—————————-Anjali Pov————————
It's getting close to noon and It's just Taylor and me. Taylor is sitting content on the sofa while I'm standing around confused on what to do next.
I decided that I should refill Taylor's cup with some more apple juice. When I retrieve the cup I noticed that it's still full. Taylor hasn't eaten or drunk anything for almost 24 hours!!
I walk into the main room with the full sippy cup in my hands ready to confront Taylor. I get in front of her on the couch and kneel. "Why haven't you eaten or drank anything the whole time you've been here," I say very straightforwardly.
"I'm not hungry" Taylor shrugs.
"Your lying "
Taylor looked down at her knees as her breathing increased.
"Tell me the truth, why aren't you eating?"
"I'm just not hungry" her voice shakes.
"Drink," I say giving Taylor the sippy cup.
"No!"
I was starting to get fed up with Taylor. I know she's hungry, I just don't get why she won't eat.
I sit down on the sofa next to her and pull her onto my lap. She instantly starts to push my hands off her waist but being way stronger than her it didn't work. I get her in a laying down position with her head and neck in my elbow pit and her lower half on my lap and couch. I take the sippy cut and bring it near her mouth.
"Drink" I demand, giving her a dominant gaze.
Her blue eyes water as she continues to try and escape my grasp. I keep a nice strong hold so she can't escape.
"Let go!! You have no right to tell me what to do!!" cries Taylor.
I ignore her tears and stick the tip of the cup in her mouth. I caught on to the fact that Taylor cries every time she wants to escape from a situation.
Once I place the tip on the cup through Taylor's soft pink lips, she quickly tries to turn away, but since I was supporting her head she wasn't able to. Her eyes widened in fright at her lack of control.
Taylor did one last kick of her feat before giving up. I felt her tense body relax as she sipped the drink. Her tiny hands reached out and grabbed hold of the cup handles.
I reposition my hands so I'm holding Taylor like a sleeping baby. Her eyes start to close as the cup gets lower and lower. Since the schedule said that her nap time was in 15 mins, I decided to let her sleep.
After about 5 more minutes, Taylor was sleepy enough for me to carry her to Asher's bedroom. Once she was settled I closed the door and left her to rest.
Since Taylor was asleep I took the time to do some chores. I washed the dirty sheets that Taylor wet last night. I finished washing the dishes. I was lastly going to clean the playroom, but before I could I heard the front door open and close. Asher was home.
—————————No One Pov————————
Asher walks into his quiet apartment. It was strange for him to hear it quiet. It's usually pretty lively, with chatting, playing, and cooking, but today it was silent.
As he set his keys down on the marble countertop, he was greeted by a surprised Anjali.
"Asher!? Your back. What happened!? Did you get any information on Taylor!?! What did the landlord say!? Are you ok-"
"Is she okay!?" Asher interrupted.
"What?"
"Where is Taylor?! Is she okay!?"
"Oh, ya she's fine don't worry. She's just taking a nap."
Asher nodded and walked to the couch, Anjali following close behind him. They sit down in silence for a minute before Asher finally speaks.
"I killed him" Asher started.
"WHAT!?! Why?!?" Ajali spoke, clearly stunned.
"He raped her"
The room stayed silent for what seemed like forever before Asher continued.
"Taylor came to look for an apartment when she was 13, and since she was underage and had no money, she wasn't able to get an apartment. She needed a place to stay because she ran away, and she was now homeless. Instead of the landlord declining her request and calling the police, he made deal with her. He said that if she would be his sexual partner he would let her live there for free, and since Taylor didn't have an option, she said yes. So multiple times a day, even if she didn't consent, or told the landlord no, he would force her to have sex with him. He also mentioned hitting her if she didn't obey."
Asher took a deep breath before talking again. "After he told me that, I impaled him with my pocket knife. I let him bleed to death before calling Zane to help clean the crime scene."
Ajali didn't know what to say. She was visibly shocked by what he was told. He remained silent for a while before questing Asher. "What do we go now? We have an abused runaway child in this house right now. How do we deal with this."
Asher took a long time to think about this. when he was driving back to his house, he managed to finally come up with a plan. "We can't call child services. They would eventually find out about the man I killed, and Taylor is way too fragile right now to be put in the foster home system. We'll have to care for her till she's in a healthy mindset. When she is in a better headspace, we'll go from there."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ajali agreed. "I have two more questions though. One, did you ever find out why she ran away? Two, why did you want me to follow the little space schedule?"
"Well first, no, I don't know why she ran away. Second, I wanted you to follow the little space schedule for a lot of reasons." Asher started.
"But the main reason is that I think Taylors sorta an age regressor, but not quite. You see, Taylor has been through hell, and I don't think her young childhood was any better. Since she has been so neglected at a young age, she never really had anyone to help her grow up. She never had anyone to help her transition out of babyhood. So there's going to be stuff about her that's babyish. I don't think it's age regression because age regression is when some slip in and out of a child-like state of mind as a form of coping. Taylor doesn't slip in and out of a headspace, her babyish habits happen when she isn't even in a headspace." Asher explains.
"So are you going to care for her as you do with the other littles?" guessed Anjali.
"Sorta, a bit different though. When I care for other little ones, I leave stuff up to them to decide. For example, if they don't want to be little, I would completely accept that. With Taylor, it's not going to be a choice. My goal with Taylor is that every time she shows regressive behaviors, I will treat it like you would with a baby. For another example, when she sucks her thumb I'll give her a pacifier. If Taylor says no to the pacifier, there could be punishment. Eventually, I hope that Taylor will be almost a full-on baby. I believe she needs it."
"Okay, so we baby her into a headspace?" Anjali confirms.
"Exac-"
"Asher" A small voice sniffled from behind the sofa.
---------------------Asher Pov----------————
I turn around and lock eyes with a distressed Taylor. Her eyes were puffy and her thumb was in her mouth. Tear trails were also present on her face. I was confused until I saw dampened pink overalls. It was clear that Taylor wet the bed again.
"Oh, baby" I coo walking over to the crying little girl.
"I'm Sorry" her voice cracked before fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
I grab her hand and lead her into the bathroom. I shut the door and grab some wet wipes from the bottom cabinet.
"Shh," I soothe. "It's okay hunny it's just an accident. You wait here while I grab some new clothes and something that will help you out."
I return a few minutes later with the needed supplies. "Okay Taylor can you lay down for me," I ask while laying down a soft tan towel on the ground.
"No!!" She wails, backing up against the bathroom wall.
"Taylor I'm going to need you to listen. You need to get out of the clothes before you get a rash.
"No!! Please, in serious no!!"
"Why not darling"
"Hurt" she replies simply.
"Your hurt" I confirm.
"Dont want hurt"
"Baby I promise it won't hurt" I ease finally understanding what she's implying.
"NO!! HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT!! DON'T PROMISE SOMETHING YOU'RE JUST GOING TO BREAK!! I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE BELIEVING PROMISES JUST FOR THEM TO BE BROKEN!! I'm not EVER going to make that mistake again!!!" Taylor screams.
The stuff Taylor says hurts. I don't know if she's talking about the stuff her landlord did to her. Or if she said her parents always broke their promises, or even someone else. I don't know, but that's a problem for future me.
"Princess I would never hurt you. I know it's hard to trust people after being hurt, but you're going to have to try for me okay? Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"
"I can stand or possibly sit, but I'm not going to lay down, EVER," she says coldly.
"Okay, you can stand if you want. You just have to communicate with me okay?"
She nods and walks closer to me.
"Great, now I'm going to take off your overalls, and since your shirts not wet I will keep it on okay?" I walk her through to relieve her anxiety
"Can I do it myself?" she asks in a small shaky voice.
"I'm going to need to help you baby" I Asserted while undoing the straps.
"B-but ill be naked!"
"Darling I'm a caretaker, I've seen this all before. Would it make it easier if you close your eyes?"
"NO!!" she panicked.
"How about if you hold my hands as I undress you? So then you maintain control. Would that be nice?"
She nodded and quickly grabbed onto the top of my hands. It was adorable how small her hands were compared to mine.
I successfully undressed Taylor and used baby wipes to wipe her bottom half down. Taylor shivered every time the cold wipe hit her skin.
It was time to dress her in her new pair of frilled socks, a jean pleated skirt, and a pull-up. I decided it was a good idea to put Taylor in a pull-up. This was the 3rd time she's wet the bed, and she openly admitted to wetting it every time she falls asleep. It's easier to just put her on a pull-up full-time. She can still use the bathroom of course, but I have a feeling as her regressive habits get worse, so will her bladder control. I have a feeling she'll eventually be in real diapers.
------------------------------------------------------
Brand of Pull-ups she's currently in ↓
———————————————————————
I pull out the Chocobaby branded pull-ups from under the pile of clothes and hold it up to Taylor. Her eyes widen in terror and takes one step back.
"W-why do you have that" Taylor nervously studders, eyes welling up with more tears?
"Baby, you keep having accidents when you sleep. I think it would be best if you wear protection just in case."
"IM NOT WEARING A DIAPER!!"
"It's not a diaper baby, it's a pull-up. If you prove to me you don't need it by going a while without any accidents, I won't need to put you in one."
"IM NOT GOING TO WEAR THAT!!" she cries in angry tears.
"Can you at least tell me why?"
"Embarrassed" she mumbles crossing her arms on her chest.
"Sweety it's just me and Anjali here. We don't judge. He and I care for people from all different types of backgrounds. You're not the only one we've cared for in pull-ups. Anjali and I often change diapers here, how do you think I got this pull-up? We're used to it, darling." I reassure. "No come here so we can get this over with.
"No"
"Ether you come here, or I get Anjali to hold you down while I change you."
Taylor's bottom lip trembles as she slowly walks close to me. I've crouched on the ground already, so she holds my shoulders as I help her step into the protection. Then I finish by putting on her skirt and socks. The skirt hardly covers the pull-up.
I put my hand under Taylor's padded bottom and lift her into my arms. She quickly swings her hand behind her back to make sure her pull-up is covered.
"No judgment" I remind her to try and ease her nerves.
We make our way back into the living room where I set Taylor next to Anjali and across from where I sit.
---------------------No One Pov-------------------
Once everyone was seated Asher began to talk. "Okay, I think it's time I explain to you what went on today. This morning I met with your landlord... Taylor... I know what he did to you.
Taylor nervously squeezes the fringe of her skirt and starts hyperventilating. She couldn't believe they found out. Would her landlord be mad? Would he let her go back? If not where's she going to stay?
"I-its not what it seems. He-he was, I-it was-" Taylor frantically tries to come up with a lie but the words won't leave her mouth.
Anjali places his hand on Taylor's boney thigh to try to calm her. "Shh, come here angel it's okay." He attempted to pick her up but Taylor quickly pushed his hands away.
"No!!" She raises her voice.
"Why?" Anjali asks confused.
Taylor just turns away, blushing a bright shade of pink. She doesn't want Anajli to know she was in a pull-up, so being held by him was out of the question.
"Just no" she whines. "What my landlord told you was a lie, he didn't do that to me. I want to back to my house. He's the only one whos been there for me and I would like to see him."
Asher and Anjali stayed silent. Taylor has an unhealthy dependency on this man. She's too fragile-minded to see what the man has done to her. It's almost like she's brainwashed.
"Taylor, I'm not letting you go back there," asher concludes, not wanting to tell Taylor the full extent of what he did to Todd.
"WELL, I HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!! THAT'S MY HOME!!" Taylor fights.
"Sweety this is your new home, me and Anjali are willing to care for you. We understand the situation you were in when you got your apartment. We know you ran away. I get that you have some deeper meaning behind all of this. Right now living here is your only option. You are 14, and as much as you want to you can't legally live alone. We're here for you baby, and I hope you'll eventually learn how to love living here." Asher explains.
Taylor's eyes well up with more tears. She hates not being in control. Now she's being forced to live with two seniors from her school.
"Since we're already on the topic, I want to go over some house rules." Asher begins.
"One, no cussing. I don't allow any bad language in this household. Especially because I have littles sometimes over here, and I don't want them learning any bad words.
"Two, you'll have a schedule/personal rules. Those are rules that only apply to you, and you're expected to follow them."
"Three, listen to what I say. If I instruct you to do, wear, or eat something, you do it."
"Four, there will be punishment for your actions. If you break rules you will be punished. That can include timeouts, privileges being taken away, and possible spankings.
"Lastly, 5, treat everyone with kindness. Bullying people for who they are is completely unacceptable. Everyone should be heard and respected."
"Okay, time for personal rules, but before that. Anjali, can you please hold Taylor? I don't want her running off or getting too panicky." Asher explained.
Even asher just saying that made Taylor scared. We're the rules going to be bad!?
Anjali attempted to hold Taylor again, but she again pushed his hands away.
"Taylor, you have to explain to me what's wrong." Anjali pleads.
"No" Taylor muttered.
That's when Asher caught on to why she was so against being handled. "Taylor, remember what I said, you don't have to be embarrassed. Anjali and I don't judge."
"What are you embarrassed about darling?" Anjali couldn't imagine what Taylor could be embarrassed about.
Taylor just shook her head, she didn't want to have to explain it to him. Anjali again attempted to sit Taylor on his lap, and she finally excepted.
Anjali scooped her up and sat her so she was straddled on his lap. He heard the crinkle and felt the extra padding of her pull-up as she sat down.
"Baby is that what you are embarrassed about, wearing a pull-up?" Anjali assumes.
Taylor flushes pink, to humiliated to answer.
"Hunny there's nothing to be ashamed about! I think this is the best solution for everyone. If there's an accident it's easy to clean up, and it's less embarrassing." Anjali attempts to comfort Taylor. She just looks down at her thighs completely mortified.
"Okay, let's start with personal rule 1." Asher began. "One, no leaving this house without an adult. I don't want you going anywhere without either Me, Anjali, or another trusted caretaker.
"Two, you must eat three meals a day. You can eat more than that, but never any less. That rule can be broken if sick.
"Three, you should always be supervised. Ever since you ran off I don't trust leaving you alone. There should always be an adult by your side, or you in a playpen.
"Four, your pull-up remains on. You've had many accidents, so I think pull-ups should be a requirement. You are not allowed to take them off unless you're using the bathroom. If you have an accident in your pull-up you need to tell an adult straight away so that you can be changed."
"Five, your bedtime is 8:30, 9 on weekends. You will also have a mandatory naptime after lunch. Alright, any questions"
It took Taylor a second to comprehend what she was being told. "I think you forgot a part in that schedule." Taylor sarcastically observed.
"Really? What part?" Asher asked.
"The part where you treat me like a 14year old!? You sound like you're making a schedule for an Infant baby!!"
"Taylor, drop the sass. You can't speak to adults that way." Asher parented.
"Can you please just let me go home!!" Taylor pleaded. Her heart rate quickened and her breathing became shallow. The lack of control was causing Taylor to have a panic attack.
"Baby, this isn't a choice. You living with me now. No matter how much you hate it it's not going to change." Asher gave a final reminder.
Taylor then burst into sobs. She shook in fear on Anjali's lap as he rubbed her back in circles. "Shh deep breathes." he eased.
Taylor, once again, stuck her thumb in her mouth. Anjali tried to softly take it out, but Taylor did not let him. She just started crying louder.
Asher went to the kitchen and returned with a sippy cup full of ice water so that she wouldn't get dehydrated. Also so that she'll stop sucking her thumb. "No no no" Asher scolded gently, replacing Taylors' thumb with the sippy cup.
"No sippy" Taylor whined through her sobs.
"Yes sippy" Asher instructed.
After Taylor took a few deep breaths and sips of water, all that was left of the meltdown was a few stray tears and soft hiccups.
"Sweetheart, what about staying here has gotten you so worked up?" Asher wondered.
"Stuck" Taylor simply responded.