The Padded Palace Act IV: Chapter 22

“Exactly. You are not just Mia Thermopolis. You are Mia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia.” 

SNOOOOOOOOOOOORE! 

Squished between Riri and Ellie on the floor with his back to the couch, it hadn’t taken long for Connie to nod off in such a cozy position. It was certainly a familiar seating arrangement seeing as they’d snuggled up in a similarly close manner for their screening of Cinderella. It had taken some serious begging to get the Bigs to agree to stay at the Padded Palace for supper and a movie with Skye’s “I didn’t get to play with everyone” bit doing much of the heavy lifting. Additionally, it gave Latasha the opportunity to do a big dinner as an apology for the pandemonium-filled weekend, so it was a win-win for everyone involved. 

However, now that bellies were full and The Princess Diaries was playing in the living room, things were quickly quieting down. The first act of the movie had barely reached its end and Connie was already leading a choir of snoring that had dragged Stacy, Riri, and Ellie down with him. 

The only person still somewhat wired was Skye, who was happily sitting in the middle of the cuddle puddle with both of Connie’s arms draped over her shoulders. It was hard to conceal her joy anytime she felt Connie's diapers rustle against each other but she kept a lid on excitement for the sake of her sleeping friends. 

Entering the living room with pruned hands, Latasha announced, “Alright, dishes are done–” but was immediately shushed by Carol and Martin, who were too enthralled with the cuteness on display to disrupt their slumber; even Mal pressed a finger to her lips. Gritting her teeth playfully, Latahsa whispered in response, “...sorry.” 

“No, it’s okay. They’ve been out for about ten minutes now,” said Martin, sitting forward in Latasha’s recliner with a melancholic expression. He knew it was getting late and if the girls were already fast asleep, it meant it was time to call it a night. “Thank you so much for dinner, Latasha. And for doing all that you do. It can be easy to criticize the finer details but it’s good to be reminded how important this place is to her.” 

Butting in next to Martin, Carol jumped onto his sentiment, “Yeah, if it wasn’t for The Padded Palace, I don’t think Ellie’s eyes would ever be unglued from a screen again. And sorry about your vacation being cut so short to deal with all this.” 

“Oh, don’t even think about it. CrissCon was lame this year anyway,” said Latasha, keeping the real reason she abandoned her and Skye’s three-night trip close to the chest. No doubt, Carol would never let her hear the end of that story. 

Moving in on Latasha with her arms wide, Carol embraced her close friend. She didn’t know why but she could tell something was off about Latasha’s behavior whenever CrissCon was brought up. Knowing Latasha, she’d never get an answer out of her through asking directly. She’d have to get crafty if she wanted her bestie to spill the tea, though now wasn’t the time to pry. Breaking from her hug with Latasha, she offered the overworked caregiver a caring smile. Her attention then turned downward in Ellie’s direction. “Rise and shine. It’s time to go home.” She placed a hand on Ellie’s back and helped her sit forward with her baby girl rubbing her eyes every step of the way. 

Likewise, Martin paused the movie before kneeling down at Riri’s side. Unlike Carol, he was plenty strong enough to lift Riri into his arms without disturbing her. He felt an arm gently curl around his back as he held his Little tightly against his torso. “Somebody’s taking the train to sleepytime junction,” he sang, luring Riri into an even deeper sleep with her favorite lullaby, “Somebody is so tired, she can barely function. All aboard, cried the engineer. Sleepytime junction is so near…” 

“Come on, Little Miss, it’s time for us to head home too,” Mal said, squatting down beside Stacy, whose entire body was sprawled across the couch, and scooping her into her arms. Despite her thin-framed appearance, she was quite strong in her own regard.  

Putting up a feeble resistance that Mal easily broke through, Stacy’s lack of sleep had finally caught up to her. “Buh am nuh tiwed,” she said right before letting out an enormous yawn. Having fought to stay Big for so much of the day, it was only fitting that her overworked brain would slingshot back in the opposite direction. Amusingly, that didn’t stop her from thumping her fists against Mal’s back in a very bratty fashion. “Meanie!” 

“Hey, Mal. Would you and Stacy mind hanging back a second?” said Latasha, catching Mal slightly off-guard. 

Sighing while shifting Stacy into a more comfortable holding position, Mal had hoped to make a clean exit. Sadly, it appeared she was on the hook as Stacy’s dutiful caregiver for a bit longer. She was certainly curious why Latasha was requesting that they stay longer but also knew stopping to ask for details would only draw out their interaction, so instead, she simply replied, “Yeah, that’s fine.” 

Meanwhile, the commotion of having Ellie and Riri pulled away from their snuggling position broke Connie from his brief nap. He attempted to raise his hand to rub his eyes only for Skye to latch onto his arms and refuse to release them. He snickered before relenting to Skye’s snuggling requirements. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” said Latasha, placing a hand on Connie’s head and petting him lightly as she gazed down at him with adoring, yet bloodshot eyes. “It’s time for the other girls to head home. Go say your goodbyes.” 

Connie’s resting smile flinched upward over hearing Latasha refer to Stacy, Ellie, and Riri as the “other” girls, inferring he was officially one of them. The thought had him beyond giddy, resulting in his hugging arms tightening around Skye. 

Not that Skye minded, squealing as her form was compacted. “Nuh, Connie’s nuh goin nowhewes,” she said, maintaining her hold on Connie’s constricting arms. As an added security measure, she hooked her feet around Connie’s ankles, ensuring he’d be locked in place from head to toe. 

“Hehe! C’mon, Skye. Doncha wansa say bye?” said Connie, speaking with a notably softer voice than usual. It wasn’t higher pitched; just softer. Unfortunately, Skye didn’t appear to be in the negotiating mood as signaled by her sharp head turn and ardent “Hmmph,” thus forcing him to pivot. Lucky for him, his hands were already planted against Skye’s tummy. It was almost too easy. “If das how ish gonsa be…” 

“AHAHAHA!” shrieked Skye, pulling a complete 180 as she squirmed to escape from Connie’s wiggling fingers. Connie may have been padded and dressed like a prepubescent pageant girl but he was still capable of utilizing Big tactics even while in Little Space; something she was sure to make a mental note of for the future. Eventually, she did manage to pull herself away from Connie’s tickling grabbers but not before she’d unleashed a flood into her already soggy diaper. 

“Well played,” said Latasha, giggling at the way her adorable cuties interacted. Seeing Skye and Connie now, she wanted to smack her past self for not initiating a playdate between them sooner. At least now, they could make up for lost time. Linking hands with Connie, she pulled him to his feet with a hefty yank. “Upsy-daisy! There we go.” Almost immediately, her hands moved in to fluff his matted dress, guaranteeing maximum petticoat poofiness. 

Tittering in place, Connie could feel the urge to hide her blushing face behind her hands rising as Latasha fawned over him like a life-sized dolly; a feeling he rebelled against, pushing himself to listen to Riri and embrace what makes him Little. His hips swayed back and forth merrily as Latasha finished brushing out his dress. “Fankoos,” he mumbled, the crimson in his cheeks intensifying as he pinched the edges of his skirt and curtsied to the best of his ability. It was clumsy and a bit stiff but he didn’t care; it made him feel like a bonafide princess. 

“Alright, diaper dumpers! We’re head off!” said Carol, waving alongside an extremely groggy Ellie. “And Connie! Let me know if you have time to come over. Ellie has a ton of old dresses she never uses anymore that she’d be happy to share with you.” 

Acting as a double shot of espresso, Carol’s generous offer caused Ellie’s eyes to bulge. “WUH?! Which dresses are you talking about?!” she said intensely whilst her Mommy pulled her through the doorway and down the steps of the porch. Despite this, her voice could still be heard echoing inside the Padded Palace. “I-I get to go through and choose what I want first, right? Just cuz I haven’t worn something in a while doesn’t mean I’m never gonna!…” 

Connie couldn’t help but laugh at Ellie’s bellyaching while his rosiness quickly regained its prominence as he contemplated trying on girly outfits for Carol. Though, it wasn’t Ellie’s caterwauling that left him chortling uncontrollably. It was hearing Carol use his sissified name so casually. And she wasn’t alone. Throughout the whole night, everyone made a point to refer to him as Connie whenever possible, reinforcing the change. There was no initial doubt or pushback. He was simply allowed to exist as Connie; nothing more, nothing less. 

“Bye-byes, Connie,” muttered Riri, adding to the “Connie” total as if on cue. The languished Little was too tired to wave, let alone open her eyes. Instead, she nuzzled her nose into the crux of her Daddy’s arm, safe and content. 

Patting his baby girl’s bottom, Martin happily accepted Riri’s affection. “Oh, my sweet girl. Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon,” he said, leaning in to kiss Riri’s forehead. He then nodded to Connie and Skye, the former holding his focus and pausing him in the doorway, “Oh, hey, Connie…” A subtle, contented smile sprouted as he caught sight of Connie’s fingers tracing the edges of her dress, “...I think it suits you. Have a good night.” 

As if he wasn’t blushy enough already, Martin’s parting words seared Connie’s cheeks through to the bone. He meekly responded, “Y-You too,” as he watched Martin and Riri shrink into the distance. 

With Ellie, Riri, and their respective Bigs making their exits, the Padded Palace saw its numbers shrink to five. “Have a good one, y’all,” said Latasha, shuttering the door behind Martin before turning to the last of her houseguests, “Hey Mal, thanks for waiting with Stacy. I promise, it’ll only be two minutes,” she said, gesturing for Stacy to follow her toward the hallway. “There’s something I wanna show you…” 

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CLICK! 

The lone, overhead string light within the basement of the Padded Palace flickered on. Open and unfinished, the space had primarily been used as a storage area. Stacked boxes and sheet-covered furniture were haphazardly scattered throughout the unwelcoming landscape. “Okay, scaredy-cats. It’s safe now,” said Latasha, snickering as Stacy, Skye and Connie filed in downstairs once the space was no longer pitch black with Mal lagging behind.  

“I no wike dis pwace,” said Skye, hugging both of her shoulders nervously. If there was one absolute truth to this world, it was that Littles and basements paired together about as well as water and oil. Thankfully, she had Connie by her side, whose arm she clung to so fiercely that his fingers were starting to tingle. 

Ignoring the spiky sensation in his digits, Connie knew he needed to be brave for Skye’s sake.  

“Don wowwy. I’ww pwotec chus!” he said, leaning into his silly side as he stamped his foot down proudly.  

“You both are too much,” teased Stacy, now fully out of Little Space due to the exhaustion headache that was mounting in her temples. Slightly annoyed by the fact that she wasn’t halfway home by this point in the night, she set aside Connie and Skye’s unmitigated cuteness and focused on the task at hand, “So, what’s this all about, Latasha?” 

Glancing around the basement, Latasha was already concocting checklists and calculating costs in her head as her mind got to work redecorating. Reaching toward the ceiling, she placed a hand on one of the support beams and gave it a good tug. “Yup, this’ll do just nicely,” she said, clapping her hands together and abruptly spinning around to address Stacy directly. “You said you wanted the chance to express your Big side, yeah?” She waited for Stacy to nod to proceed with the big reveal. “Good. Because I’m going to turn this space into an ABDL dungeon, and I want you to help me run it.” 

END OF ACT IV.