IOTDE: Nighttime Protection (Patreon)

Just something to tide you good folks over until I've finished the next sections of Our Sponsors and The Archway. Please note that this is a commissioned work which is freely available on Devientart and thus does not count toward your Patreon total word count. I hope you enjoy.

On a cool summer night, in an elegant-but-rustic cabin tucked away in the pine-covered hills a few miles north of Idaho City, beneath a framed photograph of a family of mountain goats clinging perilously to the side of a cliff, Lorelei lay nestled in the toned arms of her beloved, Teresa. Lorelei wore her auburn hair in a tight bun, and wore wire-rimmed glasses. Teresa wore hers in a ponytail, and wore a camouflage jacket and faded bluejeans. They had just finished a long drive, and were taking a long moment to spoon on the couch before turning in for the evening.

Teresa bent forward and kissed Lorelei lightly on her left temple. “Come on, babe. Let's get to bed. Remember, I want to be up bright and early tomorrow. The lake is absolutely breath-taking when the sun rises over the hills behind it.”

Lorelei winced slightly and stirred on top of her wife. The fire was blazing in the hearth, framing the interior of the cabin in its warm, orange glow. The stars, far more of them than Lorelei was used to, shown through the windows. The crickets were chirping, the summer breeze rustled the pines, and an owl screeched in the distance.

Lorelei was enjoying a rare opportunity to indulge herself in Teresa's company in a private, romantic setting. Teresa had insisted that if they were going to spend time at her family's wilderness retreat, they were going to do it in true, off-the-grid fashion: no phones, no television, just the two of them and the great outdoors. The young couple had met in law school, and they were both highly-motivated, career-oriented women. Teresa specialized in environmental law, and while she now spent very little of her time in the wilderness, she still very much thought of herself as an outdoorswoman. Lorelei, who specialized in contract law, mostly preferred to enjoy nature from a comfortable distance, and was more inclined to spend the long Labor Day weekend exploring Teresa herself than her childhood stomping grounds.

“Couldn't we stay up and...just be together for a little longer?” she asked plaintively. She had almost said 'snuggle', but that was a dirty word where Teresa was concerned. She was all for being intimate, but anything that suggested a taste for comfort was anathema to her hardy, adventurous spirit.

Teresa groaned and rolled her eyes. “How can you say that, babe? I brought you up here so we could experience the beauty of nature together. I wanna spend the whole day hiking and climbing and fishing like I did when I came up here with my family when I was little. I wanna share all the mountain air with you! Doesn't that sound romantic?”

Lorelei cuddled closer. “Couldn't we split the difference? Y'know...stay up late, watch the fire die...maybe wake up around noon?”

Teresa threw her head back and choked out a laugh. “Oh my gawd! You're such a little city girl! It'll do you good to get away from screens and traffic noise for a few days. C'mon now. Beddie-bye time.”

Lorelei grumbled a bit as her wife pushed her, gently but forcibly, to her feet. She was annoyed to have her suggestions dismissed so easily, but she was used to it. Teresa always got her way in the end, by hook or by crook, and getting up before sunrise was ease itself compared to trying to argue with her. If worst came to worse, Teresa could just whip out her standard argument, that Lorelei was a spoiled, rich little princess and needed Teresa's influence to toughen her up. The fact that Teresa's own upbringing had actually been fairly upscale and luxurious (witness the fact that her family owned a luxury cabin that stood empty most of the year) would be met with long, improbable tales of doing various chores at the family farm. At least there was a comfy bed waiting for the two of them. Teresa picked Lorelei up from the floor and carried her up the stairs to the bedroom. Lorelei's heart fluttered with excitement. She hoped Teresa was not too eager for an early trip to slumberland.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, Lorelei could feel that Teresa's heart was beating hard from the exertion, but she she absolutely refused to show any sign of it in her face.  She adopted a sly, lusty smile, which Lorelei had absolutely no trouble returning. The balcony door was wide open to let in the cool breeze, and the light of the full moon illuminated the king-sized bed.

Teresa's head jerked to the side suddenly. Lorelei watched her mischievous leer drop away, replaced by curiosity, then bewilderment, then shock, then grim determination. Lorelei twisted her head around to get a look at whatever had caught her wife's eye.

“What is it?” whispered Lorelei, concerned.

“Shh.”

Teresa gently set Lorelei on the bed and turned toward the wide open double doors that opened onto the balcony. She shifted into a crouch, as though trying to sneak up on someone. Lorelei stood to get a better look, and Teresa motioned for her to stay put. Lorelei ignored the motion, now that she had spotted the source of Teresa's concerns. As Teresa slowly advanced toward the doorway, Lori slipped up behind her to get a better look. She had been expecting to see a cougar or a bobcat, and she was shocked to see the figures of two other women on the balcony.

They were holding hands, and seemed transfixed by the light of the full moon shining between the pines. They were both brunette: one with hair that spilled over her shoulders, and the other had a head of curls that never got below the neckline. They were both wearing what seemed to Lorelei to be Halloween costumes: one dressed in a pink cheerleader's outfit with white skirt and fringes, the other in a light blue ballerina costume with a billowing white tutu and white elbow-length gloves. Their bare feet hovered a few inches above the weathered pine floor of the balcony. Their ears came to delicate points. What struck Lorelei even more strongly, however, were the half-concealed bulges of white plastic-backed material that peeked from under the skirt and the tutu. The levitating couple were both heavily diapered. Despite her fear and wonder at witnessing what was clearly a supernatural visitation, that fact made her heart beat even faster. It was so out-of-place, like something she might have glimpsed in a dream.

They let go of each other and gently rotated in the air. However quiet she thought she was, Lorelei guessed that most of her wife's stealth skills had been learned by playing Metal Gear Solid. They looked at Teresa and Lorelei with gentle smiles. Their eyes glowed a pale blue, as though they had somehow caught  and stored some of the moonlight. Their expressions were inhumanly serene, like they were in some sort of hypnotic trance.

“Evenin'.” greeted the one in the cheerleader outfit, with a slight bow.

“Hey!” said the one in the ballerina costume. “You guys have a heck of a view!”

“Seriously! I was just thinking about getting one of these for my room.” said the one in the cheerleader outfit.

Teresa sighed and straightened up. “Look, ladies...I don't know what your deal is, but I'm afraid this is private property. I'm gonna need you two to move along.”

“Ooh, sorry, but no.” said the one in the ballerina costume. “We have to stick around, at least until we finish our visit.”

“Our deal, as you call it, is pretty goddamn weird. Sorry.” said the one in the cheerleader outfit. Their apologies sounded more than a little perfunctory. Lorelei guessed that this kind of thing was quite routine as far as they were concerned.

“Uh...what is it you want?” she asked.

“Lori! Let me handle this.” rebuked Teresa sharply. “What do you want!” she demanded.

“Black Licorice.” said both diapered visitors simultaneously.

“Jinx!” said the one in the ballerina costume. “You owe me a coke!”

“C'mon. That doesn't count.” complained the one in the cheerleader outfit. “What else was I gonna say?”

“Who cares?” said the one in the ballerina costume. “Be quicker, or be less predictable.”

Teresa scowled and spoke through her teeth. “Okay. Let me see if I understand you correctly. You floated here from god-knows-where, interrupted me and my wife as we were about to...and you want some...licorice.”

Lorelei was genuinely curious as to how that abandoned sentence would have ended. If she hadn't been in the mood before, she definitely was now.

“You got it!” said the one in the ballerina costume. Either she had completely missed the low boil of rage in Teresa's voice, or she just didn't care. “You know, we spend sooo much time just getting people to wrap their heads around that. It's like, geez, its not too hard! You either have some or you don't!”

Teresa cocked an eyebrow. “And...if we don't?”

“Teri.” whispered Lorelei softly. She wasn't quite sure how to read the two women hovering above the balcony, but they certainly seemed very calm and friendly at the moment, and Teresa was clearly on the path to antagonizing them.

“Well, that would be kind of an issue, to be frank.” admitted the one in the cheerleader outfit. “We would have to punish you two then.”

“I beg your fucking pardon?” snarled Teresa.

“Teriiii.” warned Lorelei, more emphatically.

“Stay behind me.” she hissed back, before addressing the two hovering beings. “What the hell do you think you're doing here? You can't just float in here and threaten people like this! There are laws.”

The one in the cheerleader outfit shrugged. “I'm afraid those don't really apply where we're concerned.”

“We don't even obey the law of gravity anymore!” announced the one in the ballerina costume. She demonstrated this fact by rising several feet into the air and turning a delicate pirouette, while simultaneously re-orienting herself so that invisible floor she was spinning on flipped over like a pancake. “So you can imagine how we feel about silly made-up laws!”

Teresa drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Fine. You want some licorice? I'll go grab you some.”

“Teri, please...” repeated Lorelei. It was almost sub-vocal. Teresa walked, slowly but with purpose, to the rear-right corner of the large bed.

“Awesome! Oooh, I'm so excited!” said the one in the ballerina costume rubbing her hands together. The one in the cheerleader outfit cocked a skeptical eye.

Lorelei, who knew full well that neither Teresa nor any of her family would ever keep black licorice under the bed, stuck her fingers in her ears and hit the deck.

“Here's your goddamn licorice!” shouted Teresa as she leveled a double-barreled shotgun on the one in the ballerina costume

The blast filled the room like thunder. There was a blinding flash, and the exploding shell unloaded its contents into the elfin woman's center of mass like the fist of an angry god.

The one in the ballerina costume's face fell. Apart from her obvious disappointment at not receiving the promised licorice, she appeared completely unharmed. The one in the cheerleader outfit put her hands on her hips. “You know, I probably should have mentioned earlier that we actually have a fair degree of leeway over the whole punishment thing.” she stated irritably.

The one in the ballerina costume perked up immediately upon hearing this. “Huh? Does this mean we get to pull out the stops? Score!”

Another thunderous blast echoed through the woods. The one in the ballerina costume rolled her eyes. “What are gonna do now? Throw it at me? C'mon, I dare ya.”

“Teri! Will you stop it already!” shouted Lorelei. Teresa stood beside the bed, shotgun in hand, looking like a deer in headlights. Her ace in the hole had turned out to be a deuce, and now she was uncertain what to do next.

“See?” said the one in the cheerleader outfit. “This is exactly why I didn't want to go to Idaho.”

“Well, it's not like it actually hurt!” said the one in the ballerina costume.

“Still a serious mood killer. I'm thinking something reaaally obvious and permanent for this one.” answered the one in the cheerleader outfit, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

Lorelei put her hands together in a pleading gesture.“Guys! I...I'm really sorry. Teri overreacted here, clearly. She gets really protective of me. It's...it's one of the things I love about her. Please, I know you must be angry, but if you have to punish someone, would you punish me?”

The shotgun clattered to the floor. Teresa was in front of Lorelei almost instantly, shielding her from the the strange visitors with her body. “No! I'm the one who messed up. I'm sorry! I...you were in my place, talking about punishing my wife, and...my upbringing flares up sometimes. I should have stopped to think first. Leave Lori alone. Punish me.”

“Teri, no! It's okay. It should be me! I don't mind, really!” said Lorelei. She tried to put herself in front of her wife as well, but as hard as she struggled, Teresa could easily hold her back.

The two magical creatures floated in the breeze, watching the couple struggle and argue.

“Weeeell...crap.” said the one in the cheerleader outfit.

“I know, right?” said the one in the ballerina costume, tossing her hands forward in a “are you seeing this shit” gesture. “I mean...with the apology? And this...”

“Really sucks the fun out the whole thing.” responded her colleague.

“Although...” said the one in the ballerina costume, sticking a finger to her chin.

“What?” asked the one in the cheerleader outfit.

“You know, maybe if they made, like, decisions more as a couple...” mused the one in the ballerina outfit.

An eyebrow popped up in realization. “Heyyy...I do sense a certain...imbalance...in their relationship...” said the one with in the cheerleader outfit.

The pair drew close and began whispering conspiratorially.

“Stop it! This is my problem now! I'll handle it!” said Teresa, sliding Lorelei back into place behind her.

“You don't even know what they're going to do! It might be anything!” protested Lorelei.

“That's why I don't want you anywhere ne...”

“Yoohoo.” said the one in the ballerina's outfit.

They turned. The two magical beings were now looking in on them with devilish grins. “We have reached our decision.” said the one in the cheerleader outfit. She flipped up her skirt with a flourish. Her companion pulled her tutu up in unison, giving the young couple a full view of their softly glowing diapers. The eerie glow spread across the the small room. As it fell on their faces, time seemed to grind to a halt. Very slowly, the two hovering women turned and pointed their bulging padded rears toward their two victims, and slowly floated across the room ass-first. Teresa had only a short time to see her wife's dazed but dimply smiling face vanish behind the frilly white tutu before she too was lost in a dungeon of shining plastic-backed material.

Only the faintest whimper of protest escaped her as the diaper-butt pressed against her face and began to rub back and forth in a steady rhythm. The scent of baby-powder was overwhelming as the one in the cheerleader outfit began to whisper to her in a gentle, swaying cadence.

“Listen up, sweetpea. It's going to be beddie-bye time for you soon. Now, bedtime is going to be a little different for you from now on. You're about to go on a magical journey. You're going to discover a whole new facet of your existence that you never could have imagined before. Underneath your independent, strong-willed, tough persona is waiting a whole new person. Oh, you can still stomp around and act like a big ol' baddass while the sun is up, but when night falls, you're going to feel a magical transformation begin to flow through you. The silly, embarrassing little secret that you tried to ignore allll day is going to become the centerpiece of your whole world once the sun has set. Teri...from this moment onward...you are going to be...a Bedwetter.”

The word fell into Teresa's mind like a single drop of rain and rippled outward, tingling strangely as it spread through her. Her mind's defenses shot up immediate to counter the intrusive thought. The word was so silly and cloying, so demeaning and cutesy. Her fists clenched. Her teeth gritted. She wasn't a Bedwetter, she insisted. She wasn't. She wasn't! Still, the tingling sensation continued to spread through her, growing steadily stronger despite her mental protests.

“That's right. A Bedwetter. You don't much like that idea, do you little Teri? C'mon, you can tell me.”

Teresa shook her head, which had the unintended affect of rubbing the smooth bulk of the diaper across her face even more forcefully. She winced at herself, but was still completely unable to escape from the intruder's soft, globular prison.

“No, I would guess not. Not a straight-shooting, fast-talking, problem solver like you. Trouble is, when night falls, you're not going to feel so “in control” any more, are you? You can already feel it coming. Your arms are getting heavy. All your strength is going bye-bye for the night, isn't it? You're staring to feel Weak. You can try to deny it, but we both know you can feel it happening. First your arms, then your stomach, then your legs, and then finally your bladder. It tingles a little, doesn't it? You're becoming...Soft. Your muscles are feeling looser and heavier by the second. I'm afraid your days of staying dry through the night are over, honey. You can try every trick you can think of, you can pee right before bed, you can listen to hypnosis tracks, you can set an alarm to get you up at midnight, and it won't do you a bit of good. That bladder of yours is just incorrigible, and it can't wait to betray you. It'll almost feel like it fills up from nowhere, just so there'll be plenty available when you finally slip off to dreamland.”

Teresa pursed her lip and struggled futilely, but the words that the strange creature was sending to tip-toe through her mind were feeling more true by the second. She felt Weak, and more she struggled to marshal her strength, the more it seemed to fall through her fingers like sand. The tingling sensation was now suffusing her whole body. Every inch of her was feeling warm, soft, loose, and relaxed. Her muscles were like warm wax, slowly growing soft and pliable.

“And it's not just your body. No, the Weakness is slipping right into your mind and your heart, straight to the core of your being. You're so used to being in charge, of having the situation covered, of calling the shots. But not when bedtime rolls around, pumpkin! You're going to find that things that you used to just ignore will really bother you all the sudden. The world starts to feel a lot more threatening, more unstable, when it starts to get dark. It's...Scary. Things are going to feel scary for you, just like they did when you were little. You're gonna be so soft, so weak, so vulnerable. Like a little scaredy-cat. A wuss. A wimp. You're going to need someone to look after you, now. Someone strong and confident to comfort you and make those scary feelings go away. Someone to hold you, and coddle you, and Snuggle with you, and tell you everything is going to be okay. Someone to look after you. Someone to take care of you. That's right, Teresa. You're going to need a Babysitter now.

Teresa's heart was beating fast now. Her bottom lip was trembling. Tears blurred her eyes. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. She didn't need anyone. She stomped her foot. It made hardly any noise. She felt so overwhelmed, so helpless. She knew that she wanted so badly for someone to just hold her for moment. Someone strong to stand between her and her scary new feelings. She knew that those thoughts had been planted in her head by the twisted magic of these bizarre creatures, but that couldn't change how badly she needed a hug right now.

“That's right. A Babysitter. Someone to snuggle with you,  and comfort you, and coddle you. Someone to make you feel safe, warm, secure, protected, loved. Someone to make sure your teeth are clean. Someone to get you dressed in your fuzzy little jammies and tucked into bed, all cozy. Someone to tell you how sweet and cute and special you are. Someone to love you for the silly, wimpy little Bedwetter that you are. All that is going to Lori's job now. That's right. Your wife is going to be your Babysitter. Once night falls and her big, tough wife goes all weak and wimpy, she's the one who will be there to help you and protect you. She is going to be the one who calls the shots between the two of you. You are going to have to mind her and depend on her for everything.”

A muffled groan sounded from deep in the magical being's padded butt. The one in the cheerleader outfit ignored it and kept on rubbing away.

“Yes, you're not going to be in charge at all anymore. Oh, I know you're going to want to fight tooth and nail to be all strong and independent, but I'm afraid it will be quite hopeless, honey. You can stomp your widdle feet and throw your great big tantrums like a silly little girl, but your big, strong, smart Babysitter will always have the final say.  All Lori has to do is raise her voice the tiniest bit, or give you the teeniest little love-tap on that delicate little bum-bum of yours, and all your rebelliousness will fall down like a house of cards. You're going to be a silly, weak-willed little brat who turns into a helpless, whimpering crybaby at the least little resistance.”

Teresa seethed. She struggled to move her face even a quarter-inch from the insane creature's diaper butt. She fumed helplessly as all her emotional self-control, carefully assembled over a lifetime of struggles, hardships, disappointments, and frustrations, became putty in the hands of the floating stranger's bizarre magical power. Her skin tingled as it became far more sensitive than it ever had before. She sniffled. Her bottom lip quivered. Teresa's left foot lifted off the floor and stomped on the wooden floor, making only the smallest thud noise. Her hands balled into fists and shook impotently at her sides.

“Oh, it's so cute how badly you want to be a big ol' grown-up! Especially considering how totally helpless you're going to be. Once night falls, you're going to need that big Babysitter of yours to do everything for you. If you're hungry, you'll need her to get you as snack. If you're thirsty, she'll be the one who fills up your baba for you. If you want to stay up late, you'll have to ask her permission, and if she says no, then what are you going to do, throw a tantrum? Ooh, maybe she'll decide you need a bath, and she'll have to wash you all over in the sudsy water while you play with your rubber duckie! And of course, you're going to need her to make sure your Diapers are snug and secure on your little bum-bum before she tucks you in.”

Teresa moaned and crossed her arms petulantly, but was no closer to escaping from the puffy, crinkly mass that was energetically rubbing against her face.

“That's riiiight! Diapers. Big, thick, babyish Diapers. Oh sure, you can call them other things. Your Bedwetter Pants. Your Special Jammies. Your Night-Night Protection. Your Sleepy-Time Pampers. No one will be confused by any of that.  No mater what you call them, you're going to be piddling in them uncontrollably every single night. No more dry mornings, ever. No more getting up in the night to pee like a smart, independent, big girl. All that is in the past now. Diapers are just going to be a necessary part of your sleeping outfit. That does sound awfully embarrassing, doesn't it? Imagine, a mature woman like you suddenly finding herself with a soft, weak little bladder that could never keep her pants dry through the night. So embarrassing.”

The feeling of embarrassment swelled up in her as the one in the cheerleader outfit spoke. Logically, she knew this was only a curse or some kind of spell. It was totally outside of anything she could be expected to deal with or control. There was no shame in this, none whatsoever. But that simple logic meant nothing in the face of the powerful blush that was filling her cheeks and shooting through her whole body. Somehow, this was all her fault, and everyone would know. They would find out somehow, and they would all gather around to laugh at the big baby in her big diapers.

“Don't worry about that though, sweetie. I'm quite certain your wife will be sure to keep your little problem quiet. Besides, we all know your real secret is even more embarrassing. The truth is, you secretly love being a Bedwetter. You love everything about your Bedwetter Pants. You love the way they feel against your skin. You love how weak and powerless they make you feel.  You love how your Babysitter coos and fusses over you when you're wearing them. You love how safe and secure you feel in them, so you can sleep peacefully and know that all your little accidents will be taken care of. You love it when your babysitter holds up a big, thick diaper and tells you its time for bed. You love it when you wake up in the middle of the night in hot, wet diapers after sleeping through yet another accident. You love the cool, soggy diapers against your skin when the sun comes up. You love knowing that you are a Bedwetter, and that there's not a thing you can do about it, ever. You can fight and struggle all you want, and it wont change the simple truth. You love your Bedwetter Pants. You need your soft, comfortable Nighttime Pampers. You are helplessly, hopelessly, and permanently, addicted to peeing in your bed. You can deny it all day long, but you'll know in your heart that you are just a big silly Bedwetter, now and forever.”

Teresa's cheeks burned and her heart raced, but the words kept coming, and she was powerless to deny them. The thong she was wearing under her jeans felt like sandpaper against her oh-so-sensitive skin. She yearned to be swaddled and coddled in something thick and absorbent, no matter how embarrassed it made her feel. And she wanted Lorelei to be the one who put her in them, whether she wanted them or not.

The one in the cheerleader outfit finally lifted her padded butt away and turned around to admire her handiwork. Teresa stared at the room around her. The bed now had Princess Barbie smiling serenely from the blanket, and a collection of cuddly Care Bear dolls huddled among the satin pillows. A large night-light shaped like a crescent moon wearing a night cap sat beside the bed. The walls had been covered in wallpaper showing smiling stars and hundreds of cartoon animals, all happily snoozing in their pajamas. Next to the bed was a pyramid of boxes, all bearing the colorful labels of unfamiliar brands like “Oopsies”, “Sweetdreams” and “Beddie-Bye Diapers”. The trees beyond the balcony looked so dark and scary that she couldn't stand looking at them for more than a few seconds before she began to feel panic edging into her thoughts.

Then, there was Lorelei. She was now wearing a fuzzy blue sweater with two kittens playing on the front. Her wire-rim glasses had become thick and pastel blue. She had a huge, well-stocked diaper bag slung over one shoulder. Diapers peeked out over the edge, and several bottles were secured in small pouches on the side. The words “Teri's Nighttime Supplies” were stenciled on the side. She smiled. Her smile was so perfect: warm, friendly, kind, welcoming, and understanding.

“Lori! I...I...” began Teresa, but tears began to fill her eyes almost immediately. The embarrassment, confusion, terror, and love were mixing violently inside her, and she no longer had any way to contain them.

Lorelei crossed the room and swept Teresa into a comforting hug. “Shhh...it's okay. I'm here. I've got you. Eeeeverything is going to be fine. You were so brave, protecting me like that. I love you so much.” She rubbed and patted Teresa's back as she spoke.

Teresa returned the hug, as hard as she could. She was crying properly now. She knew that she was being coddled and soothed, and all she could feel was joy and gratitude.

The two magical visitors slipped out into the warm summer night while the young couple began the long ritual that would now be their regular bedtime routine. Much tickling, teasing, playful looks, stern warnings, and whispered reassurances followed. Lorelei changed her beloved into a thick, crisp pair of pampers that would be a lot thicker and a lot less crisp the following morning. She fed her a bottle before bedtime, since there was simply no point in trying to avoid the inevitable now.

They didn't manage to leave the cabin at all the following day. It was simply too much fun to play around, enjoying their new relationship dynamic. The day after that, though, Lorelei finally agreed to get Teresa up early enough to watch the sun rise over the lake. Teresa's strength and courage returned to her the instant her wife adjusted her big girl panties around her waist, but even then, the tenderness that had become part of their dynamic didn't entirely fade.

Lorelei didn't tell Teresa that she was also curious about trying the diapers until days later, when they were back at home. Teresa told her they could try it, but only when the sun was up.