~~~~~~~~Ethan's POV~~~~~~~~
As we enter the store I can't help but let my jaw drop. The store looks almost like a Babies R' Us, full of toys, baby clothes, cribs, all in adult sizes. As I'm looking around Marcus grabs a shopping cart that looks like one of those that you use for special needs people.
"Y-you don't expect me to get in that, do you?" I ask, blushing a little.
"Only if you're comfortable with it. This is all about making you feel better, Ethan. You do whatever feels comfortable. If you wanna walk, then walk. If you want me to push you around as we shop, then let me know and you can hop in" he says, smiling the warmest smile I've ever received.
"I...I think I'll walk...for now at least. I'll let you know if I change my mind" I say as I blush.
"That's perfectly fine, Ethan. Where do you wanna go first? There's the toy section, diapers, just about anything you can think of" he says.
"I....I guess let's stop by the diapers first. I am running kinda low anyways" I say as we start to walk.
"Alright then, just follow me" he says, taking off towards what I presume to be the diaper section.
We get to the aisle and I'm amazed. Not only are there the plain diapers I'm used to, but printed ones that look like oversized baby diapers.
"Go ahead and pick you out a couple packs" he says, smiling warmly.
I look around, grabbing a pack of the plain megamax I'm used to, putting it in the cart when something catches my eye. It's a pack of diapers with the branding "Rearz" covered in cute little dinosaurs. Marcus can see me staring at something, following my gaze to the pack of dino diapers.
"You want those too, Ethan?" He asks, making me jump a little.
"I-I-I um....I-I dunno" I stutter out, feeling kind of embarrassed and can feel my face heating up.
"Hey, it's okay bud. No need to be embarrassed" he chuckles. "Pick whatever you want."
"B-but.... they're kind of... childish" I say looking at the ground.
"That's the point, bud! They're meant to make you feel little" he says, resting his hands on my shoulders. "Listen, Ethan, you absolutely do not need to be embarrassed if you want them. The fact that you found something so quickly makes me think that maybe this will work out for you."
"I... a-alright" I said, grabbing the pack and putting it in the buggy.
"How about we go over to the pacifiers and cup section next? See if there's anything there you like" Marcus suggest, to which I nod and follow him a couple aisles over.
I'm greeted by a wall of pacifiers, clips, sippy cups, and oversized baby bottles in various designs. I look around not sure if I really want anything from this aisle until my eyes land on something. I walk over to it, picking up a pack of two pacifiers with dinosaurs printed on them and without hesitation put them in the cart.
"Aww, I like those" Marcus smiles, chuckling a little. "I'm starting to sense a theme. Do you like dinosaurs, bud?"
"I LOVE dinosaurs! They're so cool! There's so many kinds like T-Rexes and stegosaurs and..." I blush as I realize I'd started to go off on a tangent.
"I think you're starting to get into it, Ethan. I think you just slipped a little" Marcus says as he smiles at me.
I'd read up all the terms on the Internet so I knew what he meant when he said 'slip'. Had I really gotten into the headspace?
"Hey, there's a matching bottle and sippy cup for those pacis" he says, pointing to the shelf on the opposite side of the aisle.
"What!? Really!?" I turn excitedly and see sure enough, side by side there is a bottle and a sippy cup with the same dinosaurs printed all over them. "Can I get them!?"
"Of course, buddy! Whatever you like" he says as I excitedly grab the items. Maybe I could get into this after all.
Next up we made our way to the bedding section. Marcus had already gotten me some new sheets, but he distinctly remembered seeing something over there I might like the last time he'd been here and sure enough, as soon as we rounded the corner I saw it.
"Dinosaur sheets!?" I ask, running over and grabbing them, making Marcus chuckle.
We moved on to the clothes and I find some cute dinosaur T-shirts and a couple onesies for when it gets cold, one a dark navy blue covered in dinosaurs of various colors and one that's a big green T-Rex with a tail and teeth in the hood.
Finally it was time to hit the toy section, and by then I was super excited. I never really had many toys growing up so it might be fun to see what I'd missed out on.
We got over there and I immediately took off like a child to the dinosaur toys, searching through them as Marcus looked on, a big happy smile on his face as I picked out a few, putting them in the cart.
"We got one last stop before we check out, bud. I think you're gonna like this one" he said as he led me towards the back of the store where a big sign caught my eye.
"They have a Build a Bear!?" I asked amazed. "I've never been to Build a Bear!"
"Well then, let's not waste anymore time and get in there!" Marcus said, matching my enthusiasm as we walked off into the store.
I'd honestly looked around the online store a few times, too embarrassed to actually buy anything, but that meant I knew EXACTLY what I was looking for and when I found it I nearly squealed. It was the fuzzy green T-Rex plush I'd wanted for years now and it was finally in my hands.
We did the whole heart ceremony where the employees got super excited and into it. Finally we walked out of the Build a Bear with me clutching my new dino stuffie safely in my arms.
As we approached the checkout it'd seem the excitement started to fade a little as I started getting a little nervous again.
"Hello there, Marcus!" The cashier greeted him excitedly. "Here shopping for your cousin again?"
"Actually no, not this time. We're in here getting him some things" he says gesturing to me, making me blush.
The lady gasped as she looked at me. "Well hello there! Marcus you finally found a little?" She asked, making me blush even more
"Oh! No no no, he's not... he's not MY little. I just....this is my roommate at the university, Ethan" he said, looking nearly as flustered as me. "He's....well he's been through a lot in his life so I thought maybe regression might help him."
"Oh? And you decided to give it a try?" She asked with a bright smile.
"I...y-yeah..." I said, looking towards the floor.
"Sweetie there is nothing to be bashful about. I have so many littles coming through here every day and you're most certainly not my first first timmer either" she says smiling warmly at me. "Who's your little friend there?"
I look down at the plush T-Rex in my hand and think for a minute. "U-um....this is Chompy" I say, feeling a little embarrassed my choosing such a childish name for him.
"Aww! That's a wonderful name, sweetie!" She says as she bags the last of our items in discreet bags and hands them to us. "I hope I get to see you in here again, cutie."
I blush and wave goodbye as we walk out of the store and towards the car, loading it up and heading back to the dorm.