diaper dimension The Present(s) - 12 After Midnight (Completed)

[direking]

It's always fun when this time of year rolls around, and holiday themed stories make their appearance. The same can be said about Halloween. I had hoped to write one of my own for Halloween, but that didn't happen. 

 

This idea popped in my head last week. I'm hoping I'll be able to finish it by the end of the month, but I don't want to make promises that I can't keep, and I don't want to rush a story and get stressed out.

 

It takes place in the Diaper Dimension. If you're unfamiliar with that content, there are a ton of amazing stories on this site that can bring you up to speed. I didn't create any of the setting, just borrowed ideas along the way, and its impossible to give full credit where credit is due.

 

This is not a smutty story. More of a PG-13 kind of thing. I don't plan on using any bad or unsavory language, and there's no scenes where you need to cover your eyes.

 

Also, no Littles were harmed in the production of this story. Well, at least not in chapter one.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

.....

 

The Present(s) - 1 Arrival, 2 Anticipation, 3 Agreements, 4 Antechamber, 5 Actualization pt 1, 6 Actualization pt 2, 7 Acceptance, 8 Awareness, 9 Ambush, 10 Almost midnight, 11 At Midnight, 12 After Midnight 

 

1 Arrival
 
The present.
The ‘here and now’.
The ‘what’s happening’.
The ‘very second’.
 
That’s where James Park tried to keep his head. To keep his focus on what he was doing, not thinking about the past or future, only trying to move from one moment to the next. He had to maintain that mindset, because life was rough for a Little in a Big world.
 
For James there was only the next job, and the next job would be his last.
 
A comforting thought, but that was also thinking into the future. A Little ‘no, no’. There were pitfalls in his line of work, nothing could be taken for granted, and losing focus was dangerous. While on this side of town, every thought counted, every action was under scrutiny, and every word could be used against him. He had to set his mind right if he planned on avoiding what happens to Littles who make mistakes.
 
In the present, he stood shivering on a sidewalk opposite from an impressive skyscraper, scrying the busy intersection for a spot to make it across the street.
 
A picturesque snowfall hushed the loud city street around him. It possibly could have been comforting, if James wasn’t so concerned about being late. He tightened his navy overcoat across his chest, his chin length dirty blonde hair had collected white flakes at the tips. It wasn’t a bitter cold. It was crisp, precise, on point with the season.
 
However, it was a different story when the wind would kick up.
 
A quick gust almost pulled the tiny scrap of paper from his hands. A paper with a place, a time, and a promised payout.
 
An Amazon couple slowly strolled his way from further than the sidewalk. Their loving arms entwined and wandering eyes on the hanging wreaths and colored lights. They carried on in empty conversation and laughter. James turned away to pretend he wasn’t there, but he felt their eyes linger as they passed. He was used to the looks, but he wasn’t used to being late, or being called up at the last minute. It raised his hackles.
 
The present. He needed to get across the street. Contracts were quite specific on arriving on time.
 
Unfortunately, there was no stop to these cars. He again jumped to press the button to trigger the crosswalk, then jumped a third and fourth time, but he doubted he had the force necessary to change the light. This side of town wasn’t built with him in mind.
 
His flailing about caught the watchful eyes of a Big doorman from the tower on the other side of the street. The man was tall and dressed in a red uniform, standing guard in front of a wide array of gold trimmed glass doors. James knew he had the man’s attention, this guy was a helper of sorts, and he’d help him get past this traffic. The two made eye contact, exchanged a pair of nods, and the doorman pulled a shiny brass whistle to his lips as he walked into the road, raising a hand to part the cars.
 
Deep down, he hated the favor. Or that he needed the favor. He also hated the man’s condescending smile. Even if James tried to return a polite one. But what he hated most was the way he called him ‘Little guy’.
 
“Hey Little guy,” the doorman said as he pressed a white glove against his back, hurrying James across the street. “I assume that you’re here for the party?”
 
There was something about that smile that wasn’t right. As sinister as it was genuine.
 
James answered, “Um. That’s right.”
 
The Little struggled to keep pace with the Giant’s larger strides while cowering from blinding headlights. What was at the waist of a Big was eye level for a Little, and the high beams burned from both sides. When they got to the curb, the doorman gave a final tug to the back of his jacket, sending James stumbling over the sidewalk almost into the glass doors.
 
The doorman spoke. “Now what do you say, kid?”
 
James wasn’t a kid, but it wasn’t worth the argument. Not on this side of town, not against this man. It was all a job, all a performance. That’s how he learned to swallow that pride like poison and keep his mind on the present.
 
He gave a slight bow. “Thank you, sir.”
 
The taller man ruffled his hair with a gloved hand before opening the door for him.
 
Then all at once he was inside. Away from the cold wind, snide doorman, and into a busy lobby.
 
The Giant room was tall and wide, an open space like a concert hall, with the acoustics to match. It would probably echo had it been empty, but it was full of life.
 
Lively ropes of garland hung from the walls, spiraling trees filled with ornaments in every possible corner, and there was even a robotic oversized Santa mechanically waving at passersby. James could hear its jolly laughter over the brassy holiday music that filled the air over the throng of people seemingly everywhere.
 
All three types were present in the lobby, highlighting the caste system based on size.
 
The tall Amazons moved about with confident authority, manning stations and desks, or other ones seated on plush chairs and sofas, sharply dressed presumably for their holiday party.
 
Betweeners hustled about fulfilling the Big’s wishes to prove that they were worthy of being above Littles, or at least they hoped.
 
Then there were the others, the Littles, the ones so very out of place. Against a wall stood a long line of about twenty or thirty in a row, like a band of preschoolers on a field trip, anxiously awaiting — they couldn’t possibly all be there for the party, could they?

James didn’t know that there would be others like him, or he wouldn’t have taken the job. Suddenly, things didn’t feel right, and he was about to turn around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
 
It was warm and feminine, but also firm and binding, like his contract. So there was no getting out of this.
 
She chirped, “What’s your name, Little guy?”
 
There it was again.
 
James spun around wielding a fake happy face.

He followed the hand on his shoulder to a perky Tweener with wide open eyes, like she was excited to see everything. She wore business casual, lots of makeup and a lopsided Santa hat. There was a tablet in her hands and a walkie clipped to her belt. Party coordinator, Little wrangler, or for this job, possibly his boss.
 
“I’m James Park, and I’m here for the party.”
 
“Oh, you look so excited! Let me check if you’re in the right place.”
 
She tapped a pen along the edge of the computer screen until she found his name. Unfortunately, he was in the right place.
 
“It looks like you’re partners with Kinsey tonight,” she said as she pointed to a Little girl moping against the wall like the rest. “I’m Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny. Or Miss Jenny. Whatever is easiest to say.”
 
James hesitated.
 
“Jenny, I didn’t know there were others. I mean, I normally work alone, and I— “
 
“You’re nervous, I can tell.” Jenny reached around and rubbed his back, then he felt the slight push towards Kinsey and the other Littles lined against the wall. “I bet you’ll feel better about things after making new friends. Kinsey is super nice, maybe she’s single and ready to mingle.”
 
The present. He was just another Little in a long line.
 
Jenny lied. Kinsey didn’t seem nice, just pretentious and bored, and anything but kind. Though she looked pretty in that fashion conscious black dress, so that was something. They exchanged polite greetings before spending the next few minutes in silence.

He kept glancing her way, expecting her to say something, anything. He looked around at the other Littles of all kinds, like someone pressed a randomizer button, and the Littles of every flavor popped out of a machine. Dark hair, Light hair, short hair, long hair, tomboys and girly boys, every color of a Little rainbow, and every single one dressed in their best to impress.

However, he and Kinsey practically looked the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, down to their button noses.
 
Most of the other partners were talking with one another, James thought it was proper to at least attempt the same.
 
“So Kinsey, what brings you here?”

He grimaced. It came out awkward despite all of the courage he spent to break the ice.
 
Kinsey recrossed her arms and slid further down the wall before loudly sighing.
 
“I was told they only invited professionals, and now I’m stuck with a newbie.”
 
A newbie? She might as well have called him a baby. A pretty strong insult coming from the mouth of a fellow Little.
 
James leaned into her personal space. He took crap from Bigs and Tweeners, but when it came to his own size, nope.
 
“I’m not a newbie, I’ve been around, this isn’t my first time with Amazons. I’ve probably been working longer than you.”
 
“Oh, yeah.” Kinsey side-eyed him for a hundredth time. “What exactly do you do, James?”
 
It wasn’t really a secret, but he didn’t exactly want to admit to his line of work.
 
He shook his head. “Nah, you first.”
 
Kinsey delicately placed both palms on her chest.
 
“Easy. I’m a model. You may have seen some of my work, but judging by the fact that you’re wearing last year when it’s almost next year — you haven’t.”
 
James felt that burn. On the inside.
 
She asked, “What about you, Little guy?”
 
Oh, man. He felt the heat rise, like a soft blush from spiked eggnog, it settled into his cheeks. James cleared his throat, there was no way the truth would put a stop to this ridicule. Neither would a lie.
 
“I’m a singer,” James answered.
 
“What kind of singer?” Kinsey turned her head as if she knew she was prying him apart.
 
Alright, time to get honest.
 
James worked as a singing telegram.
 
He sang Little ditties in babyish costumes for tips, traveling around to different offices and events — basically embarrassing himself in front of Amazons for hard cash. He would like to think it was worth it, but even at his last gig, he still wasn’t sure.

Simply put, it paid the bills and zero chance for social promotion. Even by a Little’s standards. The job also didn’t have the best of reputations. Mostly by a Little’s standards. There was something about giving the Amazons what they expected of Littles that aggravated everyone else his size.
 
There was a usual song and dance to his — his song and dance. A routine of sorts. Show up wearing their silly costume, sing your little song, and collect your little paycheck.
 
It was all demeaning, of course.
 
The songs were standard Little music: ‘I’m a Little Teapot’, ‘Ba-Ba Black Sheep’, or whatever preschool jam was popular or relevant for the affair.
 
Also, it was important to be cute, but not too cute, just the right amount of cute. That’s what the costumes were all about.
 
The pre-made costumes were a tad bit infantilizing, always short shorts, sometimes coveralls, or worse, with snappies between the legs and zippers that ran down the back. But he set his limits: no dresses and no diapers. It had to be said. There were others he worked with that didn’t set those limits, those that didn’t mind showing up for a show thickly padded, which James thought was an invitation to disaster.
 
However, he couldn’t blame them. They were in the business of getting tips, it was part of the territory. Push the envelope, reap the rewards. He had done the same himself, his longer hair was a part of that game. James had more than once been a target of suggestions for barrettes or pigtails.
 
Kinsey prodded again. “What kind of singer, James?”
 
They had a name for singing telegrams, more embarrassing than the job itself. He couldn’t bear telling her.
 
She stopped, then grinned. “Don’t tell me that you’re a Gramcracker.”
 
“Fine, I won’t tell you that,” James snapped back.
 
It took a moment for her to believe him, like he fabricated his lifestyle just for this little talk; but when she figured it out, her whole demeanor changed. From apathetic to downright angry, and in rapid time.
 
“You’ve got to be kidding me, diaper-bait.” She pressed a finger into his chest. “You mess this up for me, I swear-”
 
Miss Jenny hustled by with her tablet, and Kinsey halted her brow beating until the Tweener passed.
 
“I can’t believe I’m partners with a stupid Little like you,” Kinsey whispered.
 
“You’re one to be talking,” James defended himself. “What’s so bad about what I do for money, huh?”
 
“I shouldn’t have to explain it to you, I just can’t wait to hear your cute Little singing voice. Just try not to pee your pants and get us both put in diapers.”
 
“Like you’ve never worn a diaper before,” James scoffed.
 
Kinsey became suddenly alert, he definitely struck a nerve with his comment on diapers.
 
“What are you suggesting, Gramcracker?”
 
He knew he shouldn’t push her buttons, but the way she called him Gramcracker gave him no choice.
 
“What kind of fashion magazines are you in? Little fashion, or ‘Little’ fashion? Emphasis on the Little part, I bet you’ve been padded more than your fair share.”
 
James barely had a chance to smirk before Kinsey wheeled him against the wall. Her index finger was under his chin like a knife.
 
“What I’ve had to wear because of stupid Littles like you is none of your business. If I wore a diaper, it meant I could be trusted in one without using it. Now, it'd be best for you to shut your mouth until it’s time for your little jingle.”
 
She added, “You got that, Gram-gram?”
 
He gulped.
 
Just then, Miss Jenny made another round with her walkie wildly squawking. Kinsey pretended her threatening finger to his throat was nothing more than a friendly embrace.
 
“I’m so glad to see you two are getting along,” Jennifer gushed. “When the bells chime it’ll be time to head to the elevators so you guys can get properly dressed.”
 
The pair of Littles just smiled back, angry claws still digging into one another. This was going to be a long night, James thought to himself. Kinsey probably thought the same. Who knew what partners meant, and James struggled on keeping this whole thing professional.
 
Kinsey released him as soon as Jenny looked the other way.
 
After that, James kept his mouth shut as things fell into motion. They were organized into couples of boys and girls, some girls and girls, some boys with boys. And they were forced to hold hands. They were hors d'oeuvres for the devilish tastes of the Amazons, made to order, and ordered to please.
 
A chorus of bells sang out from everywhere, tinny small ones, toneful medium ones, and heavy bells that shook the bones. All at once the chaotic atmosphere changed into programming. The chaos became order, the music stopped, and the uneasy quiet of hushed voices and shuffling feet took over. The well-to-do Amazons were the first on the elevators, heading to the top floor to the party. The Tweeners made sure to write their drink orders and remind them of seating arrangements. Older Amazons in ball gowns and fancy headdresses gave the long line of Littles one last look before heading up and taking their creepy leering faces with them.
 
One last job. Then no more.
 
Last but not least, it came time for the Littles. A small group of Betweeners herded them through the lobby and cattled them together onto an elevator. A Big elevator could fit a lot of Littles, and all of them hopped aboard. Jennifer stood with her kind in the middle of the mass checking over details with another Betweener that had a walkie and tablet in tow.
 
The elevator had a mirror for a ceiling, an overhead reflection that the Littles didn’t need. They all stared at their reflection as they looked up into one another, holding hands awaiting what awaited them. That's the issue with the future.
 
The future is captivating. It tugs and pulls at the present until the mind isn't on what's currently happening, the mind is elsewhere in a nameless space, sharing dreams and nightmares of what’s yet to come. James could take a guess on where their minds were at this moment. Probably already on floor 100. Later that night, in the future when this present was past, James would reflect on this moment just like that overhead mirror. The bright eyes looking up to something they couldn't quite see, soaked in a frightful quiet because there were no words for this ‘feeling’.
 
A feeling that couldn’t be described as terror, more like an anticipation for malice. The bad was coming, but they could hope that it wouldn’t be all bad. Or too bad. But if it got too bad it would eventually be over. That’s the way it was with Amazons.

Everyone hoped it would be worth it, that metaphorical pot of gold on the otherside of this rainbow. The fame, fortune, or some other prize that brought them to this moment didn't matter anymore. They were there.
 
James had to assume that they were mostly like him, or Kinsey. In show business or hospitality for the Bigs. Which meant contracts, and unions, or guilds, or whatever. Signed contracts were a two way street, what kept him in line also kept him in clean underwear.
 
Life wasn’t easy being a Gramcracker in a shark tank, but there were legal protections in their union contracts. If they performed to specifications, they were untouchable. Unfortunately, paper could only do so much. Binding agreements didn’t stop the pinches to both sets of cheeks, top and bottom, but it kept the kidnappings at bay.
 
The oddities of this assignment plagued him for some reason, so were his reasons for taking the path that led to this moment.
 
This job was different, last minute, high paying. No pre-made costume, no set list. Only an address and a time to arrive. Kinda suspicious for a final show, but James could rationalize it. There was an extra zero on this check that wasn’t on the others. He’d go out with an end of year bonus and never be seen around these parts again.
 
Once again his head was in the future.
 
That future was coming closer by the second, as the elevator slowly climbed to floor 99. Floor 100 was the top of the building where there was a high end club housing this ‘party’, but floor 99 was for Littles and Tweeners, those who made this party a reality.
 
What was reality? The present.
 
Kinsey closed her fist tightly around his hand and gave it a painful squeeze.
 
She whispered right into his ear. “I hate you.”
 
James turned to whisper back. “Good. I hate you, too.”
 
Ah, the present.

[Moon3ye]

I guess that the two do not look alike by chance and that all other couples look alike because some rich Amazon want to have cute "sibling couples" or even "twin couples".

I am curious how the story continues.

[SGTbaby]

Interesting beginning!

[Guilend]

I’m definitely interested. I wonder if any of this Betweeners where wearing pull ups lol. I can’t wait to see where this goes

[direking]

On 12/9/2021 at 3:31 PM, Moon3ye said:

I guess that the two do not look alike by chance and that all other couples look alike because some rich Amazon want to have cute "sibling couples" or even "twin couples".

I am curious how the story continues.

I think you’re onto something.

On 12/9/2021 at 9:08 PM, SGTbaby said:

Interesting beginning!

Thanks!

On 12/10/2021 at 3:39 PM, Guilend said:

I’m definitely interested. I wonder if any of this Betweeners where wearing pull ups lol. I can’t wait to see where this goes

The Betweeners are a mostly enablers in this story. A go-between for Amazons to Littles for more of silk touch approach.

If they do what their job, they should be okay — If they do their job to the specifications of the Amazons.

<><><><><>
 

The next two chapters are a bit of a slow build up. A lot to the ‘why’ and ‘what’s going on’ before the inevitable.

Thanks for reading.

 

The Present(s) 2 Anticipation
 
Presently, James sat on a padded bench in the locker room, on the waiting end of a ‘hurry up and wait’.
 
It wasn't fair to call it a locker room, but he couldn't bring himself to consider it a changing room. That felt a little too ‘on the nose’, and it raised those hackles.
 
The room was nice, though.
 
Dark wood cabinets lined the walls and mesmerizing geometric carvings were cut into the ceiling. The thick carpet was a deep red, the color of rubies, or wine, or somewhere in between. That's where he was staring, at the posh ground between his feet, because the entire room was just noise.
 
However, his mind wasn’t focused on the room, or the present moment. It was elsewhere worrying about what came next, thinking about the way Kinsey mocked him for being a Gramcracker. All of it was distracting noise. The behind him, the ahead of him. Noise. Noise. Noise.
 
They had strict orders to 'not touch a thing' from Jennifer, or Miss Jenny. James planned on following those orders to a 'T'. He was in contract mode, where he had to be extra careful to follow along. Any deviation could make him lose his protection, that's why the present was so important. It kept him 'right'.
 
The room smelled sensational. Like apple pie and cinnamon, with a hint of something else. Baby Powder. Any free Little worth their salt could notice the smell. He recognized it from the not-so-free Littles, the ones under the loving care of Amazons. It wafted around the room like a poorly kept secret.
 
And where there was baby powder, there hid the dreaded D-word.
 
Speaking of words, Kinsey hadn't said a single one since leaving the elevator. He thought for sure she'd comment on the crowded hallway, or how they were ushered in these tiny holding cells. Nothing. It was almost a welcome silence, so far her words had been used to make fun of him, but the lingering quiet was doing a number on the present. Making him think about that uncertain future that was only minutes away.
 
Kinsey the model looked more relaxed than he felt, on her back with hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling instead of the floor. There was a life edifying metaphor in there somewhere, but James couldn't find it.
 
The room’s only door opened, and it was Jenny. The Tweener leaned in like she was planning on interrupting something, but she only managed to disrupt the hanging silence.
 
“Alright, Littles. Are you two excited?”
 
The two Littles were quick to latch onto her enthusiasm, applying a false eagerness whose recipe was two parts cringe and one part greed. It was time to work for their tips, and they were well acquainted with the game they were playing.
 
Kinsey jumped up to her feet, displaying a fake childish glee that James couldn’t possibly match.
 
“I’m super, duper excited!” she said with her tiny hands under her chin. “I can’t wait to dress pretty for the party.”
 
Then she fell to her back squealing and kicking like a happy toddler.
 
James tried to act as excited as his partner, maybe even one-up his competition. He let out a “Yahoo!” and a “Yippy!”, but it came off as awkward, stupid, trying too hard. That’s what he could see on the faces of Jenny and Kinsey.
 
“Okay, moving on, I love your Little enthusiasm.” Jenny pulled out her tablet and faced the blank screen in their direction. “It’s time we talk about your contracts, settle into your roles, and if you have questions or concerns, now is the time to ask. Not later, understand?”
 
The two Littles nodded, still trying to get a good look at the display.
 
“Alright, here are the rules tonight.”
 
Jenny cleared her throat, tapped the pen against the tablet, and words appeared on the screen.
 
“The first rule is that you’re with us until midnight. That’s when the contract expires. Not fulfilling your end of this agreement means you’re subject to forfeitures thereby voiding any said protection offered by other contracts.”
 
James swallowed. That was a pretty big deal, he’d never signed a contract that voided his other contracts. He suddenly felt in over his head and wanted a lawyer.
 
He glanced over at Kinsey hoping to see the same concern on her pretty face, but it wasn’t there. Only a look of smug ‘I’ve been here before’ type of thing.
 
Miss Jenny tapped the pen a second time, bringing rule two to the screen.
 
“Rule two: there are no bathroom breaks while working tonight. If you plan on needing to go number one or two, go before heading up. When you’re upstairs you’re expected to be working, not on the potty. If there’s an accident…”
 
The Tweener’s voice faded, allowing a pause to build unnecessary tension. James held his breath as Jenny slowly slid the tablet behind her back and knelt closer to them, her voice not much louder than a whisper.
 
“Off the record, I’ve worked with Littles long enough to know that you’re not all pee pants little babies. I know that you two are a pair of professionals, but those Amazons upstairs don’t see you that way. They only know of one recourse for accidents, and they’re not afraid to use them. Trust me.”
 
The artful way she tip-toed around the word diaper was worthy of noting. James understood her meaning, it wasn’t exactly a code to crack. The threat went without saying, but now that it had been said, it made it even more threatening. Like a second warning in case you missed the first.
 
“I can’t speak for my partner,” Kinsey exclaimed, “but I don’t have that kind of problem.”
 
That was a low blow coming from a fellow kinsmen. James scowled her direction as hard as he could without pulling a muscle.
 
“Oh, I know. These rules are written for the others who aren’t as professional as you two.. um, professionals.”
 
Jennifer settled herself after her verbal hiccup.
 
The tablet returned from behind her back, and it looked like things were going to get back on track. James wanted to open his mouth to stand up for himself, but it wasn't worth causing a scene in front of Jennifer. Still that ‘insinuation’ from Kinsey. This was going to be a long night.
 
"And the final rule is…. " Jenny beamed at the Littles before pressing a button on the tablet. The screen lit up in bright colors with the words 'HAVE FUN!' in all caps bookended by a pair of smiling pixelated Littles dancing on the flashing display.
 
"Try to have fun, you guys. The night is full of wild games, they can get a little intense, but the Amazons upstairs mean well. And they also pay well. I know that you're not just here for the money, try to think about the connections you can form with the most important Amazons in the city. Especially when they get to know you on a first name basis. It's going to be a special night, one you'll never forget."
 
The stylus tapped against the edge of the computer tablet, transforming the display into a blinding white document with big words written in tiny text. A contract. An X marked the spot of where they were expected to write their name.
 
The Betweener asked, "Are you guys ready to sign?"
 
She was met by a pair of unmoved Littles. The fake enthusiasm died somewhere between reading the rules and going over the contract.
 
James studied his partner’s body language.
 
Finally, Kinsey appeared to share his apprehension. He was beginning to wonder if he was the only one with reservations.
 
"I just wear clothes and look pretty,” Kinsey explained to Jennifer. “I don't play games, I don't do checkers or chess. I also don't work with amatuer partners that I just met. No offense, James."
 
That was just about the least offensive thing she’d said about him so far.
 
Jenny frowned. "I see..."
 
Sensing an opportunity, James pressed his attack. It felt good to poke back at the thing making him anxious. He’d poke back at Kinsey later. Amateur? We’ll see about that. He could ask tough questions just as well as she could.
 
"Yeah, what kind of games are we talking about? I'm not fighting to the death or anything."
 
He leaned back into the wall like he said something smart, but he didn't.
 
The women glared at him like he said something incredibly stupid, and somehow he knew that Kinsey thought he was even dumber than she originally gave him credit. Luckily, Jenny pulled them back down to earth, cradling the intimidating contract against her chest, and sharing an understanding smile with the two Littles.
 
"I just love you Littles and your active imaginations," Jenny countered their Little revolt. “But I’m worried that you’re letting your immaturity get in the way of a great opportunity. No, we don't host gladiatorial combat on the 100th floor. I promise that in my five years of working this event there hasn't been a single Little casualty."
 
“I’m not the newbie here,” Kinsey said. “I’ll be fine with signing as long as Grammy-boy doesn’t mess things up.”
 
James asked, "But what if I'm still unsure?"
 
"The door is right there, James."
 
The Betweener pointed to the obvious exit just a few feet away, but James knew it wouldn't be as easy as him leaving. Still, despite all of his reservations, something powerful compelled him to stay in the room and hear all of this out. There was the lure of that money, that this was that last job. No more 'Ba-Ba Black Sheep', no more 'Apples and Bananas'. Real music for once.
 
Miss Jenny sold him on new opportunities, that's all he wanted in his life. Just a chance to be something greater than he was in the present.
 
"However, I'll say this," Miss Jenny continued. "This entire night is designed around you guys working in twos. If you don't participate, neither can Kinsey."
 
Kinsey erupted, "That's unfair! I just knew he would ruin this for me."
 
"Don't be so hasty, Kinsey.” Jenny tapped a kind hand against the knee of the sitting Little. “I think that you’re underestimating your partner here. James was specifically requested to be present tonight. We work frequently with your model agency, and you came highly recommended, but you may not have qualified if it wasn't for James."
 
He couldn't help but to smile. Receiving compliments while simultaneously putting Kinsey in her place was a glorious thing, even if it was short lived. It pushed down that uneasiness like pressing both hands on the trash to make it fit better in the can. James could feel the excitement kick in, the perilous unknown, that unseen future. It called to him.
 
Someone had actually heard him sing, and they wanted to hear him again. Maybe they'd help him move onto bigger roles, better opportunities. These were the most influential Amazons in the city after all.
 
Suddenly, he lived inside his fantasy apartment just as posh as this changing room, with ornate ceilings and floors, drinking wine while making small talk with the elite.
 
While snobby Kinsey was still modeling Little clothing in the thickest diapers.
 
James blurted out, "I wasn't aware that anyone cared who I was.”
 
Jennifer grinned.
 
"That's where you're wrong, James. You guys are the cream of the crop in your respective fields. Kinsey has at least three spreads in magazines, she's easily recognizable in these circles. While James, your singing... I've heard great things about it."
 
Jenny was great at sweet talking, even if James tasted her sugar in her words. The present, his guiding light, what was it telling him? It was strangely silent. He felt that he needed to soak in the details. The room. The women. The contract. Something had to be hidden there, he took a long breath and —
 
“You okay there, James?”
 
Jenny adjusted the tablet over her lap, squatting to a seated position to better get on their level.
 
“I think it’d help if we talked about it a bit longer to let out all those silly doubts,” Jenny placated. “What do you say to that?”
 
He nodded. His mouth suddenly felt dry. Why was he so nervous? He had to do something about it, because Kinsey looked about ready to stab him with Jenny’s stylus.
 
“How about this?” The Tweener continued her sales pitch. “I’ll make sure to check in on you throughout the night. Watch your back so-to-speak. I’d like to stay with you all night, but this party is a busy time for me as well, and I need a decision before I leave.”
 
“I don’t know what he’s so upset about, he’s been working with Amazons for a long time,” Kinsey mocked him before turning to Jenny. “He was all bragging about it in the lobby.”
 
James explained, “This voids our contracts, and I—“
 
The Betweener didn’t let him finish.
 
“See, you’re thinking about contracts instead of the party. Instead of the fun games, or the potential opportunities. Let me show you some pictures that could change your mind.”
 
Jennifer slowly spun her tablet around, bringing it closer to their Little faces.
 
“Kinsey, why don’t you scoot in and join James to see the Littles enjoying last year's party.”
 
She pressed a small button on the side of the handheld computer. A quick flash bursted from the display, it hurt his eyes, and he saw double for a few seconds. He was quick to shake it off, but a dizzying, disorienting effect stuck around.
 
Then he saw the pictures of last year’s holiday party.
 
There were smiling Littles dancing and laughing, eating sweets and drinking out of fine glasses. A Little gave a long bow in a spotlight, it looked like he had just got done singing and the entire room was on their feet in applause. There were dozens of wild pictures full of fun, his favorite was one of a long conga line of Littles. That’s what brought a smile to his lips, and it stayed there as the screen turned back into a contract.
 
Kinsey said, “This looks like a lot of fun.”
 
It looked like they finally agreed on something. A first for the night.
 
“Yeah, I’m kinda excited now,” he added.
 
James felt tension leave his body that had been building up and tightening ever since he crossed that street with the doorman. One look at those pictures scrubbed away all of that nasty paranoia as well, they were lucky to be working with a trustworthy Betweener like Jenny.
 
Jenny pushed the tablet into Kinsey's lap, somehow the pen was already in the Little’s hand, and the model was in a hurry to sign everything she could see.
 
The Betweener said, “Oh, I just knew you’d see it my way.”
 
The tablet was suddenly in front of him, he quickly read through the words. All that Jenny had said was there, nothing more, nothing less. He tried to take his time, but he had the stylus in his hand, and he was applying it next to X and writing his name before the present to could share its wisdom.
 
“That’s great, I knew you could do it.” Jenny collected her tiny computer with a wide smile. She stood up and re-evaluated the two Littles. "They were right, you two could pass as twins."
 
"What?" Kinsey choked.
 
James followed suit with a gag of his own.
 
"Come on, quit acting so much like children," Jenny chuckled. "Now off with your clothes, try to hurry because we don’t have all night.”

[Moon3ye]

They are both so fucked.

Again this suggestion with they could be twins.

They will both end up as brother and sister (or brother and brother or sister and sister, you know how Amazons are) in extra thick diapers in a crib of some rich Amazons.

Also the second chapter I found very entertaining I look forward to more.

[Sarah Penguin]

[SGTbaby]

Oh I think I see some clues but I have been wrong before.  This looks awesome!!

[Panther Cub]

Can't wait tot see what happens next!

[Lucifer666]

Write fast, on the edge of my seat wanting to read the next part!!!

[direking]

On 12/12/2021 at 1:47 PM, Moon3ye said:

They are both so fucked.

Again this suggestion with they could be twins.

They will both end up as brother and sister (or brother and brother or sister and sister, you know how Amazons are) in extra thick diapers in a crib of some rich Amazons.

Also the second chapter I found very entertaining I look forward to more.

It doesn't look good for our dynamic duo, but hopefully they can count on one another despite their differences. They're going to need everything they can get when they have to 'perform' in front of the Amazons.

On 12/12/2021 at 1:50 PM, Sarah Penguin said:

 

On 12/12/2021 at 4:04 PM, SGTbaby said:

Oh I think I see some clues but I have been wrong before.  This looks awesome!!

 

On 12/12/2021 at 9:28 PM, Panther Cub said:

Can't wait tot see what happens next!

 

On 12/12/2021 at 10:46 PM, Lucifer666 said:

Write fast, on the edge of my seat wanting to read the next part!!!

Thanks for the positive comments! I'll go as quick as I can, but I'm slow goer. I can't wait to write what happens next, especially after these build up chapters. The dominoes will start to fall.

As far as scope of this story, I was aiming for 5 chapters, but it looks like it's going to be closer to 6 or 7 chapters. Which isn't a bad thing, but it means I'm probably not finishing this story before the end of the month. 

Thanks for reading.

 

3 Agreements
 
The two Littles were frozen to the ground where they stood. They were in tip mode, they were supposed to do what they were told.
 
Still, they weren't moving.
 
James couldn't recall ever having to strip in front of a client. Gramcrackers didn't work that way, they always showed up in their cute costumes. Judging by the bewildered expression on her face, Kinsey was uncomfortable about the request as well.
 
"You signed a contract," Jenny reminded them. "Besides, how else are you supposed to get dressed?"
 
"I'm just not used to undressing in a room with a boy," Kinsey explained.
 
“How disappointing,” Jenny curtly replied. “I had you penned as a professional, Kinsey. This is something that you’re going to have to get used to.”
 
James asked, "Would it help if I turned around?"
 
Kinsey nibbled her lower lip and slightly nodded.
 
He turned to face the wall and kept his eyes on the locked cabinets on his side of the room. His heart pounded in his chest, things went from zero to one hundred so fast. This sometimes happened when working on this side of town. A signed contract gave the Bigs a lot of rights, a lot more than what was there to give.
 
His partner must have remained recalcitrant for a second too long.
 
"Kinsington Meadows!" Jenny loudly boomed from behind him. "If you don't get out of your clothes by the count of three, I will find someone who will help you, and I promise that you do not want that."
 
It would be a lie to say that he didn’t jump, it scared him every time a Betweener or Amazon raised their voice, and James usually tried to think of something else to escape the present. Normally something funny.
 
Kinsington. That was a funny name. Like it belonged to a doll or kitten.
 
However, James was not in the laughing mood. He felt bad for his Little partner, despite everything she said about him being a Gramcracker. Every Little knew what it was like to be on the wrong end of a dressing down. He started slowly removing his own clothes to avoid a similar threat.
 
Then he heard it.
 
A tiny, quiet snivel came from her direction, the slightest sucking sound from her mouth and nose. She shouldn't be crying, that wasn't a good sign. That was blood in the water of the shark tank. Displaying a weakness almost as bad as wet pants. Almost.
 
"You too, James. All of it, including the undies."
 
He asked, "My underwear, too?"
 
The Betweener sighed, "That's what I just said.”
 
There was a dramatic shift in the feeling of the room. Gone were fun pictures of parties, smiling Littles and promised opportunities. The long conga line cha-cha’d on out of there. There was nothing but fear in the present, it had taken all other feelings hostage. Thinking, reasoning, or what could be called bravery or fortitude, all were held at gunpoint with tape covering their mouths.
 
He popped the buttons to his shirt before pulling it over his head. James hesitated at his pants before finding the courage to take those off as well. It wasn’t courage, though. It was compliance. The compliance forced him to slide down his underwear, and hand it over to Jenny with the rest of his clothes. With one hand wrapped around his crumpled briefs, the other covering what was left of his modesty.
 
“James, you’re not hiding anything I haven’t seen before,” Jennifer smirked.
 
It didn’t matter if he was fully naked. James found himself worrying about Kinsey more. It wasn’t like she was crying out loud, but he didn’t dare turn to see if there were any tears. He felt them in the present moment, in this changing atmosphere of a dangerous room that was once a safe space.
 
The sounds of unzipping and sniffling made the next minute feel long and dreadful.
 
Jennifer gave a quick succession of little claps. “Oh, perfect.”
 
He had to assume that they were done undressing, that poor Kinsey was a naked as the day she was born. Just like him.
 
James turned his head over the shoulder opposite Kinsey, sneaking a peek at Jennifer behind them. She was studying his underwear for some reason, looking for 'what' exactly? So much for thinking that she was on their side. A not so comforting thought.
 
"It says here that I'm supposed to get a picture of your Little bottoms," Jenny shared with an uncomfortable amount of glee. "Now hold hands, you guys."
 
James reluctantly reached a hand out in Kinsey's direction.
 
Surprisingly, her hand was already waiting for him.
 
They clasped their fingers together. Their hands shaking from nervousness, violation, suffering consequences for a hasty decision to sign the contract. Just like those Littles in the elevator, the bad would come, but it would pass. This was par for the course, part of the job. The party would be a different story, they'd seen the fun pictures with their own eyes.
 
"That is too cute," Jenny said as she caught the moment with her tablet’s camera. "If it weren’t for Kinsey’s longer hair, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between you. Even your tiny backsides look alike. Totally twinsies."
 
*SNAP*
 
*SNAP*
 
*SNAP*
 
The big bad that the Littles feared wasn’t an imaginary boogeyman, it was something as inane as a picture, and insane as letting someone take one while you’re naked.
 
The worst part about this charade was how banal it all seemed to Bigs. Ordering live entertainment Littles for a holiday party was like ordering takeout from a favorite restaurant. It meant nothing to them.
 
Littles lived in a world that wasn’t by their design.
 
Right and wrong sat a tall precipice, on its edge a seesaw. On one end were the Littles, and on the other, was everything else. The rules and regulations, the bothersome contracts, the constant feeling of being unwelcome, or only welcome in a certain way, represented how stacked the deck was against them.
 
It didn’t take much of a teeter-totter to send the Little guys tumbling down the abyss.
 
Kinsey asked, "Can we get dressed now?"
 
Luckily, Jennifer seemed done with taking the embarrassing photos.
 
"Of course, sweetie. I was just about to go over your dresses with you. Then you two can get ready for the party."
 
James heard the hissing sound of a cabinet opening, like an automatic door to a spaceship. Shhsk. He was still clueless to all that was happening behind him, but he could satisfy his curiosity if he listened hard enough.
 
After clearing her throat, Jennifer started reading from her tablet to make sure she got the order right.  
 
“The first three dresses are supposed to be a four. The next four are a three. And for the final three — you’re going to need to be a two.”
 
“I normally don’t go lower than a three,” Kinsey explained.
 
Her objection was met with silence.
 
There was probably a dirty look involved, but James didn’t turn around to catch it. He was back to staring at the ground, shivering because it was cold, and covering up the best that he could with his hands. Also trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about.
 
Jennifer said, “You’ll find everything you need to get dressed in here."
 
Another cabinet opened to the same spaceship sound, James could hear hands rummaging through noisy plastic wrap to produce something crinkly. It didn't take two guesses to what it was.
 
A diaper. Or a pull-up, if he was thinking optimistically.
 
He suddenly felt bad about the way he teased her for wearing diapers. Something he'd never had to do for money, no wonder she was so sensitive to his verbal jab from earlier.
 
The Tweener went into a long whisper that James couldn't make out. Even if his ears perked to hear it.
 
Kinsey replied, "Yes, I understand."
 
There was no fight left in her voice. She'd been taken over by fear and compliance as well, as it spread through the Littles like a wildfire. It heated the cheeks and caught their breath.
 
However, even a deep breath couldn’t change the helplessness he felt.
 
Jennifer, the Little wrangler, couldn't be entirely blamed for this turn of events. This was her job. Just like his was to be a Gramcracker, or for Kinsey to don diapers whenever they pleased.
 
The job of a Betweener was to be between Littles and Amazons.
 
Behind the walkie, the tablet, the demanding contract, there was an Amazon pulling the strings. Lashing out at Jennifer would be akin to shooting the messenger, and would probably make things worse for the both of them. The two Littles could power through these moments like they always did, James had been through his own trials and came out richer on the other side. And he wasn't talking about in experience.
 
Jennifer loomed over him next, he had just noticed the electronic bracelet that dangled from her wrist. Where had that been this whole time? He watched her press it against a pair of cabinet doors like a key, and they unlocked and slowly opened. Shhsk, Shhsk.
 
He found himself anxious to know what was inside, almost getting onto his tip-toes to see what was in store for him. All he could make out were the fabric’s colors of forest green and scarlet red.
 
His instructions would come next, and he hoped his weren’t anything like what he’d just heard for Kinsey. James didn't understand what all of those numbers meant. He also hoped he didn't need to know that to get paid, he was worried about looking stupid in front of all of the Amazons.
 
He swallowed hard when Jenny pulled up the tablet to read him his rights.
 
“James, do you know the words to ‘Jingle Bells’?
 
“Um. Yeah, mostly.” His voice was uncharacteristically gravelly.
 
“That’s great,” Jenny said. Then the tablet was back at her side.
 
He looked up at her with trembling lips. "Is that all I need to know?"
 
She again looked at her tablet, pretending to read over instructions that weren't there.
 
“Nothing else besides looking cute, but it looks like you got that covered, Little guy."
 
Then she tussled his hair as a parting gift before heading to the door.
 
Their only exit closed, an embedded light turned red indicating a locked door. They were trapped in here, physically. The legal means had been put in place by their own hands just minutes before.
 
The Littles slowly went into motion, picking up the shattered pieces of their personhood.
 
James held up his outfit in front of him. A classic Little elf outfit: a green tunic with a red sash lined with sewn in bells, a red stocking cap with another bell on the end, and a pair of curly elf shoes with more bells at the toes.
 
Jingle Bells. He got the joke.
 
Now where were his pants?
 
He climbed on top of the padded bench, getting an overhead view into the empty drawer, trying to solve the mystery of his missing britches. Nothing was there. Panic set in. There wasn’t anything in the hastily signed contract about singing in Full Monty. What would he do?
 
“Check the other cabinet, Gramcracker.”
 
“What?”
 
“They normally put the bottoms in a different cabinet than the tops,” Kinsey snarked as she quickly dressed. “You’d know that if you weren’t such a newbie.”
 
“Oh, thanks — Kin-sing-ton.” James spelled out her name slow enough for her to catch his insult.
 
“That’s my name,” she replied. “Is there a problem with having a name?”
 
“No, no problem at all.” James nonchalantly drove the dagger home. “Just that it’s a doll’s name, that’s why they make you wear diapers. Like a doll.”
 
He yanked his jingling shirt over his head, it felt good to nail a zinger in this war of words. All of that good will garnered when Jenny was in the room was dead and gone. The animosity was back, and in spades.
 
Kinsey seemed unimpressed by his attempts to get a rise out of her.
 
“You know, that’s rich coming a little Gramcracker. I hear they make you guys act out the songs that you sing.”
 
So what? She was right. They acted out their Little nursery rhymes, everyone knew that. ‘Apples and Bananas’ involved baby food and a messy bib, and he still had a slight rash from the wooly costume when he pretended to be a sheep last week. There were others but they weren’t worth mentioning. Or remembering.
 
He asked, “What’s your point?”
 
“I’m just wondering if you’ve done hump-y dump-y yet. I’ve heard that’s quite a show stopper.”
 
Humpy-dumpy? He’d never even heard about that one. There were co-workers who were more intense Gramcrackers than James. The ultimate tip chasers. The padded ones who got the big bucks. There were many skits out of his range, out of his comfort zone. He thought for a moment, it probably had something to do with Humpty Dumpty, but what would they do?
 
Then he got it. Another joke. This one was a lot dirtier, like the diaper in his unfortunate mental image. At least he hoped it was a joke, and not really one of their skits.
 
James groaned. Kinsey laughed. Another burn at his expense. He had to quickly get back at her, he couldn’t let her win this – whatever this was.
 
“You should hear what they say about Little models and how they advance their careers,” James retaliated with a biting tone. “I promise that you only sorta look like one of those kind of Littles.”
 
Kinsey snapped, “Do you know what kind of Little you look like?
 
“What kind of Little do I look like, Kin-sing-ton?”
 
“You look like a Little that likes getting his temperature taken...”
 
Dramatic pause.
 
“… with a thick thermometer.”
 
Ahhh! It took everything he had to stifle an internal scream. This girl was getting on his nerves, she had a special way of pressing his buttons so he’d do and say stupid things. Although, there was something about the in-fighting that felt familiar.
 
It reminded him of home.
 
The constant ribbing when the ‘adults’ were out of the room, the incessant one-upping one another, and the rivalry that went without saying. And Kinsey, with her mean words and darling face was at the heart of the conflict. Just like a sister! He already had a pair of older sisters, and the last thing he needed was another one.
 
He racked his brain for a comeback, but nothing came to mind. She’d got him good with the thermometer thing.
 
Without thinking, James spun towards her with elf shoes strategically placed over his nakedness. It didn’t matter how ridiculous he looked in only the upper half of his costume, he was going to get her back. He’d figure out what to say while screaming it in her face.
 
However, when he turned and saw what she was wearing, he didn’t have to say anything at all.
 
Kinsey was busy applying the final touches to the largest hair-bow he’d ever seen. A topper to an ensemble impossible to describe without laughing. She looked like an oversized five year old in an outfit from a drunk aunt. You know, the one without kids, but buys humiliating clothes for other people’s children.
 
That shimmering golden ribbon that was the size of her head was the least of her worries.
 
The olive green dress was poofy in all places, with copious amounts of ribbons and lace, and it was velvety and shiny and wrong — but to James it was so, so right. There was another giant golden ribbon wrapped around her waist ending at a giant bow tied around the back. It made her look like she belonged under the tree as a present. The way Kinsey had managed to get into tights and Mary Janes in the short time his back was turned would have been impressive had she not looked so stupid.
 
His jaw dropped as the muscles on his face relaxed.
 
Kinsey recognized the look and awaited the ridicule. “Oh, great.”
 
A euphoric feeling came over him, like a poison dart full of sedatives right in the funny bone. He fell into an epic and therapeutic laughing fit.
 
Kinsey softly chewed on the side of her lip and just waited for him to finish. There was little else she could do. It wasn’t like she picked out the dress or anything.
 
James knew that. However, that didn’t slow down his guffawing, or his pointing at her with his pointy elf shoes, which raised his partner’s eyebrows in tandem.
 
“You done, Gramcracker?” Kinsey growled when he stopped to catch his breath.
 
“No, no. I’m not done. I’m not ever going to be done. I hope you look like that for the rest of your life.”
 
“Keep it up, and we’ll see how short the rest of YOUR life is,” she threatened.
 
James enjoyed being on the winning side of the humiliation game for once. It brought out an impromptu victory dance. One that involved him hopping around and making his shirt jingle-jangle. But that wasn’t enough. To apply more heat, he placed his elf shoes on his head, mimicking the oversized doofus bow in his rival’s hair.
 
Kinsey let him revel for a few rotations, before putting an end to his party of one.
 
“Um, James. You’re still not wearing pants.”
 
The dancing Little stopped mid-hop, looked down at his exposed nakedness, before his face turned as red as his bell sash. It was too late. James swiftly returned his shoes to his crotch while wildly spinning back onto his padded bench, facing the wall. A single shoe was placed to cover his backside as he sat and ruminated on his mistake.
 
Kinsey got the last laugh.
 
Just like his sisters always did.
 
James didn’t like the comparison, but it was staring him right in the face.
 
“At least now I know why they all call you Little guy,” she chuckled.
 
A second last laugh. He’d have to stew in his stupidity. He deserved whatever came his way for forgetting the present, and getting caught up in a silly conflict, trying to prove himself, and losing sight of the moment.
 
The present. James needed to put on a pair of pants.
 
He went straight to the second cabinet to pull open an overlooked drawer. That’s where he found the matching bottoms to his elf costume, but there was a problem at first sight.
 
They weren’t pants, they were tights. And the cherry on the sundae were the red and white stripes like a candy cane.
 
This wasn’t going to work.
 
Tights went over diapers and under dresses, two things he made perfectly clear that he did not wear. He pulled them free and let them dangle from a pair of pinched fingers. There was little choice at this point, Jennifer wouldn’t correct this mistake, if this was a mistake at all. He shouldn’t have mocked Kinsey without looking over his outfit first.
 
James stood up to put them on, making sure Kinsey wasn’t looking. She wasn’t.
 
The Amazons had somehow fitted the back of one of her cabinets with a mirror outlined by lights, and she was busy softly plumping her lashes with a tiny brush. Obviously, she didn’t care what James had to say about her outfit anymore.
 
He hastily slid his feet into the constricting, almost translucent, leggings before realizing he was forgetting something. Underwear.
 
That’s what brought him to the last drawer in the second cabinet. It remained menacingly closed, beckoning him to reveal its contents.
 
His inner voice begged the cosmos: ‘Please don’t be diapers, please don’t be diapers.'
 
Wish granted.
 
The drawer opened to reveal a single pair of training pants. Mostly white in color except for red seams, and a small design of crossing candy canes on the front. His Little intuition told him that they were custom made for tonight, and that he was expected to wear them.
 
James gave the protective underwear tentative touch, it crinkled. He recoiled.
 
Then he closed his eyes and softly ran his fingers over the thick not-a-diaper, grimacing whenever he touched the thirsty padding. This wasn’t a diaper, he told himself. Unfortunately, that didn’t make him feel any better. It was close enough to not make the distinction. James went to pull it out of the drawer before giving it a second thought. He took a deep breath, and dug into the present moment, hoping to find something that would make him feel better about the tight tights and bulky pseudo diaper.
 
Nothing helped.
 
Kinsey pulled him free from his one on one with his training pants.
 
“James, we need to talk.”
 
He pulled up his tights before facing her again, no need to make the same mistake twice. They were cold and cringe inducing, but it covered up his private parts. For which there were no other options besides the shoes, or elf hat.
 
The model appeared almost done with her make up, swiftly running an oval brush against her puffed cheeks. It gave them a rosy appearance, bright colors that made her look much younger, and not in a good way. Kinsey seemed used to this routine, being a quick dresser was probably part of the job of being a Little model. James was still a disaster, but singing was supposed to be his forte, so he tried to forgive himself for being unable to dress.
 
“You listening, James?” Kinsey asked in a serious tone. “I want to go over something with you, and I’m going to need your full attention.”
 
He asked, “Are you going to make fun of me again?”
 
She stopped and settled the brush with others in front of the mirror, before a somewhat sympathetic expression appeared on her face.
 
“You’re not still upset about the — okay, I’ll admit that I went too far with the Gramcracker stuff. The rest you brought upon yourself, and I’m not going to apologize for any of it.”
 
He disagreed, but he was willing to accept this olive branch. Even if he remained suspicious of her motives. What was this girl going for, another killshot?
 
“What do you want?” James adjusted his tights so they wouldn’t feel so ‘tight’. To no avail.
 
“I’d like to propose a deal. Since you’re such a newbie – don’t argue with me on that fact, you have no idea how in over your head you are.”
 
James went to open his mouth to argue, then realized that she was right.
 
Kinsey continued.
 
“Since you’re such a newbie, I thought we could come up with a plan, an agreement to 'play nice' with one another. Listen, we don’t have to like each other to work together.”
 
He asked, “What are you proposing?”
 
Kinsey twisted her upper body so that she faced him, there was a determination in her eyes that hadn’t been there all night.
 
“An agreement for our own safety, to watch each other’s backs. At the very least, not sabotage one another. It’s a scary place out there, when we’re in front of them there can be no mistakes. They love when we mess up, and we both know their only tried and true method of ‘fixing’ us.”
 
She scooted a bit forward on her bench, revealing what hid behind her. A row of three different colored pacifiers, presumably matching future outfits, and a couple of pink and purple pull-ups of butterfly and princess designs.
 
Also, a diaper.
 
The pink disposable looked thicker when folded over, and it towered over the pacifiers and pull-ups on her padded bench. Somehow menacing just sitting there. Its mouth facing his direction and elastic waistband forming a row of jagged teeth, ready to bite him. It looked crinkly to the touch, but James was not going to touch it. He could barely stand seeing it. Just looking at one, up close and personal, brought to life an internal fear that he'd only experienced when he was a child. It was right there, for goodness sakes!
 
James shuffled uncomfortably.  
 
“That diaper has Little-proof tapes on it," Kinsey explained as she followed his gaze. "Jenny said when it’s time, I’m supposed to ask her to diaper me. That’s happening to me tonight, there’s no arguing with this job. We do what we do, until we’re done doing it.”
 
“That’s not right, what if you need to go – you know?” James didn’t want to say the word ‘potty’, but that’s what came to mind.
 
“That’s the reason we’re having this conversation,” Kinsey answered matter-of-factly.  “I can’t face down the Amazons while having to constantly watch my back. I need to know that you’ll be on my side if the time comes.”
 
So that's what this was about. She wanted to know if he'd be childish enough to carry over their spat in front of the Amazons. Kinsey must have really thought he was a newbie, even if he'd acted like a fool so far, he'd never be foolish enough to put her at risk. Even though the thought was tempting.
 
He grinned. “I won’t stab you in the back, Kin-sing-ton.”
 
“And I won’t stop making fun of you for being a stupid Gramcracker,” she replied.
 
The two Littles smiled at one another as the feeling in the room suddenly softened, the cold distrust and hot conflict, tempered by cool understanding. It felt good to gain an ally. James figured that it wouldn’t hurt to try to play nice. Who knew what the Amazons had in store for tonight?
 
Not him. Not Kinsey. But it seemed like Kinsey had a gameplan, all he had was ‘Jingle Bells’ and a hope that it wouldn’t get out of control.
 
Sometimes the present moment is all about what you can control. He could control where he kept his mind, he could control his reactions to the pressure and shame; hopefully, he could control his bladder all night. These were the things he could control, the Amazons sat firmly out of that circle. So did Kinsey.
 
“At the modeling agency, we normally come up with a code word while working dangerous jobs like this one."
 
Kinsey pursed her lips as she applied some candy smelling lip balm. Then gave them a loud smack.
 
"Something to say when we need help or assistance, in any way. A word to reveal that we're in danger without letting the Amazons know that we've caught on. Now, I've sworn to secrecy to not reveal our word to anyone who is not a model. So James, why don't you come up with a code word for the two of us?"
 
Oh, man. That was a big responsibility for a Little. James thought of many words, big ones, small ones, ones that could be uttered with a pacifier in the mouth, ones that weren't so obvious, ones that needed to be obvious. A whole list became jumbled in his head until he muttered a word that came to mind.
 
“Waffles.”
 
“Waffles?”
 
He confirmed, “Yeah, waffles.”
 
“Waffles, I like it.” Kinsey giggled to herself. “James, I knew you were a dork, but I had no idea how bad.”
 
“Kinsey, I may be a dork, but I've got your back." He put on his shoes and adjusted his hat, jingling all the way.  "Don’t worry about me.”
 
“Pinky swear?” Kinsey extended her pinky in his direction.
 
He hesitated before wrapping his little finger tightly around hers.
 
“I promise.”
 
With one pinky swear, the two Littles formed a bond, a pact for the pair of them to follow. An agreement that no matter how bad the bad gets, and it was going to get bad, they'd still be able to count on one another. That no matter what, their hastily formed partnership will go to the very end. Whatever end that may be. 
 
It gave James confidence. Enough to close the drawer containing his candy cane training pants, leaving that one part of his outfit behind.

 

 

[Moon3ye]

I want to see the two of them in thick diapers and ultra awkward partner look baby onesies with booties and mittens and a bow on their head under some crazy Amazon's Christmas tree.

Because that's exactly what's going to happen.

But some Littles are also absolutely tired of life and are just begging to be adopted.

[crono]

I love the dynamic between james and kinsey, hopefully it will ve enough to survive the night!

[Guilend]

I hope in the end they get away and the Betweener or two gets caught in the crossfire (or another Amazon lol)

[BabySofia]

Uh-oh... not mature enough to be in his training pants... Someone is going to be in a nice thick diapee soon! 

They're going to make such cute adopted twins! ?

[Panther Cub]

31 minutes ago, BabySofia said:

Uh-oh... not mature enough to be in his training pants... Someone is going to be in a nice thick diapee soon! 

They're going to make such cute adopted twins! ?

My thoughts exactly! Especially with their back and forth!

[SGTbaby]

This plan while good will still likely not be the best…the constant twin comments still gives me ideas!!

[YourFNF]

On 12/12/2021 at 1:34 PM, direking said:

They had strict orders to 'not touch a thing' from Jennifer, or Miss Jenny. James planned on following those orders to a 'T'. He was in contract mode, where he had to be extra careful to follow along. Any deviation could make him lose his protection, that's why the present was so important. It kept him 'right'.
 

Serious Fey vibes or Infernals....

On 12/12/2021 at 1:34 PM, direking said:

She pressed a small button on the side of the handheld computer. A quick flash bursted from the display, it hurt his eyes, and he saw double for a few seconds. He was quick to shake it off, but a dizzying, disorienting effect stuck around.
 

Fuck is that my cognito filters going off!? I think I detected a visual hazard

[direking]

Sorry for the long wait. Busy holidays. It looks like we're going to be wrapping it up in the new year. There might be some typos, I didn't get to proofread this one as much as I usually do.

Thanks for all of the kind words, and interested comments, it makes this more fun. Have a happy new year!

Also, thanks for reading.

 

The Present(s) 4 Antechamber
 
The present isn’t always a kind place.
 
Sometimes it’s scary, or sad, a space where unhappiness thrives. A place where you find yourself thinking 'how did I get here?' or 'why did this happen to me?'
 
Sometimes the present isn't a place where anyone would want to be. But you're trapped there, and you can't get out.
 
Sometimes the present is full of monsters.
 
Monsters taking the illustrious form of four Amazons ladies. All dressed to the nines in elegant finery, in well-fitting gowns of black sequins, red satin or purple silk. Soft and shiny, elite and unyielding. Every bit made to perfection. Their immaculate hair put up in tight buns, knotted braids or flowing free in cascading curls. One wore a headdress with small strips of glittering tinsel; but the one who sat in the middle, the only one James recognized, wore a crown.
 
Rhonda Raucier.
 
James recognized her from the moment he entered the small party room. She wasn’t the sort of Amazon anyone would miss, or forget. He’d been a Gramcracker at her office before tonight’s party.
 
Rhonda had crossed several lines during their first encounter, not caring about those protections that existed on paper, and vigorously rubbing his rump at every opportunity. She claimed she was checking to see if ‘Little Boy Blue’ made it to the potty on time. Not even the other Bigs believed her; but she was their boss or something, and she got away with all kinds of bad behavior.
 
Rhonda Raucier with her short blonde bob, and her discerning blue eyes, in a sleek red satin dress.
 
One of the few times that a client had requested a callback.
 
She wanted him to do a ‘Little Miss Muffet’, wear a cloth diaper under a frilly dress, and sit on a vibrating tuffet. But he said ‘no whey’.
 
The request was a double violation of his meager principles, his no diaper/no dress policy, and James called in sick that week. It wasn’t brought up again by the agency, and until tonight, he thought he’d dodged that bullet.
 
In the present, James didn’t like the way they all stared at him. Expecting something.
 
His entrance had interrupted their small talk over dry martinis and lush wines. Though, they didn’t mind. There was a hungry excitement for the Littles on the menu, an excitement that could lead to him being gobbled up. He served himself to a table reserved for Bigs, with their pompous hair-dos and creepy smiles.
 
One, two, three, four.
 
He counted them.
 
James stood alone in the small party room in front of this 'Quad Squad' of Amazons wondering just 'how did he get here?'
 
He knew, but he still had to ask.
 
The nervous Littles were shuttled from floor 99 to 100 like contraband. Jenny led him up a back stairway, where there were other Tweeners, other Littles, but there was no Kinsey. They'd been immediately separated for what came next, and James found himself actually missing her presence. The room suddenly needed her biting sarcasm, and in a big way. He wondered if she meant her bit about working together, making sure they stayed safe, if their pinky pact actually could stand up to their contract. Who would hear him if cried out ‘waffles’? 
 
The present. Floor 100. The small party room was just one of three rooms where he was expected to be present. 
 
The first was the main party room, a place to take breaks and enjoy himself with the other Littles. Dance music blasted from a Little DJ, the dance floor was so crowded he could barely see its polished parquet floors. Dim lights, loud music, and there were red balloons, green wreaths and even greener garland, white linen table cloths, and burgundy fabric draped over mostly empty chairs. There was a buffet in there, but James had no idea what was being served because they had him running for his life to this small party room, a fox hunt towards these waiting Amazons.
 
One, two, three, four.
 
Deep breath.
 
The small party room was aptly named for the Amazons, not so much for him. Of course, they’d consider it cozy even if it took stacking ladders for James to reach the ceiling. However, he couldn’t argue with the atmosphere. Especially while listening to the crackling fire, standing on the snazzy red carpet runway adjacent to the expensive looking sitting area. The paneled walls adorned like the rest of the building, holiday flavor through and through.
 
He slowly inhaled the heavy scent of holly in the air. Rosemary, thyme, more cinnamon. Itty-bitty hints of baby powder. Nowhere nearly as strong as the changing room.
 
A decorated tree dominated a forgotten corner opposite the sitting area and fireplace. Its shiny baubles caught the fire's glow and shared it from branch to branch. There were other tiny lights, like pinpricks into an ethereal plane. Beneath the tree lay dozens of giant presents, some bigger than James. Some wrapped, some unwrapped. A pair of rocking horses with glistening bows on their heads sat waiting for their first ride, the same could be said for the two matching tricycles just as shiny as the glass baubles on the branches.
 
One more time, then he'd say it. Then he'd start it.
 
One, two, three, four.
 
Connecting the two very different rooms was a cramped hallway full of stressed-out Betweeners and freaked-out Littles. This was the place for all of the hustle and bustle. Out of sight of the Bigs, where the help navigated room to room as they performed the magic of the evening. A backstage to a ridiculous reality show called 'real life'.
 
The backstage hallway was bright and busy, incandescent lights, clean white tile floor, and the stainless steel platters and serving trays. Tweener waiters in white tuxedos rushed around putting purpose into the confusion, clashing and clanging, bossing and moving. James had to dodge a few as he followed Jenny like a lost child. 
 
There were countless doors lining the hallway, presumably to other party rooms, but there was only one door at the end of the hall. The only space with no crowd. There was a half window on the wall with foggy frosted glass, tinted to the point of obscurity – a place where shadows could play. It's what caught his eye as Jenny reminded him "to keep up, and try not to get lost."
 
But he was already lost. Even if he was in the place he was 'supposed' to be.
 
In the present, in front of the monsters. Counting them down. One, two, three, four.
 
In the backstage hallway, there was a door with him and Kinsey's name on it. On paper of course. A door that led him to this room, to the red carpet runway, crackling fire, and massive tree with wrapped presents and unwrapped presents. With its four monsters in the form of Amazon women. One he recognized, three he did not. Its windows so high over the world, James kept his distance from them. Every Little is afraid of heights.
 
That’s how he got there.
 
One of the Amazons asked, "Is he going to sing?"
 
"Shh, he's probably just nervous." Another hushed the first one.
 
James couldn’t see which ones because his eyes were tightly closed. He would start with counting down, then the courage would show up, belated but necessary. Then he'd sing his 'Jingle Bells', then he'd be... done? No. 'Done' was in the future, he needed to be in the 'right now'.
 
Right. The present.
 
This moment was enough to take his breath away, that’s why he had to countdown. He needed to sing, but enough air felt just out of reach, no matter how long he paused to catch it.
 
“Hello, Jamie.”
 
He recognized that voice.
 
It belonged to Rhonda Raucier.
 
The smooth words came out of her mouth like liquid chocolate, or creeping slime. Powerful, slithering, crawling into the ears and yanking the brain around.
 
“Are you going to say hello?” sounded a different voice, one a little less patient.
 
His eyes darted to the one on the right end, the obvious eldest of the four, with graying hairs and terse, tight lips. Her hair was in an even tighter bun, the sequins on her black dress shimmered in the firelight, and her beefy arms remained crossed over her chest.
 
She spoke in a chastising tone that made him feel like she was familiar with Littles.
 
“Don’t be rude, Jamie.”
 
But it was wrong.
 
His name wasn’t Jamie.
 
It just didn’t matter on this side of town. He would become whatever they wanted for tips.
 
James made a slight bow. “Good evening, ma’am.”
 
“You’re right about him, Rhonda. He’s absolutely perfect.” The tinsel-haired one clasped both hands to her heavily rouged cheeks. “And his pretty hair!”
 
She sat on the other end, on the left side of Rhonda Raucier. The tinsel-haired one had similar features and shared mannerisms with Rhonda, and could barely rein in her excitement. James immediately thought she was a sister, or at least some relation. The present had the ability to share secrets if he paid close enough attention. 
 
“Do you have a song for us?” Rhonda asked.
 
“Um. Yes, ma’am.” James answered.
 
“Then why aren’t you singing it?” asked the older lady on the right end.
 
“He’s just nervous, Mamsy.” The crowned Raucier had a surprisingly gentle tone. “Why don’t you come a little closer, so we can hear you better?”
 
So far the only one of the four that hadn’t spoken to him was the one in glasses and a purple silk kemono that sat close to Rhonda, but even she evaluated him with a keen eye.
 
Closer. These were easy orders to follow, or were they? James remained across the room, barely outside the doorway. As he shuffled forward, he suddenly felt self-conscious about his costume, and lack of underwear, and the fact that his training pants were still inside the changing room.
 
He tugged down his ‘lower tunic’, the part of the shirt that hung free below the red sash. It wasn’t called a skirt, it was a ‘lower tunic’. He had hoped that it would sit low enough to cover his holly berries, but he was starting to have doubts. If the Amazons found out he wasn’t in full wardrobe — he didn’t want to think about that. He had a room full of monsters to placate.
 
The bells on his clothes sounded with every cautious step closer. Ting-a-ling, ring-a-ling.
 
Mrs. Raucier beckoned him with a giant curled finger and a predatory grin. Away from the door, across the red carpet runway, and closer to the four Bigs.
 
“That’s close enough, sweetie.” She leaned back in her huge chair. “What’s the problem, did you forget the words or something?”
 
“Sometimes Little ones get too nervous and their brains go blank,” Mamsy parroted the notion of anxiety induced Little amnesia. “Would you like us to help you remember?”
 
James muttered, “I remember them.”
 
“Then sing for us,” Mrs. Raucier ordered.
 
He took his cue, loudly counting down before belting out ‘Jingle Bells’. He closed his eyes and prepped his voice, no pressure or anything.
 
“One, two, three, four…
 
Dashing through the — waaah!”
 
His world spun counterclockwise as he was yanked from the floor by his arm and into the air before he could finish the first line. When James opened his eyes, he sat higher from the ground, his body turned around to face the spot where he just stood. 
 
Somehow he was on the lap of an Amazon. The one with the tinsel-hair.
 
James reeled forward a bit, arms flapping wildly to maintain balance. His legs forcibly spread over a ginormous thigh. An ample chest cushioned his upper back, while a pair of strong hands kept him in place, gripping him tightly around the midsection. 
 
“Anne-Margot, what do you think you’re doing?” The crowned Mrs. Raucier barked, obviously disappointed.
 
“Jamie looked so nervous all alone,” argued Anne-Margot, “so I just knew he had to sit on Auntie’s lap.”
 
It looked as though his captor wasn’t letting him free anytime soon.
 
“Actually, I’m fine,” announced James.
 
Unfortunately, he was far from fine. A better word would be ‘terrified’, but that word would get him smothered by Auntie’s heaving bosom.
 
“Our Little doth protest too much,” Mamsy opined as she leaned forward to catch a peek of the lap-riding Little.
 
“That’s why they make pacifiers,” replied Anne-Margot.
 
Pacifiers? Protest? He’d just been pulled onto a lap mid-song, and the night was still young. What else could go wrong here?
 
“Come on, sis.” Rhonda sipped her martini before chastising Anne-Margot. “If he had a binkie in his mouth we wouldn’t be able to hear his sweet voice.”
 
“To be fair, we haven’t heard it anyways,” declared Mamsy. “If he doesn’t want to sing, we’ll find someone who does.”
 
James didn’t want to hear that. He didn’t want to be discarded. Especially after getting this far. Then there was Kinsey, if he screwed this up, she’d lose her chance as well. Gosh, she’d be pissed.
 
“If you let me down, I’ll sing. I promise.”
 
“Oh, what a sweet Little promise,” gushed Anne-Margot as she jostled him up and down with a shaking leg. “But you can sing from here, on your big sled.”
 
By sled she meant her thigh, knee, or whatever he was riding.
 
“Hurry, there’s no time like the present,”reminded Rhonda as she adjusted in seat to get a better close-up view.
 
The present. There it was again.
 
James shook as he counted down another time. He had to do this, there was a contract, a job, a lingering fear of an angry Kinsey.
 
“One, two, three, four —
 
Dashing through the snow oh, oh, oh.”
 
At the end of the line, Anne-Margot bounced him on her knee. Making his voice vibrate in his chest as James became a Little tambourine from the bells on his outfit.
 
Jingle-jangle. Ring-a-ling.
 
That wasn’t all, the Amazon dipped her knee as he rounded into the next line, sending James sliding towards the floor face first. He tightened his thighs around her tree trunk leg to keep from toppling down.
 
“On a one horse-ie eeeee sleigh, over the hills we go oh, oh, oh —“
 
He again bounced about, he struggled to sing, and keep his lunch down.
 
“Laughing all the way — hahaha.”
 
Amazons know that every Little has a ticklish spot. Anywise, James liked to think so; because he did, and it didn’t take Anne-Margot much time to find it.
 
She had her fingers digging into his ribs, tapping between the bones in a frantic xylophone solo. He kicked his Little legs and tried to cover his mouth, but there was no stopping his cutesy infantile reaction. Out came the sweet baby giggles and high pitched squealing for her to stop. Anne-Margot wouldn’t stop, like he couldn’t stop laughing.
 
It put a quick end to his singing, but the ‘Quad Squad’ didn’t seem to care.
 
The other women enjoyed the new show. James thrashed against her firm grasp, his loose hat fell lifelessly to the floor. There was no control at this point, Anne-Margot had him in a bad way.
 
“Watch out, Anne-Margot.” Mamsy warned from her spot furthest away. “When you tickle a Little like that, sometimes they spring a leak.”
 
Anne-Margot slowed her tickling before tightening her grip around him in a possessive manner. As if dear old Mamsy had struck a nerve telling her how to play with her new toy.
 
“I may not be the city’s most sought after nanny like you, but I have six Littles of my own. So don’t you tell me how to play with this Little guy.”
 
Nanny Mamsy didn’t outright react, only sliding back into her chair with a blank expression on her face. Her hand reached for something under her seat, producing a knitting project whose colors were pretty pink and baby blue. She was at work putting needles together before Anne-Margot was finished rolling around in her indignation.
 
“Besides,” Anne-Margot continued, “he’s wearing protection.”
 
Uh-oh.
 
James squirmed as he felt her big fingers tapping at the soft spot between his cheeks, checking for padding that wasn’t there.
 
He was officially busted.
 
Anne-Margot let out a suspicious chuckle before turning him slightly towards her until her lips pressed against his ear.
 
“Oh my, what a naughty, naughty Little.”
 
Her words came out husky, and her hot minty breath tickled his neck. James shuttered and grasped onto his knees with clenched fists.
 
“Do you know what will happen if you have an accident, Little guy?” Anne-Margot teased with a harsh whisper. “Tell me, Jamie. Use that sweet little voice.”
 
Now that he was out of the spotlight, the other women suddenly seemed oblivious to this interaction.
 
Like Little Jamie and Auntie Anne-Margot sat all alone on the edge of the row of four.
 
Nanny Mamsy on the other end briskly sewing and humming, and the quiet lady in glasses captured the attention of Mrs. Rhonda Raucier with an open Little’s clothing catalog.

Still, this semi-isolation didn’t stop James from being self-conscious about the topic, so he quickly decided he wasn’t going to answer her question. If he ignored her, maybe she would just go away.
 
He whispered, “I’ll sing if you let me down.”
 
The matronly Auntie softly tsked him as she ran a hand against his burning cheek.
 
“I’m not asking for a song, Jamie. I want you to tell me what happens to naughty Littles who have accidents.”
 
“I don’t know.”
 
He knew.
 
This was a mousetrap, no touching the cheese.
 
She happily mused, “That’s okay, I’ll help.”
 
Anne-Margot gently combed through his hair as she again pressed her lips against his cheek. Her other hand snaked its way to his inner thigh, just below where his ‘lower tunic’ met his candy cane tights.
 
“I’ll give you a good hint, it starts with the letter ‘D’.”
 
The Amazon briefly paused before continuing her belittling.
 
“Then comes an ‘I’.”
 
She was spelling it out for him, paving the road to an easy answer. He knew the answer, she knew he knew the answer, he knew she knew he knew the answer.
 
But he wasn’t going to say it.
 
James bit his lower lip, clamping his mouth closed as he tightened the grip on his tights. Anne-Margot moved her hand slowly and deliberately down his thigh before wedging a thick palm between his legs. Judiciously separating them to simulate the bulk of a diaper. Was it cloth or disposable? Or thick and pink like the one for Kinsey? The diaper with teeth.
 
The imaginary diaper wasn’t there in the present, but at the same, it kinda was.
 
James felt it cushion his bottom, tightly taped or pinned right around his waist. The phantom feeling of being padded, to protect him against his naughty accidents. Even if he didn't even have naughty accidents.
 
“Next comes an ‘A’, like for ‘alligator’ or ‘applesauce’. Do you like applesauce, Jamie?”
 
He shook his head.
 
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Auntie Anne-Margot playfully spread his legs even further. “I hope that you’ll learn to like your appy sauce.”
 
At this point, James realized he needed out. Like real bad. There was some line-crossage going on that was probably against his Gramcracker contract. Then a strange realization came over him. He wasn't operating under the rules of his dear old contract, he was in the confines of a different one. One he didn't fully read or understand, how was he stupid enough to sign that new contract?
 
Well, there was Jenny pressuring him, and Kinsey doing pretty much the same. This was entrapment. That's what it was, and when Anne-Margot let him go, he'd get up and file a complaint. His Little wrangler had to be around her somewhere. He was in the bad, but the bad would be over, and then he'd find Jenny. That's what he thought about, not the diaper. Not the diaper.
 
Anne-Margot whispered, “Next comes the ‘P’."
 
He unconsciously crossed his legs in her lap, as if her words had the power to make him pee his pants. James was somewhat surprised that he didn't wet himself on command. Could Amazons do that? There was little he could do to stop them if they could, especially while in the clutches of this monster. 
 
"Not that kind of pee, you silly Little." She rearranged him so he was sitting fully upright against her chest. "I'm talking about the letter 'P'."
 
James discovered that he had unconsciously closed his eyes as a defense against reality. He opened them, trying to soak in the present. Soak was a bad choice of words.
 
"I like 'P' words, don't you?" Anne-Margot grinned. “There are so many for Littles. Let’s list them out.”
 
“Pamper.”
 
“Padded.”
 
He closed his eyes again, hoping it would go away. It didn’t.
 
“Playful.”
 
“Pants.”
 
“Protection.”
 
“Pee.”
 
“Poo-“
 
He’d had enough. James struggled to give her an answer, because he had to put a stop to Anne-Margot’s ‘P’ words. It took all of his effort to unclamp his mouth, peeling apart his tight lips, prying open his clenched teeth and jaw set by his own mental lockdown.
 
But James managed to spit it out in a quick gasp. “A diaper.”
 
“What was that?” Anne-Margot pretended to be surprised by his answer. “I didn’t catch it from Mister Mumbles. Say it louder.”
 
“They wear diapers,” he shamefully repeated.
 
He noticed that the entire row of Amazons heard him, each giving him a quick glance before returning to their sewing needles and fashion catalogs.
 
His captor reveled in his humiliation and happily bounced him on her lap. It looked like she got what she wanted out of him. He didn’t feel proud about any of this interaction, maybe Kinsey was right about the Gramcrackers. Right about him.
 
At least she was done messing with him, Anne-Margot would let him go and then he could have a sit down with Jenny the Tweener. He needed to reestablish some boundaries, or create them in the first place.
 
“Jamie, do you like tongue twisters?”
 
“What?” James answered, doing nothing to cover up his shock.
 
“I love tongue twisters,” Anne-Margot continued. “Especially ones that I make up, like I just did for our little ‘P’ words. Do you want to try it?”
 
He knew she wasn’t really ‘asking’.
 
“I’ll say it first, then you can repeat it.”
 
Anne-Margot then put the cheese in the trap.
 
“If you do a good job, I’ll let you go, and you can play in the main party room with the other Littles. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
 
It didn’t sound fun, but it sounded free, and he needed to be free. This present moment sucked.

Anne-Margot sat up straight for her delivery.
 
“Peeing pants without protection puts baby in a padded pamper.”
 
James was taken aback. The Little struggled to find another way out of this situation. It was a fight that came from both sides, against the teasing Auntie Anne-Margot and a battle against himself. He wanted out of this situation, and she provided the humiliating key to his canary cage. It was a way out of this present, to put himself into another one. But his cheeks were already on fire, he was humiliated, embarrassed, beyond stupified.

“Your turn, Jamie.”

So James said it. Softly, so only she could hear.

“P-Peeing pants p-without prodection puts baby in a padded pam-per.”

“I don’t think the other ladies heard you,” said Anne-Margot. “Say it again, louder this time.”

He raised his voice.

“Peeing pants without protection puts baby in a padded pamper.”

“Not loud enough, Jamie.”

He closed his eyes and screamed as loud as he could. It would all go away if he did what he was told.

“Peeing pants without protection puts baby in a padded pamper!”

His loud exclaimation made the entire row of Amazons stop what they were doing and grin from ear to ear. This was a bad thing. He was a stupid Gramcracker. James looked for a spot on the oversized lap, a place where he could curl up and die.

Then the quiet lady in glasses and purple kemono finally spoke.

“She’s ready to show off dress number two.”

“Oh, perfect.” Mrs. Rhonda Raucier motioned towards the door.

That’s when James first noticed Kinsey was there, accompanied by Jenny the Betweener.

He almost didn’t recognize Kinsey at first sight, she’d gone through a wardrobe transformation, with a new hairstyle to match. Her longer blond hair was tied into a pair of tight pigtails, between them a shiny tiara that went well with the rest of her outfit. The overly pink princess dress was more ‘toddler-chic’ than her first dark green and gold one. There were ribbons, and bows, and long white gloves, and shiny slippers.

And she walked with a slight waddle.

Jame sat up higher on his perch, trying to get a good look at his Little partner. It didn’t take x-ray vision to tell that she was padded. A pull-up the most likely suspect, the huge diaper would’ve poof-ed that princess dress something awful.

Kinsey scowled at him. Like an awful scowl. James immediately searched the last for what he did wrong to her. But he quickly figured it out.

Just how long was she in that doorway? Probably long enough to hear the last bit when he yelled that stupid tongue twister, and he was sitting on an Amazon’s lap for good measure. He probably wasn’t winning any points with Little Miss Fashion. Was it too late to say ‘waffles’?

He shrunk deeper into the embrace of Anne-Margot who was loudly adoring the new Little in the room.

“There’s our Little princess!”

“Did you make the changes I asked for?” Mrs. Raucier had a biting, business-like tone for the woman with the catalog.

The mousy lady answered, “Why, yes. Of course.”

Jenny spoke, “Kinsington and I agreed that we should lower the ages for all of the dresses.”

Even though he barely knew her, judging by the grouchy look on her face, Kinsey didn’t agree to anything.

“Good. Show me what she’s wearing underneath for protection.”

Jenny thumped the Little’s back, and Kinsey slowly began lifting her shimmery pink skirt. High enough to see her knees, then her thighs, high enough to see her princess pink pull-up with purple crown and all. Kinsey hung her head low as she held the skirt high.

There was nothing he could do except look away. Which he did. But he couldn’t stop from hearing their adorations, which were plenty. James wished he wasn’t in the room at all, that something would take him away.

However, Mrs. Rhonda Raucier wasn’t content with exposing one Little.

“Let’s see the special trainers I picked out for Jamie. They’re just too cute, candy canes on the front, and a little present on the back. You know, just in case there’s a little present.”

Anne-Margot turned to her sister. “I think Jamie has something to tell you.”

Who then turned to him.

“Jamie, don’t tell me you’re not being a good Little.”

James looked for help from Jenny and Kinsey. It wasn’t there. Jenny’s eyes were wider than ever, like she’d just seen a ghost. Kinsey only mouthed a pair of words at him, ‘ducking moron’. At least he was sure about the ‘moron’ part.

Rhonda said, “Show me.”

He looked up at the crowned Raucier and straight into her angry eyes. This was bad news. Like a thunderstorm about to hit a picnic bad news.

“Jamie, this is your last chance, lift up your skirt and show me your underwear.”

Mrs. Raucier had a scary way of commanding underlings. He knew that from their first meeting at her office; however, this was the first time that tone had been used against him. And James didn’t like it one bit. Now was not the time to inform her that it wasn’t a ‘skirt’, it was a ‘lower tunic’.

Anne-Margot pulled him to his feet on her lap.

Then he did what he was told. Compliance.

The tunic’s bells daintily sang as he peeled the front up while looking away. They all gasped like he committed some sort of unspeakable crime. But if what he did was so bad, why did Anne-Margot look so happy?

“Miss, are you going to let him flaunt his misbehavior?” asked Nanny Mamsy as she nonchalantly examined her sewing project with both hands. They were a pair of baby bonnets, one blue and one pink.

“No, I’m not.”

This was not going to slide, that was certain. Rhonda snapped her fingers at Jenny, who swiftly bounced into position, an unsaid apology by moving fast to fix her mistake.

There was a short bit of quiet, as the whole room waited for Mrs. Raucier to speak her mind. No matter what she said, it wasn’t going to be good for James. That was also certain, he’d stumbled out of one puddle of ‘bad’ and fell face first into another one. Its depth currently unknown, but he knew he’d find out.

“Jenny, I want you to fix this, I want him properly dressed. You’re wearing my patience thin enough as it is, and you don’t want to see what happens if you don’t follow through.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The Betweener pulled out her tablet and jotted some quick notes. “I’m so sorry, is there anything else I can do?”

“I think he needs the full treatment, don’t you?”

Jenny answered, “Of course, ma’am.”

“Maybe he needs to learn about consequences just like Kinsington. That always helps them shape up.”

Jenny started, “And what should I use—“

“Use one of Kinsington’s, I’m sure there’s plenty.”

With that, Jenny led him out of the small party room, yanked by forearm first with his Little jingling feet scrambling behind him, just trying to keep up.

Their destination was the backstage hallway, where the future awaited.

[SGTbaby]

Great update! looks like more trouble and embarrassment is coming!

[Panther Cub]

Oh boy...

[Traycie]

OMG... this is shaping up to be an awesome tale of epic proportions!

[Moon3ye]

*Please read in an incredulous sounding surprised tone*.

Oh no who knew this was a trap?

This is so surprising.

[crono]

James between a rock and a hard place right now. But it's soon to be in a padded place!

[BabySofia]

Uh-oh... Might have kept his big training panties if he'd worn them... now maybe Kinsey just has a little baby sister instead of a twin...? 

Looking forward to more! ?