Derrick's Awakening - Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Derrick wasn't sure what he was going to do, how he was going to get out of this. His only hope was that Vanessa wouldn't want him there, though that at least seemed possible He had no idea, really, how she saw him, what she thought of him - if she thought of him at all - but, in his mind, it would be like a couple of young women letting a toddler tag along, more babysitting than anything else, and, if they weren't getting paid, he couldn't imagine that was how they'd want to spend their afternoon.

That thought made him blush, realizing how easily, how naturally, he'd cast himself as a little kid in comparison to them. It didn't help that he was wearing a wet diaper, sure; he was the same age as them, however, as unlikely as that seemed right now. If Vanessa said no, it was because he was a guy, not because he was a baby... Right?

"All right," Malory announced proudly. "She wasn't happy about it, but I think I got Vanessa to let you come along."

Derrick shot Nanny a frantic look, fidgeting in place, sure he could feel his diaper growing soggier, sure that he was making the problem worse, and couldn't really help it, his nerves were so shot. He should have been using the time to work out a way to wriggle out of going, and instead, he'd just been thinking about how awful it would be if Malory got exactly this response.

Thankfully, Nanny saw his panic, took charge. "That is very nice of her," she said. "I'm afraid I need Derrick with me, though."

Malory blinked, staring up at her mother. "What? Why?"

"Well," Nanny continued, while Derrick floundered, wanting to help her out, to do his part in this deception, yet not quite able to find any words, "he's been helping me out with the business lately."

"With what?" Malory demanded. "He doesn't know anything about daycares, or babies." Derrick blushed, knowing that would have been true not that long ago. Even now, he didn't think he was knowledgeable enough to be of any real assistance; his experience was from the other side, after all.

"Oh, just with cleaning up, getting things ready for the next day. He told me he needed a little side hustle for some extra cash, and I thought I'd give him a hand." Nanny smiled over at Derrick. "He's a very quick learner."

"Why didn't you say so, then?" Malory asked. "You could have saved me the trouble of asking Vanessa about it."

Nanny and Derrick exchanged a look, but, of course, it was Nanny who took the lead again, who came up with an answer. "I wasn't sure if he'd told you or not. He was kind of embarrassed about needing a second job in the first place. And I wasn't certain if I'd be able to spare him today or not, but I remembered I had a big project I needed him to help me with, so I was hoping Vanessa would say no."

Malory's eyes narrowed slightly, scanning her mother and her friend, then, after a long, tense moment, she pouted, "You never pay me for helping out with the daycare."

"I let you stay here," Nanny teased. "And I cook for you."

"Yeah, I guess," Malory rolled her eyes. "All right, whatever. I'll let her know Derrick isn't coming after all."

"I appreciate it," Nanny said. "Sorry for stealing your friend."

"Mmhmm," Malory nodded, already engrossed in her phone again. Crisis averted, Nanny stepped away for a moment, leaving Malory and Derrick alone, Derrick glancing after her, unsure if he ought to follow or not. He gave it a moment, then began to creep away, cringing as he was positive he heard the crinkling of his diapers cutting through the awkward silence. "Hey."

His feet froze, his hands tugging at the hem of his shirt as he turned back, fully expecting Malory to say something about his padding, to let him know that she had noticed it. As obvious as it had felt to him this whole time, he didn't know how she couldn't have.

"You could have told me, you know," she continued instead. He blushed, nodded. "I'm glad mom is helping you out, though. But no more secrets, got it?" She waved her finger at him in a faux-scolding way.

"G-Got it." He did feel guilty, saying that when he had a far bigger secret already, right under her nose, that he was getting away with.

Or... Did he? As he scurried off to catch up with Nanny, he couldn't help wondering if Malory had been talking about his 'job' or not, if she somehow knew what was really going on. She hadn't said one way or the other what she meant, and it had been vague enough that it could have been about either. 

"Sorry," Nanny apologized quietly to him. "Would you mind doing a little vacuuming, just until she leaves?"

He shook his head. He did most of the cleaning at the apartment anyway, and now and then he had to do it at work, too. It didn't bother him, and the noise made it difficult to concentrate on much else, helping him push aside his worries until Malory walked past, giving him a wave as she vanished out the door.

Nanny watched from the window, waiting a few moments before turning back, taking the vacuum from him gently, switching it off. "What a sweet, helpful little boy you are!" she beamed. "You've already earned a gold star for today, Derrick! Thank you so much! Now... Why don't we see if you get another one for your potty training?"

After all that stress, being so on edge about getting caught, sliding into his littlespace was easier than ever. He felt his thumb pop into his mouth instinctively as he stared up at her. "No, Nanny," he reported obediently. "I already went pee-pee."

"You did?" Nanny smiled, kneeling down in front of him anyway, gently tugging down his pants. "Oh, you did, didn't you? Poor thing... Did you do that before...?"

He nodded, cheeks lighting up, while Nanny carefully pulled his thumb from his mouth, replacing it with a pacifier. It wasn't entirely true, since he had dribbled a bit more while Malory was there, but most of it had happened in his car, had been there the whole time he'd been talking to her. "Goodness!" Nanny exclaimed, giving him a hug, a pat on his padded seat. "That must have been scary, huh?"

"Uh-huh," he admitted, seeing no need for any false bravado; Nanny would certainly see through it, regardless. She slid his pants down over his feet, setting them to the side, and he took her hand, letting himself be led off to the changing table for a fresh diaper.

"After all that," she told him as she cleaned him up, "I understand if you want to stay here for today and relax."

It was tempting, honestly. He knew Nanny had Naomi and Oliver, and it seemed to be the only place he could see it. It did sound like a wonderful afternoon, vegging out in his diapers with a sippy cup full of juice, perhaps a coloring book, watching his new favorite show...

On the other hand, he had almost convinced himself now that he'd gotten away with it, that he'd been too paranoid, that Malory had been talking only about his 'job' and nothing more. And if he could do that... Well, he felt like he could do anything! If he could get it past his best friend, then who couldn't he fool? At least, so long as he was careful; in his excitement, that part was easy to overlook. 

"No, Nanny," he giggled up at her from behind his paci. "Let's go out!"