✅2️⃣ Testing the Babysitter

Thirty-second Test: Checking the Dose

Here's another chapter for you, this time with many thanks to Jennie. Thank you so much for following my work, and for helping to support me on Patreon. You make these stories possible.

"Well, okay then."

Claudia grinned and stood up, then went over to the closet again. She opened the doors and looked inside, that wicked smile still on her face. She pushed aside the racks of clothes that would never really be fashionable; eccentric enough to be cool, without quite coming within reach of the mainstream. Behind those she seemed to find what she wanted, a suitcase that had been standing up at one end, hidden unless you knew it was there.

"Stand up," she barked, and looked back at Adam. He was on his feet immediately, the changing mat giving a little crinkle that told her how quickly he had obeyed. "You really can't help it, can you?"

"No. I have to do whatever you say. And I'm not responsible, so I don't have to worry if it's good, or normal, or whatever. You're the one in control."

"Right. Put this on."

The outfit she pulled out of the suitcase was folded neatly, but Adam could see enough to know it was something he would never be able to imagine Claudia wearing. The third word that came to mind was voluminous. It looked like she was holding a small stack of garments as she lifted it out, but once she let it dangle from her hand he could see that it was just a dress with a lot of layers. It could have been larger than her regular clothes; maybe she'd lost weight in the last few years. The second most prominent detail was the sheer number of fastenings. Buttons and clips and ribbons, and a bewildering array of ribbons that seemed to cross the front of the dress to button on somewhere else. It would be a lot of work to put on even if he knew how it was supposed to go together, and he wondered if Claudia had chosen something like that on purpose, so she could mock him for not knowing how to dress himself. The thought made him a little nervous, though it couldn't compete with what he was already feeling, expecting punishment at any moment because he had been so presumptuous.

He couldn't think of anything to say about her choice, and he certainly didn't want to give her a reason to laugh at him any sooner than he had to. So he focused on the single most obvious fact about his new outfit, that nobody could avoid noticing if they came within a hundred yards.

"It's so... pink."

"Actually, peach and lavender. But pink-ish. And hot pink frogging, of course. Some of the lace is actually white, but after a while the sheer pinkness seems to permeate the air around it."

"It has to be the single most girly dress I've ever seen," he commented. But he tried to turn it the right way up, and lifted it high so that he could drop it over his head. Putting on a dress wasn't something he had a lot of experience with, but he guessed that it would be easier to sort out everything else once he had his head in the hold. Somehow, and he was quite proud of himself for this, he managed to navigate his arms through a maze of shimmering fabrics, faux fur, lace, glitter, and gauze. It was like being inside a tent made of doilies. There might have been better words to describe it, but that was the one that came to his mind.

"Well, I wanted to see if you look cute in it," she said with a smile. "I'm curious, you can't take that away from me. I think about what I could make you do, and never stop to think about if I should."

"Like a real mad scientist."

"Exactly. And I think you've been trying a little experiment of your own, haven't you?"

"I... uhh..." He knew that he could have denied it. He knew that it might have helped him maintain his dignity, or avoid punishment. But he really did care about Claudia, and he was overjoyed that she trusted him. He had promised himself already that he wouldn't lie to her, and he was pretty sure that he'd kept that resolution whenever he had the choice. "Yeah. You mentioned the drugs in the brownies, and I was sure I'd seen you eat one. I did, and it got me pretty hard, but I thought you might have more resistance or something. Or might have enough forethought to take a safe one. I know you could have done it, and I thought you probably had, but I wanted to be sure. I'm sorry."

"Well, I didn't. I only had one, so the effect should be weaker and wear off sooner. But I've got some theories that certain things can enhance the effect of the extract, and I think that might be right. Like endorphins, it might become more potent when you're having fun. And if I understand the hormonal interaction right, the more you enjoy the things you're made to do, the harder it will be to resist in future."

Adam nodded, and continued fiddling with buttons, trying to work out what went where. It was just a dress, but fastening it up seemed as complex as any Ikea construction puzzle, and he really didn't know how he was supposed to figure it out. He wanted to say that in that case, he'd be completely helpless soon enough, but he was too embarrassed to put words to it. It wasn't that he particularly liked being treated like a baby, or getting dressed up in cute and humiliating ways. The big deal for him was just that Claudia was laughing and smiling. That was a feeling he would never grow tired of.

"And yeah, I shouldn't give you orders," he said, when the silence started to be a little less comfortable. "I'm sorry for that, you can punish me if you want to."

"Oh, I will. But you don't need to feel bad. I was curious too, you know? That's why I gave you the opportunity. And I'm glad to see that you picked something safe to test it with. You told me to do what I wanted, so you knew you wouldn't be pushing me into something..."

"Weird?"

"Something I'm not comfortable with," she corrected. "I think we're already well past the definition of 'weird' here, but as long as we're comfortable with it, I don't see a problem. Thank you, Adam. Thank you for trusting me enough to give it a try; for understanding what was on my mind; and for doing it in a way that you knew would be good for me."