bABy Island: Chapter 6

Another three hours passed before the boat made land on bABy Island. Or maybe it was four. Or five? Dakota could already feel his sense of time wavering as he gradually slid deeper into Littlespace.

The boy’s demeanor had grown much more relaxed in the time since Daddy had put him in his diaper. Dakota thought back to the intense apprehension he’d felt as he stepped out of the bathroom and followed Daddy back toward the main deck. His anxiety had almost seemed to heighten his senses. Each step he took had elicited a crisp crinkling noise that seemed to echo around the entire cabin. Dakota recalled furtively glancing at the face of each person he passed, cautiously looking for raised eyebrows and derisive smirks.

But he’d seen none. It was to be expected. On a boat full of big babies, no one seemed to give the young man in a Paw Patrol shirt and jean shorts a second thought, even if they knew he was wearing a diaper. Dakota understood intuitively that he had no reason to be embarrassed. But it would take time to shake his hard-wired aversion to bringing such a private part of his life into a public space, even if everyone around him considered what he was doing to be completely.

Thankfully, Dakota’s anxieties had waned as the boat ride wore on. The warmth of the mid-latitude sun and the velvety breeze that washed across the boat’s deck as it sliced through the south Pacific’s placid waters would have been enough to calm just about anyone. Dakota also received a few affectionate smiles from some of the caregivers that passed by where he and Daddy were seated, which made him feel much more comfortable in his new outfit. By the time the boat pulled up to the bABy Island harbor, Dakota was feeling very much like a kid again. He wasn’t fully in baby mode, but the pleasant fog of regression was setting in nicely. It was like a mild high–a light buzz similar to the kind he’d often feel after an alcoholic beverage or two. Not enough to make him want to do anything too daring just yet, but enough to lower his inhibitions and get him excited for what was ahead.

“Welcome to bABy Island, kiddo!” Daddy exclaimed as he and Dakota strolled down the dock toward the mainland. “Hope you like it! This is home for the next few weeks.”

“I think I can get used to this,” Dakota replied with a content smile, stepping over the dock’s threshold and pausing for a moment to take in the scenery.

The island was gorgeous. Palm trees everywhere, both along the shoreline and inland. The port itself was incredibly well landscaped, paved with light gray cobblestone paths that were well-shaded and flanked by gardens full of colorful tropical plants. One of the cobblestone paths led toward the car rental building, where Dakota and Daddy were headed. The other led to a long boardwalk that ran what looked to be at least a mile or two along the shoreline, offering stunning views across the water. Dakota, recalling the map Daddy showed him a while back, suspected that the boardwalk eventually ended up in Oceanview Village. In the other direction, Dakota could make out an area of low, semi-forested hills. In the bright haze created by the midday light, they almost seemed to meld into the ocean as they petered out toward the coast. Dakota assumed this was the place labeled on the map as “The Preserve.”

Even the car rental facility was a sight to behold. As they stepped through the doorway, Dakota and Daddy were greeted by the tranquil sound of birds and rushing water. A fountain feature designed to look like a natural waterfall was situated in the far corner of the building. Water poured from a stack of rocks about five or so feet high into a pool beneath. From there, it flowed in through an artificial stream along the wall before hitting another pool, where it likely drained so it could be pumped back up to the waterfall. The entire area was cordoned off by what appeared to be a mesh cage, probably designed to contain the small collection of tropical birds that flitted about the stream area. “Bambino Island Avian Rehabilitation Project,” read a sign posted on the wall near the waterfall.

Dakota was quickly realizing that the facility was designed for more than just renting cars. It also seemed to function as a visitor center of sorts. A large map of the island was plastered on the wall across from the stream area. Brochures advertising the island’s various services and places to visit were stacked neatly in cubbies beside the map and along the face of the front desk. There was even a visitor information kiosk beside the car rental desk.

“Georgie! You’re back!” Dakota heard a voice boom from the direction he and Daddy were heading.

Dakota snapped out of his fixation on the rental facility’s aesthetic features and turned his gaze toward the source of the voice. Behind the rental desk stood a large, barrel-chested man with long, dark hair tied in a Polynesian-style bun. He was grinning ear to ear at Daddy.

“You’re not hallucinating! It’s me!” Daddy shouted back, returning the man’s grin. “So good to see you again, Kai.”

Whack. The two men’s hands slammed together in a firm but friendly handshake as soon as Dakota and Daddy reached the desk.

“I was wondering when I’d see your face around here again,” Kai said warmly, maintaining the handshake and giving Daddy a playful clap on the shoulder.

He then turned his gaze to Dakota.

“And I see you have a new Little one with you this time,” he remarked, his grin morphing into a wry smile that sent a wave of heat rushing to Dakota’s cheeks.

“Yes!” Daddy replied excitedly, placing a gentle hand on the back of Dakota’s head. “Kai, this is Dakota. But you can just call him Kota.”

Dakota flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. They hadn’t even been on the island for ten minutes and Daddy was already busting out his Little name.

“Well hi there Kota, it’s very nice to meet you,” Kai purred with a mixture of sweetness and condescension. It was clear he had a lot of experience talking to people like they were two years old.

“Nice to meet you too, mister Kai,” came Dakota’s timid reply.

It was clear that Dakota was really starting to regress at this point. The word “mister” had simply slipped out. He wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d called anyone mister, even Daddy. But it seemed like such a natural thing to say in the moment. It felt as if he’d just forgotten briefly that he wasn’t actually a kid. He had to admit, he didn’t dislike the feeling.

I guess that’s what the brochure meant by “immersive experience,” Dakota thought to himself.

“You’ve got a very polite and well-behaved Little guy there, Georgie.” The wry smile lingered on Kai’s face as he addressed Daddy.

“I sure do, don’t I,” Daddy responded, grinning down at Dakota and ruffling his hair affectionately.

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you two much longer.” Kai lifted the hinged area of the desk separating the staff area from the customer area and motioned for Dakota and Daddy to step through. “Follow me out back, I’ll show you to your car.”

Kai led Dakota and Daddy out the back door of the building to a large lot with a sizable fleet of small electric vehicles in various colors. Each one looked sort of like a SmartCar with a back seat added–compact and light enough to zoom around on an electric motor, but enough room to be practical for commuting with a Little.

Kai led Dakota and Daddy over to one of the dark blue models near the corner of the lot and produced a clipboard with a couple sheets of paper attached.

“Here’s your vessel! Just go ahead and fill out this form and she’s all yours.”

Daddy obliged and grabbed the clipboard. As he began to fill it out, Kai pulled out a set of keys he’d grabbed from one of the hooks on the wall behind the front desk.

“And here, Little man, is where you’ll ride,” Kai beamed as he unlocked the car and opened the back door. Dakota’s eyes widened. There sat a scaled-up version of a child’s booster, complete with all the necessary straps, harnesses, and even a cartoon dinosaur patch on the arm rest. After taking a brief second to be amused by the bewildered look on Dakota’s face, Kai turned around and checked to make sure the seat was properly secured in place.

“Do you want me to get him situated?” Kai offered Daddy, noticing the man was still working on the sign-out sheet.

“Actually, that would be great!” Daddy replied. “Kota, Mr. Kai’s gonna get you in your booster. Be good for him, okay?”

A cold sweat pulsed through Dakota as Kai reached out one of his giant arms and guided him toward the car. The nickname, the sly reference to his earlier Freudian slip, being spoken to like a toddler and being ushered into a giant car seat by a total stranger who would surely feel the diaper beneath his shorts as he fastened him in. The subtle Littlespace triggers bombarding Dakota from every direction were causing the boy to slip into an almost dreamlike state. He’d never been in this kind of situation before–one where he was being forced to push through embarrassment rather than run away from it. He felt buoyant, as if he’d stepped off the edge of a cliff and had somehow started floating. It was terrifying, and yet he knew he was safe. The anxiety was there, but it had been muted, leaving pure adrenaline behind.

Before he knew it, Dakota was sitting in the car seat with Kai’s large but surprisingly nimble hands clicking the shoulder straps into place. He then moved on to the crotch harness, deftly securing the buckle and pulling the straps snug around Dakota’s diaper area. The straps dug into the sides of Dakota’s crotch slightly, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to accentuate the boy’s diaper bulge.

“Looks like you’re secure in more ways than one, eh kiddo,” Kai teased with a playful wink.

Dakota averted his eyes sheepishly as the substantial man stood back up to retrieve the clipboard from Daddy.

“He’s all set, Georgie!”

“Fantastic, thanks Kai!” Daddy handed over the clipboard. “How long are you on the island this time around?”

“Been here a couple weeks,” Kai answered, tucking the clipboard under his arm and handing Daddy the car keys. “At the end of the month I’m off to Hong Kong again to scout some new auto suppliers.”

“Oh nice! You enjoy Hong Kong as I recall, right?”

Judging by the way Daddy slipped his hands into his pockets as he asked the question, Dakota got the sense that this could end up being one of those conversations that dragged on longer than expected. It was a familiar feeling. He thought back to when he was a kid (an actual one) and how he used to stand around for what seemed like forever as his parents caught up with whichever friend or acquaintance they’d happened to run into. Here he was, a full grown adult who’d been living on his own for almost half a decade, and it was happening again.

For what had to have been at least ten, maybe fifteen minutes, Dakota sat in his car seat, unable to get up and move and too timid to interject and hurry Daddy and Kai’s conversation along. To make matters worse, the couple bottles of orange juice he’d had during the last leg of the boat ride was starting to catch up with him. The pressure in his bladder built up quickly, and it soon became hard to ignore. For some reason, Dakota initially resisted the urge to go. Perhaps in the back of his mind he was hoping not to break the seal until he and Daddy arrived at their cottage–a private place where he wouldn’t have to suffer another humiliation in front of a stranger. He could only imagine what Kai would have to say about him having a soggy diaper. But as the urge to wet grew stronger, Dakota thought better of it. Daddy probably wouldn’t check his diaper until they arrived at the cottage anyway, so it wasn’t as if Kai or anyone else would know. Plus, this was what he was here for. He’d have to wet in public for the first time at some point. Might as well get it over with.

As silently as he could, Dakota drew a deep breath and forced his still well-trained bladder muscles to relax. It was easier than he expected it to be, even with the keen sense of suspense that washed over him as the first few drops of pee dribbled into his padding. It was a good kind of suspense. Dakota had wet plenty of diapers since he met Daddy, but there was a sense of mischief to it this time. He felt like he was breaking the rules, like he was doing something that could get him in trouble and getting away with it. The irony of it all, of course, was that he was actually obeying the one main rule Daddy had set forth for the trip. Diapers only, no potty. Still, he relished how deliciously taboo the act felt. There he sat, fully restrained, diaper bulging beneath his shorts, unable to go anywhere or do anything as he quietly flooded his diaper while the two men standing beside the car unknowingly gabbed on. The feeling of relief and warmth around his loins was as hypnotic as ever. He savored the sensation of his diaper swelling and straining against the crotch harness as he let his urine flow unrestricted. After twenty seconds or so, the stream began to ebb and Dakota exhaled quietly as he squeezed out a few final drops. Mischief managed.

Shortly thereafter, Daddy and Kai finally brought their confab to a close. Kai waved goodbye to Dakota, shutting the rear door as Daddy climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Sorry for the wait, kiddo,” he apologized. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen Kai. We had a lot to catch up on.”

“That’s okay, Daddy,” Dakota replied sweetly. He’d have his revenge later when it was time for Daddy to change his diaper. He could already feel the pressure in his bladder returning. There would very likely be another wetting or two before they arrived at the cottage.

Dakota was correct, as it turned out, but not for the reason he expected. As the pair rolled through the island’s downtown area, Dakota noticed that Daddy had his blinker on. Tick. Tick. Tick. Dakota was confused at first. If he recalled the map correctly, there was still a ways to go before they arrived at Marine Heights, where their cottage was. Before long, however, the situation dawned on him.

“Bambino Island Supermarket.” The sign came clear into view as Daddy rounded the corner off the main road. Somehow, Dakota, his mind clouded by Littlespace, had failed to consider the fact that they would need supplies before settling into their temporary home. Dakota’s plan for his first diaper change of the trip to happen in private was suddenly in jeopardy. Worse, if he had more than one more wetting in him in the next hour or so, there was a danger he might leak in the store.

Dakota tried to keep his apprehensions at bay and talk himself into not panicking. His second wetting hadn’t yet occurred, and when it finally did, there was no guarantee he’d need to go again. If urge did arise, he could always hold it if need be. He wasn’t a real toddler, after all. Plus, the diaper Daddy had put him in was fairly thick. There was a decent chance it could hold three floodings if the need to pee simply became overwhelming. It would all be okay.

Dakota’s self-reassurances calmed him down enough to where Daddy didn’t pick up on any anxiety as he unstrapped the boy from his car seat.

“Alrighty, this way bud,” the man instructed, grabbing Dakota gently by the armpits and lifting him out of the car to his feet. Though Dakota knew he was smaller and lighter than most men his age, Daddy’s strength always impressed him.

About a third of the way between the car and the supermarket doors, Daddy reached out a hand for Dakota to grab onto. The boy hesitated for a second, again instinctually embarrassed about being treated like a little kid in a public place. But after reminding himself where he was, Dakota eventually relented and slid his comparatively small palm into Daddy’s. Another rush of adrenaline accompanied the act. Between the diaper, the Paw Patrol shirt, and the much larger man leading him around, there was no hiding from anyone that he was a Little.

Not that it really mattered. Dakota soon discovered he was far from the only baby about town that day. In fact, it turned out that his toddler aesthetic was quite modest compared to some of the other island-goers. As he and Daddy stepped through the supermarket doors, Dakota quickly clocked three other Littles. The first was a boy around his age wearing a Winnie the Pooh tank top and a pair of snap-crotch cargo shorts with a very obvious diaper bulge underneath. He had to be wearing at least two layers. The second was a girl, again around his age, dressed in denim skirtalls with an embroidered butterfly pattern on the bib. Dakota could very clearly see a bright white diaper sticking out from beneath the hem of the skirtalls each time she bent over. The third Little wasn’t even trying to be modest. He was seated in the oversized child’s seat of his caregiver’s shopping cart, sucking on a rather large pacifier and  wearing nothing but a teddy bear T-shirt and a thick Tykables Waddler. He looked to be slightly older than Dakota, perhaps in his early thirties.

“Okay Kota, up you go!”

Daddy’s words awoke Dakota from his trance. He turned his head to see the man standing beside a shopping cart–the same kind the boy with no pants was riding in. Dakota flushed as Daddy again lifted him by the armpits and placed him in the oversized child’s seat, the front side of which folded down so that Daddy wouldn’t have to lift him all the way over the handle. A nifty feature.

“There, all set,” Daddy cooed as he fastened the seat strap around Dakota’s abdomen.

And so began Dakota’s first full outing on bABy Island. Daddy shopped for about 45 minutes, picking up all manner of food supplies for both him and Dakota, even stopping in the baby aisle (much to Dakota’s chagrin) for diapers, wipes, powder, diaper rash cream, baby shampoo. He also picked up a large case of the ultra thick boosters he often liked to have Dakota wear, smiling devilishly at the boy as he deposited them in the cart.

As Daddy pushed him around the store, Dakota again found himself observing with wonder how comfortable the other big babies and toddlers in the store seemed to be expressing their Little sides in public. Dakota spotted several more who weren’t wearing pants over their diapers, including one boy who was gleefully waddling down the cookie aisle pointing out to his caregiver all the different kinds of snacks he wanted. Dakota found the way the boy’s diaper crinkled and wiggled clumsily as he walked absolutely adorable. When Daddy stopped in the produce area, Dakota noticed a girl in a unicorn onesie sitting in a cart on the other side of the apple stand from him. She smiled beneath her pacifier and waved at him sweetly. Dakota blushed and gave a timid wave back.

A few minutes later, in the pantry aisle, Dakota saw something that really caught his attention. As daddy browsed the shelves, Dakota spotted the same boy in the Pooh tank top and snap cargo shirts that he’d seen earlier. He was waiting patiently as his caregiver, a matronly woman who looked to be in her late 40s or early 50s, loaded items into her cart. Dakota saw a look of surprise come across the boy’s face, which quickly turned to concentration as he went into a half squat and began to grunt quietly. The boy’s shorts were form-fitting enough to where Dakota could see the rear bulge and expand as the boy pushed what looked to be a fairly hefty load into his diaper. He stood back up again after a few seconds, looking both amused and self-satisfied, like a cocky golfer who’d just sunk a difficult putt.

Dakota felt another surge of adrenaline run down his spine as he imagined how the boy must have felt at that moment. He had pooped his pants so brazenly, so gleefully, despite surely knowing that others might be watching. He thought back to the feeling of naughtiness he experienced when he wet his diaper in the car an hour ago. That must have been what the poopy pants boy was feeling, but magnified tenfold. Dakota couldn’t help but feel slightly intrigued.

“Michael! Did you make a stinky again?”

The smell must have finally hit the woman. Her voice was loud and authoritative, causing a few of the others in the aisle to turn their attention in her direction. Her boy giggled dopily as she tersely yanked back the waistband of his shorts and diaper and peered inside

“Pee-yew!” the woman exclaimed, again loudly enough so others could hear. One of the Little girls near the end of the aisle stifled a laugh.

“See, this is why we keep you in diapers,” the woman scolded. “No big boy potty for you any time soon. Come on, let’s get that poopy bum of yours cleaned up.”

With a couple swift pats on the seat of the boy’s shorts, the woman ushered him toward the front of the store where the restrooms were. Dakota caught a whiff of the boy’s diaper as he waddled awkwardly past him and Daddy. It was enough to make him wrinkle his nose, but it didn’t put him off the way the smell of poop usually did. Perhaps it was because he was still strangely riveted by what he’d just witnessed. The dynamic between the boy and his mommy was quite different from his and Daddy’s, but there was something alluring about it. Dakota was somewhat startled to find himself feeling a bit jealous of the humiliation the boy had just suffered. For some reason, beneath all the anxiety he was feeling around being diapered in front of strangers, he was also feeling a peculiar urge to be treated like the boy had been–to be put in his place, to be kept in line with a firm hand.

Daddy must have noticed the way Dakota’s eyes followed the boy as he and his mommy disappeared around the corner of the aisle.

“Just say the word and that could be you,” Daddy remarked, giving Dakota a suggestive nudge with his elbow.

The boy immediately turned red as a tomato, crashing to earth from the reverie he’d been enjoying. For as much as he’d been fascinated by the boy unashamedly filling his diaper in public, he wasn’t yet sure if he could ever work up the courage to do so himself. The thought was enough to make him want to turn invisible–to melt into liquid like the Wicked Witch of the West and seep into a puddle on the supermarket floor. It felt strange enough that the spectacle had piqued his curiosity. It was even more embarrassing that Daddy had so quickly clued into it all.

Dakota paused for a second, trying figure out how to respond to Daddy’s teasing. Unable to come up with something to say that would adequately sum up the complicated feelings bouncing around inside him, all he could do was stammer sheepishly.

“Um… uh… I dunno… Sure, maybe someday….”

Daddy chuckled smugly, as if he knew something Dakota didn’t.

“Sure kiddo, maybe someday.”