A Birthday for Ryan

Like a holiday, birthdays come but once a year. It’s a time of happiness and cheer, a reminder of the moment when they were first brought into this world. Birthdays are something celebrated every day, and for some people, it’s what they look forward to more than any other day. Ryan, who was now 8-years-old, was definitely one of those people. The birthday boy was bursting with enthusiasm from every part of his body, from his feet to his brown-haired head.

“Birfday, birfday, today’s my birfday...” he happily sung to himself, dancing about the snowy backyard in full winter gear. The crunching of the powder beneath him brought him even more joy, his brown eyes shining like the morning sun during this mid-January day. Light snow gently fell onto the ground as he pranced about, without a care.

“Gwant’s gonna be hewe, an’ aww my fwiends, an’ we’we gonna have wots’a fun! Hee hee ha ha ha ha!”

Ryan giggled as he forcefully landed onto his back, rapidly waving his arms and legs to create a snow angel. He panted from the effort and from the energy flowing throughout his body, producing a small perpetual cloud of vapor in front of his slightly-reddened face.

“Fun, fun, birfdays are so mush fun...da funnest day of da year! Even funner dan Christmas!”

He stood up and turned around, gazing at his finished print in the snow.

“Dey weally do look like angels! Le’s make anudder!”

Ryan proceeded to produce a second snow angel, laughing and filled with exuberance as ever. When he was done with that, he decided to make what he called a “reverse snow angel”, where he planted his face against the freezing snow instead of his back.

“Brrrr! I-I hope I d-d-don’ fweeze m-my f-f-face off!”

Luckily, he managed to lift himself out of the snow before that happened, and he looked down at the “reverse” angel.

“Dey don’ look as good as wegular snow angels...” Ryan frowned at the sub-par product. “Oh well!”

It soon reversed to his usual smile as he brushed the snow from his face, which had turned even redder.

“Ryan, your friend’s here!” his mom called out.

“Weally?!”

Reaching yet higher levels of pure excitement, Ryan practically flew into the house and right to the front door; it was already open, revealing nearby neighbor and friend Grant, who smiled with a birthday present in hand and a backpack strapped on. The slightly-older kid had the same short brown hair as the birthday boy, and his eyes were green. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of matching pants.

“Hi Ryan! Happy birthday!” Grant greeted.

“Hihihihi!” Ryan replied, squeezing his friend as hard as he could as he jogged in place.

“C-Calm down!” the older child said, chuckling. “You’re gonna break your present!”

“Ah! Dat’d be a shame...”

“I’ve got it,” Ryan’s mom said; Grant handed it to her, and she placed it onto the nearby kitchen counter, where several other presents were stacked on top.

“Ryan’s Mom, are other people gonna come over?” Grant asked as he took his shoes off.

“Just a few kids from the neighborhood.”

“Okay.” He nodded.

“T’ankoo sooooo mush fer my birfday gift!” Ryan spoke, hugging his friend again.

“You’re welcome!” Grant pulled his friend’s hood back and ruffled his short hair.

“Tee hee hee!”

“Ryan, do you need changing?” his mom asked.

“Nuh-uh! I don’ need...”

Ryan’s joyous face quickly went blank, his brown eyes slowly focusing downward at himself; he sighed as his cheeks turned red.

“...now I do...”

“Come here, sweetie...”

The hug ended as Ryan’s mother picked him up and went upstairs to her son’s room, with Grant right behind them. Ryan’s room was a mixture between a big boy’s room and a baby’s room. The sides of the room, from the floor to the walls to even the ceiling, were decorated with a cutesy theme that was more suited for a toddler, with happy cartoony designs all over. The changing table that the 8-year-old found himself on also served as a dresser, with drawers on the bottom for his clothes, and a more traditionally stocked table on the upper half with diapers, wipes, and baby powder. His bed was appropriate for his size, yet had guard railing like a baby’s crib or toddler’s bed, and various plushes were decorated on the neatly-made sheets.

Ryan was still an 8-year-old with age-appropriate interests, as could be observed with his posters of superheroes and other fictional childhood icons. A toy box rested next to the bed, where some toys peeked out of the top, and there was a closet door on one side of the room opposite the entrance. A video game console was set up to a fairly-large HD T.V., and the T.V.’s stand had a few movie cases stacked on top, with more resting inside the stand’s drawers. A computer desk with school supplies and a PC monitor closely rested next to the changing table/dresser; while Ryan’s mother originally intended him to only use the computer for schoolwork, she eventually allowed a few games to be installed on it for playtime, provided he finish his homework.

“Do you need changing too?” Mom teased Grant as she removed her son’s winter gear.

“D-Does it count as changing if I’m jus’ puttin’ one on?” the older boy said, his face lit up.

“I suppose not...”

“Um...I-I’d like it, i-if it’s...not too much trouble...” Grant could not keep eye contact.

“Of course! It’s no trouble at all!”

“Thanks, Ryan’s Mom!” He grinned, looking more confident.

“You’re welcome, Grant!”

The older kid removed his backpack from his shoulders, unzipped it, and took out a diaper of his own. It was fairly larger than Ryan’s brand, and had teddy bears decorated on the landing strip.

“There!”

Ryan was now freshly diapered and in regular clothes, a long-sleeved T-shirt and socks.

“One boy down, one to go!”

“Yer tuwn, Gwant!” Ryan said as he was placed onto the carpet.

“Don’t look!”

Grant was now the one on the changing table, as his friend turned away and covered his eyes. The older boy’s pants and underwear were swiftly replaced with the diaper, plus a complimentary dash of baby powder.

“Y-You’re a good changer, Ryan’s Mom...” Grant bashfully spoke as the tapes were fastened on, nice and gentle.

“That’s what happens when you’ve got years of experience, Grant!” Mom said, chuckling. “Pants or no pants?”

“No pants!” Grant declared without hesitation.

“I figured! Now have fun, you two!”

“We will!” the two boys simultaneously said, as the older one was placed next to the younger.

With Mom out of the room, Grant sat down and happily sighed as he took in the feeling, sound, and scent of his disposable diaper. Just having the powdered padding around his waist brought him a sense of comfort and calm, as was evident from the wide smile on his face.

“Ha ha ha...I feel so much better already!”

“I know, wight?” Ryan said, wrapping an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Dey make ev’ryt’ing wooooots bedder!”

“Yup!”

The two laughed and giggled without a single care or worry.

“So, you’re gonna be in ‘baby mode’ all day?” Grant said.

“Yup-yup! Awwwww day! Hee hee ha ha ha ha!”

“You big baby...!” he teased.

“Da biggest baby you evew sawed!” Ryan stood up and proudly smiled, arms crossed. “An’ yer da second-biggest baby evew!”

“Am not!”

“Den why’re you wearin’ a diapie? Hee hee hee!”

“Ha ha ha ha! Um, when is everyone comin’ over?” Grant asked.

“I dunno,” Ryan replied with a shrug. “Whenever dey feel like.”

“Is...is it okay if I jus’...stay here? I-In this room?” The older boy’s face went red, with an ashamed frown on his face.

“Sure, if you wanna.” The birthday boy gave a kind smile.

“Th-Thanks, Ryan...” Grant nervously smiled.

“Y’know, I t’ink dere’re udder diapie-wearers out dere, somewhere! You could be weally good fwiends wit’ ‘em too!”

“Yeah...but we don’ know any...” Grant frowned again.

“Nah, but one day we will!” Ryan grinned. “We jus’ gotta look weeeeealy hard!”

“I-If you say so...”

“Yup-yup!”

Ryan’s ears twitched when the doorbell rang.

“Ooh! More guests!” His eyes lit up.

“Have fun!”

Grant waved his friend goodbye as he raced downstairs, while the older boy turned on the nearby video game console.

“Happy birt’day Ryan!”

“T’ankoo Evan!”

He heard his best friend happily chat with a fellow kid in the neighborhood, and he shifted his eyes toward the closed door.

‘I wish I were able to make more friends...’

Grant sighed, reluctant to move past the title screen. Deep in his heart, he yearned for friends, like any kid would. Even after befriending Ryan, the one person he could share his diaper-wearing secret with, he could not help but feel incomplete. The birthday boy was a blast to hang out with, no doubt, yet Grant wanted more. Just one, maybe two other kids to connect with, and he might finally be rid of the nagging ache inside.

‘...I can’t stay here. I...I hafta do somethin’!’

Huffing, he put the controller down and grabbed his pants, which had been placed inside of his backpack.

‘They’ll prolly notice, but I’ve got a plan...’

Indeed, the diaper was clearly visible through the bulge in the front, and it even slightly peeked out. Grant smiled down at it; he found it cute, and oddly exciting. Perhaps it was a dare for others to notice the white ruffles coming out of the top his pants? His heart raced at the mere thought of being discovered.

‘Alright...go big or go home! An’ I just got here, so...!’

He took a deep breath as he reached the doorknob, twisted it, opened the door, and gave himself a conspicuous introduction:

“Hello!”

Grant waved from the upstairs railing at the two boys, who smiled and waved back. Ryan’s blond-haired, slightly chubby friend seemed around the same age as him and Grant.

“Hi! Who’s this?” Evan asked Ryan.

“Dat’s my bestest buddy Gwant!”

“Hi Gwant!”

“It’s ‘Grant’!” he corrected, chuckling as he arrived downstairs. A streamer had been set up on the railing displaying “Happy 8th birthday Ryan!”, and there were a few balloons set up on the corners of the streamer.

“Heh heh...y’know, I think I’ve seen you two together at school!”

“Yup-yup!” Ryan wrapped an arm around Grant’s shoulder, grinning at his other friend.

“Yeah...” Grant’s smile wasn’t as big.

“Nice to meet’cha, Grant!”

“S-Same here!” Grant shook Evan’s hand.

“I didn’ t’ink you’d wanna leave da room!” Ryan said, looking happy.

“I-I changed my mind...‘sides, it’s your birthday! That’s way more ‘portant than video games!”

“Yup-yup!” The birthday boy vigorously nodded his head.

“Uh, Grant...why’re you wearin’ a diaper?”

Evan pointed at the obvious outline on Grant’s pants, and his face turned red as a smile formed out of embarrassment.

“Uh...well...Ryan w-wanted me to...”

“You did?” Evan said to Ryan.

“A’course!”

“Why?” The blond-haired boy looked quite puzzled.

“He doesn’ have any friends who wear diapers all the time, a-and...I wanted to make ‘im happy.”

“Are ya gonna pee in it? Pffff!” Evan laughed.

“N-No!” Grant blushed even harder. “That’s gross!”

“It’s not so bad once ya get used to it,” Ryan assured, patting him on the back.

“Says the kid who needs diapers!” His friend crossed his arms and frowned in irritation.

“Well yeah...” The birthday boy goofily stuck his tongue out, hands behind his back. “Evan wets the bed, so he needs ‘em too!”

“There’s a diff’rence between wettin’ the bed an’ wettin’ yourself when you’re awake,” Evan argued. “And pull-ups aren’t diapers!”

“They’re kinda the same,” Grant said.

“Not really. So, how does it feel?” Evan asked, half-mockingly.

“Well...it’s comfy,” Grant answered, double-patting the front of his pants. “I kinda like the sounds it makes, an’...I-I like bein’ diapered by Ryan’s Mom...”

“Heh ha ha! Looks like you’re turnin’ ‘im into a big baby, jus’ like you!” Evan said to Ryan, elbow-nudging him.

“Yup-yup! Soon, all da kids are gonna hafta wear diapies! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!”

Ryan’s evil laugh caused the other two to laugh as well.

“C’mon, let’s watch cartoons!” the birthday boy offered.

“Yeah!” Evan ran off to the living room couch, as Grant walked up to his fellow diaper-wearer.

“I can’t believe I’m doin’ this!” he whispered to Ryan.

“Me eit’er!” he whispered back. “I’m glad you’re here!”

“Me too...I jus’ hope no one figures out our diapers’re diff’rent...”

The two joined Evan in the living room, watching cartoons on the couch, oblivious to the passage of time. They talked about themselves, the program in front of them, school, and Ryan’s possible presents.

“Can I get a hint?” he eagerly asked Grant.

“No! I don’t wanna ruin the surprise!”

“Aww, c’mon! I’m gonna find out anyway!”

“Then you’ll find out when it’s time!” Grant rubbed Ryan’s hair, and he giggled.

“Heh ha ha ha! Okie-dokie!”

Ryan turned to face his other friend.

“Evan, ya sure ya don’ wanna wear diapies?”

“Nah, I’m fine...” He did not look particularly enthused at the thought. “I don’ even like wearin’ the pull-ups.”

Meanwhile, Ryan’s parents walked by every now and again, altering or adding decorations as they saw fit. Balloons soon filled the air, all in bright solid colors like orange, blue, red, green, and purple. The dining room table was being set up for the three boys and the other soon-to-arrive children, with plates and forks for the cake that would eventually be served from the refrigerator.

“Are we jus’ gonna watch cartoons ‘til the cake?” Evan asked.

“Nah. We’ve got board games’n stuff!” Ryan happily answered. “An’ we can play video games in my room!”

“I dunno if we can all fit...” Grant frowned.

“It’s only got 4-player anyway.” The birthday boy shrugged.

“What if I wanna watch?”

“Oh yeah...oopsie...” Ryan blushed and smiled with his tongue out. “Ah!”

There was a knocking at the front door, and he quickly made his way over there as his dad opened the door.

“Happy birt’day Ryan!” the 5-year-old girl on the other side cheerfully said, presenting her wrapped gift with both hands. She had black hair done in two pigtails, wearing a yellow dress with long sleeves.

“T’ankoo Emily!” Ryan replied, taking the present.

“Now now, Ryan, you can have your gift after the cake!” his dad said.

“I know...I jus’ so ‘cited!” He handed the present over.

“Me too!” Emily hopped in place, in-tune with her friend’s happiness.

“Yup-yup! Hee hee ha ha ha!”

“Ha ha ha!” The two laughed as they sped over to the living room couch.

“Hello,” Grant greeted as Emily took a seat.

“Hi! I’m Emily!”

“I’m Grant, Ryan’s friend.”

“Nice to meet’cha!”

The two shook hands with a smile on their faces; Emily’s shake was vigorous, and her grip tight.

“You’re wearin’ a diaper too, aren’t ya?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“I can hear it when you move! It sounds jus’ like Ryan!”

“I...I-I’m jus’ wearin’ it ‘cause Ryan told me to...” Grant blushed again.

“So you’re not a big baby too?” she teased.

“I t’ink Grant likes ‘em! Hee hee heh ha!” Ryan added, giggling.

“I-I’m not gonna wear ‘em all the time!” Grant spoke, slightly irritated.

“Jus’ sometimes.” His friend smile barely held back his giggles.

“Only for your birthday!” Grant corrected.

“Oh...I kinda thought you’d be number four...” Emily shrugged, slightly disappointed, as she focused on the cartoon.

“Huh?” He tilted his head.

“She wets da bed too, Grant,” Ryan whispered.

“Ohhhhh...”

“I’m bored’a cartoons,” Evan spoke.

“We’ve got board games!” Ryan offered.

“Okay, sure!”

“Lemme show ya where dey are!”

Ryan led Evan away, leaving Grant and Emily as the sole occupants of the couch. They briefly looked at one another, curious; Grant was slightly fearful, while Emily was more confident.

“Um...I-I’m sorry ‘bout...y’know...”

“Sorry ‘bout what?” Emily tilted her head.

“Um...y...y-your...b-bedwetting...” Grant’s face was deep red, as if he should not be saying it.

“Oh, that’s fine...I don’t even wet the bed all the time anymore!”

“Good...”

The two smiled at one another, feeling at ease.

“...are ya scared?” Grant nervously asked. “O-Of...not needin’ diapers anymore?”

“Nope!” She grinned. “I haven’t worn one in three years, an’ I don’t miss ‘em one bit!”

“Oh...”

“You like wearin’ ‘em, don’cha?”

“U-Uh...they’re not...n-not the worst thing in the world...” Grant deeply blushed. “B-But...I, um...don’ wanna wear ‘em a-all the time...”

“You really stink at lyin’, y’know that?” Emily smirked.

“Ahhh!” The older kid’s insides squirmed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Ryan told me how he gets bullied sometimes, an’ I don’t want it to happen to you too.”

“Th-Thanks, Emily...pinkie swear?” Grant extended his right hand, pinkie finger extended.

“Well, alright...pinkie swear!”

Their littlest fingers wrapped around one another, and they nodded in agreement.

“Hey guys! Wanna play?” Ryan called out from the dining room.

“Sure!” “You bet!”

Grant and Emily joined the other two at the carpeted floor near the dining table, where the game “Sorry!” was set up for the four of them. Ryan laid out who was which color:

“Okay, I’m blue, an’ Evan’s red! Grant, you can be green, and Emily can be yellow!”

“But blue’s my favorite color...” Grant frowned. “Can we switch?”

“I kinda went already...sorry...” Ryan did as well.

“Oh. That’s fine.”

“Good! Now, Emily, it’s yer turn!”

The four kids played, taking turns drawing cards and moving about the board. Emily had an early lead with three of her four pieces already on the board (as opposed to the others’ one or two), but Grant and Evan happened to bump two pieces back to the Start. Grant managed to be the first one to enter the “safety zone”, but it was Ryan who actually managed to get a piece Home.

“You an’ your birthday luck!” Grant teased.

“Yup-yup! Maybe you’ll get lucky on your birfday too!”

“Maybe...it’s two months away, though...”

“Well, I’ll bring over some games so you can win ‘em! Heh ha!” Ryan grinned.

The game continued, and as Grant said, the birthday boy’s luck gave him an even further lead. Now he had two pieces back Home, with a third in the “safety zone” and the fourth halfway there. Emily was the runner-up, with one piece Home and another one that was safe, while Grant and Evan tried to see who could first reach Home between the two of them. Their playful rivalry was written all over their faces; it didn’t even matter if they lost the game, as long as they didn’t come in last.

Before Ryan could actually finish the game, the doorbell rang again, and he dashed off to see who it could be.

“Aww, the pieces are everywhere now!” Grant complained.

“Eh. At least I got third!” Evan gloated, standing up and heading elsewhere.

“Hmmph...”

“I had fun!” Emily said, trying to cheer up Grant.

“Same here!” He smiled.

This time, a brother and sister duo was at the door, and greetings were had all around. Grant was anxious, between the slowly-filling household and the somewhat-audible crinkling coming from his pants. He wasn’t like Ryan, who needed to wear diapers all the time; for Grant, it was more of a comforting thing than anything else. What would people think if they found out? The mere thought paralyzed him, even when shielded with the lie of only wearing it for his incontinent best friend. However, Grant began to relax when the sibling pair happily introduced themselves to him.

“My name’s Eric!”
“I’m May!”

“G-Grant! Nice t-to meet you!” he nervously spoke, waving at them.

“Hello!” “Hiya!”

They didn’t even point out the obvious, which made him more comfortable around the unfamiliar kids.

“C’mon, upstairs!” Ryan invited, leading the way to his room; the other five were close behind.

“Oh, it’s on already! T’ankoo Grant!”

“Y-Yeah! A’course!” Grant grinned.

“Be right back!” “Me too!”

“Whaaa?”

Grant was shocked to see the brother and sister duo both grab one of Ryan’s diapers and leave the room.

“Oh, May an’ Eric wear diapies to make me feel bedder!” Ryan explained. “An’ I t’ink dey kinda like it! Heh ha ha!”

“O-Oh! Cool!” Grant felt a great relief in his chest.

“I think I’m the only one here that thinks it’s silly,” Evan said, messing both Grant and Ryan’s hair at once.

“Hee hee! Den why’re you here, Evan?”

“‘cause you’re a great friend, a’course!”

“Awww!” Ryan tightly hugged Evan, smiling wide.

“Silly little Ryan...” Evan chuckled, rubbing his friend’s hair even more.

“Heh ha ha ha! Eee hee hee!”

Grant smiled, seeing Ryan so cheerful. The way they looked made him think they were two brothers, thoroughly enjoying their familial bond.

“So, who’s playing?” Emily asked. “There’s only four controllers...”

“I jus’ wanna watch!” Ryan said.

“But it’s your birthday...” Grant argued.

“But I wan’ my fwiends to pway!” The birthday boy grinned. “I awweady pway it wots!”

“Well, okay...”

“I wanna watch too!” Emily spoke, sitting down on Ryan’s bed.

“Okie-dokie!”

“Ready!” May and Eric simultaneously spoke, returning into the room and taking a controller each. While the two’s diapers were hidden beneath their pants, the unmistakable rustling could not be concealed.

Ryan sat down on his bed, next to Emily, and snuggled his most beloved moose plushie as the other four played against one another in a free-for-all match.

“Oh c’mon!”
“Take this!”
“Yeah!”
“What?!”

“C’mon Gwant!” Ryan cheered. “You can do it!”

“No, go Eric! You’re the best!” Emily counter-cheered.

As it turned out, Eric would be the first one knocked out of the game.

“Awwww...you’re too good, Grant!”

“Heh heh...I jus’--ahhh!--jus’ play lots’a games...” He blushed, bashfully smiling.

“Gwant’s da bestest gamer eva’!” Ryan declared, triumphantly raising his moose plush in the air.

“We’ll see ‘bout that!” Evan spoke, determined to come out on top.

“Bring it on!”

Almost as if it was fated, it soon came down to just Grant and Evan. Emily had shifted her desired winner to Grant, while May and Eric both rooted for Evan.

“You got this, Evan!” “Kick his butt!”
“Gwant! Gwant!” “Get ‘em, Grant!”

“What?!”

“Ha ha!”

It was a close match, but ultimately, Evan was the winner. The room was filled with the cheers and congratulations of everyone, save for Grant.

“C’mon, don’t be such a sore loser!” Evan said, noticing the wincing, distraught boy.

“N-No...I-I have sensitive ears...”

“Oh...”
“Sorry Grant...”
“Whoops...”

The room had quieted down in respect, but Grant shook his head.

“No, no! It wasn’t that bad. Good game, Evan!”

“GG!” The two boys shook hands.

“Okay, who’s up next?” Eric spoke, waving his controller at the two on the bed.

“Me!” Emily cheerfully spoke, taking it and sitting down on the floor.

The games continued, with the person in last being swapped out for whoever sat on the bed. Cheers, encouragement, taunts, and the sheer sense of competition echoed throughout Ryan’s room, and it was nothing short of fun. Even Grant, who could not fully purge himself of his nervousness, had a good time among the kids; in fact, he began to feel even more excited as he heard more kids arrive downstairs. Of course, he wished Ryan’s room was bigger, as free space was quickly becoming a rare commodity with the additional guests. At the moment, eight children were in the room, with several others still downstairs, based on what Grant could hear.

“‘s’cuse me!” Ryan spoke as he quickly grabbed a diaper and left the room.

“I think it’s kinda cute, seein’ everyone in diapers!” one of the neighborhood girls said to Grant.

“C-C-C-Cute?” His face was as red as a Christmas light.

“Yeah! Though I feel bad for Ryan. He can’t help it, you know?”

“Y-Yeah, I know...h-h-he’s my b-best friend...”

“Oh, you’re Grant!” The blond-haired girl grinned. “Nice to finally meet you! I’m Clara!”

“H-H-Hi Clara...” he bashfully replied, shaking her hand.

“Do you need changing too?” she teased.

“I-I don’t...go in my...i-it’s just for...birth...birthday...”

“Oh. Well that’s really nice of you. Ryan always likes being around other people when they’re diapered too!”

“Yup!” Grant quickly nodded.

Ryan had returned to his room, carried by his dad and laid onto the changing table.

“Having fun?” Dad asked everyone as he cleaned up his son.

“Yup-yup! I havin’ wots’a fun, Daddy!” Ryan grinned from ear to ear.

“Me too!”
“Yeah!”
“Super fun!”

“Glad to hear it!” Dad said, smiling.

“I’m glad dat so many people awe hewe! Dat makes me supew-happy! Hee hee ha ha ha!”

“Birthdays are supposed to make you super-happy!”

“A’course, Daddy!”

“There we are...all clean again.”

Ryan gave his father a tight hug.

“I wuv you wots, Daddy. T’ankoo fer da pwesents...”

“Awwww...”
“So cute!”

“Right back at ya. But don’t thank me until after they’re open, alright?” Dad chuckled, putting his son back on the floor.

“Okie-dokie!” Ryan nodded.

“Have fun! It’s almost time for cake!”

“Can’t wait! Can’t wait!”

Ryan bounced in place, as if he was already in a sugar rush. The other seven kids watched or participated in the 4-player game; five of the kids, including Ryan himself, were padded.

“Guys!”

All the chatter ceased, and all attention was now on the birthday boy.

“I wanna show ya my clothes!”

“Awwww...that’s boring!” one of the boys complained.

“But it’s his birthday,” Evan argued. “We kinda hafta, y’know?”

“Yup-yup!” Ryan nodded, approaching his closet. “Behold!”

The door was opened, and a few of the kids were in awe at his clothing collection. Everything hanging from the rack was babyish in some way. Some clothes were child-sized baby gear like onesies, footed sleepers, rompers, shortalls, and overalls; other clothes were costumes, like a sailor’s outfit, ducky raincoat with matching boots and cap, business suit, fireman uniform, doctor’s coat, and a pirate’s vest.

“This’s pretty cool!” Clara said, grinning.

“Seen it...” Evan shrugged.

“It’s still pretty neat,” Grant argued.

“I s’pose...”

“Ta-da!”

Ryan grinned and had his fists on his sides, now adorned in the doctor’s outfit. A stethoscope dangled from his neck as well.

“Now, I need a patient! Doctow Wyan’s gotta make suwe yer healt’y!”

“Owww!”

Grant cried out in pain, feeling Emily’s forceful stomp on his bare foot. The 5-year-old stifled her chuckles while the victim of her improvised attack glared at her.

“Gwant! Looks like you might have a bwoken foot!” Ryan led his friend onto the bed.

“I-It jus’ hurts...owwww...”

“Hmmm...” Ryan examined Grant’s foot. “Yup, it bwoked. Looks like I gots’ta give ya a cast.”

“And I can’t move it for, like, a couple months?” Grant frowned.

“Nope! But don’ worry, ev’ryone’s gonna sign it! It’s gonna look awesome!”

“Yeah!”
“A’course!”
“Sure, I guess.”
“Definitely!”

“Uh, th-thanks guys...”

Grant nervously smiled at everyone smiling at him. Being the center of attention was never something he really desired, but in that moment, he didn’t mind it too much. Even as Ryan made a “cast” for his “broken” foot, he felt a sense of companionship among the group of kids.

“Dewe! Aww bedder!” Ryan spoke, having just finished wrapping socks around Grant’s foot.

“Hurray!”
“Good job, Doctor!”
“Can I go next?”

“Heh heh heh...aww in a day’s work fer Doctow Wyan!”

Ryan grinned at the applause and cheers for his service, bowing just like an actor at the end of a play.

“...y’know what?”

He sighed, plopping on the floor in place; he took a pacifier out of his shirt pocket and popped it in his mouth.

“...I t’ink I’s a widdle baby nows...”

“Awww...”
“You’re so cute!”
“Baby Doctor Ryan!”

The others all cooed and smiled at Ryan, almost as if he was just a two-year-old. While his attire didn’t completely reflect it, the utterly innocent look in his brown eyes and the adorable, heart-melting smile on his face was definitely in-character for a child that age.

“Here ya go, little guy...” Evan spoke, playfully messing his friend’s hair.

“Eee hee hee ha ha ha! Eva’ mess Wya’s haiw!” Ryan giggled, further fitting into the toddler role.

“You’re so silly,” Grant said, grazing his pointer finger under the birthday boy’s chin. “Who’s a silly?”

“Wya’ siwwy!” his friend answered. “Boop.”

“Yup...” Grant chuckled as Ryan poked at his calf.

“Boop. Boop...yaaa!”

“Ahhhh?!”

In one quick motion, Ryan had pulled down Grant’s pants, revealing his diaper to everyone. They all burst into laughter and giggles, as Grant’s face was red-hot with embarrassment.

“Nice diaper!”
“Ha ha ha!”
“Looks like you’re a big baby too!”

“Gwant weaws diapies wike Wya’ too!” Ryan adorably said, laughing along with the others.

“Ryan! Don’t do that!” Grant complained, hastily pulling his pants back on to hide his padding.

“Oop!” The birthday boy pulled them back down, and everyone laughed again.

“Stop!” Grant pulled them up again.

“No!” Ryan stifled his giggles as his friend’s diaper was exposed for the third time in a row.

“You’re bein’ naughty!” Up they went.

“I wike bein’ naughty!” Down they go.

“You’re not bein’ cute right now!” Up...

“Yeah I am!” ...and down.

“Maybe you should--heh heh!--go away from Ryan?” Evan suggested, still chuckling.

“Good point, Evan.”

Once Grant had his pants on again, he walked away from the ageplayer...only for Ryan to grab the rim of his pants once more.

“Are you serious?!” Grant angrily spoke as his diaper became half-exposed this time.

“Vewy sewious! Tee hee hee!”

“Grrrr...”

In spite of his irritation, Grant couldn’t help but crack a smile. It was hard for him to be mad at his best friend for long, especially when he looked as cutesy and carefree as he did, pacifier in his mouth and smiling from ear to ear.

“I-I’m gonna go downstairs, okay?”

“‘kay Gwant!”

Ryan waved his friend goodbye as Grant headed to the first floor. He briefly noticed Ryan’s mom heading opposite of him, but he was more focused on the handful of kids down here, watching T.V. or playing board games. Grant counted seven kids, besides himself; some of them even had their diaper on full display, just like Ryan.

“Uh, hey guys,” he greeted, waving at them.

“Hey.”
“Hello!”
“How’s it goin’?”

“Good, good...” Grant smiled.

“Okay kids, it’s time for the cake!” Ryan’s dad spoke, heading to the dining room.

“Cake time!” Ryan excitedly yelled, his utterly ecstatic voice carrying throughout the household.

All the children had quickly and noisily assembled at the dining room table, cheerfully and joyfully talking to one another in anticipation. There were so many kids that they could not all fit at the table, so some of them would have to make do with the living room table once the cake was served. Everything about the atmosphere screamed “birthday party”, with the myriad balloons everywhere, colorful streamers trailing down from the walls, and the “Happy 8th birthday Ryan!” streamer still proudly displayed on the upstairs railing.

At the head of the dining table, in his highchair, was Ryan, now adorned in a baby blue onesie with teddy bears all over, red shortalls over that, and a white bib decorated with building blocks that spelled out his name. There was no word to describe the joy exuding from every pore of his body, as he grinned in barely-contained excitement and joy. At any moment, the cake would display itself, the song would start, and the presents assembled on the kitchen counter would be torn open. Soon, that moment had arrived, and the room went quiet.

“Happy birthday to you...”

In his parents’ hands was the birthday cake, a three-layer chocolate cake based on Jake and the Never Land Pirates, with an “8” candle alight on top that was sticking out of a treasure chest. The bottom layer was colored blues and whites after the ocean, the middle layer was brown for underground and prominently displayed Ryan’s name in red letters, and the top layer was light brown to mimic surface soil. Several small gold doubloons surrounded the chest at the top, which were chocolate coins on the inside, and little figures of the main characters surrounded the chest, happy to have found it.

“Happy birthday to you...”

Ryan’s brown eyes shone with utmost happiness as the cake arrived at its destination at the center of the table.

“Happy birthday, dear Ryan...”

He shook in place, his hands leaning on the highchair tray in front of him. Seeing his mother, his father, and all of his friends smiling and singing brought tears to his eyes, yet his grin did not fade one bit.

“Happy birthday to you!”
“And many more!”

Ryan closed his eyes, tears trailing down. He took a deep breath, and blew out the candle on top of his cake.

“Whoo!”
“Yaaaaay!”
“Happy birthday!”

Everyone cheered and applauded the birthday boy, who clapped along with them.

“T’ankoo soooooo mush, ev’wyone! I’m so happy dat you aww came fer my birfday!”

“A’course!”
“You betcha!”
“You’re welcome!”
“Anytime, Ryan.”

“Awwight! Who wants da cake?!”

“Yeeeeeaaaaahhh!”

Ryan’s mom and dad cut the cake for everyone, handing out slices to each child. Again, there was much conversation to be had, with several groups of kids congregating with one another, talking about this and that.

“Happy birthday, Ryan,” Grant reiterated, smiling and patting his friend on the back.

“T’ankoo Gwant! I’m havin’ a blast!” His face and hands were stained with chocolate.

“Awesome!”

“Yeah, happy birthday,” one nearby boy half-heartedly said, shrugging.

“Wait, do I know you?” Ryan asked, tilting his head.

“Nah. I’m just here for the cake.”

“Oh...well, are ya havin’ fun?”

“Kinda. I don’ get the diapers, but it’s pretty cool. Cake’s yummy, at least!”

“Glad ya like it!” Ryan grinned. “My name’s Ryan!”

“I know. Colin.” He waved with a friendly smile.

“An’ I’m Grant!”

“Nice to meet’cha.”

The children all talked amongst one another, eating cake and drinking glasses of milk to wash down the delicious treat. Even the uninvited guest seemed to be enjoying himself, despite the confused gazes he gave to the diapered kids, Ryan and Grant most of all.

“So you can’t hold it?”

“Nope. But it’s okay. I like bein’ a big baby!” Ryan grinned.

“But everyone else can?”

“Yeah,” Grant answered. “Well, Emily an’ Evan still wet the bed sometimes.”

“I t’ink dat’s why dey don’ mind diapies...” Ryan explained.

“I guess...” Colin shrugged.

“I wanna open my pwesents!” Ryan exclaimed.

“Alright then. Kids! Present time!”

Mom gathered everyone back into the dining room, where the table was cleared to make room for all the presents. Boxes and bags of varying sizes were placed together, and Ryan’s eyes shone yet again as he anticipated what could be inside such tempting packages.

“Let’s get you clean first...” Mom said, wiping her son’s face and hands clean.

“Hee hee ha ha ha!” Ryan giggled as the cake was removed from him.

“Okay! You may open your first present!”

“‘kay! Dis one!” He first went with a medium size bag, colored green with yellow stars all over. He dug through the white paper concealing his gift, and took it out with a gasp and a look of awe.

“A Mikey mask! T’ankoo so mush!” He tightly hugged his gift.

“A’course!” Evan smiled, nodding.

“Isn’t there supposed’ta be a box?” Grant wondered.

“Eh...I may have played with it a little...”

“T’ankoo! T’ankoo wots!”

Wrapping and packing paper flew everywhere, even onto others’ faces and heads, as Ryan opened gift after gift. They laughed and giggled at his infantile joy, and smiled at his words of thanks that came with each gift. His birthday haul consisted almost entirely of toys and video games, and he was bursting with enthusiasm to try each of them out; he probably would have, if his parents didn’t keep reminding him to finish what he started.

“Not until everything’s open, sweetie,” Mom said.

“Den wet’s huwwy up!”

Even when he obtained clothes, the one thing kids hate to receive on their most special day, he was happy. However, that might have had to do with the fact that they were babyish in nature, more pieces of ageplay clothing to add to his already impressive collection. Ryan couldn’t wait to dress up as a cowboy, something he didn’t think he would look forward to until the moment he held the costume in his hands. Once the last gift was unwrapped and revealed to all, he looked over at his haul with utmost satisfaction: Action figures and toys of various sizes, video games, and a handful of costumes and clothes for when it was “baby time”.

“T’ankoo aww sooooo mush fer aww da pwesents! Yer da bestest fwiends I evew had!”

“You’re welcome!”
“Anytime!”
“Happy birthday!”
“Let’s play with ‘em!”

“One more thing!” Mom spoke. “The piñata!”

“Weally?!”

On cue, dad lowered the horse-shaped, multi-colored piñata from upstairs, and the kids all gathered underneath it. They looked up, almost as if they expected it to spontaneously break and rain its delicious goodies down on them.

“I need some help moving furniture!” Mom spoke. “Whoever helps gets the first swings!”

“Lemme help!”
“Me! Me!”
“Always, Ryan’s Mom!”

Six of the kids, Grant included, assisted in moving the furniture to give the children enough space to safely strike the piñata.

“Ryan, since it’s your birthday, you can take the first hit!” Mom said, sliding a blindfold onto her son and giving him a stick.

“Okie-dokie!” Ryan grinned, even as he was spun around three times.

“And...go!”

As Ryan blindly waddled around, waving the stick in the air, the other kids all loudly told him where to go. Some of them even instinctively pointed to where it was.

“Right! More right!”
“Keep goin’!”
“No, left!”

“Ahh!” Ryan eventually felt something at the end of the stick.

“Hyyaaaah!”

He gave the piñata a good whack, but no candy came out.

“Nice shot, Ryan!” Grant cheered.

“I think you mean nice hit!” Evan corrected.

“Oh...heh heh...”

Grant was up next, and he too gave the piñata another hit, this one loosening a couple small pieces of paper attached to it. With each additional whack from each child, more and more paper fell to the floor, and even a candy piece or two; the lucky ones took the wrapped goodies once the blindfold was removed. It wasn’t until the 8th child smacked the piñata that it burst open, candy pouring out.

“Yaaaaaaay!”
“You did it!”
“Woohoo!”

The cheering kids all dug in, scooping up handfuls of candy and stuffing it into their pockets. Every single one of them managed to get at least a couple pieces, and they even traded with each other for what they really wanted.

“I’ll give you some Sweet Tarts for your licorice!”
“‘kay!”

“Here, have an Airhead.”
“Blue Raspberry?! I love that flavor! Thanks!”

“Mommy!” Ryan tightly hugged his mom. “T’ankoo fer ev’wyt’ing!”

“You’re welcome, sweetie!” She picked up her son, smiling at him. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

“Happy birthday, son,” Dad chimed in, rubbing Ryan’s hair.

“Tee hee hee! T’ankoo Daddy!”

---

It was now early evening. All of the guests, save for one, had gone home, leaving Grant, Ryan, and his mom and dad as the sole inhabitants of the household. The two boys were in Ryan’s room, sitting at the computer desk and eating another slice of birthday cake, with a T-shirt and a diaper as their only attire.

“Haaaaaah...I love how quiet it is now...” Grant spoke with a smile.

“Yeah. I can’t believe it was so noisy earlier! But it was lots’a fun too!” Ryan grinned.

“Yeah!”

“T’ankoo fer bein’ here.”

“A’course! That’s what friends’re for!” Grant patted his friend on the back.

“Heh heh!”

“Ha ha ha! So, what’s your favorite present?”

“Oh jeez, don’ make me choose!” Ryan looked completely indecisive. “The Mikey mask, Transformers, Power Rangers, games, the cowboy outfit...they’re all so awesome!”

“You could just say my gift was the best,” Grant teased, nudging his friend.

“Dat’s too easy!” He nudged back.

“Well, ya gotta choose!”

“No I don’t! I love all my gifts!”

“But which one do you love the most?”

“Stop it!” Ryan giggled, blushing. “Tee hee ha ha ha!”

“Heh ha ha ha!”

“Hey Grant, you wanna play with my new toys?”

“You’d do that?”

“Yup-yup!” Ryan nodded. “I know you won’t break ‘em, an’ I already played wit’ ‘em. Now it’s your turn!”

“Thank you, Ryan!”

“Yer we’come!”

Grant got out of the chair and looked over the various toys littered on the floor. His eyes caught the Transformer, and he took it in his hands.

“I’m glad you really liked this toy! I kinda wanted to get one too!”

“Heh heh! Maybe I’ll getcha one fer yer birfday!” Ryan spoke, joining his friend on the floor.

“Aww, you already spoiled it!”

“I said maybe! Maybe I’ll jus’ getcha a Pokémon toy instead!”

“Oh man, I wonder which one it’ll be...”

“Dat’s a secwet! Shhhhhh!”

The two boys laughed, toys in hand, as they began to play together.

“A little turtle’s no match for a big robot!” Grant spoke, holding the Transformer high in the air.

“Hah! Big t’ings come in small packages!” Ryan retorted.

“Wanna bet?!”

“Totally! Hyaaah!”

Ryan and Grant clashed with their toys, imagining that they were in an epic battle. They could clearly see it in their mind, like it was playing out in front of them.

“Stand still!” Grant said, trying to squash Ryan’s toy.

“No way! I’m no sittin’ duck!”

“You should be!”

“Take this!” Ryan’s toy struck Grant’s Transformer right in its leg.

“Nooooooo!” He toppled it over, complete with sound effects courtesy of its holder.

“Yeah! Da baddie’s down! Huwway!”

Ryan stood up and victoriously hopped in place, as his friend looked up at him with a big smile on his face.

“Hurray, Ryan!” Grant applauded him.

“Heh heh ha ha!” He blushed and smiled. “T’ankoo! T’ankoo vewy mush!”

“You’re welcome!”

Ryan walked over to his bed and sat down with a sigh. He grabbed his moose plush and hugged it, resting his head on its.

“I had da bestest birfday evew. I wan’ ev’wy birfday t’be dis special...”

“Same here, Ryan.”

Grant sat next to his friend, wrapping one arm around his shoulders. Ryan, in response, leaned on his friend’s shoulder, eyes closed, smiling wide.

“Yer da bestest fwiend evew. T’ankoo vewy mush, Gwant...”

“You’re welcome, Ryan. Happy birthday.”

“Birfday...hee hee hee...”

Ryan began to suck on his pacifier as he rested against Grant. It was an adorable sight, to be sure, and Grant smiled too. Being surrounded by your closest friends on your very special day is one of the most heartwarming things to ever experience, and Ryan felt satisfied and content. The best day of the year may have been over already, but he would always carry the happy memory in his heart.

Before they knew it, it was nighttime, and they found themselves in pajamas. Grant wore a blue space pajama shirt and pants, while Ryan had a red, buttoned footie pajama. As they lay opposite each other in his bed, the events of the day continued to play in their heads, filling them with warmth and happiness.

“I had lots’a fun t’day, Gwant...t’ankoo...” Ryan sleepily said, smiling with his moose plush in hand.

“Any time, Ryan...”

“Mmmmph...sweepovers’re awways fun...”

Grant gazed at his now-sleeping friend, almost at dreamland’s gates himself. What Ryan had said earlier and just now echoed in his mind as he drifted off, bringing about the end of the best day of the still-new year.