A pitiful whimper tore from his lips as the pull-up soaked up as much as he was letting out. George flinched back, confused and surprised at the sudden crying. He inched away on the bench and Derek quickly tried to get Jordan’s attention. “Baby, I’m right here. It’s okay,” He soothed, petting Jordan’s head. He looked at George with an annoyed glance. “Give us space. I’ve got this.” George didn’t need to be told twice as he stood from the bench and skedaddled off to who knew where. Jordan choked on a sob as his stream finally stopped leaving him in a bulging and heavily used pull-up. “D-Derek!” He cried out, reaching for the older man. “Oh babe,” Derek reached and undid the snaps, pulling Jordan to stand up and lean into a hug. “It’s okay, Daddy’s not mad at you. I just didn’t want him to upset you anymore.” “Nooo,” Jordan wailed trying to get Derek to understand. He didn’t care about George. He was humiliated. He was tired. He was wet. “No?” Derek questioned and went to pull Jordan onto his lap. But as soon as his hand rested against Jordan’s bottom he must have felt the wet warmth of the pull-up. “Oh!” The realization came immediately and he took it in stride. “That’s okay, bubba. We can fix that quick, alright?” Jordan merely went boneless in Derek’s arms as the man stood and scooped him up. When Derek set him on his hip, Jordan felt the pull-up squish and his urine leaking to other parts to get soaked into the padding. He swore if he leaked through his clothes he would just explode. He tried saying such to Derek but it came out as wordless gibberish in his hysterics. “I know,” Derek bounced him gently. “I know. Baby can’t possibly be comfy being all soggy.” There was a moment as Derek leaned over to grab the diaper bag under the stroller. “Daddy will get you all cleaned up.” He promised. Before they walked off, Derek gave a small whistle. Jordan didn’t remove his face from Derek’s shoulder to see the reaction, but he assumed Derek was making sure Mel saw them leave. Finally, they headed for the bathroom. It was Jordan’s saving grace that nobody else was in line. As soon as the door shut behind them, Jordan saw Derek lock the door with a click. There were several stalls in the large bathroom, but against one wall was a changing table very similar to the ones in Derek’s and Mel’s nursery. For a moment, Jordan resisted being laid down on top of it, but Derek was gentle in his insistence. “C’mon, let’s get you clean.” Derek set the bag down on the counter and immediately pulled out the package of wipes and wiped Jordan’s pacifier before offering it to him. “Do you want your paci, baby?” He asked. “Will that help you feel better?” Jordan hesitated slightly but accepted the rubber nub into his mouth eventually. He still let out small weak sounds of sadness, however, the pacifier did help make him feel better. It was less like the world was ending at least. “Good boy!” Derek praised him as he took another wipe and started to clean up his face from tear tracks. The entire time he kept up a steady stream of encouragement. “I know you must feel all gross and scared, but we’ll fix that right up. So brave, laying all still and sweet for me. Such a perfect boy, yes you are.” He mumbled, a gentle smile on his lips. When Jordan’s face was clean, he then turned his attention to the shortalls. It took some maneuvering but he was eventually able to get them off without jostling Jordan too badly. His shoes were untied and taken off as well leaving him in just his socks and the onesie. Oh, and the soaked pull-up. Couldn’t forget that. “Oh, buddy,” Derek said softly. “You really had to go, huh?” He unsnapped the onesie and pushed it up toward Jordan’s stomach. “It’s a wonder you didn’t leak through your pull-up.” The sides of the pull-up were ripped open without further ado and Derek immediately went to work with wipes. “I didn’t know you came with a pull-up, not a diaper…I think Andrew pulled another mean trick on us.” Derek kept up the conversation. “He only packed diapers.” As proof, Derek pulled out a folded diaper from the bag and laid it out under Jordan. “Tha’s mean,” Jordan sniffled. He didn’t want to go without underwear, so a diaper it was. Now he was for sure sitting in the stroller the rest of the trip. No way would he let himself be seen waddling around like most every other little was. “If you ask me, I just think he’s excited to have a real buddy,” Derek mentioned, bringing out the powder. “Y’know most of the little ones he’s around are clients of Mel’s. So it’s hard to make friends with someone who’s paying to be there. But you aren’t like that. He just wants to be friends.” Jordan hummed, rubbing at his eyes. “I c’n be his friend.” “I’m sure he’d be happy to hear that.” Pretty soon Jordan was being redressed and had his shoes tied back onto his feet with double knots. Derek encouraged him to sit up and immediately pulled him into a hug when he did. Jordan gave a pleasant sigh as he returned it, resting his cheek on Derek’s shoulder. “You’re so brave, baby boy. I’m so proud of you.” Jordan nuzzled his shoulder like a cat. “Tired,” he commented. “I can talk to Mel and we can see about skipping the aquarium,” Derek offered. “Andrew would be fine with it. He’s seen it plenty. And we can always come back on a different day. Or next year.” “Mm…” Jordan didn’t want to choose. “I wan’ my candy now.” That startled a laugh out of Derek as he pulled away and lifted Jordan off the changing table. He threw the dirtied pull-up into the garbage and slipped the diaper bag over his shoulder before heading out of the bathroom. “I’m sure we can make that work.” He smiled.

Where I work they're 'supposed' to give us a 30min lunch and 2 15min breaks throughout the day. But they instead give us 1 hour lunch in the middle of our shift, which I don't mind at all. But there have been times where she's told workers to only take a 30 and she'll try to give them a smaller break later on. Technically she's the manager of a separate section of the store, so I don't think she could do that to me, but I wouldn't put it passed her to try when my actual manager isn't available. Today was a lot better for me though because she's had her hands full with HR and another worker for the passed few days. I doubt anything will come of it but as long as she's not bothering me.

I may have just finished writing the next chapter and I know you all are going to love it :3 I still have to edit it for errors and things but the chapter is written. Most likely a few more days as we get into the falling actions of this story.

Well you can buy seasons of it on youtube is what I meant lol

I was watching the free episodes on youtube but I almost considered getting a membership to stream it. ?

She needs to be careful because that mentality had already lost her quite a bit of staff. I had that conversation with her several times. She also had a problem with me taking lunch breaks in my car and not in the break room. "Because what if someone needs your assistance on something?" She's said before. I told her they need to wait for my break to be over or ask someone else because I'm not the only employee that knows how to do my job. Honestly at this point I'm waiting for her to come up to my window on break to bug me. ?

The day hasn't even started and I'm already pissed off. If this isn't the right place to post pls let me know. But I pulled up outside my job, parked in the back of the plot as we're required to do, and I had 5 minutes until I had to clock in. So I sat in my car listening to my music (at a reasonable volume. That's a very important detail.) A woman pulled into the space right beside me and was on her phone so she didn't get out of the car. After my song was over I headed in and clocked in. 15 mins later my boss calls me into her office to tell me a customer called in and reported that I was blaring "unprofessional" music in the parking lot. My boss is a massive pushover when it comes to the customers so she didn't even bother trying to listen to me. Instead she told me I didn't need to "represent the company inside and outside the store". And said instead of waiting in my car I could have come and clocked in early. The song wasn't even vulgar or anything. But she was treating it as if it were. "Mercifully" it's not a write up this time. But we're so short staffed there's no way she'd fire me. She wouldn't be able to. Corporate wants as many bodies in the store as possible. But I'm pissed off. Every little thing is getting on my nerves and I can tell this day isn't going to go well at all ?

Hey, AC! Welcome to the sight. I also love TTRPGs (as a DM and player) and the like to! I hope all your spying serves you well here :3

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!

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!