The Hardest Thing - Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Every time Diana saw the package, they sent a shiver down her spine, though what, exactly, it was, she couldn't quite tell. Was it fear, worried someone else would see them there at some point, think she needed them? Was it excitement, knowing she had them, that she could try them at any time? Or was it something else altogether?

She didn't even know for certain if she was glad she'd bought them, or if it had been a waste. It was all so strange, so confusing... The pack was still sealed, as if, by opening it, like Pandora's Box, it would unleash something she couldn't contain. She'd told herself it was so she could return them if she decided the whole thing had been a silly idea, but she knew that was never going to happen; it had been embarrassing enough carrying them back to her apartment. She wasn't going to carry them back to the store, then go speak to an employee, hand them, and the receipt, over.

Besides, what would she say? "Oh, I made a mistake, these aren't what I needed after all." What else could she possibly have thought they were? "I don't need these anymore." That would imply she had, at one point, and perhaps the clerk would assume they were for someone else, an elderly mother, or perhaps a teenager who'd just started bedwetting, only to get over it after the threat of diapers... Or they might, rightly, deduce that they'd been for Diana herself. She couldn't imagine diapers were something that were returned often, nor that they would let the transaction happen without comment.

At the same time, there was no reason for her to keep them if she wasn't going to wear them. It wasn't as if she had many visitors, and even fewer who came into her bedroom, and probably none who would go investigating into her closet, yet having them in there for no reason seemed like a risk, one there was no point in her taking. Of course, if something did happen, if someone did see them, assume she needed them... Well, maybe she'd have to start wearing them so she wouldn't have to confess that she'd only been curious, to make it appear that she didn't have a choice... But was that, really, any less embarrassing?

She didn't know what she was going to do, honestly, if she was going to do anything at all beyond that initial purchase. It was all so foreign to her, so overwhelming... Why had she chosen to do this in the first place?!

She knew the answer, obviously, regardless of how hard she tried to pretend otherwise. She found herself lingering a bit longer out in the hall, fumbling with her keys, or letting the elevator doors close, waiting for the next one, some part of her hoping that the next time it came up, she would be there, or that she would come out of her apartment while she was waiting, would see her there and say hi.

It was inevitable that it would happen eventually, as close as they lived to one another, but, nevertheless, to Diana, it felt like a sign. She heard the door open and turned, cheeks turning red when she saw the woman step out of her door, closing it behind herself, testing the knob to ensure it had locked. Her heart pounded a little faster, as if she were seeing a celebrity, her palms beginning to sweat. Would she...?

Her head whipped around as she saw the woman start to turn, to head her way. It was hardly a surprise, given how long it would take her to get down the stairwell, yet, ridiculous as it was, Diana was still shocked that she was approaching, that she might actually be sharing an elevator with her.

That had almost certainly happened before, at some point, though not since the incident, not since Diana had seen her power. She'd always known the woman was pretty, of course, but there had been something different about her that day, and it had completely changed the way Diana saw her, as if it had pried opened her eyes.

Diana gulped, seeing the woman's form step beside her, unable to bring herself to look at her. "G-Going down?" she croaked quietly.

"Hmm?" the woman glanced over at her, nearly sounding as if she hadn't noticed Diana until now. 

"G-Going down?" Diana repeated, managing a hint more volume, eyes twitching towards the other woman. She really was gorgeous, wasn't she? Diana squirmed, feeling so plain in comparison.

The woman chuckled. "Well, yes," she replied. "There's no much for me on the roof, as hard as its raining today."

Diana forced a laugh as well. "O-Oh, right," she nodded. "I-I already pushed the button, so..."

Her eyes twinkled. "Thank you," she said, bemused. Diana felt stupid for even saying it... Of course she had! She was standing in front of it, waiting... The button was lit up... Anyone could see that she pressed it.

She stared down at her feet, the heat rising inside of her. Was it because of what she'd seen this woman do to that other girl, the one Diana hadn't seen since? Was that why she made Diana feel like a little schoolgirl with a crush, and not a particularly clever one at that? Or would that have happened anyway? 

The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open, revealing both Diana's fantasy, and her biggest fear for the moment. "Nice work," the woman teased. "We get it all to ourselves." She stepped in, turning to look out at Diana, frozen on the other side. "I'm sorry," she softened, ever-so-slightly. "Did you want this one for yourself? I can wait."

"N-No!" Diana shook her head. "I-I was just..." Just what? What possible explanation was there for her being too big of a chicken to get in, to share the elevator with this woman who she'd been wanting to see again, that she'd been hoping would inspire her to finally bite the bullet, open up that package in her closet? "I-I spaced out for a second."

"Ah," the woman smiled. "Well, it happens to the best of us."

Diana nodded; she could, in a way, be considered among the best of the people in the city, one of the most powerful, one of the ones who did the most to protect it... So why did she feel to small, so weak, compared to this woman? Her knees were shaking as she stumbled into the elevator, threatening to dump her onto the floor in a clumsy pile, like a newborn fawn who hadn't learned how to walk yet.

"Ground floor?" the woman asked, Diana nibbling her bottom lip, nodding. "Well," the woman winked, "I already pushed the button, so..."

Diana blushed, hearing her own words repeated back to her, sounding so much cooler, so much more confident, than they had spilling out of her own mouth. "Th-Thanks," she murmured.

The woman chuckled again. Diana wanted so badly to say something, to introduce herself, but she didn't feel worthy, was certain any effort she made would garner only another laugh, only serve to amuse the woman at the thought that Diana assumed she was worth her time to converse with... Diana had spoken with queens, with gods, yet none of them had seemed quite as intimidating, somehow.

So it was the woman who broke the silence. "Are you in a hurry?" 

"H-Huh?" Diana glanced at her. "W-Well, no, not..."

The woman reached over, flipping the emergency stop switch. The elevator lurched to a halt, Diana suddenly readying herself, not knowing what the woman was up to, what she had in mind.

"Sorry," the woman said. "I didn't mean to startle you, I could just tell you weren't going to say anything before we got to the bottom, and I wanted to give you a little more time."

Diana squirmed. "Wh-What?"

"Something is on your mind," the woman observed. "I've seen it in your eyes from the moment you saw me. So, go on... What is it?"

"O-Oh, I don't..." Diana stammered, instinctively trying to talk her way out of this. She stopped short, realizing how silly that was, both in attempting to trick this woman, if she'd been so blatant already that she was able to notice, and for herself, when she'd been wanting to have this meeting, this conversation, for so long. 

"Why don't I start?" the woman suggested. "I don't think we've really met, have we? My name is Kasia."

Kasia... It was a pretty name, one that suited her perfectly, that almost felt obvious now that she'd heard it. Diana nodded. "And you?" Kasia smirked.

"D-Diana," Diana replied, right back to feeling dumb in front of Kasia.

"Diana," Kasia let the name roll around on her tongue. "How lovely."

"Th-Thanks," Diana blushed. "Y-You're lovely, too. I-I mean, your name..." She shook her head, not wanting to seem desperate, though not wanting to sound like she was insulting the other woman, either. "W-Well, you, too, but..."

"That's very kind of you," Kasia mercifully interrupted her. "So, Diana... What did you have to say to me?"

What did she have to say? Was she going to come right out, tell her what she'd seen, how it had made her feel? This was, probably, one of the safest places to do it, assuming there were no security officers monitoring them right now, due to the emergency stop being flipped, which, as far as Diana knew, there weren't, since neither of them had pressed the button to contact them.

"I-I..." she started, feeling, and hearing, her heart thumping louder and louder as she drew closer to the edge, closer to admitting it out loud, to making it real. She swallowed. "I-I..."

"Yes, Diana?" Kasia purred, taking a step closer, Diana backing away instinctively, running into the wall of the elevator. "Go on..."

"I-I..." Diana made one more attempt, shaking her head, fighting to clear it, to make it obey. "I-I saw..."

"What did you see, Diana?" Kasia raised an eyebrow. "Come on, you can tell me..."

"I-I saw... F-From your door... I-I saw that girl..."

Kasia barely reacted, and when she did, there was no hint of shock, or fear at getting caught, nothing like that. "That girl, huh?" she pushed. "What girl, Diana? I have a lot of girls who visit me..."

"Sh-She was..." Diana fidgeted. She didn't know how to describe her without saying it, without uttering that one word, the one she was terrified to speak out loud, as if, by saying it, it would make all her fantasies come true. She knew exactly what the girl had looked like, too, had the image burned into her brain, and yet, the one thing that stood out the most, the one thing that she saw most clearly, was the one thing she wasn't sure she could bring herself to say.

"What, Diana?" Kasia leaned in. "What about her?"

"Sh-She was..." Diana took a deep breath. "Sh-She was wearing a... a d-diaper..." And there it was, out in the open, hanging in the air between them. Her stomach twisted as she stared at Kasia, anxiously awaiting her reaction, despite not knowing what she expected, or wanted, that to be.

"Yes," Kasia smiled. "She was, wasn't she? That was Heidi... She's a very special little girl, and I miss her quite a bit. I'm afraid I have something of my own to confess, too, Diana. Do you want to hear it?"

Diana felt that deep breath she'd taken stick, felt herself holding it in as she nodded eagerly. "Well, Diana," Kasia continued. "I knew that you saw her. I saw you, too, sweetie... And I saw the way you looked at her."

Diana's head swam, almost feeling like she was about to pass out, a sensation that didn't go away even after she allowed herself to take another breath, to whisper, "Y-You did?"

"I did, Diana," Kasia stroked Diana's cheek with her fingertip. "I've been hoping to run into you ever since... And here we are. Funny how fate works, sometimes, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah." Diana could barely hear her own word, it was so quiet. "Wh-Why did you want...?"

"Oh, I just had a feeling," Kasia winked. "Well, as lovely as this has been, I suppose we ought to let someone else use the elevator."

Diana knew she had a point, had almost forgotten, for a moment, as she stared at the other woman, where they were, her presence transporting her somewhere else entirely. And yet... "Th-That's it?" she asked, strangely disappointed.

"We can't stay in here forever," Kasia told her. "You can always come over to my place if you'd like to discuss it further. I trust you remember which door is mine?"

She did, of course, nodding, already wondering how long she should wait, how long she could bear to. 

"Oh, but Diana," Kasia added, eyes starting to twinkle again, voice turning sing-songy, teasing, "I'm afraid I can't let you in without a diaper, little one. If you aren't sure how to put it on yourself, I can help you, but I just had my carpets cleaned, and I can't risk any puddles on them... I'm sure you understand."

She ought to protest, to say that she didn't need them, that she wouldn't leave any puddles; instead, she heard herself desperately whimper, "W-We could do it now!", wincing at how pathetic it sounded, how hungry for something she hadn't even known, for certain, if she wanted to go through with or not, though she supposed this was an answer.

Kasia raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "We could, could we? Diana, don't tell me you already have diapers." Diana didn't, didn't tell her anything, couldn't open her mouth at all for fear of what she might confess next if she wasn't careful. She didn't have to. "A woman your age?" Kasia smiled. "How embarrassing! You are definitely not setting foot on my carpets without proper padding, young lady!"

"N-No!" Diana squealed. "I-I don't...!" But was it worse to pretend she did need them, that she pee her pants, or that she didn't, that, deep down, she had wanted this to happen? Either way, she was positive she'd never been more humiliated in her life, getting tangled up in this conversation... Or more turned on.

"Sorry, Diana," Kasia said, "but rules are rules. And I'm afraid I have plans right now, and I assume you do, too, since you were waiting to get on the elevator."

She did, indeed, blushing at how easily she'd let it slip her mind, had been willing to blow it off for this. "I-I guess," she mumbled.

"I want you to come over soon, though, okay, dear?" Kasia brushed a strand of hair out of Diana's face. "I'll help you get to the bottom of these little accidents you've been having."

"I-I haven't!" Diana whined, shaking her head.

"You haven't, huh?" Kasia smirked. "Do you want me to give your panties a check right now?"

Diana wasn't sure what she would have said, had Kasia not punctuated the question by reaching over, flipping the emergency stop switch to reset it. Her underwear were definitely drenched right now, although it wasn't because she'd wet her pants, as Kasia was implying... There was a part of her that was curious what Kasia would do if she found that out, or if Kasia already could tell. 

But, with the elevator moving again, with the possibility that the door could open at any floor, and the certainty that it would before long, when it reached the last one, she knew she couldn't risk it, couldn't be caught with her pants open, her undies being inspected... Meekly, she shook her head, Kasia laughing. "You are adorable, Diana," she declared, right before the elevator chimed, letting them know it had reached its destination. "See you soon," she gave Diana a wink, stepping out first, heading out into the city as Diana stood there, stunned, for a long moment, unable to move, or even form a coherent thought, until the doors started to close on her, forcing her to snap out of it, to go back to being a functional adult, despite her mind being firmly stuck in her bedroom closet, with that package of diapers, ready and waiting, her ticket into Kasia's apartment and, perhaps, her own embarrassing fantasies.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Diana had held out hope, for a moment, when the elevator had stopped, that Kasia would reveal herself, would prove herself to be a villain, manipulating the other Diana, making her do all this. Instead, if anything, it had shown everyone how eager, how desperate, that other Diana was. 

"I-I mean..." she made herself speak, to cut through the awkward silence in the room, the other two not wanting to rub it in her face. "Sh-She still hasn't actually done it..."

It was true, technically. She might change her mind, might say no... She might be able to prove Diana's point, show that there were other versions of her who didn't wear diapers... The hope was dimming, yet it hadn't completely blinked out. So far, it was the best one she had. "Wh-Why don't we, uh... look somewhere else for now?"

If she could find another one, another world where she was free of them, then it wouldn't matter what happened in that one. She had to admit, though, that she felt invested now, that she wanted to see that Diana specifically resist it, say no... But if she could find a diaper-less Diana elsewhere as a back-up before they checked in again... Well, maybe that would be for the best.