Chapter 17 — Unashamed

Elara sat in her high chair, the padded seat crinkling under her as she shifted uncomfortably in a fresh diaper that still felt alien, despite weeks of this routine. The bottle of formula rested in her hands, lukewarm and chalky, the rubber nipple brushing her lips with every reluctant sip. Across the table, Quinn perched in her own highchair, a plate of cut-up fruit and tiny sandwiches before her—finger food she could pick at with messy fingers. A bright pink sippy cup sat within reach, filled with something sweet-smelling, a stark contrast to Elara’s bland sustenance.

Around them, other students of Ruby House chattered softly or babbled around pacifiers, others munching on similar toddler fare, the air thick with the scent of syrup and powdered milk.

Ruby House had been implementing further control methods, such as high chairs during mealtime, to ensure their youngest members received baby treatment around the clock.

Neither girl could meet the other’s eyes. The night before lingered between them like a heavy fog, stretching long past lights out into touches and stifled, moaning gasps. Elara’s body still thrummed with the memory of Quinn’s fingers, the first real release she’d felt in agonizing weeks searing itself into her core. Her sex ached faintly now, not from denial but from the raw intensity of finally breaking through that rune’s barrier.

They’d figured out only fragments: their runes seemed tied together emotionally, feeding off shared feelings in ways that defied logic. Lust, shame, desperation.

“You gonna drink that or just stare at it?” Quinn asked, her voice low as she popped a grape into her mouth, still not looking up. Her cheeks were faintly pink, fingers fidgeting with a piece of bread she wasn’t eating.

Elara’s grip tightened on the bottle, the plastic creaking slightly. “Not hungry,” she mumbled around the nipple, her own face burning as she kept her gaze on the table’s edge. The formula tasted like paste anyway, but admitting she was too rattled to choke it down felt worse.

A long silence stretched, broken only by the clink of sippy cups and soft coos from nearby students being fed by their assigned ‘parents.’ Elara stole a glance at Quinn through her lashes—her roommate’s messy hair half-hiding her face, lips pressed thin like she was chewing on words she wouldn’t say. Last night played on loop in Elara’s head: the way Quinn had hesitated before touching her, whispering “Is this okay?” in the dark; the electric jolt when skin met skin; the way their breaths had hitched together until Elara finally shattered with a sob of relief while Quinn trembled beside her.

“Didn’t mean for it to… y’know,” Quinn said, voice rougher now as she tore a sandwich bit apart with nervous fingers. “Get so intense.”

Elara swallowed hard, the nipple slipping from her mouth for a second before she forced it back. “Yeah. Me neither.” Her thighs squeezed together instinctively under the tray strapped over her lap, heat prickling at the memory despite herself. “But it… worked. For me.”

Quinn’s head jerked slightly at that, eyes flicking up for half a heartbeat before darting away again. “Good. I guess.” Her voice was tight, almost clipped, like she didn’t trust herself to say more.

Another beat passed. Elara sucked at the bottle just to have something to do, the taste doing nothing to dull the tension knotting her gut—or lower. Where were Mommy and Daddy anyway? Waking up to an empty dorm room had been jarring; no stern lectures from Selena about schedules or Darian’s overbearing check-ins on Quinn.

No answers about why their runes flared like that when emotions tangled just so. Part of Elara dreaded asking whenever they showed back up—she wasn’t sure she wanted rules slapped onto whatever they’d stumbled through last night—but another part burned for clarity.

“You think they’ll know?” Quinn asked, quieter now, popping another grape in her mouth. “When they get back?”

Elara let out a dry chuckle. “You think they don’t already know? There’s no way.”

Quinn’s eyes dropped to her plate, a shy nod bobbing her head as her fingers toyed with a piece of fruit. Her cheeks were still tinged pink, avoiding Elara’s gaze while the other girl lifted the bottle back to her lips. Elara nursed at the formula, grimacing slightly at the taste but forcing it down to finish her so-called meal.

“What do you think these runes will do?” Quinn asked, her voice hesitant as she pushed a bit of sandwich around her tray. “Apart from… ya know…” Her blush deepened.

Elara set the bottle down with a soft clunk on her highchair tray, shrugging as she wiped a stray drop from her chin. “Heck if I know. I suppose we’ll figure it out together.”.

Quinn glanced away, focusing on nothing in particular across the room. “Yeah, I suppose we will,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elara’s brow furrowed, her fingers tapping lightly on the edge of her tray as a thought gnawed at her. “Why do you think they did this? Why now?”

Quinn was chewing a bit of bread, her expression turning thoughtful as she swallowed. “I have no clue, to be honest,” she said with a shrug, meeting Elara’s gaze for half a second before looking down again. “I’m not sure why your Mommy finally let you…” She trailed off, and Elara’s face heated instantly, knowing exactly what she meant.

Quinn cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing. “Anyway, I’m not sure, but there has to be a good reason behind it, right?”

“I think so too,” Elara said, leaning back slightly in the highchair, the crinkle of her diaper loud in her ears. “It has to be something with their training. They wouldn’t just give us something like this if it didn’t serve their purpose.”

Her mind churned over the possibilities—control, testing limits, maybe even pushing them toward some twisted dependency on each other or the runes themselves. Selena and Darian never did anything without layers of intent behind it.

Quinn nodded slowly, popping another small bite into her mouth. “Yeah… makes sense. Everything here’s got strings attached.” She hesitated, then added quietly, “Do you think it’s supposed to make us… closer? Like, emotionally or whatever, so we rely on each other more?”

Elara’s lips pressed thin at the idea, not sure if she liked where that led. “Maybe. Or maybe they just want to see how far they can mess with us before we crack.” She picked up the bottle again, taking a reluctant sip as she mulled it over. “Either way, feels like we’re pawns in some bigger game I can’t figure out yet.”

“Always have been,” Quinn muttered under her breath, sipping from her cup with a faint grimace of agreement. “Guess we’ll find out when they decide to show up and explain… if they even bother.”

Elara gave a small nod, staring at the half-empty bottle in her hands.

They continued eating in silence for a bit longer, the clatter of sippy cups and soft murmurs of Ruby House filling the air around them. Elara sipped at the last of her formula, and Quinn picked at her fruit.

“Do you… by chance… need to go?” Quinn asked hesitantly, her fingers fidgeting with a piece of bread.

Elara raised an eyebrow, setting down the bottle with a soft thud on her tray. “You mean like…” She motioned subtly to her diaper.

Quinn nodded, glancing away quickly, her cheeks already tinting pink.

Elara’s brow furrowed, but as she focused inward for a moment, she realized Quinn was right. The formula was working through her system faster than she’d expected, a growing pressure building low in her abdomen. “I… do…” she admitted, her own blush creeping up her neck as she shifted uncomfortably in the highchair.

Quinn bit her lip, shifting in her seat, too, still avoiding Elara’s eyes.

“I can feel that. I can tell you need to.” Her voice was quiet, yet carried a strange intensity, as if she were confessing something she didn’t fully understand herself.

Elara’s blush deepened to a burning crimson. If Quinn could feel that much through whatever connection their runes forged… what else could she sense? Every private ache or urge? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

“I don’t know why…” Quinn said, her words halting as she struggled to get them out. She blushed deeply from head to toe, leaning just a fraction closer across the small space between their trays. “But it’s like…” She paused, swallowing hard before forcing the rest out in a rushed whisper. “It’s like my pussy is wet at the idea of you using your diaper.”

She leaned back immediately after, her hands gripping the edge of her tray like she needed an anchor. “That has to be the work of the rune, right?! Please tell me I’m not insane.” Her tone was desperate now, practically begging Elara for reassurance.

Elara’s face felt like it was on fire, her heart thudding hard against her ribs. “It has to be the runes,” she said quickly, nodding more to convince herself than anything. “Something about what they’re doing to us…” She shook her head. “That can’t be normal. How are they manipulating our emotions like that?”

Quinn let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her messy hair as she stared at a spot on the table. “I don’t know. It’s like… I’m not just feeling my own stuff anymore. It’s yours too. Like when you’re tense or—or needing something—it hits me too.” She pressed a hand briefly over her lower abdomen before dropping it fast, embarrassed.

Elara swallowed thickly, the pressure in her own body growing more insistent now that they were talking about it so openly. Her thighs squeezed together under the tray. “Yeah, well… I can’t exactly hold it much longer,” she muttered under her breath, mortified at admitting it out loud but unable to stop herself with Quinn staring holes into the table like she could feel every second of Elara’s struggle.

“Then don’t,” Quinn blurted out before catching herself, eyes widening as she slapped a hand over her mouth for a split second. “I mean—shit—I didn’t mean to say that. But I—” She groaned softly through gritted teeth, shifting again in her seat like she was fighting something physical herself now, too.

Elara’s gaze darted away, her cheeks burning as Quinn’s words hung in the air between them. The dining hall’s pastel chaos buzzed around them, oblivious to the charged tension at their small table.

“I’m sorry, I… just…” Quinn groaned, shifting in her highchair, the crinkle of her own diaper audible as she squirmed. “Could you do it for me?” she asked, her voice a pleading whisper. Her blush deepened, spreading down her neck. “Could you… mess yourself?”

As soon as the words left Quinn’s lips, Elara saw her eyes flutter, her lips parting just slightly with a shaky breath. And now that she was focusing, Elara could feel it too—a strange, mirrored heat

What the hell was going on?

“You want me to…?” Elara asked, her voice trailing off, barely above a whisper as she stared at the tray in front of her.

Quinn nodded, biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark. “Fuck, Elara, every time I suggest or even think about you doing that… It’s driving me insane.” Her voice cracked with raw need, hands gripping the edge of her tray.

“Can you control that feeling at all?” Elara asked nervously, her tummy churning as the first cramp hit, making her shift uncomfortably.

Quinn sat still for a moment, eyes distant, before shaking her head slowly. “The more I try, the more I want to give in. I just…” She shut her eyes tight, fists clenching and unclenching on the table. “No, I can’t control it. I need you to go. Please.” She begged, her eyes snapping open to meet Elara’s, and the desperation there was unmistakable—wild, hungry, almost pained.

Elara swallowed hard, feeling that pressure building inside her, undeniable now with each passing second. Her heart pounded as she wrestled with the humiliation of it all—sitting here in a highchair, diapered like some helpless infant, and now this bizarre pull from Quinn’s plea twisting something deep within her, too. She could sense it through whatever fucked-up link their runes created: Quinn’s arousal spiking sharp and hot at just the thought of her losing control.

Elara’s breath hitched as she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “I will… for you.”

Quinn’s eyes darkened with anticipation, her body leaning forward in the high chair as Elara shifted uncomfortably. A deep flush crept across Elara’s cheeks, her body tense for a moment before she finally let go, surrendering to the moment.

The warm, heavy mess flooded into the confines of her diaper, spreading across her skin, squishing between her cheeks.

At the same time, Quinn let out a sharp gasp, her legs twitching and shifting beneath the tray of her own high chair. “Oh fuck, Elara…” she moaned, her voice low and trembling with need. Her hands gripped the edges of the tray, knuckles whitening as she squirmed.

Elara’s skin prickled at the sound of Quinn’s voice, the disgust she felt at her own state momentarily drowned out by the palpable lust radiating from Quinn. It was intoxicating, almost suffocating, and Elara found herself teetering on the edge of moaning aloud just from the intensity of Quinn’s desire.

Her body reacted despite herself, a heat building low in her core as she continued to poop her diaper. The mush pressed tighter against her, trapped by the high chair’s confines, spreading further between her thighs and up along her rear. The sensation was inescapable, thick, heavy, and revolting.

Quinn whimpered, her voice breaking. “I’m so fucking close.”

Elara could feel it too—the tension in Quinn’s body, the way her breaths came in short, desperate pants. She knew Quinn was right on the edge, teetering toward release. Her own face burned bright red, caught between revulsion and the strange thrill of being so utterly exposed like this.

“I need to… do something…” Quinn whimpered, biting down hard on her lower lip, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment as if trying to hold herself together.

“Like what?” Elara asked, her voice shaky but curious. She stood awkwardly in the high chair, refusing to sit back down in her loaded diaper, the weight of it pulling at her hips.

Quinn hesitated, then whispered, “Please don’t hate me…” Her eyes flicked open briefly before closing again. “I’m going to try something.”

“Of course,” Elara said softly, though uncertainty gnawed at her.

She braced herself, unsure of what was coming but unable to look away from Quinn’s flushed face.

There was a long pause. Quinn seemed to gather herself, taking a deep breath before locking eyes with Elara. When she spoke again, her tone had shifted—low and commanding. “You are such a good baby. Such a good girl filling your diaper like that. You’re a good girl for your Mommy.”

The words hit Elara like a shockwave. At the same instant, Quinn gasped sharply, her entire body shuddering as she tipped over the edge. The sudden rush of bliss was almost tangible, rippling through the space between them. Quinn’s head tilted back slightly, lips parted in silent ecstasy as she came undone right there in the middle of the dining hall.