A Daddy in Need

Dave has been a daddy to his friend Josh for a few months but is finding himself running out of steam. Fortunately, an opportunity for respite has arisen, but he’ll need to make sure it’s safe… and affordable

A Daddy in Need

Being a Daddy is tough.

There’s a lot that goes into taking care of a little one. You go into the whole thing thinking it’ll work out, that you’ll learn as you go and that the rest will take care of itself. Feedings, diapers, bedtimes… all easy once you get a handle on it.

Not even close to the truth.

Dave sighed as he started packing his boys diaper bag, collecting up the various bits and pieces he’d need for the day trip. Powder, wipes and three of the white plastic undergarments that would soon be wrapped around his tyke’s bottom. A spare pair of pants, the name “Josh” sewn into the back of them, were also folded up and slipped in with adorable diapers.

These weren’t baby diapers though. They were for a fresh graduate with all the weight of the world bearing down on his adorable little shoulders. The boredom and life-draining consistency of an entry level job was the only indication to anyone who met him that he had any kind of maturity, however.

Dave made sure to keep it that way. That graduate was his little champ, a tiny devil who needed the love and care of a father figure to keep on the straight and narrow. Of course, this was all something they’d agreed upon. Every step of the way he’d given the kid time to adapt, to push back if he’d wanted to. But no resistance had been forthcoming.

It had started with some light, overbearing caretaking. Cutting up food for dinners, preparing lunches for work, making him go to bed at a reasonable time. The two of them slept in different rooms, something that had later proved rather useful.

Taking on the caretaker role had been something he’d then had to research. Find the right ways of broaching the subject, introducing new concepts, explaining the relationship. Josh had never said no to the idea, but his nerves had been clear to start with. Control was slowly handed over, his home life becoming more and more structured and less and less adult. He’d come home dressed in a suit and tie and be into the lounge in just a bright t-shirt and shorts. He’d wait patiently at the table to be given his food, thanking Dave for cooking for him. And he’d go to bed on time every night, no questions asked.

And then the diapers arrived.

Dave had wanted this virtually from the start, but had resisted the urge to dive straight in. He didn’t have a fetish for them, but he was well aware that asking John to get into them must have seemed like a form of sexual play. After all, he was rubbing powder into his genitals, shaving his hair off and wiping down his shaft with care and attention. Josh had shivered and moaned with every motion but had never asked him to stop. The first change was a careful and simple affair, nothing too fancy and no teasing to be had. They’d cuddled up on the sofa afterwards, Dave’s paternal instincts kicking in and focussing heavily on aftercare.

What had surprised him was Josh never asked to use the bathroom after that. There was an almost instant understanding that they were there to be used, and for him to wait for Dave to check him. The first morning after he’d put John to bed in a dry diaper he’d come in the next morning, soaked padding around his waist, and asked for a cuddle.

Since then he’d barely been out of them. He wore to work, changing himself if needed, and he wore out with Dave wherever they went.

And today they were going out for a very special visit.

“Are you ready Josh? I’ve got your diaper bag all set!” Dave called out down the corridor.

“Uh-huh! I’m all dressed and stuff!” he heard back.

With a quick flick the bag was over his shoulder and Dave was walking out of the nursery. There he saw his charge with a huge smile on face by the door, his short brown hair ruffled and unkempt. An otter whose youthful energy was visible from half a mile away, even if his laces were undone and his puffy waist was all the evidence needed that the boy was less than able to make it to the bathroom.

“Nearly there! Stand still and I’ll do up your laces alright?” Dave got down on one knee and started doing up the boys shoes, their bright primary colours almost blinding. No light ups in the soles though, not that he hadn’t tried to find some.

“Right, I think we’re ready to head out. Got Samson?”

The otter beamed “Uh-huh!” he held up the small wolf plush in his hands “He’s gonna be with me ALLLL day!”

Dave smiled back and fixed the otters hair up a little, combing it through with his fingers “I certainly hope so! I can’t keep an eye on you all the time!”

The two of them walked out of the door and made their way to the car. Dave helped the otter into his car seat, the boy sliding around in the oversized baby seat and getting comfortable as he clicked the various buckles into place.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Dave slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pacifier, popping it into Josh’s mouth “Not having any “Are we there yet?” from you Mr”

The otter giggled and blushed as Dave got himself into the driver's seat and started up his SUV. The journey up the highway went by with the occasional giggling noise coming from the back but otherwise Dave was undisturbed. An hour passed before he pulled into a small car park in front of a brightly coloured building.

“Little Joy Daycare” was emblazoned over the top of the doorway. Normally, a daycare would not be somewhere you could take a mid-twenties otter who could barely keep themselves from sucking their thumb. But Little Joy was different, it had run a program for parents who needed some additional support with their children who still lived with them post-high school. Many were graduates themselves, unable (but generally unwilling) to find work or move out.

Some of those parents were a little too overbearing but to Dave, this was a lifesaver. He didn’t need Little Joy in the way they did, but he’d accidentally stumbled on them while looking through resources to help him take care of Josh. He’d needed a break, but Josh often struggled to be able to give him space. He was, at this point, effectively more used to being a child than an adult at home and that had the habit of putting a strain on both their psyche’s.

Respite, then, was the purpose of this trip. A day to himself where he could head back home, spend a few hours to get things feeling a little more relaxed in his head, and then come back and know that Josh had been safe and sound with some caring individuals who were used to the exact kind of behaviour he exhibited. Sure, they were probably used to substantially more resistance to the treatment, but he’d gathered from the testimonials that many of the “kids” were still enrolled there, some since the program started. It had grown to the point that one side of the day-care was now dedicated to taking care of them, while the other was a more traditional setup.

“Righto, come on Josh, we’re here!”

He got out of the car and removed Josh from his straps in the back, helping the still pacified otter out from his chair. Taking his hand, Dave started walking with him to the front of the building, feeling the grip of his friend tighten as they went through the entrance, his other hand holding onto Samson and clutching him to his chest.

“Hey there! Dave, right?!” a fox at the reception desk in the lobby greeted them with a wide grin.

“Yep, and this is Josh!” he ruffled the hair of the otter, who groaned a little and moved into his side, half hugging him “Keri right? We spoke on the phone?”

“That’s me! Glad you could follow the directions!” she tapped a few keys on her keyboard and then grabbed the phone handset “I’m just going to call through to the playroom so someone can collect the kiddo and then we’ll talk about some admin, if that’s ok?”

“Sure, that works. No need to keep him here for that, when he could be playing right?”

“Exactly!” she pressed a few numbers on the handset and waited for a response.

“Hey Keri, what’s up?” another female voice came through the speaker.

“Hey Alexis, Josh is here, can you come pick him up from reception while I help his Daddy with the paperwork.”

Josh's grip loosened on Dave’s hand as he looked up at him, nerves obvious on his face. He’d been honest with him, told him why he needed this time and why he felt it would be useful, and Josh had wholeheartedly agreed. But it was a big step for both of them. Dave grabbed his charge in both arms and kissed him on the forehead, the two hugging close.

“You’ll be fine kiddo, just follow instructions and enjoy yourself ok?”

Josh nodded, his tail twisting between his legs.

Keri put the receiver down, the two men looking back to her as she completed the call “She’ll be here in two secs…”

Less than that, it turned out. No sooner had Keri finished than a snow leopard, tall and heavily built, came through the playroom door.

“Rightio! Where’s the little tyke I need to take through?”

Josh meekly put his hand up, Dave smiling behind him “Here Miss”

“Oh goodness you look precious!” she bent down a little to meet Josh’s eye level “What’s your name sport?”

“Jo...Josh”

“Oh honey, no need to be so shy!” she smiled, her eyes virtually closed as her smile stretched to the side of her head “What’s the name of the little guy you’ve got there?”

“Sa...Samson”

She looked at the plush, breaking eye contact with Josh “Hi Samson! I’m Alexis! Nice to meet you!”

“I’m Samson!” Josh responded immediately, clearly instinctually responding past the nerves. He blushed intensely, pulling the wolf closer to him as social anxiety kicked in again.

Dave smiled. He ruffled Josh’s head fur and patted him on the rear “Go on kiddo, I think Samson wants to go in hmmm?”

The otter was now squirming visibly in place. He wanted this, Dave could tell, the doting face of the snow leopard pulled away as she offered her hand out.

“Come on, let’s get you ready. I’m sure you and Samson will make lots of friends”

Josh looked at Dave before putting his hand out, a small smile breaking out on his face.

“Be good alright?”

Josh nodded “I will Daddy…”

Alexis giggled a little and looked towards Dave “First day right? Don’t worry, we’ll keep the kiddo suitably dry. Bring some more diapers next time though” she winked as Josh shifted and blushed again.

“Oh of course! I did bring some, they’re just in the car…”

“Don’t worry about it. Judging by that look I think we can start with a change, hmm Josh?” Alexis started walking him towards the door to the playroom. Josh squeezed the front of his shorts and looked away, knowing she was right. As they passed through the threshold, Dave sighed and looked back towards Keri.

“So, what sort of admin do I need to do?”

“Well…”

The phone rang on Keri’s desk, her eyes darting to the number and widening a little “Sorry, just a tick, managers calling.”

“Sure” Dave put his hands in his pockets and shifted a little impatiently. He was nervous, he could feel the detachment from Josh far more than he expected.

“Maam? Yes he’s here…. Oh right… sure would you like to send him to your office?... Oh! Ok I’ll send him through.”

She put the phone down and looked at Dave, smiling “Miss Dart has said she’d like to chat to you about Josh, she’s in the cafeteria through that door there” she pointed to a door positioned just off to the side of the desk.

“Oh… is that… good?” Dave started walking towards the door as he asked the question, his impatience overcoming his nerves.

“Oh you’ll be fine. Jennifer just likes to get to know parents if she can.”

“But I’m not a parent…”

Keri just smiled “Well… I think you’re doing a good job of pretending” a little wink followed.

“Heh, thank you” Dave smiled back as he walked through the door, breathing slowly as he composed himself.

The cafeteria greeted him, virtually empty except for a few dinner staff walking around and cleaning up what he assumed must have been breakfast. Most of the chairs around were clearly designed for young kids… or some very large babies. He immediately spotted the one person sitting at a full size table with a cup of fresh coffee, her eyes darting back and forth across some paperwork she’d laid out. Another vixen, but this one older with a noticeable world-weariness on her face.

“Ah, you must be Dave.” She looked up, her half moon glasses catching the light as she caught his gaze. He walked towards her, his nerves still building.

“Yes! I’m Josh’s caretaker” he put out his hand as he reached shaking range “Pleasure to meet you Miss”

“Dart. Miss Dart” She took his hand, smiling and motioning for him to sit down opposite her. She exuded confidence, so much so that Dave could feel his nerves seemingly disappearing by proxy, like she was providing enough for both of them. She was in control, there was no question of that.

“So, what made you want to enrol Josh here? He doesn’t strike me as a troublemaker…”

Dave chuckled “Not at all, he’s possibly the sweetest person I know. Even before… well…”

Miss Dart leaned forward “Before you found he was an adorable baby inside, right?”

Dave rubbed the back of his head and forced a little laugh “Heh… yeah I guess.”

The vixen smiled “But you needed a break, I assume? When you called Keri she took down a few details. You’re definitely not our usual kind of client, but I can understand the appeal.”

“Clients?” he raised an eyebrow “You make sound so… corporate”

“Hah, far from it.” She chuckled “But please understand this daycare is my business, not just my baby. I have to ensure I’m not taking any risks. So, tell me everything Dave. How’d you two meet, what’s the “Dave and Josh” story?”

Dave breathed out, staring into the vixen's eyes. They were brimming with an almost scary amount of inner fire, burning through any kind of barriers his mind was trying to put up.

“We met at college, he was a shy kid, not many friends. I think I fell in love with him on a movie night or something. I don’t even remember when I really felt like he was something special but I knew it before we graduated. We both got a job, both moved out and were happy to be roommates but I never admitted these feelings.”

Miss Dart nodded slowly, taking in the story.

“I started to dote on him. Started to really focus on making him happy. Because it made me so happy when he smiled. One day, we slept together in his double bed, cuddled up. But I don’t think either of us was ready to start a relationship. So… I just kept going. I made little changes, offered to help him with really simple things, made him lunch before work… and he leant into it. He asked me for things in shops like I was in control of what he spent money on. He started watching kids shows again on TV. I enjoyed watching him giggle along to the simple plots, engaging with him like he was a grade schooler.”

He felt a small tear come to his right eye, blinking as the memories started to come back

“He kept getting happier, and so did I. One day I realised I was wanting to pick him up and carry him around. At that point I thought maybe I was going a little crazy, so I did an internet search and… well I’m not the only one who likes the idea of having a “bigger” kid”

Miss Dart shook her head “No, you’re not. But something else is going on here. Otherwise you wouldn’t need a rest”

Dave sighed again “Yeah… Josh isn’t really an adult anymore. At least not day to day. He still has his job, but he’s just as kid-like there. It’s considered adorable, but he’ll never advance above entry level. He couldn’t supervise anyone. So I advanced, he couldn’t make a bigger contribution to the rent or bills… and I felt like I’d got him stuck. One night I told him that, over cartoons. He just looked at me and told me he loved me.”

That was the moment he felt a full tear flow down his face.

“I told him the same back. We cuddled and cried a bit together. And then he asked me if I was ok. I was so tired, I barely realised how much work I was doing. But I didn’t want to stop.”

He wiped the tear away, sniffling

“Josh told me not to worry about him. That he’d be ok. But I couldn’t stop worrying, and he could tell. So one day he came into the room dressed in his old suit and tie. It wasn’t done properly but that wasn’t the point. He’d not worn that in months. I realised what he was trying to do and just broke down, immediately”

Miss Dart offered a tissue from her pocket “Here, take your time”. Dave accepted it and wiped down his muzzle.

“He wanted me to be happy, he wanted me to be less tired. So he was trying, so hard, to give that to me by retaking control. But only a few minutes later he’d ruined his suit and I was making sure he was in proper underwear again” he laughed, catching another tear before it left his eye with the tissue “So, that’s why I’m here. That’s why Josh is trying so hard to go with it. He’s gonna be ok I’m sure but I need space to myself and trying this place out seemed like a good, safe place for him”

Miss Dart nodded, leaning back in the chair. She took a piece of paper out of the pile on her desk and handed it to Dave.

“Here, our typical contract. Sign on the dotted line and he’ll be enrolled here. He’ll have to leave his job, and you’ll have to buy diapers and keep us updated.”

Dave looked over the costs… his face dropped.

There was no way he could afford this.

“Sorry, I don’t think I can afford this…” he sniffled again “It’s just… too much without Josh’s income”

Miss Dart put her fingers to her chin and thought for a moment.

“Then how about this? 50% off, but he stays for Saturday and Sunday, with an overnight stay. Little higher expense for the room and board but far less for the educational materials and such we’d normally need from a parent”

Dave felt the smile return to his face “And Josh could keep working?”

Miss Dart nodded “Certainly, though please try and see if you can get him to work from home. I’m sure he’s a good kid but we won’t be telling him to use the potty here and I doubt his colleagues want to worry about changing an otter who's oatmeal had gone right through him”

He could only laugh. Josh didn’t normally mess his diaper but it had happened in the past. Hopefully he wouldn’t get too used to it, he thought.

“Pen?” she offered him a biro, which he immediately took. He signed quickly, passing the paper back.

“Thank you, really it means a lot”

“No problem” Miss Dart responded “Now, let me buy you a coffee before you get your day off”

Dave nodded and breathed out as she got up and headed to the counter. He’d done it, he’d found somewhere safe for Josh, found a way to get rid of the worries.

He smiled broadly to himself and got out his phone, scrolling to the sports pages to look at stadium tickets. Weekends huh...