Luke & Liam: Harvest Festival

"It's very important for you to learn to listen and obey, Luke." Liam said gently as he held his brother in his lap, feeding him his breakfast. "Do you know why?"

"Why?" Luke tried to say, getting a mouthful of cereal for his trouble.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Liam grabbed the bottom of Luke's bib and wiped his chin with it. Since Luke insisted on wearing his clothes for breakfast today, he sat there on Liam's lap in an orange Paw Patrol shirt, orange shorts, and a baby blue bib. Anyone who saw him would definitely see him for the toddler he had become thanks to Liam and their parents.

"Not my fault." Luke muttered. "You're the one feeding me."

"That's right! And why am I doing that?"

"Cuz"

"Cuz?"

"Cuz I'm a baby."

"You are." Liam agreed, albeit much more cheerfully than Luke did. "So, why's it so important for you to listen and obey?"

"Cuz I'm tiny like a baby."

"Yes, but I mean more," Liam paused. "What happened the last time you made your own decisions?" Luke shrugged adorably. "Well, remember way, way back when there was that fire drill? You had to think for yourself and you ended up outside the school, in nothing but your undies, hmm?" Luke nodded bashfully, figuring it did not matter that he had had a towel as well. "Or were they your Pull-ups?"

"I don't wear Pull-ups!"

"Remind me. Were they boxer briefs like big brother Liam wears?"

"No." Luke replied sullenly.

"What was that, mister mumbly mums?"

"No, they weren't"

"Oh? Then what were they?" Luke groaned in that way he did when he knew what Liam wanted him to say. He bounced Luke a bit, as if to jog his memory.

"They" he sighed. Liam never showed his impatience, but he still prodded Luke.

“C’mon, Lukey. You used to scamper around in just them even before the fire drill. I know you know what undies you wore.”

"They were tighty whities like you used to wear when you were little. Like me."

"Oh, that's right! I remember now. And you're still in those, aren't you, Lukey loo?" Luke only nodded. "That must mean you're still little, hmm?"

"Yeah."

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m still a little boy.”

"So little boys like you don't make decisions. That's for mommy and daddy, big brother, and all those other grown-ups."

"Hey now, I don't know if you count as a grown-up, Liam." Dad said.

"I am compared to Luke." Luke stared in disbelief as his dad considered this and nodded. "Even five year olds are grown-ups to you, Lukey." Liam whispered as he gave Luke's face a final wipe with the bib. "Alright, what's on the schedule for today, Luke?"

"The harvest festival."

"That's right!" Liam hugged Luke. "Let's get your shoes on!"

"Wait, I'm going like this?"

"Well, we'll take your bib off, though I do want to pack it for lunch." Liam said.

"No, I mean"

"Luke, remember you're supposed to listen and obey. You're perfectly fine the way you're dressed. You have a top, a bottom, and we both know you're wearing undies. What more do you need?"

"I might be chilly?" It was a pathetic excuse, but he would do anything to avoid being seen dressed like this. He had hoodies and jeans and all that. Liam just refused to make him wear them when it was hot. Well, it wasn’t hot anymore!

"That's why we're bringing your snuggly new blankie." Liam said, carrying Luke toward the bathroom. "Remember, you've got a big brother making the decisions. You're in good hands." Luke fumed and it only got worse as he realized how quickly he had gotten used to Liam pulling down his shorts and underwear before plopping him down on the toilet. “Go ahead and make your pee-pees.”

“I don’t need to go.” He tried to remain calm and mature, but it still came out sounding a bit too much like a grumpy little kid for his tastes.

“You should try.” Liam said.

“If I need to go, I’ll go there.”

“Try.” Luke sighed. “There you go, buddy. Using the big boy potty.”

“I remember when you were potty training.”

“So? Doesn’t mean you can’t brush up on the basics. Plus this is so much safer.” Luke huffed. “Do you really think I want to be hovering over you when you’re” Liam smirked. “Going poo-poo?” Luke rolled his eyes again. “Better be careful. We’re going to the festival as a family. Do you really want Mommy and Daddy to see you rolling your eyes?”

“Maybe they’ll finally accept I’m fourteen!”

“C’mon, Luke. They know how old you are.” Liam said reassuringly. “Up come your undies!” He smiled as Luke stood there, no longer even trying to help. “They know how old you are, just like they know how much help you still need. Really, you’re pretty much the only one who doesn’t know that. Isn’t that right?” Luke stayed silent. “Tiny little nose, tiny little toes. Tiny little baby in tiny little clothes.”

Still steadfastly refusing to speak, Luke let Liam lead him over to the sink and wash his hands. He hoped that Liam was done teasing him, but as if by cue, Liam spoke up again.

“What was that thing mom said to us last week? Something about how happy she is we both get our hands clean when you wash your hands?” Luke grunted. It had been something like that. He did not feel like responding.

"Time to go out to the car!" Liam announced once he had Luke settled against his shoulder again.

"Can't you talk to me like normal?"

"Luke, you've been a little guy for so long now, this is normal." Luke did not like how right Liam seemed.

“Can’t I at least walk?”

“Lots of can’t today.” Liam replied, setting Luke down. “Can we do your shoes?” Luke remained silent as Liam pushed his Toy Story clogs onto his feet. “Now that it’s getting colder, we might have to buy those cool shoes we saw in the store, hmm?”

The shoes in question had velcro instead of laces and even lit up. Luke thought they had to be the most babyish shoes imaginable, which surely meant he would end up with them. He just remained silent as Liam stood him back up.

“Can you be a big boy and carry your”

“Liam! I’m older than you.”

“So that’s a yes? You’ll be a big boy today?” Liam handed Luke a bag that seemed a little too much like a diaper bag for his tastes. Liam claimed he did not see it, but Luke knew it was obvious to anyone with eyes.Technically, Liam called it Luke’s goody bag, but it still made him apprehensive.

“Why’s it feel heavy?”

“I packed it while you were still sleeping.”

“That’s not an answer.” Liam did not seem to hear, his hand placed between Luke’s shoulder blades as he pushed him toward the front door and their waiting parents.

“Oh, god.” Luke murmured as he saw his dad waiting by the open passenger door. Sitting inside was a recent addition to Luke’s life: a car seat. He had forgotten about that.

It had arrived right around the same time as Luke learned he now rode to and from soccer practice on the back of Liam’s bike and Luke had been put to bed early that night due to the enormous fit he had thrown. Even after he calmed down, the car seat remained.

“I’ll take that.” Liam said, effortlessly lifting the bag out of Luke’s arms with a single hand.

“And I’ll take you.” Their dad said cheerfully as he lifted Luke up. “Up, up to the sky!” He announced, holding Luke above his head. “And down into your snuggly car seat. Do you want Daddy or Liam to buckle you?” Seeing the thought forming on Luke’s lips, he quickly added. “No, you can’t do it yourself. Remember, you tried and it was too complicated?”

“Only cuz Liam kept trying to help.” Luke muttered, but he knew that that only mattered to him.

“Aren’t we forgetting something?” Liam asked as he buckled the straps between Luke’s thighs.

“Fine. Thanks for helping me buckle up.”

“Good manners.” Liam said. “But I meant we’re forgetting someone, aren’t we?” Luke stared at him. They were all in the car, weren’t they?

“Who?”

“Who? C’mon, buddy. You’re such a comedian. Where’s Teddy?” Luke sighed.

“Inside. On my bed.”

“You don’t think he wants to come to the harvest festival?” Mom asked, looking back at her sons.

“I can go grab him. If you want.” Luke did not want Teddy, but he knew they were not leaving until he had the stuffed bear.

“Liam.” He said through gritted teeth. “Can you please go grab Teddy?” Liam paused and Luke knew he was considering making Luke ask more nicely. “Pretty please?” He added, trying to sound at least a tiny bit more like a little kid.

“Go on, Liam.” Mom interjected. “Lukey’s already all buckled.”

“And I want to get to the craft booths before it gets too busy.” Dad added. Liam nodded and got out of the car, making a show of dashing into the house.

“Be sure to thank him when he comes back, Luke.”

“Ok.” Luke mumbled.

“Ok, mommy.”

“Ok, mommy.” Luke said, trying his best to hide his irritation. He was way too old to be saying mommy, to be buckled in a car seat, or any of this! It was so unfair. Why not just stick him in a diaper and make him a complete baby? He shuddered at the thought. He would rather die than wear a diaper.

Pushing the thought aside, Luke saw Liam emerge from the house, teddy bear in hand. He watched Liam, wondering just what he was saying to the stuffed bear. He was clearly talking to him. Luke shuddered again as he realized he probably did not want to know.

Liam got back into the car and handed the bear to Luke, watching him expectantly.

“Oh! I suppose you can’t really give him baby kisses until you have this.” Liam fished in the pocket of his hoodie. “Good boy, opening your mouth for your paci.” Luke sighed and touched the pacifier to the bear’s muzzle. “Aw, you missed Teddy, didn’t you?” Luke remained silent. At least the pacifier gave him an excuse not to answer.

He would never admit it to anyone other than Teddy, but he actually liked the look of his car seat. Sure, the idea of having to sit in it made his blood boil, but at least it looked kind of cool and futuristic. If Liam was not sitting right next to him, watching him, he might even pretend like he was piloting a spaceship. He swung his legs a bit almost out of habit. Thanks to the added height of the car seat, his feet did not touch the floor.

“Oops!” Liam said, almost catching one of Luke’s clogs as it slipped off his foot and fell to the floor. “Well, I guess Lukey loo wants his shoes off, hmm?”

“No, stop.” Luke mumbled around the pacifier. Why was he so unwilling to spit it out? He knew he stood very little chance of getting away with it, but still. He squirmed as Liam removed his other shoe, stowing them both in the goody bag.

“Well, what do we have here? Two ticklish little Lukey feet?” Luke tried to pull them away, but Liam held firm and tickled his feet. “Goochie, goochie goo! Itty bitty Lukey loo!” He said in a goofy voice. Luke squirmed and squealed, still keeping the pacifier in his mouth.

“Someone’s happy!” Mom said, smiling back at him. Luke tried to tell her it was just Liam tickling him, but he knew she knew that.

“I can’t resist.” Liam said. “Lukey’s just got such tiny feet.”

“And why are they tiny?” Luke’s eyes widened as he heard his dad ask. Was he really going to have to say it in front of all three of them? Again?

"I'm tiny because I'm a baby and big brother Liam and Mommy and Daddy helped me accept it."

“You’re still a baby.” Liam whispered to Luke. “Imagine that. Almost fifteen and still a baby.” Luke looked at him, feeling tears well up in his eyes. Liam rubbed his thigh. “But that’s why it’s good you have me and mom and dad, right?” Luke nodded, sucking on his pacifier for comfort, fighting the urge to hug the dumb stuffed bear to his chest.

“We’re here!” Dad announced as they pulled into the parking lot. Luke could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He could get out of the car seat and maybe, just maybe feel almost normal. Being out in public surely meant the baby comments would be kept to a minimum, right? He knew he was only fooling himself. They made him ride in the cart at the store, so why would they restrain themselves here?

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own, Liam?” Mom asked. Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. Liam was going off alone? He felt his stomach twist as he wondered if that meant Liam would be taking him with him. Surely Liam would only baby him more away from Mommy and Daddy. Mom and dad, he corrected himself, but it bothered him how strange that sounded to him now.

“Of course. I’m just worried about you two and this little terror.” He chuckled and tousled Luke’s hair.

“I’m sure we’ll survive.” Mom said with a smile.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked, feeling completely outside the loop.

“Don’t you worry, Lukey loo.” Liam said. “All you should focused on is getting out of your car seat.” Luke knew from experience he had no way of unbuckling himself. The release was out of his reach.

“Can you please unbuckle me, Liam?” He asked. Liam smiled and nodded.

“Of course I can, little guy. We need to get you ready for the festival anyway.”

“Ready?” Liam did not say anything. He got out of the car and came around to Luke’s side, unbuckling him. “Stay there, Lukey.”

“What? Why?” Liam was unzipping the goody bag. That could not be good. “What is that?” Luke asked, feeling nearly panicked as he saw what Liam had pulled out of the bag. “Is that a diaper?”

“No, Luke.” Liam said. “It’s a pull-up.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, mister inquisitive. The only potties here are the icky porta potties, right?” Luke nodded. “And even if they weren’t icky gross” Liam paused. “Can you say icky gross potty?” He gave Luke’s foot a tickle.

“Icky gross potty.” Luke forced out between giggles. Why was he so ticklish?

“Even if they weren’t so gross, it’d be hard for mommy or daddy to fit in there with you to help you go pee-pee or poopy, right?”

“But why the diaper?”

“It’s not a diaper.” Liam replied patiently. “Now let’s get your shorts and undies off, kay?” Luke wanted to say no, but he knew there was no point as Liam maneuvered him around until he was naked from the waist down. “Don’t whimper. I’ve seen your doodle and bum bum a million times, haven’t I?”

“But we’re in public.”

“Luke, I once carried you from school to home in nothing but your tiny size 12 tighty whities, didn’t I?”

“I had a blanket.”

“So you do remember.”

“Well, I’m naked now.”

“You were practically naked then!” Liam retorted.

“This is different.” Liam smiled.

“Then we’d better hurry and get your Pull-ups on, hmm?”

“I don’t want to wear a diaper!”

“It’s not a diaper.” Liam replied patiently. “They’re cool! See, they have Buzz Lightyear on them! It’s a pull-up and it’s a lot like your tighty whities.”

“Is not.” Luke muttered sullenly.

“It’s not?” Liam asked. “Alright then, we’ll call it a diaper then. Come on, Lukey, slip your feet into your diaper.” Luke slid off of the car seat and stood there, still naked from the waist down before Liam lifted the Pull-ups up and over his thighs. “There. Now if you need to go pee-pee or poopy, you can go in your diaper.”

“Pull-ups.”

“Too late for that, Luke. You picked diaper, so that’s what we’re going with.” Liam grabbed his brother’s shorts, leaving his underwear on the floor of the car in plain sight, as if to remind Luke that he no longer wore them. “And here are your shorts. So comfy, hmm?” Luke eyed his crotch, trying to see how obvious it was that he now wore the underwear of a potty training toddler. “Look! You almost have a bulge for once!” Liam teased.

“We’re all set, Liam.” Luke heard his mom call. Liam picked Luke up, handed him Teddy, and then carried him to the back of the car, bare feet dangling in the air. Liam changed Luke’s position in his arms so quickly that he barely even knew he was sitting in a stroller as Liam buckled him in.

“Surprise!” Dad said. Luke stared up at them in confusion. A stroller?

“We’re going to be here all day.” Mom explained. “So we just want to make sure you don’t get tired out with all the walking.”

“What? No.” Luke whined into his pacifier. “I, I”

“And if you do get tired, you can nap right here in your stroller.” Dad said, pushing the stroller back and forth gently, as if to test its wheels and Luke’s weight.

“Speaking of which,” Liam reached into the bag again and pulled out a fluffy baby blue blanket. It was not the same one that he had held Luke wrapped in that day of the fateful fire drill, but it was a near match. Cooing gently, he draped it over Luke, tucking it in around him so that the only thing visible on Luke was his head and the pacifier in his mouth. “Cozier and cozier, hmm?”

“It’s a shame we couldn’t find that teddy bear sleeper in his size.” Mom remarked. “It’d be the perfect thing to keep him all warm and snuggly.”

“We might mix Luke and Teddy up though.” Liam said with a laugh. “Anyway, I better get going. Have fun, Lukey! Be a good little boy for Mommy and Daddy!” He reached down and pulled out the pacifier. “Promise?”

“Yes.”

“And you promise to tell mommy and daddy if you use your Pull, I mean diaper?” He looked up at their parents. “Luke decided diaper fit his new Pull-ups better.” Luke groaned.

“I promise.” The only reward he got for playing along was the pacifier back in his mouth.

“How do you just keep getting cuter and cuter?” Liam mused. “The perfect baby brother.” Luke growled into the pacifier, but Liam had already walked off.

“Alrighty, where to first?” Luke bit down on the pacifier as he felt the stroller begin to move, making him feel all the more like a captive to his parents’ whim. Surely they would take it easier on him than Liam, right? They never did anything to make him feel his age, sure. But more than anything, they just let Liam do whatever without actually offering up any ideas. At least, Luke assumed the stroller had really been LIam’s idea. Without him there, how bad could the day be?

Luke almost immediately regretted it as he realized he would be spending the day looking at people’s butts. The only ones at his level were small children, who either ignored him or smiled at a kid they perceived as even smaller than them.

“Someone’s cozy!” More than one mom said as she gazed down at Luke. He wiggled and tried to at least shift the blanket down to free his arms, but Liam had somehow managed to tuck it into the straps on the stroller so that Luke felt trapped in a fleecy cocoon.

“Where are we going?” He asked, growling in frustration as he realized he still had the pacifier in his mouth. He spat it out, grinning as it tumbled down the blanket and onto the ground.

“Oops!” His mom suddenly appeared and scooped it up. For a split second, Luke worried she might put it back in his mouth. “Let’s get you a new paci, hmm?” She smiled at him.

“No, I don’t need”

“You do.” Mom said.

“But” he stammered as she disappeared from sight. He tried to turn his head, but he could only hear her rummaging behind him.

“I think that’s the dirty pacifier pocket.” He heard his dad say. “So clean ones must be there.” She reappeared. “What do you say, Luke?”

“I’m not going to thank you for treating me like a stinking baby.” He said, or at least wished he had said that. Instead, he docilely said just what she expected. “Thank you, mommy.” She smiled. “Where are we going?”

“What’s the rule?” Luke groaned. He had just called her mommy, hadn’t he?

“Where are we going, mommy?” He tried to sound annoyed, but the way the pacifier made him mumble caused everything to come out the way a toddler would speak.

“We’re looking around. We’ll go to the craft tents first, I think.”

“If you feel sleepy” he heard his dad say behind him. “You can doze in your stroller.”

“I’m too old for this!” He reminded them, but neither seemed to hear him as the stroller began to move again.

The craft booths proved terribly boring for Luke. All he could do was sit there as the stroller slowly moved along from table to table. If he strained his neck, he could see what was on the tables, but what was the point? It was all boring. The only thing he had to do was try in vain to get his arms free, Teddy’s head wobbling to and fro from the effort.

“Look at the baby, mama!” Luke glared at the little girl even before he noticed she was pointing directly at him. She was the baby, not him! He did not have dumb sparkly stars painted on each cheek like she did, he thought sullenly.

“Don’t point, Emma.” Her mom said. “He’s cute.” He could tell that the mom was confident he was not a baby, but as the stroller happened to pass by a mirror on the ground leaning up against a table, Luke realized just how babyish he looked covered by the light blue blanket, pacifier in his mouth, teddy bear on his lap. He growled and looked away. Of course now the stroller was not going to move for twenty minutes, he thought angrily. He had to get out of this!

Luke scrunched his toes and groaned as he remembered he was barefoot under the blanket. Where had Liam put his shoes? The bag, he thought. It was under him, but it might as well be on Mars for how unlikely it was he would reach it.

“Hey, daddy?” He said as he came into view. “Can I put my shoes on?” He hated asking for help like this, but desperate times meant desperate measures. “Please?”

“You’re not wearing shoes?” He lifted the blanket as Luke tried to ignore how embarrassing it was to have his dad kneeling there to talk to him. “What happened to them?”

“Liam took them off in the car.”

“And he forgot to put them back on you?” Luke nodded. “Well, we’ll have to remind him it’s important to dress you all the way, won’t we?” He lifted the blanket more. “At least he remembered to put your shorts back on, hmm?” Luke nodded again. What was he up to?

Luke bucked as he felt his dad’s finger brush against the very innermost part of his thigh. What was he doing?

“Sorry for startling you, Lukey.” He said, only sounding somewhat apologetic. “Figured I’d check your diaper while I was down here.” Resituating the blanket over Luke, he stood back up, Luke’s shoes all but forgotten. “He’s still dry.” Luke heard him say to his mom. Why were they acting like this was so normal? He had not worn Pull-ups before now for nearly ten years, except for the occasional long car trip. He was a teenager!

In his frustration, he tried to get free from the blanket and the stroller by any means necessary. His efforts were so disruptive that his parents could not help but notice.

“Do you need to go potty, Luke?” His mom asked.

“No! I want to get out of this stupid stroller!”

“You’re safe in there.”

“I don’t care! I’m not some dumb little kid!” His mom grabbed the paciiier that had tumbled from his mouth, but did not move to put it back in. Realizing that she was letting him vent, Luke continued. “This is ridiculous! I want to walk around and do stuff! Liam gets to and he’s younger than me! It’s not fair!” His mom nodded.

“Well, Daddy’s almost done with what he’s doing and then we can do something for you, okay?”

“And I can walk around?”

“You don’t have your shoes, Luke.”

“They’re in my goody bag. Liam put them there.”

“Would you really have fun holding mommy or daddy’s hand all day long instead of sitting in your stroller?”

“It’d be better than this!” Luke insisted.

“You’re grouchy, that’s all”

“I’m not, mommy!” She smiled, pleased that even when he was throwing a fit, he still said mommy.

“Shh” she cooed, leaning in to hug him. “Here’s your paci back. At least this one didn’t fall on the dirty ground. How about you close your eyes for a bit?” She pulled the stroller’s canopy out over his head and kissed his forehead. “Oh, I suppose it’s a little noisy for a nap, isn’t it?” With the canopy extended, Luke’s vision was even more obstructed, so his mom vanished completely from sight until she suddenly popped back in, holding a pair of lime green and orange headphones. The colors were so bright and garish, Luke knew they were meant for small children. “Here we go! These are your new naptime headphones. Aren’t they cool?” Cool was the last word Luke could think of to describe them.

“Where did they come from?”

“Oh, I ordered them for you. I saw an ad for them and just knew they’d be perfect for outings.” She slid them onto Luke’s head and the world went silent. “There,” her muffled voice said. “Close your eyes and get some sleep while mommy and daddy are shopping.” Luke sighed as she placed a warm hand over his eyes. He jumped a bit as a lullaby began to play in the headphones. Of course, he thought. All the same, he listened to the music, the only thing he could really hear other than the soft muffled sounds of voices around him. He hugged Teddy, the pacifier moving to the music. He fought back a yawn and realized it was too late.

No! He was not going to fall asleep! He fought it, tried to lift his heavy eyelids. The lullaby stopped and he knew he had won. He opened his eyes again and squinted at the bright sunlight. When had they left the craft tents? The sun had not been that high a second ago.

“Oh, look who’s awake!” He heard Daddy say, appearing before him. “Did you have a nice nap?”

“I didn’t nap.”

“Oh, he’s shouting.”

“He’s wearing his naptime headphones still.” Daddy removed the headphones and smiled at Luke.

“You were asleep for nearly an hour, kiddo.” Luke stared at him in confusion, leg twitching as Daddy slipped a finger up his shorts again.

“Was not.” Luke said. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” Daddy said. “It’s almost lunchtime.” He showed Luke his watch, as if the tiny teen could read the hands of an analog clock.

“Quit playing around.” Mommy said. “Here, Lukey. We’ll prove it.” She opened up her compact and held the mirror toward Luke. He gasped, pacifier tumbling from his slack jaw and into Daddy’s waiting hand

“You” he stammered, voice cracking even though it had still not deepened. “You painted my face?”

“We thought you’d wake up, but you were sound asleep, Luke.” Daddy said. “Do you like it?”

“I’m a tiger.” Luke said, dumbfounded.

“That’s right! Our ferocious little tiger!” Mommy cooed. “The nice lady did it in your stroller and everything since you were asleep. Show him the photos! You were so cute!” Daddy pulled out his phone and showed Luke photo after photo of his face being painted as he slept.

“But” he did not even know what to say. In a day of bewildering, confusing things, this seemed especially so. How was it even possible that he had slept through a face painting? What parents thought that was a normal thing to do to their teenage son?

“Don’t worry. Now that you’re awake, we’re going to do another Lukey thing.” Daddy said.

“Do you need to go potty, ferocious little tiger cub?”

“No.” Luke said, a bit more forcefully than he had intended. The pacifier found its way back into his mouth.

“Well, if you do.” Mommy said. “You can use your diaper, remember?”

“It’s not a diaper.” Luke muttered. He looked down at Teddy, a bit betrayed. How on earth had he slept through a face painting? It made no sense at all! Did Liam drug his breakfast, he wondered as the stroller began to move again. No, that was impossible. Liam had fed him from his own plate.

“Look! That’s where we’re going next, Lukey.” Daddy said, pointing toward a fenced off area. Luke saw the sign.

“Pony rides?”

“That’s right! Hopefully your ferocious face doesn’t scare the horsies.”

“Why do they keep talking like that?” Luke asked Teddy. The smiling bear did not answer.

“We should find Luke’s shoes.” Daddy remarked over his head. “We wouldn’t want him to accidentally step in horse mess. That would be icky, wouldn’t it, squirt?”

“Sure.” Luke muttered noncommittally. The stroller stopped right by the pony ride and Luke saw the sign as his parents found his shoes. “Look, it says ages eight and under.” He said.

“We won’t tell if you don’t.” Dad said, slipping Luke’s clogs onto his feet. “Don’t kick too much. You know how easily these come off your feet.”

“Which pony do you want to ride, Luke?” His mom asked.

“None of them.” Luke glared at the sign. So that confirmed it. His parents clearly thought he was a little kid!

“I know it’s scary, but we’ll be right here.” Mom replied.

“I’m not scared!”

“That’s my brave little guy!” Mom cooed, whisking the blanket off of him. Luke looked down at his Paw Patrol outfit. He had forgotten he had that on! He groaned as Mommy unbuckled him. At least he was getting out of the stroller, he thought. She lifted him up and handed him off to his dad.

“Here we go!” Luke squirmed, but knew he stood little chance of getting to walk. Did he even want to willingly walk over to the lanky man in a straw hat running the pony ride? At least this way he could say he was literally forced to do it.

“Someone want to go for a ride?” The man asked, smiling warmly at Luke. There was something about him that made Luke think of a scarecrow. In fact, his hat matched the scarecrow’s leaning up against the fence post.

“Yep.” Dad replied. “Ready, Luke?” Luke only grunted.

“Here, I can take him.” Luke’s eyes widened as his dad handed him off to this stranger like they were running some sort of Luke relay. “Maybe a familiar face will keep Buttercup from panicking about this ferocious tiger.” Luke rolled his eyes as both men laughed. “Alrighty, bud, up you go!” He expertly placed Luke on the back of the chestnut pony. “Pretty high, huh?” Luke simply nodded. The pacifier was still in his mouth, so he figured there was not much expectation about him talking. “Now hold nice and tight on these.” The man handed Luke the reins. “If you get scared or feel like you’re going to fall, my name’s Hunk, kay?” Luke nodded, hoping this would be over as soon as possible.

“Wave, Lukey!” His mom called from the fence, holding her phone up. Just what he needed, photographic proof of his latest embarrassment.

“Here we go!” The pony began to move under him, a strange feeling that somehow reminded Luke that he had Pull-ups instead of his usual underwear on.

“Whee!” Mom and dad called in unison from the fence, seemingly having more fun than Luke himself was as Hunk leisurely led the pony around in a circle. How could anyone find this fun?

Every time they came close to his parents, Luke thought the ride was done, but around they went again and again. Was he going to be stuck up on this pony for the rest of the day? He had rolled his eyes at first, but he felt terribly high, as if he was on display in his Paw Patrol outfit, with his painted face. He whimpered into the ever-present pacifier as he realized there was no way to make him look more like a toddler. Unless I start crying, Luke thought, fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes. I’m too tall to be a toddler, he reminded himself. If only he believed it.

Seemingly as soon as the pony stopped, Hunk lifted Luke off of Buttercup and handed him to his dad, who deposited Luke right back in his stroller. As Mommy placed Teddy on his lap, he looked around for the blanket.

“It’s gotten warm, so I put your blankie away.” Mommy said. “We’ll bring it back out if you doze off again, but we need to get you some lunch, don’t we?” As if on cue, Luke’s stomach grumbled. He had been so distracted by the ordeals of the day that he had completely disregarded his hunger. He whimpered as he realized again that he had actually, honestly slept through getting his face painted. How was that even possible?

“Alright, I’ll go get us lunch.” Dad announced. “You get Luke ready to eat.”

“Ready?” Luke asked. Mom nodded.

“What do you need to eat, Luke?”

“Fork? Knife?”

“You know Liam handles that stuff. Plus Daddy’s getting you a hot dog and fries, so” she smiled. “But you wear something special, don’t you?” She lifted Luke out of the stroller and set him on her lap. “What is it? What is it?”

“God, mommy, I’m not a baby.” He could not help but giggle as she tickled his little love handles, drawing the attention of a mop-haired toddler who grinned at the other baby.

“What do you wear for numnums?” Mommy asked, tickling him. After all, it was how Liam got his brother to cooperate.

“My bib.”

“Oops, let’s get this pacifier out of your mouth. You won’t need it to eat anyway.” She deposited the pacifier in the dirty pacifier pouch of the goody bag. “So what do you wear for lunch numnums, Luke?”

“My bib, mommy.” He mumbled, squirming. “Can I sit on the bench next to you?”

“Between me and daddy?”He nodded. “Hmm, I suppose so. That way you can’t escape, right?” She kissed him and kept him on her lap. He would have to remind her, he thought.

As they sat there waiting, Luke could not believe how empty his mouth felt without the pacifier in it. Did he miss it? No, but he was used to it. He sucked on it practically all day and Liam often even made him sleep with it in his mouth.

“Here comes daddy! Wave to daddy!” Mommy grabbed Luke’s hand and made him wave. “Look how excited you are!”

“Can I… may I please sit next to you now, Mommy?”

“So polite.” Mommy cooed approvingly. That was my plan all along, Luke thought. She set him down on the worn wooden bench just as Daddy slipped in on his other side.

“Are we having a Lukey sandwich for lunch?” Daddy teased, distracting Luke as Mommy tied his bib around his neck. He smiled weakly as she snapped a photo of him, knowing he could not have looked more like a toddler if he tried.

“Your diaper’s still dry, Luke?” Mommy remarked. “It’s not good to hold it all day.”

“I just don’t need to” He said. Being between his parents made it impossible to keep an eye on the both of them. He almost regretted asking.

“I got you a hot dog and french fries and we have apple sauce in your bag for after.” Daddy announced. Luke looked down at the hot dog, already cut into bite size pieces. As for the fries, they ended up in front of Mommy.

“I’ll feed you the fries. We don’t want you choking.” She explained. Like that’ll happen, Luke thought. I know how to eat. Did he though? Liam fed him for every meal now. He dismissed the thought. Of course he knew how! He was fourteen! He could remember Liam being fed baby food, for goodness sakes, even if that memory came more from home movies than his own recollection.

“And the hot dog? Uh, mommy?”

“Use your fingers. Your bag has some wet wipes for cleaning your fingers. Just try not to mess up your cool face!” Luke nodded glumly. At least he could feed himself for once.

He quickly realized that it was not much better. After every bite or two, he had to turn his head to take a bite off of the fry his mom held out for him. Even after he finally finished the hot dog and fries, he had to sit there as Daddy took his turn, putting spoonful after spoonful of apple sauce into his mouth.

“Wasn’t that a good lunch?” Mommy asked as she took his bib off. Luke nodded. “I asked you a question, Luke. Can you use your big boy words?”

“Yes, mommy.” He said. “Lunch was yummy.”

“Let’s get you back into your stroller and then you can drink your bottle of Pediasure.” A bottle? Here?

“Uh, I’m full.”

“You always have Pediasure after lunch, Luke.” Mommy said. “I can either hold you and feed you it before we get moving or you can hold it yourself and drink it as we look around.”

“You’re always insisting you’re a big boy.” Daddy remarked, missing the irony of pointing out that Luke was a big boy while buckling him into his stroller. “So I’d suggest the big boy choice.” Which is that, Luke wondered.

“I’ll hold it, mommy.” He said, taking the green baby bottle from his mom.

“Keep suckling on that or Mommy or Daddy will have to take over.” Mommy said, eyeing him until he put the nipple in his mouth and began to half-heartedly suckle. “Good boy.”

As they returned to the craft booths, Luke came to a stark realization: he actually preferred LIam to his parents. At least Liam did not spend hours - freaking hours - looking at boring crafts. How many tables of clocks could there be in one place? He looked down at his feet in boredom and noticed something. The strap of the stroller. It was loose!

Tucking the bottle down by his side, he touched the buckle. Yes, he could undo this with ease! He peeked out at his parents. They were so distracted, he could get away! Could he though? His clogs were not as good as his soccer shoes. He remembered running “drills” in the backyard with Liam, something that amounted more to him running around in a circle until he got dizzy. His foam clogs were so ill-fitting, he slipped and slid and fell so often that Liam had teased him that he clearly wanted to crawl.

“We could strip you down to your undies. They look like a diaper.” Liam said, pulling Luke’s shorts down enough to expose his entire white cotton-clad bottom. “And so cute!”

Luke forced himself back into the present moment. If he was going to escape, he needed to work with what he had. The clogs were fine, as long as he just walked fast and did not try to run. Walk with purpose, he thought, as he undid the buckle with trembling fingers. Both his parents were distracted. He took a deep breath and then a second, just to fortify himself. He pushed out of the stroller and began to walk, sighing thunderously in relief as he did not immediately hear his parents call after him.

Where to now, he thought, looking around. He felt nearly giddy, but he needed a plan. It was hard to see what there was around him with so many people. He could not stop walking for fear of being jostled by someone. There were so many people! From his stroller, he had not really noticed. Where had they come from? He kept walking, stumbling a bit from his treacherous clogs. He had to keep from being overwhelmed. Maybe he could go find a ride or something. They were free, weren’t they? He could not remember his parents paying for the pony ride or even to get in. No, they had paid to get in. He remembered seeing the sign that said kids in strollers under 3 get in free and knew without asking that that would apply to him.

He looked around, seeing face after face. A concerned woman made eye contact with him and he quickly hurried along before she could come over and try to help him. Nosey adults! He thought grumpily. There were so many people. He looked back over his shoulder and could no longer even see the craft booths he had left. Had he walked so far that they were out of sight? No, it was just all the people! Luke was definitely feeling overwhelmed now and he even wished he had his pacifier to mumble his frustrations into. His mouth felt so empty without it! Why was he so used to having a pacifier? He was big! He was a teenager!

Luke rubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears. He had stopped walking, but he could barely even see with the tears in his eyes. He whimpered, his lip began to tremble. No, no, he was not going to cry. He refused to. He was not going to cry like a little…

The wail erupted out of his chest, from some deep primeval place he did not even know he had. Tears poured down his cheeks as he could no longer hold panic back. He could not say if he was trying to speak or just vent his frustration, panic, and fear, but he wailed again.

“Mommy? Daddy? Mommy?” He called out, knowing how dumb it was. They were nowhere to be found. He was completely, totally lost. He rubbed at his face and his hand came away slimy. Oh, god. He had snot all over!

Luke wailed again and every adult in the immediate vicinity turned to see a little boy in orange Paw Patrol clothes, face painted like a tiger, stricken with panic.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” A woman asked, swooping in and gently touching his shoulders. He tried to speak, but could only whimper as tears continued to pour down his face. “Are you lost?” He nodded, rubbing at his eyes even though tears kept coming. “Alright, well, who did you come with?”

“Mommy and daddy.” He scolded himself, but those were the words that came to his mouth. When he thought about it, he could say mom and dad, but mommy and daddy became more and more of a reflex by the day.

“Lukey?” Luke looked up to see Liam standing there. He tried to hide his relief, but it was too late. His face had lit up and his tears had slowed. He rubbed at his eyes again, trying to get rid of the last of the tears.

“Is that your big brother?” The woman asked, keeping her hand on Luke’s shoulder. He was still struggling to breathe, so he simply nodded. “Are you sure?” He nodded again and she let him hurry over to Liam’s waiting arms.

“What were you doing, Lukey loo?” Liam asked. “You can’t be wandering off on your own! That was scary, wasn’t it?” He hugged Luke to his chest, rubbing his back to calm him down. “Thank you so much. I’ll take him back to our parents and his stroller.” He kept patting Luke’s back as he walked. “I bet they’re over at the crafts.” He did not ask Luke. Luke was so little, he probably did not know. He did have one question though. “Why did you wander off, Luke?” Luke calmed down and knew he had to answer.

"I was trying to go," Luke sighed. "Peepee." At least the baby word made his lie seem more believable.

"Oh, Luke! That's what your diaper is for!"

"I'm not," Luke sputtered. "It's a Pull-up."

"You said you wanted to call it a diaper." Liam replied. "And I put it on you for a reason. No potties here. You can either hold it until we get home or use your diaper."

"I'm not gonna use it!"

"I won't be mad if you do." Liam said gently as he wiped at Luke’s face with the wet wipes he had just so happened to stow in his pocket. "And neither will mom or dad. If you need to go peepee or even poopy, you can use your diaper." He kissed Luke's cheek. "If you want." He tapped his cheek. "Where's my kiss?" Luke rolled his eyes and pecked his brother's cheek. "Maybe we should have you start doing that whenever I pick you up."

"Ew."

"It's not like it's on the lips, weirdo." He smiled and kissed Luke’s cheek again. “You can give me a baby kiss when you have your pacifier in your mouth.” Luke sighed and touched his pacifier to Liam’s face. “Now let’s go find mommy and daddy. And something for you to drink. It’s warm and I’m worried you’re getting dehydrated.” He brushed a bit of hair from Luke’s forehead. “Dehydrated means really, really thirsty.” He patted Luke’s bottom and stopped. “Wait a second.” Luke felt Liam’s finger slip into his shorts. “Lukey, you fibber! You did use your Pull-up. Just a little bit.” Luke felt his heart skip a beat. When? It must have been during his meltdown. He had wet himself like a little toddler? Luke whimpered, ashamed. “Don’t start crying again, buddy. Big brother’s here. You know, your tantrum ruined your face paint.”

“Good.” Luke said grumpily.

“It’s not good.” Liam said with a smile. “But now that big brother’s here, let’s set things to rights, hmm?” Luke grumbled. “Did you even know you lost a shoe?” He tickled Luke’s bare left foot. “We’ll find it. I know how much you love your Toy Story shoes.” Luke rolled his eyes, trying to fight his relief that Liam had found him. “But I think you’ve lost shoe privileges for the next few days.”

“Shoe privileges?”

“Shoes make you think you can wander off.” Liam explained. “Though I bet you’ll be pretty clingy after your scary ordeal, hmm? No shoes means you’ll have to be carried. Everywhere.”

“Everywhere?”

“Well, not at home. But if we go out, you won’t be able to walk. Unless you want an ouchy booboo on your tiny little foot.”

“There’s my shoe.” Luke spied it out of sheer luck. Liam laughed.

“How about that? What a helpful baby brother I have.” He kissed Luke’s nose. “I know you’re about to say you’re not a baby, but that little fit you threw proves that you are. Actions speak louder than words, Lukey.”

“Where was he?” Mommy asked as Liam came over with Luke in his arms.

“Oh, he went exploring.” Liam said. “Luke! You never even finished your bottle!” Shifting Luke into a cradled position, Liam pushed the bottle into his mouth, feeding Luke as he related the whole story to their worried parents. Luke could do nothing but listen as Liam exaggerated his helplessness. He had definitely not soaked his… Pull-up and he had not cried nearly as hard as Liam claimed. He had had a few tears, that was all! He absolutely did not have snot on his face, he thought as he felt the phantom sensation of his slimy hand. No. Liam was lying and making him sound like a total baby and all he could do was lie there and drink his Pediasure even as Liam asked Mommy to put his shoes away in the goody bag.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t get out of his stroller again.” Dad remarked.

“Yeah, but first I want to get his face painted again. It kind of got all messed up by the scared little Lukey.”

To Luke’s dismay, the face painter remembered him perfectly and even commented that it was nice to meet him awake now. As he sat in Liam’s lap for the re-do of his tiger, the face painter explained to Liam that Luke had been fast asleep for the whole first go.

“Guess we better think about naps more often.” Liam remarked, bouncing Luke slightly. “Thank the nice lady for redoing your face paint for free, Luke.”

“Thank you.” He mumbled around the pacifier Liam had returned to his mouth the second the bottle was empty and he had been burped.

“And roar for her.” Liam pulled the pacifier out so Luke could give his very best roar, dangling there in Liam’s arms, bare feet kicking. Liam smiled and took Luke back to his waiting stroller.

Even with Liam back, Luke felt horribly bored in his stroller. Liam had tucked the blanket back around him and even popped his naptime headphones on his head, but all Luke could think about was his embarrassing attempt at escape and his aching bladder. He tried to get the attention of his parents, hoping they would be more willing to let him use the portapotty they were passing, but no one seemed to notice. He groaned and sighed. He knew what he would have to do, but could he? They had to be going home soon, but he could not ask when he could barely even hear his family’s conversation. They had to be, he could even see the front gate.

Just as Luke thought that, the stroller suddenly swerved over to a pile of hay bales and pumpkins. A photo shoot? He groaned into his pacifier. He needed to pee! He nearly wet himself as he saw Mike Cranell standing there, camera hanging around his neck. They were in the same class!

“Hi there, folks!” He said, walking over to Luke and his family. “Looking for” Luke could barely hear the conversation, but he could not get his arms free to remove the headphones he still wore. Did Mike recognize him? How could he not? Because your face is painted and you’re in a stroller, he reminded himself. His bladder ached and he hoped he could just hold it a bit longer.

Sound returned to the world as Liam removed his headphones, lifting him out of the stroller and handing him Teddy. He smiled as he carried Luke over to the hay bale.

“We’ll put him between two pumpkins.” Liam explained.

“I need to pee.” Luke whispered, but Liam did not seem to hear, retreating back to the photographer.

“Smile!” His parents and Liam said in unison. Luke forced a smile around the pacifier. Were they done now? He felt a final twinge of his bladder and just gave up. He had already wet it once, but this time, it felt dirtier because he was willingly doing it.

“Alright, now let’s do” Liam lifted Luke and sat him down on his lap. “Smile, Luke!” Did Liam know what he had just done? The Pull-up felt warm enough that he had to know, but his face did not seem to show it, no matter how much Luke studied it.

“Aw, that’s cute! He’s gazing up at his big brother.” Mike said. “That’s definitely the one to go with.” Luke felt numb as Liam returned him back to his stroller.

“Ready to go home?” Liam asked, kissing Luke’s nose again before covering him with the blanket.

The trip home was thankfully uneventful, even if Liam ignored Luke asking to have his underwear back.

“So fussy.” Liam remarked. “Might be bedtime when we get home.” Luke fumed, but did not argue. Arguing would only prove Liam’s point.

“We’re home!” Mom announced and Liam busied himself getting Luke out of his car seat.

“You can’t walk, remember?” He said as he set Luke against his shoulder and carried him inside.

“Now can I take this thing off?”

“Your diaper?” Liam remarked. “That was my first thought, but I need to pee first. Some of us had to hold it.”

He made Luke wait outside of the bathroom while he peed, for which Luke was grateful. The last thing he needed was a reminder that Liam got to pee like a normal guy. At last, Liam let him in and had Luke lie down on the bathroom rug as he removed his shorts and examined his Pull-up.

“So you did use it.” Liam remarked.

“Yeah.” Luke grunted.

“Aw, it’s okay, buddy. You wore it for a reason.” Luke knew that Liam would be finding every excuse to make him wear Pull-ups moving forward. “But I know you’re big and can use the potty most of the time.” Liam said, rubbing Luke’s thigh before tearing the sides of the Pull-ups. “Let’s get you cleaned up. And you promise to not try to potty in your big boy undies?”

“I promise.” Luke said through clenched teeth.

“Didn’t sound very genuine.” He tickled Luke’s foot.

“I promise!” Luke squealed.

“That’s a good baby brother.”

Liam finished cleaning Luke up and picked him up, setting him on his feet. Luke blushed, confused.

“Dinner will be ready soon, so I don’t think it’s worth running upstairs to grab your tighty whities.” Liam said.

“Huh?”

“You’ll be fine in just your t-shirt. I’m sure Mommy and Daddy won’t care about seeing your doodle and bumbum.” He patted Luke’s soft bottom. “And with a bumbum this ready for a swat, you might just be a good little boy for me.”

Blushing, Luke left the bathroom with Liam close behind. Somehow, wearing nothing but a shirt made him feel even more exposed than if he had been completely naked. Sure enough, neither his mom nor his dad said a word as he emerged. And also sure enough, it was only maybe fifteen minutes before Luke found himself wearing a bib and sitting on Liam’s lap as he fed him his dinner.

“No one else is eating?” Luke asked, confused again.

“Well, on a night like tonight, we’ll have our dinner after you’re snugly off to dream land on the sleepytime express.” Liam explained, pushing a bit of broccoli into Luke’s mouth. Luke mulled it over. Was this going to be an all the time thing too? It was all so confusing and concerning.

Luke’s head seemed to reel as he realized they could not have been home for more than an hour and he was already being tucked into bed. At least he had underwear on now, he thought as Liam wrapped his arms around him and fed him a final bottle before bedtime. He could not shake the feeling that he was being rushed into bed, as if the family wanted to be rid of him.

“We’ll be starting the movie in a minute.” Mom said, poking her head into Luke’s bedroom.

“Be right there.”

“Good night, Luke.” Mom said, smiling at him.

“Movie?”

“Yep. We’re watching a grown-up movie.” Liam said. “It’d be boring for you.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Trust me. Plus, it’d run past your bedtime, so you wouldn’t even see the ending.”

“What? No! I wanna watch!”

“Hush.” Liam pulled the covers over Luke. “You need to sleep.”

“But”

“No buts. Off to bed, Luke. You can watch it when you’re bigger.” Liam turned off the light and closed the door, leaving Luke alone with his thoughts about how unfair it was. He considered sneaking off, but his eyelids grew heavy. Maybe Liam was right, maybe he… Luke fell asleep, his thought unfinished as he drifted into a dreamscape filled with faceless crowds and Liam coming to rescue him.