Chapter Two of 'Giving Notice' is ready!

Merry Christmas, everyone who celebrates! I wanted to give you a special gift because you guys are the most awesome patrons ever, so I worked all day today (yes, on Christmas day!) to get Chapter Two done and ready to share with you. Please let me know what you think! Happy holidays and thank you so much for being my amazing, supportive friends!

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Stephen escorted Max to the entrance to the library and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, then quickly hurried off to his office to get his own day started. Max watched him depart wistfully. I do love that man, he thought before opening the door to the expansive library.

Almost immediately he heard his boss, Mr. Warren, bellowing from somewhere on the second floor of the great room. “Marcus, I swear I’m going to set you on fire and watch you burn if you don’t start making some progress on the encyclopedias! And when I do, any jury would acquit me as soon as they hear how you have worked me down to my last fucking nerve!”

Max swallowed nervously. Mr. Warren was clearly in a mood this morning; whatever Marcus had done to piss off the mercurial hawk didn’t bode well for anyone. Max nervously tugged his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. 8:53… at least Mr. Warren won’t be mad at me for being late, he thought with relief. He shoved his phone back into the pocket of his shorts and quickly made his way up the staircase to the second floor to find his boss and report for duty.

He found Mr. Warren seated at a reading table near the biographies, rubbing his temples wearily. Max quietly approached the brown-and-white hawk and cleared his throat. “Good morning, Mr. Warren,” he said cautiously.

“Good morning? Good?” the hawk answered without looking up. “What, pray tell, is good about it, Max? My coffee has gone cold, we’re way behind schedule in the reference section, and the wrathful gods have seen fit to curse me with that jackass of a donkey, Marcus. But I shouldn’t be dumping my headaches on you, Max.” The hawk shook his head. “I’m sorry, good morning.”

Mr. Warren at last looked up at the golden retriever. “Oh, the headset I requisitioned for you showed up this morning. It’s downstairs on the checkout desk. Make sure you wear it when you’re working so that I can hopefully minimize the amount of yelling I have to do.” Mr. Warren huffed wearily.

“Yes, Mr. Warren. What did you want me to work on today?” Max asked, eager to be helpful.

“That depends,” Mr. Warren answered. “Do you know how to use the Dewey Decimal System?”

Max nodded. “Oh, yes sir. I spent a lot of time helping out in the library in high school. And I doubt they’ve changed the system much in the last year.”

Mr. Warren instantly brightened. “Oh, you are a treasure. A literal lifesaver. You have no idea how happy I am to hear that! Seventeen offered to help, but he struggles with numbers because of his dyslexia. And Zane and Marcus, I doubt either of them even know what the inside of a book is supposed to look like.” He frowned bitterly, then shook his head. “There are six boxes stacked up behind the checkout desk full of uncategorized books. Do you think you could go through them, classify the books, and then add the appropriate stickers to their spines so they can be shelved? I’ll show you how to use the computer with the sticker printer.”

Max wagged and agreed happily, pleased that he was able to put his knowledge to work. Mr. Warren escorted Max downstairs to the checkout desk and gave him his headset, then he logged into the library computer and showed Max the relatively complex sequence of steps to add a book to the inventory, classify it, and print out its sticker. Once Max had categorized a few books to Mr. Warren’s satisfaction, the hawk enthusiastically thanked him again before returning to the second floor to resume his own work.

Max eagerly dove into the first of the six boxes, handling the older and more delicate books with care. He had always had a great fondness for books from the time he’d first learned to read. Books were portals to other worlds, and they’d served as his primary escape all through middle school and those early, awkward years of high school when he’d felt most like an outsider. His classes had been easy enough for Max, but school itself had been hell. He’d unfortunately been a bully-magnet and had never really felt like he belonged in any of the cliques, not even the “weird quiet kid” group.

Instead, he’d spent every free moment hanging out in the school library. He was often the only student there, and he’d become good friends with Mrs. King, the school’s librarian. The kindly emperor penguin had taken pity on Max and often let him help her during his free periods, and with time Max had learned the Dewey Decimal System and the fundamental workings of a library. In high school, the library had been his only sanctuary from the social games that everyone except him seemed so adept at playing. It had been a quiet, welcoming shelter from the otherwise persistent feeling that he never really belonged.

That was a major reason why working at StartAgain felt like such a revelation to Max. For the first time in his life, he felt truly accepted and felt like part of something bigger than himself. In the span of half a week, he’d found everything his life had been missing; a wonderful boyfriend who was now also his Daddy, true friends who loved him and enjoyed his company, and a sense of community that he’d never felt before.

With everyone else on the team busy upstairs, Max made fairly swift, uninterrupted progress categorizing and labeling the books. Over the course of a few hours, he was able to empty two of the boxes and start on the third, stacking the books in tidy heaps on the checkout desk based on their new classifications. Max enjoyed the work, but he especially enjoyed the sense of satisfaction as he observed the steady progress he was making.

Max was so focused on his work that he jerked in surprise when he heard Mr. Warren’s voice squawking directly into the headset he was wearing. “Max, how are you getting on with the uncategorized books?”

Max held a button on the left earpiece, just as Mr. Warren had shown him. “Great, sir. I’m starting on the third box now. I had a bit of trouble with one book, figuring out if it was astrology or astronomy. The author seemed to bounce back and forth between science and metaphysics. I decided to classify it under astrology in the end. Otherwise, no issues sir!”

“That’s great news,” came Mr. Warren’s reply. “I’m calling a lunch break so I can take something for this headache and lie down for a bit. But I haven’t forgotten what I promised you and Seventeen yesterday, an extra hour break to spend together in a double-ended gag. Did you want to eat first, or did you want to wait until after? Seventeen is up here practically vibrating with enthusiasm, I should warn you.”

Max blinked. He’d completely forgotten about the reward Mr. Warren had promised them yesterday. But he didn’t want to disappoint his gecko friend Seventeen, and the idea of spending an hour strapped together by a gag did sound like a lot of fun. Plus, Stephen’s delicious breakfast had filled him up nicely and he wasn’t starving for lunch.

“I’ll come up and Seventeen and I can take our hour first, if that’s alright sir,” Max replied into his headset. A moment later, he heard the reptile whooping at the top of his lungs with joy from somewhere above, the gleeful sound echoing throughout the great library.

“I take it you heard that,” Mr. Warren chuckled. “He’s very eager. Well, come on up then and I’ll get you boys situated.”

Max could immediately feel himself growing stiff inside his diaper. He found gags hot under most circumstances, but the idea of being nose-to-nose with his sexy gecko friend Seventeen but unable to communicate except through meaningful glances and grunts was doubly exciting.

Max adjusted the front of his tented diaper in the hope that it wasn’t painfully obvious how eager he was, then he ascended the grand staircase to the second floor of the library. Mr. Warren and Seventeen were seated at a reading table near the Art History section. The moment Seventeen saw Max approach, he broke into a broad grin.

“Max! Good morning!” Seventeen nearly shouted in excitement. He leapt to his feet, his long tongue absently flicking over his eyes as he bounced eagerly on his heels.

In spite of his mood, Mr. Warren couldn’t help but smile at Seventeen’s enthusiasm. “This is going to be easiest if you boys sit on the floor facing each other,” he said as he lifted an intimidating double-ended gag from the table.

Seventeen quickly dropped to the floor and sat cross-legged, his tongue rapidly moistening his eyes again. Max chuckled and joined him on the floor, scooting very close to his reptile friend.

Mr. Warren stepped close to the pair and began attaching one side of the gag to Seventeen’s head. Max couldn’t help but blush a bit when he realized he was now eye level with the hawk’s exposed mound. This was the closest in-person view he’d ever had of a vagina before, and he tried his hardest not to stare in spite of his burning curiosity. One of the many things Max truly respected about his boss was that Mr. Warren never made any attempt to hide his status as a trans man. Max consciously averted his gaze and instead scooted a bit closer to the now securely gagged gecko sitting across from him.

“There you are Seventeen. Now it’s Max’s turn,” Mr. Warren said playfully. Max obediently opened his muzzle so Mr. Warren could insert the other end of the gag, the thick rubber phallus filling his mouth as the hawk buckled Max’s half of the straps behind his head. Max heard a padlock snap shut and Mr. Warren took a step back to examine his handiwork.

“Hopefully you boys won’t get too bored,” Mr. Warren said. “I’ll be back in an hour to unlock you. Have fun!” And with that, the hawk swiftly departed, leaving Max and Seventeen strapped together tightly.

Seventeen shifted into a more comfortable position, his eyes gleaming. He wrapped his arms around Max and pulled the golden retriever into a warm, happy hug. Max could see that Seventeen was rock hard through the denim jeans he was wearing. Max too was intensely aroused by the intimacy of their shared predicament, and he moaned slightly around his gag. Seventeen moaned too, and Max could feel the vibrations from the sound carrying down the shared gag and into his muzzle. The sensation was something Max had never experienced before, and he felt his straining cock poking at a somewhat uncomfortable angle as it tried to harden even more within his diaper.

Seventeen tried his best to nod enthusiastically but, with his head so securely strapped in place, the best he could manage was a slight movement. A thin strand of drool dripped down from his chin to the chest of the navy blue t-shirt he was wearing, shimmering under the bright overhead lighting. Seventeen reached down to lightly massage the front of his jeans, and Max could feel a wave of intense lust radiating from the gecko.

Max placed his paw on top of Seventeen’s ridged fingers and pressed gently, eliciting a gagged whimper from the gecko. Sensing Seventeen’s unspoken but eager consent, Max began pressing more firmly. Seventeen removed his hand so Max could have unfettered access to his throbbing manhood, moving it instead to the front of Max’s fire engine red shorts, rubbing the canine’s rigid cock through the bulge of his diaper.

Max moaned again, louder this time, as he gazed into Seventeen’s beautiful, cobalt-blue ringed eyes. The unblinking gecko stared back lustily, clearly enjoying the experience of being so intimately gagged with Max. He unsnapped the crotch of Max’s shorts and pulled the front up, exposing the front of the canine’s diaper, then began slowly stroking Max through his padding.

The feeling was exquisite, only enhanced by the fact that Max was unable to tell Seventeen how much he was enjoying the gecko’s touch. He wordlessly humped against Seventeen’s hand as he unbuttoned Seventeen’s jeans and fished out his cock, pawing at it teasingly until he felt a drop of precum trickle along his finger.

The boys continued to playfully tease each other for a while as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Max could feel himself blushing, heat rising to his cheeks and ears. Neither of the boys was tugging hard enough to get the other off, content instead to slowly and playfully tease each other’s rigid erections.

“Does that feel good?” Max attempted to ask, but what made it through the gag was a formless grunting. Nevertheless, Seventeen giggled and tried to nod, moving Max’s head with his own. He began picking up speed with his hand, tugging Max’s cock until the canine was panting around the invader in his muzzle.

Max could feel an orgasm beginning to rise within him, and his cock grew even more rigid, swelling within its crinkly prison. Seventeen noted the change and slowed his motions until he was edging Max, skillfully keeping Max on the brink of orgasm without allowing the retriever release. Max whimpered and desperately grasped Seventeen’s hardness, moaning and pleading through the gag.

Seventeen’s eyes sparkled mirthfully and he continued cruelly teasing Max’s cock through the now swollen diaper. Despite himself, Max couldn’t help but be impressed at the skill with which Seventeen kept him on the edge, so close and yet never able to cross the finish line. Max told himself to ask Seventeen about his incredible edging skills later, once the pair were no longer gagged.

Max decided that the only way Seventeen would let him cum was if Max finished off the gecko first, so he began tugging on Seventeen’s cock with fervor. Each pull of Seventeen’s meat caused the gecko to grunt into the gag, and the vibrations from Seventeen’s moans carried through Max’s end of the gag enticingly. Max pawed at the gecko faster and faster, enjoying the desperate, muffled moans coming from Seventeen.

Max felt Seventeen’s arms tighten almost uncomfortably a moment before the reptile began spraying hot strands of cum that arced through the air before coating Max’s bare legs. Spurt after spurt, the gecko released his pent-up load as he gasped, moaned and pulled against the shared gag. It’s a really good thing he’s into gags, Max thought mirthfully, Seventeen seems like a screamer.

With one final, weak pulse and a long, drawn-out whimper, Seventeen’s orgasm concluded. The gecko sank against Max weakly, and Max hugged him close, holding him until his breathing calmed.

After a few minutes of rest, Seventeen straightened up. “Aaaaaa oooooooh,” he grunted raspily. Thank you, I think, Max thought. He caressed Seventeen’s cheek happily.

Seventeen gratefully began pawing at Max again, using friction to stimulate Max’s red rocket through a layer of soggy, absorbent padding and causing his diaper to loudly crinkle. It didn’t take long at all for Max to feel his orgasm rising again. This time, Seventeen decided to take pity on Max; he kept rubbing forcefully until Max shot his load into his diaper. Max squirmed and bucked as he orgasmed, moaning as loudly as he could with his mouth so thoroughly stuffed.

At last, the exhausted boys slumped against one another, still locked into their intense enforced kiss by the gag. They shifted to get a bit more comfortable as they waited for Mr. Warren to come free them at the end of their designated hour.

After a few minutes of quiet, the pair heard the sound of footsteps and murmuring. However, with their shared gag in place, neither could see where the sound was coming from. Their curiosity quickly evaporated, however, when they heard Marcus’s raspy, low voice.

“Well then, looks like y’all are havin’ fun,” the beefy donkey said. “And while y’all been sitting here wanking yer dinkies, me an’ Zane have been busting our asses over in the encyclopedias. Must be nice to be Warren’s favorite.”

“Aww, leave them alone, babe,” his companion, the zebra Zane, said in his higher and more nasal voice. “They been working hard too, I saw Max going through all those unmarked books down at the checkout desk earlier, and Seventeen got all the books out of the aisle in Art History right by himself. Don’t need to be busting their balls.”

“Eh, I’m not,” Marcus replied. “Besides, looks like they’ve already busted each other’s nuts just plenty, heh.” Seventeen began blushing as he realized his still dripping cock was still dangling out of his jeans. He quickly covered himself with his hands, embarrassed.

Max rolled his eyes at Seventeen. God, Marcus is such a prick, he thought. And I’d tell him exactly that right now, if I could. He gave Seventeen’s knee a reassuring squeeze.

Marcus chuckled, then snorted. “Let’s get out of here,” he said to his companion. “Besides, it smells too much like cum and piss around here for my tastes. Prob’ly better get Mommy Warren to change you soon, Piss Puppy,” he told Max derisively as he and Zane departed.

Max groaned into his gag. “Uuuuh eeeeh ohh-ahhhhhh,” he swore around the rubber phallus. Asshole, he thought to himself. No different than a highschool bully. And particularly fuck him for misgendering Mr. Warren like that. Max sighed. He’d had enough of Marcus’s type when he was still in school, and he hated that he was having to deal with it once again. Mr. Warren had previously cautioned Max about Marcus and instructed Max to tell him if Marcus gave him any grief, but Max resolved to say nothing to his boss about this incident. He didn’t want to add to the hawk’s frustrations given the day the man seemed to be having, and Max didn’t know how Mr. Warren would react to that ‘mommy’ dig. Still, Max resolved to watch himself around the donkey; he was rapidly developing a deep dislike of the man.

Seventeen scooted a little closer to Max and gave him a reassuring hug. Surely, Mr. Warren would be along soon to release them. It was hard to say how long they’d been locked in their enforced kiss, but it felt to Max like it had been at least half an hour or more. And despite that jerk Marcus, Max had to admit he’d enjoyed himself. Being stuck nose-to-nose with Seventeen had been a unique experience, and Max enjoyed the sensation of being gagged. I guess it feeds into my baby side, he thought. After all, babies can make sounds and drool but can’t really talk either. Plus it’s kind of fun feeling helpless.

Eventually Mr. Warren did reappear, chuckling as he noted the scene before him, Max’s shorts unsnapped and all the padding in his diaper clumped, and both boys looked a little disheveled.

“I trust this was a satisfying reward for your hard work yesterday, boys,” Mr. Warren said with mirth as he fished a key out of his vest pocket and began unlocking Seventeen’s half of the gag.

Seventeen smacked his mouth for a moment once he was free of the gag, then quickly flicked his tongue across the membranes of his eyes. “Yes sir,” he said raspily, trying and failing not to grin from ear to ear. “Really extremely! The best reward ever, sir!”

“Now for your actual lunch hour,” Mr. Warren said as he freed the blushing Max. “Though I suspect you’ll want to pop by your room for a change first, Max. That diaper of yours seems to have taken some abuse while I was away,” the hawk said, eyes twinkling.

“Y-yes sir,” Max stammered bashfully. “Thank you for our reward, that was a very… er, relaxing break.” Max quickly shot Seventeen a loaded glance, silently pleading with him not to say anything about their interaction with Marcus.

Seventeen caught Max’s glance and quietly nodded agreement. He wouldn’t say anything if Max didn’t want him to. “Yeah, thanks Mr. Warren!” he chimed as he stood and stretched. “And thank you, Max! That was everything I could’ve imagined!” the gag-loving gecko added gratefully. He reached out and gave Max a long, tight hug.

Max carefully snapped the crotch of his shorts back together, noting that the padding in his diaper had been utterly destroyed by Seventeen’s frantic pawing. He definitely needed a change sooner rather than later, lest he leak on his cute clothes.

“That was super fun,” Max told Seventeen and Mr. Warren. “But I’d better hurry back to my room to change so I have time to eat something! See you in an hour?”

“For sure,” Seventeen replied. “I’m going to grab a sandwich from the dining hall and then go sit in the garden to eat it. I feel like sunning myself for a bit now. Thank you again, Mr. Warren, Max! See you in a little while!”

Max nodded and watched his friend depart. He smiled at Mr. Warren and then made his way down the stairs and exited the library. He badly wanted to go change into a fresh diaper; this one was soaked, sticky and sagging, not to mention nearly falling apart.

Max traced his way back to the elevator and then back to his room; he was beginning to learn his way around and didn’t even need to use the navigation marks on the ceiling to find his bedroom this time.

He let himself inside his nursery and began stripping down as soon as his door was closed. All the padding in his diaper had sunk to the bottom, he noted as he gingerly unfastened the tapes and removed it. He balled the destroyed diaper up and tossed it in the diaper pail, then he giggled a bit as he used a baby wipe to clean the cum out of his fur.

As he changed himself into a fresh diaper, Max thought about what had happened with Marcus. Max sighed, feeling a little flare of anger building in his chest; StartAgain Manor was supposed to be a sanctuary where people were free to be themselves, and yet Marcus had already violated that feeling of safety and openness. Not only had he broken house rules by mocking Max for his kink, he’d committed an even worse infraction by intentionally misgendering Mr. Warren. Max decided to make a conscious effort to avoid the hateful donkey as best he could from here on out.

The golden retriever shook his head to banish all thought of Marcus and finished changing himself, pleased at how well he’d done despite his lack of experience. The front tapes were a little off-center but otherwise the diaper felt snug and secure.

And just a few days ago, I would have actually died of shame if anyone knew how badly I wanted to wear diapers again, he thought, the corners of his mouth turning up into a slight smile. Gosh, everything has changed so quickly. In just a few days, my whole life has turned upside down. In all the best ways.

As Max redressed himself, he thought of his handsome wolf Stephen. My Daddy, he thought happily. The handsome prince who walked into my life unexpectedly and offered me a whole magical world. I must’ve done something really fucking awesome in a past life to deserve everything that has happened to me in the last few days.

Max stepped back into his shorts. I should probably make time to check in with mom and dad at some point, just so they know I haven’t fallen off the map. I can’t exactly tell them about StartAgain, but hopefully they’ll be pleased to hear that I’ve found a new job, Max thought. I’ll wait on telling them about Stephen, I think. They weren’t exactly supportive when I came out, and I have no idea how they’ll react to the news that I’m dating someone. Besides, I’m an adult now, my life isn’t really any of their business if I choose not to share. Max sighed. His parents were very fervent about their religion, and his dad especially had struggled to accept his son’s orientation. Max had come out to his parents during his senior year of high school, and that last year at home had been especially tense. Leaving for college had been a relief to Max, who had grown accustomed to walking on eggshells around his parents.

God forbid if they’d ever found out about my interest in diapers, Max thought ruefully. Mom would’ve cried for a month and dad would’ve called me a Hellbound pedophile, probably. Neither of them would have understood at all. But… to be fair, I didn’t understand myself all that much either, until recently. I really did think there was something wrong with me. Not about being gay, of course. I was never ashamed of that part of myself. Plus, I never bought into all that religious garbage no matter how hard they tried to convert me. But the kink stuff… that part I definitely struggled with.

Max examined himself in the floor-length mirror. He flushed with joy once again at how much he looked like a very large toddler. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this feeling, he thought happily. But everyone here has been so supportive, so encouraging. All my new friends, Seventeen, Connie, Corey, everyone. They’ve shown me that it’s okay to be me. Max could feel tears beginning to well in his eyes. So much time wasted, thinking I was sick and broken… hating myself for liking things that didn’t hurt anyone else. Fuck… my school years would’ve been so much more bearable if I’d known what I know now. And I wouldn’t have felt so alone, maybe. How amazing would it have been if I’d met Corey years ago, when I was so lonely and so alone? If I’d had a friend to explore all this stuff with, without judgment and with someone I could trust? Or even if I’d just had someone I could talk to, a real friend for once? Maybe I wouldn’t have been so sad all the time.

Max was crying now, hot tears silently rolling down his cheeks, his throat growing uncomfortably tight. Partly he was crying for the pain his younger self had been carrying for so long, and partly for the immense gratitude and relief he felt for the gift of belonging and kinship he felt for the first time in his life. In the mirror, he saw himself shudder as the layers of buried pain, the ghosts of long-scarred wounds, rose to the surface of his heart, hot and raw and exposed.

He watched his reflection weep, and Max suddenly wished he could reach out and hug that other golden retriever in the mirror, to reassure him that everything was alright, that he was safe and loved, that he was never going to feel alone again. Without breaking his reflection’s gaze, Max extended his arm to the side and grabbed his teddy bear Bailey from inside his crib, hugging the plush toy tightly.

Sweet, innocent, vulnerable Baby Max wept long-withheld healing tears while bruised, battle-hardened Big Max watched, the two long-competing aspects of Max’s heart coming together and accepting each other for perhaps the first time ever.

For a long time, Max hugged Bailey and cried quietly, each teardrop lifting a heavy weight from his heart. Eventually his tears slowed and his breathing calmed. In the quiet solitude of his oversized nursery, in the depths of a strange, one-of-a-kind mansion in the middle of who knows where, Max felt the true peace of happiness and self acceptance.

Max gave Bailey a final squeeze and then tucked him back into the crib carefully. He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the clock in the screen’s corner; it was nearly time to return to the library and go back to work. He discovered that he wasn’t disappointed at all that he’d missed his opportunity to grab a meal from the dining hall. What he’d experienced here today had been far more nourishing.