✅3️⃣ Treating the Babysitter [Camp NaNoWriMo July 2023]

22. Another Start

Adam woke and immediately flung his hands up to ward off the sunlight attempting to burn its way through his eyelids. That prompted an immediate squawk of disapproval, and his instincts prepared to be attacked. It took three seconds before he was awake enough to understand what was going on, but that was way too long.

Looking around at Claudia's room, he remembered that she had asked him to sleep with her, and to cuddle her through the night. He had done that, but when the sun rose he had disturbed her sleep with his movements, and now she wanted to know why he had woken her.

"Did I wake you, baby?" he asked.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to waking with the sun in my eyes. I guess I didn't close the blinds properly. Should I get breakfast?"

She grumbled, turning over again, and then peered at the clock for several seconds before rendering an opinion.

"Yeah, breakfast's good." But as soon as she spoke, she was picking up the packet of pastilles from the desk and swallowing the last one. Adam smiled and patted her on the head, and then reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. This time, he had prepared a little so that he could give the little girl a treat. He rushed downstairs ahead of her, and by the time she arrived he was already preparing pancakes. He knew now that she liked them, and he wanted to do a good job. And when she saw what she was getting, she scrambled into her seat and sat quietly until he was ready. Just like a child who was finally starting to learn her lesson, he thought.

Claudia didn't fight at all, but pouted a little when he leaned over to cut up the pancakes for her, like she was a child. And he knew that he didn't have to do this now, because she hadn't said or done anything to justify further punishment. But he found that he was enjoying making her feel small, and he thought he might be starting to understand why she liked this so much.

It wasn't long before her pout turned into a giggle; and then she was playing along as he tried to feed her. She turned her head away a few times, trying to make a mess, but she couldn't resist the allure of pancakes with honey. It meant that breakfast took a lot longer than normal, but it was clear that both of them were enjoying it. And when they had both finished, it only took a few seconds to load the dishwasher and turn it on. And then it was time for Adam to turn back to Claudia and make a decision about what to do next.

"Does the little soggy butt need a change?" he asked, and he saw her blush suddenly as she considered the question, before nodding slightly a few seconds later. Had she somehow forgotten that she was wet? He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep her in diapers for much longer, or that could lead to lasting consequences. But he also wanted to make it special for her. After all, her mother might be back this evening, and he wanted Claudia to get as much out of the weekend as she possibly could.

"Ummm..." she mumbled. "Maybes?"

"Come on then," he said. "Let's get you all cleaned up."

He led her back upstairs to the bathroom, and laid her back on a towel on the bathroom floor to change her. He could probably have offered to let her change herself again now that she was behaving better, but he understood that this was different now. This wasn't babying her to degrade her, but playing along with her fantasies. Something he had chosen to do because he knew she would love the way it made her feel.He teased her and talked to her like a child as he cleaned her with baby wipes, and tossed the wet diaper in the bin. And then she peeked out from behind her fingers for a moment, and propped herself up on her elbows.

"I... umm..." she mumbled, and Adam's hand paused in reaching for the baby powder. He didn't know what she was going to say, and he knew that he should listen before making any big decisions.