Almost a week had passed by since we last left off. There really hadn’t been much going on. It was the first week off from school for the both of them after all, so they took kindly to the idea of some relaxation. Chris had made sure to keep his room tidy to avoid any more awkward predicaments, along with keeping his staring a bit more discrete. Michaela had gotten completely adjusted and unpacked in the house, fully stocking the closet in the guest room.

“What? No way. You gotta be crazy!” Chris said to Michaela across the dinner table.

“I was thinking the same thing about you. How could you like Walking Dead more than Breaking Bad?” Michaela responded. They were having a lighthearted argument about tv shows over lunch.

“Well, an awesome zombie apocalypse with suspense and action versus some old dude’s illegal science experiments. Which one sounds more exciting to you?” Chris pressed. He loved the Walking Dead, and really most action shows and stories for that matter. Anything where the main character takes actions into their own hands was worth a watch for him.

“Oh that’s a poor description and you know it.” She said, pointing her fork at him. “Have you even watched Breaking Bad at all?”

“The only thing I really remember is that Dodge Charger in Breaking Bad was also used in The Walking Dead, which I thought was super cool.” Chris explained.

“Oh yeah! That car was a fair bit of inspiration for my baby outside.” Michaela said, it really was her dream car. “I can’t believe it’s been a week since I’ve last driven it.” She couldn’t even talk about her ride without it putting her in a really great mood.

“You’re telling me. I can’t sleep at night knowing that thing is just sitting in the driveway waiting to hit the road. You really are the luckiest person I know, Michaela. I want to drive that car so badly, or any car for that matter.” Chris said, followed by a lustful sigh.

Michaela couldn’t help but feel bad for Chris in this moment. The actual probability of him being able to drive one day was slim to none. Cars just aren’t made for someone his size, well not actual cars. She couldn’t imagine wanting to do something so badly and have literally no ability to, she really felt as lucky as Chris said she was.

“How about this…” Michaela said, looking at the time on her phone. “It’s a little past noon, we have plenty of time to go for a spin, seeing how I wanted to get some shopping done sooner or later anyways!” She said, but before she could even finish Chris had hopped off his chair to get ready to go out. He was so excited, even just being in the car was such an honor to him, especially compared to the family mini-van that’s been lugging him around most of his life.

“Hold up!” Michaela yelled over to Chris, stopping him in his place. “I have but ONE condition. My car, my rules. No complaining, and DEFINITELY no misbehaving.” Michaela said with a slight stern to her voice.

“Uhm… Sure, of course I wouldn’t be rude in someone else’s car. What makes you think I would?” Chris paused for a second. “I thought we’ve been getting along really well so far.” He said, a little disappointed that she thinks he may have negative intentions.

“I don’t think you’d purposely be rude, I just don’t think you’ll like my rules.” She said which was oddly vague to say the least. What kind of rules could she really have? He didn’t plan on eating or drinking in the car, or anything ridiculous like that. If anything Chris wanted the car in as nice as condition as possible, there’s nothing sweeter than that brand new car smell.

Chris shrugged it off; he was way too thrilled at the idea to really take much note of it. They got their shoes on, Michaela grabbed her purse, and they were headed out of the house. Chris approached the car with awe. This car was obviously purchased new. It looked fresh out of the factory! The paint job was reflective enough to be used as a mirror, the windows had a dark tint, and the rims glistened in the sun. If he had a camera on hand, he’d be trying to take a photo for his computer’s wallpaper right now.

Michaela walked up behind him and unlocked the doors with the wireless key fob.

“Alright Chris, I’m gonna say it again. My car.  My rules. No complaining.” She said with clarity, staring him right in the eyes.

She opened the door for him, and as it slowly opened Chris got eager about the idea of hearing the car roar from the inside. The feeling of the mechanical beast revving up and taking off, something that had to be experienced rather than imagined to get a clear understanding of. He was so ready to experience that feeling.

The door finally opens all the way and as the interior becomes in view, Chris looked inside. His face of glee instantly turned into a gaping mouth of disappointment and shock…. He couldn’t believe what was staring back at him in this car.

A car seat. She had a car seat for little kids ready and waiting in the back.

He paused for a second, then turned and looked up at her with that same disappointed face. He felt tricked, fooled into believing this was going to be a fun experience for him.

As he opened his mouth to say something, she quickly defended with “Like I said! My car. My rules.”

“But… why?” He asked, as the disappointment sunk in even further. How could he enjoy a beautiful moment in an amazing car like this strapped to a children’s car seat? 

“Whether you respect it or not, there are driving laws. In this state, if you are under the height of 4 feet 9 inches you are required to be in a car seat at all times when the vehicle is in motion.” Michaela explained. “Now last time I checked, you aren’t 4 foot 10 now are you?” Michaela asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Chris looked down with shame. “…No, I’m not.”  He said, gulping his anger and upset feelings back down.

“I thought so.” She looked at him and started to feel bad. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t have put it like that” she said while stepping closer to slightly caress his head with her hand. “But don’t make this such a big deal! We’ll be at the mall sooner than you know it, and you’ll be fine.”

Chris looked back at the car seat and felt a nervous flutter in his stomach.

“I-I don’t want to go anymore. L-let’s just go back insi- woaaah!!”

Michaela wasn’t really in the mood to deal with the semantics, and simply just picked him up and plopped him in the seat. She buckled him in quicker than he could realize what was going on. She had used this thing seemingly a thousand times on other kids she had babysat. Seconds later she was in the driver seat and getting ready to go.

“See! Was that so hard? Look, you’re in the seat, and you haven’t melted away from embarrassment. You’re fine, silly.” She said, a bit annoyed but also understanding. She gets that these kinds of things are really hard for Chris, but she also knew he’s being a total diva about it whether he realized it or not.

Chris crossed his arms and pouted. This certainly wasn’t what he was excited for, he felt so babied. It made him feel frustrated and sad and confused all at the same time. This is something he borrowed from his parents. His Dad had obnoxious anger issues, and his Mom would get very stuffy and emotional easily. Somehow he ended up with a mix of both of these personality traits. He would easily get mad and very quickly thereafter become upset and emotional. He’d gotten better at holding back water works the older he got, luckily enough.

“Why do you even have this thing anyways?” he muttered, still pouting.

“I’ve done countless babysitting jobs in the past, remember? These sort of things can come in handy very often!” She said as she poked her key into the ignition.

“Well, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for!” She said as she turned on the car and revved up the engine.

Chris would never ever admit it, but even in this dorky car seat for little kids, the vibration and torque of this power house was still simply exhilarating. It felt so cool when the car was building speed and switching gears, you could tell what this baby was really capable of. Michaela was a responsible driver, so neither of them experienced what it’d be like to go that fast, but it was a nice thought for Chris either way.

Before he knew it they had already pulled up to the parking lot of the mall. Michaela slipped out the car and opened up the back, while Chris was already trying to open up the latch of the car seat.

“Ah, ah, ah~! I put you into that seat, and I’m the one who is supposed to get you out.” She said, pulling Chris hands away from the belt buckle.

“Is that really necessary?” Chris moaned as she leaned over him.

Michaela put her head right above his, letting her long hair droop on top of and around him. She smiled and said “My car. My rules!”

There was something so intimidating about her getting so close to Chris. He could see every small detail when she was this close, as if it was a high resolution image zoomed in. It was crazy how huge something like a face could seem when it was on someone who was twice the size of you. As Michaela’s face got close enough to touch his nose with hers, his body leaned back into the seat as a tingling sensation took over his body. He had an erection again. Michaela, quickly realizing, unlatched the carseat and plopped him down outside of the car. Luckily for Chris, with all the other events going on, it was easy for his pants to calm down.

“I don’t care what you have to say about it, I had such a hard time not staring at you in the rear view mirror, Chris. You are too adorable for your good!” She said as she locked the car and headed toward the mall.

They enter the mall quickly realizing what a grave mistake they had just made, there was a swarm of people buzzing throughout every store. Adults, teens, and children alike traveling from shop to shop with plenty of conversations and voices bouncing throughout the mall.

“Hmm, it might have been a bad decision to go to the mall on a Saturday during the summer. It’s gonna take us forever to buy anything, but hey we’re already here we might as well make the most of it.” Michaela said, shrugging it off. It was something she was used to, being an avid shopper. She knew her way around a mall, of all places.

Chris on the other hand, wasn’t feeling so nonchalant about the situation; this had probably been the largest crowd he had been in the last few years. He would always hate going shopping with his parents, they would always be arguing or bickering. So they usually would shop on their own time while Chris stayed home. He stood close to Michaela as they started walking through the mall.

Michaela hadn’t even noticed Chris’ wariness of the situation, and just a few seconds in she had already begun to lose him. She looked back to see him trailing behind her, realizing that her steps were larger and faster than his.

“Correction, this might take a LOT longer than expected, but that’s fine.” She said as she slowed down her pace.

Chris just let Michaela take charge in her natural habitat, following her around from store to store as he just went into autopilot. He didn’t pay any attention to the stores they were going to or what she was buying because he honestly wasn’t all that interested. For him, this trip was more about the journey than the destination, and since the car ride was done and over with for now there wasn’t much holding his interest.

“Oh yeah! Before I forget…” Michaela stopped and turned towards Chris, getting on one knee. She quickly spun him around to check the tag for his shirt and pants, making him jump.

“Woah! Watch the merchandise. What are you doing?” Chris said, a little startled she was fiddling with his pants in public.

“Oh calm down,” she gestured with her hands by putting them flat out in front of him “I was just checking your clothes size real quick. Nothing creepy.” She said, chuckling at the over-dramatic situation.

Chris was just about to start interrogating her a bit more. Was she buying him clothes? She didn’t have to do that for him, and he didn’t know if he wanted her to. Chris turned to her to ask more questions, but was met with a horrifying sight when he turned around. Just a few feet away were a group of kids from his school. How embarrassing would it be if they saw him walking around with his babysitter? Would they come up to him? Would Michaela humiliate him in front of his peers? Chris’ stomach started to flop, he didn’t want to think about the possibilities of what could go wrong here.

“You coming or what?” Michaela said, looking back at him. She had already started walking ahead. Chris nodded and caught up with her. As they drew closer to the group of kids his stomach got worse, sweat started to build, his knees became weak. The expectation of one of them seeing him and yelling “Oh look! There’s Chris, that small loser with a babysitter!” got higher and higher. As they passed the group he closed his eyes and hoped they wouldn’t see him, or something, anything at this point.

Just like that, they had passed the group like nothing was ever going to happen. Chris was relieved, but somehow more upset. Did they not remember him? It wasn’t until he relaxed and took in his surroundings that he gathered why. All over the mall where children walking with their parents, holding their hands, and being dragged along from one clothing store to the next. He looked up at Michaela, still unaware of anything he’s been going through, and back at himself. Did he just appear as another kid with his mommy? Probably not, Michaela had such a young essence to her, definitely not at that ‘I’m a mom’ stage in her appearance.

Michaela was wearing some brown ankle-high boots, red high-waist jeans that flowed with her figure well, and a white crop top shirt with palm trees on it. Added on was her black purse and her splash of make-up, just a light amount of eye-liner and some peach colored lip stick that flowed with her skin tone well, she looked exactly what you expect out of a 16 year old suburban American.

Chris always looked like his mother had dressed him for a nice dinner, just because of the fact that there wasn’t a huge selection of clothes available for his size that wasn’t blatantly for a kindergarten aged child. He had gotten used to it at this point. It was with this observation that Chris really did feel like there was no way his former classmates would recognize him. He looks like another kid with an older sibling or babysitter, which there were many of.

An hour had passed.  Michaela’s hands were already mostly full with bags packed with an assortment of clothing and make up.

“So how much longer do you think we’ll be?” Chris asked, getting a bit tired from all the walking.

“Probably about half way done, I wanted to check out a few more places.” Michaela responded, leaving Chris to exhaustedly sigh.

“I’m surprised your wallet isn’t the thing weighing you down at this point. How can you afford all of this?” Chris asked, looking at her assortment of bags with name brand store logos on each one.

“I told you before, my Dad is pretty generous and well off. He gives me an allowance every school year I get good grades, and I’ve just been saving it up for the last few semesters. So I have a lot of comfortability to spend how I’d like.” Michaela said as she pin pointed another store she’d like to explore.

As the conversation continued, Chris glanced at a video game store. He’s been wanting that new Gran Turismo game that just released. Fat chance though, he didn’t have much money lying around and not too many ways to earn some.

“Would you like to go in?” asked Michaela, noticing his glancing.

“I guess” Chris shrugged, “Not like I have any money to buy anything.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with just browsing. Let’s go!” She said, giving him a playful nudge.

They entered the store, which was oddly barren for the time of day. Most kids would wait around looking at games while their parents shopped, but I guess there was an odd exception today. Chris looked around and didn’t take too long to find the game he was thinking of. The price was lower than normal, so hopefully he could find a way to get it by the end of the summer.

“Oooh, I heard that’s a good one.” Michaela said, looking over his shoulder. Chris put the game back on the shelf, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Eh, yea it looks cool. Anyways, we should get back to your shopping before it gets too late.” He said, looking up at her.

“We’ll leave in a second, I just want to buy this for you really quick.” She said, grabbing the game.

Chris was stunned; no one really does those kinds of things for him. His parents are always giving him the “Be happy for what you have because it could be worse” lecture to the point that he just isn’t used to receiving gifts outside of holidays.

“You don’t have to do that! I wouldn’t have any way to return the favor.” Chris really didn’t like the feeling of owing someone, especially monetarily.

“Oh don’t have such a stick up your butt!” Michaela said as she headed for the counter. “If you want to make it up to me, how about this… You can try on some of the clothes I bought you earlier and let me know how they fit.” She said as she shook the bag to indicate which one had clothes in it.

“She bought me clothes?” Chris thought to himself. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been paying attention to what stores they were in since he saw his classmates. He was too busy hoping he wouldn’t spot or run into any more familiar faces. They definitely didn’t stop at any clothes stores he was used to going to. No matter, new clothes couldn’t hurt. Michaela certainly had better tastes than his parents, so he was interested in what her more fashion savvy choices would look like on him.

“Sure, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Chris said, still reluctant. “Are you sure you want to waste all this dough on me? There are much more important things I’m sure.”

“You kidding? I’ve been having a lot of fun hanging out with you these past few weeks, it’s no biggie getting you something nice.” Her smile faded into a more apologetic expression, “Besides, I do sort of feel bad for the whole car seat thing. No matter how adorable you are, I was doing it for your safety and not to humiliate or trick you. So I hope this makes up for it.”

Chris, not wanting to be reminded of what was waiting for him on the car ride home, accepted the token of gratitude and moved on with the shopping day. A few stores and another 45 minutes later, they were almost done with their shopping trip. Their last stop was yet another clothing store on the other side of the concession area. It was absolutely packed with people grabbing a bite to eat.

“Oh boy, that’s a lot of hungry shoppers.” Michaela said, transferring all of her shopping bags to one arm as she stretched out the other towards Chris. “Grab my hand. I don’t want to lose you in this crowd.”

Chris glared at the hand, “Do you really think I’m going to lose you? Who else is wearing red jeans and is carrying more than her weight in shopping bags?”

“I’m not afraid of you losing me, I’m afraid of losing you. Do you know how many kids get lost in crowds like this and even abducted because of it every year? It’s my duty as a babysitter to take care of you and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Michaela said, reaching down for his hand.

Michaela grabbed his hand quicker than he could react, and they were off into the crowd. What looked like yet another adult holding the hand of a child to everyone else was a situation leaving Chris screaming inside. He felt like such a helpless kid, again! Especially since this is something he knew he could handle. It’s just a crowd of people for god’s sake.

Despite being annoyed by the hand holding and babying, Chris couldn’t help but notice how nice Michaela’s hand was. She held him with a firm enough grip to hold on, but not enough to hurt his hand. She was naturally careful and gentle, and her skin was so soft to boot. He found himself getting distracted by her and how she moved with each pace, even when trying to walk unnaturally slow for the sake of Chris, she still appeared elegant. His pants tightened, luckily while in motion it wasn’t noticeable if you weren’t looking for it.

“Why does this keep happening to me?” He thought. He had never run into many issues controlling urges and feelings, but as soon as Michaela came around that fact changed. “Do I like her? I mean, I haven’t given it much thought. She’s really cool, that’s for sure, but she is also my babysitter which isn’t very fun. I don’t think it’d be a very good position for me to have a crush on her.” He continued to think. He looked back on the times he was getting aroused and made a connection. “It seems like every time she treats me like a kid, it triggers something inside of me. I don’t think I like it, but at the same time my body tingles and feels so nice. This is so weird...” He had never found it arousing when anyone else treated him like a child, he would just get mad and retaliate. With Michaela, there was something so convincing. The way she held herself, the way she talked to him, the ways she affect him, it all impacted him in such a bizarre way.

Chris blinked hard. How long was he zoning out for? Were they at the store yet?

He looked around to see he was still a few paces from the store, but Michaela was nowhere to be seen. He must have let go of her hand when he zoned out.

“Um, Michaela?” He said quietly, not knowing how close she may be.

He looked around while staying put, darting his eyes in every direction without her popping up. He wanted to walk into the store and see if she made her way in already, but his vision was starting to get blocked by a pair of legs, and then another pair, and another. Soon enough he was back in the crowd of people, in every direction there were strangers getting from one place to another. He spent so much time spinning around looking for Michaela, he had lost his place and didn’t know left from right anymore.

“Mi- Michaela!?” he yelled, a bit louder. Still, no sign of her anywhere. He was so confused about why this was such an issue for him. He had been in large crowds before with no problem, but now he felt small. Smaller than what he normally feels. With people zooming by from all directions just barely nudging him, all he could think of was Michaela’s words. Every time she had alluded to him being little or small was bouncing through his head, it was making him so upset which just added to the fear. He put his hands on his face and started to sob. “I don’t know what to do” he said to himself.

At that moment he felt a strong force yank him back into motion. “Woah!” Chis yelled as he was jerked to walking as fast he could. Someone had grabbed his hand! He used the forearm of his free hand to clear the tears. After the water from his eyes cleared, he felt relief when it was Michaela he saw holding his hand once more.

“I’m so sorry I lost you. Could you...  maybe slow down a little!” he said, pausing at times where he had to prevent himself from tripping. Michaela said nothing, they went right past the store and headed for the exit. “Hey, what about that one store you wanted to see? Michaela?” Chris begged for her response, but she remained silent.

They quickly reached the parking lot and went right for the car. Man, she knew how to walk fast when she wanted to. Chris was practically running to keep up, he couldn’t even think about how silly this must look from an outside perspective. Michaela unlocked the door and plopped Chris into the car seat in record time, which Chris was too scared to interject about. After buckling him in, she slammed the door and put the bags in the trunk.

The ride home was eerily silent, killing Chris with suspense. He’s been in trouble for silly things plenty of times before, but it ALWAYS ended up with him getting an earful. His Dad would just get mad and spout off profanities, his Mom would give him a sob story about how good of a boy he could be if he behaved more, and teachers loved to lecture. This was new. Michaela said nothing the entire ride, the hum of the car filled the air, which is probably the only time Chris didn’t prefer that. Any kind of apology or excuse didn’t seem to budge Michaela. Was she really that mad? Chris didn’t leave her side on purpose, and he hoped that she knew that. He felt helpless in the car seat with his feet dangling; he was still feeling traumatized from the whole situation at the mall and could probably return to crying any moment now.

They pulled into the drive way, ending the world’s longest 10 minute drive home. Michaela put her purse and shopping bags on the counter while Chris just stood there unsure what to make of anything. His eyes were still moist and puffy from the water works earlier.

“Go to your room. Just go and think about what just happened. No video games, no TV, no computer. Just thinking.” She said with a blank emotionless expression. Chris raised his eyebrows. “Did my babysitter, a girl who was both younger and bigger than him, just punish me into a time out?” he thought to himself. He didn’t know whether to feel upset or cheated.

Michaela gave him angry look. You know the one, the classic ‘I’m not going to tell you twice’. Without a second to spare he turned and switfly walked to his room.

Chris sat on the edge of his bed for what felt like hours, and didn’t dare to pull up his computer to check the time. It couldn’t have been too late, because the sun was still setting. The more he thought, the more he felt bad about the situation. Michaela had explained her worries to him before entering the crowd, and those fears almost became a reality for her. It wasn’t on purpose, but he certainly felt responsible for what had happened. Not to mention he was still put back by the fact he got so scared and felt so small in that crowd, why is he starting to lose confidence being on his own? He isn’t allowed to venture off by himself very often, but when he does he would run into very few issues.

All of this thinking and pondering was quickly impeded as Michaela creaked opened the door. She walked in and sat next to him at the edge of the bed. Her weight, being much more than his, pressed down on the bed making his body slowly start sliding toward hers. This made her giggle a little bit, finally breaking her silence and austere attitude.

“Okay look, Christopher you’re a really cool guy. Do you you know that?” she said, looking at him now. “I haven’t seen many people with a disability like yours, but I’ve seen even less with as much passion and determination to not be doubted or treated like someone lesser. I respect that, and I see you as my own role model in some ways.” She said, as she looked away to pause.

Chris didn’t know what to say, this really meant a lot to him especially coming from Michaela.

“But… that’s also exactly the attitude that I’m worried will get you hurt.” She said, putting her arm behind him. “The way you handled things today shows me you still do have that disability. You are vulnerable because of your size, and because of that there are times you do in fact need to be treated like a child. I feel like my choices to hold your hand and to put you in a car seat have been validated.”

Chris could feel that even Michaela didn’t like having to say that. Either it be because she knew it would make him upset, or because she was starting to believe in him in ways that he let her down.

Chris mustered up enough courage to speak up, which was hard for him to do with such an emotionally intense scene. “Y-you know it was an accident, right? I got distracted and the next thing I knew you were gone. I wasn’t trying to prove a point or anything like that.” He said as he twiddled his feet, which were just an inch or so off the ground on this small bed.  “I just want to be respected like an adult, because I am one.”

Michaela took a big breath. She then grabbed Chris by the side facing away from her and slid him much closer. He was now leaning against her torso and under her arm. It was such a quick movement, but it all registered so quickly. Her body heat was intoxicating, along with her scent. He couldn’t scoot back if he wanted to wit her arm now wrapping around him. Lucky for him he wasn’t really planning on it.

“Chris, you’re not going to like what I have to say, but it has to be said… Hey, are you listening?” Michaela said as she nudged him with her arm. Chris was put into a trance; her body vibrating against him when she talked felt so soothing. They say you can hear the ocean if you put your ear to a conch shell, well he could feel the universe when your ear was against her. He shook himself out of it as quickly as he could, “Um, yes. Just not expecting to, uh, sit so close to you.” Chris stammered.

“Chris! Don’t distract me with your cuteness. I’m trying to be serious!” Michaela said a little loudly to startle him back to reality. “You won’t like what I have to say, but it’s still true. You want to be treated like an adult? You aren’t an adult. ” Michaela was right, Chris really didn’t like what she had to say. He leaned as far back as her arm would let him to look up at her face. “Do you need me to get my birth certificate? I’m 19 years old you should know this.” Chris said as an angry heat built up in his throat.

“See, this is exactly what I’m trying to say. You don’t understand what it means to be an adult. If I told someone to close their eyes an imagine someone who couldn’t get anything for themselves, needed help for almost everything, but fought anyone who tried to help them, people would think of a child. If I asked those same people to close their eyes an imagine someone who has a job, pays their bills, fed themselves, and could live on their own, they would think of an adult. Then add the fact that you still make poor decisions like a child would, you get emotional like a child would.” Michaela explained in detail, and paused to give Chris a bit of a squeeze as he was getting very obviously upset.

“Buddy, you don’t just get a ‘Congratulations, you’re an adult!’ card when you turn 18. You have to be mature and act like one too. I’m not trying to say you’re a little kid, a child, or a baby, I’m just saying you aren’t an adult. Will that change? That’s up to you. I keep giving you opportunities to act like the adult you could be, and you deny them. Then, and only then, is when I treat you like a child.”

The pajama situation immediately came to Chris’ mind. If he was an adult he would be taking care of his room and not leave such messes. He didn’t want to believe everything Michaela just said, but he couldn’t find any flaws in her logic. An adult would accept the fact that there are times he needs to be handled a certain way due to his disability, and him fighting the people who love him is just simply childish.

“…You’re right. I’m so sorry for acting like such a baby. I don’t want to be a bother like that. I want to be able to be your equal, and everyone else’s equal, so I’ll do my best to keep more of an open mind.” Chris said, with feelings of shame still lingering from the long day.

Michaela grabs Chris and gives him a giant hug, easily the biggest hug he has ever gotten. He dared not to look down at how far he was from the ground, as he was being held and squeezed at face level to Michaela.

“Congratulations Chris! You just took your first step to adult hood!” she said with delight holding Chris out in front of her.

“A-awesome! What did I do?” he asked, still scared out of his mind from being held up so high. She didn’t show any sign of strain at all, either.

“You had a mature response, admitted fault, and were able to move on.” She said smiling at him. “I’m proud of you!” They awkwardly looked at eachother as Chris dangled from the ground. “Oh, I guess I’ll put you down now.”

Chris was returned safely to the floor, to his relief.

“Now, I need to be clear about one more thing. You letting go of my hand in that crowd was a sign of carelessness, which isn’t a mature trait. It could have ended up with you getting lost, or even worse, taken away from me. I NEED you to know that isn’t okay, so you will have one small punishment to last you.” She put her hands on her knees so that her face could be close to the level of Chris’. “That game I bought you will be mine for the rest of the weekend, and no other video games for that matter too! I think that’s fair enough of a consequence.”

Chris nodded and didn’t dare complain, not out of fear but more out of determination to make sure he didn’t upset her in any other way today. He wanted to prove to her, and to himself, that he could be an adult. Besides, what are a few days without video games?

“It’s starting to get late, we should be getting ready for bed soon.” Michaela said, looking at her phone. “Buuuut~, you DO owe me something. Now don’t you?”

Chris gave her a perplexed and nervous look. What could that mean?

“You don’t remember, do you? You’re so silly sometimes.”  She had an Increasing perk in her voice. “Wait here.” She said putting her finger out as she left the room.

Michaela returned with one of the shopping bags from the mall, and it all came coming back to Chris.

“You said you would try some of these on if I bought you your game. So I figured now would be as good a time as ever!” she said as she started unpacking the folded clothes onto his bed. Chris was surprised to see what looked like smaller versions of clothes someone his age would buy.

“Woah, where did you find this stuff? My clothes look like old handmedowns compared to this!” he exclaimed.

“You were there with me when I bought them. You really weren’t paying attention? The trick is, going to the more expensive stores that sell clothing for things such as weddings, fancy parties, bar mitzvahs, you get the idea. There were plenty of options for you, so I grabbed what I think would suit you. Nothing too fancy, but just enough to look more like the mature person you aspire to be.” She said, looking proud of herself.

“Well you hit the nail on the head. I like it!” he said observing each outfit.

A short pause came over both of them. “So, how about you try them on?” Michaela asked, still excited to see him in them.

“Oh, yea sure! …can I... have some privacy and I’ll let you know when I’m dressed and ready.” Chris asked, slightly nervous.

Michaela rolled her eyes, “Don’t make this a bigger deal than what it is. We all have the same thing under those clothes,” she says as she pokes Chris on the shoulder “Skin, bones, and organs!” She giggled, obviously teasing his insecurities a bit. “I’m not asking you to get naked, you can keep your underwear on, just change clothes into these new ones.” She said, grabbing a set of folded clothes and got on her knees.

Chris begrudgingly took off his shirt, trying his best not to start an argument. Then came off his shoes, then his socks. All was left was his pair of jeans, he grabbed the waist of his pants, but felt nervous and reluctant. He looked back up at Michaela, who was clearly starting to get a bit impatient.

“If it would make you more comfortable, I’ll strip down to my underwear too.” She said with a devious smile.

"No! That wouldn't help me feel any more comfortable right now, I promise." Chris said, starting to lose his cool.

Michaela wasn't appreciating this. "C'mon, it's getting late and I'm already very tired. It would make happy if I could see you with these new clothes on without having to go in and out of the room several times. Please?”

"Okay... but PLEASE don't laugh." Chris begged, crossing his knees slightly in anticipation of mortification.

"Ugh, I don't have all night. If you aren't going to hurry it up, I will!" she said as she grabbed Chris by the pants and pulled them down to reveal Chris' underwear. He was wearing red spiderman undies, to his own distaste. It wasn't easy finding underwear this size that didn't have child-like colors and prints on them.

Michaela practically fell to the floor giggling and laughing. "Those aren't even tighty whities, they're tighty SPIDIES!" she said between the gasps of her hysterical laughter, making her laugh even harder.

Chris covered his face, he was getting so hot and red from the anger building up inside of him. How could she just go ahead and do that?

Michaela, noticing his distraught poster, tried to calm down. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, but I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you!" She said, still trying to hold back her giggles. "You are so cute in those, they're a good fit."

Chris was boiling inside, he had enough of today. The last thing he wanted right now was to be further humiliated and laughed at. The thoughts of everything unpleasant that had happened to him throughout the day flooded his brain until he was ready to burst.

"PISS OFF Michaela!" he yelled, his explosion of anger surprising both Michaela and himself. "I'm not supposed to be treated this way! It isn't fair!" he howled, stomping his foot on the ground.

Tears started flowing yet again, and he just couldn't stop them. Chris was a mess at this point, crying over himself in nothing but his Spiderman underwear. Michaela grabbed his arms, her smile starts returning as she looked at his soggy face. "Even when you're having a fit you're one cute munchkin, I hope you know.” She said with a soft tone that could calm the foul emotions of any situation.

Chris tried to pull his arms away, but it was just not happening. She pulled him in a little closer to her face. He could see all of her overwhelming details just like when in the car seat. It was enough to completely grasp his mind of anything that was on it previously, and just leave more mental space to stare at and admire her.

"If you don't learn how to drop your insecurities, they will consume you. They will become you, and your life will become everything you fear. Just like when it comes to being an adult, you have a choice here. Please, pick the smart one."

Michaela rubbed away his tears with just one swipe of her thumb.

“I’m sorry for laughing at you. It was rude of me and I shouldn’t have pushed that far, but you can’t deny that you are one delightful little bug in those undies.”

Chris seemed to have got what she meant, or at the least was so exhausted he hadn't the energy to fight it anymore.

"Let's check out these clothes, shall we?" She said as she unfolded the shirt on the top of one of the piles. Chris was a standing ragdoll at this point, too emotionally and physically drained to help or hinder. He allowed Michaela to put the clothes on him. Pulling him over to put the shirt on, she got to observe him more than she could before with his old clothes.

“He has such a girly body type…” she thought to herself as she looked at his waist. “So petite and dainty, like a little Bambi. He walks like he could be blown over at any second.” She grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around, continuing to observe his almost naked body. She ran her hand down his back, which smoothly transitioned into his hips. “He’s even got a nice little tushy down here too!” She thought.

The whole time she was examining him, that warmth inside of her grew again. It was the same feeling that she had when tickling him last week, but significantly stronger. It got more powerful and enjoyable the more she touched Chris. It was still such a new feeling for her, and she was interested to find out more.

She couldn’t resist but to grab a quick squeeze of one of his butt cheeks, which made Chris jump out of his emotionally-drained-zombie state.

“Argh! I thought you were dressing me not groping me!” He yelped.

“Then maybe you should stop having such a nice little booty, then!” She said, jokingly. “Sorry, I just got distracted.”

 She slid a plain black t-shirt over his head, a slim cut one that outlined his torso more than any of his shirts did, which were mostly loose and slightly baggy.

"This is already a huge improvement." Michaela said, with her hand on her chin. "Let's get those pants on you too!" On came the pants that were basically the equivalent of skinny jeans. Not tight to the point that his legs couldn't breathe, but yet again tight enough that it shows more features that were usually hidden by an excess of cloth and fabric.

"Can I see now?" sniffled Chris, his nose was still a little stuffy.

"Not just yet, got one more thing to top this outfit off." She said, grabbing a jacket from the assorted pile. It was a black and white varsity high school style jacket, but with a bit of a modern twist. It had gray sleeves and hood, definitely a good choice for a rainy day.

Michaela adjusted the clothes so that everything was on correctly. She smiled at her handy work of putting together a good outfit. She had never dressed a boy before. "Alright, now we're good. You can check it out."

Chris briskly walked to the bathroom to check out his new look. His face lit up, he had never liked looking at himself in the mirror. This was a first! "Wow Michaela, I don't know what to say... I really like it." he said as she walked in behind him.

"Well, that's all you have to say really." Michaela said as she inspected him more. "I'm glad you like it! There's more where that came from, too. It's my treat. As I see it, if you act like an adult, you get to dress like one!" She paused, and put her hand on his shoulder. "With that being said, mind your outburst you had a moment ago. Telling me to 'piss off' isn't very mature. I'm never trying to be a jerk to you and if you just talk to me about it I'll work it out with you, but yelling won’t get you what you want."

Chris swallowed, and nodded. He returned to admiring himself in the mirror, he looked like a small adult for once instead of a kid trying to dress too seriously for their age. "How could you accomplish in one day what my parents couldn't in 19 years of shopping?" he questioned.

"Well, you just gotta know where to look, really. Having good taste in fashion can help out too!" She smiled, once again becoming proud of herself. “For example, I got these pants were from the ‘youth girl’s’ section of Old Navy.”

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before she could hear Chris unzipping them. “Oh come on there, little dude…” she said pulling them back up and giving him a bit of a wedgie. “Are you really that insecure that a moment ago you loved those jeans, and then now that you know they are for girls you don’t like them? I gotta say, that’s pretty shallow.” She expressed as she rested her palm atop the sink area.

Chris readjusted the pants to relieve him of the wedgie. “I guess if you put it that way, I am being a little silly. It just gave me this weird feeling inside when you said they were girl’s jeans. I just can’t explain it.”

“I can. It’s called fear. You are afraid that people will look down on you more than they already do, but here is my number #1 fashion tip: The clothes don’t wear you, you wear the clothes. No one is going to look at you and say ‘Look at that dude in girl’s jeans!’, they’re only going to see how good you look in them.” She said, standing back up to full height.

“You know, you’re right!” Chris said, feeling better. Michaela really did have a voice of reason. She wasn’t just confident, she was infectiously confident. Yet another reason why Chris envies her has been added to the list.

Michaela yawns, stretching her arms out wide. “Alright then, I’m glad I could change your mind. You should slip in the shower. You probably stink after today’s adventure. Bed time is at 9 P.M.!”

Chris, slightly miffed at there actually being a bad time, hopped off the step stool to head into the shower to finish up the night.