Jacob beamed the whole way home, each discovered detail of his new life giving him another reason to smile. He and Rick were deposited in car seats in the back of James' SUV, the seat belt of which was strapped tightly against his diaper and pushed its padding against him in a very nice way. The two toddlers chatted and giggled through the entirety of the drive, their bare little feet dangling well above the floor. James chimed in every so often with a joke that would make all three of them crack up or just make the babies rolls their eyes. When he and Rick were pulled out of the car and carried up the walk, Jacob noticed that the outside of James' home didn't appear any different from how it had looked in the last reality. The inside, however, was a different story. As soon as they entered the living room it became apparent that this was a house set up to accommodate the needs of a pair of playful little baby boys. All the furniture was comfy and well-loved and anchored a room that played host to a brightly-painted toy chest, a cubby filled with stuffed animals and a cabinet stocked with kid-friendly DVDs. It was perfect.
"Alright, you little troublemakers." James leaned down and set the toddlers down on the carpet. "Why don't you go and play for a bit while I get dinner together?"
"'Kay!" Rick chirped before toddling over to the toy chest. Jacob took a moment to admire the sheer adorability of his wiggling, thickly-diapered rump before toddling right after him, bursting with happiness as the two of them dug through the piles of molded colorful plastic to decide what they'd play with. Eventually they settled on Duplo blocks, plopping down on their poofy bottoms in the middle of the room and getting to work on what would surely prove to be a feat of infantile architecture. Though Jacob felt a twinge of indignation at the fact that they were apparently too little to even be trusted with LEGOs, the chunky simplicity of the toddler-geared blocks proved necessary for his now-limited dexterity. He found it a challenge to do something as simple as click one block into another, which was a frustration at first - but that frustration disappeared when he looked over at Rick and saw that his boyfriend was having no such issue. He took visible delight from the simple construction project, and it took but a glimpse at Rick's big bright babyteeth smile for Jacob to make that delight his own.
Still, his bliss was hampered somewhat by a thought that had nagged at him ever since his and Rick's post-nap kiss. This reality, as far as Jacob could tell, provided everything he could ever want out of life. Not only did he get to be a baby, he got to share that bliss with his friends and the person he loved more than anyone else in the world. But was this what Rick wanted? From how his co-workers had described it, Jacob's transition to babyhood had been seamless, whereas the other three victims of the virus needed some time to wrestle with the fact that they were no longer big enough to even use the potty. Sure, they seemed happy now - but was it right to keep them in the dark about what really caused them to return to a life of diaper changes and afternoon naps? If he really loved Rick, was it right to keep a secret what had really brought them together? The question tore at him until he could stay silent no longer.
"Wick?" Jacob peeped. "I gotta tell you somefing."
"What is it?" Rick said as he looked up from their multi-colored skyscraper.
"Well, ith...um...I don' know how to say dis, but - "
"Dinnertime!" Jacob jumped when James's voice emanated from the kitchen and rang through the living room. "I've got mac and cheese waiting in here for two hungry little boys!"
"Yay!" Rick cried as he clambered to his feet and took Jacob by the hand. "C'mon, Jakey! I'm stawving!"
Jacob looked at his boyfriend, looked at the pudgy little hand that felt so nice wrapped around his own. He smiled, stood, and pulled Rick into a hug. The toddler seemed surprised by the gesture but hugged him right back, both boys' diapers crinkling as they held each other close.
"What wath dat for?" Rick asked, a curious smile on his face when they pulled away.
"Nuffin'." Jacob grinned and pecked Rick on the lips, causing both toddlers to giggle and blush. "Let's eat."
The pair of baby boys took each other's hands and toddled towards the kitchen, each with their own reason to be beside themselves with happiness.