Published: October 4th 2022, 3:17:37 am
Ben was so embarrassed to be walking through the airport dressed like a toddler and holding some woman's hand, but at least he wasn't going to jail. As he saw the sign for the family bathrooms ahead, however, it didn't make him feel much better.
"I-I can change myself, you know," he said to the woman, whose name was Stephanie.
"Well, I'm not so sure, buddy. You're looking pretty soggy for someone who can change themselves. Did you even know you were that wet?"
"W-well...." Ben's cheeks were on fire. "I don't want to talk about this. Please just let me get cleaned up and I'll be right out."
"No can do, kiddo. We don't leave little ones unsupervised, no matter what age they are. Safety first, you know!"
Ben sighed. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to win this argument, and he had a flight to catch. Not to mention, he had to think of a way to save his friends. He acquiesced and let her lead him into the private family restroom where there was an adult sized changing table set up for those with special needs like Ben's. He turned to Stephanie and decided that begging was not beneath his dignity.
"Please don't make me take off my pants in front of you. It's embarrassing," he said.
"I've seen plenty of little pee-pees before," said Stephanie, dismissing his plea entirely. "Now overalls off or do I have to do it? You have a flight to catch!"
Ben began to undo the clasps on his overalls but paused to try once more.
"I don't even need diapers, though..."
"I've heard that one before, kiddo. No shame if you need some help taking off those overalls. Here, let me." Before Ben could stop her and do it himself, Stephanie had the clasps undone on his overalls and they fell down to his ankles. He was suddenly standing there with his diaper in full view, and he was so incredibly embarrassed he couldn't even speak. Stephanie patted the changing table. "Get up on the table, kiddo. Let's go!"
Ben did as he was told, but he wasn't happy about it. He did his best to look away and pretend he was somewhere else while Stephanie changed him. He would show her. He'd make a point of using the potty from here on out and he would make sure he didn't wet himself again.
"There we go, kiddo! All done!" said Stephanie, finally taping up his diaper and holding up his overalls for him to step in. It didn't matter that he didn't need them. His wet pants and undies in his bag told her all she needed to know about that little claim. He had no choice but to let her dress him again and take his hand, even allow her to help him wash them.
"I can do it myself!" he said when she held his hands under the tap.
"Aww, good job, kiddo! You are doing it yourself! What a big boy!"
Ben was at a loss. The more he protested, the more babyish his treatment became. He finally just resigned to let her little role play out until he got on the plane. It wouldn't be so hard to get through the next hour or so, right?
Finally dressed, they stepped out, and he looked back toward the security checkpoint.
"Why are you looking over there, silly? The gate is this way!"
Stephanie would not let go of Ben's hand and she wasn't leaving his side. He wanted to scream. Those were his friends in that bin and it seemed like there was nothing he could do to save them. Unfortunately, nothing miraculous occurred in the final 30 minutes before boarding, and he was walked to the gate by Stephanie. He took one last look back into the airport before he was forced to board the plane and take his seat. He didn't even notice Stephanie waving goodbye. Just thought about his friends and how badly he wished they could be with him.
But there was no voice coming through his comm system. The messages from the bears were silent... Instead he was alone again, and began to cry quietly as he waddled to his seat. The flight attendants thought he was just scared cause he was flying alone, and reassured him as best they could, even finding him a cute pawsome squad throw to use during the flight. It didn't help, though. Eventually once the plane took off, he decided he had to take his mind off things and calm down, so he put on the complimentary headphones and turned on the screen in the back of the seat. He sniffled and rubbed his nose, as he scrolled through.
"Let's see... games.... movies... TV.... wait a sec... don't they have anything that isn't kid's games and shows?" It seemed like there was some parental lock on his media, but when he pressed the button and an attendant came, she seemed to think that was fine.
"You look a little young to be watching any adulty shows anyway, sugar. Why don't you watch some nice classic cartoons? Do you like the love a bunch?"
Ben sat up suddenly, recognizing the characters. The attendant smiled, and started it up, and Ben's eyes were glued to the screen.
"I'll go get you some juice sweetie. Enjoy!"
Ben didn't even acknowledge her. He just watched the show and thought about his friends. He could pretend he was still going on adventures with them. He didn't even take his eyes off the screen when the juice box was handed to him with the straw already poked through the top. He just brought it up to his mouth and drank. And drank some more.
Ben was lost in his fantasies. As he watched the show, he imagined himself in the place of the main character. He could see himself stepping into the screen and into their world.
"I'd give anything to have you back," he said, beginning to sob again as he remembered that none of this was real."
"Don't worry, Ben! We're still with you, and we always will be. In here."
Softheart pressed Ben's chest, and Ben felt a warm glow. When had softheart gotten so big, anyway? It didn't matter. The fact was, sofheart was right. They were all together. Forever. And they got to go on endless adventures too! He told them he was so happy that was the case.
By the time he realized he had to pee, Ben was already damp between the legs.
"Oh! W-what time is it?" Ben said, waking with a start. He looked around and saw remembered where he was. Here was in the long cabin with rows and rows of seats stretching ahead of him and behind. Love-a-Bunch was still playing on the screen in front of him. He had been dreaming and didn't even know it. He also had to pee badly.
Shoving a hand between his legs to hold back some of the pressure, Ben tried his hardest to unlock the seatbelt, but it wouldn't budge.
"Nooooo," he whined as he got more and more frustrated. The woman next to him looked at him and said, "You okay? Sweetie? Do you need some help?"
Ben shook his head and tried a little more, but finally he gave up and let the woman try.
"Hmm, I think there's a child lock on here. Guess they don't want you getting out on your own."
"But I gotta goooo," whined Ben, mashing the call button in the hopes that one of the flight attendants would come in time. Unfortunately for him, just as one did, he lost control and flooded his already damp diaper.
The attendant looked down at him, smiled softly, and patted his hand.
"We heard about your special needs, sweetie. It's best if you don't get up on your own. And why would you need to?
"But the bathroom!" gasped Ben, unable to stop the torrent of hot piss from flooding his baby pants.
"There's no changing tables on the plane, sweetie. You'll just have to wait. Here, let's get you some more juice, okay?"
Juice wasn't going to solve the world's problems, and certainly not Ben, but it was all he had, aside from the in-flight meal. He had no idea how childish he looked throwing a tantrum on the plane like that.
When he finally calmed down enough to think straight, he decided that he'd make a strongly worded email to customer service. They were far enough from the airport now for him to use his phone, but when he pulled it out, once again, it only seemed to let him use kid's apps and child-friendly websites.
"What the fuck is this?" he said, looking at his phone. Did the airline and TSA go as far as to age-restrict his phone? He was livid, but there was nothing he could do. He was trapped in his seat, stuck wearing overalls and a very thick, wet diaper. And all his entertainment on the flight was rated for 7 and under. All those times he had wished he could do his childhood over again, he never meant he wanted to do this part over again.
But the flight attendants knew just what to do. They put his favorite show back on, and made sure he had his headphones on as well. Then, he was able to calm down and zone out. All they had to do after that was keep the little tyke well-hydrated and let him enjoy his cartoons, making a much more peaceful flight for the rest of the passengers.
When he got to his home airport in Detroit, he stepped out and was met with yet another escort. This time a friendly looking guy who actually looked a bit younger than him.
"Hey, kiddo, I'm Roger! I'm here to take you to your transportation!"
"Listen I don't need help to get to-"
"Oh, lordy! Looks like you're about to pop a tape! Let's get you changed first, huh bucko?"
"N-no! I don't need-" But Roger already had him by the hand and was leading him to the restrooms.
"I would never hear the end of it if you showed up to your destination looking like that. No, sir. That won't do. Let's get you changed in a jif, and then we'll have you cozy comfy for your trip home, okay?"
Ben growled in frustration, but finally sighed and said okay. This was just the icing on a very shitty cake. He didn't even want to go on this stupid trip in the first place. The upside was that this whole ordeal was almost over. He just had to breathe, count to ten, and get to his car. After that it would be back to his normal dead-end life working a dead-end job and living alone. He couldn't wait.
He endured another diaper change from another adult, and then let Roger lead him to the pick-up zone where his self-driving car was waiting. That was one perk of not having anything or anyone to spend your money on. His car and his house were the most advanced models available.
"Here we are," said Roger, opening the door for Ben before he could do it himself. Benjamin tried to shrug it off and get into the car, but then Roger pulled the seat forward so Ben could sit in back.
"I normally sit in front," said Ben.
"Nonsense, kiddo! You should sit in the back, it's safer for little ones of any age!"
Ben couldn't believe the indignity of being made to sit in the backseat of his own car. Of course, Roger didn't believe that it was really his car anyway, and simply insisted that Ben sit back there, so ultimately he was obliged to give in and suffer this final indignity. Surely things would be better once he was home.
He sat in the back, and Roger reached over and buckled him in. Ben sighed in frustration, but Roger didn't seem to notice. Instead, he brought out a blanket fromn the diaper bag to tuck Ben in.
"Don't forget yoru pawsome squad throw, buddy! You'll be much comfier this way!" Before he knew it, Ben was tucked in tight around the waist and lap. He was definitely cozy and comfy, but this was just too embarrassing for him, so he wasn't exactly able to appreciate it. "Farewell, kiddo. It was nice lookin after you! Tell your caretakers that if they ever need my services outside of the airport, I freelance too!"
Ben crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He most definitely would not be taking Roger up on his proffered services.
On the way back to the house, he told the care to put on some Love-a-Bunch music to calm him down. It worked like a charm, and he fell asleep. He woke up as the car pulled into his garage, and he stretched and yawned, only remembering where he was and what had happened to him when he heard the loud crinkle and became aware once more of the bulk between his legs.
"Gods," he said to himself as he got out of the car and stretched. "What a day! I'm glad that's over. Now I can finally get back to normal."
Ben would just have to carry on and try not to dwell too long on the things he lost. He knew the drill all too well.
However, when he opened the door between the garage and the house, his jaw dropped. The room appeared far from normal....
"What the heck?"