diaper dimension The Worst Little Ever (Chapter 13 Part 1, 01/14/2020)

[Baby Billy]

I really like this story,  so far I have read three different types of the bigs an the littles.  1 portal little, 2 native littles  3 and saving them from death or danger.  So I am looking forward to how you handle Luke and Erin.  I hope with her money she can get him things that a normal college kid would want.  A phone, laptop and a tablet, maybe a bed for a toddler

[Pierry Louys]

Good chapter

[littleTomás]

3 hours ago, Crimson_Wolf said:

I don't know why people are railing against Luke.  Here's a guy that had a future planned out and all of a sudden is transported to another dimension and is now a little.  All of his hard work presumably has gone to rot and from what he has heard has all been negative.

I don’t like Luke because he’s the kind of person who never worked hard and manipulates others to get his way.

[Josiesol1]

As Luke's mother said he hasn't faced adversity. For me it's kind of jerkish. He doesn't know what outcasts dealt with. I mean honestly being trans in the south and a theater kid in charge of gay straight alliance and stuff I had friends but I got a boat load of hate until I decided to make myself happy. But he had It made he played sports he was popular smart and a typical charming dude when you didnt have to try as hard the sudden adversity is jarring, I think hes well developed I dont care for him yet but I think once a real assertion of wow I'm not in control but that's ok hell be a more likeable guy but it's the journy not the destination. Erin is a freaking god send love her willingness to try to please and make him comfortable and winning by a war of attrition is a option but I think Luke's going to start pushing boundrys just hope she can assert herself.

[treasuresman]

Luke needs a spanking and a silencer pacifier when he is swearing and then he will learn it is not tolerated 

And she needs to act like the mother and not try to be his friend 

[zatchie]

Here's chapter 6! The march of the horrible Little progresses ?

Chapter 6

The condo wasn’t too large and with the open floor plan the only defined rooms were Erin’s master bedroom and bathroom, Luke’s bedroom (Erin had to catch herself before she said nursery) with a bathroom that attached both to the room and opened to the main living area, and a third bedroom that doubled as Erin’s office as well as another full bathroom with laundry facilities.

Conceptually, Luke understood that by Erin’s standards, the condo was only moderately sized, however he hadn’t stopped being impressed the size of stuff in the dimension, and a bedroom that was the size of a university classroom seemed amazingly luxurious.

Luke was less impressed by his bedroom (he thought he should maybe call it a nursery). There was a crib equivalent to a queen sized bed that opened out with an attached set of stairs to climb down, infantilizing, but not horrible; Erin showed him that he could manage the latch which locked the gate. There was a changing table with a significant amount of diapers and diaper supplies stacked under it; he’d apparently be wearing diapers with blue pinstripes for a while. There was a couch in his size, along with a Big-sized rocking chair. Unlike the other areas of the house with their wood floors and occasional rug, his room had plush carpet, it encompassed he toes as he walked in the room. His room also had a window rather than a glass wall, and it looked down onto a side street rather than the main river area.

Luke wasn’t so bothered by the individual furniture items as he was by what they represented. It hadn’t even been a week since he arrived in the dimension, and already it was clear that he would be wearing diapers forever, sleeping in a crib forever, and having a caregiver forever. The permanence of it was part of the reason he disliked Erin; if it was just chatting for lunch, no big deal, but what she represented was a lifetime of Littlehood, and so everything he didn’t like about her stood out that much more. The other problem was that while Erin was aiming to give him a less Little experience, everything, including the couch, screamed Little (it was white and blue polka-dotted). There was no anchor for Luke to hold on to his past life, even a little bit.

For Erin’s part, she had been understandably nervous when showing him his room. He seemed reserved and maybe a little unhappy when looking in; he hadn’t even sat on his crib, though he did try out the couch. He didn’t pay attention to the toys or books Erin had imported from his dimension: Legos instead of Pegos (which, somewhat incredibly had cost more than the crib itself), Crayola crayons instead of PoseyArt, and a variety of books from his dimension. She didn’t know any of them, and so had gone with what she inferred were classics: Twilight, the Bible, The Brothers Dostoyevsky, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Harry Potter to name a few. She had tried reading the Bible, having noted that it was very influential for many Littles. The only thing she got out of it was that Littles are a very imaginative, esoteric bunch. In addition, she also purchased the book ‘So You Want to be a Little’, which was apparently a guide for what humans could expect in coming to her dimension. She hoped it would be helpful given that the orientation had not gone well.

“So are there other things you can think of now that you’d like to get for your room? If you can think of any now, we can order from Rainforest, and they’ll get here tomorrow.”

“Hmm.” He wanted to lash out and say a new room but realized it would be useless, even if Erin agreed to major changes, the problem was the situation, not the items. Save your energy for bigger fights.

“I need some exercise equipment, the doctor said I’d have to exercise frequently because the dimensional sickness will make me lose muscle mass more quickly. I guess a yoga mat and some weights to begin with.” ‘Why didn’t you get those already? You knew you’d be getting an Accidental Little.’ Luke thought but didn’t say.

“Sure, I can definitely get a yoga mat, though it will probably be Big-sized, I hope that’s okay. I’m not sure about weights though, they don’t really make Little-sized dumbbells, and you probably couldn’t pick up a Big-sized one comfortably…” Erin didn’t want to say that she was worried he’d hurt himself. Bodyweight exercises should be enough right?

“I think I could use just one dumbbell to do things like lighter weight deadlifts. A really effective way to get strong is to pick up and set down heavy stuff.” This was an area Luke could talk for hours. In college he hadn’t been that interested in getting swole, but the optimization of strength and staying fit was a really interesting subject to him.

“What sort of weight were you thinking?”

“Well, I guess one 50-pound weight and maybe one 20-pound weight would work.” He would use the 50 pounder for lifts and the 20-pound for limb and core exercises.

Erin mentally breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way he could hurt himself with such light weight. She was worried he’d ask for 300-pound weight, she sometimes had trouble with those.

“Sure, I think that would be fine. I’ll order the exercise stuff on Rainforest tonight. Maybe I’ll order a yoga mat and weights for me too. We could work out together.” Erin had caught on to Luke’s eagerness. Maybe this was where they could form some comradery.

“Yeah! It looks like you could really benefit from the exercise.”  ‘Did I really just say that?’ Luke thought, even he knew making that comment was mean. “I mean, it’s always good to, uh, stay fit.”

Erin’s smile fell a bit, she had always been a little self-conscious about her figure and appearance. She knew that exercising would be a step in the right direction, but going to a gym for the first time is scary, and forming the habit is hard. She didn’t feel that she had the knowledge to set up an effective routine at home either. So in the end, besides her frequent walks by the river, Erin didn’t do to much to maintain her physical fitness. She was more-or-less healthy, but not really fit. That Luke was so athletic had already made her feel awkward, and now she had a sense that his opinion matched her internalized insecurity.

“How about we check out the bathroom?” She didn’t want to let Luke the hurt his words had caused. She didn’t even feel bad, more like exposed. Plus, he did catch himself, so maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. She wanted to form some sort of bond with him, even if it would be through something she’s a little insecure about. He’s dealing with a lot of insecurity given his new situation, Erin thought it’s only fair that she steps out of her comfort zone too.

“Sounds good.”

The bathroom tour went more smoothly. Though it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to use the toilet, Erin had included a stool for the sink, and Luke thought he would be able to work the walk-in shower by himself. He didn’t see how he could use the tub, not that he was much of a bath taker: there was no elegant way to get in and out without making a major mess, and the knobs were more rounded than the levers in the shower, making them harder to operate. He didn’t think it was a big deal.

“Well that’s basically our place. If you think of anything else you think you want or need, let me know. I want to get some furniture for you for the living room, but I think we’ll need to take a trip to ‘A Little This, A Little That’, and you might not be up to that yet; Littles tend to attract attention.

“Ah, I get ya, yeah, I’m not ready for that yet. What movie were you thinking of watching?”

Erin hadn’t really thought that far ahead yet. She wanted a movie that he’d enjoy, nothing infantilizing, but at the same time, she didn’t want something violent or inappropriate for maybe a mildly regressed Little. She did have some standards after all. She decided to go with one of her personal favorites.

“I was thinking we could watch ‘My Roommate Dodoro’, it’s animated, but more in an artistic way, it’s not a cartoon, it’s actually one of my favorite movies, it’s really heartwarming, and a lot of adult Bigs really like it, it’s not even aimed at children or Littles.” Erin had rambled, scared that Luke would protest or not like her taste in movies. She really liked animation, and when researching adopting an Accidental Little had come across anime in the human dimension. She thought the quality was pretty good, but not quite up to snuff compared to the stuff Bigs made.

Luke, for his part, found the whole ramble a little amusing. He could tell Erin was a little insecure about her choice, but the fact that the movie was animated didn’t bother him at all. He just wanted something to take his mind of the situation.

“Sure, let’s watch it. Can we have popcorn too?”

“Of course!”

 

 

 

Erin made the popcorn and put the movie on, helping Luke onto the couch that was just a little bit too squishy for him to pull himself onto.

Erin spent about half the time watching the movie, and about half the time watching Luke watch the movie. For all his anger and aggression, his relative maturity and desire to not be a Little, this scene was something very familiar to Erin from her days as a Little-sitter: a Little, relaxing on a couch, eating popcorn kernels half the size of their fist, getting into a movie. He was adorable, his butt was way back in the couch seat and his ankles barely made it over the edge, munching on popcorn more carefully than any regressed Little she had ever seen. She had a strong urge to pick him into her lap to continue watching the movie. She resisted, but wondered if she could ask him for some similar type of contact later. After all, she didn’t adopt a Little just for it to be a roommate.

Luke stopped munching on the popcorn. He had kinda liked the novelty of giant-sized kernels, but now had more pressing issues to worry about. He felt his stomach rumble a bit more. He had wet earlier, but not so much that he needed changing: the diaper he was wearing was super-absorbent.

“Um, Erin?”

“Yeah?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

She paused the movie and looked over. Any other Little would have just gone then and there. She knew that Luke was self-conscious about pooping, though she had caught his ‘peeing face’ earlier. She figured she’d change him once he felt he needed changing. Erin assumed this was part of what Luke was asking about.

“Okay, well, you can go in the bathroom if you want privacy. You don’t uh, want to try using the toilet again do you?” She felt awkward bringing it up, but thought she should just make sure.

“No. Can you the movie paused?”

Erin grinned big. “No problem.”

Luke slid off the couch and went on to the bathroom. Erin stayed, messing around a bit on her phone. She was a little disappointed she hadn’t gotten to take any photos of him yet, but knew he would feel like that’d be an invasion of privacy.

In the bathroom, Luke couldn’t figure out how to poop. At the hospital, he had only pooped while either unconscious, or in the arms of Erin dangling over a toilet. Here, at first, he sat on the sink stool, but realized the surface against his bum was making it harder to push anything out. Then he tried standing straight up, but felt incredibly awkward; his body telling him that this was absolutely the wrong position to poop in. Finally, took off his pants (like somebody using the bathroom should do), and got into a deep squat with his bottom nearly touching the floor. He held himself up using the bathtub ledge just above his head.

This was the correct position to poop in, there was no physical discomfort, and everything came out quickly and easily. Luke hated it. The movement was hot and sticky against his backside and went both up his crack and a little forward over his scrotum. He could also smell it, and while the smell wasn’t any worse than using a toilet, the knowledge that it was touching his skin made him want to throw up. Eventually, he finished, walking gingerly out of the bathroom, but sticking nearer to his room and the bathroom rather than going all the way out into the living room.

He raised his voice a little bit. “Hey Erin, um, I’m finished.”

“Okay. I bet you’d like a change huh. Let’s go to your room.”

Inside, Erin prepped the changing supplies and got out one of the pinstriped diapers.

“I’ll just lift you onto the changing table, and we’ll get you cleaned up really quick.”

“Uh, actually, I can change myself.” Luke hadn’t yet changed himself, but he didn’t really want to be seen naked by Erin again, and definitely didn’t want to have her hands down there any time soon.

This was something Erin wasn’t prepared for. No Little changed themselves, they’d make a big mess, or they wouldn’t be able to clean up well. As far as she knew, no Little wanted to change themselves either, it was easier and more intimate for their caregiver to do it.

“Are you sure? It’s not easy to change yourself, the angle’s difficult and diaper rash is definitely no fun if you don’t clean up well.” She figured she’d let him try if he really insisted.

Luke was getting irritated again. Was Erin implying that he’d be incapable of cleaning himself up? He wasn’t a baby or a Little. “Yes. I’m sure. Can you give me the supplies? I think it will be easier if I do it in the bathroom.”

“Uh, okay. Make sure to use enough cream and powder. Put the used one here in the pail when you’re done.”

“Thanks.” With the Big-sized supplies + diaper bundled into his arms, he walked to the bathroom door, waited for Erin to open it, walked in, and looked back and waited for Erin to close it.

Twenty minutes later, Erin was wondering what had gone wrong. She’d expected it to take longer, but not this long. Did he fall in the toilet or something? She resisted the urge to check on him.

Five minutes later, Luke came out of the bathroom looking somehow more irritable than when he’d gone in. His diaper was somewhat lopsided, and the tapes were clearly uneven. He’d done a really bad job diapering himself, and it looked like he knew it. Erin chose not to say anything, though she did hope that it wasn’t so bad that he’d leak when he peed, though then maybe he would let her change him after.

They continued watching the movie, with Erin again mainly watching Luke. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was cute that he changed his own diapers. Her Little was big, tough, and independent. That the rediapering quality wasn’t very high made it even more adorable, like Luke was kind of a caricature of the previous qualities rather than the real deal. She wanted to hold him more than ever.

Eventually the movie ended. Both Luke and Erin wore a sad smile on their faces, letting the story wash over them.

“So what did you think?”

“It was really good. Dodoro was pretty cute, and a terrible roommate.” Luke stifled a small yawn.

“It’s just about time for bed. How about you get ready, and I’ll clean up here?”

“Sounds good. I am pretty tired.”

While Luke was brushing his teeth and washing his face, Erin was working up her courage. She really wanted to hold him and give him a nighttime bottle. She knew it wouldn’t be his ideal activity, but maybe he wouldn’t think it too bad; maybe it could become their nighttime ritual: the one Little thing he allows himself.

Luke finished up and went to put on pajamas in his room. Normally he just slept in boxers, but given he was wearing a diaper, he’d like something covering it. After choosing some sweatpants and a t-shirt (that had a bear cub on it, he figured he’d rather sleep in it than wear it during the day) Erin came into the room. She had strategically placed the hand holding the bottle away from where Luke could see when she entered the room.

Erin’s heart was pounding. She knew that this would be taking a risk, Luke had resisted every Little thing, but she hoped he wouldn’t think it was a big deal (though it was to her), and in the back of her mind, she felt like she had earned it.

“Hey, uh, Luke. I know it’s your bedtime, but, um I was wondering… Um, I was wondering if you’d like some water before bed. And um, if so, um I was wondering if I could feed you a bottle?” There. She was able to spit it out. She took one breath and held it, waiting for his reply.

Luke was incredulous. He raised his voice. “Are you kidding me?! No! I’m not drinking out of a bottle, and certainly not while you’re holding me like I’m some kind of baby.” He took another breath, he needed to nip her behavior in the bud. “Erin, I don’t know what you thought you signed up for when you chose to ‘adopt’ me.” Luke used actual finger quotes around ‘adopt’. “But I’m not whatever it was you were expecting. I hate wearing diapers. I hate being small. I don’t like having to sleep in a crib. I don’t like anything about being a ‘Little’!” He used finger quotes again. “So, no. I’m not drinking from a bottle. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” At that, he climbed up the stepstool attached to his crib and laid down, turning his back to face Erin.

Erin was able to croak out an “Okay.” Tears were crawling down her face. Everything she had been scared for had just happened. She felt like she was going to be sick. In her mind she thought that if she hadn’t been so selfish, asking him to do something so uncomfortable so quickly, maybe he wouldn’t have felt so unhappy about all the other stuff.

Erin decided to go to bed as well. Despite it still being light out and a few hours before she normally slept, she wasn’t emotionally prepared to be awake anymore that day.

[Jayme]

Poor Erin and Luke. One wants to give love and the other appears to be afraid to be seen as needing anything

[Little Andrea]

Poor Erin, hopefully she’ll be able to forge a real connection with Luke.

[treasuresman]

She is just creating a whip for her own back by letting the little bugger make his own rules or decisions she needs to be the mother and take charge 

[Baby Billy]

I just hope he doesn't make it so uncomfortable for her that she says the hell with you.  She can always say it was a mistake and take him back to the center and let him take his chance with another who may not be open to what he wants.  

[SGTbaby]

Poor Erin? She will have to work on setting boundaries sooner rather than later. Especially if he ever wants to journey outside the apartment. 

[zatchie]

I kinda feel like I'm writing myself into a hole ? I also feel bad for Erin, she's trying to be understanding and the 'cool mom', but Luke doesn't care who his caregiver is. I think the climax that I was aiming for doesn't really fit into the story that's being written: I'd have to make Luke even more horrible, and I don't really see him getting worse. I have a backup, but gives less heavy feelings.... I'd appreciate opinions on where the story should head. I still have an idea in mind, but I'm a bit at a loss.

[Samriis]

40 minutes ago, zatchie said:

I kinda feel like I'm writing myself into a hole ? I also feel bad for Erin, she's trying to be understanding and the 'cool mom', but Luke doesn't care who his caregiver is. I think the climax that I was aiming for doesn't really fit into the story that's being written: I'd have to make Luke even more horrible, and I don't really see him getting worse. I have a backup, but gives less heavy feelings.... I'd appreciate opinions on where the story should head. I still have an idea in mind, but I'm a bit at a loss.

Well, one way you could go is the Mama Bear approach.   Put them in a situation where they both grow into their desired roles through a conflict.  Maybe a situation where Erin would need to protect him, perhaps even from Luke's own folly, but would need Luke to help her figure out the how of it.  

Another way is to introduce a "friend" of Erin's that has a little.  Someone he can draw guidance from and possibly show him how he can take some pride in the situation he's in.  

Now this is just my opinion, but littles need to have purpose other than ornamentation for Bigs egos.  And while it may seem like love and endearment, that lack of purpose can be poisonous to a fully devolved mind.  And who knows, maybe regression is the path he ultimately takes, or not... that's the great thing about stories that aren't done yet... they can go anywhere. 

[littleTomás]

9 hours ago, treasuresman said:

She is just creating a whip for her own back by letting the little bugger make his own rules or decisions she needs to be the mother and take charge 

Agreed. Luke is really mean to her and she doesn't deserve it. He blatantly body-shamed her without remorse, and constantly blows up over every little thing that makes him feel like he's not superior to everyone else.

[kerry]

Here is the interesting thing about characters: they have minds of their own. 

I have often discovered that my characters have desired to move in other directions than the ones I had originally planned for them. Here's what I do: I ask them what should happen next and I accept their answers. My stories are pretty much always richer because I didn't force something that had become unnatural.

[Panther Cub]

1 hour ago, Samriis said:

Well, one way you could go is the Mama Bear approach.

I LOVE the idea! Then again, I have a weakness for Mama Bears in general. But in Erin's case, that would be absolutely ADORABLE!

 

[kirababy]

it will be interesting to see how he ends up 'breaking'...at some point he has to accept things/be taught a lesson etc.  can't be a snot forever.

[Baby Billy]

I'm interested in what happens when he wets in the morning and the diaper he put on so badly leaks all over his bed.

[Baby Billy]

I really like this story and I can see what you problem is going forward.  You want to keep the two main charters in the story but how to do that when they have such a difference of what they want.  Luke does not to be there and Erin does not want someone living with her that does not want to be there.  I wish you luck with this, I would just put him back at the center to take his chances of something better or worse.  I think Luke was a rich asshole before he came and feels the same way.

[Clessith]

I feel like everyone is being a little too hard on Luke.  I do want him to realize how wrong he is but wanting anything like acceptance is impossible.  I think all Erin has to do is be there when he fails.  To either prevent him from falling or tell him how to succeed.  

[zatchie]

3 hours ago, Baby Billy said:

I really like this story and I can see what you problem is going forward.  You want to keep the two main charters in the story but how to do that when they have such a difference of what they want.  Luke does not to be there and Erin does not want someone living with her that does not want to be there.  I wish you luck with this, I would just put him back at the center to take his chances of something better or worse.  I think Luke was a rich asshole before he came and feels the same way.

That's not Erin's issue. She's fine, happy even that Luke is there. She's struggling to make the world they exist in fit with Luke. Luke isn't an absolute asshole, he was never a bully, when he feels like he's being treated respectfully he's polite and sometimes kind. His problem is that he had a very narrow world view in the human dimension, and now that view can't even exist anymore. He has no anchor on which to stabilize himself. But I don't see him being the awful person I intended when I started writing the story, which is why my initially planned climax doesn't work.

[zatchie]

Thanks for all the comments everyone! I'm still working on the general direction this story will be taking. I have some new ideas for the climax that incorporate some of the suggestions, but we aren't there yet This was just a chapter that was ready to be written. No Erin-hate in this one

 

Chapter 7

“So, then you extend your left arm out like this, while keeping your right foot back and planted. Right. Now, rotate your hips so that they’re pointing forward, lunge your left leg out front. Try to get to 90 degrees. Yep, that’s pretty good. Now bring your arms straight up…”

Luke was guiding Erin through their morning yoga routine. It had been two full days since Luke arrived at Erin’s place, and while there hadn’t been any more blow-up like Luke’s first night there, it was obvious to Erin that he was still unhappy with his situation. That first day at Erin’s place had been a horrible day in general: leaving nurse Joy, being treated like a regressed Little at the adoption center, and finally Erin’s blatant desire to baby him had been the cherry on top. Erin hadn’t done anything to make him feel Little since, she’d hardly made a request of him.

Luke was still handling his own diaper changes, and always looked grumpy afterwards, but the quality of his changes were already getting better. He obviously didn’t like having a crib and what it represented but the mattress Erin had purchased was blowing his dorm room’s foam pad out of the water, he was easily getting the best sleeps of his life. Many of the things that were associated with Littles didn’t suck, the no homework thing was nice, the problem was that those many things were associated with being a Little.

The parts of his current life that Luke was actually enjoying were more in the realm of being a Big. He liked exercising: yoga and light weightlifting in the morning and evening let him work of some of the nervous energy that had been bottled as anxiety up until that point. Perhaps even more than exercising, Luke liked showing Erin how to exercise properly: She was a complete novice, but apparently eager to learn. She listened well and asked meaningful questions. He was excited to see her improve; he knew that beginner gains would come rapidly, and hoped that when Erin realized how much she had changed she would want to keep up the new exercise and diet regimes.

Luke also enjoyed watching movies with Erin. He didn’t really have a well-defined movie taste prior to coming to this dimension, usually watching the latest superhero movie or whatever his girlfriend or current date wanted to watch. He liked Erin’s eclectic taste, he liked that she had a taste at all, doing something with someone is always more fun when they are passionate about it. Over the past couple days, they’d already watched five movies that were a mix of animation and live action, some had heavy themes, and some were more lighthearted. He liked that she didn’t try to make him watch children’s movies. He did note that none of the movies depicted any violence; he wasn’t sure if that was just her preference or if it was because he was a Little. He also noted that none of the movies had Littles in them.

It seemed to Luke that he’d be happy and comfortable living with Erin as a roommate. When they treated each other as peers, they were getting along well. He even thought he’d be able to get used to life as it stood currently. His fear was that there was some expectation for him to become Littler than he already was, while he thought he might already be too Little.

Erin wasn’t really sure if she liked her new exercise routine. She always felt a little embarrassed whenever she’d have a stumble or wobble or fall during the yoga, though Luke never made her feel bad about it, she didn’t like that she needed to do modified push ups rather than the real deal, and she felt silly when she saw Luke doing multiple sets of ab combinations to her one. She did like how the exercise was making her feel, that achy soreness which always feels better after stretching, and Luke was making sure they were doing plenty. She found it cute that this Little, less than half her size, was so fit and motivated and serious. She also knew that whether or not she liked exercising, they needed to keep doing it: The only time she had seen a genuine smile from Luke was when he was helping her through the routine, she could tell he was having fun, and for Erin, right now, that was enough. She’d work out 36 hours per day if it meant Luke would keep up that smile.

 

 

Neither of them had set foot outside Erin’s condo since Luke arrived. Luke hadn’t set foot outside pretty much at all in this dimension except for his initial foray into the lake. They were both ready to go out, but Erin was scared to suggest anything, afraid of Luke’s potential reaction. Luke knew what needed to be done.

“So. Once we finish up with the yoga, I was thinking maybe we could go outside? Maybe the river park?” He figured a place where he wouldn’t be required to interact with people would be best, and the constant view from Erin’s magnificent windows made him a bit jealous of all the other people who were outside.

“That’s a really good idea. Would you like to have a picnic there too?” Erin wanted to. It was still early spring, but the weather was pretty good, and she figured that as long as they dressed warmly, eating outside would be nice.

“Yeah, that works for me. Maybe we could each bring a book and read a bit also.”

“Sure! It sounds like a fun lunch.”

Erin prepared some veggie wraps and egg salad, feeling slightly guilty she also packed a cookie for her and Luke. When Erin realized that the two of them wouldn’t be leaving the condo very much at first, she set up a subscription with a grocery delivery service. There would be no starvation due to acute agoraphobia.

In his room, Luke was getting dressed for his first outing. The clothes Erin had purchased had fit him well, and while he wouldn’t have considered them fashionable, he did appreciate that for the most part they weren’t infantile, though one or two shirts with a bear or cat were snuck in. He chose a sweatshirt with diagonal striping and a pair of jeans with an elasticated waist. There wasn’t a piece of clothing that could effectively hide his diaper butt.

His books were on a shelf next to his toy chest. He had peered in the day before expecting baby toys and was pleasantly surprised to find stuff from home. He thought he wouldn’t mind playing with Legos, though he didn’t want Erin to see him when he was doing it.

Looking at the books, he wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or amused by what Erin had inferred humans’ taste to be. A lot of those books would go unread. He decided to take a Harry Potter novel and sat looking at ‘So You Want to be a Little’. His first instinct was to be angry at Erin for assuming he wanted to be here, but he knew that she knew that he didn’t want to be here. So why did she buy the book? Looking at the back cover, he understood: ‘So You Want to be a Little – A guide for humans travelling to the Big dimension. Learn from the experiences of author Alisa Smith and others she interviewed, each of whom spent at least 10 years in the dimension. Topics include logistics of going to the dimension, getting adopted, regression, typical life (including differences between countries in the dimension), understanding Bigs, significant challenges and occasionally significant dangers, life upon return to the human dimension, and much more!’. It was an actual orientation to this dimension in book form rather than the maliceful attempt given by Steve and Alyson. He decided to take it as well.

Heading back out of his room, Luke saw Erin finishing her preparations as well. She had packed their lunches into her backpack, gotten a couple blankets, and packed a diaper bag for Luke as well. She put the blankets and diaper bag in Luke’s stroller, assuming he’d want to walk. Erin had been a little nervous doing these preparations; she guessed that Luke wouldn’t like being seen with the stroller or diaper bag. She wasn’t wrong.

“I’m not riding in a stroller… and is that a diaper bag?!”

Erin took a deep breath first. ‘Just assume that he will argue against anything that might possibly seem Little’ was her new motto, it had her walking on eggshells the past couple days. “It is a diaper bag. If you need to be changed away from home, this will have all your supplies.” She didn’t tell him that she’d have to change him if they were away from home. “And I’m glad you’re not riding in the stroller, then I can put my backpack and our blankets there.”

Luke’s disgruntled expression had quickly come back to near-neutral. He wasn’t happy with those items but couldn’t argue the logic. He was looking forward to going outside and didn’t want to hold it up.

“Alright. Then can we head out?”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

They left the building through the main entrance rather than the garage. The doorman greeted Erin politely and gave Luke a smile and small wave. The park was across the street from Erin’s building. The greenery sloped gently downwards from the street level until it reached the river. The park itself was a combination of paved sitting areas, walking paths, grassy fields, and mixed trees. It stretched up and down the river for miles. There were also a number of play structures for children and Littles that dotted the park.

This was Luke’s first time seeing the world on foot. Erin’s building seemed impossibly big, the streets were massive, and the park was larger than any he had been to in his world. The sidewalks were not too busy, but he was careful to stay close to Erin, the difference in size between him and Bigs more forward in Luke’s mind.

“When we cross the street, do you mind holding onto the stroller? My hands are full, and Bigs in cars probably can’t see you that easily.”

“Yeah that’s fine.” Luke didn’t like the implication that he’d be holding her hand usually but couldn’t deny her logic about crossing the street. It’s what they’d do for small children in his world. And she hadn’t made him do anything while they were walking on the sidewalk.

They entered the park a couple blocks down from Erin’s building. The entrance path turned into an open, paved area with a few food vendors, bathrooms, and plenty of seating. They continued through, down towards the river.

“Wanna just walk along the river a bit, and then pick out an area to stop and eat?”

Luke nodded absentmindedly. He wasn’t paying too much attention to what Erin was saying, taking in the size of the park while simultaneously people watching. Erin smiled and could tell that Luke was pretty impressed. She didn’t know what parks were like where he lived before, but in Aquitane, Riverside Park was a national attraction. In a month, many of the tree would be blooming into a blizzard of white petals.

They walked for about 20 minutes, Erin moving at a pace much slower than she was used to, trying to match Luke’s speed. Eventually, she guided them partially back up the slope to an open field that she liked to rest in on sunny days. There were already a few other Bigs that had set out blankets, reading, napping, or socializing. Walking up the knoll, they eventually laid out their blanket in an area that was farther away from the other Bigs; Erin didn’t want to risk a Little-crazy Big getting in their face.

 

 

While they were eating, Luke decided to directly ask a question that had been weighing on his mind since seeing Erin’s condo, a question that she’d been dancing around every time he asked.

“Erin, it seems like you don’t work, as in like, have a job, and all the stuff you have is really nice. Your car is super nice, your condo is super nice, you’re buying all this stuff for me. What’s up? Is your family really wealthy or something? Did you win the lottery? How can you afford all this...” he waved his arms himself, her, back towards her condo, “this everything?”

Erin knew she hadn’t really answered that question previously. She was still a little embarrassed by her money, and the explanation of how she had earned it would make her seem even nerdier to Luke, an issue she hadn’t worried about since high school that was now making her feel uncomfortable again. But she didn’t have any secrets, and Luke was, at least on paper, family.

“Well, yes, I’m, I guess we, are very wealthy. But I didn’t grow up rich; basically, I made a discovery during my work after my PhD that lets companies predict crop prices with much more lead time than they were able to previously. I basically made my money selling that piece of software, in addition to using it in the stock market.”

Luke grinned, he didn’t really know what Erin was talking about with the stock prices and stuff, but he did know money. He imagined all the cool stuff he could buy if he were back in his dimension.

“Sooooo, how rich are we?”

Erin smiled, but responded seriously. She treated him more like a peer than any other Little in Aquitane, but he needed to know that she was the one with financial control, even if they shared in the spoils.

“Rich enough that you don’t have to worry about it. If there’s something you need, let me know, and we can probably get it. If there’s something you just want, let me think about it a bit. I don’t like spending superfluously, and I don’t really like to show off my wealth, my condo notwithstanding.”

Luke hadn’t expected the lecture, but smiled and nodded anyway. So they wouldn’t be flying around in a private jet anytime soon. Maybe he could ask her to buy him some different shoes.

They continued to eat their lunch. The temperature was comfortable, if a little on the cool side. They were sitting on one blanket, while they had their legs under the other one. When they finished with their lunch, Erin pulled out two Big-sized cookies and gave a questioning glance to Luke, she understood what he was trying to do with the changes in diet and exercising, and while it hurt to know he felt that way about her (or that she felt that way about herself), she figured the occasional cookie wouldn’t be a problem.

Luke was more than happy to oblige. He knew the occasional cookie wouldn’t hurt, and Erin was working hard. Plus, he wanted a cookie too.

“Yeah! I’ve been craving something sweet. Though I think I might only eat half that cookie, it’s the size of my face!”

“Deal. We can save the other half for later.”

After their quick dessert, they each retired to their books. Luke was laying on his belly, with only his head and arms outside of the blanket, Erin was doing the same, except most of her torso was outside. Erin had noticed that Luke had taken ‘So You Want to be a Little’, which had her pleasantly surprised. Luke hadn’t given any indication that he was willing to act Littler, so she assumed it was him just trying to learn more about his world. They kept reading.

Luke spoke up out of the blue. “Is it true that you guys call bears dogs?” Luke was looking intently at his book, brow furrowed in concern and confusion.

“What do you mean? Dogs are dogs, bears are bears. “

Luke looked back at his book for confirmation. “No, what I mean is, what you call dogs, we call bears, and what we call dogs, you call…” He checked back at the book again. “You call bruins.”

“Bruins? Those tiny things? How could they be dogs?”

“For us, that’s a dog. Your dogs are considered an extremely dangerous animal in our dimension.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry. A dog would never hurt you. Though we also can’t get one. Our building doesn’t allow pets.” Luke was glad humans weren’t considered pets. He also thought he’d better stay cautious of the bears here anyway.

They continued reading for at least an hour. Luke would pop in with the occasional question about his new world. Yes, the planet was smaller than Earth and had lighter gravity. Yes, time here moves slower than on Earth, and you’ll live longer here anyway (his sister would pass him in age in a few years). No, it’s not legal to take a Little to a non-Alliance nation.

“So it says here that nearly every human that comes is regressed, and generally recommends coming regressed. Is that true?”

Erin thought she knew what he was getting at. “Yes, that’s pretty much true. I’d only met one unregressed Little before you, and that was just for a few minutes. You guys are very rare. But don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on asking you to become regressed. If I wanted a regressed Little, I would have adopted one.”

That only answered part of Luke’s concern. “So am I the only unregressed Little in Bordeu? How will I make friends or have a social life? Just with Bigs?”  He didn’t think most Bigs would take him too seriously. The book told him that nearly every Big thought that Littles were about as capable as toddlers and didn’t distinguish between regressed and unregressed.

“Well, you aren’t the only unregressed Little in Bordeu. Steve told me there were a few, including a couple other Accidental Littles. But due to privacy reasons he can’t tell us how to find them, just that they are find-able. You won’t be able to interact in a group of Littles for a while anyway. We still need to finish up you vaccinations.”

“But how will we find the other unregressed ones?”

“Once you’re more ready, physically and mentally, I’ll do some searching online, and prodding around. I think we’ll be able to find them.”

It didn’t sound like there was much more that Erin could do at the moment.

 

 

They continued reading for a few minutes more when a Big woman walking through the field spotted them and began walking up. Neither Erin nor Luke noticed until the woman was nearly on top of them.

“Aww, what an adorable little boy.” She got a little closer as Erin and Luke looked up. “And wow! What a big boy you are, reading so seriously! I think that book is probably a little much for you, I bet it doesn’t even have pictures in it.”

She had crouched down on her haunches, smiling at Erin and Luke. She was close enough that she easily reach out and touch him if she wanted to, though for now she was keeping her hands to herself.

In her intensive training, Erin had prepared for scenarios just like this one. She knew what she needed to do.

“Excuse me. Can you give us some space? He’s new, and not ready for other Bigs yet.”

“Aww, you’re all new! She took a small shuffle back. How regressed is he? I haven’t met other Littles than can read real books. Maybe he’s just playing pretend?”

That was enough for Luke. “Hey. I can read. I’m an Accidental Little, I’m not regressed, so please just leave us alone. Okay?” He felt he had restrained himself nicely.

The woman had a blank look for a moment, parsing that the Little had given a coherent sentence and not just toddler rambling.

“Ooh” She shuffled back another half-step. “Well you’re in a better place now. Happy accidents are the best.” She was beaming.

Luke looked blankly at the woman, at Erin, back at the woman. Erin looked incredulous as well. This wasn’t something that had been covered in her training.

Luke wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt before he tore her throat out. “Well, yeah, Erin’s place is better than the hospital or adoption center.” Erin’s heart warmed a little bit, but both she and Luke suspected what was coming next.

“Oh! I meant coming here to Aquitane. Your life will be so much better here than in your dimension. Life must be so hard where you are from, always struggling to survive. You won’t have to worry about any of that here.” Littles were so silly sometimes.

Luke thought back to what he had lost in coming here. His family, his friends, his university, his future job, his future life. All of it had been taken away through a shitty event that this woman thought was somehow a good thing. Luke sprung off the ground moving to try and kick the shit out of that woman. Erin grabbed him by his waist before he got off the blanket.

“You fucking piece of shit! You think I want to be here? Fuck right off down the river. My life was way better before coming here…” Luke was still halfheartedly struggling against Erin. He started breaking down into tears. The other Big woman was a little stunned, by smiling weakly.

Erin finally found her voice again. She wanted to stay in control of the situation. “Hey, can you just leave us alone. Next time, use your brain before opening your mouth.”

“Aww, I’m sorry. I guess he’s just not ready for other Bigs yet. I took a class on Littles in college, their brains aren’t as developed as ours are. Don’t be too hard on him for his tantrum.” The apology was only for Erin. She stood up to leave.

Luke was trying to speak through his sobs. “Fuck you, you bitch!” Erin was still holding Luke around the waist with one arm. The other woman was already walking away.

Erin pulled Luke in for a hug. She figured he needed that right now. He kept sobbing and buried his head into her chest. His arms were at his side, with Erin wrapped around him. Her warmth felt good. It didn’t matter that he didn’t like Erin (did he?) he just needed something to comfort him then.

Erin held him in the hug, gently rocking, saying nothing, until Luke fell asleep. This was by far the most physical contact she’d had with him, and while she felt a little guilty about the circumstances, it was still gratifying. She picked him up and placed him in the stroller, tucking one of the blankets around him for the ride home.

Erin was concerned about her interaction with the Big woman. She hadn’t anticipated just how blinded people in her dimension could be. She needed to talk more in depth with her friends to make sure they didn’t hold the same feelings, or if they did, she needed to correct them. She had been planning to have a few over to meet Luke and have a game night in a couple days.

[Jayme]

That Stupid Arrogant Big almost destroyed what little truse Luke had started to develop. Hopefully he doesn't hold Erin accountable for other Big's actions or he will be miserable.

[Baby Billy]

I think Erin handled that very well, she stood up for Luke and started to feel she needed to make sure that anyone she had over understood where Luke was in his life.  I am glad Luke decided to read the book about littles, he may see that Erin is really trying to make his life as easy as possible.  I think there is hope that will come to really bond with Erin after some  time. 

[Little Andrea]

Awesome chapter! I really do like the pacing and the progression.