(Story idea inspired by and requested by Supernova2015.)
It had been just a few hours since her last modeling session had come to an end, but for poor Zoe the session had felt like an eternity. Even with Madame Pom's reassurance that her reputation would survive the mix-up, the doggy diva was still noticeably stressed out. To think her big break out was going to be as a model for pet diapers and other babyish things. Not even drinking out of the toilet was as humiliating an experience.
Fortunately the photography staff had gone all out to provide the utmost comfort for their model, even going so far as to give her her own dressing room. So Zoe (now thankfully undressed from all those stuffy baby clothes) made her way back there to relax.
That is, once Zoe changed out of her current "attire", something she'd forgotten to do. It couldn't be that hard though, they wouldn't put anything on her that couldn't be taken off, right? Zoe tried to paw at the zipper for her onesie, but her paw kept slipping off. "Stupid zipper!" She complained. "I hate you!"
A few more paw swaps produced the same results, until at last Zoe got a good enough grip on the metal object and clumsily pulled it down. With a few leg shimmies, she was able to kick off the onesie and opted to just leave it on the floor. She did the same with her diaper, except she was even less delicate with it than the onesie. She used her teeth to tug at the padding and throw it off without fanfare. It landed somewhere far away with a faint "thud". Oh well, that's what interns were for.
Now, finally undressed, Zoe was able to make her way into her dressing room for some much needed rest and relaxation. With a little luck, she'd forget all about the terrible ordeal she'd been through.
But upon entering, much to Zoe's surprise she saw a little girl no more than one and a half years old sitting on the couch. She sported brown locks and blue eyes, looking almost like a miniature Blythe. She was currently sitting on the couch in just her diaper and a dress, sucking on her pacifier and read a book about cartoon animals. It was now that Zoe remembered, Blythe had mentioned something about babysitting her younger cousin.
Sure enough, on the nearby table was a note. Zoe walked over to inspect it, and the note read as follows:
Dear Zoe,
If you're reading this, then you should know that I was asked by Mona Autumn to go through a few pictures of you to place into the next issue of Trés Blasé. Don't worry, I'll make sure to leave anything too embarrassing. Please be a good dog while I'm gone, okay?
Best regards,
Blythe
P.S.: If you've noticed a baby sitting on the couch, that's my cousin. Her name is Lilly, and... just like me, she can understand pets. Also, she's very mature for her age but also quite playful, so watch her every step.
As Zoe finished reading the note, she was surprised to see Lilly jump down from the couch and crawl over to her. The little girl at first just suckled on her pacifier a little, but then she pulled it out and tucked it away in her dress pocket as she introduced herself. "You must be Zoe Trent, right? Blythe told me all about you and your friends. My name is Lilly. Nice to meet you."
"Uh… nice to meet you too, Lilly," Zoe blushed. "I'm Zoe Trent, but you knew that already. I'm surprised to meet another human who can understand pets, I thought only Blythe could do that."
Lilly just giggled. "Not anymore. In fact, I've been able to talk to pets for almost as long as Blythe has, but the grown-ups all think I'm just playing pretend. My size and age certainly don't help."
"I can imagine," Zoe replied. "Though, if you're so smart, how come you're still in diapers?"
Lilly pouted. "Mommy and Daddy say I'm not old enough for potty training. It's so unfair, I could totally use the bathroom if they just let me, all I'd need is a stepstool."
"Well if you have to go while you're here, you just feel free to go ahead and use the potty like the big girl you are," Zoe encouraged. "My nose is too delicate for diaper changes."
"What do you mean? You drink out of the toilet and go to the bathroom behind fire hydrants." Lilly teased.
Zoe whined. "I may sometimes use a fire hydrant if I'm desperate, but I do NOT drink out of the toilet!" Under her breath she added. "That often."
Sometime later, Zoe and Lilly were sitting on the couch and talking about life, sharing things they would never share with anyone else. Lilly revealed that she'd even smuggled in a spare pacifier in case of emergencies.
But eventually, the topic shifted to their reasons for being in the dressing room today. And reluctantly, Zoe explained in great detail about the humiliating experience she'd been put through. "And the worst part is, pictures of my padded posture are sure to end up in pet fashion magazines," The dog whined. "Madame Pom and Blythe both say my reputation will survive, but I'm just not sure it will. What if my reputation is ruined forever?! Given the choice, I'd rather be at the vet, getting flea shots!"
It didn't take Lilly long to notice how upset Zoe seemed to be, and she hated to see any animal so upset. But what could she do to cheer her new friend up?
Surprisingly, the answer came to Lilly in an instant. If it was good enough for her it was more than good enough for Zoe, especially considering she'd already dressed up like a baby earlier. So the toddler pulled out her spare pacifier and offered it to Zoe. "Here," She encouraged. "This'll help calm you down."
"Hold on!" Zoe protested. "You actually want me to suck on a binky?!" Lilly nodded and the dog protested in response. "I don't know about this, Lilly. I mean, binkies are only for human babies to suck on to calm them down. Besides, I'm not a baby, I only dressed up like one for the photo shoot. I'm even toilet trained!"
Lilly just nodded in reply. "Oh I know that, Zoe, but Blythe told me how upset you were during the photo shoot earlier. So I just thought, maybe you'd like something to calm you down. It always works for me. Please? Just try it."
Zoe reluctantly looked at the pacifier again. It actually looked kind of inviting, and truth be told she was still feeling quite stressed out about the photo shoot. The teasing from Madame Pom certainly hadn't helped. "Hm, I wonder..." She thought to herself. "I dressed up like a baby before, but I never got to see what a pacifier feels like. Besides, it's not like there's anyone around to take pictures, the only one who will know is Lilly and the only one who'd believe her is Blythe. I know Blythe wouldn't tell a soul."
With her mind made up, the dog opened her mouth in joyful anticipation of the pacifier. To her surprise, Lilly inserted it for her and Zoe soon felt the rubber bulb in her mouth. She gave it a few suckles, realizing how soothing it felt, and all her worries melted away. Zoe gave Lilly a big, warm hug, and the toddler returned it full force.
Later that day, Blythe finally came back to see how her two charges were doing and to take them home (eventually). But when she opened the door to the dressing room, an adorable sight greeted her.
Zoe and Lilly were sleeping together on the couch, side by side, with Zoe sucking on a pacifier alongside Lilly.
On the nearby table was a note, one that had been clumsily written. But Blythe could make it more or less and it read:
Dear Cousin,
Sorry we couldn't stay up, but Zoe and I were getting tired of waiting for you to come back. So we decided to call it a night.
We didn't leave any messes for you to clean up, we both used the potty. Don't worry, Zoe was watching me the whole time.
Hope everything went well with the magazine, whatever the name of it was.
Your cousin,
Lilly.
Not wanting to wake them (and not smelling any foul smells that would indicate the need for a diaper change), Blythe decided to just leave them to get some rest. She'd make the calls so the two could enjoy each other's company until tomorrow. Still, even as she moved to close the door she couldn't help but whisper. "Good job, Lilly."