Giving Notice - Chapter Eight

Hello my beautiful sexy friends. I am so delighted to finally give you the complete Chapter Eight of my second novel. I'm... oddly proud of this one! There's a pretty staggering tone shift midway through the chapter, and I think I pulled it off well and in a way that feels natural! I'm pretty sure I wrote a complex scene change well! But, before we do that, you know I like a good preamble. And I've got a lot to talk about with you guys in this little life update.

It's funny, but I'm really starting to appreciate the things I do well or am good at, in a way I have often never given myself credit for in the past. My life has changed so dramatically, so unexpectedly, and in so many ways both good and bad that I feel like I'm experiencing the same feeling that Max had when he realized he was starting a brand new, incredible life at StartAgain. And a big part of this new life is me allowing myself to be proud of the things I'm good at and not try to be so unfailingly humble about my gifts. I'm allowed to celebrate the good things I'm able to create, and this is a lesson I'm starting to really try to take to heart! This is my StartAgain.

And that's what these past months here in Seattle have felt like for me, personally. This has been my StartAgain. This has been the wonderful, amazing, impossible, strange, weird, magical rabbit hole that I've fallen down, just as StartAgain is Max's.

I have said from the beginning that Max is me. He's a different me, but his story is my story. From feeling ashamed of his desires to embracing them to the fullest, we've gone on that journey together.

I say all this because, much like the extreme tonal shift in the middle of this chapter, my life has gone from traumatic to suddenly sexy. Like what the hell is with all the freaking hot diaperboys in Seattle? I have been able to experience things here that I haven't even imagined for so long, with people I really like and care about and who have become welcome additions to my new life here.

It feels liberating.

And I feel a hell of a lot better than I've been. I love you guys very much, and I mean that with every fiber of my being. If you guys all suddenly unsubscribed from my Patreon at the same time, I'd keep trying to give you the story parts I write for free. That's how much you guys have encouraged me and made me feel appreciated and loved.

Thank you. So, so much, like I can't even say.

But, thanks.

Here's Chapter Eight. 

Love you guys. <3

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Max slept far later than he had intended; physical and emotional exhaustion had caught up with him and he didn’t rouse until nearly noon. Corey was gone when Max awoke, but the cheetah had thoughtfully left a tray on Max’s nightstand containing a bagel, cream cheese, jam, and a sippy cup of apple juice.

The golden retriever quickly checked his phone, but he was disappointed that he hadn’t received any new messages from Stephen. At least the wolf was due home in a few hours, and then Max could finally tell him everything. He ate his breakfast in silence, his heart heavy with the weight of everything he’d been through the previous day.

Once breakfast was done, Max changed himself into a dry diaper. He debated dressing up in something cute, but his heart really wasn’t in it. Instead, he picked out a pair of relatively normal-looking khaki shorts and a pale blue hoodie, the least babyish clothes in his wardrobe despite the snaps in the crotch of the shorts.

The golden retriever ran his fingers through his hair to smooth out his bed-head as best he could, then he gathered his breakfast dishes and slowly made his way to the dining hall to return everything to be washed. He sent a text to his group chat with Corey and Seventeen, letting the boys know that he was up and moving. Both of his friends expressed concern for him, but he reassured them that he was coping as best he could.

Max made his way back to his bedroom to isolate himself. On any other Sunday, he would have gone to the pool or the garden, or checked in with one of his friends to see if they wanted to hang out together, but Max didn’t want to run the risk of bumping into Marcus randomly. Instead, the canine tried to watch TV, but eventually he gave up and turned the television back off after realizing that his mind was unable to focus on remembering the plot of the show he was attempting to watch.

Max laid in his crib restlessly, fully dressed. He didn’t even have the energy to kick off his shoes. The more he thought about the plan he’d tentatively formed with Corey, Seventeen and Zane, the more risky it seemed. So much could go wrong so easily, and failure would cost Max everything he’d come to love in his life.

A knock on Max’s door interrupted his thoughts. “Who is it?” he called out hesitantly.

“It’s me,” Stephen’s voice rang out cheerily.

Max leapt from his crib and closed the gap to his bedroom door in two leaping steps, throwing the portal open almost forcibly. “Stephen!” he cried, leaping into the surprised wolf’s arms.

“Hey, hey now!” Stephen laughed. “What’s with the super enthusiasm? I was only gone one night,” he said as he hugged the golden retriever.

Max gave Stephen another tight squeeze before letting go of the wolf. He closed and locked the door, and Stephen could immediately tell that something was wrong.

“Max,” Stephen said curiously. “Has something happened?”

Max looked up at his boyfriend, his eyes welling with tears. He nodded silently before losing all composure. He began sobbing uncontrollably, worrying and bewildering Stephen.

“Shhhh, shhhh, pup. It’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong,” Stephen cooed soothingly, his forehead wrinkled in concern. Stephen’s instinct instantly went into full dad mode as he tried to calm his frantic pup enough to get an explanation.

It took Max several moments to collect himself, but eventually he found his voice. “Oh Stephen, everything is falling apart! I went to the library yesterday to get a book, and Zane and Marcus were there having sex, and Marcus accused me of s-spying on them and he called me all kinds of horrible names and hurt my shoulder, and then he took a bunch of pictures of me and now he’s th-threatening to send them to my parents and then they’ll never speak to me again, and he told me I have to quit my j-job and go home or else he’s g-g-gonna ruin my life and I d-don’t want to go!” Max’s words came more and more quickly and loudly until he was nearly shouting. Again, the canine threw his arms around Stephen.

Max’s panic was interrupted by a strange sensation coming from Stephen’s chest, a deep rumble that Max felt more than heard. It took the young man a moment to realize that his boyfriend was growling a deep, low, feral growl. Max released Stephen and took a step back, staring at the wolf’s face in wonder. Stephen’s eyes were narrowed and his fangs were bared. Max had never seen his boyfriend look so predatory… or dangerous.

“Max, let’s sit down so you can walk me through every detail,” Stephen said, his voice nearly monotone. The wolf’s face was stuck in a snarl as he spoke, belying the calm in his voice. “I want to know exactly what happened,” Stephen said as he gently but firmly steered Max to his crib. The pair sat side by side, and Stephen held Max close.

Max took a deep, ragged breath before he began his tale again. He spoke slower, this time recounting every detail from his encounter with Marcus, Zane’s offer to help, and the risky plan he’d formulated with his friends.

“...but we’d need your master key to sneak into his room to even have a chance at deleting those pictures,” Max said quietly, “and I know that’s totally against the rules, so I hate to even ask you for that. But I don’t know what else to do. I’m so frightened.” He squeezed Stephen as tightly as he could.”

Stephen held Max silently for a while, Max’s head pressed to Stephen’s shoulder as he stroked the younger man’s cheek reassuringly.

He finally spoke, and his voice still carried that strange sharp edge. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to wait until your one month review tomorrow morning. It’s a big celebration for the manor whenever we offer team members a permanent position, so we hold it in the conference hall over by admin and the whole household shows up for it. That’s the one time we can guarantee that Marcus will be out of his room and there won’t be any risk of him turning up. I’ll give Corey my master key tonight so he can search Marcus’s room during the assembly. If anyone asks, we’ll say he’s not feeling well, but I doubt it’ll even come up.”

“And then he can look through Marcus’s stuff while we’re all in the assembly hall?” Max asked, nodding slowly.

“Yep. Corey’s quick, small and smart, so he’s the best candidate for sneaking in since you’re going to have to be there at the ceremony. Meanwhile, we’ll drag out the assembly as long as necessary to give him a chance to look. As soon as he finds the phone, he’ll use the password Zane gave us to break into it and delete the pictures from Marcus’s cloud. You’ll be up on stage with me for most of the assembly, so we’ll need Seventeen to stand by with his phone. As soon as the pictures are dealt with, Corey can text Seventeen to let him know, and he can flash us a thumbs up. And just as soon as we get the signal, I’m going to proverbially shove my foot so far up Marcus’s ass that he’ll be flossing with my sock.”

“What happens if the plan doesn’t work?” Max asked nervously.

Stephen shook his head. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. But, if necessary, we’ll take Marcus into custody and take his phone from him directly, and we’ll put pressure on him until he deletes the photos. Not only has he violated a number of house rules, he also assaulted you and is attempting to blackmail you. Hell, we’ll involve law enforcement and get a court order for those pictures. The Master is an extremely well-connected man, and there are even a few sitting judges who are former StartAgain employees. It will be nothing at all to get a court order to have those photos deleted. Though I’d prefer we not involve the outside world in StartAgain affairs if possible, I’m not above seeing Marcus sent to prison for this. But please know this, Max…”

Stephen released Max and met the canine’s gaze. “What has happened here is a violation of everything StartAgain represents. I will not allow this creep to hurt you, do you understand? I wouldn’t allow this to happen to anyone, but especially not you. This is your home, and it will always be your home as long as you want it to be. We will deal with this, okay?”

Max nodded slowly, reassured. If anyone could fix this nightmare scenario, it was Stephen.

“In the meantime,” Stephen continued, “I’m going to inform James. You and Marcus both report directly to him, and he needs to know what’s happening. I will swear him to secrecy,” Stephen said, raising a finger to halt Max’s unvoiced objections, “but there are few people on this earth I trust more than James Warren. I’ll also need to report all of this to the Master… but we can possibly wait for that part until after the deed is done. As they say, it’s better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission, and I’m fully prepared to deal with the consequences of my choices in this situation. But I know the Master well enough to know that he probably won’t make much fuss over our actions. He runs a tight ship, and nothing could ever infuriate him as much as someone risking the security of the manor and its residents. Plus, I happen to know he has a soft spot for you,” Stephen said, smiling weakly.

“He does?” Max asked in wonder. “I’m surprised he’s even noticed me!”

“Oh, he’s noticed you. You’ve even met him several times, though you didn’t know he was him, so to speak,” Stephen said. “But you’ll meet him properly tomorrow, so the mystery will have to endure for one more day. After the big assembly, it’s tradition for the new permanent employee to enjoy a fancy celebratory dinner in the Master’s suites. And let me tell you, he’s a hell of a cook when he wants to be.”

Max’s mind raced. He’d met the Master, the unseen owner of StartAgain, several times? Who could it be? Well, that can wait until tomorrow, he thought. We’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment.

“I’ll text Corey and Seventeen and let them know the plan,” Max said, his voice thick with dark determination. “I’ll tell Zane to let Marcus know I’ve agreed to turn down the job offer, and then I’ll spend the rest of the evening hiding in my room. That way, Marcus will think he won and hopefully it’ll keep him in the dark about the plan. Yeah?”

Stephen nodded. “I’m so sorry this happened, Max. We try so hard to keep the bad ones out, that’s why the screening process is generally very thorough. But once in a while, we do make mistakes and let the wrong people in. I’m very sorry. But after tomorrow, Marcus won’t be a problem anymore, I promise.”

Max nodded. “Thank you, Stephen. Seriously. I was so sure I was going to have to give up on all of… this,” the canine said, sweeping his arm. “I thought I’d have to let go of all the amazing things I’ve found here… that I’d have to give you up. I love you so freaking much.”

“I love you too, so freaking much,” Stephen echoed. “Don’t worry, Max. It’s all going to work out okay. He’s only one guy, and you have the entire manor on your side. After tomorrow, Marcus will be gone and you’ll be a permanent staff member.”

Max did feel somewhat reassured by Stephen’s confidence, but the entire situation was still scary. Max decided he’d only really feel better once Marcus was no longer allowed on manor grounds and the pictures were safely and permanently deleted. Still, it felt good to know that Stephen and the rest of Max’s friends were on his side, no matter what.

“In the meantime,” Stephen said, “we need to act as naturally as possible. But at the same time, let’s also try to keep you as far away from Marcus as we can. Why don’t you come back to my room and we’ll have a chill night in? There would be absolutely no reason for Marcus to find his way to the management suites, and it would be perfectly normal for you to spend the night with me, especially since I was gone last night. We can do jammies and cartoons and popcorn, and I’ll have the kitchen send up some food so we don’t even need to go down to the dining hall. Or if we’re really feeling frisky, we can whip up something for dinner ourselves. Sound good?” The wolf smiled at his boyfriend reassuringly.

“Sounds perfect,” Max said, “though I refuse to promise to behave myself in Daddy’s bed tonight! I know you were only gone one night but I missed you terribly.”

“Ooooh, pup is feeling naughty? I’m sure we can come up with all kinds of fun punishments for misbehaving little boys, to help keep their minds off their troubles,” Stephen smirked, gently squeezing the front of Max’s diaper through his shorts.

“Yes Daddy,” Max said happily. No matter how stressed he was, Stephen invariably had the power to make him feel safe, protected and loved.

The pair gathered Max’s toothbrush and comb, a stack of spare diapers and a pair of cute blue plastic pants, Max’s teddy bear, Bailey, and the canine’s favorite Power Pup onesie, and stuffed the lot into Max’s overnight bag. Max locked his bedroom and then he and Stephen made their way toward the management suites, proceeding cautiously to ensure that they didn’t accidentally encounter Marcus in the hallways.

Once they arrived at Stephen’s posh suite, Max took his overnight back into the bedroom and then pulled out his phone to text Corey. He gave the cheetah an abridged version of his conversation with Stephen and then asked him to stop by Stephen’s rooms at around 8pm that night to pick up the wolf’s master key. Corey immediately responded with a thumbs-up emoji. Max nodded, then pulled his shorts down to check how wet he was. Soggy, but not enough to need a change yet, he determined, satisfied.

Max attached his phone to the charger Stephen had set up for his side of the bed. He dug into his overnight back and pulled out his toothbrush, which he took to the bathroom before making his way back to the living room. Stephen was sitting on the couch talking to someone on his phone, but he gestured for Max to sit next to him.

“...uh huh, and that’s why I wanted to let you know what’s going on,” Stephen said. “They’re both your employees. Yeah. And after the fact, we’re probably going to have to do the whole formal termination process and put everything in writing, just to satisfy the letter of the law. Yeah, I’m going to let the Master know next. Uh huh… yeah. I know, he’s been a problem pretty much since day one, but this is a serious escalation. He’s always been able to get by through the skin of his teeth before, but this is where it ends. Yeah… yep… Okay, perfect. Thanks. I’ll let Max know. Yeah, he’s sitting here with me now, he’s stressed but handling it. Yep, I will. Thanks, man. And James? Next time you have an employe fucking intentionally misgendering you, call me. Everyone knows you’re the toughest guy here, you don’t have to prove it by putting up with morons abusing you. This particular moron being partially my fault for ever having offered him a position in the first place. Yes, I’m serious. Yeah. Alright man, you too.” He disconnected the call and put his phone into his pocket.

Stephen turned to Max. “James is onboard. And he told me about some other extremely fireable offenses Marcus is guilty of, so nobody can even claim I’m playing favorites. Not that anyone here would. Everyone has spoken so highly of you, and Marcus’s HR file is taller than you are.” Stephen smiled warmly, proud that his coworkers had taken such a liking to his boy.

Max nodded. “I’m just going to be so relieved when it’s all over. When it first happened, I was so ashamed and terrified. It felt like I was back in 9th grade again and Timmy McCubbins was beating the hell out of me behind the gym again.” Max blushed a little.

“That’s over now. This isn’t high school,” Stephen said gently. “Around here, we don’t tolerate bullies. You’re safe and among friends here, kiddo.”

“I know, Daddy,” Max replied. “That’s why I didn’t completely and totally lose my shit. Everyone kind of immediately rallied behind me. Corey was ready to commit murder, I think, and even Seventeen got angrier than I’ve ever seen him. And I feel like all my other friends would be in my corner, like Connie and Astral and Mr. Jennings and everyone, if they knew. It feels like I belong here, and that’s why the thought of losing it is so heartbreaking,” Max admitted quietly, his voice falling to barely above a whisper as he spoke.

“First of all, and most importantly,” Stephen began, “you do belong here, Max. This place needs you as much as you need it. I need you. The thought of losing you kills me. And James would literally kill me if he lost his MVP. Everyone here really likes you, Max, and zero percent of that has to do with you dating the boss, I might add. They like you because you’re an awesome guy who charms everyone he meets and who deserves to live his life the way he wants to live it. That’s the whole point of StartAgain. Most of us got bullied in high school or felt like outcasts. Some of the mansion’s residents aren’t even out to their families. This is the only place we can just be who we are, enjoy the things we enjoy, and not be judged for it. And you absolutely deserve a place here, as much as anyone and far more than Marcus.”

Stephen squeezed Max’s shoulder softly. Max nodded slowly, deliberately.

“And second… language, Maxwell. We don’t say ‘lose my shit’ in Daddy’s house, young man.” Stephen smirked at Max, delighting at the expressions that crossed the canine’s face as he adjusted to the sudden tonal shift of the conversation.

“Uhh… yes, Daddy,” Max said, immediately beginning to stiffen in his diaper. He loved when Stephen took charge and treated him like a little kid.

“I do believe I mentioned coming up with some punishments for naughty boys earlier, did I not?” Stephen asked in a stern voice. The wolf had to fight the urge to smile as Max reacted to what he was saying.

“Yes, Daddy,” Max said, hanging his tail between his legs. In spite of how hot and fun this interaction was, Max still couldn’t help but feel genuinely sorry for disappointing his Daddy. That apologetic attitude, however, was only a small sliver of what was going through Max’s head right now. The bulk of his thoughts were taken up by Stephen’s impossibly sexy voice scolding him like a toddler.

“Well,” Stephen said, turning up the Dad voice to its maximum setting, “fortunately for Daddy, some very interesting things he had made for his kiddo happened to be delivered yesterday while Daddy was out of town on business. And Daddy is so eager to try them all out on his little boy!”

Max gasped. His cock was throbbing out of its sheath so hard that it almost hurt. There was no mistaking the impressive tent in his swollen diaper, either. The air became electric, and Max could feel goosebumps rising under his fur.

“Alright, mister, march to the bedroom,” Stephen commanded, pointing. The wolf was really getting into the moment, and he was more turned on right now than he could remember being.

Max rose and shuffled slowly toward the bedroom, his diaper crinkling loudly in the tense, sexy quiet of Stephen’s apartment. The wolf followed him, arms crossed as the pair walked.

When they entered Stephen’s massive bedroom, the wolf made a point of loudly closing the door behind them. The action was entirely for effect as the pair were alone in the suite. Stephen boosted Max up onto the bed and began quietly stripping the golden retriever of his clothing.

Max complied quietly with each of Stephen’s actions, afraid that the act of speaking might break the spell. He lifted his torso from the plush bed so Stephen could remove his shirt. He lifted his butt a moment later as the wolf removed his shorts. Both articles of clothing were casually tossed to the floor as Stephen began removing Max’s diaper tapes. Each of the four tapes crackled loudly as they were peeled up, and the sound resonated in Stephen’s high ceilings like thunder.

Stephen pulled the front panel of Max’s colorful diaper down, the plastic shell crinkling seductively. Max’s vivid red, throbbing cock immediately thrust outward from the boy’s body at nearly a ninety-degree angle from his trim golden-furred stomach, and a single tear of precum rolled down its length, glistening in the warm glow of Stephen’s bedroom.

As the wolf finished removing Max’s diaper and began balling it up, he looked directly at Max. “Do you remember the safeword, pup?”

“Yes Daddy,” Max cooed. “It’s ‘high fructose corn syrup’.” He giggled playfully.

Stephen nodded and suppressed a smile. Max had intentionally picked this particular silly safeword, and Stephen had to fight not to laugh at it. Instead, he flipped the naked canine over onto his belly. Well, naked, but for the white socks and fire-engine red shoes still on the boy’s feet.

Max yelped in surprise when he felt the paddle thwack into his left buttock. He glanced over his shoulder to see Stephen wielding a small, powder blue leather paddle. He and Stephen had talked a few times before about trying spankings, but he hadn’t expected it nonetheless. His cock was throbbing harder than ever, pressed into the plush velvet of Stephen’s bedspread.

Emboldened by Max’s obvious enjoyment, Stephen brought the paddle down on Max’s other buttock loudly. He was careful to hold Max’s tail out of the way to avoid injuring the boy. Max uttered a surprising mix of gasp and moan as the paddle landed.

After a few more smacks with the paddle, Stephen laid the implement aside. “Good boy,” he breathed. “You’re okay, Max?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Max nearly purred. His ass hurt a bit, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. On the contrary, the spanking had turned him on immensely. He immediately resolved to talk about this with Stephen afterward to ensure they were both on the same page with how fun that was.

“Good boy. That was the pre-punishment punishment, kiddo, but you handled it like a champ.” Stephen looked down at his boyfriend with a mix of lust, pride and adoration. “Let’s give your bottom a minute to cool off before we keep going. And while we wait, let me tell you how absolutely sexy you are in your diapers, Max. Let me tell you how much I love you, and how proud I am of the man you are, and of the little boy you also are. And how much I love the combination of the two.”

“I love you too, Stephen,” Max whispered back. “And I love Daddy so much.”

Stephen smiled and held up his index finger. He knelt down next to the bed and ducked out of Max’s eyesight for a moment. The golden retriever could hear Stephen rustling something around under the bed, but the sound was too muffled for him to identify.

Stephen stood a moment later, holding a set of leather wrist and ankle cuffs in the same shade of powder blue as the paddle. These had hand-stitched white stitches and locking buckles, and all four straps had a small silver nameplate affixed to the leather. The nameplate was engraved with ‘Max’ in a flowing script. These must have been the items Stephen had mentioned ordering earlier. The four were custom made and very high-quality, and they featured small, tasteful D-rings that allowed them to be clasped to other objects to serve as restraints. On the opposite side of the loop from the D-ring, mag-locks had been attached to each restraint that were capable of keeping themselves attached to other mag-locks until released by the matching keyfob. The restraints were functional artwork.

Max blushed furiously, so excited he could barely contain himself. One of the things he enjoyed most about sex with Stephen was how often the wolf opted to put him in restraints. Max was finding that he really, really enjoyed bondage and power exchange with Stephen. The pair had discussed why Max enjoyed that and what he was looking for with it, and Max was met with mutual enthusiasm from Stephen when he admitted he liked the idea of at least symbolic long-term bondage around the manor. And though Max loved his selection of collars, they didn’t satisfy his notion of long-term bondage in the way they satisfied StartAgain’s requirements for all mansion residents being in some form of bondage. These cuffs, however, were exactly what Max had dreamed of.

“And the best part is,” Stephen said happily, “they can be connected with our plain old mag-locks, just like your crib or your high chair in the dining hall.” Stephen jingled the keys in his trouser pocket for emphasis.

This meant that Max’s new cuffs could be used to restrain him in either his high chair or his crib by the same magnetic mechanism that allowed both pieces of furniture to be locked in place themselves. The young man thought about the implications of that fact and nearly shot his load, without any direct physical stimulation.

“Do you like them?” Stephen asked as he began affixing the ankle restraints. Both Daddy Stephen and Boyfriend Stephen were asking the same question in the single uttered inquiry.

“I do!” Max practically squealed. His tail was thumping the bed as if he were drumming a snare drum with it. This was literally the best ‘punishment’ Max had ever gotten in his life. He was lying on his back again, the burning in his ass cheeks having subsided. He grinned up at Stephen, in absolute bliss.

“Well, that’s good kiddo, because there’s more,” Stephen said cryptically. He winked at Max before ducking below the bed again. Max’s heart thumped in his ears and he couldn’t tell if he should be laughing, moaning, or sobbing right now. The sensation was delicious.

Stephen gave a muffled “a-ha!” from beneath his bed. He helped himself to his feet and showed Max what he’d retrieved. It was a custom chastity cage made from chrome-bright polished steel, exactly designed for a dog of Max’s measurements. Max saw the beautiful custom metalwork and gasped with pleasure, then gasped again with fear when he realized the device’s presence meant Daddy might be considering locking him in it rather than allowing him to get off. Max was so overwhelmingly horny that the thought of not being allowed relief was nearly unbearable, and he whined audibly.

Stephen laughed heartily. “Oh pup, I didn’t mean for today!” He held the cage out for Max to inspect. “At least not until we make little Max squirt for daddy first! Oh pup, I could never do that to you,” Stephen said, still chortling. “I couldn’t torture you like that!”

Max wilted with relief and stared down at his throbbing cock. “Daddy, can I have my pacifier?” he asked in his sweetest voice. This was his way of signaling that he was back in the headspace and reassured.

“Of course, sport,” Stephen said as he removed his tie and began unbuttoning his stark white business shirt. “Do you want your glow in the dark one? Or the blue one with the rocket ship?” Stephen slipped easily between turned-on wolf boyfriend and nurturing Daddy, and it was one of the things Max loved most about him.

“Ummm… can I have my rocket ship one please, Daddy?” Max asked slowly.

“One rocket paci coming up!” Stephen opened the drawer of Max’s nightstand. “This is Earth Command’s Admiral Andrews, come in! We’re receiving transmissions from the planet Zarkron. It looks like their planetary atmosphere is in imminent danger and they need our top starship pilot to take them a stabilizing agent quickly! Are you up to the challenge, Captain Max?”

“Aye, Admiral!” Max said, raising his paw to his forehead. “Put me in, sir! I once made the Corgi Run in twelve Intergalactic Standard Weeks. ISWs, you’ll know, are a unit of time. Unlike parsecs, which are a unit of space. Because what loser would try to brag about doing a run in a number of parsecs?” Max was stifling giggles, having much fun skirting IP law in front of a lawyer by not mentioning the classing movie he was referencing indirectly. Sometimes I can be the biggest nerd, he thought happily.

Stephen retrieved Max’s favorite pacifier from his nightstand and brought it to Max’s lips. “Permission to dock, Captain?”

“Granted!” Max said mirthfully. He opened his mouth wide in a grin so Stephen could put his slightly chewed pacifier into it.

“Now, Captain, it looks like your rocket is very red today, and clearly that means the engines are overheating. These are experimental new rocket engines and clearly we’ve overworked them. Their reactors are growing increasingly unstable! We’ll have to generate some form of physical flesh-to-rocket contact to siphon off some of that heat and energy, or else an explosion could be imminent! Do you agree, Captain Max?”

“Immediately! We should administer immediate and vigorous contact to the rocket, immediately! And repeatedly!” Max was holding his sides from laughter.

Stephen nodded enthusiastically. “But in case of an explosion, we had better put something in place to contain the blast debris, or else the whole sector could be compromised!” Stephen gestured wide to the bedroom. He pointed especially at the expensive, plush velvet bedspread in particular. “And this sector is only just back from being dry cleaned.” He winced.

“Then we’d better put some sort of absorbent barrier in place. For the greater good!” Max was sliding deep into little space, and his laughter had subsided and was being replaced by pure, radiant, sexy, beautiful joy.

“Luckily, earth scientists have made some truly revolutionary breakthroughs in new materials, and we have just the thing. We call it a ‘diaper’, and we believe it may be the most absorbent material ever discovered! If anything can save us, surely a super-absorbent diaper is the only thing that can,” Stephen said playfully.

Max’s tail thumped. “A diaper! My god, why didn’t we think of this sooner? Quickly, bring the thickest, most absorbent, most sized-appropriately-for-medium-sized-nineteen-year-old-golden-retriever-boys diaper we can create! And, Admiral…” Max’s voice lowered and he grabbed Stephen’s hand into his own theatrically. “...include a stuffer. Don’t question me on this, just know that it’s the only way. I don’t give a damn about the cost to civilian lives! This is war, man!”

Stephen couldn’t take it anymore, and he fell apart into a fit of giggles. Max held out for another three seconds before he sputtered into laughter as well. This was the rhythm he and Stephen had found over the previous month; a cycle of hot passion that evolved into daddy/son roleplay so Max could get into his littlespace, then a period of joyful, silly playfulness that inevitably resulted in laughter.

Max felt that this was one of the most important lessons Stephen had taught him in their time together. Sex should be hot and it should be consensual, it should be as kinky as the participants want to go, it should be judgment free, it should be fulfilling and healing in equal measure, it should be serious or playful, wild or slow, full of love or full of friendship. It should be a great many things, especially here at StartAgain. But most importantly, Max had learned that sex should never be harmful, and that it should almost never be boring.

Stephen dug out one of the diapers Max had brought and unfolded it. He lifted Max’s legs so that the canine’s ankles were pressed down on his shoulders, then he used his body strength to lift Max up so that he could slide the diaper under the boy. Max noted with approval that Stephen had included a thick stuffer.

Stephen placed Max down and let the golden retriever’s legs dangle over the edge of the bed. “Uh oh! Earth Command to Captain Max! This is an emergency!” Stephen’s eyes grew dramatically wide and his ears stood straight up.

He’s really selling it! Max thought. “This is Captain Max of the UEA ship Red Rocket, go ahead Earth Command.” He brought his hand to his cheek, holding his pinkie and index fingers out like he was talking into a headset.

“Captain, the Red Rocket is beginning to grow unstable, we’re worried she’s going to explode!” Stephen grasped Max’s rigid cock gently, letting his fingers glide up and down the shaft. “We’re applying pressure, but we’re afraid it might not be enough!”

Max moaned a little. “Then Dadd-- er, I mean Admiral, I suggest you increase the speed of the application by at least 300%. We’ve got to get the Red Rocket under control!”

Stephen licked his muzzle. He squeezed Max’s cock a bit more tightly and sped up his jerking motions, getting an immediate, squirmy sigh from Max as his reward. “We’re doing it know, Captain! Thank our lucky stars you’re the galaxy’s greatest expert on the Red Rocket, and also its captain.”

Max could feel an orgasm building deep in his body. He was so turned on right now that it would take him very little stimulation to get off.

“Tell you what, Captain,” Stephen said cheerily. “You get us through this current crisis and I’ll demand that Earth Control make you a brand new helmet as a reward. Well, not so much a ‘helmet’, more of a hood really. Using your wet diapers over your muzzle. Because maybe naughty boys like Max end up with soggy diapers strapped over their heads as a punishment, hmm?”

Even as Max bucked and throbbed, there was a small, almost imperceptible sliver of his adult mind that thought to itself, darn, I guess we’ll never find out the fate of the United Earth Alliance’s flagship vessel, the Red Rocket. A slight smirk started to form at the corner of Max’s lip as he sucked on his pacifier, but it faded immediately as Daddy began stroking him faster still. The thought of Daddy taking one of his soggy diapers and taping it over his head was rapidly sending Max toward his explosive finish.

“Yes Daddy, oooooh… yes Daddy I’m close! I’m so, uhhh, so close, uhhh, Daddy I’m gonna cumdaddyI’mgonnacumdaddy….ahhhhhhhhh!” Max erupted, the first strand arcing straight up into the air too quickly for Stephen to pull the diaper up to stop it. He quickly remedied that problem by clamping the front of Max’s fresh diaper over the spurting head of his cock. He hoped beyond hope that none of Max’s spray had landed on the new velvet bedspread.

Max felt like his eyeballs were going to get vacuum-sucked out of their sockets by the pressure that was shifting in his body with this orgasm. His cum hit the diaper’s absorbent lining in wave after scalding wave, as Stephen continued to massage his cock through the diaper’s padding.

Max cried out as the final pulse of his orgasm rocked his body. This is one of the top five greatest orgasms I’ve ever had, that previously mentioned rational sliver of Max’s brain thought. If I survive it, I have to remember to thank Stephen.

The rest of Max’s brain was gone, and it likely wouldn’t reappear until the blood had stabilized in the spent canine’s body. Max lay panting rapidly, eyes closed, tongue hanging out of his mouth, and with a great sloppy grin on his face, in absolute mindless bliss.

Stephen smiled at his handsome boyfriend, then he decided to open Max’s diaper to survey the damage. He quickly decided that the stuffer was a lost cause. A little cum in a diaper never hurt anyone, thought Stephen, but this was an almost paranormal amount of canine spunk sitting in a large glistening patch of the front of Max’s diaper. Stephen carefully lifted Max’s bottom enough to slide the stuffer out from under it, then he folded the stuffer in half to contain the worst of the mess. He used the dry end of the stuffer to clean up Max’s fur a bit, then he stood and retrieved a container of baby wipes to tackle the rest.

“You okay up there, buddy?” Stephen asked his barely coherent boyfriend.

“Geh-heh-heh,” Max gasp-laughed slowly. Nope, the power was still out in Max’s brain.

“Ten-four, Captain,” Stephen said sternly as he cleaned Max. “We are sorry to report that the diaper wasn’t enough to contain the explosion of the Red Rocket. We are at a one hundred percent casualty rate down here,” he reported gravely.

“...” Max said, motionless. After a moment, he inhaled and tried again. “Admiral… I salute you. Just as the Red Rocket saluted you…” He inhaled. “...saluted you before it exploded. Especially when you were applying pressure.” He took another ragged, content breath. “In reward for your noble efforts in a dire situation, Admiral, can I invite you to come dock at my porthole?” Max smiled and wiggled his ass slowly, teasingly.

Stephen shook his head. “No no, kiddo, I don’t want to get off yet. I have plans for our evening together, and it takes me a lot longer to bounce back after than it does you so I want to save my shot. If you’ll, ah, pardon the expression.” The wolf smiled. “But I want you to be at your best for when we hire you tomorrow,” he said, his voice shifting into Boyfriend Stephen. “And I know you won’t sleep tonight worth anything if I don’t tire you out first. So really, this is all just a sophisticated sexual ploy to keep you distracted.” He shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad to report it’s working,” Max said happily. And he meant what he said; despite everything that might happen tomorrow, Stephen had found a way to disarm him and force him to relax. It was exactly what he needed, and it was another item to toss onto the mountain of reasons Max loved the wolf more and more each day.

“So,” Stephen said as he finished taping Max into his now mostly semen-free diaper, “what should we do for dinner? I’m starting to get a bit peckish. Do you want to do hamburger casserole here in the apartment again like we did that one time? I’ve got all the ingredients in there, I think. Or I can call down and have the kitchen send up something.” He applied the last tape to Max’s diaper and snugged the leg bands, then he held out his paws. Max grabbed them and Stephen hoisted him up into a sitting hug.

Max thought for a moment. Stephen was right, he needed distraction. And he didn’t want to disturb this really good feeling he was having. The thought of making a meal with Stephen sounded super romantic, and the thought of little Max cooking alongside his Daddy delighted Max. In spite of everything he was going through, and everything he was about to go through tomorrow, Max actually felt really good right now, thanks to Stephen’s loving attention. He decided. “Let’s do the hamburger casserole.