Published: August 23rd 2022, 8:40:38 am
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
"Hehe, up and at 'em, lil bwo," said Chubbs, giggling as I woke up in a puddle of my own drool once again. "Come on! We gotsta get up and get us some brekfuss... wots of num nums for a wong day of wowk..."
I giggled and nodded, sucking my own pacifier. I wasn't much for words anymore. Mostly, I just let Chubbs lead me around. And as for Chubbs, well, he naturally took on the big brother role.
"Oh, gosh, lil buddy, you'w weawwy wet! I don fink we can wace fow bwekfas unwess you get anovva diapow on... Oh! But we have no time! Come on! We gotta huwwy!"
There was no time to get changed before breakfast. It would be okay. Whatever spills happened would be cleaned up and we'd be put in another diaper. Just as it always was. It was really for adults to worry about. I wished I could help him understand but I didn't really know how to communicate it, so I just nodded, solemnly, and waddled after him as fast as I could given the ginormous diaper I was wearing.
"Caught in da dowway again?" he asked, as I struggled to get out of the trailer. It was either all that baby formula adding weight to my butt, or it was the increasingly large diapers they had me in, but I was having a harder time getting through doorways lately.
"These supa poofas aw weawwy *huff* big," he said, tugging with all his might. Finally, I popped out of the doorway and we waddle-ran to the line, which was already filing into the building.
"There you are!" said Gareth, giving us a stern look. "You're late!"
"Sowwy, Daddy Gaweff," said Chubbs, looking abashed. "It was Boomow.... his diapow is too big, an we couldn'-"
"No excuses, Chubbs. You're the big brother, so you are responsible for makins sure you two get here on time. Boomer is just a baby. You should know better than to blame a baby for your lateness..."
Chubbs sniffled, looking heartbroken. "But- But I-"
"That's enough backtalk from you, mister!" boomed Garreth. "It's clear that you need some correction."
"W-w- But I-" He never got to finish his thought because a trio of huge guys - the smae ones that dressed me in my first outfit, in fact - came and dragged him off.
Where were they taking him? I tried to follow, but Daddy Gareth held out an arm. I looked at him, wishing I knew how to ask what was happening. Why they were taking Chubbs away.
"Don't worry, kiddo. He'll be back and better than ever soon enough. Now go in and eat your breakfast..."
Only he wasn't back. He didn't come back for lunch... or even for din dins. I felt very alone that day. I didn't' have anyone to cuddle during cartoon time, and when guy tried to cuddle me in Chubbs' place, I pulled away and walked over to the corner to play by myself. The next day, I was overjoyed when Chubbs showed up at breakfast, and he came and gave me a big hug too. I smiled at him, waiting for him to speak, but he just smiled back. His smile faltered when he saw me waiting, and looking confused. Why wasn't he speaking. He didn't say.
We worked side by side still, but when playground time came, we were both put in the baby swings to be pushed by our pals from the diaper line. That's when I knew for sure that he was no longer my big brother. We were just babies together. Even during cartoon time I no longer sat in his lap. We were sat in other guys' laps instead.
I was so confused. At lights out, when we were both sat in our crib, I managed with great effort to remove my pacifier and ask him what happened. Only the words I said weren't words at all, just baby babble.
"Ababa gaga... wawa haba?"
He babbled back. "Awa. Bababaabga... wawww..."
It was frustrating. Then, I reached up and my hand hit something hard. I gasped. The headsets. Quickly, before I could be distracted anymore I took mine off, then I took his off as well. He looked panicked for a second, and put his hands over his ears as if they were in pain. But then he stopped, paused, lowered his hands slowly... I looked at him and he looked at me, and I think we understood each other.
I could almost feel my thoughts slowly surfacing where there had been nothing but baby thoughs, placid and undisturbed. Something was surfacing, now, and I didn't like it. I wanted to put the headphones on and forget, but I resisted. I didn't know why, but I knew I needed to know. Chubbs whined I could tell he was feeling the same thing. I didn't relent. I stuffed both our headphones into the pillow below my head and lay on it, refusing to budge. I dreaded what we would find in the morning, but I knew one thing: No matter how bad it was, we could always go back. We could always put those headphones back on and forget it all if we wanted to. I wasn't prepared to find out just what would make us want to forget, though. It was all there in the very place we worked.