Coming of Age

Chapter 2
Second Nature

Chapter Description: Gabriel finds empathy & comfort despite his little problem.

My first thought was that I must not laugh. No matter how much the situation amused me, I mustn’t laugh. I knew this kid was going to be a bit of a problem, purely in terms of his adjustment, of course, but I never imagined I would be the de facto person who would need to deal with it. Part of me as a guy about to move on to college told me I shouldn’t let myself get caught up in shit like this, but I felt some strange obligation to do so.

Gabriel’s crying face was twisting back and forth in gentle knots, his soft features heaving up and down as a small stream of tears collected near his chin. He was struggling to form his lips properly enough to say even the first syllable of my name, and visually decided to give up on it after about four attempts. Between his sobs, I could just barely hear a soft stammering of “I…I..I” before it cut out all at once and was replaced with heavier sobs.

I managed to somehow shake the sleepiness from my mind and rolled out of bed, landing on my feet and bringing my eyes back to their usual level above his own. He reached out again for some comfort through my arms, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, worried in part about the stain on his front, one that was presumably fresh from the slight, pungent odor of it.

“Listen, I need you to relax and listen to me,” I said lightly, “We’re gonna help you get cleaned up, alright? Don’t worry about it bud”. As I noticed his sobs slow a bit in pace, I immediately became conscious of movement in my own toward the front of my boxers. I chalked it up as some form of morning wood and diverted my focus as I crossed the room and put some shorts on. I returned to Gabriel, removing the blanket from around his shoulders siting on a lamp so I could see a bit better.

“What s-should I do?” He’d finally managed to get something out, and I only could think of a few options. One in particular seemed most practical, but I dismissed it immediately. I could feel some thoughts in my mind that made me nervous, but I decided to help him get cleaned up.

“Come on. You’re gonna get cleaned up in the shower. I’ll bring you some fresh clothes from your room” I led him toward the showers as he took in what I was saying. He walked in, and I waited until I heard the sound of water running in the cubicle before I went downstairs toward his room. Silently opening his door, I could hear the steady breathing of his roommate toward the right side of the room. I slide open his top drawer as quietly as possible, stopping only when I heard the rhythmic breathing shift slightly, then continuing to peruse the contents of the dresser. I saw, no surprise, plenty of colorful cartoon themed briefs, some undershirts, normal stuff. I grabbed Gabriel some new briefs and shorts when I noticed a receipt poking out from beneath the undershirts. Shining the light of my phone toward it, I could’ve sworn I saw ‘Goodnites’ printed, but his roommate stirred again and I made my way back upstairs.

I entered the showers on my hall again, hearing Gabriel crying softly in the stopped shower as I did so. I reached beyond the shower curtain and handed him a towel as well as the rest of his fresh clothes. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head, but I could tell his distress was shifting slightly into embarrassment at how helpless he’d been. He walked out from the shower and came back into my room, sitting on the couch as I sipped at a fresh cup of coffee.

“I’m sorry.” This was all he said, but I could feel some weight behind it, as if it wasn’t the first time he’d had to say it for this exact reason. He looked at me for an answer to his apology, but I was still trying to decide what should be done.

Eventually, I fought past the awkwardness and asked him, “Gabriel, does this happen often?”

Hearing it, he almost began to sob again. He had already been red in the face with tears welling out in his eyes, and he covered his face with his arm as I walked over and joined him on the couch. “Gabriel, I need you to be truthful with me so I can help you. I know it’s only the first night, but I want to do anything to he–“

“Yes,” he whispered, softly around the familiar sobs. He finally removed his arm, but I only saw shame in his face. I reached a hand toward him and he flinched for a moment before falling against me, crying into my shoulder. I found my hand in his soft hair, and was became immediately conscious of the fact that neither or us was wearing a shirt. I could feel each of his tears flow across my chest, and he seemed to calm down a bit as he felt the warmth of our embrace. “Gabriel, I know your parents gave you something to help with that problem,” I said, moving my hand down his back as his back stiffened with my words. “Go and get them for me, okay? I’ll wait right here for you.”

He looked into my face, and I did my best to look empathetic and hide what I could no longer convince myself wasn’t a bit of arousal. He sadly got up and left the room, allowing me to finally release the breath I’d been holding in for what seemed like several eternities.

It was only a few minutes later when the door opened and Gabriel returned holding a small box I recognized from beneath his bed. Receiving the box from his arms, I confirmed my suspicions, only now surprised that he was small enough to fit into something I thought of as for preschoolers at most. “Gabriel, did you put one on?” I asked, but I was already fairly certain of the answer. I could see the red ranger waistband peeking out from above his shorts.

He had his head hung, but shook it no nevertheless. “I don’t wanna w-wear them,” he choked out, “I’m don’t n-n-need to wear d-d-diapers.” The tears were at full current now.

“They’re not really diapers,” i tried to reassure him, “They’re just something to help boys with occasional accidents.” I couldn’t help but think his grade level would be a more fitting number for his age, but even that seemed too old. In any case, I could see he planned on resisting.

“I swear, I w-won’t have any more a-acciden–”

“Gabriel. You’ve obviously wet yourself enough for your parents to buy these for you. Put them on” I interrupted, shocking him a bit. I wondered if I had perhaps been a bit too rough on the poor kid, but he began to pull down his shorts and briefs right in front of me. He realized what he’d done but only covered his face in shame as he let his shorts fall, his entire body now naked in front of me. My eyes couldn’t help but wander down to his childish genitals, not one hair adorning the area no adolescent would wish upon their worst enemy. I realized that he had plans neither to cover his infantile stub nor to put the bedtime pants on by himself. Draping a fresh towel across the couch, I led him onto his back. In a procedural manner I could only assume had been done by his mother while he was at home, I sprinkled his smooth crotch with gold bond power, familiar only with diapering infants in the past.

Loosing myself to the familiar process, I grabbed a bottle of lotion and squeezed a healthy bit onto Gabriel, feeling my own levies of restraint break just as those of his eyes did the same. Past the sparkling tears in his eyes, I saw just a hint of comfort as I slowly massaged the lotion into his crotch, feeling him stiffen but noticing almost no increase in size as a moved my hands in a kneading motion. I could hear the smallest of breaths leaving his mouth as the tears slowed and he looked at me strangely. Finally, I lifted his legs and pulled the goodnite onto him, smiling a bit as I tested the elastic and saw the iron man print expand and compress. He sat up and the towel slid from beneath him, yet he made no motion to replace it or his gym shorts on the floor.

With tears welling in his eyes again he barely whispered, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

I stood up without a word, grabbing a blanket from my bed, locking the door, and switching off the light. I sat back on the couch and he leaned against my chest again, his bare back resting on most of my lap. I tussled his hair a bit and pulled him in close as his breathing slowed, throwing the blanket over both of us grabbing his ’diapered’ bottom so he wouldn’t roll off in his sleep. I would hardly see in the dark, but as I drifted off, I could see just the hint of a smile across his lips. My last though as I cradled him against me was of my coffee, gone cold on the desk beside me.