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Circumstances
Chapter One
Winter Break. A time filled with nothing but sleeping in, slacking off, and, of course, the holidays of Christmas and New Years. Two weeks of blissful irresponsibility; a student’s favorite part of the school year except for summer break and spring break. Some teachers were evil enough (by the students’ perception) to assign some sort of work or project that would be due the day they came back from break, but most of them assigned work with a wink and a nudge, knowing that their students wouldn’t so much as look at their backpacks during break. Mr. Holmes’ English class was no exception, and as the students gleefully filed out of classroom and into the hallway to hit their lockers and run for the bus, the young minds were already emptying of scholastic responsibility and was filling with holiday cheer and thoughts of some wicked partying. Chastity Bennett was one of the (few) girls looking forward to some light partying, the sort that didn’t involve heavy drinking, and hanging out with friends after dragging herself out of bed around noon. There would be the obligatory trips to see relatives over the break, but those would be for Christmas morning to the grandparents and New Years Eve to her uncle’s house. All in all, a fairly pleasant break, she thought as she walked along with a couple of friends.
John Adamson was thinking similar thoughts, but more about playing computer games online until the small hours of the morning. The terrorists and his fellow man were just begging to receive a dosage of Excedrin Headache number 5.56 millimeter from his assault rifle. One of his classmates was a fellow gamer and they had already planned to unleash various degrees of havoc upon their games like Athena Sword, Battlefield 1942, Counterstrike, and a few others. It was going to be an excellent break, he thought, as he went to the bus pick-up area of the high school. He passed Chastity Bennett along his way without so much as a second thought aside from a brief appreciation of her stunning figure. He didn’t even get that from her, since he wasn’t really a whole lot to look at, even though he was taller than Chastity’s five feet and seven inches by around five or six inches. On the way to his stop, All John—or Jack, as he was known to his friends, and a few teachers—was thinking about was nothing but complete and total slack time, aside from the obligatory trips to visit the relatives for a couple of days. No big deal, probably lots of fun had by all.
When he got home, however, he realized that most of his plans were to be quite violently derailed. “What?” he almost shouted when his mom told him the news. “Why?”
“Now Jack, calm down. This isn’t the end of the world; all you’ll be doing is spending a week doing some community service. They’re providing your meals and your room and board, plus they’re paying you something like five-hundred dollars.” She paused. “Your father and I agreed that you should get out of the house and do something for a few days, and when this opportunity appeared we signed you up right away. This will be good for you, plus we figured the money would make it a little easier for you to swallow.”
They were right about that; it did soften the blow some. But it still rankled with him that he hadn’t even been consulted on the matter. “Well, what if I don’t want to go?” he said huffily.
“We’re not giving you a choice, Jack. And if you fight us on this, when you do get back you won’t have a computer in your room anymore.”
That blow went straight home. His computer was, to some large extent, his life. Without it he’d be cut off from friends near and far, the stress relief of causing chaos and destruction… he sighed. They had him cornered and that was that. “Alright, fine, I won’t fight you on it. What sort of community service?”
Mom brightened and got him the brochure. “It’s all listed in here; go ahead and read it. Being woken up between six and seven in the morning didn’t sit well with him at all, and a day of possibly grueling work doing odd jobs as assigned to him by a team leader didn’t either. But the cash payout sat rather well with him and he figured a few days of hard work followed by a lovely chunk of money would be worth it. He did like the fact that the week of work didn’t start until Monday morning; he’d be leaving Sunday evening, which was fine with him. It gave him a couple of nights of gaming, which was better than nothing. He ceased to grumble about it and actually began to wonder what sort of work he’d be doing. Maybe it’d be something fun like tearing the guts out of a broken down house to fix it up like new.
“Community service?” Chastity Bennett blanched. “You’re making me do community service over break, without even asking me? That is so unfair!”
“Is getting paid something like five hundred bucks unfair?” her Dad said.
She conceded the point but not verbally. “Still, you should have asked me first before you went ahead and signed me up for this. I mean, seriously! I’m a junior in high school, almost seventeen. I can make some decisions for myself, you know.”
“We know, but we’ve been quietly hinting that you get a part time job or something so you can learn some responsibility. You haven’t, so now we’re forcing the issue. Either you do this willingly or we take your car away.”
That blow went straight home, and Chastity wisely shut up about it… to her parents. Some of her closest friends heard all about it at length later, though.
Sunday evening came, and a car came to pick Jack up. He’d packed clothes for a week; his trusty iPod loaded with his favorite music, a case of CDs in case they didn’t let him wear headphones on the job, but were kind enough to supply a CD player. He’d also packed a good pair of boots that could double as work boots if needed. He bade his parents farewell and got into the car, where the driver introduced herself as Mary Peterson and he heard a little more about where he would be staying. It was, apparently, an old school converted to the purpose of housing high school-age kids during the week of work. He asked a few more questions, received the pertinent answers, and then lapsed into silence for the remainder of the drive. It was, surprisingly enough, over an hour long over clear roads slicing through snowy land and townscapes. He learned why he’d been picked up in a car instead of a bus or van; there wouldn’t be a whole lot of other kids on deck due to a lot of people not being available on break. He shrugged at that; if it weren’t for the money he’d probably have attempted to be ‘unavailable’ as well. When they arrived at the building, Jack noticed that had the distinctive ‘school’ appearance by the construction; it was old, though, and he wasn’t surprised that it was no longer an educational institution. Mary led him inside and gave him a brief tour of the place; all the important locations, that sort of thing. And then she led him to a room where he could wait for a bit while waiting for the project leader to come by and give him the full briefing on what he’d be doing for the week. He didn’t have to wait long, and another woman, looking about fifty compared to Mary’s mid to late thirties, maybe even early forties, and had the appearance of a hospital nurse. Jack ignored that for the moment and turned his attention to her politely.
“Well John, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the woman said. “My name is Jean and I’ll be the project leader for the week. I must say I’m glad to see that you’re here, it’s very difficult to get volunteer students over a holiday break.” Jack smiled and nodded. Jean smiled as well, and then continued. “Now, have you been told what you’ll be doing over the week?”
“No; all I know is that I’ll be doing some sort of community service,” he answered.
“Oh… I see.” Jean paused. “They didn’t tell you that this is actually a product testing project?”
Jack shook his head. “No, I was told it was a community service gig. The brochure said the same thing.”
“Oh dear. They must have reshuffled some assets and forgotten to tell the volunteers.” Jean thought for a moment. “However, there is still going to be payment at the end of the week; are you still interested?”
“Sure, why not?” Jack answered. “What sort of products will I be testing?”
“Not a wide variety,” Jean said. “Actually, it should be fairly easy. All you do is use the product, and then tell us what you think about it. And, given the unusual circumstances by which you came to be in this particular project, I’m sure they’ll double your pay at the end of the week for being a good sport.”
Jack brightened. “I’ll take that, easily.”
Jean smiled as well. “Very good. Now, just sign this form here and I’ll take you to the testing area.”
“Sure,” Jack said and, after signing on the dotted line, he hefted his backpack and small duffle bag, stood and following Jean out of the room and down a long hallway. She turned and walked through a doorway and Jack politely followed. He looked around the room in confusion. “Is this the testing area?”
“Yes it is,” Jean said.
“And these are the products I’ll be testing?” Jack said.
Jean looked apologetic. “I’m afraid so,” she admitted. “Like I said, they’ll probably double your pay as a way of apologizing for messing this up.”
Jack nodded. “I certainly hope so,” he said as he bleakly surveyed the grossly oversized crib, changing table, high chair, and the generally childish appearance of the room. “What exactly do I have to do?”
“Well, basically you’ll be wearing the clothes in the dresser and table and filling out various forms about how the look and feel, and”—Jean winced a little—“using the furniture.”
It took a few moments for the implication to sink in. “You mean… I have to sleep in the crib?”
“I’m afraid so.”
He sighed. “Well, at least none of my friends are here to see me do this. Anything else?”
“Well, you’ll be eating in the high chair and drinking out of bottles… plus you’ll be wearing diapers the entire time you’re here.”
Jack looked at Jean. “Please be kidding.”
“I’m afraid not, John. They’re being tested as well.”
John put a hand to his eyes for a few moments. “They had better pay me very, very well for this,” he grumbled.
“I’ll see to it that they’re duly notified that you’re doing this willingly, but under protest. I’m sure that will get their attention, considering how you were effectively misled,” Jean said, attempting to be soothing.
“Thank you. I suppose I can’t ask for much more,” Jack mused. “I suppose I’ll just have to make the best of it.”
Jean smiled warmly. “I’m glad you’re thinking that way, John. It will make this entire week go a lot more smoothly.” Jack only nodded. “Well, I have to go and speak to another volunteer; I’ll let you get acquainted with your surroundings a bit before we get things started. Dinner will be in about an hour. Under the circumstances, I think we’ll wait until tomorrow to use the high chair.”
Jack smiled gratefully. “Thanks.”
Jean smiled and left the room. John put his backpack and duffle by the dresser and began to investigate the various furnishings. “I guess this won’t be too bad,” he said aloud. They had at least provided him with a CD Player, so he wouldn’t have to rely on his iPod for all his musical needs, even though he could if he needed to. There wasn’t a computer, but he hoped there would at least be more to do than test these products all week. Eventually, he sat down in a convenient, non-childish rocking chair and returned to his iPod and its musical stores while tipping back and forth on the rocker arms. It was actually rather relaxing. Relaxing, that is, until Jean came back and informed him that it was time to dress for dinner. “Dress for dinner?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, John. A diaper, and a onesie, and then you’ll meet the other volunteer for this week’s project, who was also as uninformed as you were.”
John shrugged. “Well, I suppose I had to start sooner or later.” He went to the dresser and took out a blue onesie and then selected a diaper from the changing table, and looked at Jean. “Um… can I do this privately?”
Jean’s face took on an apologetic expression. “I’m afraid not. See… I actually have to diaper and dress you.”
“Oh come on,” Jack groused.
“That’s how it works, John. But don’t worry; I’ve been a nurse for thirty years; I know what I’m doing and this will be quick and painless if you just let me do my job.”
Jack looked around as if seeking escape, took some time to gather his thoughts, and then sighed in reluctant defeat. “Fine.”
“Alright… go ahead and undress,” Jean said and took the diaper and onesie from John’s hands. John blushed and did so, stopping at his boxers. Jean turned back and casually motioned him onto the changing table. “I must congratulate you, though,” Jean said as she arranged the changing supplies and put on a pair of examination gloves. “You weren’t as resistant as the other volunteer, and she’s a girl.”
“Is that a mark in my favor?” Jack asked sardonically, but he blushed mighty red when Jean took off his boxers and put the oversized—literally, oversized—baby diaper under him.
“Actually, yes.” Jack did his very best to think of other things to distract himself while Jean applied lotion and powder to his nether regions, and thankfully he felt the diaper pulled up between his legs, and a few moments later, both oversized tapes were snugly attached to the diaper’s front and the deed was done. “Sit up, please,” Jean said and John did so. Jean put the onesie over his arms and head, pulled it down, and then had John lie back so she could snap it closed at the crotch. He sat up and got off the table, and then looked down at his attire.
“One week of this, huh?” he mused. Jean nodded. “I certainly hope this week goes fast.”
“Cheer up, kiddo. The hardest part is over.” Jean took off her examination gloves and dropped them in the diaper pail. “Now, I suppose you’re hungry, so we’ll bump dinner up a bit.”
“What’s on the menu?” Jack asked.
“Macaroni and cheese, I’m afraid.”
“Well, I happen to enjoy mac and cheese, so I think we’re in good shape.” Jack gestured towards the door. “Lead on,” and let’s get this party started.”
Jean paused to make Jack put on a pair of socks—the floors were cold—and then led him towards the dining room. Jack noticed that he crinkled a bit when he walked, but it was part of wearing a diaper, which felt very odd, yet very not odd at the same time, and even though he felt like an overgrown baby, he didn’t really object. After all, there was a dollar sign at the end of this particular tunnel, probably a big one. Up the hallway a bit there was another lit doorway, and out of it walked another nurse-like person and a girl dressed in a pink onesie with an obvious diaper bulge. After a moment he recognized the nurse figure as Mary, but the girl with the wonderful figure and lovely blond hair tied back in two braids he didn’t immediately recognize. It wasn’t until they were both in the dining room that he recognized her with no small surprise as Chastity Bennett.
Chapter Two
The recognition was mutual, and both teenagers/classmates blushed when they realized who their dinner partner was to be. Silence descended immediately until Jean began the introductions. “Um… actually we know each other from school,” Jack broke in.
This took Jean by surprise. “Really? Now imagine the coincidence. Well, maybe this week will go faster than you think.”
“Not fast enough,” Chastity grumbled, obviously discontented over having to wear a diaper and a onesie. It was obvious, because Jack was feeling the same way, and nodded assent.
“I’m going to have to agree with Chastity on that one,” he said.
“Understandable,” Jean said with a smile, and stood aside as Mary came back with bowls of macaroni and cheese for the teens. “Well, we’ll leave you two to your dinner; when you’re done you can feel free to roam the building if you want, or return to your rooms; since you’re the only two kids here this week, there aren’t really any other people hanging around.”
“Thanks,” Jack said and the two nurses left. He spooned some noodles and popped them into his mouth. “Well, at least the food isn’t bad,” he remarked.
Chastity was trying it as well. “One itty bitty ray of sunshine in this bleak outlook,” she mused.
“Indeed.” Jack took another bite. “Let me guess, they roped you in with the high-paying community service gag, but instead of actual work, it’s suddenly product testing.”
“Bingo,” she said. “But it was my parents who signed me up for this.”
“How about that, same here!” Jack said, glad to find some sort of commonality.
Chastity smiled. “My folks think I need to have more responsibility in my life; what about yours?”
“They probably think I spend too much time playing computer games and want me to get out more, or something equally mundane like that.”
Chastity nodded. “Leave it to parents to totally misunderstand their own kids.”
“Tell me about it,” Jack said after another spoonful. “Who would have thought that they were sending us to a place where we’ll have even less responsibility than we already did.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I am not looking forward to some aspects of this week… speaking of which, you didn’t happen to notice a bathroom when you came in, did you?”
Jack thought about it. “Now that you mention it, I didn’t.”
Chastity’s expression soured. “Great,” she grumbled. “They’ll probably force us to… use these diapers.”
“Well, look on the bright side,” Jack said.
Chastity looked at him oddly. “There’s a bright side?”
“We’re the only teenagers here, they’re paying us, and we’re both in the same boat.” Jack paused for a final spoonful. “It could have been much worse.”
“How so?”
Jack thought about that. “I’m not sure, actually. I’ll probably think of something later, though.”
Chastity smiled and finished off her bowl. “Maybe you should keep it to yourself. Wouldn’t want to give them any ideas, now would we?”
Jack laughed. “Very true. This is bad enough.”
Chastity giggle just a bit. “Now you’re thinking.”
Jack smiled easily and reflected on the chance of having to endure a week of baby treatment with one of the prettiest girls in school. Chastity Bennett was practically on every gamer nerd’s fantasy list; the sort of girl you dream of having but probably will never get, at least in high school. But he shook such thoughts from his mind; there were more important things at hand, like getting to know the girl better. “What say we wander the building a bit? Maybe we’ll get lucky and happen upon a bathroom.”
“Ah, now you’re really thinking!” Chastity said and set her bowl aside and got her to her feet. Jack did the same and together they left the small dining room and turned away from their respective rooms; they knew what was over there already. “This place is kind of creepy, what with it being empty and all,” she said, unwittingly keeping close to Jack as if for protection from sudden hobgoblin attack.
“Yeah it is. But I’ll bet Jean wasn’t lying when she said this place is pretty well deserted; if this is a big testing place, it stands to reason that without a lot of guinea pigs there’s no need to have a lot of people roaming about.”
“That’s true,” Chastity whispered as they started down a darkened hallway. Only a couple of fluorescent lights illuminated the entire stretch: creepy to the max. Chastity edged just a little closer to Jack as they proceeded carefully down it. Much to their chagrin, they didn’t find any bathrooms, just a lot of locked doors that looked like more testing rooms or storage closets. They did, however, come across a stairwell. “Maybe there’s a bathroom upstairs.”
“One can only hope,” Jack said. “Ladies first.”
Chastity smirked. “In this creepy place? I don’t think so.”
Jack smirked just a little at Chastity’s word choice. “A little creeped out, are you?”
“Well, I’m stuck in an old, converted school that’s now a laboratory of some kind, I’m wearing a diaper and an oversized baby onesie, and there really aren’t any other people around that I know. So, yeah. I’m a little creeped out.”
Jack chuckled and started up the stairs, Chastity in close tow. “Point taken,” he said as they ascended. They stopped at the next floor and pushed open the door. As before there were only a few lights illuminating the darkened corridor that was hauntingly absent of any furnishings or something resembling sound. It was utterly, chillingly quiet, and Chastity suddenly grabbed Jack’s hand and edged even closer to him. Jack looked at her blushing; she let go of his hand and stepped away just a little bit, blushing as well, though he couldn’t see it.
“Sorry,” she said.
“No worries,” Jack said and then started down the hallway. Chastity edged in just a little bit behind Jack as they walked. Jack looked from left to right in a constant surveillance of their surroundings, as if looking for a masked assailant to suddenly pop out and try to kill them. He tried a few doors without luck; all locked. They came across what had once been a bathroom and Chastity brightened, at least until they discovered the door was locked.
“These people are thorough,” she grumbled. “And to make matters worse I need to go,” Chastity continued, though more whining than grumbling.
“Relax, this probably isn’t the only bathroom on this floor or in this building; we’ll just have to look a little harder,” Jack said soothingly.
“You’re right,” Chastity conceded, but with a hopeful tone. “They probably missed one.”
They searched on, but to no real avail. They did, however, find an unlocked room on the third floor, and upon turning on the lights they found that it was just another baby products testing room. There were, however, a lot of toys scattered around. “They must test oversized baby toys up here; I wonder who they make these things for?”
“Good question,” Chastity said. She picked up an oversized teddy bear. “Awe, but this is really cute!” Jack almost said, “So are you,” but he clamped down on that and only nodded assent. Chastity continued to poke around the room, as did Jack, but they didn’t really find anything of worthy note. In only a few minutes, they were back to exploring the darkened hallways, but not finding anything else worthy of note. “Man this sucks,” Chastity groused. “I really need to use the bathroom and I’d rather not have to do it in my diaper, you know what I mean?”
Jack nodded. “All too well,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something before you burst.”
“I really hope so,” Chastity said. “Because I feel like I’m about to burst.”
“Same here,” Jack admitted. Together, they pressed on, but they didn’t find any bathrooms that were unlocked and Chastity was starting to get antsy. Jack couldn’t blame the girl; he was really feeling the effects of a full bladder, too.
“Ooh, I can’t hold out much longer,” Chastity breathed.
“I guess you’ll just have to use your diaper, then,” Jack said. “Because I don’t think we’re going to find an unlocked bathroom anytime soon. We’ve already scoured three floors.”
Chastity looked at Jack plaintively. “I know but… I was really hoping to avoid this.”
Jack patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. “I know.” He paused. “Tell you what; let’s do it at the same time,” he suggested.
“Do what?”
“You know… use our diapers,” he clarified.
“Oh. Um… okay,” Chastity said, and then looked at him oddly. “Have you ever done something like this before.”
“No,” Jack answered, blushing a little at her question, even though his answer had been honest.
“Well… neither have I. I don’t know how to just… let go like that.”
Jack considered for a moment. “Well, how about this. On the count of three we’ll both just relax and breathe out; maybe that’ll do the trick.”
Chastity thought about it and then shrugged. “Seems simple enough. Ready?”
Jack nodded. “One… two… three.” Chastity counted down with him and then both breathed out and relaxed. Jack noticed that it did the trick; he felt himself wetting the diaper, but he didn’t really feel the wetness. That was something to consider when it came time to fill out the questionnaires about the diapers, he thought. He thought it was funny that he was seventeen years old and standing in a dark hallway with a wet diaper on, though. But, he did notice a look of relief on Chastity’s face, accompanied by a blush, which probably meant he wasn’t the only teenager standing there with a wet diaper on. “Feeling better?” he asked.
Chastity blushed even harder, but nodded. “Much, actually.” She paused. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure,” Jack said.
Now she was blushing a deep crimson, but she leaned in and whispered, “that was kind of fun.”
Jack smiled. “No worries, your secret is safe with me.”
“Good,” she said. “Did you wet your diaper, too?”
Now it was Jack’s turn to blush. “Yes,” he answered.
“Prove it,” Chastity said. “Show me your diaper.”
Jack blushed harder and carefully undid the snaps of his onesie and revealed his soaked diaper. Chastity scrutinized it, and smiled satisfactorily. “You’re soaked,” she pronounced.
“Yes indeed,” Jack said. “How about your diaper?” Chastity’s answer was to blush red. “I showed you mine,” he pointed out.
“Fine,” she said, and undid the snaps of her onesie and lifted the front part of it to show off her wet diaper.
Jack smiled at the girlishly styled diaper, a perfect complement to his boyishly style one. “You’re soaked, too,” he pronounced. Chastity dropped the front of her onesie and smacked his upper arm. “Hey, what was that for?” Jack asked, though still smiling.
Chastity opened her mouth and then closed it again. “Well, I don’t know,” she admitted. Jack merely shook his head and snapped his onesie closed, not without difficulty, though. Chastity was having greater difficulty. “Ugh, stupid thing,” she grumbled.
“Um… need some help?” Jack offered.
Chastity looked up at him in surprise, but nodded. “Yes, actually.”
Jack knelt down and went to work on Chastity’s snaps, finally getting them closed with a furious blush every time his fingers came into contact with her diaper. “There,” he said when he was finished. “That should do it,” he added as he stood up.
“Thanks,” Chastity said, and then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. Jack was taken aback, that for a moment all he could do was stand there dumbly, but he reacted fast enough and wrapped his arms around her in turn. “Thanks for being such a good friend, even if we weren’t good friends before.”
“My pleasure,” he said, as they stood there together in a pool of light from one of the overhead fluorescents. He noticed, as the time went on and the sweet fragrance from her hair became more and more pronounced that she didn’t seem to show any inclination to step back. He wasn’t sure what to do or think about it, but he let it continue on for a while longer. Eventually, though, Chastity slackened her hold on him and moved back.
“We should probably go back downstairs,” she murmured. “Besides, I think I’ve had enough of these creepy dark hallways for one night.”
“Agreed,” Jack said and together they headed back to the stairway.
“You know what’s funny?” Chastity said as they began the descent to the first floor.
“What?”
“Even though we’ve only been here for… what, a couple of hours, I feel like I can trust you… with almost anything,” she said. Her words brought them both to a halt on a landing.
“Thanks,” he said sincerely. “Um…” he paused. “Well, now I feel silly; I can’t think of anything to add to that, so thanks again,” Jack said.
Chastity giggled, and then she laughed. They started down the stairs again. “Nice comeback, but you’re welcome. You really aren’t like any guy I’ve met before.”
“I hope that’s a good thing,” Jack said.
“Oh it is, trust me. I’m not really sure how different you are, but all I know is that you’re different and I like it,” she said. It was a pretty big statement to make, and they both knew it.
“Well, maybe it’s because I’m a gamer nerd,” Jack said. “See, most of us don’t know how to behave around pretty girls, so we just revert to the old chivalrous ways, that is, if we can avoid falling all over ourselves.”
Chastity smiled. “Chivalry works,” she said, with a blush at his flattery. “I don’t think I’ll mind being trapped here all week with you.”
“I think I can safely say the same thing,” he said, as they walked into the first floor hallway and back into the well-lit areas of the building. They rounded a corner and saw Jean heading their way.
“Ah, there you are,” she said. “I was just about to come looking for you.”
“Talk about convenience,” Jack mused.
“Indeed,” Jean said. “Well, I had just remembered that I hadn’t told either of you were the entertainment room is; there’s a TV and books in there, plus some other stuff,” she went on. “Come along; I’ll show you were it is.”
Jack and Chastity followed Jean to the room in question and investigated it a bit. Jack was sad to see that the computer there was sadly lacking in modern features, like a modem faster than dial-up. Oh well; not like he’d be doing any gaming this week anyway. He actually doubted the computer would see any use, and not due to its sad obsolescence. The thing didn’t even have Windows XP. “When we aren’t doing some sort of in depth product analysis, you two are welcome to come here or wander the building as you see fit, so long as you don’t get into trouble.”
“Thanks,” Jack said.
“Now, how are you two getting along?”
“Just fine, actually,” Chastity answered. “Knowing each other from school has been really helpful in keeping the tension down.”
Jean looked at Chastity in merry surprise. “Well, that’s certainly a good thing.” She looked the two over and noticed their sagging diapers. “It also seems that you two are in need of diaper changes.” The fact that both teenagers blushed was answer enough for her. “Alright, well, we wouldn’t want you two to have to sit in wet diapers longer than necessary; why don’t you go to your rooms and wait; Chastity, Mary will be along in a few minutes. John, you can come with me and I’ll attend to your diaper right away. After that it will be into pajamas and then you two can lounge about for a while and then into bed,” Jean said and moved for the doorway. The teens followed Jean out of the entertainment room, exchanging weird/embarrassed/concerned looks as they walked.
Chapter Three
Chastity went to her room and almost immediately wrinkled her nose in mild contempt at the overly childish way the room was decorated. It was obviously meant for a girl, if the over abundance of pink didn’t make that obvious. Everything had pink, or some shade of pink on it. Her dresser, crib (though she still didn’t think of it as hers), the rocking chair, changing table… everything. Most of her clothes were pink, too, though thankfully there was some other colors like yellow or white, or even a little red. Soon enough, though, Mary came in and motioned for Chastity to get onto the changing table. Chastity complied, a little more willingly this time than the first time; she wanted her wet diaper removed, and if it had to be replaced with a dry one rather than a sensible pair of panties… well, so be it.
“So, did you and John have a good time exploring the building?” Mary asked as she put on her examination gloves.
“Yeah,” Chastity murmured as she laid on the table. “We found a lot of locked doors.”
Mary smiled. “Yeah, they usually keep this place pretty locked up when there aren’t any volunteers here.” She reached under the table and took out a fresh diaper.
“Who makes those diapers?” Chastity asked as Mary unsnapped her onesie.
“Kimberly Clark, actually. They’re the same company that manufactures Huggies,” Mary said as she ripped open Chastity’s diaper and started cleaning her up.
“Interesting,” Chastity said as she tried to think of other things than being wiped like a baby. She lifted her bottom when she was told to and settled it back down on a fresh oversized baby’s diaper. She felt Mary applying fresh lotion to her skin, listened and mulled over a few hygienic tips she was given, felt the tickle of powder as it landed on her, and then the front of the diaper was up and over, and being securely fastened into place. Mary had Chastity sit up, removed her onesie, missed Chastity’s slight blush at being effectively naked from the waist up, even if it was in front of a professional nurse. “Um… could I have some sort of bra, please?”
Mary considered. “I suppose it won’t hurt anything,” she said and fetched Chastity’s bra from earlier and gave it to her.
“Thanks,” she said as she put it on.
“You’re welcome,” Mary said as she unfolded the pink fuzzy sleeper.
“What’re those?” Chastity asked.
“Your pajamas,” Mary said as she motioned Chastity off the table. The girl looked at them skeptically for a few moments and then allowed herself to be dressed in them. She looked over her sleeper with a degree of further skepticism.
“Are the feet really necessary?” Chastity asked.
Mary shrugged apologetically. “That’s how they came, honey.”
Jack’s diaper change went much the same way, only with different verbal exchanges. He did his very best to distract himself from the feelings of being wiped, lotioned, and powdered, listened politely at it was suggested that he remove his pubic hair for sanitary reasons, grimaced at the site of his blue fuzzy, footed sleeper, but he grudgingly allowed it to be put on anyway. He surveyed his blue attire and wondered aloud about the snaps at the crotch. “Oh, that’s so if you need a diaper change before bed we don’t have to remove your entire sleeper,” Jean informed him.
“Oh,” Jack said. “Great.”
He walked out of his room and looked toward what he figured was the girl’s section of the testing area and saw Chastity walking towards him, similarly attired. She smiled when she saw him, but then began to giggle. “What’s so funny?”
By the time she reached Jack, Chastity was giggling uncontrollably. “You,” she said between bouts of giggles. “You look so adorable that it’s funny.”
Now Chastity’s giggles were giving Jack the chuckles. “Well, you look really cute yourself,” he said, not to be completely outdone.
“Thanks,” she said, and then started laughing so hard that Jack had to hold her upright lest she fall over. Jack was laughing, too, although he didn’t really know what was so funny. Finally, Chastity calmed down enough to stand upright, and she suggested that they go back to that one unlocked classroom they found on the third floor. Jack shrugged and agreed. Chastity led the way this time, and before too long they were back in the room full of all the oversized baby toys. Chastity found herself a place on the floor amidst some stuffed animals and promptly sat down. Jack thought it was a little weird, but he decided to sit as well, though not amidst the stuffed animals.
“Right, then,” he began. “Why’d you want to come back up here?”
Chastity shrugged impishly. “Felt like it. I didn’t really want to be down there, anyway, and this is a more private place. Plus, there are stuffed animals here, and that’s always a good thing,” she explained.
“I can live with that,” Jack said.
Chastity smiled and fixed her lovely brown eyes on Jack. “Um…” she began tentatively. “Do you really think I look cute like this?”
“Yes,” Jack answered, almost immediately. “Adorable is more accurate.”
Chastity flushed pink. “Thanks.” She reached for a handy giant teddy bear and drew it close to her. “Now then,” she said. “What do you think about this?”
“About what?” Jack asked with a little confusion.
“This,” Chastity repeated. “Being dressed like oversized babies, diapers and everything.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Jack said, thinking about it. “I could live without the diaper changes… I mean, would it be that much different to do it myself?”
“Exactly!” Chastity exclaimed. “I don’t really like the idea of some woman pawing around my… privates, even if she is a professional nurse for so many years.”
“You think you’ve got it bad?” Jack asked. “Try being me when it comes time for a diaper change.”
Now it was Chastity’s turn to think. “Good point.” She paused. “But… it really isn’t all that bad.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
“Well… to be honest, I don’t horribly mind the diaper changes…” she paused again. “Okay, I mind them, but I don’t mind them at the same time. You know what I mean?”
“I have a general idea,” Jack replied. “You like the diapers, but you don’t like how they’re put on you.”
“That’s about the size of it.”
Jack shook his head. “I’m a little different. I don’t like the diaper changes, and I would rather not wear the diapers. But since I have to wear them… they aren’t that bad.”
Chastity nodded. “Think we’ll be able to stand a week of this?”
Jack shrugged. “Well, at this point it isn’t as if we have a whole lot of choice… plus they’re paying us. That sweetens the deal a whole lot.”
Chastity looked at him sideways. “Is the money all you’re thinking about?” She turned her gaze back to him. “Answer honestly.”
“Well, it was, and then I found out you were part of this whole conflagration, and then suddenly… it wasn’t completely about the money anymore.”
“What was it about?” she asked demurely.
Jack was about to answer before he realized the implications of the question. He took a few moments to consider before arriving at a good answer. “Something more,” he said.
“Oh?” Chastity asked. “Like what?”
“I don’t know, yet,” Jack answered, and was privately relieved to have truth in his answer. “But something… special.”
Chastity smiled. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Something special.” Jack looked at her expectantly. “What? This whole thing is weird yet oddly… not.” She shrugged. “It’s like we’re being paid to revisit our childhood, and we’re getting the full treatment. That and the company isn’t bad either.”
Jack smiled. “Likewise.”
“You know… it’s actually sort of funny, how we hardly know each other at school, but now that I’ve been getting to know you a bit, so far I’m liking what I’m seeing.”
Jack’s smile broadened. “That’s good, and the reverse is true, also. I knew you were one of those ever-so-rare smart and pretty girls, but I didn’t really know you… and I think this is going to be an interesting week. The baby stuff not withstanding.”
“Yeah,” Chastity agreed. “But I think it’ll be fun, at least in parts.”
“Probably true,” Jack conceded.
Chastity sighed and laid her head on the Teddy Bear’s equivalent of a shoulder. After a few moments a smile spread across her delicate features. “Smart and pretty, huh?”
Jack smiled some. “Yes, smart and pretty. I could have said smart and hot, but I didn’t want to come off like a jerk.”
“Well, that was very nice of you,” Chastity said. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Jack said. “For what?”
“For saying smart first instead of pretty.” She sighed. “Most guys would probably say pretty, first, or hot,” she added, “and even if you didn’t intend it, it was still nice to have my mind appreciated before my body.”
“My pleasure,” Jack said.
Chastity’s smile broadened. “Don’t get me wrong, though, I like that you appreciate my body. It takes a lot of work to maintain this figure sometimes.”
Jack chuckled. “Maybe this all expenses paid vacation to the past will yield new secrets to the fountain of youth.”
Chastity giggled a bit and looked over Jack’s good-humored expression. She noted his eyes and their hazel color, his dark hair cut somewhat short; decently cropped on the back and sides while the top had a little more length and free reign, and a dozen more minute details. Kismet, maybe? It was possible, and Chastity certainly wasn’t opposed to it, even though Jack wasn’t part of any of the higher-up social cliques at school. So what. She’d only be part of that stuff for another year and a half, anyway, and then college. “Fountain of youth indeed,” she murmured.
Jack let out a breath. “So, how long do you want to stay up here?” he asked.
“Why, are you bored?” Chastity asked with a slight smirk.
“Partially,” he answered. “But also I’m more concerned with them finding that they left a door unlocked. Even though they might bring us up here to test stuff, maybe it’s best if they don’t know that we know about this particular room.”
Chastity shrugged. “I guess that makes sense.”
“That and I feel like poking around this place a little more,” Jack said. “You game?”
“Not tonight; maybe tomorrow,” she said as Jack stood up. He offered her a hand and helped her to her feet after she had reluctantly set the teddy bear aside. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Jack said, and together they left the room. Chastity paused and looked around the dark hallway. “What’s the matter?”
Chastity shook her head. “Nothing,” she said, but didn’t start walking. She breathed out, scrutinized a far wall, and then after a few moments started walking again.
“What was that all about?” Jack asked, rather confused.
“Oh nothing,” Chastity said innocently.
“Um… okay then,” Jack said, still confused, and started heading back towards the stairwell while Chastity privately luxuriated in her dampened diaper.
A few minutes later they were back in the lit hallways of the lively part of the building, if it could be called that. Chastity wanted to see what was on TV, so they headed to the entertainment room where she made herself comfortable in a recliner while Jack perused the book selection. “Jeez, not a lot of good titles here… ooh, Jurassic Park.”
“Found something you like?” Chastity asked.
“Yeah, there’s a couple of good books here. Sweet, The Hunt for Red October; total must-have.”
Chastity shook her head while she flipped channels. She felt extremely naughty for having wet her diaper like that, and considered the whole thing to be really funny. She wondered what Jack would think. “Hey, I have a random question,” Chastity piped up, having not found anything decent to watch on TV. It was a Sunday night, after all, and there wasn’t much that she found interesting to watch on a Sunday night.
“What’s that?”
“What should I call you, John or Jack?” Chastity asked. “I mean, I know Mr. Holmes calls you Jack, but some people call you John.”
“Jack, please.” He winked at her. “My friends and a few others know me as Jack, everyone else as John. Do you have a nickname?”
She made a face at him. “No.”
‘Maybe I’ll think of one while we’re here.”
She smirked. “This should be good.”
Jack adopted a thoughtful expression. “Hmmm…”
Chastity’s eyes widened a bit. “Trying to think of it now, are you?”
“Sure, why not?” Jack stroked his chin. “Baby cakes.”
Chastity mock-glowered at him. “Try again.”
“Baby doll?”
“Um… no.”
Jack threw up his hands in mock-exasperation. “Well I’m all out of ideas.”
“Good; your first couple of tries weren’t all that great.”
“I thought they were pretty good.”
“Oh sure, for being half-assed they weren’t bad at all,” Chastity said, rolling her eyes some, and then giggled. “Baby cakes. Honestly.”
Jack shrugged, and was about to say something further when Mary came in. “Thought you two would like something to drink,” she said and gave each of them a baby bottle full of something that looked like fruit juice. Jack looked at his bottle mournfully, and Mary left the room without another word. When she was gone he looked at Chastity, who had a similar expression on her face. “They are kidding, right?” she asked.
“You stole my question. And I’ll bet they aren’t.”
Chastity heaved a sigh. “Well, at least no one’s around to see us. Cheers,” she said and raised her bottle in something resembling a toast and started to drink. Jack shrugged, toasted, and drank. The juice was good, he thought, so it made using the bottle only slightly less embarrassing. He stopped after a bit and looked at the bottle.
“I wonder if they’re going to have us review this product as well,” he mused.
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Chastity agreed. “But is it just me, or are they going a little overboard with this?”
“I think it’s a combination of the two,” Jack said.
Chastity leaned back in her seat. “Yeah,” she muttered. “At least they’re paying us.”
“That’s most of the reason I’m putting up with this… plus, who knows how much they’ll give us for being such good little children during the week.”
Chastity thought about it, and then nodded. “Point. All the more incentive, it seems to just kick back and enjoy the ride as much as we can.”
Jack nodded, but didn’t say anything further on the matter. By this time he to had a dampened diaper to contend with, though he wasn’t about to admit it to Chastity. He hadn’t felt the inclination to make a big deal out of it, so he’d just surreptitiously taken his own advice and gone in the diaper. They were convenient, yes, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep them around. Part of him wondered just how he’d be able to survive the rest of this week, more money than he’d ever seen at one time and beautiful girl not withstanding. Of course, as if someone was doing his or her level best to further annoy him, Jean came in and announced it was time for bed. Jack looked at her until he realized just what time it was. “Almost eleven, hmmm? Dang, were does the time go…”
“That’s right; normally we have lights out a lot earlier, but you two are special cases.”
Reluctantly, both teenagers stood up, abandoning their bottles without any reluctance whatsoever (they were mostly empty, anyway) and filed out of the entertainment room. Mary happened upon them in the hallway and took charge, as it were, of Chastity while Jean took care of Jack. This pre-bed diaper change for both teens was a little different than the first two; most notably, the diaper they were put into for bed was practically half again thicker than the diapers they had been wearing thus far. When they asked about it, they were told that it was a special overnight style of diaper; twice the thickness to accommodate any accidents. Neither Jack or Chastity liked the word ‘accident’ but they figured that it was a term used when addressing people who would actually need these diapers, rather than the product testers.
Sleeping in a crib was a whole new kettle of fish, though. Chastity was at first extremely reluctant to get into it and asked Mary several times if she could sleep on the couch in the entertainment room. Mary politely said no, pointing out that the crib was a relatively new product and that it needed competent user feedback. “Besides,” Mary added, “It’s only for a week.” And so, Chastity went into her crib for the first time, and even though the mattress and bedding was comfortable, she wasn’t fond of the idea of having bars all around her when she had spent the previous thirteen years sleeping in a bed without them. Jack was just as reluctant, and only very grudgingly did he get into it and attempt to become comfortable. Like Chastity’s crib, the mattress and bedding was quite comfortable, and when both the nurses had finished with their charges, they shut off the lights and closed the doors to a crack.
Chapter Four
Morning. Jack’s contented slumber was disturbed by a distinctly female voice pleading tersely for him to wake up, while a hand—or was it two hands? —were shaking him into wakefulness. “Mmm? What?” he muttered as he started to come around. “Five more minutes…” he mumbled, and then rolled over to go back to sleep.
“Wake up, dammit!” the female voice hissed.
Jack grumbled and rolled towards the voice, opening his eyes to find a very worried looking Chastity standing over him. “What’s the matter?” he asked groggily, wondering for a few moments why Chastity was leaning on some sort of rail.
Chastity was groping for words. “I… I wet my diaper!” she whispered, clearly all out of sorts.
Jack wondered what she was talking about, the question as to whether or not she had actually wet the bed at her age came to mind, and then it all clicked back into focus. He and Chastity were testing a lot of oversized baby products, and she had wet the diaper she had worn to bed. Okay… no big deal. “Well, we did each use two diapers yesterday,” Jack reminded her.
Chastity shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no! I mean… I woke up and my diaper was wet! I didn’t do it on purpose!”
Now it was getting a little clearer. “Are you sure?” he asked stupidly.
Chastity glowered at him and climbed into his crib, settling onto her knees. “Look,” she told him, and then parted the already unsnapped crotch of her sleeper to show him her soaked diaper. The diaper had been thick to begin with, now it was even thicker, sagging, and had an off-white color where the wet padding was against the outer shell.
“Okay, so you wet your diaper in the middle of the night without realizing it. Maybe your mind realized that it didn’t have to wake you up for relief; it was already available.” Jack sighed and rubbed his face to get rid of whatever sleep sand remained. “I don’t see why this is such a big deal.”
Chastity relaxed some. “Maybe you’re right… but it’s still kind of scary. I mean… I haven’t wet the bed since I was like… five years old.”
Jack nodded dumbly and sat up. “Maybe it’s just a freak occurrence,” he said as he stretched. Something didn’t feel right to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He let out a breath and yawned as he let his arms drop back to the mattress. One of them banged off of a crib railing. “Ow,” he muttered as he rubbed where it hit. “So,” he said to Chastity who had taken a few moments to snap up her sleeper. “How’d you sleep?”
At his question she looked up and smiled a bit. “Like a… baby,” she said with a slight wrinkling of her nose at her word choice. Jack found it to be endearingly cute. “How about you?”
“About the same, but perhaps more like a rock. I’ll say one thing for these people, they know how to pick mattresses. The bed itself, though,” he said with a significant look around the crib’s bars, “leaves much to be desired.”
“Totally,” Chastity said.
“A refreshing rest, though,” Jack went on. Ah, that was it. He didn’t have that pressing need to pee. “Really refreshing. In fact—“ he came to a sudden halt and his face took on a weird expression.
Chastity had expected him to continue. “In fact what?” she prompted.
Jack was about to tell her that he didn’t need to use the bathroom, when he remembered the diaper that was ever so nicely taped around his waist. Curious, he pressed a hand against it, and it felt distinctly squishy. “What’s wrong?” Chastity asked. With a look of mild horror, Jack unsnapped the crotch of his sleeper to reveal a boyishly styled, grossly oversized baby diaper.
It was the same off-white as Chastity’s. It hadn’t been that way when he’d gone to bed.
“Oh hell no,” he said, shocked. He looked at Chastity in despair. She was sitting against the footboard of his crib, disturbed.
“One of us would be a freak accident, but both of us?” She shook her head. “That’s not right.”
Jack’s horror, shock and despair was replaced by anger in short order when the implication of Chastity’s words sank in. “No,” he murmured darkly. “No it isn’t.” Jack set about closing his sleeper, and when he was finished, he climbed out of his crib, taking only a few moments to lower the side.
Chastity followed after him. “What are we going to do?” she asked, halfway between curious and despairing.
“Well, for starters we’re going to find out just what the hell is going on,” Jack growled and headed out of his room at a determined walk. Chastity was right behind him, and together they looked mighty ludicrous, as if they were overgrown children, complete with telltale diaper bulges and crinkles. Jean and Mary were coming around the corner from the hallway where the dining and entertainment rooms were, their immediately cheerful expressions at seeing their conscious charges awake and out of bed gone the instant they took stock of the not quite welcoming expression on Chastity’s face and the simmering thundercloud that was Jack.
“What’s wrong?” Jean asked, instantly concerned.
“We,” Jack began, in a grating tone, “Woke up wet.”
Both nurses’ expressions became quizzical, but only a few seconds later Jean’s turned to one of wide-eyed shock, and her hand went to her mouth. “Oh dear God,” she breathed. Jack and Chastity were instantly curious as to what Jean was so shocked about, but Mary beat them to it.
“What?” she prompted her colleague.
“The food,” Jean said. “It was meant for the volunteers who knew what they were getting into.”
Now Mary got it. “Oh no,” she whispered as she to covered her mouth. As if acting with unconscious simultaneity, both women turned to look at the babified teenagers, teenagers whose expressions had gone from different stages of anger to very nervous.
“What?” Chastity prompted. “What about the food?”
Jean recovered herself. “It was laced with a special formula designed to cause temporary incontinence.”
Chastity looked confused, and so did Jack. “You mean… we’ve been drugged?” he asked.
“Essentially, yes,” Jean admitted, suddenly looking very weary. “Basically, this formula was developed to cause whoever took it to… well, for lack of better words, to need diapers for a certain period of time.”
“How much time?” Chastity asked meekly, suddenly looking very worried. Jack looked about as worried as she did.
“Well, that depends on how much is taken,” Jean continued. “In your cases, it could be as little as a couple of days… or perhaps as long as a couple of weeks.”
Chastity blanched. “You mean I could be stuck wearing diapers for two weeks?!”
Jean only nodded. “I’m so sorry, kids; we forgot all about it after we found out you two weren’t total volunteers.”
“You’re sorry,” Jack almost spat. “And we have to pay for it.” He looked around angrily, as if the walls would give him answers. “How does this formula work?”
Jean and Mary exchanged a look, but Jean started to explain. “Well, basically it acts as a muscle inhibitor. After it gets into your system, specific enzymes target specific muscles and the body, in the course of taking nutrients all around the whole, delivers these enzymes, and when they enter the target muscle tissue… they effectively stop them from working properly for a short period of time. If this formula was taken over an extended period of time, the result could be total incontinence, which means that he or she would have to wear diapers, or the equivalent.”
“So we’re going to wake up with wet diapers all week?” Chastity groaned.
Mary winced. “You won’t just be waking up with wet diapers, it’ll happen during the day, too.”
Chastity looked sick and Jack looked about ready to kill someone. Jean did her best to salvage the situation. “Well… all the rest of the food for you two is no longer safe for consumption, as it were. I’ll place a call to research and development; they’ll know what to do. In the meantime, why don’t you two go get cleaned up; there are showers near each of your rooms.” Jean paused. “And, since we can’t serve you breakfast here, really, pick out some regular clothes, and after you’re diapered we’ll go out for breakfast.”
Jack was not to be immediately mollified. “What if we don’t want to be part of this crazy project anymore?” he asked testily.
Jean and Mary exchanged another look. “Well, that certainly is your choice, and since this has been a big mix-up from the start, everyone would understand if you two wanted to go back home. However, I urge you to think about it. We did make a mistake in forgetting what was in the food, but that’s done and we can’t undo it. If you two were to leave, you’d have to deal with this outside of a, shall we say, secure environment.” Jean paused to let that sink in. “Here we are equipped to deal with the effects of the incontinence formula, and after it wears off—which it will—you’ll be good as new.”
Jack thought about it and looked at Chastity, who seemed on the verge of tears. “I don’t like it, but we’ll think about it,” he said.
“That’s all we can ask,” Jean said. She caught Mary’s eye, and the two women withdrew.
Jack sighed. “Come on; let’s go get cleaned up,” he said, and guided Chastity back towards her room. They found the shower rooms easily enough, and Chastity—who had recovered herself by this point—went about starting her shower. Jack went back to the boy’s shower room and was heartily glad to be rid of his pajamas and soaked diaper. The hot shower he took felt very good, and he took an extra long one, but all the while he could only think about the suddenly darkened future that the week now held. He dragged his shower out, mostly because he wanted the privacy and the ability to think without fear of interruption by one of the nurses. However, even his extra long shower hadn’t done anything for his thought processes, and while he physically felt better, he couldn’t shake feelings of nervousness and melancholy over his newfound diaper-dependent state, even if it was temporary.
When he got out and had dried off, brushed his teeth and all that other fun stuff, he proceeded back to his room where he found Jean waiting for him. He restrained a grimace and silently walked over to the changing table after tossing his sleeper onto a crib rail. The diapering process was mercifully silent, but Jack noticed that the diaper he was put into was as thick as his overnight diaper, if not more so. “What sort of diaper is this?” he asked, even though he was somewhat afraid of the answer.
“Oh, this is a thicker variant of the regular diapers you were wearing yesterday evening,” Jean told him as she disposed of her exam gloves.
“Why do I have to wear such a thick diaper?” Jack asked.
“Well, it’s only logical,” Jean said, with less apology in her tone than Jack would have liked. “You wouldn’t want to leak, would you? Especially out in public?” Jack shook his head. “Well, there’s that and these diapers haven’t exactly been thoroughly tested by volunteers, yet.”
“I’ll bet,” Jack said sardonically. “What’s for clothes?”
Jean went to the dresser as Jack got off the changing table. “A regular shirt, and some pants that are designed to conceal someone’s diapered state while still looking passably stylish,” she explained as she picked out a semi-long gray t-shirt, a pair of socks, and a pair of jeans that looked almost as if they had come from a reputable clothing company. Jack took the clothes and began dressing. He had barely finished getting his shirt on when Mary came into the room looking worried. This worry spread to Jean who asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Chastity belt.
Chapter Five
When Chastity was completely calm and collected again, she accompanied Jack back downstairs. He walked with her to her room where Mary was waiting, and while she was inside to finish dressing, he waited outside in the hall, where Jean found him. “You found her?” she asked, concern plainly and properly evident on her face. Jack nodded absently, having not yet looked at Jean. “That’s good,” Jean said with relief. “Where was she?”
“Someplace safe,” Jack responded.
“Where was that?” Jean pressed.
Jack sighed. “Look, this whole thing had her really out of sorts. For a few minutes I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown,” he said, but quietly, so only Jean could hear him.
Jean mirrored his quiet tone. “It was an honest mistake,” she said.
Jack shook his head. “I know what your excuse is, and I can almost totally believe it, even if I think it sucks. Chastity… hasn’t totally reconciled with it, yet. At least, I don’t think she has.”
Jean nodded. “It can take some getting used to.”
“‘Getting used to?’” Jack repeated. “Lady, this wasn’t even supposed to happen in the first place!” he whispered tersely. “Okay, sure, you and Mary screwed up, and it’s only a temporary screw up because we aren’t going to eat anymore food from this place, but the fact of the matter is that we have to live with it for this week; you two don’t.” Jack looked away for a few moments.
“Look, John… we, meaning Mary and I, have a pretty good idea what you two are going through with this. But believe me when I say that it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. We caught on to this fast enough; it’s almost a certainty that you two won’t have any problems when the week is out.”
“‘Almost’ isn’t good enough,” Jack growled, but there wasn’t any real bite to it. He was just frustrated, and they both knew it.
“I know, John,” Jean said sympathetically. “But at least you can be sure that we’ll be extra careful from now on.”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “Sure.” He didn’t really believe it, but what else was there for him to go on?
Chastity’s appearance, fully dressed and looking almost happy brought whatever conversation would have continued between him and Jean to a halt as Jack’s attention became focused on Chastity. She was still wearing the pink shirt but now she had on denim overalls, a pair of white socks and the sneakers she’d worn coming into the project. Jack thought she looked mighty cute, even though her hair was in a simple ponytail rather than the braids it had been in the night before. He also realized that he didn’t have shoes on and headed back to his room to put them on and grab his jacket. A few minutes later they were all heading towards the front door of the old school, properly dressed against the winter chill. They all got into a tan Ford Crown Victoria of very recent manufacture and headed off.
Jean waited until they were out of the parking lot and underway before speaking. “So, what do you two want to eat?”
Jack looked at Chastity who shrugged. “Oh you’re helpful,” he whispered to her. She gave off a small smile at his joking comment, but said nothing. “Um… I guess a good place that serves breakfast.”
“Denny’s?” Mary suggested to Jean, and then looked back at the teens.
Jack looked at Chastity again, who shook her head no, and then went about staring out the window at the snow-capped buildings and cars they were driving past. “Um, I think Denny’s is out; how about a classier place instead?”
“There’s that restaurant on Hawthorne… what is it called again?” Jean asked.
“Alexander’s, I think. They have good pancakes,” Mary said.
“That’s fine,” Jack said. He looked at Chastity for some sort of confirmation, but got nothing from her; she was still looking out the window. Jack gave off a little sigh, and then sat back to enjoy the ride. He’d had the foresight to bring along his iPod, and before too long, he had Megadeth playing in his ears. Oddly enough, the song he was playing was “Trust,” from the album Cryptic Writings. This irony was lost on him, though, as Jean drove along to Alexander’s.
They reached the restaurant soon enough, and Jack pocketed his iPod in his coat once the car pulled into the parking lot. As they were walking to the door Jack and Chastity lagged behind a few paces. “You all right?” he asked her quietly.
Chastity looked at him for a moment and then away from him and towards the restaurant’s entrance. “Yeah,” she murmured. “I guess.” She sighed. “I’ll be okay, Jack, really.”
He held the door open for her when they reached it. “I know, but you’ve been awfully quiet since we left.” He thought about it for a moment. “Not that I can blame you for it.”
Chastity smiled a little. “Yeah,” was all she said as they walked into the restaurant itself. A waitress grabbed four menus and led them to a quiet booth. The nurses slid into one side, Chastity took the inside seat of the other and Jack slid in next to her.
“Would you like anything to drink?” the waitress asked with a cheerful tone.
“Coffee, please,” Jean said.
“For me as well,” Mary piped up.
Jack quickly found the beverage selection of his menu and asked for a Coke. Chastity asked for a Sprite. The waitress disappeared to fill their orders, leaving the four in silence. Jean and Mary looked over the teenagers’ expressions as surreptitiously as they could from behind their menus; both teens were looking over theirs as well, and they noticed that Jack seemed a little more anxious than he had before, and that Chastity’s expression was fairly bleak. Indeed, her whole attitude seemed to have dampened since the morning revelation of their temporary incontinence. That was cause for concern between the two nurses, especially since the week had only just started and they already were sitting on a royal mess.
A couple of minutes later, the waitress came back with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. Jack was, and by some stroke of good fortune, everyone else was as well. The waitress started with Chastity. “I’ll have a short stack of pancakes, please,” she said, much to the private relief of everyone else at the table.
“Would you like any sides with that?”
“No, thank you.”
“For you?” the waitress said to Jack.
“I’ll have the stack of pancakes, with a side of hash browns,” Jack said.
“Okay…” the waitress jotted that down and took Jean and Mary’s orders, collected their menus, and then vanished once again to post them for the cooks.
Jack sipped at his Coke, darting private glances at Chastity every now and then, who seemed lost in abject contemplation of the table’s surface. Every little bit, he noticed, she would absently take a drink from her Sprite. He was starting to worry about her, and hoped that she snapped out of her funk soon. It wasn’t like they were going to be stuck in diapers for longer than a week. Jean and Mary had both pretty much said so, and they were nurses who had done this sort of thing before, so that had to mean something. Didn’t it?
When their food arrived, it was eaten largely in a tense, nervous silence. Jack and Chastity ate, Jack with a bigger appetite than Chastity fairly well cleaned his plates while Chastity ate all but about the last quarter of her pancakes, and the two nurses ate more or less all of theirs. The silence apparently got to Jean, who stood up and motioned for Mary to follow her. Mary did so, with a confused expression on her face. The waitress had already cleared away their dishes, and even with the nurses gone, Chastity still remained silent. “Hey,” Jack said to her. “Wake up.”
She looked at him, and for a moment, the melancholy left her features. “I’m here,” she said. “Don’t worry.”
“Still upset about this morning?” he asked quietly.
Chastity nodded. “It’s going to take me a while to get over it.” She smiled a little for him. “But I’ll get over it.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah,” he said, but that was all. The nurses came back, and they all left the restaurant. The ride back to the school-turned-laboratory of sorts was quiet and uneventful, which was cause for a little further concern for the nurses. When they did get back to the school, Jean decided it was time to have the teens fill out a couple of questionnaires about the products they’d used so far. She took them into the entertainment room and Mary brought the forms for the diapers, sleepers, bottles, and cribs. After explaining the forms a bit and telling the teens what sort of feedback was being looked for, they left them in peace to fill them out. “Well, isn’t this a jolly barrel of crap,” Jack mused as he looked over the first form he was going to fill out; one about the thinner diapers. “Did you think they were comfortable,” he read.
“Well, what did you expect?” Chastity asked. “It is a generic questionnaire… even if it is about baby products.”
“Yeah, true,” Jack muttered as he wrote something down for it. He couldn’t honestly give negative feedback… yet. The crib questionnaire was the most interesting, though, with the sleeper sheet following a close second. “Was it too stuffy,” he read. “These folks get a little too into their work, I think,” he mused.
“Tell me about it,” Chastity agreed. Jack looked up at her, and noticed that her disposition seemed to have improved a bit since breakfast. Maybe the pancakes had been prepared with a dash of cheerfulness rather than a muscle inhibiting formula, Jack thought wryly. He hoped it lasted, he thought as he went back to finishing the forms.
“Jack?”
“Hmmm?” He looked up at her again.
“This might sound silly… but do you think they really made an honest mistake with the food? Or was it intentional to see how we’d take it?”
“Actually, I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Jack admitted. “On one hand, you have Jean and Mary’s seemingly honestly surprised reactions this morning, but on the other it seems just a little too convenient for this place. I mean, we’re basically trapped in a nursery, with the knowledge that if we leave, as we have a right to, we have to face our newfound difficulties outside.” Jack shrugged. “Maybe it’s a mixture of both,” he said.
Chastity nodded. “Yeah,” she said and then a pained expression flickered across her features. She winced and put a hand to her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, concerned.
She remained silent for a moment. “I don’t know… it felt like a really bad stomach cramp for a moment… then it went away.” She looked at him again. “I feel fine, now.”
Jack shrugged. “Maybe breakfast didn’t agree with you for a minute.”
Chastity thought about it, and then shrugged as well. “Maybe. Either way, no more cramps at the moment.”
“Good deal,” he said as he arranged all of his forms in a neat stack and set them aside. He stood up and went back to the bookshelves, once again perusing the titles. He picked up The Hunt for Red October and started reading it absently until there was a spot of pink in the corner of his vision. He focused on it and it resolved into Chastity. “Yes?”
She smirked at him. “Are you going to stand there reading all day?”
“I hadn’t planned on it; did you have something else in mind?”
“I think we should explore this building a little more. We hardly covered the fifth floor,” she said.
Jack looked at her obliquely. “You just want to go back up to the toy room and cuddle your big teddy bear, don’t you.”
She shrugged impishly. “Well, a little stopover couldn’t hurt. Come on.”
Jack put the book back and followed her out of the room. She led him to the stairwell together they went up to the third floor, and just as Jack had figured, Chastity went into the toy room. “You know, I’m starting to get the feeling that you really like this room,” he said.
“Yeah, so what if I do?” she asked.
Jack shrugged. “No real reason,” he said. “I suppose it’s just cute, is all.”
Chastity’s cheeks flushed pink, which seemed to chase the very last vestiges of melancholy out of her expression. “Cute, huh?”
“Oh, yes,” Jack said, affecting a grave tone. “Very cute.” She smiled at him sat down amidst the stuffed animals again, and then grimaced. “What’s wrong?”
Chastity was about to answer and then she paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think...” she began, “that my diaper is wet.”
“Oh, is that all,” Jack said and shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me if mine was, too.”
Chastity looked at him oddly. “You seem to be taking this all in stride,” she pointed out.
He shrugged again. “Maybe it’s because we’re in such a private place,” he suggested. “Less embarrassment than if it were a large group or something… that and knowing that you’re in the same boat sort of makes it easier to take.”
Chastity smirked at him. “Oh, so the pretty girl in diapers and childish clothes makes this easier to take?”
Jack nodded. “Yep. That about sums it up nicely.”
Chastity shook her head ruefully. “Boys,” she muttered.
“What?” Jack asked defensively.
She sneered at him. “Nothing,” she retorted, but then smiled. “At least I have the consolation that you have to wear childish clothes as well.”
“Hey, I’m not the one wearing overalls.”
Chastity looked at him in surprise. “Overalls are not childish! They still make them in adult sizes.”
“Well, I still associate them with children,” Jack retorted.
Chastity shook her head. “Which is further proof that boys have no fashion sense.”
“What, and overalls are fashionable? Please… maybe if you’re working in construction or on a farm, or something.”
“They are so fashionable!” Chastity exclaimed. “You think I look cute in them.”
“Yeah… so?” She smacked him on the arm. “What was that for?”
“For being a jerk,” she said impishly, good cheer on her face. “Overalls are fashionable, and you just admitted that by saying I looked cute in them.”
Jack rolled his eyes, defeated. “Fine, overalls are fashionable. Happy?”
She grinned. “Yes.” Content with herself for having boxed Jack in so handily, she pranced around the room and picked up her favorite giant teddy bear. She held it close and schooled her expression into as insufferably cute as she could make it. “How about this, Jack?” she asked demurely, before starting to suck her thumb.
Jack burst out laughing. “Okay, come on now. That’s overkill.”
Chastity giggled. “There is no such thing as cuteness overkill.”
“Maybe not for you,” he pointed out. “But we men—“
“Boys,” Chastity corrected.
“But we men,” Jack repeated, but with a certain emphasis on the last word, “have a limit.”
“Oh?” Chastity asked, her curiosity piqued. “And just what is your limit?”
“I think you just set and exceeded it.”
Chastity grinned at him like the Cheshire Cat. “Liar.” She twirled around once, still holding the bear. “You just love it all to pieces when I look super cute,” she said, plainly enjoying the teasing she was handing out to Jack. When she turned to face him, she had a doe-eyed expression and looked at him with big brown eyes. “Don’t you just wuvs me?” she asked childishly.
“Oh my lord,” Jack said, and looked away with a smile. “You’re having too much fun with this.” When he turned back Chastity was sucking her thumb again. “Awe jeez!”
Chastity laughed and pranced again. “You just wuvs it when wittle baby Chastity comes out to pway!”
Jack was beet red by this point. “Stop teasing me!”
“Fine,” Chastity said and stopped prancing around. “I’ll stop… for now.” She looked at him, and then sat down cross-legged.
The instant she did, though, her expression changed from triumphant glee to uncomprehending horror.
Chapter Six
Jack looked at her with extreme apprehension when the look of horror came across Chastity’s face. After a few moments the horror gave way to something else—disgust, perhaps?—and she closed her eyes, seeming to shudder. “Chastity?” No response. Jack walked over to her. “Chastity?” he asked again. She opened her eyes, but didn’t look at him. She only raised a hand to him. He had to guess, but he took her hand and helped her to her feet; she rose very carefully. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I…” she began, but then stopped. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, and then started walking—very carefully—towards the door. Jack was utterly clueless, and so he walked with her as she very slowly and deliberately walked to the stairwell. They reached the first floor without incident and that’s where Chastity stopped.
Jack looked at her worriedly. “What is it?”
Chastity’s eyes flicked to him for a moment, and then away, and then they closed. “I… don’t want to talk about it,” she repeated. If Jack didn’t know any better he’d have said she was once again on the verge of tears. She started walking again, still with that same slow and deliberate pace, past both of their rooms and to what amounted to the nurses’ office. She caught Mary’s attention, who stood up and instantly took Chastity under her wing and in a few moments the two women were around the corner, leaving Jack standing there in a state of utter perplexity.
After a few more moments, Jean came out into the hallway as well. “Come on,” she said, and led Jack back to his room where she told him to take off his pants.
“Why?” he asked.
“So I can see if your diaper needs to be changed.”
“I think I would know if my diaper needed to be changed or not,” he said defensively. Jean only looked at him. Jack’s resistance didn’t last long, and he grudgingly took off his pants to reveal a wet diaper.
“Just as I thought,” Jean said and gestured for Jack to get onto the changing table. Jack did so, and once more the diaper changing process began. Jack bore it as best he was able—he was getting better at not being thoroughly embarrassed—but that didn’t mean he liked it.
But if Jack didn’t like it, Chastity most certainly hated it. Her uncomprehending horror had been the result of sitting down on a messy diaper. Wet diapers she could tolerate to a certain degree; those diaper changes were quick and easy. This time, however, the case was very, very different. The action of sitting on a messy diaper had the most unpleasant reaction of having said mess squished and spread around her bottom, which had the further action of creating a most unholy mess on her skin. There was no quick and easy this time. The wipe had gone over her front easy enough; no mess there. But this time, it was more than one wipe that went over her bottom. It seemed to Chastity as if an unending procession of wipes was being guided over her skin in the single-minded goal of removing every last bit of fecal matter. To make things worse, the smell from Chastity’s diaper had begun to waft, and it was all she could do not to gag. Mary had dealt with this sort of thing before; she knew what she was doing, and had better control of her faculties. Chastity couldn’t ever remember smelling this bad.
She felt bad for Mary to have to deal with this, even if it was part of her job. She was also utterly mortified at first of all having pooped her diaper like a baby, second of all, sitting in it and making a huge mess, and third of all having to get cleaned up like a baby. She was not a baby! But, if anyone had walked in and seen her getting her diaper changed this way, that’s probably what they would have thought. She was laying on an oversized changing table with her knees were up against her chest as Mary diligently worked with the wipes, there was an unmistakable brown mess with a pile of stained wipes on it, and her diaper was too big and noticeable. All the evidence pointed to the contrary. She was a baby. A big baby who needed to have her diapers checked and changed by an adult. It made her sick.
Soon enough, though—not soon enough for Chastity’s tastes—Mary got rid of the dirty diaper and had a clean one of the same type under her bottom. Under different circumstances, Chastity might even have found it welcoming, but the knowledge that she needed to wear them for now made it seem like a prison sentence. Not even the sweet smell of baby lotion (which Chastity would admit smelled nice) or the gentle tickle of baby powder could dispel the returned melancholy, and it was only after Mary had brought the front up and taped it in place with the two huge tapes and allowed her off the table did she make any sort of sound. “Thanks,” she said meekly and put her overalls back on. She walked out into the hallway to find a very worried looking Jack standing there. “Hey,” she said softly.
“Everything all right?” he asked quietly, as if there were enemies lurking about eavesdropping.
“Yeah,” she said and looked away. “Come on.” She started for the stairwell again and Jack followed along, mercifully silent. Jean and Mary watched them go before they went back to their offices. For a brief moment Chastity thought of him as a guardian angel; he’d been so helpful to her and before yesterday she might have only given him the time of day, if even that. Now, though… things were different. Much different.
Chastity led him to the toy room once again, but instead of immediately picking up her discarded bear she walked to the window, moved the curtain aside, and stared out at the bleak, winterized view before her. It was even snowing a bit, clouds having rolled in unnoticed and light flakes were falling from the heavens. Jack kept a respectful distance—not too close, but not too far, either—while Chastity stared out into the falling snow. His face showed a mixture of anxiety, nervousness, and concern. Chastity saw those emotions clearly when she turned to face him. “Jack?” she started, meek and tentative.
“Yeah?”
Chastity had trouble asking the question. “Am… am I a baby?”
Jack’s expression became confused. “No… why would you wonder something like that?”
Chastity sighed, exasperated. “I pooped my diaper,” she blurted.
“Oh. So that’s what that was all about,” Jack said, looking almost relieved.
“Yes, that’s what that was all about,” she growled.
“Well… so what?”
“So what?” Chastity gaped at him. “I dropped a giant load of crap into my diaper without even realizing it!” she exclaimed.
“And in this particular situation and under these circumstances, how is that your fault?” he asked.
Chastity opened her mouth to speak, and then stopped and huffed. “That’s not the point.”
“Yes it is,” Jack said. “How are you supposed to control your bodily functions when that formula is at work?” he went on.
Chastity frowned and looked away from him, back towards the window and what lay beyond. After a few moments she heaved a sigh and sagged a little. “I feel like a baby, though.”
“What’s so bad about that?”
She turned to look at him. “I’m almost seventeen, Jack. Hardly the time of my life when I should be feeling like a baby or acting like a baby or…”
“Dressing like a baby?” Jack prompted.
“Yes,” Chastity agreed.
“Technically speaking, you aren’t dressed as a baby.”
Her look became a little frosty. “Then what am I dressed like?” she asked.
Jack winced a little. “A five year-old?” he suggested.
“Oh, and that makes me feel so much better,” Chastity muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s better than being dressed as a baby,” Jack pointed out.
“Not by much,” Chastity murmured, her attention once again on the falling snow.
Jack stepped closer. “What’s so bad about it?” he asked.
Chastity sighed, almost in disgust. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m so pissed because they took away my control without having the decency to tell me. Now I’m stuck in these diapers for a week, maybe more, and I had no choice in the matter.” Her face darkened. “And to make matters worse, I pooped my diaper,” she growled.
“That has you all out of sorts, doesn’t it?”
Chastity huffed. “Yes, it has me all out of sorts. It was the most childish, baby-like thing I could ever do, and I did it. What’s worse, I don’t even remember when I did it.”
“What about when you were changed? Was your diaper wet, too?”
She looked at him oddly. “I don’t know… probably.”
“Well, while you were being changed, I was being changed as well. And while I didn’t have a messy diaper, I still had wet diaper. I don’t have any notion of when I wet it, either, or how many times I wet it. When it happened, I didn’t feel a thing. Do I feel like a baby? No.”
“Well, then you’re special,” Chastity said sardonically.
“So… what, you want to be a baby?”
Chastity looked at him as if he were stupid. “No, of course not.”
“Then why do you keep saying that you feel like one?” he asked.
“I don’t know… I just feel so… helpless,” Chastity said petulantly.
“Even though it’s just temporary?”
“Yes, even though it’s just temporary. I mean… look at me,” she said, turning to face him. “I’m wearing a diaper, Jack. Last night was different; last night it was new and different and… well, it was fun.” She paused. “Now… now that I actually need them, it isn’t fun anymore.” Her eyes glistened with tears and she blinked them away. “Now… I’m not just playing a baby, I am a baby,” she said plaintively, her voice faltering as she fought against the lump rising in her throat. One tear escaped and slid down her cheek.
“Then be a baby,” Jack said.
His words were so unexpected that it momentarily overrode her emotions. “What did you say?” she asked, certain she hadn’t heard right.
“I said, be a baby,” Jack repeated.
“How can you say something like that?” she asked.
Jack shrugged. “Well, you’re making such a big deal out of it like it’s some sort of horrendous thing. So, I say try it and see if it’s as bad as you make it out to be.”
Chastity stared at him for a moment. “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” she said at last, swiping away her tears. And then she laughed. It wasn’t much of one, but it was still a laugh. “Were you serious?” she asked, a half smile on her face.
Jack shrugged again. “Don’t know, really. It just came to mind, it seemed logical… so I said it.” He smiled. “Who knows, maybe it’ll be fun.”
“Well, no offense, but I’d rather be my regular self,” Chastity said.
“None taken,” he said. “But what about your childish attire? Think you can put up with that for a while longer?”
Chastity sighed. “I suppose.” She grimaced. “I am not looking forward to my next messy diaper, though.”
“Yeah well, I’m not looking forward to my first.”
“Well, when it happens try to avoid sitting in it,” Chastity said, shaking her head. “That was not fun, believe me.”
Jack nodded sympathetically. “I don’t imagine so.” He looked at her more intently. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked cautiously.
She looked up at him, having recovered from her emotions and then smiled. “Yeah,” she said and then stepped closer and put her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said as he hugged her back.
“I do have one guilty little admission, though,” she murmured.
“What’s that?”
“These diapers are comfy.”
Jack chuckled. “Come on, let’s go finish exploring.”
And explore they did, confirming that aside from the toy room, the third floor had absolutely nothing else of interest. The fourth floor was even less interesting, because it had no toy room. But, on the fifth floor, Chastity found another unlocked door, and in her glee, immediately opened it and went inside, calling for Jack to join her. This Jack did, and they found themselves in a storeroom full of cases and cases and cases of diapers, cases of baby powder bottles, cases of baby lotion bottles, and loads of other such things. “Well, how about this,” she said as she walked further into the room. One of the packages of diapers caught her eye; well, the stack of packages did. They were all pink and proclaimed that they were Huggies: For Girls. “Talk about inventive advertising,” Chastity said sardonically as she picked one of the packages up and looked it over. She read the description on the back. “Ooh, with extra absorbent padding to keep wetness away from her skin… two strong yet refastenable tapes for security and convenience,” she read aloud.
Jack was looking over one of the packages for boys. “Jeez… and they actually sell these things?” he said.
“I don’t know,” Chastity said thoughtfully. “I might buy these.”
Jack looked at her and noticed what she was holding. “Well, there’s a difference.”
She looked at him curiously. “There is?”
“Sure. You see, girls could get away with that sort of thing and look cute, if not really cute, as you’ve so often demonstrated. Guys, on the other hand… it’d just be weird.”
“Even if they were doing it to please a girl?” Chastity put in.
“Well… less weird, I suppose,” Jack conceded.
“Sure,” Chastity said as she returned her attention to the package of diapers she held in her hand. They were cute, she admitted to herself, and they were comfortable. Maybe if they ever hit regular shelves, she’d pick up a package somewhere down the line and have some fun. With that, she set the package back on its stack and continued looking around. “Oh, this is too funny,” she said in quiet surprise as she picked up a package containing an extra large (read: teen-sized) pacifier. She couldn’t resist, and tore open the package and took one out. It was a girl’s pacifier, thankfully, and after looking it over she popped it into her mouth and started to suck on it.
Jack had heard her open the package and turned to her. “What are you doing?” he asked. She turned back to him serenely, still sucking on the pacifier. He just stared at her in mute shock.
She stopped sucking long enough to speak the word, “What?” around her pacifier and then resumed.
“That’s… a big pacifier,” he said.
Chastity took it out of her mouth. “Yeah, a lot better than the ones we used to suck on back in sixth grade,” she said.
“Raver.”
“Shut up.” Chastity made a face at him and then put the pacifier back in her mouth, sucking on it rather happily as she continued to poke around the storage room.
“You know, for someone who really doesn’t like the idea of being a baby you sure do take to it pretty easily,” Jack said.
Chastity glowered at him. “Shut up,” she repeated, but around the pacifier. Jack just smirked at her and folded his arms. Chastity huffed and pulled the pacifier out. “What?” she demanded.
“Oh, nothing,” said Jack innocently.
“Liar. What were you thinking about?”
Jack’s face took on a look of innocence. “Nothing! I swear.”
“You lie. Now tell me!”
Jack sighed. “You really want to know?” Chastity nodded vigorously. Jack took a few moments to choose his words carefully, or as carefully as he could. “You look like an overgrown toddler,” he said at last. “That’s what I was thinking.” He paused, and then added, “A cute overgrown toddler.” Chastity glowered at him from around her pacifier. “You really like that thing, don’t you?”
She smirked at him as she took it out once more. “Let’s just say I’m taking your advice and giving this baby thing a little try.”
Chapter Seven
It was several hours later and Jack was in a foul mood. Chastity was wearing a very smug expression as they sat in the entertainment room filling out more questionnaires. Her countenance had improved by leaps and bounds since the morning, and Jack’s congenial attitude had gone straight down the tubes not too long after they exhausted the potential of the storeroom on the fifth floor. Chastity had kept the pacifier, and even though she wasn’t sucking on it now, her expression wasn’t doing Jack any good. She looked at him and the smugness transferred to her smile. He caught it and glared at her. “Not a word,” he warned.
Chastity’s expression instantly shifted to angelic innocence. “I didn’t say a thing.”
Glare. “You were thinking it.”
“So?” Chastity said, that oozing innocence having moved into her tone. She might as well have been wearing a halo.
Jack sighed and shut off his glare. “Okay. Fine,” he grumped. “Say it.”
Innocence. “Say what?” she asked, her pretty brown eyes wide. Jack only looked at her. Finally, her innocent look broke and it was replaced by a smug grin. “The look on your face was hilarious!” she exclaimed.
Jack heaved another, much put-upon sigh.
“Oh come on,” she cooed. “You had to have thought it was funny when it happened to me.”
“Messy diapers are not funny!” Jack protested, blushing fiercely.
“Well, I happen to think that the expression on your face when you sat down was priceless.”
“I bet that just makes you feel so much better about your own incident.”
She grinned at him devilishly. “You have no idea.”
“Well, at least I don’t suck on a pacifier.”
Chastity shrugged impishly. “You should try it. Mellows you out.”
Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “No thanks.”
She shrugged again. “Suit yourself,” she said in a singsong tone. Jack only grumbled and went back to his forms. She giggled cheerfully. “The look on your face was priceless,” she murmured excitedly.
Jack put his head in his hands. “Drop it, already!”
Chastity’s glee only increased. “No!” she said childishly and made a pouty face at him, which promptly dissolved into giggles.
“I hope you crap your diaper even worse next time!”
Chastity made a face at him. “Liar.”
“Okay… well… I hope your diaper leaks, then!”
She outright laughed at him. “You have got to be the worst liar I have ever met.”
Jack sighed heavily. “There’s no living with you, you know that.” Chastity grinned at him and put her pacifier back in her mouth, and struck the cutest pose she could possibly do. When Jack saw it his expression became mournful. “And now I have to put up with the teasing…”
Chastity removed her pacifier and stuck her tongue out at him. “Fine, be Mister Grumpy Pants; I’m going to go have fun,” she declared and flounced out of the room. Jack watched her go and then shook his head and returned his attention to the damnable forms. He finished them off and put them in a folder with his name on it, and after closing it he decided to go upstairs to the toy room, figuring that’s where Chastity would be. However, Jean intercepted him.
“Ah, what a coincidence,” she said to him. “Would you please find Chastity and bring her down here for a diaper change? We’re going out for lunch since corporate hasn’t called me back about the food here, yet.”
“Uh, sure,” Jack said uneasily, and did as he was asked. He went up to the toy room, expecting to find Chastity there, but found the room empty. He frowned and leaned against the doorframe, pondering. Well, if she wasn’t here, he thought, there was only one other place she might be. He trekked up to the fifth floor and headed for the storeroom where he did indeed find her. “Hey,” he said as he walked into the room.
“Hey,” she said in turn as she scrutinized a package of diapers.
“Jean says we’re going out for lunch,” Jack said, “And wants us to get changed before we go.”
Chastity looked up at him and then set the package down and slipped a hand into her overalls. She frowned after a few moments. “Yeah, that would probably be a good idea,” she said as she withdrew her hand. Jack looked at her blankly. “Wet diaper,” she clarified.
“Oh,” Jack said and moved out of the way so she could exit, and then followed her to the stairwell. “What were you doing in there, anyway?”
Chastity shrugged. “Nothing, really. Just looking over some of the things they have in there.”
“Why?”
Chastity gave him a look. “I was just curious, that’s all.”
Jack looked at her obliquely. “Right.”
“I was!” she protested. “I have a right to be curious.”
Jack’s expression became smug. “I think it’s because you actually like all of this stuff and enjoy acting like a baby.”
Chastity’s cheeks flushed pink. “I do not,” she stated.
Jack’s smugness only increased. “Oh? Then why do you suck on a pacifier and behave like a child from time to time?”
Her cheeks went from pink to red. “I told you the pacifier mellows me out and the childish behavior is just an act. You know that. Besides,” she said, recovering the initiative. You’re the one who suggested that I enjoy it, anyway.”
“Okay, so I didn’t think you’d take my advice seriously.”
“Yeah, right,” Chastity said, rolling her eyes. “But,” she began, her expression shifting to one of curiosity, “I am wondering why you gave me that advice.”
Jack shrugged, seeming bashful for a few moments. “It just came to me,” he said, looking away.
Chastity’s gaze became somewhat predatory. “Oh, just like that, hmmm?”
“Yeah… just like that,” Jack said, almost uneasily.
“Admit it,” she said. “You like it when I do that. You probably like it that I’m dressed up like this, too.” Now it was Jack’s turn to flush red, but he didn’t answer. “Ha!” Chastity exclaimed triumphantly. “I was right. You like this, too!”
“No, I don’t like this,” he said. “I don’t like wearing diapers or wearing childish clothes.”
Chastity wouldn’t relent. “But you like that I like it.”
Jack sighed. “Yes.”
She grinned at him. “Well I was close enough,” she said and the put her pacifier in her mouth and batted her eyelashes at him.
“Awe jeez…” Jack looked away. “Enough with the teasing!”
“No,” Chastity said simply, and took her pacifier out, smiling a smile of victory. “I know you just love it when I tease you.”
“I do not!” Jack protested.
“Do so.”
“Do not.”
Chastity laughed at him. “You do so, now admit it.”
Jack threw up his hands in defeat. “Alright, fine!” he said. “I do not.”
Chastity gaped at him and smacked him on the arm. “You liar!”
Jack laughed. “Okay, fine… I admit it. I like it when you tease me.”
“Why?” Chastity asked innocently.
“What do you mean, ‘why?’” Jack asked. Chastity just looked at him. “Well… it makes me feel… um… special.”
Chastity smiled broadly at him. “It does, does it?”
“Yes, it does,” Jack said.
“Why’s that?” she asked.
Jack shrugged and shuffled his feet nervously. “Well… it’s just that…” he trailed off and looked away for a few moments. “Well, you’re the first girl who’s really… made me feel that way.”
Chastity’s eyes gleamed. “Oh,” she murmured. The mood of the conversation had taken a drastic shift with that admission. “Well, Jack, in all fairness…” she wrinkled her nose. “Well, I’ve felt pretty special, too.”
Jack brightened. “You have?”
She nodded. “You’ve been such a gentleman through this whole thing… I get the feeling that anyone else would have made fun of me, but you haven’t.” Her eyes came up and met his.
Jack nodded, and then he grinned smugly. “Big baby.”
“Chastity stuck her tongue out at him. “Liar.”
He chuckled and resumed descending towards the first floor. “Yeah, I know. Pretty bad one, too.”
Chastity giggled a little bit. “That’s okay. I think it’s cute.”
Jack flushed. “Probably because I’m so bad at it it’s funny.”
Chastity grinned. “Yep.” She followed him down. “So why do you like it that I’m dressed up like this?” she asked.
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know, really… it’s different… it’s cute… it also seems to suit you for some reason.”
Chastity mulled over that. “The different and cute part I’ll buy, but I don’t get how it suits me.”
Jack looked at her. “Neither do I… I just have this feeling that it does.”
She looked at him for a few moments and then away with a smile. “Well, maybe you’ll figure it out later.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Maybe I will.”
They reached the ground floor and headed back towards their rooms. Jean and Mary were waiting, and when they arrived they took their charges into their rooms and changed their diapers. The two teenagers emerged with their cheeks only moderately flushed compared to previous changes. Within five minutes they were back in the Crown Victoria and heading into town for the second time that day, but this time driving through fallen and falling snow. No one felt like another restaurant, and Jack suggested a Burger King—he spied it out his window—and to his casual delight no one objected. Jean decided to go through the drive-thru rather than go in, and each person rattled off her (or his) order to Jean. Jack ordered two whoppers with cheese, a medium fry, and a large drink, Mr. Pibb, in this case. “Jeez,” Chastity whispered from her seat. “I wouldn’t order so much if I were you; it’s all going to end up in your diaper, anyway,” she whispered to Jack.
He looked at her smugly. “So is yours.” She stuck her tongue out at him but remained silent. Jack retreated into the safety of one-eared iPod usage after the food was handed into the car. Mary held the big bag of food and the drinks while Jean drove. This time around Jack was listening to Nightwish. Chastity was once again looking out her window, but without the aloofness that had been present that morning. Jean was apparently of a mind to have them eat in the building, and so that’s where they went. Chastity and Jack adjourned to the entertainment room to eat while Jean and Mary retreated to their offices. Jack greedily devoured his burgers and fries, and Chastity couldn’t help but swipe a few when the opportunity arose. “Hey! Those are mine!” he protested around his food.
She smirked at him playfully. “Not anymore,” she said and then popped them into her mouth.
“Thief.”
“Animal.”
“Baby.”
“Liar.”
“Um…”
Chastity looked at him. “Couldn’t think of anything to follow that with, eh?”
Jack shook his head. “Nope,” he said, and then bit into his burger again.
“Ugh. Pig.”
“Beef, woman. Not pig.”
Chastity scoffed at him. “What did you call me?”
Jack looked at her oddly. “I called you woman. Not like I lied or anything.”
“What a chauvinist thing to say.”
Jack shrugged. “When we men are eating, the meal is about all we think of. Maybe we’ll converse over how things would be better if women went back to serving us unconditionally.” Chastity slapped him across the arm again. “Ow!”
“That’s right,” she declared.
Jack shrugged and shook his head. “Whatever,” he said and went back to demolishing his food.
“Jerk.”
“Woman.”
“Pig.”
“Woman.”
Chastity laughed. “What kind of comeback is that?”
Jack smirked at her. “One that works.”
“Oh? And how’s that?”
“You can call me whatever you want, but no matter what you’ll still be a woman.”
She made a face at him. “Fine, you win.”
Jack beamed at her. “Thank you,” he said and returned to the pleasurable task of devouring the rest of his last burger. Chastity rolled her eyes and went back to the remnants of her meal as well.
Jean suddenly came in. “Good news!” she said with a broad smile. “I just got off the phone with corporate and they’ll have all the formula-laced food replaced by this evening!”
“That’s a relief,” Jack said as he sipped from the remnants of his pop.
“No kidding,” Chastity said, and then smiled to herself. Not too much longer, and she would be in full control again. No more diaper dependency. A few hours had been barely tolerable at points; Jack had a point when he asked if she would be able to tolerate a week or more of it. There had already been several points during the day when she was near the breaking point, most notably when she had her messy diaper changed, followed by when she woke up wet in a very close second place.
Chastity sighed. No, the rest of the week was not going to be easy at all. Besides, if it had only just started and already this weird stuff had happened to them… what did the rest of the week have in store? Was the end of the madness close or far? And then there was Jack to consider. Suddenly he was very special to her, and regardless of what happened the rest of the week, she intended to get to know him better.
As far as Jack was concerned, he too had his worries about the remaining days of the week. Monday was only a little more than half over and already he had no control over his bodily functions. Now that was saying something, and none of it was good. Jean wasn’t finished speaking, though, and Jack returned his attention to her. “So, we’ll have dinner here, tonight, and then most of the rest of your meals will be taken here, though we might go out just for the fun of it.”
Jack shrugged. “Sounds fine,” he said.
“Good,” Jean said cheerfully and left the room.
Jack arched an eyebrow and looked at Chastity. “I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this.”
Chastity looked at him oddly. “How can you have a bad feeling about eating here now that they’re replacing the food?”
He shrugged. “No idea. I just do, though.”
Chastity rolled her eyes. “Watch, it’ll probably be nothing and all the rest of our meals here will be just dandy.”
Jack thought about that. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said.
“Of course I’m right,” Chastity said. “Remember, beauty and those all-important brains,” she pointed out.
Jack conceded the point. “Very true,” he said.
She sighed. “So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?”
Jack thought it over for a few moments. “I have no idea.”
Chastity rolled her eyes again. “You’re a real help.”
Chapter Eight
They ended up doing something unique and different for teenagers of their age; reading. For the fun of it, no less, which would have come as a surprise to several people. Then again, these were unique circumstances, and as such whatever significance reading had over other activities that teenagers would find enjoyable was lost as they became engrossed in their respective books. Jack had almost predictably gone with The Hunt for Red October, and Chastity had eventually settled for reading Jurassic Park. By the time she started reading, though, he was already lost in the wonderful world of navy espionage, and it wasn’t until much later that their reading interlude was interrupted by Mary, who brought them bottles filled with fruit juice. Jack and Chastity shared a look mixed of bemusement and mild concern, but they nevertheless drank. Jack had the idea to unscrew the top from his and drank rather casually.
Chastity slapped her forehead when she saw what Jack had done to his bottle. “Now why didn’t I think of that?” she groaned.
Jack smirked. “Because you’re the one attempting to enjoy this?”
Chastity made as if to throw her book at him and Jack cowered suitably. “That’s what I thought,” she said with an air of triumph, and then unscrewed the top of her bottle as well. Jack only chuckled a bit to himself and went back to reading. Of course, their peace was not to last, but before it was inevitably disturbed, the two teenagers had enough time to finish their bottles, and once again Chastity was following Jack’s lead and replacing the cap on her bottle. When it was disturbed, it was Mary who was the disruptor rather than Jean. She noted with quiet satisfaction that both teens had emptied their bottles, but before she left she fussed over Chastity for a bit. “What’s the matter?” Chastity asked, a note of anxiety in her voice.
“Oh, nothing at all, honey. I’m just checking your diaper to see if you need to be changed,” Mary said as she unhooked Chastity’s overalls and exposed her diaper. It was very girlish, and it was also very wet. “Oh my; you’re soaked,” Mary reported. Jack studiously engaged himself with his book and was able to spare Chastity whatever mortification there would have been had he watched her have her diaper checked. “Come along and let’s get you freshened up.”
Chastity grimaced. “Now?” It was almost a whine.
“Better now than later,” Mary said. “Come on. Won’t take long.” Chastity grudgingly got up—after re-hooking her overalls, of course—and followed Mary to her room. When she reappeared a few minutes later she was no longer wearing overalls and a shirt; instead she was wearing a pink onesie similar to the one she had worn the previous night. Also, rather than Mary following Chastity back in, this time it was Jean.
Jean looked at Jack and simply said, “Your turn.” Jack sighed, marked his page, rose, and followed Jean to his room. When he returned he was similarly attired to Chastity. She gave him a sympathetic look from behind the relative safety of Michael Crichton, and rather than address the point, Jack simply returned to his book and resumed reading rather than dwell on the subject. Chastity as well was content to let it rest, and so the next little while passed without incident.
However, Chastity soon tired of reading about the engineered return of the dinosaurs and set her book aside with a sigh and looked at Jack. Jack was slow to realize he was being observed, but eventually he became aware of it and looked up and away from his book slowly. “Yes?” he asked.
“I’m bored,” Chastity stated.
Jack shrugged. “Um… go play with your stuffed animals?”
Chastity looked at him in shock. “What kind of suggestion is that?” she asked, somewhat caustically.
Jack, to his credit was quick to realize his error. “A bad one?”
Chastity favored him with a smirk. “You got that right.”
Jack sighed and marked his page, putting the book aside. Just when he was getting to a good part, too… “Okay, so you’re bored. What do you want me to do about it?”
“Think of something for us to do.”
Jack put up his hands. “Whoa there; remember we tried this earlier? It didn’t work so well.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve elected you to be the idea man. So, get some ideas.”
Jack groaned. “Can’t you think of something to do this time?”
“Well, I would suggest exploring, but we’ve pretty much covered that, and I really don’t feel like trying to poke around outside.”
Jack surveyed her onesie. “Even if you wanted to, neither of us are properly attired for such a venture.”
“Point,” Chastity said. “Though these diapers are thick enough to act as some sort of insulator.”
“That’s not something I want to test.”
“Same here,” she agreed. “So that leaves trying to find something to do inside.” She paused. “So, any ideas?”
Jack shook his head. “Not a one.”
“Wonderful,” Chastity groused.
“Isn’t it just?”
“Quiet, you.”
“I thought you wanted me to think of something to do?”
“You can think silently, and when you have an idea, then you may speak.”
“Oh, so now I have no speech privileges?” Jack asked. “Who died and made you queen?”
Chastity’s smile was all teeth. “Watch it, or you’ll be lucky to rate as court jester.”
“Better to simply cut off my head and be done with it; I’m not much for comedy.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
Jack glowered at her. “Quiet, you.”
“Make me.”
“Oh, you want me to?”
Chastity got up out of her chair and stood in the middle of the room, fists on her hips as if ready to go into battle or pose for a picture as a superhero. “Do your worst.”
Jack examined and discounted several possibilities in the space of mere seconds. Finally, the only real option he had manifested and he seized upon it. With a quick motion, he lunged at Chastity and started to tickle her sides. The result was not immediately apparent, but after a moment or two she began to sputter, and then the giggles overcame her and down she went. Jack pressed home his advantage, easily brushing aside Chastity’s weak defense and soon she was red in the face from laughter. “Stop!” she sputtered, but Jack did not relent. Finally, she managed to escape, and after shoving him back a little bit she shot to her feet and bolted out the door, somehow managing not to slip and land on her diapered bottom due to her socks. Jack got up and gave chase, but Chastity was already down the hall; he followed the sound of her feet smacking against tile floor and soon enough he had her in his sights. It was truly a sight to behold; her diaper caused her running gait to be a little wider than it otherwise would have, and probably dulled her speed, too. The same was true for Jack; he had to adjust his running gait as well. Chastity rounded a corner and Jack was only seconds behind her; he made the turn and rather than still running Chastity had waited for him to turn and then she shot back around the corner and started running the other way, laughing all the while.
“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed as he tried to crash stop and barely managed to avoid dumping himself unceremoniously to the floor. In a few moments he was back on Chastity’s tail; but instead of continue through the halls she ducked into the main stairwell. This is where the advantage shifted firmly into Jack’s favor; taking the steps two or three or even four at a time, the distance between him and her was sharply decreased. Chastity ran into the third floor hall with Jack almost hot on her heels. She ran into the toy room and managed to snatch up a few stuffed animals just as Jack was coming in; he entered into her line of fire and received a stuffed whale to the chest for his efforts in her pursuit. “Hey!” he exclaimed. Chastity only laughed at him and threw a dog at him. Jack picked up her expended ammunition and fired it back. Chastity squealed when she was hit and threw a big horse at him next. Jack dodged out of the way and threw a little bird at her. He had the satisfaction of seeing the little bird fly straight and true—though he would deny aiming—into her diapered bottom, but his satisfaction was short-lived as Chastity whirled about and pelted him in the face with a dolphin. She followed up with the little bird, but Jack caught it and began to summarily deflect her shots. When she would try to recover thrown animals, Jack would pelt her with one.
Of course, this could only go on for so long, and instead of going for animals to throw, Chastity took a few moments to size up her approach; when she moved she got hit by a dog, but succeeded in pushing Jack down onto a pile of stuffed animals, including the big horse, which also happened to be rather soft. She stood above him in triumph, her expression gleeful. “Oh,” she said, gloating, “what now?”
“That was a good shot, I have to admit,” Jack said from his position on the floor.
“Recognize,” Chastity said, still gloating.
Jack chuckled. “I recognize.”
“Good,” she said and then sat down next to him. “Now that you recognize me as your queen, everything will be aces from now on,” she said ever so nonchalantly.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh…”
Chastity looked at him imperiously. “Don’t take that tone with me, knave.”
Jack smirked at her. “I’ll take whatever tone I want with you,” he said.
Chastity looked at him in shock. “Such contempt!” she put her hand to her forehead dramatically. “Guards, seize him!”
Jack chuckled. “Okay, now you’re just being silly.”
“That is no way to address a queen,” Chastity said pointedly.
“Since when do queens wear diapers?”
Chastity smiled demurely. “Whenever they want to.”
“Oh really,” Jack said.
“Really.”
“Well in that case, I hereby demote you from queen to princess.”
Chastity glowered at him. “You can’t do that.”
“Oh? Says who?”
“Says me,” Chastity said.
Jack shrugged and leaned back casually. “Well, if you want to be a queen, go ahead. But they have to wear all the fancy gowns and look presentable all the time; princesses get to have more fun.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Who says I have to be like that? I’m the queen, so I get to make my own rules.”
Jack’s smug expression vanished. “Okay, you got me there.”
Chastity took up the smug expression. “That’s right, knave; know your place.” Jack sat up quickly and started tickling Chastity again. She fell backwards and burst into giggles and laughter almost immediately, but this time Jack hemmed her in so there was no escape. Finally, she was laughing so hard she was almost purple in the face and couldn’t breathe. It was then that Jack let up and let her catch her breath. “You’re mean,” she said and rolled away from him. But she was still sputtering a little bit and breathing a little heavy.
“Now who’s the liar?” Jack asked.
“I’m not lying; you’re mean.”
“No I’m not.”
“You are, too.”
“Am not.”
“You’re mean, now live with it,” Chastity huffed and sat back up. Almost immediately she started laughing again. Jack looked at her in confusion for several moments and then her laughter infected him, and soon enough both of them were laughing uncontrollably. They didn’t stop for several minutes, and by the time they did both of them were red in the face and could hardly string two words together coherently without laughing again. “Oh my,” Chastity said as she caught her breath and wiped tears off of her cheeks.
“No kidding,” Jack said, swiping away tears as well.
“Talk about absurdity,” Chastity said.
Jack nodded. “You can say that again.”
“Talk about absurdity,” Chastity repeated. Jack just looked at her. “What? You said I could say it again.”
“Oh, so now I’m the one with the power to decide who speaks and who doesn’t, eh?”
Chastity made a face at him. “No.”
“Darn.”
“Sucks, don’t it?”
Jack made a face at her. “Quiet, you.”
“Make me.”
Jack grimaced. “That doesn’t work. And besides, if I tickle you any more you’re likely to blow out a lung or something.”
She looked at him oddly. “Sure. It’d be easier if you just submitted,” she pointed out, pushing the joke along.
“Never,” Jack stated.
“Spoilsport.”
“That’s right.” Jack looked around the toy room and sighed. “What a wonderful playground this is,” he murmured.
“Isn’t it just?” Chastity said. “In spite of everything… I actually feel better than before I came here.”
Jack looked at her, almost incredulous. “You’re kidding.”
Chastity shook her head. “Not a bit.”
Now it was Jack’s turn to shake his head. “I don’t believe it.”
She grinned at him. “Well believe it. You don’t have a choice, anyhow.”
“That’s too bad,” he said.
“Isn’t it, though?”
Jack shrugged. “I suppose. Then again, who am I to blame you for getting some sort of enjoyment out of this freak show?”
“It is not a freak show, Jack.”
“Oh it isn’t?” he asked. “Then why the treatment? There are easier ways to test products, you know.”
“Sure there are, but some products need a different kind of testing. Not everything can be done to perfection in a lab, you know.”
“I suppose,” Jack admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like this.”
Her smile suddenly adopted a predatory leer. “Well, get used to it. We still have four days left.”
He grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
A laugh. “Oh trust me… I’m going to remind you a lot, especially when I think it’ll be funny.”
Jack buried his head in his hands. “And of all the pretty girls at school, I had to be stuck with the one who gets off on this.” She smacked him. “Hey!”
“That’s what you get for being a compulsive liar,” she said.
“One of these days I’m going to hit you back.”
“Bull. You would never, ever hurt me,” she said, the last statement accompanying a warming of her expression and a sparkle in her eyes.
“Not ever?” he asked lamely.
She smiled. “Not ever,” she repeated, her voice almost a whisper. Very suddenly Jack was aware of the fact that their lips were no great distance apart, the fragrance of her hair was being wafted into his nostrils by some inexplicable air current, there was an element of desire in her eyes—
He nervously cleared his throat, and just like that the moment was gone. Chastity’s expression wore what could easily be described as openness, but Jack was very suddenly and keenly aware that in her eyes a door had been shut, and before that moment, he hadn’t been aware that it existed, or even of the fact that it was unlocked, as if waiting for someone to come in. The sparkle was there, but not nearly so lustrous as it had been a mere heartbeat earlier.
Very privately he wondered if the opportunity would ever arise again. And the instant he wondered that, he was curious as to what, precisely that opportunity was. Unbeknownst to him, Chastity was wondering the same thing, but it was accompanied by a most infinite hope that whatever it was might come again.
Chapter Nine
Dinner came, and with it a particularly classy faire: Lasagna with breadsticks. Jack was curious as to where precisely such a dinner had come from, and Jean had cheerfully told him that it was all thanks to the microwave. A little downtrodden, Jack had remarked on how civilization had advanced, where frozen ingots resembling food could be tossed into a box with a window for five minutes and out would come a meal fit for a king. Jean and Mary thought it was rather funny.
The meal passed in silence, and when Jack and Chastity were finished they made good their escape back to the entertainment room, there to resume their reading adventures. Unfortunately for Tom Clancy, Chastity was more interested in talking than allowing Jack to resume The Hunt for Red October. Jack, ever the polite young gentleman—or so his mother thought of him—gave Chastity his ear and was not surprised by Chastity’s first statement… or rather, question.
“What’s your favorite color?”
Jack had been expecting something else. “Come again?”
“What’s your favorite color!” she repeated. “Jeez, are you deaf?”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry, it just sort of threw me for a loop.”
“Mine’s maroon.”
“Maroon?”
“Yes, maroon. It’s a shade of red,” Chastity explained.
Jack rolled his eyes. “I know what sort of color maroon is, but… I thought you might have a favorite more like pink or yellow or orange or something.”
Chastity only looked at him. “You mean girly colors?” Jack’s answer was a blush and Chastity grinned. “I’ve always been more partial to the darker shades.”
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Jack pondered.
“Why, because I’m not a Goth?” Chastity asked. “Please; Goths aren’t the only ones who can appreciate dark colors or shades. I also happen to enjoy a good navy blue.” Jack shook his head in amazement. “So, what’s your favorite?”
Jack returned his attention to her. “Green.”
“Ooh, nice choice,” Chastity murmured approvingly. “Most guys say something like blue or black or something.”
“Do they?” Jack asked, curious.
Chastity thought about it. “Well, blue yes, but I’m not sure about black. Green is a bit unusual, though, at least from what I hear.”
Jack shrugged. “Learn something new every day,” he said.
“True that,” Chastity agreed. There was silence for several moments, a silence that Jack took as an excuse or perhaps an invitation to resume his book. “What about favorite movie?”
Poor Tom Clancy. “Well, actually I really like The Island.”
“Really?” Chastity asked, wrinkling her nose a bit.
“Yeah,” Jack affirmed. “Have you seen it?” Chastity shook her head no. “That’s too bad; it’s really good,” Jack said emphatically.
“It didn’t look all that good.”
“Well, it was surprisingly enjoyable,” Jack said. “I don’t know… I think you might like it, especially considering where we are right now.”
Chastity arched an eyebrow at him. “A lot of similarities between our circumstances and the movie?”
Jack thought about it. “Well, yes and no. It’s hard to explain without having seen the movie.”
“Oh,” Chastity said. “Well, then I guess you’ll have to show it to me after we get out of here.”
‘Really?” Jack said, and then realized what he was saying. “Cool,” he added swiftly. “Yeah, it’s really great.”
Chastity gave him an odd look but continued on with her interrogation, as it were. “So… well, what are your hobbies?”
Jack smiled at her. “Well, if you must know Miss Bachelorette”—this elicited a blush from Chastity—“I’m mostly a gamer, but I do enjoy things like cars, beautiful women, and the all important long walks on the beach.” He looked her square in the eye, completely smug. “How about you?”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “I don’t think I’m going to tell you.”
“Oh really.”
“Really,” she repeated with a certain emphasis.
Jack nodded slowly. “I see.”
“Do you?”
“I do,” Jack said.
“What do you see?”
“Can’t tell you.”
She glared at him, but it was too good-humored to be venomous. “Fine.” Jack shrugged and picked up his book, reflecting that third time was the charm, but it was not to be. “Is your diaper wet?”
This particular question might have sent Jack flying over his chair with incredulity were he a cartoon character. Instead, he looked up from his book as if he’d misheard. “What?”
“I asked if your diaper was wet,” Chastity repeated, completely casual, as if talking about wet diapers was the most natural thing in the world and asking whether or not his was wet was merely a matter of course, a casual formality. “Mine is,” she added, maybe helpfully.
His curiosity aroused, he felt his diaper. “Yes,” he admitted.
Chastity only nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
Jack looked at her oddly. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“Well come on, Jack. It’s been a few hours since our last change and we have been drinking things since.”
“Why’d you want to know about my diaper, then?”
She shrugged. “Something to talk about, I suppose.”
He looked at her for several moments in silence. “You are weird.”
“No I’m not.”
“Well, then maybe your questions are weird,” Jack said, a little defensive.
She blinked at him. “Well, sorry for asking,” she said, somewhat taken aback. Jack grumbled and picked up his book for a fourth time, but rather than being interrupted he simple set it back down after a few moments. “Something wrong?” Chastity asked quietly.
Jack opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it again. His expression became thoughtful as he worked to choose his words. “Do you like it when you get changed?” he asked, finally.
Chastity was confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you like it when you get changed,” he repeated.
“Well, I like being in a clean diaper, that’s for sure,” Chastity said, her confusion unabated.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jack said. “I mean… do you like it when you get changed? The action, not the result.”
“Oh,” Chastity said. “Well… I’d have to say no.”
“Why?”
“Well, do you like it when you get changed?”
“Not really, no.”
“Why not?” she asked.
Jack frowned at her. “I asked you first.”
“Fine. No, I don’t like it when I get changed because… it’s really weird to have some stranger… um…”
“Cleaning you up?” Jack put in helpfully.
“Right,” she agreed. “It feels really weird.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured.
“Haven’t we already had this discussion?” Chastity asked after a moment.
“Probably,” Jack conceded. “But with your newfound attachment to this whole thing I was curious to see if you like all aspects of it.”
Chastity’s expression softened a bit. “Well, I could certainly do with my continence returned and strange nurses absent.”
“Jean and Mary aren’t that bad,” Jack said.
“That’s true, but they’re still strangers to me, professional nurses or not.”
“Point,” Jack conceded.
Silence lingered for a few moments, but Jack didn’t try to get back into his book. It was just as well that he hadn’t, because Chastity wasn’t inclined to remain idle. Apparently, books could only hold her interest for so long, Jack thought to himself. “Come on,” she beckoned, now standing in the doorway.
Jack looked at her in confusion. “To where?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know… somewhere else, I guess.”
Jack was sorely tempted to debate the point, but decided against it. He would have lost, anyhow. In something resembling defeat, he marked his page, stood up, and followed Chastity to a darkened section of the third floor. “Tell me again why we’re here?” he asked.
Chastity gave an impish shrug. “So I like the spookier parts of this building,” she murmured. “Deal with it.”
“Okay then… but that still doesn’t explain why we’re here,” he pressed.
Chastity turned an amused expression towards him. “Ooh, I think somebody’s afraid of the dark!” she cooed, her grin flashing in the dim fluorescent light.
“What? Am not!” Jack protested.
“I think you are.”
Jack leveled an even stare at her. “Am not,” he stated flatly.
“Right,” Chastity said, oozing disbelief, but she didn’t say anything further and simply resumed walking forward. Jack saw a perfect opportunity to get back at Chastity for accusing him of being afraid of the dark coming up, and he allowed himself a grin as he perfected his half-cocked plan and prepared to enact it. Oh, it was going to be so sweet…
There was a corner in the hallway they were walking down and Chastity stopped short when she rounded it. “Jack,” she whispered, beckoning him forward. His plan abandoned for the moment, he came forward to see what it was she was so concerned about. There was a light on in one of the rooms.
“That’s odd,” he murmured.
“No kidding,” Chastity murmured back. “Let’s go have a look.” And with that she was off, padding quietly towards the room, Jack following behind. They arrived to find that the room in question was furnished exactly as theirs were, only instead of pink or blue to denote which gender the room might be intended for, the colors were mostly a cheerful yellow.
“They must have done this while they were swapping out the food,” Jack mused.
Chastity nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Think we might be getting another ‘volunteer’?”
Chastity shrugged. “I suppose… but look at the colors. Yellow, instead of pink or blue.”
“I noticed that,” Jack said. “Maybe the new person knows what he or she is getting involved in and requested a certain scheme.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” Chastity said as she walked into the room and examined the various furnishings. It wasn’t long before she was looking over the changing table, identical to the ones in both hers and Jack’s rooms. “Well, whoever they are, they aren’t getting any special treatment in the diaper area,” she said as she held up one of the diapers for inspection. “Pretty much the same ones in our rooms and upstairs in that storage room.”
Now Jack was puzzled. “So, why isn’t all of this set up downstairs with our rooms?”
Chastity looked at him and his puzzlement copied itself to her expression. “That’s a good question.”
“Any ideas?” he prodded.
Chastity shrugged. “Maybe this person asked for private accommodations?”
“Or maybe this person is special,” Jack said.
Chastity looked at him oddly. “In what way?”
Now Jack shrugged. “No idea.”
Chastity put the diaper back from where she had gotten it. “I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.”
“Yeah,” Jack said and they left the room as they had found it.
“Ugh,” Chastity grumbled.
“What now?”
Her expression was visibly sheepish even in the half-darkness. “I think I need to be changed.” Jack’s expression couldn’t help but become amused. Chastity shut him down with a glower. “Don’t even think about it, mister wise-guy, you’re probably just as soaked as I am.”
Jack’s amusement vanished in a flash. “Probably right.”
“So, do we surrender ourselves to be changed right away or delay the inevitable?”
He shrugged. “Even after all this talk about diapers and what it feels like to be changed… I’m actually resoundingly ambivalent.”
Chastity was prodding around her diaper with both hands inside her overalls. When Jack caught sight of it he couldn’t help but laugh. “What?” Chastity demanded, her cheeks a lovely scarlet, but not visibly so in the half-light. She quickly took her hands out of her overalls and stood there fuming as Jack tried valiantly to rein himself in. “So I was curious about my wet diaper!” she protested. “Lay off!”
Jack finally regained enough control to speak. “I’m sorry… it was just so funny to see you with both hands in your overalls and your legs all skewed…” he trailed off as he mimicked her motions and a laughing jag overcame him.
“I’ve never worn a really wet diaper, Jack!” she protested, although it was almost a whine.
He managed to stop laughing. “Well, still. The way you were investigating it was very… childish.” He meant it to sound as a compliment but Chastity wasn’t inclined to take it as such.
“Whatever,” she huffed and started down the hallway. Jack couldn’t think of anything to say to ingratiate himself with her once again, so he just followed mutely, trying very hard to keep from laughing. Of course, it wasn’t long before Chastity was at it again, although without her arms in her overalls. “My diaper is really wet,” she said. “It’s like… really sagging.”
“Well, go get it changed,” Jack said, not about to comment on the state of his diaper.
Chastity shrugged. “Don’t feel like it.”
“Hope you don’t leak,” Jack mused.
She shrugged again. “It’s almost our ‘bedtime’ anyway; I’m sure I’ll be changed before I leak.”
“If you’re sure,” Jack said.
“Well, unless you want to change me,” Chastity suggested.
Jack looked at her abruptly, not sure if she was joking. “Really?” he asked timidly.
“No,” Chastity said, ever so flatly.
Jack stared at her for a moment. “Good one.”
She preened. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chastity sighed. “Okay, I think it’s time for a change,” she said and started for the stairwell.
“That was sudden,” Jack said.
“Well, I can only handle a soaked diaper for so long.”
“Mine doesn’t feel all that wet.”
“Doesn’t matter; it’s still wet and wet enough for a change,” Chastity affirmed.
“If you say so,” Jack murmured.
“I say so,” Chastity said, her stride determined.
Chapter Ten
Jean and Mary effectively hustled their charges into new diapers and pajamas when they came down for changes, and not long after that they were in their cribs for the night. This night passed a little more smoothly for Jack and Chastity than the previous one had; knowing what to expect they had little trouble settling in and getting comfortable, or at least as comfortable as was possible when dressed like overgrown children and wearing huge baby diapers.
When morning came and Chastity woke up, she immediately felt her diaper to see how wet it was. The squishy padding her inquisitive hand encountered told her that she was fairly wet. Still curious—and understandably new to the whole experience—she opened the crotch of her sleeper and looked at her diaper directly, poking and prodding at it from a sitting rather than a laying position. Her mind was going over two facts: first that she was repulsed by the fact that she had A) soiled a diaper and B) that she was wearing a diaper in the first place. Secondly, that she felt a naughty pleasure in both wearing and having wet a diaper. Even though she had spent all of yesterday and the night before in diapers, it was still a new and interesting experience to be in them, particularly when they were wet. She did not, however, care for having bowel movements in them. In the slightest.
After closing up her sleeper, Chastity got out of her crib and walked—or perhaps toddled or waddled a little bit—to her changing table and took out one of her clean diapers. She scrutinized the babyish designs on the front panel, the scattered designs on the body of the diaper, the two tapes, the cloth-like outer shell, the inner padding, and the fragrance that wafted into her nose as she examined the diaper ever so thoroughly. If she had had the proper tools on hand, Chastity might even have dissected it, too. As it was, she simply contented herself with a smile as she looked the diaper over. “I definitely have to get some of these,” she murmured to herself. Maybe some local pharmacy would carry them… there was that medical supply store just outside downtown, she thought to herself. The reason she knew about it was because the store occupied the same mini-mall as a Claire’s, Caribou Coffee, and a good shoe store. Needless to say, she—as well as a number of her friends—knew the area.
Thinking of that little mini-mall got Chastity thinking about her friends, which in turn reminded her that she had brought her cell phone on this merry little trip and with a flash of horror realized that she hadn’t touched it since just before leaving with Jean. In a flash she snatched up her bag and rifled through it until she found her phone. The time on its display read seven in the morning, and the voicemail count was enough to make her feel guilty; she had seven messages, most of them probably sent the day before. “Some friend I am,” she groused as she got back into her crib, made herself comfortable, and listened to them each in turn. In the process, she absently slipped her pacifier into her mouth and sucked on it contently while she listened to the voicemails. Mentally remembering which of her friends had called, and after listening to all of them, she sent the friends each a text message apologizing for not calling back sooner, and that she had been super busy and would probably pretty busy during the next while, and also that she would call when she got some time. Considering just what was being done here, Chastity figured that getting time to call and being able to count on some semblance of privacy would be slim to none, but she knew it wasn’t impossible.
Very briefly, she felt a sudden warmth in her diaper and for a few moments she thought she felt liquid against her skin, but then suddenly the sensation vanished. Chastity was puzzled, and thought about it for a brief moment before realizing that she had just further dampened her diaper. Upon realizing that, she shrugged and went back to fiddling with her cell phone, sucking on her pacifier. I’m really getting into this, she thought. But at a little after seven in the morning, she was decidedly unconcerned about any of it.
Her cell phone only held so much amusement for her, and after playing with it for a little while, Chastity got out of her crib, dropped it back in her bag and padded out of her room and down the hallway to Jack’s. She peeked in and saw only a misshapen lump in his crib that she took to be him. Quietly opening the door, Chastity tiptoed inside and crept up to his crib and looked down at him. The image before her was unbelievably adorable; there he was all comfortable in his sleeper, covered by his blanket, and placidly snoozing away. Never in her life had Chastity wished for a camera more. It was all she could do to keep from going ‘awe’ in that way all girls do when they see something really cute. In a moment of childlike curiosity, Chastity wondered how wet his diaper was and was giving serious thought to opening his sleeper to see for herself. Of course, right about then she realized what she was thinking about and quickly derailed that train of thought with a shake of her head and a deep blush.
Jack mumbled something and rolled over in his sleep. Chastity froze to the spot with horror until she was sure he was still asleep, and then smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Stupid,” she murmured and padded for the door.
“What is?” a muffled voice asked from behind her. Chastity gasped and spun around. Jack still appeared asleep, but obviously that wasn’t the case.
“Are you awake?” she asked, almost meekly.
“More or less,” Jack mumbled.
“Aren’t you going to get out of bed?”
“No.”
Chastity frowned. “Why not?”
“Because I’m comfortable,” he answered. “Why are you out of bed?”
“Because I felt like getting out of my crib, unlike some people,” she responded pointedly.
“That’s nice,” Jack said, still keeping his eyes closed.
In spite of herself, Chastity giggled. “Come on, sleepyhead, get up.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
“You’re no fun.”
“No.”
His last answer gave Chastity pause. “Why’d you say no to that?”
“I dunno.”
Chastity grinned and walked back to the side of Jack’s crib. “Well, if you’re going to just lay there, I’ll have to do something about that,” she said.
“Like what?” Jack asked lazily. Chastity’s answer was to start tickling him. “Hey, hands off,” Jack protested weakly. Chastity kept on tickling him, giggling. “Come on, leave me alone,” he whined.
“Not until you get out of bed,” Chastity stated.
“But I don’t wanna get out of bed!” Jack complained.
Chastity stopped tickling Jack and he rolled over again. “Awe, does the baby like his crib?” she cooed.
“Yes, the baby likes his crib,” Jack said. “Let baby go back to sleep.”
Chastity laughed. “Maybe the baby would like a diaper change,” she suggested jokingly.
“Baby would not like a diaper change, baby wants to go back to sleep,” Jack murmured. Chastity was not about to give up, though. Grinning like a fool, she climbed into Jack’s crib, rolled him onto his back and sat on his stomach. “OOF!” Jack’s eyes shot open and he lurched. Chastity laughed triumphantly. Jack groaned. “Was that really necessary?” he asked plaintively.
“Yes,” Chastity answered simply.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Jack sighed and closed his eyes again. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Nuh uh!” Chastity declared and started to poke him. Jack opened his eyes and looked at her steadily for a few moments. And then he started to tickle her. “Hey!” Chastity squealed and tried to get away, but there was no where to get away to. A moment later, the giggles were upon her and in spite of her best efforts there was no where to run. She tried to wiggle out of Jack’s grasp and get to a rail so she could climb out and thus escape, but she didn’t make it, and instead wound up on her back. She felt the tickling stop and soon she stopped laughing and looked up at Jack.
She barely had time to register the spark. An instant later she felt his lips on hers; her shock was so short-lived that before she could comprehend that it had happened, her arms were in motion, pulling him closer. Acting almost purely on instinct, she pushed him back and he rolled away, but she was on him in a flash, renewing the contact. This time around it was Jack pulling her closer, both of his arms in the action. Chastity gave off a little moan of pleasure, eyes closed as instinct and emotion assumed full command. Jack’s arms constricted and she gave off a little squeak under the added pressure, but it only increased her enjoyment.
A moment’s motion and suddenly she was on her back again; Jack’s lips were gone. She opened her eyes languidly and found herself staring up into Jack’s. Chastity found her breath and smiled up at him. He smiled back. “This has to be the silliest make out session in the history of mankind.”
She giggled. “No doubt,” she murmured as her eyes danced over his expression. There was a strength there she hadn’t seen before, and a gentleness in his eyes that made her heart glow. She let a hand rise and trace its fingers across his cheek. “Too bad it had to be with morning breath,” she said and laughed quietly.
Jack smiled. “Well, next time we’ll remember to brush first,” he said.
Chastity covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. A snort escaped though and she clapped the other hand on to keep the rest of them in. “Next thing you know we’ll have a to-do list for this sort of thing. Brush teeth, change diapers…” she shook her head. “You’re right; this probably is the silliest make out in the history of mankind.”
“I’m glad you agree,” he said and caressed her cheek. Chastity’s eyes sparkled. He came at her again, but this time it was slow, soft, and gentle. Their lips met first, almost tentatively. She ran a hand up his chest, feeling his heart beat as she moved it up to slide around his neck. His hand moved; she felt his thumb caressing her cheek as his fingers slid around her neck. Her heart thundered in her chest; she took a breath and rose against him; his arms moved around her upper back and she was atop him again, connected throughout the entire motion. Her hair fell across his face and neck and tickled him, her hands and forearms rested on his chest. Their eyes were closed all through it, their lips communicating all that was necessary. The moment ended and they party, eyes opening nearly in unison to gaze into each other. Words simply did not have a place.
A little while later Jean and Mary were coming to check on their charges and see if they were still asleep. Jack’s door was first and Jean opened it to find both Jack and Chastity sitting in Jack’s crib. “Oh! You’re both awake,” she said as both teens turned to look at her. Mary came around then to see. Jack and Chastity looked remarkably unconcerned to see them; indeed, Chastity’s attention had focused on a small, white rectangular object. Jean’s eyes picked out the slender white cord of the headphones and realized they were listening to music.
“Good morning,” Jack said in greeting.
“Good morning, John,” Jean said in return (she didn’t call him Jack), a look of suspicion coming over her. Jack regarded Jean casually and there was nothing but innocence in his expression. Chastity’s expression was a mirror of Jack’s, but hers had more concentration in it as she scrolled through Jack’s track listings. Jean allowed the silence to hang for a few moments as she sized up the scene before her. There was nothing to suggest any funny business had gone on, and Jean was forced to abandon the thought process. “Well, breakfast is up, and after that you two can shower,” Jean said to break the ice.
Chastity absently handed the iPod back to Jack, took the ear bud out and handed that to him as well and climbed out of his crib. Jack followed suit, taking the time to carefully wrap up the ear buds before moving. He dropped the iPod in his bag before following the ladies out of his room. “So, what would you two like for breakfast?” Jean asked civilly, even cheerfully.
Chastity shrugged. “Cereal is fine,” she answered.
“John?”
“That works,” he answered as well. “Quick and easy, no muss, no fuss.”
“Alright, then,” Jean said, still cheerful. She led them into the dining room and fetched travel pack cereal cartons for them; Fruit Loops were the order of the day. Milk came next from a gallon kept in the refrigerator and they were off. Breakfast not being any huge affair, their time in the dining room was short. Jean and Mary shooed them off to get cleaned up.
Chastity returned to her room and began looking through her available wardrobe, both personal and supplied. Most of her clothes, she reckoned, wouldn’t allow for the presence of her thick diapers; as a result, she spent very little time looking through the clothes she had brought with, except for withdrawing a clean bra. Looking through the various child- and baby-like clothes available, it was hard for her to keep from frowning, physically and mentally. Overalls were fine and dandy, but there came a time when other clothes were necessary, and the variety she had been provided with was sorely lacking in terms of the word’s true meaning. But, there was at least one little ray of sunshine in the mix: there were a few skirts to choose from, and so she decided on a pink and white pleated skirt that appeared blessedly long enough to generally conceal her diaper, and rather than going for a onesie as had been her original instinct, she went for a casual white short sleeve top. Chastity was also thankful to come across a pair of nice leggings; clearly whoever had been in charge of wardrobe had been of sound mind, at least in some respects.
Reviewing her wardrobe, Chastity was sad to say that it wasn’t what she would have preferred to wear, but under the circumstances, it was a far sight better than what might have been. “Guess I’ll just have to make the best of it,” she whispered. Gathering up her clothes, she headed for the girls’ shower. On the way she reflected on the morning’s… escapades, for lack of a better term. Remembering Jack’s sudden flash of insight and mad scramble—amazingly silent—for his iPod brought a smile to her face, as it had very handily saved their bacon. Chastity didn’t know how Jean and Mary would have reacted to them making out in Jack’s crib, and she wasn’t anxious to find out what it would have been, either.
Jack was having an easier time with his wardrobe, since his personal assortment and provided assortment effectively worked for him. Oh sure, the pants were a little baggier than he preferred, but the previous day had taught him that the addition of a diaper took care of any excess sagging and made the pants a comfortable fit. From his own bag, he took out a non-descript gray shirt, took up a clean pair of pants from the room’s dresser and headed for the showers. He was actually ahead of Chastity, the poor girl still mulling between overalls and a skirt.
He was also in and out of the shower a lot faster than she was, too. Not having long hair or legs that needed shaving, he was able to simply enjoy the hot water flowing over him and the feeling of becoming clean after coming out of a rather saturated diaper. The things had a tendency to leave skin feeling clammy, he thought, and although they did their job admirably, that was the one side effect he wasn’t fond of. Oh well; nothing’s perfect, he thought as he went about rinsing off.
When he emerged from the shower some minutes later and dried off, Jean was waiting for him just around the corner. At first it surprised him that she would be in the boys’ showers, but the decidedly nonplussed expression she wore reminded him that her position had likely dispelled all notions of embarrassment or foul play. She was also carrying a diaper, and already was wearing her exam gloves. “Not to be a jerk or anything, but can’t that wait until we’re back in the room?” he asked.
“I’m afraid not; yesterday was a fluke day, John. Today regular policy goes into action.”
Jack didn’t particularly like the sound of that. “Regular policy?” he repeated.
“Regular policy. Basically, whenever a charge is finished bathing, it’s right back into diapers. Even though these tile floors are easy to clean, it’s simply easier to do it this way.”
“I see,” Jack said. “What else is there in terms of regular policy?”
“Well, I’d tell you now but it’s a bit of a spiel. It can wait until after you’re diapered,” Jean said.
Chapter Eleven
Once Chastity had emerged from her shower, been diapered and had the opportunity to get dressed, she was remarkably cheerful. Even Jack’s anxious report about the institution of ‘regular policy’ failed to dampen her spirits. It was almost to Jack’s chagrin that this was the case, since he’d hoped to at least provoke some sort of negative reaction to his news, or maybe another round of brainstorming into what their hostesses were about. Chastity apparently wasn’t having any of it, and Jack was obliged to give up, at least for the moment. “So, now that we’re all squeaky clean, what should we do with our abundance of free time?”
Chastity shrugged. “Don’t know, and actually don’t care.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “That a fact.”
“It is,” Chastity affirmed.
“Or maybe you’re getting into your baby mode again,” he pointed out.
She shrugged again. “Maybe I am.” For emphasis, she fished out her pacifier and popped it into her mouth and gave Jack a doe-eyed look.
This time around he was nonplussed. “That only works so many times, you know,” he said, but there was a blush sneaking into his cheeks. Chastity smirked at him from around her pacifier, but apparently hadn’t given up the fight just yet. She began acting the part, cooing and making other baby-like noises, leaning way back in her chair and becoming enraptured with her feet as she sent them above her head. Her skirt fell away and revealed her trim waist and the thick—could it be even cuter?—diaper ever so snugly taped around it. She had him then. “Awe jeez,” he groaned and looked away, barely able to disguise the fact that his face had gone completely red.
Chastity giggled victoriously and resumed a normal posture, smoothing out her skirt and grinning broadly, although it was largely hidden by her pacifier, which she removed in order to speak. “That will never get old,” she said, totally smug.
“What, acting like a baby or tormenting me?” Jack asked.
She thought about it for a moment. “Both, I think.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Great.” He barely had time to set his eyes front; Chastity came over and flopped into his lap. “Agh!” he grunted. Chastity only laughed. “That hurt, you know,” he protested.
“Sure it did,” she mused.
“Honestly!”
She tapped him on the nose. “You know, I think it’s pretty cute that you’re such a horrible liar.”
Jack arched an eyebrow again. “Really?”
“Really,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s so refreshing to know for certain when a guy is being honest.” She rose smoothly and flounced away.
Jack was momentarily out of sorts. “Um…?”
“What?” Chastity prodded. “Did you think I was going to make out with you right here and now?” she asked.
Jack flushed pink. “Uh… kind of?”
Now she rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself, dude. We girls love a good make out session, but if it happens too often or when the mood isn’t right, things get dull.”
“Well, pardon me for being one-dimensional,” Jack said mock-defensively.
Chastity adopted a serious expression. “I think I’ll grant you pardon… this once,” she said with that same seriousness. “But,” she said, and her expression became coy, “that’s only because you’re a great kisser.”
Jack grinned lopsidedly at her, blushing for probably the millionth time in the past two days. “Thanks.” She smiled at him, the coyness increased, she turned on her heel and lifted the back of her skirt to reveal her diaper to Jack yet again. As she expected, his face became as red as an apple, and just to take things up a notch she put her pacifier back in her mouth and hit him with the doe-eyed look again. “Awe jeez!” he exclaimed. “You’re going to fry my brain with that! That tears it!” Jack declared and shot to his feet.
She laughed and took off running down the hall, taking a moment to spit out her pacifier and slip her index finger into the plastic loop, lest it fly away while she flew away. Jack was in hot pursuit, but this time Chastity had the advantage. She had yet to put on her leggings, and was still barefoot. Jack had put on socks. Her blond hair was a trail of shimmering gold fire behind her as she raced down the hall, Jack catching up. Their diapers hindered them by interfering with their stride, but their bodies, having had time to acclimate to the added padding, accounted for it, and so as Chastity ran flat out she was able to do so in an almost normal fashion, or at least as normal as it was going to get. She snapped around a corner with comparative ease; Jack about slid into the far wall, but he made up the lost distance in due course.
Though, he wished he hadn’t when Chastity shrieked and came to a screeching halt. “Whoa!” Jack yelped and was barely able to throw himself to the side and come to a sliding halt on his backside a couple of yards beyond Chastity. “What is it?” he asked, noting the look of tension and shock on her face. “What’s wrong?”
Her hands were at her waist, pressing against one side. “Um…” she stammered. “I think my diaper popped open.”
Jack looked at her quizzically. “Did it?” he asked, somewhat disbelieving.
She nodded, breathing heavier with the exertion of their run. “Yeah,” she said, rooted to the spot. “It almost came off.”
“That would have been a sight,” Jack mused.
She glowered at him. “Shut up.”
“What? It would have been.”
She gave him a look. “You probably just like the idea of a girl running around without any sort of underwear on at all,” she retorted.
Jack actually thought about it. “Not really,” he said.
Chastity rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Well, what are you going to do about this?” he asked. “Stand there all day holding a half-open diaper or are you going to fix it?”
She looked at him, almost in distress. “How am I supposed to do that?” she demanded. “The instant I let go my diaper is going to fall off!”
Jack shook his head. “Well, then I’ll fix it,” he said and took a step closer.
Chastity blushed a fine crimson. “Um, are you sure about that?” she stammered.
Jack gave her another quizzical look. “Not like I’m going to take your diaper completely off. Here, you use one hand and lift up part of your skirt; I’ll take care of your diaper and you can hold your skirt out of the way. It’ll be quick and easy,” he said.
Chastity bit her lip. “Well, I guess that’s as good a plan as any,” she said and adjusted her hands so one was holding her distressed diaper and the other lifted up her skirt.
Jack kneeled down to assess the situation, putting his fingers in key places to hold her diaper closed. “I’ve got it; lift your skirt up a little more, please.” Chastity did so, blushing more. Jack opened the tape completely and the noise was amplified what seemed like a thousand times in Chastity’s ears.
She gasped involuntarily. “I thought you said you weren’t going to take my diaper off!” she hissed.
Jack spared a moment to give her a patronizing look. He shook his head and pulled the tape flap open a bit, tucked the front flap against her waist properly and then re-taped her diaper closed and stood up. “Piece of cake,” he said.
“Thank you,” she murmured, very meek.
“You’re welcome,” he said. He had been about to say “my pleasure” but thought better of it. “How do you think it popped?”
Chastity looked startled. “What?” she asked dumbly. “Oh, um… I don’t know. It happened while I was running…”
“Maybe these diaper tapes weren’t set up for running,” Jack postulated.
Chastity conceded the point. “That sounds plausible. I mean, they’re basically the same kind you’d see on a real baby’s diaper, just bigger.”
“And bigger isn’t always better,” Jack put in.
“Right,” Chastity agreed. “I’ll have to make a note of this on my next product review.”
Jack chuckled. “That should make for an interesting review; “note: these diapers might pop open if used while running.”
“I should probably recommend a stronger tape,” she added.
“Couldn’t hurt,” Jack said.
Chastity’s face had a thoughtful expression on it and she lifted the front of her skirt and started feeling around the tapes of her diaper. She experimentally pulled on each of them a little bit. “That’s odd; they feel pretty strong to me,” she said and let her skirt drop. “But I was running…” she murmured and lifted her right thigh up practically as high as it would go, nearly stumbling. Jack instantly reached out and steadied her. “Thanks,” she said. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” he asked.
Chastity dropped her leg and lifted it again. “That.”
Jack had been listening. “Your diaper crinkle?” he asked tentatively.
“Not just that,” she said. “But this; listen carefully,” she instructed, and lifted her leg a third time. Jack clearly heard something else; the tape protesting under the motion. “Did you hear it?”
Jack nodded. “I did. I guess these tapes can only take so much,” he said. “High running speeds not one of them.”
Chastity nodded. “Good to know,” she said pointedly.
He nodded again. “So much for our running game,” he said.
Chastity shrugged impishly. “Well, I’ll just have to hope that my diaper doesn’t come all the way off,” she said, and Jack chuckled.
“Also, it could just be a random defect that isn’t present in all of the diapers,” he pointed out.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Chastity admitted. “You might be right.”
“I certainly hope so,” Jack said.
Chastity slapped him playfully on the arm. “Awe, you just like chasing me,” she said.
“Yeah I do,” he admitted bashfully.
She favored him with a warm smile. “That’s so sweet.” Jack smiled back like an idiot and looked away.
Jack changed the subject. “So, how do you know they’re basically bigger versions of the baby diaper tapes?” he asked.
She smiled coyly. “Ever babysat?” Jack shook his head. “Voice of experience, grasshopper. You learn a thing or two about diapers in that particular trade.”
“I see.”
“You know, it just occurred to me that with all my recent experience in being treated like a baby, I could probably do well in a daycare,” Chastity thought aloud.
“Very possibly,” Jack agreed. “Knowing what it’s like for the kids might make it more fun to play with them.”
“How insightful of you,” Chastity said approvingly.
“I try from time to time,” Jack said with a little bow.
Chastity arched an eyebrow at him. “From time to time, eh? Maybe you should consider devoting more energy to insightfulness.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Chastity looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Well, if I was insightful more often, then it wouldn’t be nearly as funny when I do something silly… then it would just be stupid.”
Chastity thought about it for a moment and then frowned. “Okay, I don’t exactly follow, but whatever floats your boat.”
Jack shrugged. “It wasn’t the best train of thought I’ve had.”
“I’m surprised it managed to leave the station,” Chastity quipped.
“Hey! Be nice!”
Chastity gave him a demure look. “If I feel like it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack asked.
Chastity shrugged. “Oh, nothing,” she said ever so innocently as she took a few steps away, and lifted her skirt to show off her diaper again, enjoying the mind games she was playing with Jack. She was not, however, prepared for the smack her diapered bottom received. She squeaked and whirled about to face Jack, a look of injured pride on her face as her hands went to her bottom as if to protect it from further harm. “You… spanked me!”
Jack nodded. “That I did.”
“Why?”
Jack shrugged. “Came to me out of the blue. Besides, I had to do something besides just let you torment me freely.”
Chastity’s posture hadn’t changed. “That wasn’t very nice,” she whimpered, pouting a bit.
“Well, then I guess we’ll call it square for all the times you’ve teased and tormented me so far,” Jack said.
Chastity stuck her tongue out at him. “You know you liked it,” she said. “No point in denying it.”
Jack chuckled a bit. “Okay, so call this my way of leveling the playing field.”
Chastity scoffed at him. “I fail to see how spanking me levels the playing field,” she pointed out.
“I do, too, but it works, so I’m going to stick with it. Could be fun.”
She gaped at him. “I do not believe what I’m hearing! And I thought you were such a sweet guy, too…” she murmured and looked away.
Jack’s recent triumphal surge was cut short and he suddenly felt like a jerk. He turned to apologize or at least offer some conciliatory words, and walked straight into Chastity’s doe-eyed look, complete with pacifier and something resembling an adorable pose. “You sneak!” She grinned at him around her pacifier and went skipping down the hallway. Jack jogged after her. “I’ll get you for this!” he called.
“We’ll see about that!” she called back and rounded a corner.
Jack followed her around the corner. “Your diaper’s wet!”
“No it isn’t!”
“Blah!” he cried. Her laughter echoed down the hallway back to him. He hastened to catch up to her. “I’ll still get you!”
“Try!” she challenged.
“Okay!” Jack said, ran for her full speed, but Chastity was ready for him. At the last moment, she dodged out of the way and Jack went sliding past. “No fair!” he said as he stopped himself.
She stuck her tongue out at him again. “Deal with it.”
“And if I don’t want to?”
Chastity smirked at him. “Like you have a choice.”
“You’re saying I don’t?”
“That’s right,” she said. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh, suck on your pacifier,” he groused.
“Fine,” she said, and popped it back into her mouth. It bobbed as she sucked on it.
“There’s no winning with you, is there?” Jack groaned. Chastity smiled behind her pacifier and shook her head. “I didn’t think so.”
“Smart man,” she mumbled around her pacifier.
“You should stop sucking on that,” Jack said.
“Why?”
“…I don’t know.”
Chastity smiled and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “That’s okay,” she said, still speaking around her pacifier.
“You’re having entirely too much fun with this, aren’t you?”
“Mmhmm.”
“I wonder what you’ll do when the formula wears off,” he mused.
“Probably have more fun,” she said.
“Right…”
Chapter Twelve
Lunch was called at about quarter to noon; Jack and Chastity were only too eager for the meal since their breakfast had been unfortunately sparse. Not only that, but most of the morning had been spent romping around the building in various stages of silliness. Jean had told them at breakfast that lunch was going to be different, but that they’d probably like it. The two teenagers were trusting—perhaps unusually so—or just didn’t care; they assumed that a normal lunch awaited them. When they walked in, both of them noticed that there was a stunning lack of food visible in the room, and Jack was the first to question it. “Where’s lunch?”
Jean smiled at him cheerfully. “On the way; Mary’s getting it out right now.”
Jack nodded. “Fair enough,” he said.
“Now, you two get situated and Mary will be here in a few moments, I think.” Jack shrugged and started for the table; Chastity did likewise. “Wait, what are you doing?” Jean asked.
Chastity spoke this time. “Um… sitting at the table?”
“Oh, I’m afraid you won’t be sitting there,” Jean said.
“Then where are we supposed to sit?” Chastity asked.
Jean indicated two highchairs that had gone previously unnoticed; Jack recalled that they hadn’t been there at breakfast. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“I’m afraid not; part of regular policy is that product testers experience the product to the fullest, and that means you two are going to be served in highchairs.”
Chastity apparently wasn’t having any of it. “But… we didn’t know what we were getting into!” she protested.
“But you also didn’t resist staying here, and now you’re committed, at least for the interim. Besides, you two have had a long enough grace period; one day is more than enough. Now it’s back to work,” Jean said, not quite sternly, but there was a hint of iron command in her tone that signified to the teenagers that resistance was futile, which indeed, it more or less was. Mary came in just then with a tray of food. Jack and Chastity looked at it and their already sunken spirits sank a little further.
“Baby food?” Chastity groaned when she saw the jars.
“Not quite; this is on the size meant for people your age,” Mary chipped in.
Jack sighed. “You’re telling me we’re going to be eating teen… baby food for the rest of the week?”
Jean shook her head. “Of course not; you’re only testing these, not living on them. There will be an appropriate mix of dining situations, but for today’s purposes Mary and I decided it would be best to get this first hurtle out of the way so the rest of the week flows more smoothly.”
“How, exactly are we going to be doing this?” Chastity asked.
“Well, you’re going to sit in these highchairs and eat,” Jean explained. “Simple enough, really. Then once you’re done you get to fill out forms on the chair and the food.”
“Joy,” Jack groused. “Well, we might as well get this over with,” he said in resignation and started for a highchair with what could almost be considered the baby version of a masculine color scheme. Chastity didn’t like it any better than Jack did, but she sat in the other highchair and their respective nurses buckled them in. Jars of food were put before them, as were spoons. Glumly, perhaps even grimly, the two began to eat. The meal was predominantly silent, both teens being too embarrassed to speak. Under different circumstances, Jack might have admitted that the teen-baby food was actually tasty. However, at the moment he wasn’t inclined to give Jean and Mary the least satisfaction, and so kept quiet. Chastity was of much the same opinion as Jack in this matter.
However, she was also keenly aware that her diaper was wet, perhaps very much so. Part of her was hoping that Mary suggested a diaper change for her following lunch, rather than her having to ask for one. It was embarrassing enough to be checked at random; the mortification of having to actually ask for one would be beyond bearable. So, for her own reasons as well as those similar to Jack’s, she kept quiet for the duration of the meal as well.
After lunch, Chastity got her wish and had her diaper changed without having to ask. Jack didn’t ask either, but he was also changed. Afterwards, they found themselves in the entertainment room with a mild pile of forms before them. “Can you believe that every flavor of that stuff has its own form?” Jack complained.
“Yes,” Chastity answered. “Makes sense when you think about it.”
“Who says I want to think about it?”
“Point,” Chastity murmured as she finished one form and went to the next. “Oh look, we’ve even got forms for the highchairs we used.”
“Delightful. The one chair that I probably would not ever wish to review except to say that I don’t like it,” he muttered.
“No kidding,” Chastity mused. “But, there’s probably someone out there who actually needs the stuff we’re testing,” she added.
Jack paused and looked up at her. “You really think so?” he asked, suddenly curious.
She looked up at him. “Well, yeah. I mean, hospitals could use a lot of this stuff, as could those places where they take care of… well… people with special needs.”
Jack mulled over that. “Well, I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”
She gave him a strange look. “What’d you think we were testing?”
Jack shrugged. “I dunno… guess I wasn’t thinking about the why so much as the what.” He hesitated. “Well, and there’s the money.”
“Yeah, that is pretty distracting.”
“You can say that again.”
“Yeah, that is pretty distracting.”
Jack smirked at her. “I didn’t mean literally.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Then why’d you say it?”
“Because… it’s an expression?”
“Oh, I see,” Chastity said, feigning realization.
“Shut up.”
“You shut up,” she teased.
“Do I have to tickle you again?”
She affected a gasp. “You wouldn’t dare!”
Jack scoffed. “I would so!”
“Meany head.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Still fond of those kindergarten insults, eh?”
Chastity shrugged impishly. “What can I say, some are timeless.”
“I’m inclined to disagree.”
“Don’t make me get all cute again.”
“I’m developing a resistance to its effects.”
“Liar!” She exclaimed. “There is no resisting the effects of me at my cutest.”
Jack gave her a humoring look. “We’ll see how things lie when the week is out.”
Chastity rolled her eyes. “Spare me. You’ll be just as vulnerable then as you are now.”
“Well… maybe I won’t be,” Jack retorted.
“Keep dreaming,” Chastity said with a humoring smile.
Jack rolled his eyes and returned to his book. “Keep dreaming indeed,” he muttered and got lost in the Lauritian Abyssal.
Chastity looked at Jack for a few moments in silence as he became rapidly engrossed with his book. Of course, being who she was, she wasn’t about to let Jack have a moment’s peace when she could still mess with him. But, how to go about it… that was the real question. A particularly evil idea came to mind just then, and she smiled at her own brilliance. Still smiling in a most devilish fashion, sauntered over to Jack, grabbed a handful of his hair, pulled his head back and kissed him full on the lips.
Jack’s surprise was complete. He barely had time to formulate anything resembling a protest before she was on him, and he was suddenly swept away. Chastity dimly heard his book fall from his hands as he was swept away by her ferocity. Chastity could feel him turning to putty under the assault, and would have had to admit she was feeling much the same. However, before things could go too far, she pulled away and stood triumphantly over him. He opened his eyes and blinked. “Whoa,” was all he could say, and even that took some effort.
“Damn right,” Chastity gloated.
“Can we do that again?”
She grinned at him. “Not now.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Jack sighed and sagged in defeat. “You’re evil.”
“Hey!” She swatted him. “That was mean!”
“It’s also true,” Jack said.
Chastity swatted him again. “It is not!” she protested.
“It is so! What do you call what just happened?” Jack pointed out. Chastity didn’t have an immediate response; Jack seized the moment. “That’s what I thought.” She swatted him a third time. “Ah, the sweet pain of victory.”
“You’re the evil one,” Chastity complained.
Jack thought about it. “Well, okay, maybe a little.”
Chastity giggled a bit and flounced away a few paces. “I’m bored again.”
“Do tell. Michael Crichton just doesn’t do it for you, eh?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not one for blood, guts and gore, thank you very much.”
“You’re such a girl,” Jack mused.
“What, my boobs weren’t enough of a clue?” she shot back.
Jack laughed, and tried to formulate a good comeback, but he was laughing too hard. His book fell out of his hand (again) and he was shortly red in the face from laughing.
Chastity was not amused. “Excuse me, but what is so funny?” she demanded. Jack was still incoherent with laughter. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”
Jack tried to gather himself, and it was a mighty effort. Chastity was close to fuming when he was finally able to speak. “I’m… I’m sorry, but that was really funny.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m so amusing,” she said sardonically. Jack was breathing normally now, and leaned over to pick up his book, chuckling absently. This didn’t sit well with Chastity, who made a disgusted noise and left the room. Jack considered going after her, but he was no hand with soothing words without sounding stupid, and decided to let her cool off on her own. Besides, there were only a couple of other places in the building she would be; it wouldn’t be hard to find her. With that in mind, he opened his book back to where he’d been interrupted and resumed reading.
Chastity went upstairs, lacking any sort of a purpose for doing so other than to go upstairs. She wasn’t going to admit it to Jack (yet) but the entertainment room was horrendously boring. She liked reading, but none of the books available were really all that great, at least in her mind. Then again, sitting around in a room full of stuffed animals was only fun to a certain degree, which translated to not very much fun at the present moment. Chastity sighed, and sat down amidst the larger animals. “Blah,” was all she said. Out of boredom, she lifted the front of her skirt and looked at her diaper. To her chagrin, she noticed that it was damp to some extent and she poked at it to see just how damp. Not very, it seemed, but she didn’t leave her diaper alone just yet. She investigated the front panel and all its girlish features of pink hearts and cute figures and all that other stuff that did little for the diaper, except make it extremely appealing to whoever might be interested in such things.
She had to confess an interest in them, and was (more or less) resolved to secure for herself a supply of the diapers whenever the opportunity arose. With the total inability to control when she made use of her diapers, Chastity was extremely curious how it would feel when she had her control back. What would it be like, she wondered, to consciously use a diaper for its purpose? Would it feel gross when a perfectly good toilet was nearby, or would it feel naughty? Would it make her feel fine or would it make her feel bad? Chastity couldn’t finalize an answer one way or the other, and was left with questions that demanded—or at least deserved—answers.
Chastity was still staring at her diaper. Unbidden, the memory of Jack taping her popped diaper back into place resurfaced; she blushed a bit, though with a little hint of pleasure, even though the event was only hours in the past rather than days or weeks. A little piece of her mind wondered what it would be like to have him attend to her diaper fully… in a small number of moments, this train of thought expanded to become her mental focus of the moment. It was an interesting notion, to say the least. A firm shake of her head took Chastity from such thoughts and wherever they might lead and in a rush she let her skirt fall back into place while her eyes surveyed the room. She noticed a stack of books over in one corner and investigated. Looking at the bindings, Chastity was pleased to find that she remembered several of them, and took out a few of the picture books, first taking up Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. It had been (and still was) her favorite Disney movie when she was a child, and also her favorite book. She opened it and was gleefully reading when Jack ever so casually appeared.
He stood in the door way for a few moments simply watching Chastity read. He was conscious of her exquisite features and lovely skin, and a hint of her diaper was visible due to her skirt being displaced enough to reveal it. The whole setting and her appearance gave her a remarkably innocent look—Jack went as far as to say angelic, or at least think it. This appearance of hers, diapered, clad in somewhat childishly designed clothes and with her hair down to frame her beautiful face made her beyond attractive in Jack’s eyes. He felt a certain privilege in just standing there.
This was not to last for too long, however, as Chastity noticed his presence at the end of her book. “Oh!” she gasped when she saw him, her cheeks flushing. “Where’d you come from?”
Jack shrugged casually. “Well, I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d drop in,” he drawled.
Chastity arched an eyebrow. “I see.”
Jack saw his attempt at humor falling flat and quickly shifted gears. “So, anything interesting up here?” he asked.
Chastity shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary,” she said.
He nodded. “That seems to be the general theme of this place.”
“You mean besides the whole baby theme?” she asked pointedly.
“Well, yeah,” Jack said. “That went without saying.”
“True,” Chastity murmured. Jack advanced into the room and sat down on the floor near her. She gave him a look. “I take it you’re bored?”
“Nah, not really… but I finished my book,” he explained.
“Ah… I see.” She smirked at him. “Now you’re
Chapter Thirteen
The afternoon brought a solid deluge of work. It was during this horrendous onslaught of products and paperwork that the two teenagers began to learn the full scope of what it was they were dealing with, and working for. There were foods to sample and report on, their impressions on their diapers to date to report on, suggestions that needed to be suggested, forms left, right, and center. They bore it well, at least for the first two hours. After that, it became little more than a barrage similar to those experienced during World War I: an unceasing deluge of products and paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. Jean and Mary were as helpful as they cold possibly be, while still maintaining control of the observations, tests, and paperwork. But, after those first two hours, the nurses called a temporary halt and herded their charges off for diaper changes. Jack and Chastity could honestly say that they had never been more grateful for a diaper change in their entire lives, except, of course, for those unfortunate incidents with messy ones. They ranked right up there at the top, and it was hard to say which one took the cake.
During the changes, both teens still blushed at being so candidly exposed, and were both privately thankful they didn’t have go through the ordeal in the same room as the other. Needless to say, that would have been beyond bearable. After, the changes, though, it was all they could do not to mutiny or burst into tears. Products, products, products. Paperwork by the truckload, or so it seemed. An endless onslaught during which Time seemed to point and laugh rather than have its proper effect. Bottles, pacifiers, baby toys, clothing items, et cetera. Avalanches were more polite; at least they inspired interesting emotions like terror. These activities inspired none. Jack felt like his soul was being eaten, and Chastity was close to transforming into an irritated, caustic, violent bitch. By dint of some hidden strength, she managed to refrain from snapping and grimly forged ahead.
It was dark outside, and still the halt had not been called. “Why, oh why is there so much to be reviewed?” Jack asked, almost complaining.
“Well, it would have been less if we had been hard at it from the get-go,” Mary explained.
Jean nodded. “Most of this was supposed to have been done yesterday,” she said.
“But you were letting us get acclimated to this whole thing,” Jack said tiredly, filling in the blank.
“Exactly,” Mary piped up.
“Part of me is thankful for yesterday’s day of bliss, but after this…” Jack could only gesture at the piles of stuff that had already been dealt with, “I’m almost inclined to be ungrateful.”
Jean shrugged apologetically. “Orders from on high, John.”
“Right, right, the corporate people didn’t want to scare us off after we’d gotten here,” he muttered.
“Cheer up; only a few more products left to attend to and then we’re done for the day,” Jean said.
“Thank God,” Chastity whispered. She was still teetering on the edge of descending into bitchiness, and to top it all off, her diaper was uncomfortably wet; the padding was so thick with urine that it was hard for her to find a comfortable way of sitting, and it annoyed her extremely. Even though she’d last had a diaper change scant few hours previously, she had consumed a lot of liquid in between, much of it water or a fruit juice that Jean and Mary were providing. That, and she was extremely bored with the paperwork. She was thus as overjoyed as she could possibly be (not very much, since most of her joy had been sapped during the arduous work) when—following a diaper change for her and Jack—Jean and Mary released them for the rest of the night, informing them that a proper dinner would be ready soon. With that in mind, she tracked Jack down directly, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away. He was smart enough not to protest, and also too tired to mount anything resembling one, either. Chastity led him upstairs into the toy room, positioned him just so, and then sagged against him wearily.
Jack grunted and almost fell over, but regained his footing and set himself properly to absorb her weight. “Easy there,” he murmured.
“Why do you think I put you where I put you? If you fall, it’s onto something soft.”
“How very considerate.”
Chastity nodded, but said nothing more. Jack put his arms around her casually, and she made a noise of contentment. “Living pillows are comfy,” she murmured.
Jack pushed her away gently and she whined until he sat down and made a spot for them amidst the stuffed animals. “No need to whine now,” he said. Chastity’s only response was to sit on him and lean against him heavily again. Jack didn’t know what to make of it so he simply asked, “Better?” A muffled “mmhmm,” was his only answer, but he did put his arms around her again. In his current position, there wasn’t much else he could do, really.
Chastity’s eyes were closed and it seemed to Jack that she was about to fall asleep. It wouldn’t have surprised him if she did; it had been a rough stretch of hours, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Jack was pretty tired himself, and if he wasn’t careful he’d be nodding off as well. If he didn’t see another oversized baby product, it would be too soon, but knowing the place he was in took the bite out of his thought. He was going to have to put up with yet another diaper change, submit to dressing in a huge blue sleeper, and then go to bed in a giant crib. In the morning, he’d have to repeat much of the same routine, unlikely to have very huge differences. But, tomorrow was Wednesday, and that was the midpoint of the ordeal. Friday would be the last day, and both him and Chastity would be going home Saturday, likely with a supply of diapers until the formula wore off. The more Jack thought about it, the more he realized—to his surprise—that he was sanguine about all of it. Oh sure, the fact that his dignity had suffered a huge blow and he was diaper dependent for the next several days wasn’t all that pretty, but he knew with ultimate certainty that it would end. He would regain the full control of his bodily functions, this week would fade into the mists of time, a mere pothole on the road of his existence, and the world would keep on turning, in its proper shape. With those thoughts in mind, it was hard for him to really be irritated about the whole thing, though yesterday—or even this morning—would have meant different thoughts.
What had changed? It was a simple enough question. Had Chastity’s warmth towards him, never before truly felt, given him a peace of mind? Certainly. Jack had been attracted to Chastity long before circumstances had brought them together, but he’d never thought that the stuff of dreams would suddenly become a tangible reality. Chastity was of the ‘elite’ in high school; nigh untouchable by a mid-range miscellaneous like him. But, that was before, when Chastity’s friends and circles and cliques would have made any sort of contact like what he was experiencing impossible, a breach of social etiquette of almost unforgivable proportions in the minds of some. Not that Jack particularly cared; if his friends ever found out about him making out with Chastity Bennett, they would simply not believe him, or think of him as some sort of god. He leaned his head back and pondered over that for a bit: did he really want anyone to know anything about this particular week? The easy answer was no, if not a flat out hell no. He had to think of his pride, particularly in his family; he had a younger sister (still in middle school) who would simply love to make his life miserable if given the opportunity. He would, however, be honest about what had gone on during the week: instead of community service, it turned out to be a product-testing gig. Good pay, non-disclosure agreement. Ah, the perfect cover story, that was almost completely true.
Chastity took a deep breath and sighed contently. Jack’s trains of thought came to screeching halts as he focused his attention on her for several moments. She was at peace, snuggled up against him, eyes closed, probably in something resembling a nap state, which was okay in Jack’s book. It’s pretty unlikely that any single, sane man would complain were they in Jack’s place at the moment, diapers or no diapers. Speaking of diapers, Jack felt a sudden warmth on his thigh and realized that Chastity’s diaper was against it… and she’d just wet in it… but she didn’t seem to notice. Jack had tried to notice when he wet, but with his bladder effectively locked open he was probably dribbling urine out at a continued pace without even being aware of it. He’d felt it a few times, but usually he wouldn’t until after the diaper had been fairly dampened. It had been annoying. Now it was routine. Of course, there was nothing routine about any of this, absolutely nothing at all. Jack was also wondering just how wet Chastity’s diaper was…
…But before his train of thought could get much farther than clean of the station she stirred again and changed positions, turning him into something resembling a lawn chair. “Comfortable?” Jack asked softly.
“Yes,” she murmured, resting her arms on Jack’s. “You make a good pillow,” she added.
“Why, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, sounding tired. Jack let the conversation sink and die. The time didn’t seem right for any more talking, anyway.
A little later, after Chastity’s near-nap had restored her to more lively spirits, the two teenagers settled into something of a Q&A period. They were both sitting on the floor against piles of stuffed animals, which were in turn piled against the walls. They had already covered a few of the basics days previously, and were now delving deeper into each other’s personal lives.
“Turn-ons,” Chastity asked.
Jack considered for several moments. “Pretty women dressed in bikinis and lingerie, big guns, a few fast cars, and cute girls in diapers.”
Chastity arched an eyebrow. “Oh really?” she asked demurely.
“Really,” Jack answered. “You?”
She blushed. “Um… well, I guess I would have to say—in no particular order, mind you—hot guys, hotter guys, cool cars, and…” she shrugged impishly, “diapers.”
Jack smirked. “Well, the last one was sort of a given.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Favorite book?”
Chastity thought about it. “I don’t know… I can’t really think of one I like enough to call it my favorite.” She jerked her chin at him. “How about you?”
“Ooh, tough call,” Jack said. “I dunno, I really like the books by Patrick O’Brian. Of those, I’d have to say that HMS Surprise is my favorite at the moment.”
Chastity shrugged. “Never heard of those books, so okey dokey. Um… any siblings?”
Jack nodded. “Younger sister, recently turned 13.”
“Cool,” Chastity said. “Same for me, except she turned thirteen over the summer.”
“Aren’t younger sisters fun?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, just a regular barrel of laughs.”
He nodded. “Favorite sports team?”
Chastity wrinkled her nose. “Not really a fan of sports, but my Dad is into the Indianapolis Colts.”
“That’s cool, I guess; I’m not really into sports either, but I’m more of a… NASCAR fan myself,” Jack admitted, a little sheepishly.
He got the expected reaction. “NASCAR?” Chastity repeated, a little incredulous and with more wrinkling of her nose.
“What? It’s a sport!” Jack protested. “All the strategy and maneuvers involved; it’s like having forty-three football teams in a huge free for all.”
“Whatever,” Chastity said. “Who’s your favorite driver?” she asked, poking a little fun.
“Jeff Gordon,” Jack said.
Chastity had a blank look on her face. “No idea who that is.”
Jack shrugged. “No loss, I suppose.”
There was a brief silence. “So… what was the most fun thing you did over the summer?” she asked.
Jack laughed. “What, are you going to make me write an essay on it?” he asked jokingly.
Chastity gave him a look. “I might,” she threatened, but there wasn’t any real bite to it.
He laughed again. “Okay, the most fun thing I did would probably have to be when a couple buddies and I road tripped to go see a concert.”
“Cool,” Chastity said. “Who’d you see?”
“We went to see Gigantour; it was this big metal show with Megadeth, Dream Theater, Symphony X, Nevermore, so on like that. Insanely awesome concert, except the sets were short.” Chastity wasn’t much for metal, so she did the polite thing: a simple smile and some nodding. “How about you?” he asked.
“Um… Cancun with the family,” she said. “Beautiful beaches, a wonderful tan,” she said wistfully.
“Sounds like it was fun,” Jack murmured.
Chastity nodded. “It was, mostly. A little dull, but I still enjoyed myself.”
“That’s all that matters, though, right?” Jack put in.
“Absolutely,” Chastity agreed.
A little while later, both teens went back downstairs, had their late dinner, were put into fresh diapers and their pajamas and it was suggested that they should both be in their cribs by eleven or eleven-thirty, as the next day (Wednesday) was going to be another busy one. Jack and Chastity took this to heart and didn’t linger very long in the entertainment room. Both were tired anyway, from the onslaught of work they had done, and retired to their respective cribs without much fuss.
As they walked down the hallway toward their rooms, Chastity suddenly gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. He blushed, stopped, and turned to look at her. “Thanks,” he said. “But what was that for?”
Chastity shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. “Felt like it.”
Jack felt the spot where she’d kissed him and arched an eyebrow. “I see,” he said. “Well, not that I’m complaining or anything…”
“I would certainly hope—” Chastity would have said “not,” but Jack had moved, and now he was kissing her full on the lips with such a surprising ferocity that Chastity was completely taken aback. If not for the fact that his arms had come around her in the maneuver, it was likely she might have fallen unceremoniously to her diapered bottom. It was deep and sensuous, and when it ended Chastity let out a little whine. “What was that?” she asked, when coherent speech was possible.
Jack was looking very smug and self-satisfied. “Revenge,” he said simply. “Very, very fun revenge. Can you say... tease?”
Chastity gaped at him for a moment, and then swatted him. “That’s mean!”
Jack nodded. “Yep. But now I see how much fun it is,” he said, adopting a philosophical expression.
Chastity glowered at him. “Well, you better not do it again,” she warned.
“What? You did it to me,” he pointed out.
Chastity maintained her glower. “Didn’t we already have this discussion about who’s in charge?”
“I seem to recall something to that effect,” Jack said.
“Good,” she said, humor returning to her expression. “I get to do whatever I want, and you just have to deal with it.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Alright, Princess Chastity,” he said, “I’ll deal with it… for tonight only. I’m too tired to put up a fight.”
“Good,” Chastity said, and then kissed him. It was gentle, nowhere near as deep as the previous one, but it was more than enough. “Night,” she said, and continued on to her room.
“Night,” Jack said after her, and went into his. He found settling into his crib presented no difficulties for him psychologically, either that or he was, as he had stated, too tired to put up a fight, or really worry about it. Bed was bed. But, as he settled in for the night, he had a sudden feeling that when the week was over, when he and Chastity no longer needed diapers, everything was going to change, perhaps back to the way it was. This feeling haunted Jack until sleep took him—no great span of time, thankfully—and it would be there in the morning, waiting.
Chapter Fourteen
Scarcely a quarter of an hour had gone by before Jack had come to hate that most unsettling thought with almost all of his being. Before it had come along, Jack had been happy, content in the knowledge that good things were before him and everything else was in the past. The price? A week of product testing and experience. But, it was an easy price. As Jack lay awake in his crib with morning sunshine streaming in through the window, the notion that this week was all he was going to get disturbed him extremely. He was given to thinking about the two-faced quality of girls, how they would be your friend one day and then the next you hardly mattered to them. More than anything he dreaded that prospect. As these thoughts and notions plagued him he was able to realize that nothing was as simple as he thought it was. Chastity’s affections towards him could easily be a result of the circumstances she was subject to.
Breakfast. It was another escapade with baby food jars (or at least their teenage scale equivalent) but this time, thankfully, without the highchairs. It was like eating yogurt or pudding of a different texture and flavor. And of course, they had to review it. Jack put down something meaningful and coherent, but not much more. He looked at Chastity surreptitiously as he finished up his review; she was still writing hers, apparently not at any loss for words on the subject. Well, that was all well and good; Jack was still feeling glum as a result of his unpleasant train of thought. Much as he tried to think of happier things, his mind wouldn’t cooperate. He now dreaded the week’s end, at least in part. He wasn’t in fear of leaving his current room behind at all.
Wednesday morning. The midpoint of the week. It was, in a sense, all down hill from there; Saturday would be the last day for everything, and Sunday morning they went home. Sunday… a day of joy, probably. But, that would still leave a whole week of break. Jack brightened some; lazy days playing computer games, spending time with family, Christmas. Would he be able to spend any time with Chastity during that week? Probably not, but that would be forgivable; family takes precedence over holidays. When they went back to school, that would be the telling factor of how things lay.
Chastity nudged him. He looked at her. “Huh?”
“I asked you if you were alright,” she said. “Jeez, did you forget to wake up or something?”
Jack blushed. “Um, sorry,” he mumbled. “I was just spaced out, I guess.”
Chastity arched an eyebrow. “You were spaced out alright.”
He nodded. “I’m fine, though, thanks,” he said, putting on a smile for her.
Chastity didn’t quite believe him. “Right, well, I’ll take your word for it,” she said.
This was the time of day given over for his and Chastity’s showers and selecting clothes to wear. Blessedly, few articles of clothing they wore had to be reviewed—only the onesies and their pajamas. Jack was only too glad to shed his soaked diaper and step into a hot shower. For several moments he just stood there under the flow of hot water and relaxed. He took a breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes and standing still. Unbidden, a song came to his mind and he nodded to its beat somewhat. He paid no mind to the song’s title or which band did it, he just flowed, attending to the soap and lathering up. In spite of his disconcerting train of thought, he still had some high hopes for the week. At least, high hopes where he and Chastity were concerned. Maybe, just maybe…
Chastity, on the other hand, was in a cheerful mood as she stepped into the shower. Unlike Jack, no disconcerting train of thought had her mental processes in a bunch, and so her good spirits radiated out like sunlight. When she got out some time later she was even more cheerful, and hummed a merry tune to herself as she dried her hair. When that was done she put on a bra and T-shirt, then consented to lying on the changing table so Mary could diaper her. This she did, using baby oil (it felt weird being applied with a latex glove over the hand) before taping it up. Chastity got off the table and Mary left her to finish dressing. Chastity selected a pair of overalls—she rather liked the ones she had worn previously, and decided to give them another go—that were a regular blue denim, and went well with her purple shirt. She tied her blond hair back in a simple ponytail and, after putting on a pair of socks and shoes (cold floors were not nice to bare feet, or even sock-covered feet) she went to find Jack.
She thought about checking the entertainment room first, but since Jack’s room was closer Chastity went there instead. She peeked in to see if Jack was in a compromising situation, like being diapered, or something, but since his changing table was empty and she saw him sitting in a chair she waltzed right in, and only a few moments later started to giggle. Jack was sitting there without any pants on over his diaper, listening to his iPod. He hadn’t noticed Chastity yet, and Chastity herself was wishing for a camera. Her giggles were soon replaced by an evil grin as she very carefully crept up on Jack, moving around behind him. He still hadn’t noticed her, and it was all she could do not to burst out laughing. She positioned herself just so, gratified to hear the dull roar of some rock or metal song playing through the ear buds.
“YAH!” she cried and brought her hands down on Jack’s shoulders quickly.
“WAGH!” was Jack’s answering cry, and his iPod went flying up into the air. Its way was checked by the ear bud cord and came down, but he was quick and caught it. Chastity was about to fall over, she was laughing so hard. As a matter of fact, she did actually collapse slowly onto the ground, consumed with mirth. Jack flushed redder than an apple and looked at her in total embarrassment, which transformed into a level beyond total when he realized he was pants-less. He yanked his ear buds out quickly, dropped his iPod on his backpack and quickly threw on a pair of pants before rounding on the still-laughing form of Chastity to deliver a stern rebuke. “Jeez, Chastity!” he began. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to sneak up on people?!” he exclaimed.
His protests had no effect. If anything Chastity was laughing harder, now. She had already been red in the face; she was in danger of going purple. She was shaking, and her laughs came in ragged gasps. Jack was nearly furious, but it wasn’t to be. Entirely too quickly—for his tastes, at least—her mirth infected him, and he started laughing, too. It wasn’t too long, either, before he was laughing pretty hard himself. To make matters worse, the more he thought about it, the funnier it was.
After they had exhausted their laughter, they sat companionably in a couple of handy chairs. Chastity had only just finished swiping away the tears. “Oh… that was too funny,” she said. “Your reaction… I mean, it was like something out of a cartoon.”
Jack nodded. “That it was,” he agreed. “Thankfully, I caught my iPod.”
Chastity nodded as well. “Yeah, that was a pretty good catch.”
“I aim to please.”
Chastity giggled just a bit. “Little baby Jackie all comfy in his diapy,” she murmured. It wasn’t quiet enough, though, and Jack flushed red as an apple, and this only caused Chastity to giggle even harder.
“You’re the one who likes them,” Jack said pointedly.
“So? It seems like you’re starting to like them as well,” Chastity retorted, very smug.
Jack held his head in his hands. “Bah,” was all he said.
“Awe, there, there,” Chastity cooed. “It’s not so bad to like diapers,” she said. Jack looked up and glowered at her; Chastity stuck her tongue out at him and then giggled.
Jack sat up and leaned back in his chair. “Laugh it up,” he said. “Get it out of yours system.”
“Spoilsport,” Chastity teased. “But, at least you can say your diaper is dry,” she pointed out. “I’m probably soaked from all that laughing,” she added and stuck a hand down her overalls to check. “Okay, so I’m only damp,” she amended.
Jack rolled his eyes. “You don’t see me being that curious about my diaper.”
“Well, no wonder,” Chastity said. “You don’t like them and want nothing to do with them because you’re a pig-headed misogynist male.”
Jack blinked. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
“It is a bad thing, silly,” she said, smiling. “But, at least you make up for it by being gentlemanly, and good company.”
“Why, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, and stood up.
Jean took that moment to more or less ambush them. “Ah, there you two are. It’s time to get back to it,” she said. Jack and Chastity had only enough time for crestfallen looks between them, and then it was off to the trenches. The nurses didn’t call a halt until lunchtime, and it was two very wet diapers they changed. Lunch was only a short reprieve, though; within forty-five minutes they were back at it, and during this time both teenagers suffered the ignominious fate of a messy diaper. The nurses took it in stride and dealt with each as tactfully as possible. A final halt wasn’t called until just before dinner at six. After dinner, the two teens had their diapers changed once again, and Chastity contrived to all but vanish upstairs again, Jack following not too much later. They noticed that lights in two more rooms adjacent to the room decked out in yellow were on, and that those rooms were in a similar state of readiness.
“You know, I bet they’re getting these ready for the next wave of testers,” Jack said.
“Think so?” Chastity asked.
Jack nodded. “Makes sense, after all.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have some new faces before the week is out,” she mused. Her face took on a curious expression as an idea came to her. “Maybe they’re long term testers instead of short term like us,” she said.
Jack arched an eyebrow and mulled over that. “Now that’s an interesting idea,” he said. “Very interesting, indeed.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Chastity said, clearly satisfied.
They made their way back to the toy room, which, next to the entertainment room, was their other favorite hang out spot. Chastity sat down amidst the stuffed animals and Jack made himself comfortable in a chair. Chastity picked up a large teddy bear and cuddled with it. “What a day,” she mused.
“Tell me about it,” Jack said. “Though, I’m actually glad we didn’t have this from the start; the monotony, oh the monotony.”
Chastity considered that for several moments. “Hmmm, maybe you have a point,” she said at last. “Day in and day out of this would certainly be annoying.”
Jack nodded. “And to think, only two more days of this,” he said.
Chastity sighed. “Yeah, two more days.”
Jack looked at her oddly. “You almost sound sad.”
She looked at him. “Well, you know I like diapers,” she said and then flushed. “And… well… I kind of like the rest of it, too.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked with a frown.
Chastity opened her mouth, closed it, went to speak again, stopped, and then looked away for a few moments. “Well, I like being diapered,” she said. Jack’s expression showed he didn’t understand. Chastity blushed a deeper crimson. “I mean… I like having my diapers changed,” she explained. “And I like sleeping in a crib and wearing a footed sleeper.” Her cheeks had gone redder and redder with each word. When she was finished she looked away in embarrassment.
Jack looked at her, and there was something of a smile on his face when Chastity again turned towards him. “So what?” he asked.
“So what? What do you mean so what?” Chastity demanded, a little flustered.
Jack chuckled. “I mean so what. Okay, so you like to wear diapers, you like to use diapers, and you like to sleep in a crib and wear baby pajamas. I mean… who cares?”
Chastity’s eyes glistened. “You mean that?”
Jack nodded. “I do.”
She put her arms around him and snuggled into his chest. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Jack put his arms around her in turn. “You’re welcome,” he said softly.
A moment longer, and Chastity pulled away with a sigh, but she looked up at Jack. “Do you think… that if I told my parents about this stuff, they’d… indulge me?”
Jack thought about it for a moment. “I dunno, having never met them… but they might,” he conceded.
Chastity grimaced. “That’s what I thought. I mean, they might is all well and good, but what if they don’t?”
“I don’t have an answer for you,” Jack admitted.
“I know, and its unfair of me to ask one of you,” Chastity said, and then turned away from Jack, who frowned.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, concerned.
Chastity sighed. “I don’t know; it’s like I’m between two worlds, you know?” She frowned herself, and concentrated. “It’s like… I have one foot in some dream world, this world, where everything is weird but cool, and I have my other foot in the world we’re going back to after this.”
Jack blinked. “That’s… pretty deep,” he said at last. “But, the question is… which world do you want both feet in?”
“That’s the problem,” she said. “I like my feet in both.”
Jack whistled. “That is a problem,” he said. “What are you going to do?”
Chastity shrugged, uncertainty plain on her pretty face. “I don’t know,” she said. “I… just don’t know.”
Jack thought about it for several moments. “Well, can I make a suggestion?”
“Sure.”
“Stick to diapers,” he said flatly.
Chastity looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean, stick to diapers. Don’t get into footed sleepers or overalls or cribs or changing tables or any of that. Just stick to diapers,” he said.
Chastity thought about it. “Well, I guess that’s better than nothing,” she admitted.
“Not only that, but it’s… a little more inconspicuous than if you suddenly decked out your room as a nursery,” Jack pointed out.
Chastity nodded. “Yeah, that’s true,” she said and then patted her diapered bottom. “They can be hidden if they need to be.”
“This is true,” Jack agreed.
“It’s not quite what I wanted, but I guess diapers will have to be it,” she said after a few moments’ silence, sounding resigned.
A thought struck Jack at random. “Would you wear them to school?” he blurted, and then flushed at the enormity of his question.
Chastity blushed herself. “Well… I might, yeah,” she admitted.
Jack chuckled. “Talk about brave,” he said. “I don’t think I’d ever wear a diaper to school.”
Chastity gave him a smug look. “That’s because deep down inside you’re just a big chicken,” she said.
“Oh, ha, ha, ha,” he groused.
She giggled. “Admit it; you’re deathly scared of being caught.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”
Chastity shook her head. “Not as much as you are.”
Jack looked at her expectantly, his curiosity piqued. “And why’s that?” he asked.
Chastity thought about it for several moments, and then frowned. “Well, I don’t have any gym classes the rest of the year,” she said.
“Ah, now that is a good point,” Jack agreed.
“That and a skirt will keep whatever bulge there is unnoticeable,” Chastity said.
Jack didn’t quite believe it, but refrained from saying anything about it. He considered Chastity for several moments, in a new light because of these recent revelations. He had known that she liked diapers, but the full treatment? A day or so previously, that wouldn’t have been the case, or so he thought. Maybe as the time went by, Chastity was growing more and more accustomed to this treatment, and that worried him, or at least concerned him. Chastity wearing diapers was one thing, but Chastity getting into the whole groove was another. Jack was very much attached to Chastity; indeed, that was putting it mildly, and it would probably have been more accurate to say he had a crush on her. But he was also at a loss. Was her desire to stay in diapers a good thing, for him at least? After all, he was the only one—and would be the only one at school—who really knew the depth of her attachment to them, or even that she was attached to them at all. Maybe, just maybe with Chastity’s intention to stay in diapers after this week was over, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing her.
Chapter Fifteen
Bedtime came, and with it the obligatory period of sleep, much of the night for the two teenagers. The agonizing periods of product testing were enough to see to that. The sun in all of its round and blazing glory peeked over the horizon with some fingers of red and orange glow, and then the first slivers of the old soul’s form, followed over a period of time by the rest of the star’s bulk. The light from this benevolent, beloved celestial body shone down upon its third orbiter and chased away the night with customary efficiency. Haze and fog burned off, the morning shone clear. Light pierced its way through the window blinds of John Adamson’s window at the testing facility, an old school building. It shone in narrow slivers upon his blanket, and presently it danced in his face and stirred him to wakefulness.
A wakefulness that was horrendously marred by the realization that he couldn’t move. When he tried to move again he got the same result; he was restrained in some fashion, his sleep-besotted and still stupid mind wailed at him. Oh, what jolly good fun; the lunatic nurses were apparently into bondage, and Jack was to be their first victim of the day. With each passing moment, Jack was blessed with a greater level of consciousness and awareness of his surroundings; he was not restrained with straps or ties or ropes or anything; something was pressing on him. He tried his arms, and was gratified to realize that both were unrestricted, except that his left upper arm was pinned by this weight pressing against him. He brought his hands about and engaged them in the task of determining what in the sam hill it was that was pressing on him. Just before they were to make contact with the foreign element, Jack opened his eyes and tried to move his head to look down at it, but was prevented by the form, the vile weight, the impertinent, infernal, grasscombing, inveterate, poxed whoreson of a sodomizing bugger—clearly Jack Adamson had been at sea as Jack Aubrey during the night.
His hands encountered female body just a moment before his ears decided to come alive and reveal to him the sounds of breathing. By some inexplicable chance his hand passed across the person’s bottom and he felt the unmistakable presence of a diaper. “Chastity?” he murmured, and managed to adjust his head to have a look; it was. It was only a moment of utter shock and then his face decided it would be fun to imitate the color of an apple, so deep was his blush of embarrassment. He came wholly alive now, and realized that she was very, very comfortably snuggled up to him and sleeping placidly, her breathing in deep and rhythmic sounds, he could make out her upper body swelling and deflating with the air she took in. Sunlight traced outlines on her peaceful face, that beautiful, beautiful face, her left hand was resting the right side of his chest, her right arm was lying to near his head; her body was more on him than not and her positioning just so, which accounted for how handily he was pinned. “Oh, what a fine kettle of fish,” he muttered, the language of early nineteenth century Britain with him still. “I’ve been reduced from human being to teddy bear in the space of a night, forsooth.”
He lifted his head, careful not to strike his chin on Chastity’s head, and inspected what little of the scene he could see beyond blanketed form. He let it drop back to his pillow after a few moments, took in a deep breath and exhaled. Chastity apparently saw fit to do the same, but there came a pleasant sound from her, a sigh of contentment. Jack was moved, and smiled in spite of himself. He let his right arm rest on her back, and unless his eyes were deceiving him he could have sworn he saw her smile ever so slightly as she slept. He was at a loss for when precisely Chastity had come into his room, and how she had managed to get into bed with him without so much as disturbing him in the least. It was quite the conundrum; all he could figure was that he had been so totally blitzed and dead asleep that Chastity might have been loosing close-reefed topsail screeches left and right and raising heaven and hell for all the good it would have done to wake him up. Jack was then struck with the horrid thought that it might all be some extraordinarily lucid dream—in a calm fit of horror he pinched himself directly, and when nothing happened he relaxed. He then proceeded to freeze as Chastity shifted. She resettled herself and was still, Jack allowed himself to breathe again.
Now that Jack was fully awake, his first desire was to get out of his crib and stretch. But, with Chastity so peacefully sprawled atop him, he was singularly disinclined to disturb that status. He contented himself with light, casual stretches of his arms, before laying them back to rest. He stared at the bland ceiling and allowed his mind to wander while she slept; after a few minutes he envied her the fact that she was asleep and he wasn’t. There wasn’t anything to be done about it, though; much as he tried he simply could not get back to sleep. But, he didn’t have to worry over that much longer; just as the sun had woken him, it plied its capers on Chastity as well and stirred her from the depths of her slumber soon enough. Her eyes scrunched shut tighter, and then slowly opened to reveal those lustrous brown orbs of hers.
They danced about for several moments before catching Jack’s, and a true smile came over her lips. “Morning,” she murmured tiredly, and then yawned, closing her eyes again.
“Morning,” Jack said in turn. “What brings you here?” he asked as casually as he could.
“Don’t remember, some sort of nightmare and I needed a teddy bear or something,” she murmured, dreamily.
Jack smiled broadly. A nightmare… it must have been some nightmare to have disturbed her to the point where she had gotten out of her crib and came to his. It had been, actually; Chastity was being pursued by gangs of villains and packs of wild dogs as well as other insidious cretins and was fleeing through a dark city, apparently smashed by world war three. She didn’t remember at which part she had awoken, but she’d jerked into a sitting position, a scream a heartbeat away from erupting out of her throat. She had sat there breathing heavily in her crib, tears streaming down her cheeks from the horrendous fright of it all. When she had thought herself sufficiently calmed, Chastity laid herself back down and tried to get comfortable and go back to sleep; comfort was found, but sleep did not come and she laid there for what she thought was an interminable, intolerable amount of time before she had abandoned the notion altogether. Without thinking, she got out of her crib and padded out of her room and immediately down to Jack’s room. She carefully entered, and even more carefully climbed into his crib, whereupon she had tossed back some of his blanket and snuggled in next to him, replacing it only after she had made herself comfortable. At that point she had laid her head on his chest, and whether it had been the sound of his breathing or the sound and feel of his heartbeat, she was out like a light inside a minute. Jack would not have smiled, not even a little, had he known the extreme nature of her terror.
“Think we ought to get up?” he asked her softly.
“No,” she murmured back.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Stop asking silly questions,” she said, still in that dreamy murmur. A frown came across her features for a moment, but then softened away.
Jack grinned. “But it’s so fun.”
“Shhh…” she adjured him. “Baby Chastity wants to sleep.”
“Well, that’s too bad for ‘Baby Chastity,’” Jack said.
“Baby Jack shouldn’t be mean,” she pouted.
“What if ‘Baby Jack’ wants to get out of bed?”
“Too bad, so sad, not my problem, now shush!” she whined.
Jack chuckled some, but Chastity put an end to his capering by shifting about and snuggling down once again. Jack was at a loss, and so allowed her to remain comfortable, but he could not see that Chastity’s eyes were open, and her eyes were filled with all-too-vivid imagery from the nightmare. She shifted her head some so that her right ear was directly over his heart; it beat with calming regularity and each beat seemed to chase the nocturnal demons of her mind further and further away, as if each thump were cannon going off by the numbers. It had been a great many years since Chastity had been so thoroughly troubled by a dream. The last time it had happened she had wet her bed out of fright, at the tender young age of five. Eleven—almost twelve—years later and it happened again, except whatever wetting there might have been was locked away within the plush of her diaper. Reflecting on the memory of that stormy night of her childhood made her grateful for her diaper now, but also made her hate it with a passion. Much as she enjoyed diapers and in some cases all that entailed, she was most emphatically not someone who needed them for anything more than her own personal entertainment.
Her mind a-swim with disturbing thoughts, Chastity lifted her head and pushed up from Jack a bit to look down at him more squarely. “Jack?” she asked quietly.
“Yes?” he answered, regarding her casually.
“Do… do you think I’m a baby?” she asked.
At once a glib remark came to him, that yes, he thought she was a baby, but there was something in her expression, an earnestness, perhaps, that checked his humor and brought truth to the fore. “No,” he answered. “Not at all.”
“Good,” she murmured. “Very good.”
He frowned at her. “Why so concerned about it?”
“I don’t know… I was just thinking about my nightmare and then my diapers and how something like this happened to me when I was a little girl,” she explained, her words all but tumbling over one another.
“Something like this happened to you before?”
Chastity nodded. “I was like, five years old or something, and I had a really bad dream, it woke me up in the middle of a stormy night and I wet my bed,” she said, blushing ever so slightly as she admitted that to him.
“And something like that happened to you last night?” Jack asked, the picture starting to come together.
She nodded again. “Yeah, and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Ah,” Jack said. “Must have been some dream.”
“Nightmare,” Chastity corrected him quietly. “A horrible, horrible nightmare.”
Jack nodded, allowing the silence to persist for a time. “But, nothing like that happened to you between then and now?”
She shook her head. “No. Well… okay, I’ve had nightmares that have startled me awake since then, but nothing so severe that I couldn’t get back to sleep or wet my bed.”
His next question took her by surprise. “Did you feel yourself wet?”
Chastity blinked at him, but thought about it. “No… not that I can recall,” she said after a few moments’ thought.
“Hmmm, that’s a shame.”
She frowned at him. “Why do you say that?”
“It would be nice for us to start knowing when we’re in need of, shall we say, relief,” Jack pointed out.
Chastity grimaced. “Tell me about it,” she said. “But, at least we can be sure that this… formula or whatever will wear off long before we go back to school.”
“It better, that’s all I can say,” Jack stated flatly.
Chastity giggled suddenly. “Can you imagine having to go get changed by the school nurse?” she asked suddenly.
Jack chuckled. “Oh lord, I don’t even want to think about it,” he said.
Chastity pressed on. “She’d probably make some big deal out of it; you know how perky she is.”
Jack shook his head. “Probably treat you more like a baby than either of our current nurses would,” he said.
“And there’s no guarantee she’d keep it to herself, either,” Chastity added. “I remember I had this really horrible cold freshman year and I had to go see her twice a day for medication; lord the woman did not shut up the whole time she made out my dose. If I hadn’t been so sick I probably would have slapped her silly.”
“I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure, or displeasure, as it were, of having to deal with the woman.”
“You’re lucky, then. But, one mark in her favor is that she’s perfectly willing to call your parents and have them come pick you up,” she said. “That happened a couple of times when my cold was really bad… I think it turned into the flu or something.” She rolled off of Jack and stretched out next to him.
“We should probably get out of bed sooner or later,” he suggested.
Chastity shrugged. “Why bother?”
Now it was Jack’s turn to shrug. “No idea.”
“Then why’d you suggest it?” she asked.
“Not a clue,” he admitted. “Maybe it felt like the right thing to say.”
She giggled. “I see.”
He pointed a finger at her. “Recall that I didn’t say it was a good idea.”
“Well, that’s true.” Chastity leaned up on an elbow and looked down at him. Jack found himself momentarily transfixed by how her hair fell about her when she did, those blond locks of hers blazing in the sun. Purely on instinct he reached his right hand up and stroked her left cheek. She smiled down at him. “What’s that for?”
Jack shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “It just felt right, y’know?”
She in turn let a hand stroke his cheek. “I know,” she said, but her smile faded, at least from her lips. Her eyes gleamed with it, and seemed to sparkle like a collection of stars.
The moment seized, he kissed her deeply, her surprise shown in her eyes that quickly closed as the pleasure overcame her, a gasp and then it was done and she melted into it. Jack pulled her close to him, one arm behind her back and the other around her neck and head, he let his mind wander as the sweet sensation of her soft, luscious lips on his filled his consciousness to the brim and spilled over. He was dimly aware of her noises of enjoyment, but instinct was almost in complete control; were it not for some logical portion of his mind hanging on for dear life he might have engineered to take her right then and there, diapers be damned.
But it was Chastity who pulled back, who brought the moment up with a round turn and so ended it. For several moments they lay there intertwined, breathing heavily in the wake of the onslaught of adrenaline that had come with the emotions and contact shared. She gazed into his eyes and Jack willed them to show him something, something that would tell him what he desperately wanted to know; was this all there would be? Her eyes shone down upon him, but what he did not know is that Chastity’s mind was spinning faster than his, her burning question not whether this would be everything, but something else. Chastity was infinitely more concerned with Jack’s feelings, and though he showed them tolerably well when they kissed, Chastity wanted—needed—more than that. Was he only interested in her for her body, or was his gentlemanly conduct and appearance thus far who he really was? She didn’t know and so hesitation lurked at every turn, the infernal what if haunted her mind.
Jack sat up fully, then. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, and presently he closed it again. Chastity sat up as well, and was suddenly aware of just how wet her diaper was; it felt as if she would leak at any moment. Jack was pondering the same thing, and suggested that they get out of his crib at last. She agreed, and so they did. It was just as well, for Mary came in a few moments later. “Oh, there you are, Chastity,” she said. “I checked your room and didn’t see you there; is everything alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Chastity said casually, the picture of innocence.
“Well, breakfast is up; Jean’s on the phone with corporate about something and asked me to set it out for you,” she explained, and so led the two teens to the dining room.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked as they walked.
“I don’t know,” Mary said. “But I think it has something to do with what they’re doing on the third floor. I’m sure you’ve noticed they’ve been quietly getting some of those rooms ready?” Jack and Chastity nodded. “Well, I guess they’ve got a new wave coming in today, and need us to make ourselves scarce while they move them in,” she went on. Jack and Chastity exchanged a look, and breakfast was eaten predominately in silence, but quickly. After breakfast Mary hustled both teens off, adjuring them to get showered and dressed.
“Why do they want us to make ourselves scarce while they move in the next wave?” Chastity asked before Mary could vanish.
“I don’t know, something about the nature of the newcomers or something. As far as I know they actually want us to leave the building while they take care of it,” she explained.
The teens exchanged another look, and Jack asked, “Leave to where, and do what?”
“Jean suggested the mall,” Mary said, to their infinite surprise.
Chapter Sixteen
Showers, fresh diapers, clean clothes. Chastity had decided upon an outfit Jack looked upon as stark, raving lunacy, for she had chosen a pleated skirt and leggings to go well with it, as well as a white lady’s polo shirt that had contrived to be rather form-fitting. Ordinarily, Jack would have found the outfit pleasing in the extreme, and while he found it pleasing now, he was all too aware that what the pleated skirt concealed was a thick diaper and not simple panties. Chastity had also managed to put her hair into two simple braids and applied just the right amount of makeup—her appearance very nearly sent Jack into another swirl of emotions, both erotic and concerned in nature. During the interval of showers and departure, for the mall was indeed their destination, as confirmed by Jean just before they had gotten into their respective showers, Jack very casually and very privately asked Chastity what in the sam hill she was about.
She regarded him with surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You’re wearing a skirt!”
“Thank you for that stunning revelation, Captain Obvious,” Chastity said with a rolling of her eyes. “What about it?”
“We’re going to mall. Aren’t you afraid that someone is going to…” Jack hesitated at this point, but his mind knew he was committed one way or another, and so lent him fortitude to proceed, “…see up your skirt?”
Chastity favored him with a smile. “My, I didn’t know you cared so much,” she said demurely. “But to answer your question, no I am not concerned.”
Jack was curious. “Why not?”
“Simply because we’re going to a mall, and malls don’t have sudden drafts of wind that send skirts fluttering.” Her smile broadened. “And besides, you’ll be there to lend a hand should any jackasses rear their ugly heads.”
Jack flushed scarlet—had his ears deceived him?—and smiled like a fool. “So I will,” he agreed. “You do look cute, though.”
Chastity’s blush was only a light pink. “Why thank you.”
And it was at this point that Jack decided to switch gears lest he be overcome by desire again. “So, have you ever been to this city’s mall?”
Chastity shook her head. “No, but I hear it’s pretty cool, as well as very big.”
“Sweet,” Jack mused. He had thought to bring a tidy sum of money—a good deal of it from his parents, who thought he should have his own means—and if all went well he intended to punch a decent hole in it. He hoped there was a good bookstore, and a good games store in this place; he’d never been there himself (thus his question to Chastity), but whenever he went to a mall, those two things were what he chiefly concerned himself with. Clothing, shoes, and the like, anything to do with appearance and he was largely ambivalent to it, unless he strayed into a store such as Hot Topic for a band shirt or something along those lines. A good deal of his friends were a mixed assortment of stereotypical metalheads and Goths, or those who saw fit to dress like them, as well as several of them from all three classes being gamers; they got along famously with their mutual interests in music and computer-generated bloodshed. Come to think of it, he had been meaning to pick up a new band shirt as of late… perhaps he could do so today.
Chastity was, predictably enough, hoping that Old Navy, Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, Aeropostale, and a few others were about; a girl could never have too many articles of clothing after all. Jack was oblivious to this; if he wasn’t careful he’d likely be carrying several of Chastity’s bags, depending on just how wild she got and whether or not her present financial situation would accommodate her wildness. Like Jack’s parents, Chastity’s had endowed her with wealth enough to see her through the week and a little ways beyond; since meals were provided, that presented Chastity with a surplus of money for entertainment or personal purposes, and a piratical, predatory gleam entered her eyes as she pondered which stores she was going to hit first.
Soon enough they were off, Jack looking a little glum at going into so public a place wearing a diaper, Chastity seemed her usual cheerful self, and the two nurses were mum. Jack swiftly retreated into the relative safety of his iPod and the metal fortitude in its memory, at least until Chastity swiped an ear bud, wiped it off on his pant leg and plugged it into her own ear. Jack was on the verge of protest when she swiped the iPod itself and began rifling through his collection again. His mouth was hanging open but words would not come forth; he ended up sighing and closing his mouth, relegating himself to be surprised by whatever Chastity decided to listen to. Of course, Jack was reasonably surprised to find out that Chastity was developing a taste for good metal, or at least Jack’s idea of good metal. She lingered on bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X, while at the same time sampling Megadeth, Liquid Tension Experiment, and a few others that Jack had. Of course, Chastity didn’t always stay with a song to hear it the entire way through; sometimes she reached a certain point (usually just before the best part, to Jack’s chagrin) and then switched to something else.
The trip to the mall wasn’t all that long in terms of distance, but it was in terms of driving time; the best way, apparently, was to go straight through town, and every traffic light seemed to see them coming a mile away and it was rare they made it through any given intersection while the light was still green. But, they did finally make it there, and all four walked to the entrance together, stopping outside at Jean’s behest. “Alright kids,” she began. “You two go have some fun, but let’s meet back here in two hours time; we’ll go to lunch and then it’s back to the building.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Chastity said.
Jean nodded. “Well then, Mary and I are going to take advantage of this time as well, and if you absolutely need a change before the two hours are up, try to find us; there’s a diaper bag in the trunk,” she explained, but quietly, lest passersby hear anything.
Jack grimaced. “Let’s hope we don’t have to use it,” he said.
“Amen,” Mary agreed.
With that, the four split up; Chastity and Jack walked into the mall together while Jean and Mary went their own ways. Chastity fairly bubbled with excitement at being out amongst normal people again, and especially at being out of the old school building turned product-testing facility. Jack had a sneaking suspicion that it was all she could do to keep from jumping for joy. “So, where to first?” he asked, steering towards a mall directory.
Chastity was, apparently, having nothing to do with a mall directory. “This way,” she said—commanded—and grabbed him by the hand, jerking him away from the directory.
Jack restrained a surprised yelp and hastily set his feet into her pace—since when was she so strong, anyway?—and blushed, of course, at the fact that she was holding his hand.
“And what’s this way?” he asked, lamely enough.
Chastity favored him with a smile after slowing to a more humane pace. “Who knows, who cares? Let’s go find out.”
“Fair enough,” Jack said.
They passed a fair number of stores selling well-to-do clothing, a leather good store, the obligatory Spencer’s Gifts, until Chastity caught sight of a Gap and Jack—restraining a groan, because he’d made out the Hot Topic sign a little ways farther on—was dragged inside. It was here that he was made to appraise several shirts and pants as Chastity held them up to her person, but his mental lethargy vanished when she selected some clothes and went to the dressing rooms. Jack’s eyes about shot out of his head when he realized where she was going, but he kept silent—though he feared he would shatter his teeth if he didn’t say something—and fervently prayed that there were no ‘dressing stall monitors’ as there were sometimes tags or notices in dressing rooms; if there were, they were in for something particularly unusual. And of course, Jack had to offer commentary on whatever she came out in. He was, he found, thankful to be at the mall so early; it was fairly empty, and the likelihood of anything untoward happening was very, very remote.
“What do you think, the tan pants and the green shirt or the khaki skirt and the pink shirt?” she asked him, having taken several minutes to narrow it down to which outfits she liked best.
Jack thought about it for a few moments, and finally said, “the pants and green.” Chastity considered his words, and then went ahead and bought both outfits anyway. While the transaction was completing and Chastity was shelling out a fair amount of cash, Jack privately wonder why she had even bothered to ask him in the first place. But, he wasn’t left to wonder for very long, and sure enough he was carrying Chastity’s bag for her as they left the store. The irony, however, was lost on him as they walked down the passageway, Chastity looking into stores of interest, but not yet choosing to go into one. He was also doing his very best to forget that he was wearing a diaper, but in so public a place he couldn’t help but be reminded of its presence with every step he took.
However, when they came abreast of Hot Topic, Jack very casually steered Chastity into it before she was aware of what she was walking into. She looked at Jack and was on the verge of wondering aloud whether he was actually a Goth in disguise when he made a beeline for the band shirts and was looking over the wall of them with a keen, practiced eye. Chastity came up next to him and watched. “On the hunt, I see,” she mused idly as Jack scrutinized the shirts.
He took a moment to look at her. “Yes,” he affirmed. “I’m looking for a shirt that I wasn’t able to pick up at Gigantour… ah!” he said in triumph and looked through the appropriate stack of shirts until he found the size he wanted as well. “Booyah,” he murmured in satisfaction, standing with the prized article in his hand. He looked around the store and browsed a few of the aisles idly, slowly making his way to the register. Chastity, after a smile of amusement at Jack’s antics, looked around as well, not exactly familiar with Hot Topic, since it laid outside the realm of the fashions she typically preferred. Jack found another shirt that struck his fancy and brought it to the register as well.
Soon, they were out in the main corridor strolling along with nary a care in the world, or at least that’s how it appeared. Chastity had this strange feeling in her abdomen that she couldn’t quite narrow down, but what she did know is that she didn’t much care for it, particularly as it wasn’t all that pleasant of a feeling, anyway. It wasn’t bad enough to distract her or otherwise cause her discomfort, so she rode it out whenever it arose. Jack was none the wiser to this, but he did notice that their walk was a largely silent one; try as he might, he couldn’t think of anything to say that would break it appropriately, so he was left with no real option but to let it hang.
He was, oddly enough, immensely thankful for a girlish outburst from Chastity as they passed by a particular store. “Ooh!” she exclaimed and darted over to the window. “These shoes are so cute!” Jack had an image of torturous death coming his way the instant Chastity said the word ‘shoes.’ But, he nevertheless walked up to her as she ogled the window display of shoes. She chattered idly about this pair or that one, listing off their worthy qualities and how one pair was better than another, so on and so forth. But to his immense relief, Chastity didn’t make any move to go into the store itself; after a time she lost interest and resumed walking, with Jack dutifully taking up his position at her side.
“I gotta say that I really don’t know all that much about shoes,” he said at random.
Chastity giggled. “Of course you don’t; shoes are a hobby for women since they can make or break a look; you men—or, should I say, boys—have it so much easier when it comes to shoes.”
“Well, I won’t argue with that,” said Jack, who’s idea of shoes making or breaking an outfit was limited to w
Chapter Seventeen
It took Jack a few moments to comprehend what Chastity was trying to tell him, and understandably so. After all, anyone else would probably have greeted that statement with a shrug and a suggestion to go find a restroom. But, before Jack could even complete a similar thought, the significance of her revelation became apparent. The formula was beginning to wear off. Jack grinned, her joy infecting him as well. “That’s awesome!” he said enthusiastically.
Chastity bubbled into laughter and gleefully hugged him right there. “Oh, Jack it’s finally going away!” she said into his ear.
Jack held her close, but only a few moments later a sense of melancholy settled over him. Chastity was going back to normal, but he wasn’t. He envied her extremely, but made up his mind then and there not to show it. “Yeah,” he said, softly. “It’s finally going away.” Even though he was envious, he was still happy for her. Before too long she’d be able to show her face in public without worrying about any diaper material showing, but he was still stuck in them.
There was some silence and then Jack was aware of some sort of release of tension in Chastity’s body. “So, that’s what it feels like to wet a diaper intentionally…”
Jack’s forced smile became less forced and more genuine. “What, you don’t remember Sunday night when we wet ours intentionally?”
Chastity pulled away to look at him, but she didn’t go very far; there was a rosy hue to her cheeks, whether from pleasure or embarrassment he couldn’t tell. “Oh yeah,” she said. “I forgot about that.”
“I guess so.” Jack smirked at her. “All grown up again, eh?”
She gave him a look. “Yes,” she said, and then stuck her tongue out at him. “What about you?”
Jack shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “Well, not that I know of, anyway,” he added.
Chastity’s good cheer was unabated. “Wouldn’t be surprised if you started feeling it later today. They do say that girls are easier to potty train than boys,” she pointed out.
Jack looked at her oddly. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Home Economics class, freshman year,” she explained. “We did a unit on basic childcare and that included toddler and potty training ages.” She arched an eyebrow. “And here I’d taken that class to be something of a blow off; surprising how those little tidbits stick with you.”
Jack chuckled a bit, but felt better for what Chastity had told him. It wasn’t the end of the world… yet. “Let’s get out of here,” he said abruptly.
“And go where?” she asked.
Jack shrugged. “There’s bound to be a music store or some other interesting places to check out before we go, and we still have some time before we’re supposed to meet Jean and Mary.”
“That’s true,” Chastity agreed and stood up. Jack stood up with her and they walked along, Jack carrying most of the bags in his left hand while Chastity was on his right; it was good thinking, because only a few moments later, Chastity’s left hand ambushed his right ever so casually, but rather than dragging him along at some hurried pace, Chastity strode along with him very casually. Jack allowed himself a smile and happy thoughts after she did, and pushed away the gloom surrounding his formula-affected system. After all, if she had started recovering, soon he would be, too. It was only a matter of time… and patience. He’d put up with it all week, what was another few hours, right?
Before too long, they found a Sam Goody and went inside to browse the musical selection. Quite predictably, Chastity went for the pop, R&B, and rap, while Jack looked over the selection of rock, hard rock, and the various sorts of metal he was interested in. The store’s offering of Dream Theater barely qualified as paltry—they only had two copies of Octavarium, the band’s latest CD, and a copy of Live at Budokan, the 3-CD recording of Dream Theater’s live concert in Tokyo, Japan from April of 2004. There was no Symphony X, and the Megadeth albums he saw there he either already owned or didn’t like. With a sigh, he started wandering the aisles at random, looking over various bands that caught his eye. He was not, however, sufficiently inspired to buy anything, and neither was Chastity, who apparently bored very quickly with browsing through music. “Wanna go somewhere else?” she asked when she came upon him a few minutes later.
Jack shrugged. “Sure. Where to?”
Chastity shrugged as well. “Somewhere else?”
Jack smirked. “How very helpful,” he said, and started for the entrance.
“Shut up,” Chastity murmured as she walked with him. “I don’t see you having any great ideas.”
Jack’s smirk remained. “I’m just such a thoughtless, boring person.”
“You are,” Chastity agreed, and took the lead coming out of the store. “I’m surprised you’ve survived this long.”
Jack chuckled. “Maybe there’s a method to my madness, or lack thereof.”
“You better hope so or you’re going to be in a lot of trouble later on,” she warned.
“Oh, har, har,” Jack muttered and shook his head.
Chastity giggled and bumped against him. “At least you’re cute; that’ll get you somewhere.”
Jack blushed a deep crimson and grinned like a fool for a moment. He was completely unused to girls—particularly pretty girls like Chastity—complimenting him like that. “Thanks,” he said. “You’re pretty cute yourself.”
She smiled and gave him a doe-eyed look for a brief moment, but the moment passed and she looked forward again. Unlike Jack, Chastity was very used to receiving such compliments, particularly from the upper crust, as it were, of the high school social strata, and mostly jocks at that. At least with Jack she knew that he meant it; he was utterly transparent at times, and this was one of them. But, even with that it was hard for Chastity to nail down just how she felt about him. On the one hand, it was easy for Chastity to read Jack, and he wasn’t hiding much of anything that she could tell. Some of his looks at her that she’d noticed had been a little uncomfortable; particularly as they were the sorts of looks she received from the aforementioned jocks. But, unlike the jocks, Chastity actually liked the way Jack paid attention to her, at least in some respects, and the way he emoted when they kissed… She felt like she was truly appreciated, as a whole rather than simply the parts that other guys just wanted to touch. But, even when she analyzed the whole situation like that, Chastity had a sneaking suspicion that she was starting to like Jack, particularly as more than a friend. She figured that being trapped in diapers with a guy for a week would allow such a thing to happen.
But, thinking of diapers, Chastity gave hers an assessment. So far she’d only wet it once (that she knew of) but it was feeling clammy and she wanted a fresh one. She idly wondered how Jack was making out with his; even though he’d done a good job of concealing his emotions, Chastity had seen the mask of… pain? Anyway, she knew he was feeling a little out of it because she was progressing back to normal faster than he was. It worried her that she would be back to normal really soon and he’d still be stuck in his diaper. It also worried her that his subtly different response to her would become something less than subtle. Chastity was conscious of a wall rising up between Jack and herself, probably due to the fact that she was regaining control of her bladder, and the fact that Jack wasn’t, at least not yet. She hoped, really hoped, that Jack would start to regain his control in the next little while, otherwise the next day could become really stressful. Maybe she wasn’t dating Jack (yet), but she definitely liked him and didn’t want this to come between them.
But, no matter how hard she tried, Chastity couldn’t think of a way to tactfully broach the subject, and it was beginning to annoy her. It annoyed her so badly that after making a disgusted sound, Jack turned to her. “Something wrong?” he asked. Chastity almost blurted out that yes, something was wrong, but after only a moment’s hesitation she shook her head. “You sure?” Jack prompted. Oh, it was staring her right in the face! “Yeah,” Chastity said, and kept walking, all too aware of having intentionally missed her chance. When Jack wasn’t look she mentally kicked herself a few times and muttered a few choice words under her breath, thankful that the increase in mall traffic meant more noise and Jack wouldn’t hear her berating herself. She was left with hoping that he would snap out of his funk before too long, because Chastity had no idea how to fix Jack’s side of the problem.
For the next while, the two teenagers wandered around the mall not really doing much of anything except wandering in and out of several stores, occasionally offering remarks on products that caught their eye, but there was no more shopping, even though Chastity was again distracted by a clothing store for a bit. When the time came for them to rendezvous with Jean and Mary, they were there with time to spare, which surprised the nurses when they came upon their waiting charges. “Find anything good?” Jean asked pleasantly.
Both nodded. “Clothes and more clothes,” Jack said.
“How nice,” Jean said. “Well, shall we get some lunch, or do either of you need to step outside for a moment?” she asked, which was an almost casual way to ask if either of them needed a diaper change. Both responded with a negative, and so the four went to the food court for lunch. Jack seized the opportunity to get himself a heaping gyro plate while Chastity opted for a simple sub sandwich from Subway.
When they all had their food and were sitting down, Chastity was mildly surprised to see Jack start a conversation with her after a few mouthfuls of gyro plate had vanished. “So, what are your plans for the rest of break?” he asked.
Chastity thought about it for a moment. “Hang out with some friends, and then it’s the obligatory trips to see family for Christmas Eve and Christmas… then who knows. Probably to my Uncle’s house for New Years, but I might try to change those plans.”
Jack smirked. “Not fond of all your relatives?”
“It’s not that, it’s just that some of them tend to grate on my nerves, and after this week I think I could use a little less stress in my life, know what I mean?”
Jack nodded. “All too well.”
“How about you? Anything special planned?” Chastity asked.
Jack shook his head. “Maybe spend Christmas with the grandparents and all that… but after Christmas nothing special happens until school starts back up… wait, I should say that nothing of any interest happens.” He shrugged. “Whatever. Probably do a lot of gaming in my spare time, stay up late, sleep in until noon, that sort of thing.”
Chastity winced. “Sounds boring.”
“Well, it’s not boring if you like that sort of thing,” he pointed out and then sipped his Mountain Dew. “Besides, that’s what I’d planned to do all break, anyway.”
Chastity arched an eyebrow. “You don’t get out much, do you?”
Jack nearly spit out a mouthful of gyro, but managed to restrain the laughter, chew and swallow before speaking. “No, I get out, but probably not in the way you’re thinking; usually I just go somewhere else to game, or my buddies and I end up invading Steak ‘n Shake until two in the morning or something after seeing a movie.”
Chastity giggled. “That’s the first almost normal activity you’ve mentioned since I got to know you.”
Jack smiled at her. “Okay, I admit it. I’m not the total gamer/metal head that I might try to make myself out to be every now and then. Truth be told, I don’t even wear that much black.”
“That’s good,” Chastity mused. “Colors besides black are very attractive.”
Jack arched an eyebrow at her comment. “Oh really?”
“Yes, really. Black only works every now and then, or when it’s mixed with other colors. Black on black on black on black on black just doesn’t suit you.”
Jack chuckled. “And how would you know what suits me and what doesn’t?”
Chastity smiled devilishly at him. “I just do,” she said, but that was all she would divulge.
Jack, momentarily disconcerted, had glanced over at the nurses to see if they were eavesdropping, but they were actively engaged in their own conversation about something medical. He took advantage of the sudden silence between him and Chastity to demolish another section of his gyro plate.
“So,” Chastity began, breaking that silence.
Jack nodded as he sipped his drink. “Yeah.”
All of a sudden, Chastity decided to go for broke. “Jack?” she began again.
“Yes?” he responded, turning his attention towards her.
She hesitated again, but took a breath and gathered herself. “Do you think…” she hesitated again, and looked away.
Jack, oblivious to Chastity’s inner turmoil, asked, “Do I think what?”
She sighed. “Do you think we’d make a good couple?” she asked, very quietly.
Jack closed his eyes and then very slowly opened them. Was it just him, or had his heart suddenly stopped, flipped over, and then restarted again? Or… ah, that explained it. He must have misheard her. “What?”
She fixed him with a look. “You heard me,” she said flatly.
Well, crap. So, he hadn’t misheard her. “Um…” now it was Jack’s turn to hesitate, look around, and grope for words.
Chastity apparently wasn’t going to cut him any slack. “It’s a simple question; it doesn’t need an answer any more convoluted than yes or no.”
That brought Jack up with a round turn and he looked at her intense expression—it was almost formidable, but what prevented absolute formidability was the fact that her eyes were very emotional. Jack didn’t know what emotion he was seeing, but as he settled himself down and faced the question for what it was, he felt a little more at ease. Now if only the ice in his guts and the butterflies in his stomach would feel the same way, he’d be golden. When he considered all the variables and aspects and stuff he knew about Chastity, it became very apparent to him very quickly that attempting to use logic with this one was not going to work. As Chastity had so eloquently put it, this was nothing more convoluted than a yes or no question. However, it was a very loaded, extremely dangerous question… but when he fixed his eyes on hers again after what had seemed to be a long stretch of time, but hadn’t been any more than a few seconds, there was only one answer he could give her; the only answer he wanted to give her.
“Yes. I do.”
Chastity smiled at him and put her chin in her palm. “Good answer,” she said, but it let about seventy million tons of weight fall off of Jack’s chest. Or… what felt like seventy million tons, anyway.
Jack smiled, and polished off the last bit of his gyro plate. “That’s a relief,” he said, even though it was a pretty lame thing to say.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Well, to be honest, I was kind of afraid that I was the only one thinking about that sort of thing,” he admitted. Hey, the topic was on the table; why not delve further into it?
“Now that’s interesting,” Chastity said and settled back in her chair.
“How so?” Jack asked, a little nervous.
Chastity’s expression regained a little of that devilishness. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it off and on for days.”
Jack was taken by surprise. “Really?”
“Really,” Chastity affirmed.
“I see,” he said, and mulled over that for a few moments. “Well… what now?” he asked.
Chastity shrugged. “Well, I guess we just wait and see.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “We do?”
Chastity nodded. “Yeah.”
“Oh,” Jack said, a little put out. “Sorry, I’m… pretty inexperienced in this sort of thing.”
Chastity laughed. “Don’t worry; you’re doing fine,” she said, and then repeated, “just fine,” softly.
Jean saw fit to break in at that moment. “Well, since we’ve all finished, I suggest we go back to the building. There are a few loose ends that need to be tied up, and then you two are effectively free for the rest of the day.”
This idea suited everyone, and so after disposing of their trash, the two nurses, Jack, and Chastity, went back to the car for the little trip back to the old school building.
Chapter Eighteen
When they returned to the building, neither Jack nor Chastity were given a choice; they were hustled off to their rooms and changed into clean diapers straight away, as well as far more juvenile attire; the onesies were back. Jack didn’t care for them, but when he emerged from his room he saw that Chastity had suffered the same fate, and so he didn’t feel quite as bad about his clothes. The clean diaper felt good, though; he’d been paying attention more often to his diaper—funny how that had gone by the wayside in the earliest stages of this lunatic situation—and was far more conscious of when he was and was not wet. Of course, he was also hoping to start regaining his control before too long; as far as he was concerned the sooner the better, otherwise he might go out of his mind.
Chastity, in contrast, was not nearly as in tizzy over things as Jack was. She was largely sanguine about her onesie and diaper, and so wasn’t nearly as inclined to fuss about it as Jack was. Also, she was already halfway home to being fully continent again, a state of affairs which pleased her in the extreme. She felt bad for Jack that he hadn’t started to get his control back, but she was jubilant in the fact that she was. Besides, if she was getting hers back it stood to good reason that Jack wouldn’t be far behind. As a result, Chastity was very cheerful, a cheer that didn’t seem likely to fade away any time soon. She fairly glowed with it and Jack was somewhat put out when he saw just how cheerful she was. He wasn’t feeling very cheerful at all, dressed like an overgrown baby and stuck in diapers just like one, too. Now that the end of his tenure in this place was near its tangible end, he was impatient for it to arrive. In the past two hours he had gone from considering his diapers a casual aspect of this program to an infernal padded prison that he longed to be out of. As far as he was concerned, once he got his control back and was certain that it wasn’t going anywhere, he wouldn’t look at a diaper for years… unless Chastity happened to be wearing one, and just happened to be showing it off. He was not above admitting that she looked cute in them, and had said so to her often enough during the week. They looked better on her, anyway.
With a brief exchange of words, they went upstairs to their favorite haunts of the building; the toy room being the prime favorite for both beyond the entertainment room (which according to Jack barely qualified as entertaining). Chastity also liked hanging around in the storeroom on the fifth floor that had all the cases of diapers and other big baby things. While Chastity wasn’t eager to be in legitimate need of diapers, she also wasn’t in any hurry to get rid of them, either. In her mind, getting her control back would only allow her to enjoy them in a more leisurely fashion. After all, they were just another style of panties… with really thick padding and adhesive tapes. After five days in them, she had come to think of them as underwear as regular and casual as regular underwear.
There was also another reason behind Chastity’s wanting to go upstairs; she wanted to get a glimpse of the new testers. She had noticed a couple more cars in the parking lot outside, and she was curious if the newcomers were receiving the same treatment as she was, and also whether or not they knew about what this place really was and all that it entailed. She was also hoping that at least one of the newcomers was a girl she could talk to about her experiences thus far in diapers. Jack, however, was not privy to her train of thought, and so protested. “Whoa, slow down! Where’s the fire?” he lamented as he hastened to keep pace with her up the stairs.
“Don’t you want to meet the new testers?” she asked excitedly.
Jack rolled his eyes. “Not really,” he said at last.
Chastity looked confused and crestfallen at the same time. “But, why?”
“The fewer people who know I’ve worn diapers this entire week the better.”
“Oh please, they’ll be wearing diapers, too.”
Jack shook his head. “Makes no difference to me,” he said, but he was still climbing the stairs towards her.
Chastity stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re no fun, you know that?”
“No, it had never occurred to me, actually,” Jack deadpanned.
Chastity giggled a little. “Well, I hope it has now,” she said, and then grabbed him by the hand and dragged him the rest of the way up the stairs, him spouting protests most of the way. Jack was beginning to think only a tsunami could stop the force of Chastity excited.
They came through the doors of the stairwell together and Chastity all but skipped to the first room. She slowed to a tiptoe when she got closer, having heard voices inside. She crept up to the window in the doorway and peeked in, but her vantage point revealed nothing to her. Whoever was in this room was hidden from immediate sight. She moved round to get a better look, and she saw another nurse in the room, and then a girl who appeared to be of roughly the same age as her and Jack. Hope surged within her, and then she noticed something… amiss. The teenage girl, though dressed in a pink onesie and obviously diapered, was acting a little strange, or at least strange to Chastity. She frowned, and continued to peer into the room, scrutinizing the two figures intently. The nurse was evidently playing a game of some sort with her charge; from the look of it, probably something like Go Fish.
Jack had come up as well, and was looking in with Chastity, making his own assumptions and judgments. Chastity watched the girl move and behave for several moments, deciding that she must have known about this whole thing beforehand and been of a mind to play the baby for her tenure, here. Even though this notion was pretty solid in Chastity’s mind, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was amiss with this girl, something she wasn’t seeing. But, in spite of all her efforts, Chastity couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it was. Jack, however, was a little sharper.
“Down Syndrome,” he murmured.
Chastity looked at him oddly. “How can you be so sure?”
“I knew a kid who had it; used to live a couple houses down from me,” he explained. “He was actually pretty cool to play with, though. Except, sometimes he was really sick for days on end. Mom told me about it, how people with Down Syndrome get sick a lot more often than the rest of us.”
Chastity suddenly felt like a horrible human being. “That’s… awful,” she murmured.
“Yeah, but people with Down are usually pretty happy,” Jack soothed. “Look at her. See how happy she is?” Chastity looked, and couldn’t argue with Jack on that point. “Though, now that I see this, I’m not surprised that they ask for high school age volunteers for these products; after all, she’s probably no older than we are.”
Chastity couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah… I still feel bad, though.”
Jack nodded. “I hear you,” he murmured, and then moved away from the door, gesturing for Chastity to come with him.
“What?” she asked, after catching up to him.
“I think I’ve seen enough for now,” he explained, heading for the stairwell.
Chastity was quizzical, but she walked with him, mildly surprised that he was going up instead of down. “Where are you going?”
Jack shrugged. “Somewhere away from the rest of the building,” he said.
That didn’t clear things up any for Chastity. “Why?”
Jack shook his head. “I dunno… maybe being up here will help me figure it out,” he said, coming to a stop on the fourth floor landing. “I guess… seeing that girl in there, with that nurse… it sort of brought it into focus for me, what we’re doing here.”
“We’re… testing products and giving feedback on them,” Chastity said.
“Yeah, we’re doing that, but… I guess seeing her in there made it real for me who we’re testing these for.”
“You mean, people with disabilities?” Chastity asked, still a little confused.
“Yeah,” Jack said. “I mean, how many people would actually like this, anyway?”
“I like it,” Chastity pointed out.
“Okay, so you’re one person.”
“You like some of it, too,” Chastity put in.
Jack sighed. “I don’t like it the way you do,” he clarified.
“I know,” Chastity said. “But it’s still fun to poke at you about it.”
“Oh, thanks,” Jack muttered, rolling his eyes. “But seriously. Do you think anyone else would do this—I mean, wear diapers and stuff—for fun?”
Chastity thought about it for a few moments. “Well, I’ve already told you that I like diapers and the baby clothes and the crib and stuff.” She paused. “I guess if I do, then maybe there’s other people who do, too.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “Well, I guess it is possible,” he admitted. “But I gotta tell you; I don’t think it’s all that likely.”
“So what if it’s not? What if all this stuff is just for people with disabilities?” Chastity asked. “Not like it’s the end of the world for people to like diapers.” She abruptly giggled. “Of course, they do sell a lot of adult diapers; what if adults who need them wanted them to have a little style?”
Jack chuckled. “That’d be pretty funny.”
“Instead of those Depends, you’d have Huggies for Adults and all that,” Chastity went on. “Well, if they actually sold these diapers in stores, I’d probably buy them.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did start selling them in stores. Who knows, maybe there’s this whole group of people who actually like diapers the way you do.”
Chastity smiled. “Yeah…” she murmured. Her mind was already turning over the possibilities. What she really wanted, but wouldn’t admit to wanting, was Jack to stick with diapers the way she planned to. He was the one who had been with her when she was introduced to them, and had experienced them up and down like she had all week long. It was going to suck when he stopped wearing them, at least in her mind. She liked the idea of him and her wearing diapers together, like it was their private little thing. Maybe, though, he’d at least get some of their diapers and wear them with her from time to time; that wasn’t too much to ask, was it? After having to endure it for a whole week? Surely he wouldn’t object… but she was still hoping in that regard. Chastity all but knew for certain that Jack was going to turn his back on diapers as soon as the formula wore off. Well, at least she would still have them. They had become her own private little fun, after all, and now they were even more fun since she had started getting her control back. While it had been interesting to experience diaper dependency, Chastity greatly preferred to have a say in when she made use of her diaper from now on. That and she wasn’t overly fond of having to mess her diaper. That aspect of the whole thing she was extremely eager to be rid of.
But, even as she was thinking that, her bladder was kind enough to inform her that it had decided to empty itself. Chastity didn’t have a chance to arrest the flow before it was already largely soaked up by the padding of her diaper. It dampened her spirits a bit, but not to any large extent. She had hoped for a perfect transition back to full control, but now wasn’t expecting it, considering that she’d just had an accident, as it were. But, she did know that the little accident just then was the first time she had wet her current diaper, so it still qualified as progress. She idly wondered how Jack’s diaper was… something she had been given to thinking about a lot as of late. Unbidden, the thought of actually changing him came to mind and she started to laugh. At first it was quiet, but then became enough to have her red in the face and unbalanced as they emerged onto the fifth floor.
Jack was confused, of course. He looked at her, almost doubled over with laughter, and though her good spirits were well on their way to infecting him, his confusion was enough to hold them somewhat at bay. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
Chastity shook her head and tried to speak, but laughter stood in her way at first. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, and with that was able to gain the upper hand. “I just had this really funny thought.”
“What about?” Jack asked, genuinely curious.
Remembering what that thought was made Chastity blush. “Um…”
Jack arched an eyebrow; a wry smile came onto his face. “Come on, what was it?” he pressed. Curiosity was getting the better of him. That, and he wanted in on the joke.
“Forget it,” Chastity said, attempting to be nonchalant. “It’s nothing.” Yet the thought of changing Jack’s diaper refused to go away. It was accompanied by the thought of him in turn changing her…
“You sure?” Jack asked.
Chastity thought about it for a moment. “Well, I just had a little accident in my diaper and I was thinking about it and all that, and then I got to thinking about your diaper and then I started thinking about changing your diaper and then… I started thinking about you changing my diaper…” she blurted, trailed off, and then put a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God I can’t believe I just said all of that.”
Jack looked both a little fearful and very taken aback at the same time. “Changing my diaper, huh?”
“It was just a passing thought, honest! Besides, I thought it was pretty funny, because I know you’d just hate to have that happen,” she jested, but was very interested in Jack’s answer, to see whether or not she was right about his further interest in diapers.
Jack had considered her words. “Well, it is somewhat funny when you think about it, but yeah, I probably would hate to have that happen.” He arched an eyebrow. “Changing you, however…” he started, obviously joking.
Chastity gave him a look. “Don’t get any ideas, mister.”
“What, and let you have all the fun? Perish the thought,” Jack said with a smug look. “Besides, you’re the one who likes being changed, after all.”
“Now that’s not fair!”
“Why not?” Jack asked, still smug.
“You’re using my own words against me,” she pouted.
“Only a little,” Jack admitted casually.
“You’re mean.”
“Only a little.”
“It’s enough,” Chastity said and then started walking towards the storeroom with all the cases of diapers and other changing supplies in it. Jack kept pace with her.
“It could be worse,” he pondered aloud.
“Well, I don’t want to know what your concept of worse is, so keep it to yourself if you’d be so kind.” She gave him a look for emphasis.
Jack put on an innocent expression. “I was only saying, not thinking.”
“Liar,” she grinned, and socked him in the arm, lightly this time.
“Indeed,” Jack mused, and looked down the dimly lit hallway. “I wonder if they’ve ever had this place at full capacity. When you think about it, this building is an ideal place for a hospital or something.”
Chastity looked uncomfortable. “I don’t want to think about it,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Because, I feel bad that I’m… well, normal, and that girl downstairs isn’t,” she explained. “It’s like I got lucky and she didn’t.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, but she’s not completely out of the race; plenty of disabled people have made impacts on the world, you know.”
Chastity nodded. “I know… but I still don’t like it, you know?”
“I know,” he said, and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“These diapers are like a sort of toy for me; she probably really needs them,” she went on.
“Dwelling on it isn’t going to do either of us any good,” Jack soothed. “Besides, what we’re doing is helping people like her, even if it is just a little detail in their daily lives.”
“And all those hypothetical diaper lovers out there, too,” Chastity reminded him.
Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, them too.”
“What?” Chastity prompted. “It’s not that unlikely, you know.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But I still think it’s pretty far-fetched, and I’ll keep thinking that until I see proof to the contrary.”
Chastity grinned again. “You’re looking at her.”
Jack groaned. “You know what I mean.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you off easily,” she said smugly.
“Hopefully that won’t become a habit,” he muttered.
Chastity gave him another look. “You better watch it, mister,” she said threateningly, complete with the index finger pointed into his face.
“Or what?” Jack asked.
Chastity faltered for a moment. “I’ll put you in diapers after break is over.”
Jack only looked at her, almost smirking. “That the best you got?”
Chastity huffed. “I’ll think of something! And when I do, oooh, you’ll regret it.”
“Sure I will.”
Chapter Nineteen
Later that afternoon as Chastity was getting on the table in her room for a diaper change, Mary took a moment to pull a diaper out of a remarkably bland, plain white package with only a lot number and pieces count on it. “What’s with that?” Chastity asked, gesturing towards the package.
“These are an upgraded model of overnight diaper, a little longer and thicker than ones you’ve been wearing all week,” Mary explained.
“Oh,” was all Chastity said as Mary removed two of the diapers and walked over to the changing table with a supine Chastity atop it. She handed one of the diapers to Chastity and then began unsnapping the onesie. Chastity examined the new diaper closely while Mary went to work on her change—by this point, Chastity was used to having her diaper changed and paid little attention to what was happening as she looked the new diaper over. “They do look thicker,” she mused as she lifted her bottom up, and after a few moments settled down onto the new diaper. “And they feel a lot thicker, too.”
Mary smiled a bit. “Yeah, they’ll probably be marketed as the ultimate overnight diaper, meant to handle heavy wettings and bowel movements, that sort of thing, without the real possibility of leaks at all.”
Chastity arched an eyebrow. “Aren’t the diapers we’ve been wearing thick enough for that sort of thing?”
“Well, they used to be our standard of overnight and heavy daytime thickness, but it was decided to make them thicker and more absorbent to compete with other diapers in the same market,” Mary explained. “These are probably the most absorbent diapers on the planet right now. Also, the tapes were shifted up a little higher so the wearer has a better range of comfortable motion without risk of popping a tape on accident. In a lot of ways, the R&D going into baby diapers is being slightly retooled for integration into the pre-teen, teen, and adult markets.” Mary had been carrying out the usual routine of Chastity’s diaper change during the explanations; as she finished that last sentence, she was pulling the new diaper up between Chastity’s legs and taping it into place with the single fastener to each side, wide enough and flexible enough to stay firmly in place in spite of the wearer’s movements (unless those movements included certain types of sprinting, but that had probably been a fluke). Chastity thought about that running incident for a few moments and was glad that the eggheads had moved the tapes up a bit.
When Chastity got off the table with her onesie resnapped, she immediately felt the somewhat increased thickness and she definitely felt the difference in width; this new diaper felt at least a quarter thicker as the ones she’d been wearing all week with these new features, but comfortably so, and the waistband of the diaper almost completely obscured her navel, whereas all the diapers she’d worn up to this point had only come up to its bottom edge, if ever that high. “Wow, these are pretty big diapers.”
“Wider and longer seem to be the operational mandates of R&D these days,” Mary said. “At the end of the day we’ll ask you to fill out a review on them.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Chastity said and Mary put the wet diaper into the diaper pail and made her way out of the room to head back to the office space she shared with Jean. Chastity took a few moments to examine her new diaper in terms of how it felt as she moved, and decided that she liked them best out of all the diapers she’d worn up to that point, especially when she unsnapped her onesie and looked at how babyish she appeared to be with this (somewhat) huge diaper on. The thought of it made her giggle, and she quickly refastened her onesie and went off to find Jack.
It didn’t take Chastity long to track him down; as it so happened, he was coming from his room towards her. “Hey,” she greeted him. “I was just coming to find you.”
“Talk about a happy coincidence,” Jack mused.
“You were coming to look for me?”
“No, because I had a good idea of where to find you in the first place.”
Chastity gave him a look. “What, I couldn’t be anywhere else?”
Jack shook his head. “We’re a building with more locked doors than rooms,” he reminded her, exaggerating just a little.
“Okay, you have a point there,” she conceded, and then changed the subject. “So, did you get put into a new style of diaper, too?”
“No, why?” Jack asked.
“Well, I did,” she told him. “Wider and longer than the ones I’ve been wearing.”
Jack shrugged. “I’ve been in the same general style of diaper since Monday.”
“Maybe they only want my opinion on these diapers, then,” Chastity suggested.
“Could be,” Jack agreed. “Maybe they’re going making your new diapers more female-friendly or some such.” Chastity only shrugged in response, and casually maneuvered around Jack and deeper into the old school building.
“You know what’s sort of funny?” she asked as she moved along, Jack following by habit.
“Possibly, but enlighten me anyway.”
“Even though we barely knew each other before this week, now it’s like we’ve been friends for life,” she said.
“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” Jack agreed.
“Yeah…” Chastity trailed off and rounded the corner at the end of the hallway before speaking again. “Funny, y’know?” She asked, casting a glance back at him.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
A smile attempted to break onto Chastity’s features, but she contained all of it but a lip twitch. “Almost makes you wonder what we should do about that.” She came to a stop at the end of her sentence and turned to face him.
Jack slowed and stopped a pace or two away from her. His expression, Chastity noted, was maddeningly bland. “What’s there to do about it?” he asked, causing Chastity to (momentarily) wonder if Jack was as dull and dimwitted as the stereotypes of boys in general suggested. But, he surprised her by continuing. “The way I figure it there are only three options we have open to us. We either stay this way, go backward, or… we go forward.” He paused and looked at her in silence, and she could feel him evaluating her demeanor. She tried to play it cool, but Jack saw right through it. “What, don’t give me that look. You’ve been thinking about this probably as much as I have.”
“Thinking about what?” she asked, attempting to be innocent.
Jack shuffled his feet and looked around for a moment. “About going forward,” he said. “That… um…” he closed his mouth and stood absolutely still for another moment. “That rather than waiting and seeing what happens, we do something about it,” he said at last, avoiding her gaze while speaking and not daring to look at her until after he’d dropped the bomb, as it were, but after it had cleared the bomb bay he glanced up to see if and how it had hit; Chastity could read his emotions pretty clearly and knew that he was trying hard to keep himself level while daring to cross this sort of ground. But, now wasn’t the time for games. Not here. Not with him.
“Yeah,” she whispered, “I have been thinking about it.” She stopped talking but Jack didn’t prompt her; the hesitation was obvious in her body language. Chastity looked at Jack, saw the earnestness in his features and the tension in his posture. The genie was out of the bottle, and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance it was going back in. Someone was going to have to make a wish first, as it were, and Chastity knew that she was locked into it. Suddenly, she didn’t want to answer, only run away and hide, maybe think about it or… just simply do something else, anything else, be anywhere else… instead of facing this particular situation at this particular moment. She had wanted time to think about getting into a relationship with Jack, but now she was boxed into a decision point. It was a conscious effort on her part to stifle such thinking and keep her mind focused on the task at hand. There were words that needed to be spoken, and she had to speak them. Her silent hesitation was dragging on—in truth it hadn’t been much more than a couple of seconds—but Jack waited silently, maddeningly still and quiet, his eyes locked onto her, boring into her own.
“Okay.”
It was a feminine voice that delivered that one little word in a voice not much above a whisper. In the intervening instances of time leading up to, during, and after their delivery all other sound decided to die away, two hearts stopped beating (or at least seemed to) and it was as though the world paused so the moment could have its time in the sun. But, immediately following their utterance, the world resumed, and it seemed to have retained the shape it was in prior to this particular instant of time. Except for the minor, more or less unimportant fact that Jack Adamson and Chastity Bennett were, for all intents and purposes, a couple, life went on, and the singularity of that fact was lost on it and almost one hundred percent of the beings on its surface. In a sense, it was ironic… usually, such moments were the subject of extreme camera zooms that would give them importance to people who would watch them secondhand at a later date, but in this case, the moment arrived, was experienced, and then passed into the annals of time gone leaving nothing behind but the sudden relief of tension from two teenagers.
Unfortunately, Jack’s method of tension relief nearly gave Chastity both whiplash and a concussion. Blessedly, her swift reaction saved her from injury, but she very nearly caused Jack to sprain his ankle as she replied to his overly zealous and fierce kiss in kind. Her hands sailed over his upper body as his hands did the same over hers, they pushed and pulled at each other, twirled in some obscenely disjointed dance through the hall, making out on the run with almost all of the appropriate noises. Instinct was in full force for both of them, and there wasn’t any inclination on the part of either teen to apply the brakes. Chastity broke away from him and with a foxy gleam in her eye she ran off to the stairwell, Jack in hot pursuit. She quickly ascended the steps and darted out into the third floor hallway, Jack mere steps behind, and almost as quickly vanished into the toy room where Jack caught her, turned her into his arms and restarted their frantic, drawn-out (in terms of distance) making out, altered only by Chastity backing up towards the pile of stuffed animals, where she lowered herself to the floor, drawing Jack down with her.
Jack descended willingly, but rather than remaining on his knees he pushed forward, against Chastity, and she in turn reclined until she was lying on the carpet. Quickly and roughly, he unsnapped her onesie and began to kiss the skin of her stomach, the smell of baby powder and lotion filling his nostrils as her fingers laced through his hair. He went down along her middle, brushed back the elastic waistband of her diaper to kiss her navel, which elicited a noise of pleasure from Chastity that only spurred Jack onward.
Which is where the instinctive passion and all that it entailed and might have led to was obliterated by an obscenely loud, and rather unpleasant noise.
It wasn’t something like a wailing siren, a fire alarm, a smoke detector, or some other alert device, nor was it the voice of any other human being in the building. No, it was the noise that both Jack and Chastity had heard so very many times during the past week, but it was so distinctly out of place in this situation that it was as if a fire had been snuffed out before it could reach its peak.
Chastity, lying down and looking up at Jack, her arms having fallen to her sides, was blushing so fiercely it seemed as though someone had poured red paint on her cheeks, and had a look like a deer in headlights on her face. Jack, kneeling between Chastity’s legs and looking down at her had a similar expression on his own visage, and they seemed to be more or less frozen in place. Chastity’s onesie was open and pushed out of the way to reveal both the smooth skin of her midriff and her diaper, which had been so recently torn open by Jack with an earth-shattering gusto. That same earth-shattering gusto had made that horrible noise that had been more than enough power to clap a stopper over their capers. Who could have known that ripping open a diaper could be such a drag?
The awkward moment passed and that horrendously loud noise faded with it. Time snapped back into the forward position and the two teens looked at each other, now supremely embarrassed about their positions. Jack’s mouth worked up and down a few times as he tried to form and then speak words, but no sound came. Chastity just stared at him, unable to think enough to speak, only able to realize what she had come so close to doing as Jack arrived at a similar train of thought. Finally, though, the spell was broken and Jack shifted back, out from between her legs. The action seemed to release Chastity from her stupor, for she lifted her head from the floor and looked at Jack. “What, you’re just going to leave me like this?” she asked, murmuring.
Jack started, and realized just how exposed Chastity was; even though the front of her diaper still lay in place, it was unsecured. “Oh… um… sorry,” he said and set about fixing that; he lifted the front of her diaper just a bit (not enough to show anything, but it still caused Chastity additional embarrassment) and pulled it up just a little bit before he tucked a wing down against her hip and reattached the tape, taking a moment to offer up a silent thanks that his haste hadn’t actually ruined the fastener, even though it was the none-adhesive style seen on pretty much every baby diaper nowadays. When he had Chastity’s diaper closed up he finished the job by resnapping her onesie and helping her up into a sitting position.
Silence fell between them as they sat there in the toy room, each of them thinking about what they had been about to do, and each privately glad that they hadn’t gone any farther. They only stole short glances at each other, mostly looking at anything that wasn’t the other person in the room. Jack rubbed at his chin for a moment, and was the first to speak. “Were… were we really going to do…” he trailed off.
Chastity nodded. “Yeah, sure seems like it,” she put in, since Jack hadn’t been able to finish his thought.
“Would have been pretty stupid, wouldn’t it?” Jack mused, more stating than inquiring.
Another nod from Chastity. “Yeah, probably, even though it would have been fun.”
Jack smiled just a bit. “Yeah, but how fun?”
Chastity looked at him and smiled just a bit as well. “Guess we won’t know, will we?” There was a touch of the demure to her words.
“Probably for the better.”
A curious look. “How so?”
Jack heaved out a breath. “Well, you know… remember some of those couples back when we were freshmen and sophomores? How, after homecoming or prom or some party or another, they’d go somewhere and… well, do it, and then something would happen and they would break up just a little while later, usually in some big mess?” Chastity nodded. “Well, I think that if we… did it, we wouldn’t last very long, that maybe we’d break up pretty bad like they did… and I don’t want that. Not with you.” He concluded by looking hard at Chastity’s face, as if to drill home his point by boring it into her eyes.
In response, Chastity shifted onto all fours, crawled over to Jack, slid her legs past his sides and situated herself in his lap while her arms snaked around his neck, kissed him, and held herself close to him for those moments. “Thank God for Huggies, hmm?” she whispered in his ear.
Jack smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, thank God for Huggies,” he agreed. And then he started laughing. His laughter infected Chastity, and she ended up rolling off of him from laughing so hard. Pretty soon they were laughing so hard tears were rolling down their cheeks and they could hardly breathe.
“Do… do you realize how funny it is that we were stopped from having sex by diapers?” Chastity asked. “Is that not like… the funniest thing you’ve ever heard of?”
Jack nodded and swiped away a tear while trying to get some air into his lungs. “I can already feel the fear from the Trojan Man,” he said, and they both fell about laughing again.
It was some time before they were all laughed out, and when they were they simply remained in whatever position they found themselves, in Jack’s case it was sitting against the pile of stuffed animals and Chastity lying on the floor nearby. She shifted about to catch his eye, a smile on her face and warmth from her own gaze. “I’m really glad we didn’t have sex, Jack,” she told him.
He nodded. “Yeah, so am I.”
Chastity couldn’t resist the opportunity for a glib remark. “What, does that mean you don’t want to have sex with me ever? I’m so offended!”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Well, maybe after we get out of diapers, you can model some of your panties for me. We’ll see how things go then.” Which, of course, earned him a good sharp smack to whatever convenient appendage chastity could reach, in this case, Jack’s calf, where she left a nice red handprint. “Ow!”
“Serves you right,” she told him.
“What, you started it!” he protested.
She merely shrugged. “So?”
Jack gave her a look. “That’s not fair.”
“Oh boo hoo, don’t make me get out the world’s tiniest violin.”
Jack’s response to that was to tickle her without mercy.
Chapter Twenty
They were home in time for Christmas Eve dinner. Their Get-out-of-jail-free card was something along the lines of an unsigned non-disclosure agreement that allowed both Jack and Chastity to evade explaining the complete picture of their week in diapers. To be sure, they said that there had been a mix-up and they went to the wrong shindig, but beyond that, they remained mum. Chastity regained full bladder and bowel control by Tuesday morning, while Jack would have to wait until Thursday to get his back, which really made for an uncomfortable and very cautious Christmas Eve and the days with the relatives on his part. Once he realized he was no longer dependent on diapers, he went back to regular underwear and came dangerously close to wetting his pants more than a few times, a little fact he confided to Chastity with some embarrassment. She told him that he really should give diapers another go, because they were really good at preventing such things as wet pants. Jack did not, of course, act on her suggestion.
And so it went. Rather than walking away from the diaper testing place with a pittance to their names, the Kimberly Clarke Corporation, having realized the magnitude of their liability in the situation and how much they would suffer if the two teens went whining to their parents about how they’d been abused for a week, the repercussions to their profits and credibility would take too much time and money to move beyond, particularly as court cases had a nasty habit of dragging on and on and on with lots of media attention, provided that the case was juicy enough. So, they came up with a nice little package deal for Jack and Chastity, and shortly before they left the facility, a representative from Kimberly Clarke sat down with them to explain it.
“Here’s the deal,” the man had begun. “In exchange for your agreeing not to press charges over this mix-up, we pay you lots of money.”
Chastity, after discussing it with Jack, had decided to let Jack do the talking on this one, but when the man mentioned lots of money, she perked up and asked (to Jack’s annoyance), “How much money?”
The man had demurred and passed them each a sheet of paper with an amount on it. “This is the general outline of the agreement,” he explained, but the teens didn’t exactly hear him; they were scanning for the number. Chastity found it first, and her jaw nearly fell off of her skull.
Jack found his voice first. “That’s a lot of money,” he said.
The man nodded, smiling at them in a manner that might have struck Chastity as slimy had she not been engrossed in staring at her sheet. The terms and conditions, as it were, of the deal was that they kept quiet about everything, a non-disclosure agreement of sorts. When they put their names at the bottom of the sheet, they then became the proud owners of fifty thousand dollars. Apiece. No questions asked. In movies or TV shows or books, the protagonist or protagonists might have immediately pressed for more money, but fifty grand was nothing for two suburban kids to sneeze at, particularly because none of their parents saw that much at any one time; they had to wait most of a year to get that sort of number. But now, there it was, all for them, just waiting.
“There is, of course, an added option at the bottom that you can check if you want,” the man added. Chastity looked first at the man and then back at her sheet; Jack didn’t even bother with that; he kept his attention on the sheet. “An option for Kimberly Clarke to contact you at a later time for further services,” he said. “Which, essentially means that since you two were actually of good help to us during the course of this week, we’d like to retain your names for future product testing. That is, of course, with your permission.”
“What sort of product testing?” Chastity asked, completely forgetting that she had agreed to let Jack talk. He looked mildly annoyed, but said nothing.
“Well, the notion is that you’ll be retained for this sort of testing due to the fact that you already have experience in it, and you can be relied upon to cooperate, in spite of,” the man paused and cleared his throat, “certain circumstances.”
Chastity nodded. “Sounds okay to me,” she said. “How about you?” she asked, looking at Jack.
He arched an eyebrow. “What, you think I want to do this again?” The silent look was all he got for an answer. “No. No, no, no, no, no, and that’s final.” He crossed his arms and looked at Chastity in defiance.
By the time the KC rep was on his way back from whence he came, he had both forms in his briefcase, completely filled out, signed, and dated by Jack and Chastity, complete with the little check box for retainer of services. Chastity hadn’t had to badger Jack very much to get him to check it; she knew which buttons to push without much trouble at all. The two teens went to pack up what few of their belongings had actually come out of their luggage, both of them placing their checks for fifty grand in very, very safe locations. Both of them received their final diaper changes from their respective nurses with no small amount of emotion on their parts, and they dressed as conservatively as possible in their own clothes. Mary let Chastity pick out a few pieces of clothing to take with her as souvenirs; she immediately put her onesie and sleeper, plus a pair of overalls into her bag, and when she had the chance a little later, she smuggled Jack’s onesie and sleeper into her bag as well. Jack had been given the same choice, but had (as predicted) opted to take nothing with him. That didn’t mean that Chastity wasn’t going to take anything for him, though, something Mary noticed but chose not to comment on.
Both were given a box of diapers and changing supplies (the boxes and their contents were, of course, sealed), and information about how to request more should they need it. Since they were on KC’s list of testers, they were going to receive certain amounts of product for free, but anything over a certain amount would have to be paid for. Chastity thought that was absolutely wonderful; Jack was less than pleased, but said thank you anyway. He considered his days as a product tester to be over and done with, but he wasn’t about to tell Chastity that… again. She probably wouldn’t believe him, anyway, particularly as she’d caught him more or less relaxing in his diaper a couple of times over the week.
Neither Jack nor Chastity saw or heard much of each other until the middle of the week, when Chastity, ecstatic over her recently returned continence, made Jack come out and play with her in the snow, even though Jack, still (glumly) relegated to diapers, would have much rather stayed inside and moped about on the internet shooting computer-generated terrorists, thank you very much. However, Chastity was persistent (to put it mildly; she had at one point threatened to beat down his door with a sledgehammer) and Jack finally caved. When he arrived at a local park where Chastity had wanted to meet him, he saw nothing of her until he heard an excited squeal, rapid footfalls in the snow, and then he turned to see her, just before she plowed into him and took him down, laughing joyously.
“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, half-buried in snow.
“I’m potty trained again!” she exclaimed.
Jack didn’t know whether to be happy for her or jealous, so he settled for not changing his emotions. “Yay. Can I please get up, now?”
“I’ll think about it,” she demurred, and then her expression changed. “Still stuck with ‘em, eh?” He nodded glumly. She chucked him on the chin. “Come on, probably only for another day or so,” she said, trying to cheer him up.
It worked, but only a little. “Great,” he groused, apparently determined to be grouchy. “So, you’re wearing regular underwear again, I take it?”
“Pfft, no,” Chastity smirked. “Just because I don’t need them doesn’t mean I’m not going to wear them.”
“I should have guessed,” Jack muttered.
“Well, I’ll forgive you for the mistake this once,” she said.
“Maybe I’ll be more inclined to accept your forgiveness if you’d let me get up. My back is cold.”
Chastity rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said and reluctantly let him get to his feet. Once he was up, he immediately pushed her into the snow. “Hey!”
“Payback,” Jack smirked, and then took a couple of steps away, out of striking range. That didn’t stop Chastity from wiping the smirk off of his face with a well-placed wad of snow, and then it was on. Snow went flying all over the place as they ran from cover to cover. The battle ended when Chastity found herself in Jack’s clutches being tickled until she—literally—wet herself from laughing too hard. Jack didn’t know she’d done it until after she cried for mercy and could notice she was wet, which earned Jack a sharp smack to the arm that would have stung a lot more if he hadn’t been wearing a winter coat.
That also didn’t stop Jack from asking, “what was that for?”
“Jerk, you made me piss myself,” she grumbled, trying to act hurt.
“Your poor, poor diaper.”
Chastity giggled. “You’re mean.”
“Lies.”
“Nuh-uh!”
Jack kissed her, suddenly. “Yes-huh.”
“Well, since you put it that way…” and she kissed him. “I’d forgotten how much I missed that,” Chastity murmured after a while, while sitting on Jack’s lap, who was sitting on a handy park bench.
“Well, it has been a few days,” he murmured back.
“Yes, I suppose it has,” Chastity smiled. “What a way to spend winter break,” she said.
Jack snorted. “Tell me about it. Weird how it all happened, eh?”
She nodded. “But it was still fun.”
“For you, maybe.”
“I don’t recall any complaints from you while I was prancing around with my diaper on display for the whole world.”
“As if I was going to complain,” he said. “There was also that time when your diaper tape popped—”
Chastity stuck her tongue out at him. “Shush! You probably had lots of fun feeling my leg up.”
“You do have nice legs.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?” Jack asked, casually.
“You had fun last week,” she said. “Admit it.”
Jack hesitated for a moment or two, and then nodded, reluctantly. “Yeah, I did.”
Chastity beamed at him. “I bet you actually liked getting your diapers changed, too!” she giggled.
Jack flushed red. “I did not!” he protested.
“Yes you did! Don’t even try to lie!”
Jack was sorely tempted to push her to the ground. “I did not.”
Chastity finally realized that she’d crossed a line and backpedaled quickly. “Well, I bet you would have liked to change my diaper.”
“That I’ll admit to.”
Chastity was amazed that he would and it showed. “Really?”
“Sure, why not? Every sane guy would love to get into a hot girl’s pants. I don’t think he’d care what sort of pants those were, either.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, is that so?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Jack said.
“Remind me never to let you change my diaper, then.”
Jack arched an eyebrow. “You honestly expect me to do that?”
“Do you really want to change my diaper?” Chastity prompted.
Jack flushed red again. “Okay, you’ve got me there,” he admitted and his entire position—at least on this subject—collapsed.
Chastity grinned. “I knew there was more to you than sex,” she murmured as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him long and soft.
“Let’s go somewhere,” Jack suggested suddenly.
“Where?” Chastity asked, curious.
“Starbucks.”
She frowned. “Starbucks?”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, Starbucks. I don’t know about you, but I need something hot to drink.” He looked at her. “Interested? My treat.”
“Well, since you put it that way,” Chastity said, and stood up. Of course, it took them a little while to get there, as both were on foot, but by the time they did get there, Chastity was thankful that Jack had suggested Starbucks. She was colder than she thought she was, and only too glad to relax in the warmth of the coffee shop, which wasn’t all that busy right then, but busy enough. Both opted for hot chocolate with an added shot of flavor to it.
“Mmm, raspberry,” Jack murmured as he sat down with his drink, Chastity across from him.
Chastity smiled. “So, what are your plans for New Years?”
Jack shrugged. “Nothing, really. If anything, probably go hang out with the guys and play video games all night while one or two of them try to figure out some way to get booze.”
Chastity rolled her eyes. “Well, I think you should come with me to a party,” she suggested. “A couple of my friends are putting it together.”
“A party, hmmm?” Jack mused. “And what will your friends think about you dating one of the local gamer nerds?”
“You are not a gamer nerd.”
“Some of my friends are,” he pointed out.
“Yes, but while you play games, that doesn’t make you a nerd, now does it?” Chastity riposted.
“Touché,” he conceded.
“Besides, I don’t think they’ll really make a big deal over it,” Chastity said, even though she didn’t much believe what she’d just said.
“If you say so.” Jack hadn’t believed her, either.
“Oh, quit worrying,” she admonished. “We’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I know… guess I’ll have to get used to the best of both worlds,” he said.
“Huh?”
“You know, dating the hot cheerleader type while still getting to do stuff like play video games and listen to heavy metal,” he explained.
“Oh, right.” She shifted in her seat a little bit, and then looked out the window of the shop. “Hey look, it’s snowing.”
Jack turned to look. “So it is,” he said, and then he looked at his cellphone. “You ready to go?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m all warmed up,” she said.
Jack stood with her, and they walked out into the falling snow together, arm in arm, watching the big flakes come fluttering down around sips of their hot chocolate. Neither said anything for a long while, but there wasn’t much to be said, at least at this point. The entire previous week might as well have been something out of the Twilight Zone or perhaps a really interesting dream, but while it was neither, there wasn’t any point in denying the seeming unreality of the whole thing. Though, rather than deny it (or really confront it) John Adamson and Chastity Bennett simply took solace in the fact that though the circumstances of their relationship were really odd, both in its beginning and its present, the core matter was that they were together, and that was it.
The New Years party went off without much of a hitch, though Jack had to get used to the fact that he was dealing with the ‘in’ crowd, and that took some adjusting, even if he did have a few acquaintances in its exalted circles. Though, when he and Chastity kissed at midnight, there was more than a little shock, which meant that both had to do a little more fancy footwork than they had originally expected, but all in all they came out just fine. It was a little harder for his friends to get over their shock, and even after he told the (altered) story three or four times, they didn’t believe it until they saw it. But, by the time the first week of school for the New Year was over, the world more or less returned to its original shape and continued to spin on its axis just fine, much to the pleasure of both. That did not, however, prevent any of Jack’s friends from trying to get him to set them up on dates with Chastity’s friends…