Published: August 22nd 2020, 2:00:03 pm
A continuation of this story, commissioned by an anonymous Patron.
Wade had gotten pretty used to the sight of The Swimming School by now, although he couldn't exactly say that it didn't make him nervous anymore. If anything, knowing what to expect might have been a little worse... Really, to be honest, though, it wasn't that bad. Maybe he just thought that as a defense mechanism, but he had grown accustomed to it.
Things were different today, however. He'd gotten a text from Shelli the day before, asking if he'd mind if she pushed the lesson back, started it later in the day. He was off the whole day, so he replied that he was fine with whenever... And now he found himself here as the sun began to set. It seemed strange... In his mind, it felt like the school should be closed now, but he knew that was only because he never came here this time of day.
He made his way over the fish-shaped stepping stones, having no problem hopping across the path, even in the slowly fading light, and into the front door automatically. As soon as he was in, he rolled his eyes at himself, remembering he had intended to check the hours, to see how late this place really did stay open. Before he could turn to open the door again, to look at the schedule posted on the wall outside, he saw, to his surprise, Shelli standing there, waiting for him. "Oh," he chuckled bashfully. "Hi. D-Did you think I forgot how to get to the classroom in my old age?"
He felt compelled to make the joke this time, since there was no way she was going to, not after everything they'd been through. She smiled, though in more of a condescending way, how she usually did if he tried to be funny during his lessons. He hadn't really felt like her equal in a very long time - it was difficult, when she'd outgrown him years ago, and was so pretty - but whenever he got that look, especially when he was here, it was hard not to feel like a little kid next to her. He had been meeting her at the pool for a while now, however, instead of her coming out to get him, so seeing her here, in the lobby, was odd.
"I just have a little surprise for you, birthday boy," she replied.
"Is it... swimming lessons?" he smirked. "I mean, I appreciate it, but that's not exactly a surprise anymore."
"No, you brat," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Although, this is your one year anniversary of when we started this! Just think of how far you've come!"
Wade paused, realizing she was right; he'd known she'd started this off on his birthday, since the first month of lessons had been a present... Somehow, he hadn't quite put it together that it had been a full year, however. In some ways, it felt far shorter than that, while, in others, it was exactly the opposite.
"Wow," he said. "I guess you're right..."
"Of course I am," she nodded. "And you're pretty good, for a little guppy!"
It had taken a bit longer than the month she'd predicted, back in his first class, but he had graduated from minnow to guppy... He hadn't gone any further than that, though. She refused to tell him how long it usually took for students to move on to the next level, the flounder level, so he wasn't sure if he was doing better or worse than the children who were normally taking these classes.
Even if he had, however, he didn't know if she should be proud or not. Kids tended to learn things more quickly... On the other hand, he liked to think he was smarter than a child, and he knew he had more experience with other stuff, that he could maybe try to apply to this... It was probably better he didn't know, in the long run, so he didn't have to fret over it.
"It's all thanks to you," he told her shyly. "I don't think I ever would have tried it if it wasn't for you."
"Aww," she smiled, more sincerely this time. "No problem! I've been happy to do it! Now..." She reached into the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out a strip of cloth. "Time for your surprise!"
Wade reached for it, confused, yet doing his best to feign excitement. "Wow, thanks," he said.
"No, silly," she giggled. "Turn around."
He furrowed his brow, staring up at her, but did as he was told. She was the teacher, after all, and he was the student... If he could trust her to take him into the water, and teach him how not to drown, he could trust her with this.
He felt his heart beat a little quicker as she stepped behind him, reaching over his head, one end of the cloth gripped in each hand, gently guiding it over his eyes. A blindfold... Of course. He did feel a bit silly, as she'd called him, for not realizing what it was, but it wasn't something he'd encountered in real life before, outside of, perhaps, when he'd been a child, and playing pin the tail on the donkey at a birthday party.
"Seriously?" he rolled his eyes as she tied the cloth behind his head, although, obviously, she couldn't tell what he was doing. "I've been in this place so many times... I know it like the back of my hand."
"And that's why I'm blindfolding you," she responded. "It wouldn't be a surprise, otherwise."
Suddenly, he knew what this was going to be, and he blushed as he felt a dribble of warmth in his underwear. He was so used to wearing swim diapers here, it happened from time to time even before Shelli got him into one... Or, even more embarrassingly, sometimes when he was elsewhere with Shelli. He knew she was going to comment on that...
He couldn't help it, though! He was positive the surprise was going to be a different pool, a deeper one... She kept telling him he was eventually going to be ready to jump off the diving board, but the pool they used was so shallow, it didn't have one. He'd told her, with all the fake bravado he could muster, that he was looking forward to it... The thought still scared him, however, plunging into the water, having to get oriented under there, find his way back to the surface...
He knew Shelli would be there, that she'd help him out if anything went wrong, and that she wouldn't let him try it until he was ready. He also knew he was probably being silly again, building it up too much in his mind. He'd seen some of the diving boards, in the other pools here, and they looked very high, but there were surely ones that weren't that bad, that beginners, like him, could start with.
Even so, he was feeling very anxious as he was guided down the halls, all his bluster about how well he knew the school proven to be nothing more than that as he tried to work out where in the building he was now based on memory. He had spent a fair amount of time here, but, really, he'd mostly just gone one place in all that time... So, while it felt like he was taking that same path now, it was also the only path he was familiar with, so, with no visual information to go off of, it made sense that's where his mind would go.
"Here we go," he heard Shelli open a door, and he could smell the chlorine from the water hit his nose. He moved a little slower, stomach churning as he worried about the diving board, Shelli leading him inside, then stopping, gently helping him sit down. He felt a beach blanket beneath his hand as he reached down towards the ground, his heart thumping louder as she pushed him onto his back, and began sliding his shorts down his legs.
"Uh-oh," she giggled, making him blush. "Did you have another little accident, Wade? Honestly... Sometimes, I think you need to be in diapers all the time, not just when you're swimming."
He squirmed, almost thinking he could hear other people laughing at him, although he knew that was just his imagination playing tricks on him, thanks to the blindfold. "S-Sorry," he squeaked.
"It's okay," she promised. "I'm not mad... Just saying."
She tugged his damp underwear down, then slid something else up, his crotch greeted with the all-too-familiar sensation of a swim diaper, the padding almost comforting, after all this time, making him feel a tiny bit less nervous about the concept of going off the diving board, no matter how high it was.
"There we go," Shelli declared. "All ready!"
"All ready," he replied automatically. He'd fought her on it a few times, reminding her that she'd bought him swim trunks as part of his birthday gift last year, but he'd always lost, so he'd long ago given up. "It'll be easier for you to learn this way," she'd told him. "You don't want those big, baggy things flapping around in the water, making it more difficult for you."
He had - after the fact, of course - realized he could have pointed out that she was the one who had picked them out, and, if they were that much of a problem, she should have gotten him some other kind... By the time he'd come up with that argument, however, the fight was over. He'd considered bringing it up again, asking for his trunks so she would respond, and he could pull out his trump card... He was kind of hoping she'd do it for him, though. He was pretty sure it would work, but if he brought it up, and she was able to come up with a response to beat his, it was going to make him feel even sillier.
"Now, then," Shelli helped him stand back up. "That means it's time to start, so..."
She whipped off the blindfold, Wade squinting in the light for a moment, looking away for long enough to see that this was their usual pool after all, and get confused, before he noticed the crowd of people standing in front of him, grinning. A moment later, they all yelled, "Surprise!", right on cue to another nervous dribble into his swim diaper.
"Sh-Shelli!" he gasped, cheeks flushing, hands automatically moving to his crotch, trying to cover the childish swim diapers.
"It's all right," she told him calmly. "They're all my co-workers... They know all about your little problem."
"I-It's not a problem!" he insisted. "I-It's only because guppies have to wear them... I-I can't believe you told them!"
Except, of course, that didn't mean he'd had to use them... And he wasn't a guppy anymore... She didn't say those things, but her bemused expression did, smiling down at him. "They knew," she assured him, although what, exactly, they knew, she didn't elaborate on, which may have been for the best. "Would you rather I invite our other friends?"
He cheeks began to heat up even more at that idea, and he shook his head. "N-No," he stammered. Shelli had told their friends that she was teaching him to swim, but, thankfully, nothing more than that... At least, as far as he was aware.
"Okay, everybody, here's the birthday boy!" she exclaimed, leading him over to them, taking one hand, pulling it away from its job 'hiding' his diaper. "I'm so glad you could all stay after work to help me celebrate his big day!"
Wade recognized a few of them, having seen them in passing on his way to or from his lessons, and he knew Shelli had introduced him to some, although he didn't recall their names off the top of his head now... Except for one.
"Of course!" Maya, the girl who worked at the store, who had sold Shelli the first pack of swim diapers on his last birthday. "You said there'd be cake, after all!" He'd seen her plenty of times since then, obviously, when he'd been running low... It was only fair that Wade buy his own diapers after that, considering he was the one wearing them. He'd done his best to keep the packages hidden as he carried them through the halls, to Shelli...
He'd definitely run into some of these girls then, and they could have spotted them. Or, if they were teaching a class, they might have spotted him outside, since the pool rooms were all surrounded by windows... He was still embarrassed, letting all these pretty girls see him in them now, but, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized Shelli was right; they probably had already known, and it was quite likely that was because of him, and she hadn't had to say anything. There was a good chance they'd come to her and asked, in fact.
"Well, duh!" Shelli chuckled. "You can't have a birthday without cake!" There was a table, holding a couple rows of drinks, already poured into cups, some wrapped presents, and a sheet cake, a happy fish - a guppy, he assumed - drawn on top in icing.
"Come on, then," Maya teased. "You've kept us waiting all this time... You're lucky I didn't just dig into it with my hands!"
"Calm down," Shelli smiled. "The birthday boy has to get the first slice." She picked up the waiting knife, cutting a large piece and scooping it onto a plate, handing it to Wade.
He reached up for it, only to get intercepted by Maya. "That looks like a lot of cake for such a little boy," she said playfully. "We wouldn't want him dropping it and making a mess... Brooke would have our heads."
"Good point," Shelli nodded, while Maya crouched down, picking up the plastic fork from the plate, getting a healthy bite of cake onto it.
"Open wide!" she instructed. Wade blushed, looking up at Shelli, who was already back at work, cutting the rest of the cake.
"I-I can..." he started to protest, getting interrupted by a mouthful of cake that he had little choice but to quietly chew up and swallow, pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. "Th-Thank you, but..." he tried again, with the same result.
"Here you go, Maya," Shelli offered, Wade thinking, for a moment, she was taking his side, and helping him out. "I wouldn't want you to get tempted and eat some of his."
"I would never," Maya pretended to be scandalized by the accusation. "I can wait... He's barely made a dent in his."
"I'll take over!" another girl gleefully spoke up, taking the plate from Maya.
"Thanks, Marina," Maya said, grabbing her own cake.
"U-Umm..." Wade looked at the new girl, one he'd definitely seen in the halls. She was one of the shortest of the instructors, and, at first, he'd thought she might have been a student instead. Now, however, as he fidgeted in his swim diaper, there was no mistaking how much more mature she was than him. "I-I really can..."
"Choo-choo!" Marina drove the fork 'train' straight into his mouth's station, dropping off its load, giggling at herself, or, perhaps, his confused, embarrassed, expression.
"No, you goof," another, taller, girl broke in, snatching the plate from Marina. "It should be a boat, not a train."
"Hey, it's my turn, Kei!" Marina pouted, stomping her foot. "And what sound is boat supposed to make anyway, smarty-pants?"
"Depends on the kind of boat," the other girl smirked, getting another forkful of cake ready. Resigned, Wade opened his mouth without any prompting, knowing, at this point, there was little reason to try to fight it. By the time he'd gotten through the whole slice of cake, he was pretty certain all of the girls had fed him at least a bite of it, ensuring he completely cleaned his plate of every crumb.
After that, it was time for presents. He wasn't sure what to expect, since he didn't really know these girls, but the first one he opened set the tone, as he ripped off the paper, and revealed a chunky, plastic toy boat with wheels, clearly meant for a small child.
"That's so cute!" Shelli cooed.
"Hey," Marina piped up, "what sound does that make, Wade?"
Wade blushed, but was able to recall what Kei had said, parroting as best he could. "It changes depending on what kind of boat it is." Unlike when the girl had said it, he heard a lot of giggling, like he was just some cute kid... Maybe the girl hadn't gotten that response because not as many people had been paying attention then; now, all eyes were on him, and his gifts.
The rest weren't too far off of that, in terms of maturity. He got some small squirt guns, a stuffed fish, some tub toys... And then, finally, it came down to the final bag. "This one's from me," Shelli told him, setting it down in front of him. "Hope you like it!"
He reached in, pushing aside the tissue paper, and pulled out a pair of water shoes. "Oh!" he was surprised to see something useful, and not quite so obviously aimed at little kids. The design on them was a bit childish, with some cartoon fish on them, but, in comparison, it wasn't that bad. He was sure he'd seen it somewhere else, though he couldn't place it. "Th-Thank you!"
"You're welcome," she smiled. "But that's not all!" Eagerly, he went into the bag again, this time producing a pair of water wings, with the same design. "You're doing very well with your lessons," she told him, "with these, though, you can go into deeper water, and not have to worry!"
"Th-Thanks," he said again, blushing a little this time. He hadn't seen anyone his age wear these things... But she was probably right; they could come in handy, if he braved a bigger pool than the one they had their lessons in.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Maya asked. "Model them! We wanna see what they look like on you!"
"Yeah!" the other girls agreed, leaving Wade little choice but to comply, sliding on the shoes while Shelli handed one of the water wings to Maya.
"You might as well blow up one of them," she said. "You're full of hot air!"
Wade paused for a moment as he adjusted the shoes, suddenly realizing why the design on them, and the water wings, looked familiar, as, looking down at them, he caught a glimpse of his diaper, too. He swallowed, cheeks heating up once more while Maya and Shelli helped him get the water wings on, realizing his whole outfit, such as it was, was co-ordinated.
"That's so adorable!" Shelli gushed. "I have to..." She reached into the pocket of her hoodie, then sighed. "That's right, I forgot to grab my phone out of my locker! Stay right here, Wade... I'll be back in a minute!"
Wade didn't really have much of an option, although his revelation was making him feel rather vulnerable, especially surrounded by all these girls he mostly didn't know. "So, Wade," Maya slid next to him. "Have you had fun this past year, taking lessons from your pretty teacher?"
Wade had been blushing a lot that night, but this was the biggest, brightest of them all, and, unable to help himself, he found himself hiding behind her as his eyes darted over towards Shelli, as she headed out the door, oblivious, afraid she'd look back and see him.
"Oh, my God!" Maya exclaimed. "You totally have a crush on her, don't you?"
"N-No," he shook his head, but he already knew it was over... Everyone knew the truth.
"Wade has a crush!" Marina chanted, giggling. "Are you even big enough to like girls?"
"Like you're one to talk," Kei teased, earning another glare and stomp from the smaller girl. The attention quickly shifted back to Wade, however, especially once Shelli returned.
"This is such a stupid rule," she was muttering to herself. "Does Brooke really think we're going to be checking Insta during lessons or something?"
"Go on, Wade," Maya urged. "Give her a nice pose for her picture."
Wade squirmed, knowing what they wanted. Bashfully, he flexed, fully aware of how unimpressive that would be, even without the floaties obscuring what biceps he did have. "Oh, wow," Shelli smiled, snapping a picture. "So big and strong!"
"See?" Kei grinned. "It's working! Keep going!"
Wade looked over at her, hoping she'd let him off the hook. She waved him on instead, and, with a sigh, he spouted off the pick-up line they'd chosen for him. "A-Are you the deep end, baby?" he asked, immediate regret washing over him at that final word, considering what he was wearing. "Because I'm ready to dive right in."
"Wade!" Shelli waved one hand in front of her face playfully, as if she was trying to cool herself off. "Right here in front of my friends like this? You're certainly a bold one, aren't you?"
If anything, her playing along made him feel more awkward, feeling his diaper growing warmer alongside his cheeks, knowing full well that she couldn't mean it seriously when he was standing there in a diaper and floaties, like one of the toddlers she usually gave classes to.
"That's right, Wade!" Kei scolded, as if she hadn't instigated at least part of that. "Let's keep it PG, or Brooke will fire all of us!"
"I don't know," Marina said. "I think G might be more appropriate for him."
"Hey, Wade," Maya suggested, "why don't you show us what you've learned this past year?" The other girls added their support for the idea, and, when he looked up at her, Shelli shrugged.
"This is supposed to be a lesson," she told him. "And we can see how well those water wings work!"
Wade gulped, toddling his way over to the steps leading into the water, diaper growing even soggier when he looked back and saw Shelli wasn't following him. It was very rare for him to get into the water without her right beside him... And even more unusual for him to have to perform in front of a crowd like this. There was always a chance someone could see him through the window, and he'd grown to accept that, but now, they were right in the room with him, and there was no doubt they were watching.
"Go in a little further, Wade!" Shelli instructed. "You can't swim in water that shallow!"
He took another few, nervous steps forward, surprised to feel his arms being lifted upwards by the floaties, making it a little more difficult to move, but also, as his feet left the bottom of the pool, keeping him easily above water. He smiled, feeling himself float there, splashing around for a few moments, before recalling what he was here to do.
"Umm... Wh-What should I do?" he called out to Shelli, his mind suddenly forgetting everything she'd taught him.
"Try a doggy paddle!" she replied. The water wings made it a little more difficult, and, he was sure, to the experienced instructors watching, it was not a particularly impressive display, but once he started, all his lessons came back, as Shelli talked him through what they'd learned over the year, and they all clapped for him as he demonstrated.
He was feeling pretty proud of himself as he climbed out of the pool, Shelli meeting him at the top of the stairs with a towel and a big hug while the rest of the girls cleaned up the table and set up some speakers so they could do a little dancing. "You did so good!" she told him, drying him off. "Well, with your swimming, anyway."
He blushed as she changed him into a fresh swim diaper, then watched her get pulled away to dance with her friends. He stood by the side awkwardly, feeling a bit jealous, until Maya stepped over beside him.
"You know," she said, "you can just ask her."
"Wh-What?" he gulped. "I-I don't know..."
"What's the worst that's going to happen?" she asked. "It's your birthday... She's not going to say no."
He shook his head. "N-No... I-I don't want to interrupt, she's..."
"Honestly," Maya chuckled, rolling her eyes, taking his hand, leading him onto the makeshift dance floor. "Hey, Shelli," she said. "I think someone has something to ask you."
"You do?" Shelli smiled down at him. "You don't need another change already, do you?"
He blushed, hearing the giggles from the other girls, almost making him clam up, until Maya gave him a pat on the padded bottom, urging him on. "N-No," he shook his head. "I-I was just... I-I thought... W-Well, I was wondering..." He swallowed, looking over at Maya, hoping she'd take over. "D-Do you... want to dance?"
He breathed a sigh of relief once it was out, feeling surprisingly proud of himself, all things considered, and glad that he'd done it himself after all. "Of course!" Shelli beamed. "I'd love to!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him in close.
Wade wasn't sure he'd ever been near to her, at least when they weren't in the water. His feet felt clumsy, big, as he did his best to keep up with her, and not to humiliate himself any more than he already had tonight.
"Wade," she teased after a moment, letting go with one hand to give his diaper a check, "You really are wet again already... You know, maybe it would be a good idea if you wore your diapers all the time..."
"I-I don't think..." he stammered.
"That's okay," she took his hand again, continuing to dance. "You don't have to think about it anymore, sweetie. That's what Mommy's for... And you clearly need a Mommy to look after you, don't you?"
He swallowed, staring up at her, then, instinctively, almost before his mind could fully process what he was saying, what he was doing, nodded.
"I thought so," she said. "Don't worry... Once your party's over, I'll take you to get one more birthday present... I have a feeling, since you can fit into our swim diapers, Pampers will work for you, too. But, if not, that's all right... Mommy will find you the perfect diaper."
He had no doubt she would, as he leaned his head against her chest, swaying softly to the music, murmuring the words he had a suspicion he'd be saying a lot in the future. "Yes, Mommy."