Like they'd been doing every day for some time now, the pets of Littlest Pet Shop made their way up to Blythe's bedroom v.i.a the dumbwaiter.
As they exited the cramped contraption and entered Blythe's bedroom, Zoe paused and began to sniff the air.
"What is it, Zoe?" Vinnie asked her. "You smell something?"
"For the record, it wasn't me, I swear it!" Pepper immediately blurted out, a bit too loudly for the pets' preferences. They immediately shushed her, prompting Pepper to blush. "Oops, indoor voice, sorry." She whispered.
Zoe continued to sniff the air as she cleared her throat. "If I can get back to where I was before I was so rudely interrupted," She glared at Pepper for a second, causing the skunk to hide her face behind her tail. "I smell…" Zoe paused, this was a new scent for the dog (and that was saying a lot considering her friends and the many visitors to Littlest Pet Shop, to say nothing of the fact that one of her friends was a skunk and a very smelly one at that). It took her a minute or two to determine what the scent was. "...Cornstarch." She told the others.
"Cornstarch? But Blythe's not a farmer." Penny Ling commented.
"Cornstarch isn't a plant, it doesn't grow like corn," Russell explained to Penny Ling. "It's a powdery substance that comes from the corn plant. Humans use it for cooking."
"But why would Blythe keep such stuff in her bedroom and not the kitchen?" Sunil wondered. "Would it not make sense to keep cornstarch close to where you do the cooking if that is what it's used for?"
Russell seemed to blush a bit as he then mentioned. "Well, there is one other thing cornstarch can be used for. But I can't imagine Blythe would have a need for such stuff. No offense, Zoe, but maybe your nose is on the fritz again. I mean, you did have that cold just a couple of days ago."
Zoe growled. "I know what I smelled, Russell. My nose is working just fine, thank you," She sniffed some more as she added. "And I'm also picking up the scent of, lavender."
"Cornstarch and lavender?" Minka wondered out loud. "Is Blythe sick or something?! Why would she ever want to be surrounded with stuff like that?! It's so strong!"
"Minka, not so loud!" Russell anxiously whispered! "You'll wake up Blythe!" But it was too late, with a yawn Blythe rubbed her eyes and opened them. Her reaction was not at all what the pets were expecting, she seemed to freak out and grab the blankets on her bed! "W-what are you all doing here?!" She asked them, appearing to shake a bit. "S-shouldn't you all be down in the daycare?!"
"Aw, what Mrs. Twombly doesn't know won't hurt her," Vinnie innocently replied. "Besides, we do this all the time. What's so wrong about coming up to your bedroom this time?"
"B-because…" Blythe nervously said and scratched her head, trying to think of something good to say to the pets to deflect their suspicion. At last, an idea came to her. "Uh, because I'm naked. Yeah, that's it! Since it was so warm last night I didn't sleep with any clothes on, and now I need to get dressed."
The pets all laughed, especially Pepper. "Come on, Blythe. Look at us, we don't normally wear clothes and nobody bats an eye," She said to Blythe. "So what if you're naked? We're naked too!"
"It's different for humans than it is for pets," Blythe tried to explain. "We humans don't exactly like seeing each other walking around, naked."
But the pets wouldn't take no for an answer. Minka, without hesitation, leaped onto Blythe's bed and grabbed the covers. "Come on, it's a beautiful day! Time to rise and shine, Blythe! Without you, who's gonna take us on walks, or talk to us?!"
Blythe attempted to grab the covers before Minka could yank them off, but she was too slow! When Minka pulled back the covers, it didn't take long for the pets to notice why Blythe had been so reluctant to let them see her. The teenage girl no older than sixteen had her usual pajama shirt on and a pair of white socks on her feet, but where her pajama bottoms should be there was only a thick, white, crinkly undergarment, with printed waist bands, and two tapes holding it up. Said undergarment hugged Blythe's rear end and upper legs tightly, and was soft to the touch.
There was a long, drawn out, uncomfortable silence. No one dared to say a word, not even the usual chatterbox that was Minka. It was only after what seemed like several minutes, that Russell broke the silence. Looking at Blythe he reluctantly asked her. "Um, Blythe? Is that a….. Diaper?"
Blythe didn't answer, tears just started to well up in her eyes and before the pets knew it she was crying.
The crying continued for some time, as Blythe seemed perfectly content to cry her eyes out. As for the pets, none of them knew how to approach this sort of situation. What should they say? What could they do?
At last, Penny Ling plucked up courage, as she walked up to Blythe and asked her in a sweet voice. "Blythe, do you need a hug? That always make me feel better when I'm upset about something."
Blythe didn't respond with words, she just bent down (eliciting a few crinkles from her taped up diaper) and grabbed Penny Ling, letting the young panda hug her chest tightly. Normally, Blythe would've been a bit uncomfortable with such a hug. For only a little panda, Penny Ling could be quite strong. But right now, Blythe need the most comforting (if somewhat crushing) hug she could possibly ask for, and Penny Ling provided just that.
"Better?" Penny Ling cutely asked Blythe.
Blythe sniffled a bit. "Yes," As she set Penny Ling back down she added. "Thanks, I really needed that."
"It's my pleasure. After all, we pandas have a license to give hugs." Penny Ling smiled at Blythe, as the teenage girl sat down on her bed, her diaper still exposed.
"So, that scent of cornstarch earlier," Zoe inquired of Blythe. "Was that…"
"...Baby powder? Yes," Blythe answered.
"And the scent of lavender?" Zoe asked Blythe.
"Wet wipes." Blythe explained. It seemed clear to the pets that she wanted to say more, but clammed up before she could do so..
It was Russell who then nervously asked Blythe. "Since you have baby powder and wet wipes, and I'm going to assume more diapers, have you ever actually…" He turned and coughed into a paw. "... You know?" He finished, hoping Blythe understood what he'd meant to say.
Blythe did indeed figure out what Russell meant, but only after she took a minute to think it over. "Not often, just once or twice really. I couldn't really do either of those things. Too inconvenient, especially with my dad."
"You haven't told him?" Sunil asked, to which Blythe nodded. "And were you ever going to tell us, Blythe?"
"I'd been…. thinking about it. But I wasn't sure if I should, I thought you might think something was wrong with me." Blythe replied, sighing while she looked at her diaper.
"Blythe, really, why would we think that? If that's your idea of a joke, it's not funny," Pepper said with a chuckle. "You're the only human we know who can actually understand what we're trying to say, other humans can only guess. Why would we think any less of you just because you wear a diaper?"
"Actually, I did a bit of research on the internet," Blythe said to the pets. "Apparently, I'm what's known as a teen baby. Since I like to wear diapers, and have an interest in being treated like a baby. I actually sketched a few designs for some baby clothes in my size, but I kept the pages hidden in case my journal ever got misplaced."
"Found it!" Minka announced, pulling said sketches out of a drawer on Blythe's bedstand. She and the other pets examined the sketches, impressed at the detail featured in Blythe's designs. The teen baby had gone all out with her inspiration, she wanted her designs to look just like toddler clothes, but sized up for teenagers.
This included a one piece sleepsuit with room for her arms and legs that could be zipped up, and a convenient hatch that could be zipped open or shut in the back (for easy diaper changes the pets quickly realized). Some of her other sketches included an onesie with baby bunnies stitched onto it, a shirt that barely came up to her neck, and a pair of shorts that didn't really conceal her diaper. There were also plans for some colder weather baby clothes, which were just as impressive.
The pets were amazed, these sketches rivaled those of some of Blythe's best pet fashion designs. "You'd look so cute in these clothes, Blythe," Vinnie commented. "I especially like that sleeping outfit that covers your entire body," The green scaled lizard then turned around and asked. "So, why would you not want us to find out about this stuff?"
"Because, it's not normal. It's weird, like really, really weird," Blythe replied, burying her face into her hands. "I'm sixteen years old for crying out loud, I'm not supposed to like stuff like this. I'm supposed to be more independent and mature, not longing to be cared for and being able to depend on someone else. To say nothing of some of the others thing teen babies do."
It didn't take long for the pets to notice Blythe was about to cry again, so they all dropped the sketches and ran over to her. Zoe even climbing into Blythe's lap (surprisingly the diaper made it even more warm and comfortable) to try and calm her down.
"Blythe, it's okay, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Russell reassured her, patting her on the back with one of his paws. "I mean, we've all done things that far worse than this."
"You don't think I'm some kind of freak for liking all this stuff and dressing up like a baby?" Blythe asked the pets, to which they all nodded.
"You can already talk to and understand pets, and we don't think you're a freak for that now do we?" Penny Ling asked Blythe, who shook her head in response. "Exactly. This is nothing compared to that discovery."
"When did all this start? Uh, if you don't mind us asking that is." Pepper inquired of Blythe.
Blythe sighed, and scratched her head. "I…. don't really know. I think the seeds of it were planted shortly after the whole 'Helicopter Dad' incident. While I was sitting in that fire hydrant, singing with my dad, I remembered how he'd used to sing that song to me all the time when I was younger. And how it was actually a song I taught him, because I learned it in my preschool class on the first day."
"So, that was at least a year ago, and you weren't diapered at all at any point after that," Russell commented. "Something else inspired this, didn't it?"
"Yeah, I was just getting to that," Blythe replied, nervously clearing her throat. "The discovery of my mom's journal, it kind of made me realize I didn't know much about her. And I started thinking about how Dad had practically raised me all by himself since I was just a baby. Somehow, it got me thinking about… well, you know. So I did some research on the Internet, and that's when I discovered I was a teen baby."
"Did you tell anyone about this?" Sunil asked Blythe. "Anyone at all?"
Blythe blushed. "I... did sort of tell Youngmee, though not intentionally. We were having one of our slumber parties at my place and I sort of….. 'forgot' to use the potty before bed," The teenage girl giggled at her unintentionally childish slip up. "So Youngmee found out, and I made swear not to tell anyone! I was just lucky that accident happened the same day as trash day, or I'm sure my dad would've caught me."
"Gosh, that must've been really messy," Pepper commented. "And you all say I'm the smelly one!" No one laughed. "Aw come on, that's funny! You guys wouldn't know good comedy if it bit you on the butt!"
"Regardless of Pepper's 'joke," Zoey said softly. "We don't think any less of you for this. In fact, I think I speak for all of us when I say, you're the best teen baby ever! Heck, you're the only teen baby we've ever met."
"But, don't you think you should tell your dad?" Russell asked Blythe. "It's just like your secret about being able to talk to pets. He's probably going to find out sooner or later, and it's best if he hears it from you, rather than find out for himself."
"I…. guess," Blythe reluctantly said, before she instructed for Zoe to hop down from her lap, so the teenage girl could get and grab her cell phone. "But, maybe it's best if I get a second opinion on the matter."
Blythe found her fingers tensing up, as she dialed the familiar number of Youngmee's cell phone. A part of her hoped her friend wouldn't be there, but another part of her hoped she would.
"Hello?" The familiar voice of Youngmee Song greeted.
Blythe gulped and swallowed hard. "Uh, hi, Youngmee. It's me, Blythe Baxter."
"Oh, hi Blythe," Youngmee replied cheerfully. "You need something?"
"Some advice would be helpful, if you wouldn't mind." Blythe said on the other end, was it her imagination or had her voice shook a little as she said that?
"Advice, huh?" Youngmee asked, suspecting nothing. "Let me guess, Josh Sharp got you all flustered again?"
"N-no, not that. Josh is out of town all week with his band, remember?" Blythe said to Youngmee. "I need help with something more…" She paused and looked around, before she added in a tone just above a whisper. "Personal."
Youngmee seemed to immediately get what Blythe was trying to say, as she replied. "Oh, that. Guess that means the pets found out, huh?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact they found out just a short time ago," Blythe told Youngmee. "And now they're saying I should tell my dad. But, I don't know if I want to. What should I do?"
Surprisingly, Youngmee replied right away by saying to Blythe. "Look, I can't really help you with that. I'm not a mind reader, I don't know your dad the way you do. If you want to tell him, it's your choice."
"But, what if I tell him, and he hates me for it?! What if I tell him, and he kicks me out of our apartment or disowns me?!" Blythe frantically asked. "The only reason why I don't think he's investigated yet, is because he's probably asleep on the couch downstairs and he tends to be a very heavy sleeper, otherwise he'd have heard the sounds I made earlier! Please, Youngmee, I really need some advice! I don't know what to do!"
Youngmee sighed. "Blythe, all I can say is this. Where my family comes from, we believe that whenever there's a problem in your life, it helps if you take some time to relax. Take some deep, calming breaths, clear your mind of unnecessary distractions. Focus on what's most important to you, and ask yourself: 'What's the most important thing about this?'. Do all that, and you should come to an answer. And if your dad does kick you out, you can always come and live with me, we'd be like sisters."
"You sure your Aunt Christie wouldn't mind?" Blythe asked Youngmee.
"I think she'd appreciate the extra set of hands to help with Sweet Delights," Youngmee replied, and optimistically added. "But I'm sure that won't happen. Best of luck to you, Blythe." And she ended the call.
Roger had just woken up and was in the kitchen, working on breakfast for himself (he figured Blythe would either come down and tell him what she wanted, or make it herself).
He was just about to turn the stove on and start collecting ingredients for pancakes, when his ears picked up the faint sound of shuffling feet. He turned around quickly, and was greeted with the sight of his sixteen year old daughter standing before him. Was it his imagination, or did there seem to be a slight bulge in her pajama pants that was pushing her legs apart?
"Hey, Dad." Blythe greeted, trying to smile despite what she was about to do.
Roger flashed a bright smile at Blythe. "Ah, good morning, Blythe. You hungry for pancakes? I was just about to make some."
"Um, before you get started on that… There's, something I need to show you. But I don't know if you'll understand." Blythe sheepishly replied, unable to think of how else to word what she wanted to say.
Roger didn't seem to suspect a thing, he just continued to smile at his daughter. "Blythe, I've been your dad for sixteen years now. You even told me about how you can talk to and understand animals, there's nothing you can tell me that I wouldn't understand."
Blythe sighed, and tried not to gulp, this was it! One way or another, her relationship with her father would never be the same after this! "When I show you what I'm about to show you, do you promise not to hate me?" She asked her dad.
"Blythe, I could NEVER hate you. No matter what you're about to show me, I promise I'll still love you," Roger replied in a warm tone. "So, are you gonna show me, or do I have to guess what it is?"
Blythe looked at her father, trying to judge his body language for any clues, while her father tried to do the same with her. Neither could really say for sure that they knew what the other was feeling though. Taking a deep breath, Blythe asked her dad. "Uh, could you, look away for a couple of seconds?"
Roger found this most odd, but deciding to respect his daughter's wishes he did so. He could've sworn he heard the sound of something unzipping, and the sound of something thudding onto the kitchen floor, but he didn't dare to turn around and look. He waited until his daughter said to him. "O-okay, you can… l-look now."
Roger slowly turned back around, prepared for anything. Or so he thought, for when he looked at his daughter he was most surprised to see that her pajama bottoms had been removed alongside her pajama shirt, and his teenage daughter was now standing before him in nothing but a rather noticeable white undergarment. "Blythe, is that a diaper?" He asked her, hints of confusion and what sounded like anger registering in his tone of voice.
"Um… yes," Blythe nervously replied, and confessed. "I don't know how to really explain this to you, dad, but the thing is…. I'm a teen baby!"
"Oh, is that all? And here I thought it was something serious…. Wait, a teen baby?!" Roger exclaimed, he knew he couldn't have misheard things but this was the first he'd ever heard of such a thing.
"Yeah," Blythe nodded. "It's… something I read about online. Basically, it means I like wearing diapers and being treated like a baby." She decided to leave out the part about using diapers, even if she offered to change herself she doubted her father would be approve of such an idea.
"And, for how long have you had this 'interest'?" Roger asked Blythe.
"A few months, Youngmee and the pets are the only ones who know about it," Blythe confessed, before she was unable to stop the water works and buried her face in her father's chest. "Please, I know it's crazy and disturbing, and I'm sorry I ever brought it up. You can just pretend we never had this conversation, and if you want me to leave the apartment I'll understand."
But Roger's reaction surprised Blythe completely, he didn't get mad, or yell, or even glare at her with a stern look. All he did was let her cry, while lightly patting her head and telling her. "There, there, Blythie. It's okay, just cry it all out and get it out of your system."
"You mean, you don't mind?" Blythe asked, in between sobs.
"I can't really say for sure one way or the other, Blythie," Roger replied in a fatherly tone of voice. "You're okay with me calling you that, right?" Blythe nodded, but her sobs only grew louder. "But if it makes you happy, I suppose I can at least give it a try. And no matter what, I would NEVER kick you out of our apartment just because of something like this. It's hardly a surprise you miss being a baby, lots of teenagers go through that phase, though I don't know how many of them actually become these 'teen babies'."
Blythe's sobs gradually decreased, and at least she was able to lift her head up and look her father in the face. Now she could see that he wasn't angry, his eyebrows weren't slanted, and his posture was relaxed. "Is it…. is it okay if I call you, Daddy?" Blythe asked him, her voice sounding scratchy from all her crying.
Roger nodded. "Whatever makes you happy, my little Blythie," He patted her on the forehead lightly before he asked his teen baby daughter, "So, how far do you actually go with all of this? You obviously wear diapers, but do you do things like suck on a pacifier or..." He trailed off as he blushed and added. "Well?"
"Oh, no no no. At least, not the pacifier bit," Blythe hastily explained. "I did 'use' them, accidentally mind you. But it was only once or twice, I couldn't risk doing it and having you find out. You don't have to worry about that if you want, I promise I'll use the bathroom like a big girl. And the pacifier and other stuff, it's not necessary, I can do without it. Just wearing diapers and being babied is enough."
Roger just giggled, as he lightly grabbed his daughter's left arm and pulled her into one of the kitchen chairs, which he then scooted close to the table. "Now Blythie, you just let Daddy worry about all those things. You just worry about being cute, got it?"
"You're really willing to let me go through with all of this?" Blythe asked, surprised at how quickly her father was slipping into the role.
Roger giggled and smiled. "Of course. It's what you want, right, Blythie?" Blythe nodded in response to her father's question. "Good," Roger cooed, as he set to work on making pancakes, but not before he turned to Blythe and said to her. "And fyi, Blythie. Babies not say bathroom, they say potty. So you tell Daddy if you have to go potty, got it?"
"Got it." Blythe giggled, licking her lips in anticipation of the tasty pancakes.
"Oops, almost forgot your bib. Daddy can't have you making a mess, now can he, Blythie?" Roger chuckled happily, as he retrieved an old bib, washed it out a little, and then tied it around Blythe's neck.
"Nu-uh, no making messies." Blythe giggled, kicking her legs a bit as if she were an actual baby.
"Exactly." Roger replied, and turned his attention back to making the pancakes. As he did so, in his mind he was wondering. "I'll bet my little Blythie would love a new blankie. Maybe Mrs. Twombly could kung-fu quilt one for her."