Blossoming into Babyhood – Chapter 6 (Commission)

Thanks to an anonymous patron for commissioning this latest chapter in Lily's embarrassing saga!

***

This was pretty… awkward. Wasn't it?

Lily wriggled uncomfortably in place on the hard park bench, trying her best to pretend that the tall, quiet man beside her wasn't there. Zane was nice, sure. There were plenty of good reasons why Adam liked hanging out with him, and he was definitely no stranger anymore. It was just that… well, he was so grave and serious, and smart! She practically felt like some little kid next to him, what with her pastel coat and hidden – and slightly damp – pull-up. Speaking of which…

Maybe the most awkward bit of all was the memories. After all, just being in his presence reminded her of just how many of her most embarrassing moments he had witnessed over these last few months.

Don't think about any of it! she scolded herself mentally, crossing and recrossing her legs in rising nervousness. Don't think about that accident you had in his car. Don't think about how much he knows about your potty problems: how he watched you pee your pants at home, how he saw you wearing one of your diapers-

"Hey." His deep voice interrupted her blush-inducing thoughts, causing another tiny spurt of pee to warm the pull-up between her legs. "Want a snack? I happened to bring a few of your favorite brownies – just for you." He produced a cling-wrapped little parcel from his pocket, and as he unwrapped it a soft smile flitted across his face. "Although I know you're not supposed to accept candy from strangers. So if you think I count as a stranger…"

"Oh, no! No, you're not- no stranger," Lily denied, blushing a tiny bit deeper at how he'd so neatly hinted that she was the little kid. But before she knew it she was reaching out and grasping one of the delectably thick, gooey brownies from his outstretched hands. "Thanks – um, thanks a lot!" And she meant it. Not only were these some of the best dairy- and gluten-free brownies ever, but right now they were exactly what she needed. Something to keep her busy. Something to stuff in her silly mouth… to keep her from blabbing out the silliest things that always came to her mind when she was nervous…

Oh, and yeah. Also to take her mind off her bladder, and how she'd already ended up dribbling a tiny bit into her protective padding to relieve some of the pressure. It hadn't been five minutes, and already she was beginning to regret her suddenly contrarian impulse to prove she was a responsible adult – to tell Adam she didn't need to go – to show Zane and God and everyone that she really, truly wasn't the potty-trotting little kid that she might seem.

"Deezhe," she began, then gulped in sudden chagrin at how juvenile her sticky, brownie-filled mouth made her sound. "Uh- these are really good, Zane!" She swallowed, then dared to glance over and upward at his politely smiling face. "I don't know how you make them so tasty!" That's something mature adults do with friends, right? Compliment them? "I wish I could make them as good as you…"

"I'm sure you could," he assured her kindly. "Brownies are not that difficult, really. Have you done a lot of baking before, Lily?" Crap! "Uhmm…" She paused, hurriedly chewing and gulping down the bite she'd just taken. "Uh, not too much…?" She shifted once more, now in uncomfortable awareness of how achingly full her bladder was becoming. Guess that pink lemonade was pretty big… "Some, like, cookies, I guess? A long time ago. Oh, and I made some cupcakes once!"

"Then you'll be just fine," Zane encouraged, and now he was pulling out his phone and deftly scanning through it. "Here, let me see if I can find the recipe. It was on a special diet website – one that was pretty nicely designed. Hmm, let me see…" "No, it's- it's okay!" Lily hastened, brushing the crumbs from her now empty-hands and surreptitiously wiping them on her jeans. "Maybe, um… maybe you can teach me sometime! I'd love to learn…"

How exactly it happened, later on she wasn't even able to say. She'd been sitting there in silence, trying not to stare at Zane as he searched for his recipe. She had kicked her legs softly, wondering if she had time to run to the bathroom before Adam came back. She'd even opened her mouth once to tell Zane that she'd do that – that she'd be back shortly – that she might as well while they waited-

And then she'd felt it: a release of tension in her lower belly, as if a taut little balloon had popped with hardly a sound.

Uh-oh! She'd frozen in place, alive only to the warming sensation of urine hissing in unstoppable abandon out between her legs. It- it was happening again, just like before! She had been holding it… keeping it in… and then, suddenly…

Suddenly she felt the horrifyingly wet trickle of pee leaking out and down her left thigh.

"Uhh- Oh, I- I gotta-" That was all she managed: that, and an anxious bolting to her feet. But the flow was too strong already – the leaks underway – the hot rivulets already streaming down her legs and blossoming through her jeans in incriminating lines of humiliation. Shit, shit, shit-!! But she might as well have been trying to hold back the Mississippi. Try as she might, her bladder would no longer be stopped, and she was left to stand there: mouth agape and cheeks aflame, as she helplessly emptied her bladder into a pull-up that could never in a thousand years have held it all.

Right in front of Zane yet again. The cool, mature, sexy, intelligent Zane. The guy Adam had known before her… who surely, in all of his entire life, had never even once embarrassed himself one tenth as much as Lily had done. Not just once, but repeatedly.

"Lily…" Zane was on his feet beside her, his arms slipping around her in friendly consolation. "Oh, my. I think someone's had a bit of a leak, haven't they?" Shocked as she was, his choice of words didn't immediately register – at least, not until many hours later. "I- I need to go- Gotta clean up-" Lily stammered, but her calmly composed friend's arms held her close in a soothing embrace. "Shh, it's gonna be okay. Adam's going to be back soon, okay? Wait, look – here he comes already!"

Why were tears already stinging her eyes and clouding her vision? Why was she gulping back sobs as Adam's familiar figure drew near, his step quickening and his expression slipping into sudden alarm at the sight of her distressed face? Only babies cried over things like this. Only silly, stupid crybabies-

"I'm sorry," she blubbered, almost oblivious to the fact that Adam had discreetly steered her and her visibly soaked jeans behind the concealing leaves of a potted shrub. "I- I'm so sorry! I- I thought I could hold it- and- and I couldn't! hic- And now Zane- Zane saw me- he'll think- think-"

"He's here, honey. And he doesn't mind." Adam's voice was measured, his arms warm and loving. "See? We're both here, and it's okay. We know accidents happen, and you couldn't help it. We don't judge, baby. Do we, Zane?" "Of course not," came the answer, and Lily blinked in sudden relief at the serene confidence in Zane's rumbling voice. Wait, really? This had to be embarrassing, right? But if he really said he didn't judge and didn't mind, well, then…

"I saw a family restroom just around that corner," she heard Zane murmur to Adam, and she blinked, shuffling in place as Adam slipped his coat protectively around her waist to conceal her soaked jeans. "Come on, you can clean her up in there. You have some new things along, right? Here, you need me to carry her?" "Oh, no, no – I got her! I don't mind if my shirt gets wet…"

Sure, she might have interjected at that point. She might have protested that she could take care of everything herself, that she didn't need to be carried like an invalid. But somehow, all she could manage was a contrite sniffle and nod, shakily leaning against her boyfriend's chest as he stooped, picked her up in his strong arms, and carried her toward the bathroom and her salvation.

Again… just like some sniffling little kid who'd publicly made a mess in her pants.

***

Was it a bad sign that, upon seeing one of her night-weight, pastel-pink diapers emerge from the backpack of spare clothes that Adam had packed for her… she actually felt relief? Wasn't it embarrassing how he lowered her to the floor and ripped off her devastated pull-up and wiped her gently clean like a parent changing their baby? And wasn't what came next most mortifying of all: that crinkling bulk he taped securely around her waist, and the way her fresh jeans strained to fit over her newly puffy bum?

Of course it was. But there was no other choice, after all. And as Adam gently reassured her, no one else at the zoo would notice a thing. Everyone was far too busy looking at the cute animals, just as she had been all morning. This way she would be clean, and dry, and safe for the rest of the day… no matter what happened.

Meaning, she realized with a blush, taking her first waddling steps back out into the bustling world of the zoo, that she could very well keep on having accidents all afternoon. No one would notice. No one could tell. And somehow… even as humiliatingly padded as her bum now felt, that knowledge brought her enormous relief.

"There you are! Everything okay now?"

It was Zane. In the time they'd been gone, he'd clearly been busy. From one hand dangled a plastic shopping bag, and as he approached he reached into it, an unusually bright smile appearing on his face. "Sorry, I got distracted by all the souvenirs! But here, I think these might be in order…"

Lily gave an audible gasp. She couldn't help it. For as his hand rose from the bag, it brought with it the most darling, most fluffy stuffed koalas she'd ever seen.

"For you, Lily," Zane rumbled, and broke into a soft chuckle at the wondering look on her face. "Go on, it's for you! Everything's better with a cuddly friend, don't you think?" Lily's shaking hands reached out and tugged it close, and a watery smile blossomed on her face at the deliciously soft sensation of the fur between her fingers. "Th- thank you," she managed – and the tears pricking her eyes now were tears of happiness. He- he's so soft-

"Oh, and a shirt for the gentleman," Zane offered simply, with a wry smile at the damp patch still faintly visible on Adam's lower front and a half-mocking bow. "Here, it's 100% cotton, just like I know you like. Now don't say you don't need one, because believe me – I know…"

He's so soft! And- and look at those eyes! Lily barely noticed her two companions' friendly banter, returning to the conversation only when Adam laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "See, Lily?" he asked softly, with a warm smile and nod in Zane's direction. "Zane doesn't mind one bit about your accident just now, okay? He doesn't judge. He likes you just the same as ever – promise!"

Was it the sort of thing one might say to that same pants-wetting little toddler? Sure, perhaps. But it was the truth, she realized – and anyway, it was practically impossible to feel sad with a precious  stuffed koala in her arms. "Thanks," she said simply, and her grateful glance up at Zane said it all a hundred times over. "This is- I'm- he's… he's perfect."

"Just like you," Adam replied with a quick kiss to her cheek and an affectionate grin. "Now, let's get going again, shall we? We've still got two whole hours here before closing time, after all!"

They did indeed. And as Lily trotted obligingly along, the rustle of her obviously padded bum somehow no longer seemed as loud. She was at the zoo, after all. She had an adorable koala. And best of all, she had a boyfriend and another friend who truly, genuinely loved her despite everything.

Considering all that, maybe even days with accidents could be good days after all.

(To be continued!)