Diaper U, Chapter Three

Contains: Mild teasing, it's a plot chapter! 

“Come…on…” Daniel grunted, tugging down at the hem of his plaid miniskirt.

The efforts got him nowhere. No matter how much he tried, there would always either be a very, very obvious waistband poking out the top, or an even more obvious pillowy white bulge around the bottom.

He had a fix for it–a little adjusting spell that’d increase the length of the skirt by a few inches. It’d be easy.

Glancing up at the baby monitor, he hesitated. Rachel could be watching, and if he broke the rules, she’d just have more ammo to humiliate him. He’d need to get someone to cast the spell for him, in his short periods where he wouldn’t be stuck in his room.

But for now…he had an assembly to attend, and no good way to hide the diaper he’d been sealed into.

Gathering up his things–his spell books, wand, catalysts, and a notebook–he checked the time. Thirty minutes had passed, and he could leave for the assembly now.

The prefect’s lodging, away from the rest of the student dorms, was relatively empty when he left. Everyone else was out, busy with socializing and getting familiar with the university space. Meeting people. Preparing for classes.

He’d had to wait in time out.

Pulling his bag close to his chest, Daniel shuffled down the hallway, trying not to take too long of steps. Short steps kept the skirt from moving too much, which at least helped it fall down a little straighter. The pronounced waddle in his step from the significant bulk was harder to hide, but as he walked, he got a little more used to it.

(I don’t want to be used to it,) he thought.

Then again, he might not have a choice in that, not unless he dropped out.

He eventually made it back to the grand hall, with the five great arches that led to different parts of the university. Turning, slowly, he tried to remember the map he’d looked at. If he’d hadn’t been confined to his nurser–his room, he’d have left sooner, but now he was struggling with the university layout and didn’t have time to get the directions wrong.

“Hey!”

Daniel spun, instinctively tugging down at his skirt. Another student stood behind him, dressed in a similar uniform–albeit one with a bit more modesty, and with some extra flair on the top, little decorative loops that stayed within parameters while adding some splash to the outfit. Ready for the snide comment, he asked, “What?”

“You’re the boy, right?” she asked, looking him up and down. She wore a pair of full moon glasses with little curls on the side, which drew attention to her brilliant blue eyes. “I heard about you–kind of hard not to. Did you really take your pants off after you passed?”

“No!” Daniel said, defensively. “I–Rachel, the prefect. She took my wand and, uh. Did that.”

The girl smirked, then covered her mouth and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I–I wasn’t giggling at you.”

“Yeah, you were,” Daniel rolled his eyes, turning to start finding his way to the assembly.

“No, wait–” she ran up, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

He raised an eyebrow. “For?”

“For…giggling at you,” she conceded. “I shouldn’t have. Look, I’m Jen. You’re headed to the assembly, right?”

“Right,” Daniel said, suspicious for the trap.

“I know a quick way there, I’ll show you,” Jen said. “As an apology.”

Daniel weighed his options. On the one hand, if this girl had malicious intent, she could easily just lead him away from the assembly, he’d be late, and Rachel would surely use this as an opportunity to invent some sort of new, terrible punishment.

On the other, Jen would be late too, and there were easier ways to mess with someone that wouldn’t involve getting herself in trouble.

“Sure,” Daniel agreed. Deciding that a bit of diplomacy couldn’t hurt, he added, “And thanks, it’s nice to actually meet someone friendly around here.”

Jen beamed, turning to walk down one of the arches. “I don’t really get why you’re here, but that’s no reason to be mean about it.”

“Yeah, try explaining that to Rachel,” Daniel suggested. “She’s…yeah. Been a bit of a nightmare.”

Daniel caught Jen’s glance, back at him and down at his skirt. “I’ve…heard rumors,” she said.

He sighed. “Go ahead and ask, I know you want to.”

Hesitating for a moment, Jen finally asked, “Is she really making you wear a diaper?”

Despite knowing that the question was coming, Daniel still turned pink. “I…yeah.”

“I’ve heard they go for creative detention here, but sheesh,” Jen said. “How long?”

“It’s…not detention,” Daniel said. “Detention is that I’m grounded to my room when I’m not in studies. This is more…just malice, I think, and a creative excuse to try and make me quit.”

Jen whistled. “And you’ve got to, erm… use them?”

Glancing away, Daniel didn’t answer that directly. Jen still got the point.

They arrived at a set of stairs, leading down and, Daniel was pretty sure, away from the direction they were supposed to be going. He stopped. “Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yeah,” Jen replied. “Like I said, it’s a shortcut. The normal path leads us, like, halfway around campus. This way we can cut through a couple faculty hallways and get there straight away.”

Again, suspicion struck Daniel. This could be a setup for a prank, or something a lot more intense than a ‘prank’. Judging by how badly Rachel’d been treating him, out in the open, he was wary about wandering into a shady, unobserved space.

Then again, he was running out of time, and doubling back to find his way normally would mean he ended up late.

“Sure,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time. “Let’s just get there, I can’t afford more trouble.”

“Just this way,” Jen pointed, her voice low. “Just…let’s not be too chatty here. This isn’t technically against the rules, but all the same…”

Daniel nodded, and kept his mouth shut as they walked the back hall. Unlike the grand, regal corridors of the main university, this could have been a back room in any mall or conference hall the world over. Plain hallways with off-white walls, plain cheap doors, and a simple number system rather than more dramatic names like the ‘Grand Hall’ or the ‘Tillander Wing’ or whatever.

As they turned a corner, Daniel heard a crash, and his back straightened. He turned to look behind him, and Jen looked as alarmed as he was.

Casting their gaze around, he heard more loud noises–breaking glass and shouts, coming from one of the rooms. Creeping towards it, he pressed his ear, listening.

“This is unacceptable!” The voice sounded like a woman, though he couldn’t be sure–then again, given the school’s gender disparity, it was a good guess. “You said the energy here would be sufficient–now you’re telling me it’s not?”

“Professor, I explained–” Another woman, more timid, more uncertain.

“You explained,” the first voice shot back. “And explained, and explained, until you were so covered in explanations that any monumental setback could be excused–I don’t want explanations. I want results.”

“The solstice. When the winter solstice rolls around, there will be enough energy–you’ll be ready.”

“You’re certain? This isn’t another one of your explanations?”

“Yes, I swear–”

Jen fell in across from Daniel, facing him, pressing her own ear to the door to listen.

“These fools have no idea what they’ve built,” the first voice continued. “If they did, they’d have never let these children toy around such power.”

“They’re all legally adul–”

“Do I care?”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t try to humanize them. They’ll be gone this time next year, and then–”

Jen, almost unconsciously, let out a little squeak of alarm.

The conversation stopped, and both her and Daniel’s eyes widened.

The dominant voice again. “Go check.”

Daniel looked up and down the hall. There was good place to run to, and even if they both darted around a corridor, they’d be easy to follow. They’d be caught.

He invented a plan, and quickly mouthed, ‘Hide!’

Jen seemed uncertain, but there was no time to argue. She scurred away, checking doors until she found a closet that opened.

Daniel, meanwhile, straightened, stepped a door down, and yanked on the handle. It was locked, but he didn’t care–he just shouted, loudly, “Come on! There’s got to be a bathroom–”

Someone stepped into the hallway, and Daniel faced them, trying for all the world to look like a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar. “Hi! Uh–”

The person–an adult, though they didn’t have a teacher’s uniform, glared at him. “What are you doing down here?”

He blushed. “Rachel–the prefect, Ms. Haligtree–uh… well it’s… I needed a bathroom.”

The woman hesitated. “There are plenty of student bathrooms. Why–”

Pulling back his hair, Daniel let her see his face clearly. “I’m Daniel, the… uh, the boy. I’m not supposed to…yeah…”

Really, even if he found a bathroom, Rachel had sealed his diaper onto him with magic. He wouldn’t be able to use it. He just had to hope that this woman either didn’t know of that particular wrinkle, or she’d believe that he was naive or cocky enough to think he could get around it.

The woman’s eyes narrowed for a moment, thinking.

(Please don’t question it… Please don’t question it…) Daniel prayed.

Finally, she walked up to him, grabbing him by the ear. “This area is for faculty only, and we know about your detention–you shouldn’t be trying to find a bathroom at all.”

“Ow! Ow!” Daniel winced, as she dragged him down the hall. “Hey, where–”

She offered no mercy, pulling on his ear hard, doing an excellent part acting like an annoyed staff member with no ulterior motives to make him leave. “Let’s see what Ms. Haligtree has to say about your little detour. I’m sure she’ll find it very interesting.”

Daniel swallowed, but he couldn’t do much to argue except stagger along, trying desperately to keep his footing and keep her from yanking on his ear too much.

He glanced back, and saw Jen peeking out of the closet, terrified but hidden. He winked at her, and she nodded back.

The woman got him into a public hall, but didn’t let up on leading him. She was probably going to drag him all the way to the assembly by his ear, but fortunately–or unfortunately–Rachel found them first.

“Hah!” she declared, half jogging up behind them. “I was just coming to look for this stinker. What’d he do, ma’am?”

The woman–some kind of faculty, cleary, turned and pushed Daniel towards Rachel. “He was wandering the faculty halls, looking for a boy’s toilet.”

Rachel laughed. “Wow, a rule breaker and stupid. Well, don’t worry ma’am–I’ll make sure he gets disciplined properly.”

Daniel flushed–even though his ploy had worked, he wasn’t particularly looking forward to whatever Rachel had in mind as punishment.

As the woman walked away, Rachel grabbed Daniel’s wrist. He shook his head, hoping he could get out of this. “I can explain, I wasn’t–”

“Shove it, Spark,” Rachel replied. “I don’t believe you were stupid enough to think you could take off your didees and get away with it.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good–”

“So I’m sure whatever you were doing, it was much worse, if you’re going to admit to something like that,” Rachel continued, pulling him towards the assembly. “When the assembly is over, you’re going to meet me right outside. I know exactly what I’m going to do to you, and trust me–you’re going to hate it.”