✔~Locked In Paradise~✔

7

Zach woke up before Xia did, but his eyes stayed shut for a long time as his mind raced at what had happened. He wondered why he had just straight up gone for it. He thought maybe he should just leave, but for some reason, part of him didn't want to. Zach questioned this, why he might enjoy acting younger than he actually was. Was it because he was being hypnotized? Maybe he had gotten drugs in his drink at dinner a couple of nights before, and he was being delirious. But none of those options seemed accurate to him.

The deer rolled onto his side and looked down through the blankets at the diaper that puffed out in between his legs. He was torn between whether or not it was worth it. Of course, it felt nice, pretty much what he had expected, but at the same time, he felt humiliated at the thought of wearing it in front of someone other than Xia.

And then it came back around to Xia. Zach admired the boldness that she possessed in encouraging him to try the new thing out, but he found her a bit intimidating. Of course, that wasn't abnormal for a mammal like him, but he still felt like hiding sometimes when he thought about her scolding him. And then the thought of him becoming a full-on fawn in front of her terrified him. That was why he wondered why he was trying to do so. 

At last, his mind aching with the stress of all the thoughts, Zach threw off the covers and sat up.

When the bars of his crib surrounded him, he felt confined, but not in a not comforting way. In fact, part of him felt safe in the infant's bed. 

He shivered since he hadn't realized before that the covers had been exceptionally warm when he stood up, and to his surprise, his head barely reached the top of the bars.

Zach could see from his point of view a window practically right above his head, with dark blue curtains. The faintest of sunlight drifted through, and illuminated spots on his bedcovers. 

Not that he had ever considered escape, he stared at the sunlight for a moment, basking in its faint warmth, before collapsing back onto the mattress. 

He sat there and fiddled with the blankets, waiting for Xia, while his heart pounded when thinking about what he was doing.

Once more, Zach glanced down at his diaper. It crinkled pleasantly every time he moved, and he reached down and squeezed the thick front. He smiled faintly at the feel of the material in his hooves. 

Growing impatient, he pulled the blanket over his head, only leaving a small hole so that he could see, and scooted forward to peer through the bars of the crib. All he could really see were the carpet, toys from the night before, and a faint shadow of the shelving unit on the back wall. From his point of view, he could not find the door that led to Xia's room, not counting the changing room door.

He decided to try and get out of the crib, but immediately realized the point of its design. As well as to house a small mammal, it also kept it inside and didn't release unless a large mammal helped it out. Zach silently cursed, but nonetheless decided to give it an effort, and stood, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. With a grunt, he gripped the slick wood with his hooves, but there were no crevices to use as leverage, and he slid back down onto the mattress with a soft thump.

He suddenly heard a door opening and turned to see Xia walk in, already fully dressed in a blue tank top and jeans. 

"Good morning, Zach," she smiled and loosened her shoulders. "I see you're trying to get out. Don't worry, I gotcha covered." 

She marched over, and with a slight grunt pulled down the side of the crib. Zach, still leaning against the wood, almost tumbled onto the floor, but she caught him just in time. His heart immediately began pounding as her paws grasped him firmly around the armpits and hoisted him up, head against her shoulder.

"I know this is kind of new for you, so I'm going to take this kind of slow," Xia explained. Zach didn't respond, cheeks burning as he tried to keep his head off her shoulder. "So, are you hungry? We're going to get on a schedule for what time you generally eat." 

Zach strained to feel the familiar hunger pains that usually tortured him, but for some reason, he didn't feel them.

"Not really..." he mumbled. Xia nodded.

"'Kay. Until then, I'll leave you to kind of do your own thing while I get some breakfast supplies from our stock. We've been low lately." She set Zach down on the floor. "Be good while I'm gone. This won't happen too often, so don't get too used to it." 

Zach nodded and stared at his hooves.

"Be right back," Xia promised, and then left.

Zach looked around the room, stunned that he was actually alone. He inhaled deeply and then realized...........

he had absolutely no idea what to do.