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Babysit to Babysat
by J-Raz
for Acepup
featuring Milo, aka rathalos1



There weren’t many after school jobs Ezra Blackwell could get. He was a high school student and a chipmunk, not a great combination. He was too short to see over the counter at Buck’s Coffee, he wasn’t strong enough to push a lawnmower, he was too small to try out for any sports team, and no one took him seriously at pretty much any other possible retail job. No, babysitting was pretty much it. Which was part of the problem…

“Are you reaaaally sure he’s a grown-up?” his newest charge asked. “‘Cause he looks like a baby ta me.”

Ezra sighed. It just wasn’t fair. Every time. This happened every time. It didn’t matter how he dressed, how big and full of books his backpack was, or even if it was obvious to a blind and deaf sloth that he was a chipmunk and thus naturally inclined to be small, nope, everyone always thought he was a little kit. It wasn’t his fault he was barely thirty-five inches tall (though he insisted he was three foot even), or that his cheeks were naturally chubby, or that a lot of the time the only clothes that fit him were designed for actual children. Why couldn’t he have been born a husky, or a bear, or something like that? Something big.

“Yes, Milo, I’m reaaaally sure.” Milo’s dad smiled and shook his head apologetically at Ezra.

The little chipmunk adjusted his glasses to cover his annoyance. This was not how he wanted to spend his entire Saturday, even if the pay was good. Milo and his dad had just moved into the neighborhood a few weeks, and he’d agreed to watch the kitten for the day so his dad could go shopping for a few more things their new home needed. That was a mistake. Ezra’d only ever seen Milo from a distance before this morning, so he’d never realized that the yellow kitten was already at least half a foot taller than him, without shoes. And only five.

Not fair, at all.

And, for the extra cherry on this Saturday sundae, a mildly overcast week had turned into pouring rain this morning, so now they were going to spend the entire day inside together. Oh joy.

Oh well, Milo looked like a good enough kid anyway. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too bad.

“So, Ezra, you’ve got all my contact information, right?” Milo’s dad asked.

“Yep!”  Ezra whipped his smartphone out and swiped at it to show it was all there. He wanted to make sure that he looked responsible, like he could handle himself. He’d even dressed up in a button-up short sleeve shirt, long pants, and clean white shoes today, to make a good impression. It seemed to have worked, since the older man hadn’t treated him like a child at all since the inevitable initial mixup earlier this week. It was really nice to be treated like an adult. Well, nearly-adult. “And the backup emergency numbers too, just in case.”

“Good. There’s plenty of food for lunch in the fridge, and make sure Milo eats his veggies~” Milo made a yucky sound but his dad ignored him and continued, “and if he gets tired he’ll find a place to take a nap. The TV’s already programmed with the channels he can watch, and there’s a few on-demand things there too. And he’ll want to play with you, but if you ask nicely I’m sure he’ll play quietly so you can have time to do your homework or whatever, right Milo?”

Milo nodded. “Uh-huh! Sure!”

“Good boy. Oh, and, Milo isn’t allowed in my office, but I’ve locked that door anyway so it’s not a big deal. Other than that, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Any questions?”

“Um, when do you think you’ll be back?”

“Oh, hopefully not too late, but if I am running late I’ll pay extra and I’ll bring home dinner. How’s pepperoni pizza sound?”

“Yeah, that sounds good, I like pepperoni. And, um, I don’t have to deal with, like, diapers or anything?” Ezra wanted to be sure on that point, he’d been surprised in the past.

Milo huffed and stomped a foot. “No! Imma big kitty!”

“Calm down, Milo, he was just asking, that’s all,” his dad said gently.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Milo, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Ezra quickly added. He really didn’t want to start this off on the wrong foot. Pouty kids were a pain in the neck.

“Well… okay.” Milo still sounded huffy, and he crossed his arms to show his displeasure. Ezra decided to try a different angle.

“So, hey, do you want me to read you a story later, Milo? Got any favorite books?”

“Uh-huh, yeah, sure!” Milo nodded excitedly. Well, that wasn’t hard.

“There, you two will get along fine.” He crouched down next to his son. “So, you’ll listen to Ezra, and be a good boy for him?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, daddy!”

“Good boy.” He gave Milo a huge hug. “Papa loves you, sweetie.”

“Love you too, papa!” They both wiggled their tails excitedly. Ezra hadn't figured out yet what species Milo’s dad was, with the big ears and the huge fluff ball on the end of his long tail, and it was hard to think of a polite way to ask, though it was obvious that Milo was both adopted and extremely well-loved. Ezra just stayed quiet until they were done like a good guest.

Finally, his dad gave Milo a kiss on the forehead and stood up. “Okay then, you two have fun. I’ll see you guys later!” He waved goodbye as he grabbed his phone and keys and headed out the front door.

“Bye-bye daddy!” Milo waved.

“Good bye. See you tonight!” Ezra said as he waved too.

“Bye!” The door closed and locked, and then they were alone.

They turned to look at each other. Ezra tried very hard to ignore that he had to look up at the younger kitten. Rain pattered against the window.

“So, um…” Ezra broke the silence first, “what’s on your mind, Milo?”

“I still think you’re a baby,” Milo said matter-of-factly.

Well. Today was off to a fantastic start.

Ezra took a deep breath, and ran a hand through his messy brown hair. “Well, I promise you, I’m not a baby, I’m a grown-up.” Change the subject, now. “So, what would you like to do right now, Milo? Watch TV, play a game?”

“I wanna play!”

“Well, what would you like to play?”

“Well…” Milo started ticking things off on one paw, “I like my bricks, and my plushies, and sometimes I wanna be in the Puppy Pack but Imma cat so I’d havta be a Kitty Pack…”

Puppy Pack? Wasn’t that that new kid’s show that looked kinda dumb. “Do you want to grab some of your toys so you can show me?” Ezra prompted.

Milo’s ears perked up. “Yeah! Imma be right back!” And he ran off out of the living room and down a hall, towards what Ezra guessed was his bedroom.

Ezra couldn’t help smiling. Well, that got Milo out of his hair for a minute, so maybe he could set himself up and get a little homework done, or at least get his homework out?

He grabbed his backpack and lugged it over to the table with every intention of working there, and then looked up at the big table, and the big normal adult-sized chairs that would just about put him at eye-height with the table’s edge, and the bright green booster seat on one of them that had to belong to Milo. Well, maybe he could… no, that would be a mistake, considering Milo’s thoughts on his age. So instead he just walked back over to the couch, heavy backpack still in hand, and plopped on the floor there, before pulling out his homework binder and heavy geometry textbook. He debated kicking off his shoes, but decided against it. It was probably rude to go around their house in his socks, especially since he’d forgotten to ask about other rules. Now, where did he write down that assignment?

“Wow, it that whatcha hafta do in school?” Milo asked. Ezra turned to see the kitten holding a big armful of toys.

“Unfortunately, yes. Do you want to see?”

“Um, sure!” Milo dropped his toys and looked over Ezra’s shoulder, which sadly wasn’t that hard. “Huh. That doesn’t look fun.”

“No, it usually isn’t,” he admitted. “Well, what’re you learning in school, Milo?”

“Well, at my old school, I was learnin’ my numbers and how to add. That’s taking two numbers so you can make ‘em one. But they’re learning somefin’ else at my new school. What’s that stuff?” Milo asked, pointing at a weird shape.

“Oh, this? It’s how to find the area of an object…” Milo looked confused, “I mean, how big a thing is and how much stuff is in it.”

“So… is it sorta like counting? Cause I don’t see stuffs to count, just letters.”

“Don’t worry about it, bud,” Ezra assured him, “you don’t have to learn this stuff for a while.”

“Oh, okay.” He didn’t sound reassured.

“So, um, what does your daddy do?” He actually was curious about that, he hadn’t figured that out yet either. Whatever it was, it was enough to pay for a pretty nice place.

“Oh, he’s a writer, and he does magic, but I’m not s’posed to tell anyone that.”

“Oh, magic?” So, Milo’s dad was a stage magician? “That’s really cool.”

“Uh-huh! And I’ve even learned some of his tricks!” Milo’s chest puffed with childish pride.

“Really? Wanna show me one of your tricks?” Ezra asked. Sure, maybe Milo wasn't any good at sleight of hand, but it wouldn’t hurt to play along and encourage him.

“Um, I’m not sure if I can.” The little kitten suddenly looked worried, like he’d broken a promise. He started playing with his tail nervously. “It’s a secret.”

Ezra vaguely recalled hearing that magicians were big into secrets and didn’t like telling other people how they did their tricks. “Well, if I promise to never tell, could you show me?”

“Um…” Milo mulled it over for a few moments. “Well, maybe. But you’ve gotta double-promise! And cross your heart.” He nodded seriously.

Ezra only rolled his eyes a little bit, but he gave Milo a big smile. “I double promise and cross my heart,” and he made sure to do it, “that I won’t tell anyone you showed me one of your magic tricks.”

“Okay, then I will! But I’ve gotta get a wand first!”

The chipmunk chuckled. “Sure, go for it!”

“Yay!” Milo scampered off back to his room. Ezra could hear him digging through a pile of something, and then silence, and then there was Milo again, and now he had a thick black and white-tipped wand suitable for the classical stage magician. It looked like the trick kind that had a bunch of fake flowers cunningly hidden inside. “Lookie! It’s my wand! Daddy gave it to me to practice!”

“Very cool. So, what are you going to show me?”

“Just watch! Nothing up my sleeves…” and he tugged on his t-shirt to show that there was indeed nothing up them, “and now…” he started waving his arms back and forth and swishing the wand around, “wooleewooleewooleewoolee…” and then he flicked the wand forward like a fishing pole and pointed it straight as Ezra, “Alakajam!”

Nothing.

No magically-appearing bouquet, no telescoping action, no glitter, nothing at all. Ezra briefly thought that there should be crickets chirping, before dismissing that as being mean.

“Um…”

“Wait, let me try again!” Milo waved his wand again. “Agracabadra!”

Still nothing.

Milo’s ears and tail sank. “Aw, I thought the trick would work.”

“Well, what were you trying to do?”

“Tryin’ to make you a baby,” he explained.

You’re not gonna let that drop, are you? He might as well try to let him down gently. “Well, maybe that takes a bit more magic than you can do, Milo?” Ezra consoled the young would-be magician.

“I guess so.” Milo sighed. “Sorry it di’n’t work.”

“Well, that’s okay, Milo.” He didn’t want to be a baby anyway, and he didn’t feel like playing along that much. “But I bet your dad could show me some magic when he gets home, and then maybe he could help your trick work?”

“You think?”

“Sure!”

“Okay!” Milo brightened up. “Yeah, he would!”

“So, how about a deal?” Ezra said with a wink. “You play with your toys quietly right over there while I work on my homework, and in a bit I’ll play with you, okay?”

“Yeah!” Milo nodded. “I can do that, Ezza!”

“Ezra,” he said, slowly sounding it out.

“Essjjra.”

Ezra shook his head. “Actually, just call me Ace, okay?”

“Ace?”

“Yeah, it’s easier to say.” It was also a very childish nickname he hadn’t let anyone use in years: when he’d been young, younger than Milo was, “Ez’a” was the best he could do, and that had eventually become Ace. Mom still called him that from time to time, even though he’d asked her please not to. Moms.

“Okay, Ace!” Milo gave him a thumbs up and went back to his toys.

Cute kitten, Milo thought as he turned back to his algebra homework.

The two worked in almost silence for a while. Ezra wrestled with how letters could possibly be added together. Milo was doing some sort of puppet soap opera. Outside, the rain faded in and out.

After a while, Ezra pulled his phone out and flipped it open to check the time. Wow, he’d been working for almost an hour. He shoved his math sheets to one side and stood up, reaching as high as he could. Oh, wow, that felt good.

“Are you okay?” Milo asked.

“Yeah, just sitting still for too long and needed to stretch.” Ezra straightened his clothes out. He didn’t want to get all dressed up, but mom said she wanted him to look his best because this might turn into a good thing for extra money. He rolled his eyes at the thought of taking care of more kids.

“Gotcha.” Milo got up and stretched too. He even made a cute noise.

Ezra licked his lips. “Um, hey, I’m kinda thirsty…”

“Oh, okay. Come on, Ace, the kitchen’s this way!” He’d seen it through one of the doors already, but he followed Milo anyway. There were a few boxes they hadn’t unpacked yet, and a bunch of stuff was still piled up on the counters. The food all seemed to be put away, though.

“This is a pretty big kitchen.” Ezra looked up at the cupboards and quietly gulped. They were a lot higher up than he was used to. This place wasn’t sized for people as short as him.

“Uh-huh! Our old one was smaller.” Milo grabbed a juice jug from the fridge. “Do you wanna get the cups?

“Um… actually…” he looked down and scuffed his feet. “I’m kind of afraid of heights…”

“That’s okay!” He jumped at how loud Milo was. “Daddy says I can get cups, but not glasses. I’ll do it!”

Ezra blushed. “O-oh, sure.” It was so embarrassing to have a kid do this. “Thank you,” he remembered to say.

“Sokay!” Milo shoved a stool across the floor and climbed up like it was a jungle gym. “What color do ya want?”

“Um, red, please.”

“Uh-huh!” Milo grabbed two cups and climbed down before heading straight for the juice. Ezra flinched.

“Um, Milo, here, let me do that.”

“Okay!” He was quiet for maybe three seconds while Ezra carefully poured. “Um, are you hungry, Ace?”

“Kinda, yeah.” It was hard not to spill. The jug was kind of heavy.

Milo held out a plastic top. “Daddy says I gotta use a sippy lid so’s I don’t spill,” he explained. “Could you puts it on for me?”

“Sure, no problem.” The lid clipped on easily, and he handed it to Milo. “Is there anything in the fridge you want me to make?” Ezra drank from his cup. He hadn’t had apple juice for a while.

“Nuh-uh, not really.” Milo took another sip. “We don’t have maraconi and cheese or nothing good. And I don’t like the green stuff we’ve got.”

“Yeah, I don’t want veggies either,” Ezra admitted. Mom almost always overcooked them.

“Wha’ about shereal?” the kitten asked as he dug through a low cupboard.

“What kind of cereal?” Ezra looked in past Milo’s shoulder.

“Not much,” Milo admitted, “but we’ve got Honey Wheelies…”

“I like those!”

“Me too. But Daddy won’t let me get the cereals with moshmellows.”

“Those are okay. But pop tarts are the best.” Milo smiled and nodded while Ezra took another drink. For a little kid, Milo wasn’t bad. Not that he’d hand out with the kitten on a regular basis, but he wasn’t too annoying for a five year old.

“Well, let’s do cereal,” Ezra said. “Um, could you get the bowls, please?”

“Uh-huh!” Milo was back up the stool and then right back down again with some bowls. Plastic ones, with farm animals inside them and the alphabet and numbers around the rims. They were really cubby.

“Um, could you maybe get me a different bowl?” Ezra felt a little weird. He was in middle school now, but people were still mistaking him for, like, a little kid. He really hoped they’d stop that soon, but in the meantime he was starting to have a problem with cubby stuff.

“Uh-uh.” Milo shook his head. “Daddy says I can’t touch the other bowls yet, I broked one once and it made a big noise, I didn’t like that.”

“O-oh, okay.” Well, he didn’t want to climb up there, and he couldn’t see these other bowls so maybe they were put somewhere else. And he didn’t want to get Milo in trouble with his dad.

“Here, watch, I can pour the cereal! Daddy lets me do that!” He could indeed, and only a few little pieces skittered across the floor.

“Good job, Milo,” Ezra congratulated.

“Thanks!” He lifted one up with both hands. “This is yours, do you wants milk?”

“I’m good, thanks. What about you?”

“Nuh-uh!” He giggled. “Dat way I can eats wif mah hands.” Milo scooped up a handful and shoved it into his mouth.

“Um, I dunno if your dad’d be okay with that…” Ezra said uncertainly.

“I won’ make a mess, promise!”

Well, since Milo promised… “I guess it’s okay.”

Milo smiled and swallowed another mouthful. “Fank ‘oo!” he mumbled.

“Um, where are the spoons?” Ezra asked.

“Up there!” Milo pointed at a drawer Ezra could actually reach, and he grabbed a spoon without too much trouble. He took a bite of the sweet cereal.

“Shank ‘oo,” he said around a mouthful, and quickly swallowed after Milo giggled. “I mean, thanks.” He hadn’t had this kind for a while.

“Yer welcome! Nows let’s play!” Milo grabbed his juice cup and ran for the living room.

“Slow down!” Ezra called out.

“Okaaaaay,” the kitten whined. “But hurry up, I wanna play!”

Ezra grinned. Playing did sound more fun than math. “So, hey, whatcha playing, Milo?”

“I was gonna get mah building bricks and make some stuff. You gonna play with me?”

Actually that didn’t sound so bad. “Sure buddy!”

“Yay! You clean up here, I’ll go get my toys!”

Ezra groaned. He didn’t want to clean up Milo’s stuff, but he was already gone, so the chipmunk didn’t have much choice. Ezra took a step forward and stumbled over his laces. He grumbled to himself. They were always coming undone. He leaned over to retie his brightly-colored shoes, clumsily knotting the laces. Maybe that would be enough, even though it’d make untying them harder and he’d probably have to ask for Mom’s help when he got home tonight. As he stood back up, he felt his polo shirt come untucked from his nice blue shorts. He quietly squeaked and quickly reached to tuck it back in.

“You okay, Ace?” Milo asked as he came back in dragging a noisy bin.

“Um, yeah, nothing’s wrong.” He smiled nervously as he pushed the toys around. Actually, he was wearing his least favorite undies today, the colorful cartoon rocket-covered ones. The last time someone at school had seen him wearing these, they’d made fun of him all day, calling him a baby and asking if he wanted his mommy when he cried. He blushed as he remembered. He’d liked wearing them too, but now he tried to only wear plain white undies, and all of his were dirty right now. Milo was probably wearing a similar pair too.

“Okay! Then let’s play!” He tipped the bin over, and a whole bunch of big brightly-colored building bricks spilled onto the carpet.

“I haven’t seen the big ones for a while,” Ezra said as Milo plopped down and started sticking bricks together.

“And I’ve got a lot of the normal ones but I only like playin’ wiv ‘em with daddy.”

“O-oh?” Ezra was a little distracted. He took another bite to cover himself. He’d noticed something when Milo had sat on the floor. The two of them actually did wear the same undies brand. He quietly huffed in embarrassment. This was so not cool. But, well, playtime was playtime, even if it was with a little kid, so Ace got down on the floor with Milo and grabbed a handful of the big bricks.

“So watcha wanna build, Ace?” Milo asked as he stuck a bunch of red ones together.

“Um, I dunno yet. What’re you building?” Maybe he’d get some ideas.

“I’m gonna make the Super Secret Doghouse so I can have aventures!” Milo squeaked in excitement.

“Wow, really? Then you’re gonna need some more green ones,” and Ace pushed a handful at Milo.

“You like Puppy Pack too?” Milo gasped. “That’s my fav’rite show! Daddy and me watch it all the time!”

“Really?” Ace wouldn’t admit it to his school friends, but he did still sometimes like cubby shows like that, even though he was a big kid and shouldn’t.

“Yuh-huh! I likes Robby Wiley the best!”

“I like Jack Russel!”

“Oh oh oh, amember when they had ta save the kitty~”

“And Goldie got the ladder for Jack~”

“And Terry got all a’sited and knocked it down and then Jack and da kitty was in the tree?”

“Teeerryyyy!” they both quoted at the same time, and then they both started giggling. It was good to have a new friend to talk about this kind of stuff with, Ace decided.

Outside it was still raining. They talked for a long time. Eventually they finished their cereal, so Milo went to get more, but then they both just started eating handfuls straight from the box. Maybe they'd get in trouble if they made a mess and got caught, but that kinda made it more fun.

After a while, Ace looked at his watch. “Aww, man.”

“Wut?”

“I need to work on my homework some more.”

“Aww, but we’re havin’ fuuun,” Milo whined.

“I know, but I’ve gotta do it.”

“Buh, buh…” Milo’s lip started wibbling.

“Okay, look.” Ace held up his wrist so Milo could see his watch. “I’ll do my homework from right now,” he pointed at the minute hand, just like he’d learned, “until right here,” and he moved his finger along just a little bit, “and if you play quietly, then we’ll play some more, okay?”

“So… that’s… um, how long?”

“Twenty minutes, okay?”

“Twenty minutes?!” Milo’s tail and ears drooped. “Buh-but, that’s, fowever…”

“If you want, we’ll watch some Puppy Pack, okay?”

Milo’s ears perked up right away. “Really? Okay, yeah, sure!” He started playing again, but he was extra careful to be quiet.

Ace grinned as he walked back over to the couch with his juice. See, he was great with little kids. He knew that mom was worried about nothing. He sat down and grabbed his book. Now, where was he? Ace looked down at his homework. It was so frustrating. He was just starting to get putting numbers together, and now they wanted him to take a number away from another one? He did one of the practice problems, and then checked his answer. He’d gotten it wrong? What did he do… oh, he forgot to carry that number. He tried again, and this time he got it right. He did another one, and he got that one right too. This was easy!

“Yes!” he whispered.

“Hey, um, whatcha workin’ on, Ace?” Milo asked quietly, trying not to disturb his friend.

“Numbers,” Ace huffed. He held up the sheet so Milo could see. Each line had a nice big example number, with little arrows to show how you were supposed to write it, and then some blank space. “I’ve gotta practice writin’ the numbers on a line, at least seven times each.”

Milo counted to seven on his fingers before he reacted. “Yuck! No fun!”

“Nuh-uh.” He flopped back against the couch and took another drink. He was just about to start practicing the number 5, when he felt a powerful twinge from his tummy. Oh no. He had to pee, bad. How come he didn’t notice before?

“Um, Milo, where’s the bathroom?” He carefully climbed to his feet, and it got worse. Wow, he really had to go. Ace twisted and turned and tried to hold it. He really didn’t wanna wet his pants, not right now when he was babysitting. That would be really really really bad.

“Huh? Oh, you’ve gotta go?” Ace nodded desperately. Milo grabbed his hand. “I’ll show you, come on!” He pulled Ace down the hall, almost breaking his concentration. They stopped outside what Ace really hoped was the right door, and Milo reached up to open it for him. “Here it is!”

“Thankyou!” Ace squeaked and ran past Milo, almost slamming the door behind him. He frantically fumbled with his belt until he could lift his t-shirt and drop his shorts and undies and pee. Ace sighed in relief. That was too close.

“Are you okay, Ace?” Milo called out.

“Uh-huh, almost done!” Ace pulled up his favorite Puppy Pack training pants and proudly patted the thick fabric. All dry. Soon he’d get real big boy undies to wear. He couldn’t wait! He lifted his shorts and buttoned them, and didn’t forget to do his zipper so people couldn’t see his training pants. “All done!”

“You fo’got to wash your hands!”

Oh! He blushed. How could he forget? There was a stepping stool in front of the sink. It was probably Milo’s, but now Ace could actually reach the sink. He used lots of hot water and soap like he was supposed to. He looked in the mirror, and adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses. They were brand new and really tough. He didn’t like wearing them, but Mommy said he had to, and she’d bought him a new shirt with the Puppy Pack Paw Print on it because he was a good boy and looked really nice in his glasses. He still didn’t want to wear them to daycare. Everyone would probably make fun of him.

“Okay, now all done!” Ace said as he walked out of the bathroom. “And no accident!” he said proudly. He knew mommy was just being silly when she asked if he wanted to wear his pull-ups to play with his new friend. He was such a big boy already.

“Yay!” Milo clapped. “Can we watch Puppy Pack now?”

“Yeah!” Ace giggled and dragged Milo after him. “Come on, let’s go!”

It took them a little bit to figure out how to get the TV working and showing what they wanted to watch, but finally they could watch Puppy Pack. Except…

Milo stared at the big list. “Which one should I do?”

“I dunno.” Ace made noisy slurps as he drank from his sippy-lidded cup. “That one!” he pointed.

“Okay!” Milo pushed the button and flopped down on the carpet next to Ace.

He’d picked a good episode. There was a bunny that got stuck in the middle of the lake, and they had to rescue her, but Terry ~ “Teeerryyyy!” ~ accidentally popped the raft, so instead Goldie found a floaty tube and she and Robby had to push it, and it was really close but they still saved the bunny!

“Yay!” Milo clapped and cheered.

“I told you, the Puppy Pack always saves the day!” Ace didn’t want Milo to know, but he’d been worried too.

“Wanna watch another one?”

“Uh-huh!” As if he needed to ask.

They watched another episode, but then they had to get more juice and they didn’t spill at all even though it was hard, and then they could watch another one. Afterwards it was still raining, so instead they played Save The Poor Bunny but Ace didn’t wanna be a bunny and neither did Milo, so instead Milo’s stuffed tiger was the bunny and they had to save her…

“And the day is shaved!” Milo said just (almost) like the narrator. “Thanks to~”

“The Puppy Pack! Paws up!” they shouted together, and then high-pawed. “Yaaaay!”

They both started laughing. They were having so much fun. Ace flopped on the floor and smiled really big. He really liked playing with his new friend, and Milo liked him too, even though he was bigger than Ace so that was really cool…

And then he felt it again, that urge to go potty. Uh-oh. Not again. But before he could even get up to go potty, it went away, and his pull-ups got warm and wet.

Oh no. He felt his cheeks burning. He stood up, and his pull-up was all heavy and droopy. And wet. He’d had an accident. Ace felt like crying. He’d been doing such a good job, and Mommy was so proud of him, and he almost had a whole week of gold stickers on his Big Chipmunk Chart and now he was gonna have to start all over. He sniffled.

“Ace?” Milo looked worried. “Wa’s wrong? You okay?”

“Uh-uh, I… I had an askident.” He couldn't look at Milo. He was so embarrassed, and now Milo would think he was just a baby even though he was really almost a big boy and he didn’t need diapers, but now Milo was gonna make fun of him…

“Oh. Um, it’s okay,” Milo said, “my daddy says dat’s why dey're acciden’s, ‘cause they only happen somestime.” He didn’t really remember what how his daddy said it, but it was pretty close.

“I… I guess.” He felt a little better now, but he was still wet and uncomfortable. But Milo wasn’t making fun of him, so that was good.

“Um, do ya gots another pull-up? ‘Cause I don’t got any.”

Milo already got to wear real big boy pants? His ears drooped and he felt like crying again. But he needed to get cleaned up first. “Uh-huh,” he said. Mommy always made him bring extra pull-ups when he played at a friend’s house, just in case. He ran - well, gingerly waddled - over to his backpack, squishing the whole way. It was his favorite, the one that looked like a big happy red dog’s head. He had to dig through this toys to find his pull-ups, since he’d buried them at the bottom so Milo couldn’t see them. Finally, he saw Jack Russel’s face grinning up at him from a clean pull-up. He pulled it out and held it tight. “Okay, I got it.”

“Then let’s get ya changed, okay?”

“Okay…” Ace said, still sniffling a little. Milo gently took Ace’s hand and led him back to the bathroom.

“Um, if you want, I can stay,” Milo said when they got there. “Just in case ya need help, okay?”

Ace nodded. “Y-yeah, okay. Um… could you, turn around, please?” He didn’t want Milo to watch, that’d make him feel worse.

“Uh-huh!” Milo turned towards the tub. Ace waited until he was really sure Milo couldn’t see him, and then he fumbled with his shorts and let them slide down. He tried to get them off and stumbled. Milo must have heard, because he twisted around and saw Ace stuck in his shorts and wet pull-up. He giggled, and Ace blushed, and then he pointed at Ace’s feet. “Ace, you gotsta take ya shoes off first, amember?”

Oh, right. How could he forget? “Th-thanks,” he stammered, and Milo smiled and turned back around and started rocking back and forth on his feet. Ace looked at his tangled shorts. This was gonna be hard to do. His pull-up made squishy noises as he bent over to try and undo the velcro on his shoes. It was really hard, and there were three of them on each shoe, so he had… four, five… six! Six straps. He was getting really good at counting, but he didn’t like the sound because it reminded him of diaper tapes. He got them all open and his shoes off, and then he could finally take off his shoes. Yes! But now he had to get cleaned up.

He looked sadly at his pull-up. It hadn’t leaked, but it was drooping pretty bad without his shorts, and all the pictures had faded. Ace frowned. That must have been a bad accident. He carefully tugged it down and took it off, since he didn’t wanna make a mess on the floor, and then he put it in the trashcan and cleaned himself up with some toilet paper. Then he grabbed the new one and put his legs in one at a time before pulling it up nice and snug. It took him a moment to threat his little chipmunk tail through the hole in the back, and then he was done. That was much better. He liked being dry a lot more than being wet. “Okay, I’m done!”

Milo turned around. “You okay?”

“No, not weally,” Ace said.

“Aww, it’s gonna be okay.” Milo hugged him tight. “I’s still your fwiend.”

“Really?” He could barely believe his luck.

“Uh-huh!” Milo smiled and nodded really hard. “So, dun worry bout it, ‘kay?”

“Okay.” Ace smiled back. He felt a little better.

“Do you wanna get your shorts on, so's we can play some more?”

Ace nodded. He definitely felt really good now. Milo was only a little bigger than him, but he was so big and cool. He was a great sitter. And Milo liked playing with him, even though Ace was just a little kid. He’d be a big boy like Milo someday, Ace thought as he stretched his shorts out and pulled them up over his pull-up. He looked down at his shoes, and then looked up at Milo. “Um, Milo, could you pease help miv mah shoes?” He could maybe manage the sticky stuff, but he still needed Mommy to make sure they went on the right feet.

“Uh-huh, okay! Do you wanna sit down for me?”

Ace awkwardly squatted down and fell back onto his padded butt. His diaper loudly crinkled and made a little poof of air go up his back. Milo giggled, and Ace blushed, but Milo smiled so Ace knew he wasn’t being mean. He’d been trying to learn the potty for Mommy, he really had, but it was so hard. Mommy’d said it was okay, ‘cause he wasn’t ready yet. And Milo wasn’t making fun of him for being a big chipmunk who still wore diapers. Maybe he could tell Milo his secret that he still liked diapers a little bit?

Milo finished doing his shoes, and then he picked Ace up and put him on his feet. Wow, he was such a big kid. Ace smiled. “Thank you, Miwo,” he said.

“Isokay, Ace.”

Ace wiggled a little. He didn’t like these shorts a lot, they were a little snug over his diaper so everyone could see what he was wearing, and the pockets were really small and couldn’t hold stuff. “Oh! Watch this!” he said proudly. Ace lifted one foot, and stomped hard on the floor, and little lights lit up and danced around his feet.

“Wow! You got light shoes? I want shoes like dat! So cool!”

“Uh-huh! They’re my favorites!” He stomped and waddled some more to show off.

Milo giggled. “You walk like a dinasawer!”

“Raaaar!” Ace roared and waved his arms. “Imma dinoshower! Imma eat you! Raaaar!”

“Naw if ya don’t catch me!” Milo squealed and ran back to the living room.

“Raaaaar! You neva ecscape! Raaar!”

Stompy light-up dinosaur feet chased nearly silent kitty paws around the couch, until Ace stumbled and Milo crashed right into him from behind. They both fell down laughing.

“Raaar, I gotcha!” Ace roared as he grabbed Milo and crawled on him.

“Oh no, you got me!” Milo cried out. “Imma get eaten!”

“Om!” Ace lightly gummed Milo’s arm. “Now you’s eated.”

“Oh nooooo, I’s dead!” Milo made a “bleh” noise and closed his eyes.

Ace roared one last time, and then flopped onto the floor giggling. That was fun! What should they do next? Hmm…

He moved his legs, and listened to his diaper crinkling. One of his legs felt a little weird, so he looked down at it. “Milo?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Can you fix mah pants, please?” He lifted the leg to show Milo. A few of the snaps were unsnapped, and he could see a lot of his leg and the top of one colorful sock.

“Uh-huh, okays.” Milo rolled over and kneeled down next to him. “Hey, Ace, I gotsa ques’ion for you,” Milo asked with a little grin that Ace missed.

“Was dat?”

“Are you ticklish?”

Uh-oh. “Nuu~” he squeaked, but it was too late. Milo’s little kitty fingers were already tickling the back of Ace’s knee. He tried to roll away, but that just made his shirt come out, and Milo started tickling his sides. All Ace could do was roll helplessly on the carpet, laughing and flailing and crinkling.

“I’m da tickle monstah!” Milo squealed.

“Nuuu-heehahee, s-to-hahahaa-haaaa-p, M-milooohaheeheee, puh-haha-leaaaase~”

Milo stopped, but only because Ace said please. The poor tired chipmunk panted and made little squeaking noises while he tried to catch his breath. It took a while before he felt good enough to toddle to his feet. He grabbed onto the couch for balance.

While Ace was busy doing that, Milo walked up and pulled his pants back.

“H-hey!” Ace yipped. “Wha’s that for?”

“I gotta check if you needs a chance, Ace.”

“I don’t needs that,” Ace pouted. He fussed and played with his t-shirt. It was dark green, and it had Jack Russell’s face on it, and that made him think about Puppy Pack and he started humming the song…

“Okay,” Milo said, patting Ace’s butt, “all clean.”

“See? Toldja.”

“I still gotsta check, cause I’m biggerer so’s I’m in charge.”

Ace huffed and waddled over to his sippy cup and grabbed it by both handles so he could get it to his mouth. Then he saw his paper and crayon box on the ground, and he smiled. “Milo, wanna dwaw wiv me?” He liked drawing, so maybe he could draw something for Milo? And then Milo’s Daddy could put it on their fridge, like what Mommy did when he drew stuff for her?

“Yeah, I likes dwawering… hey, wha’s dat?” Milo pointed and Ace looked. There was a bright colorful book under Ace’s stuff.

Ace gasped. “Dat’s mah faverit book!” He toddled over to it and picked it up and held it like shiny treasure or a new toy. “You wanna read it wiv me?” he asked. Mommy had been reading it to him, and he really wanted to show it to Milo.

“Uh-huh, sure!”

“Yay!”

They climbed onto the couch, Ace hampered by pampers, or at least until Milo gave his butt a helpful and crinkly push. The chipmunk got himself comfortable with the book in his lap while Milo finished climbing up and flopped next to him.

“Thank you,” Ace smiled at his big friend.

“Yer we’come. Now, let’s read!” Milo exclaimed. “Show me!”

“Okay!” Ace clumsily opened the book to the first page. There wasn’t much there. There was a red apple on a green background, and some words next to it, and that was it. Ace looked at the words just like he did with momma, but they were just squiggles to him. He tried to sound out the letters he could remember, but it wasn’t working.

“Do ya needs some help?” Milo asked.

“Nuh-uh, I can do it!”

“Ya sure?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Really sure?”

“Well… I guess you could help me,” Ace admitted. “If you really wanna.”

Milo wasn’t fooled, but he still scooted right next to Ace. “Sure, of course I wanna help!”

“Th-thanks.” Ace smiled. Milo was so smart and nice, even if he was a tickle monster.

Milo planted his finger on the page, and slowed sounded the words out like he’d learned. “A i-is f-o-r for! a-p-p… Apple. A is for Apple.”

“A is for Apple,” Ace repeated.

“Uh-huh!” Milo said. Ace smiled, and then helped Milo turn the page. “B is for ba-l? B is for Ball!”

Milo kept reading. He was his favorite babysitter, Ace decided. Ace went back to sucking on his juice bottle. Mommy said he was getting too big for it, but he liked drinking from it, so she still let him. It was getting dark outside. Milo’s daddy would be home soon, so he’d have to go back home, but he didn’t wanna, he wanted to stay and play with Milo. He was so warm and comfy here, and Milo was warm and Ace could feel him breathing, and the rain was nice, and his diaper felt nice and warm too, and he yawned and his eyes closed for just a second…

Ace popped up. “Wuh? Huh?”

“Are ya sleepy, Ace?” Milo asked. Ace couldn’t figure out how far he’d got in the book.

“Nuh-uh!” Ace shook his head. He definitely wasn’t sleepy.

Milo didn’t believe him. “I think it’s nap-time.”

Ace pouted and shook his head again. “Nuh, dun wanna nap!”

“Babies gotsta have naps,” Milo said like a nap expert.

“Buh I’m nah tired, I wantsta re-e-eaaaaad~” Ace tried really hard not to yawn, but it got away from him. It was a really big yawn too, and now it was really hard to keep his eyes open. Maybe a nap was a good idea…

“Just a liddle nap?” Ace asked. “I wantsta play afores I goes home.”

“Uh-huh,” Milo promised.

“O-okay, but I wan Beah fust,” Ace mumbled.

Milo looked confused. “Beah?” He said it again. “Beah? Oh!” He got it now. “Okay! Come on.” Milo hopped down off the couch, and then half-lifted Ace down, and then they both walked and waddled over to Ace’s colorful backpack right next to the big diaper bag. The little backpack didn’t have a lot of room except for a few favorite toys and ‘Beah’. Milo reached in and pulled out Ace’s teddy bear. It was brown and snuggly and well-loved, and when Milo gave him to Ace the little chipmunk gave it a big hug.

Ace smiled, and then yawned again. “Okay, I’s ready for nap now.”

“Nuh-uh, ya can’ts wears pants to nap-time,” Milo said. “Here, lemme help…”

“I can do mah own cwothes!” Ace squeaked, and tried to undo his shortalls. It was really hard, he couldn’t get his hands to work and the little snaps wouldn’t come undone, and he just would not let go of Bear. All he got was very fussy and huffy. After what felt like forever he gave up. “Otay… you can hewp,” he said.

“What’s da magic word?” Milo asked. His daddy had taught him how to be polite, he wanted to make sure Ace knew how to too.

Ace had to think about it.

“It’s got a ‘Puh’ sound,” Milo hinted.

Oh! “Pwease?” Ace asked.

“Uh-huh!” Milo was a lot better at clothes than Ace. He took Ace’s shoes off, and then he got the shoulder straps undone really fast, and then he helped Ace step out of his shortalls when they hit the floor. The onesie he had on was green and kinda snug and strained to hold itself around his diaper. That’s when Ace realized that his diaper felt heavy and warm.

“Uh-oh,” Milo said. “Looks like ya went potty.”

Ace couldn’t remember when he went. He poked at his diaper, and giggled at the squishy feeling. His little tail waggled. He loved when his diapers were squishy and warm.

“I guess I gotsta change you,” Milo said. He kinda knew what to do…

“Nuh!” Ace said, shaking his head so hard that his pacifier swung around on the end of its clip. “Wans my diapee!”

“Oh, um, okay.” He didn’t sound too sure. “Daddy’ll get you a clean diapee when he gets home, huh?”

Ace nodded. “Uh-huh…” He yawned again, and then grabbed his pacifier and stuck it into his mouth and started sucking on it. He loved his pacifier. It felt so good in his mouth. He smiled at Milo. “Ah’m weady…” he mumbled.

“Okay, come on, baby, nap time” Milo said. Ace nodded and followed Milo back to his room, waddling all the way. His diaper was thick and wet and it forced his legs apart, but he didn’t care, he loved his diaper. He smiled as it crinkled and squished with every step.

Milo opened the door and led him in. It was a really fun-looking room, with a big bed and a colorful carpet and a big window and lots of big boy toys that Ace really wanted to play with, and maybe he could after his nap…

“I hopes ya don’t leak on mah bed,” Milo teased as he helped Ace climb up and under the covers.

Ace shook his head. “Nuh-uh, no weaks… pwomise…”

“Okay, since ya promised.” Milo pulled the blankets up just like daddy did, and patted Ace’s forehead. “Now, sleeps good, okay? And nice dweams.”

“Mhm,” Ace nodded tiredly.

“Good baby.”

Ace smiled. “Cab ah habs mah baba?” he mumbled around the pacifier.

Milo understood him this time. “Uh-huh, but onlys if you stays right here and be good, okay?”

“Ogay…” Ace waved sleepily at Milo as he turned off the lights and left the room.

He was really tired, but he couldn’t fall asleep. The room was dark, and the blanket was warm, and the rain pattered against the window like a quiet lullaby. But Milo’s bed was really different from his crib, and it was his first time in a real big boy bed and not just mommy’s when he had a nightmare. He turned over. He couldn’t find a really comfy spot, and there was a weird pressure in his tummy that was making him feel full and grouchy. He turned again, and heard the same crinkling noise his crib made back home. That made it feel normal.

He yawned really big, and when he closed his mouth his pacifier was gone. He tried to feel for it in the dark, but he couldn’t find it. He even let go of Bear so he could look with both hands. He was getting worried, he needed his pacifier… oh, there it was. He put it back into his mouth, and he started sucking almost immediately. It filled his mouth and the little plastic part bumped against his lips. He grabbed Bear, and he smiled and his tail happily wiggled.

He rolled over onto his tummy, and his tail stopped wiggling and hitched itself up a little bit, and then he felt a lot better. That yucky full feeling was gone now. He rolled back onto his back, and now his diaper felt extra warm and mushy. And full. It felt really good, and he smiled as he finished his business and his diaper settled itself with a squishy noise. He yawned again, his eyes getting heavier and heavier. And he didn’t even lose his pacifier this time. He was such a silly baby.

But that’s why he had Milo and Mommy and Milo’s Daddy and Bear to take care of him, because he was a silly baby, and he pulled Bear in really tight as his body finally gave up on staying awake and he felt himself slowly sinking into a warm dark place…

That’s when Milo came back. “Hey, Ace, I gotsyer… oh…” He shushed himself really quickly. The big baby chipmunk was already asleep and gently sucking on his pacifier. Milo smiled, and quietly giggled at Ace. “Guess ya don’ts needs it,” he whispered. Then he sniffed the air and made a yuck face. “Nini, baby Ace.”

He left the door open a bit so he could hear if Ace woke up. Well, wouldn’t daddy feel silly when he came home and learned that Milo was right and Ace was really a baby? Well, Daddy would know how to take care of Ace when he got back, and that wouldn’t be too long now. Maybe Milo could help him feed Ace his dinner? He loved being helpful, even if it took a little magic to help out. And his spell worked, it just took a while. Daddy would be so proud. Well, now he should play quietly while he waited, so he didn’t wake up the baby…

And back in Milo’s bed, the little teenaged chipmunk turned over in his sleep. His used diaper squished and his babyish onesie strained around the load. He snuggled his old teddy bear and smiled around his pacifier. If Ace was awake right now, he wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with any of it. He was just a baby, after all…