Rules Are Rules (Patreon)

A story commission for Mashugana.

"You know the rules," Alyson rolled her eyes. "You might as well do it before mom catches you."

"Ugh!" Jolene huffed, stomping her foot, her older sister's condescending smirk only making her more annoyed, which, of course, only egged Alyson on more. "It's such a stupid rule! You know it isn't fair!"

"Rules are rules," Alyson shrugged. "What, do you need some help, or...?"

"Go away!" Jolene threw a pillow at her, Alyson easily ducking it and slipping out of the room, giggling to herself all the way. Jolene sighed, looking over to her desk, to the thing that her mother had left there for her at some point during the morning, while Jo had been snoozing away.

She'd hoped her mom would forget, or realize what a dumb thing this was, now that her daughters were older. Sure, maybe it had made sense when either of them had been younger - though, there was enough of a gap that it had never been a real danger for both of them at the same time - but now? Jolene wrinkled her nose, plopping down on her bed, grabbing her nearest stuffed animal to pull into a hug to comfort her.

It had been a while since their last trip, long enough that Jolene had thought perhaps her mother would have forgotten about it, or was willing to forgive it. Jolene had probably still been too old then, to be fair, but it was partially Alyson's fault, too. She was about to start college, and desperate to show off how much smarter than she was than her kid sister and her mom, so she was giving them trivia questions, and being smug whenever she stumped them.

"I'm trying to drive," their mother had finally told her. "Just play with your sister."

And so she had, but, by then, she was confident Jo was no match for her. "Tell you what," she'd teased. "If you know the answer, I'll take a big swig of my water, and, if you don't, you have to."

It had seemed innocent enough... Jolene knew she probably wouldn't do much better than she had been, but she wanted to try, to see if there was something she could guess, and impress Alyson before she left for college, and, even if she failed, she knew she might learn something to impress her friends at school instead.

She'd looked up to Alyson so much - and still did, really - that she didn't want to stop her, no matter how badly she was losing. Their mom was zoned out, focusing on the road, not paying any attention to them, or to how much Jolene was guzzling from the huge travel mugs she'd bought them especially for that trip, with their names on them. 

Jolene had thought that was so cool, but, of course, Alyson had to point out, "It's just so she doesn't have to buy us soda every time she stops at a gas station." That did make sense... It was neat to have a cup with her name on it, anyway, certainly one as gigantic as this.

It was meant to last them the whole car ride, however; thanks to the little trivia game, Jo drained it far faster than that. She made it to the next rest stop no problem, but she knew she was in trouble when she saw the sign saying how long it would be until the next one, and felt her bladder starting to ache again already. She tried to hold it, attention quickly drifting away from her sister's quiz as she squirmed desperately in the seat beside her. Ultimately, though, it didn't matter, and she wound up wetting herself long before there was any hope of reaching a bathroom.

And now, years later, she was getting the final consequences of that, as if Alyson's squeals of "Eww!" - like she had nothing to do with it - and the mocking she'd tormented her with for the rest of the trip weren't enough, or having to be led, pants wet, through the next gas station they came to, clean pants and underwear in her mother's hand to make it even more obvious what was going on. She still had nightmares about it now and then... Just when she'd thought she'd made it without too many of the other customers seeing her, they reached the bathroom door, and saw the sign instructing them to go to the front counter to request a key... The front counter that had a long line stretching out from each of the open registers, more people filing in to fill it out behind them, and ensure there was still a huge audience when her mother asked the cashier, "Do you carry diapers here, by any chance?"

For a while, Jo had refused to go into any of that company's gas stations, worried that, somehow - despite them having been on a trip, and hundreds of miles from home at that point - anyone who worked there would know about it. She knew how dumb that was now, and that she probably should have realized it then, too, even if she had been a few years younger, but the mere sight of the sign made her stomach twist, and all she wanted to do when they were nearby was slide down in her seat and try to pretend she was anywhere else.

She looked over at her desk again, nibbling at her bottom lip, trying to reason with herself, convince her own mind it wasn't as bad as it looked. It certainly could have been worse... Whenever she thought about the rule, she always thought of something much more immature, and childish, probably because, when it had been a real problem, she'd been far younger... Plus, of course, what it was in the first place. This was at least plain white, from what she could tell.

It was also far bigger than she would have imagined, though, looking nearly as thick as the textbook sitting next to it. Maybe that was normal... She hadn't seen one in so long - since that last trip - especially folded up like this, not on some baby's bottom, that it was hard to judge, but, in her mind, it definitely seemed like it shouldn't be that bulky, that it was going to be all but impossible to hide under her clothes...

And then there was the bottle of baby powder sitting beside it, to complete the picture. It wasn't bad enough she had to dress like a toddler, her mom wanted her to smell like one, too?! All for something that had happened so long ago, at this point... "It's not fair!" she repeated, this time to her stuffed animal, her arms still wrapped tight around it.

"Jo, Alyson told me you aren't ready yet," her mother poked her head in.

"Mom!" Jolene squealed. "What if I was getting changed?!"

"Then we'd be that much closer to getting on the road," the woman sighed. "Come on, sweetie... We're going to be late if you keep dawdling like this!"

"Do I really have to?" Jolene pouted. "I don't want everyone to see!"

Her mother gave her a small smile, stepping in and over to the bed, hugging her. "Well, if you get moving, and we have time, then maybe we'll be able to stop at the hotel room first, and you can change, okay?"

It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Jolene nodded sadly, accepting her fate, and got another hug for it. "Do you need me to help you?"

"Ummm..." Jolene didn't really want to say yes... On the other hand, she wasn't sure where she would start with putting the thing on someone else, much less herself. "Maybe?"

"Okay," her mom ruffled her hair. "It'll be just like old times! Get out of your PJs for me, okay?"

Reluctantly, Jolene wiggled out of her pajama pants, mournfully sliding her panties down as well, while her mother went over to her desk, picking up the baby powder and, of course, the diaper, the sound of the plastic crackling in her hands bringing back all of the fears that had started to fade away, ever so slightly, from her mom's comforting. 

"C-Couldn't we maybe get, like, a Pull-Up or something?" Jolene asked, tugging at the hem of her shirt, watching her mother lay the diaper out on her bed. 

"From where, Jo?" she shook her head. "Everything is closed right now. It's Thanksgiving! And we don't have time for that anyway... Now, would you please lie down so we can get this done with? You still need to get dressed, and eat, and..."

"I'm not hungry," Jolene told her, although, before she'd seen the diaper sitting on her desk, she definitely had been. "O-Or thirsty! I won't drink anything the whole ride there, so I don't need..."

"Please get on your diaper," her mother ordered, her patience clearly wearing thin. 

If seeing it folded up, right next to her half-finished homework, or spread open on her bed, wasn't enough, the sound of the word really drove the reality of it home, made Jolene realize what was about to happen. She felt so stupid for it, but tears began to trickle down her cheeks as clumsily crawled back up onto her bed, letting out a tiny squeak when she sat down, lowering her backside onto the waiting garment, hearing that same crinkle again, even louder now that it was right beneath her, rather than half a room away.

"Mom, your phone's ringing!" Alyson called.

Jolene looked up, saw her mother close her eyes, mouthing a curse word under her breath. "Fine!" she yelled back. "Come get your sister into her diaper!"

"What?! No!" Jolene gasped, but it was already too late, her mom rushing out of the room, and her older sister stepping back in instead, chuckling at the sight that awaited her.

"Guess you needed some help after all, huh, baby sister?" she teased.

"I can do it!" Jolene insisted.

"No, don't worry," Alyson strutted over, picking up the baby powder. "I'll get the little baby all taken care of."

Jo huffed, crossing her arms as Alyson began shaking the bottle over her crotch, far more white powder than seemed necessary sprinkling out and onto her skin. "I don't need all that!" she whined.

"Hush," Alyson ignored her protests, dumping even more out. "I've been nannying for twins on the weekends, and I know exactly what I'm doing... And I wouldn't want you to get a rash."

"I won't!" Jolene grumbled. "I'm not gonna use this dumb thing!"

"Aww, are you jealous?" Alyson giggled. "Don't worry, you're way cuter than either of them." She pulled the front of the diaper up, taping it snugly into place, Jolene squirming on her back, shocked at how much bulkier it felt between her legs than she'd even thought it would, looking at it. This was much different than what she'd worn on the last trip... She'd been small enough then for a baby diaper to fit her, which only made her feel worse about it. This didn't seem to be one of those, at least, although it was the tiniest of comforts. Alyson pulled her to her feet, tucking in the plastic around her legs, turning her around and giving her a firm swat on the seat, a small cloud of powder poofing up out of the waistband. "And you smell way better... Now, anyway."

"You're so mean!" Jolene complained, staring up at the girl, wishing Alyson wasn't so much taller than her, the difference feeling bigger than ever, now that she'd just been diapered by her.

"Can you finish getting dressed by yourself, or do you need me to help with that, too?" Alyson asked. She wasn't quick enough to duck the stuffed animal Jolene threw at her, which made her feel a little better, though she knew it was only because she was standing so close. Thankfully, Alyson left her alone, letting her waddle over to her closet by herself.

Her pace was slowed significantly by the diaper, far more than she ever would have guessed. She'd get used to it - not that she really wanted to - but the size of it, bulging between her legs, was changing her gait altogether, to the point where she had no doubt anyone who had been anywhere near a toddler anytime recently would know right away what she was wearing, no matter what she put on over it. 

She tried not to look at herself in the mirror on the back of her closet door, but there was no escaping it. She groaned, nose wrinkled, at the pathetic sight of herself in her PJ shirt and diaper; if she didn't know better, she'd assume she was a bedwetter, about to be tucked in for the night. If anyone at school saw her like this, her life would be over!

Her mom had suggested a few dresses she thought would be nice for her to wear to Thanksgiving dinner, but all of them felt too short, now that she had such a big secret to conceal underneath. Maybe it wouldn't matter for the meal itself, as long as her mother followed through on the promise to stop at the hotel... There would be plenty of stops beforehand, however, and they were already cutting it close, which was why they were getting dressed now, rather than wearing something more comfortable for the drive.

She settled on an older dress, which was a bit more childish, but had a longer skirt. She could still hear the diaper whenever she moved - though, she reminded herself, she knew what to listen for - and the way it hung, she wasn't sure if the diaper bulge was obvious or not, yet it was the best she was pretty sure she was going to do.

"There you are!" her mother scolded, as Jo finally made her appearance in the kitchen. "I thought I was going to have to come get you! Now, do you want some breakfast or not?"

Jolene saw that Alyson and her mom each had what looked like half a banana, quickly gobbling it down as they stood there, looking so much older, and more grown-up, in their dresses. "N-No," she shook her head, wondering if she would even feel ready to eat once they got to their destination, if there wasn't time to change after all. 

"Great!" her mom said, popping the last bit of the fruit into her mouth, and picking up her coffee cup. "Let's get moving!"

Jolene toddled out to the car, smiling when the other back door opened, and she saw Alyson lean in. When they were younger, Alyson would always sit in the back, so she could talk to her younger sister, or, as she put it when they got older, 'keep her entertained', although Jo was sure it was just as much about Alyson having a captive audience as anything else. She'd worried, now that her sister was a college student, she was too good for that... 

"Here," Alyson leaned in, setting the giant mug into the cup holder. "You wouldn't want to forget that, would you?" she winked. Jolene blushed, having buried that in the back of the cupboard long ago, never wanting to see it again. "And, just in case..." She placed a tote back down on the empty seat, Jolene's cheeks growing warmer still when she saw the diapers sitting inside it, waiting. Then, to add insult to injury, Alyson slammed the door, and walked around to the front passenger seat, and sat down there.

Jo knew she shouldn't need her sister in the back with her, that she was more than big enough to sit on her own, but it still felt lonely back there, shifting and squirming in her seat, trying to get used to the padding strapped around her waist. Most of the family holiday events happened much closer; this year, her great aunt had been sick, and recovered not long before now. She and her kids normally made the drive themselves, but she wasn't feeling up to it, so, instead, her children were hosting Thanksgiving, turning it into a full-blown road trip... And triggering the rule that required Jolene to be diapered for it.

"Look at her!" Alyson chuckled from the front seat. "Isn't she cute, all sulky like that?"

"Don't antagonize your sister," their mother told her, but Jo saw her sneak a peek into the rear view mirror anyway, the smile on her face making it obvious she agreed. "It's all right, Jo... Remember, as long as you don't have any accidents today, we won't have to do this the next time we go on a long trip."

"We shouldn't have to do it this time," Jolene mumbled, for all the good it would do. It was already done; now, she just had to hope traffic was good enough that they'd get to their destination in time to undo it before anyone she knew saw her.

She'd told her mother she wouldn't drink anything, and seeing the mug again made her want to follow through, but, really, that had only been when she hoped there was a shot of avoiding the diaper. She took a few sips as she watched the scenery whip by, as well as she could see it in the dark, sun not even fully risen yet, then turned to her phone, trying not to think about how long she was going to be stuck here, like this, both today and tomorrow, when they returned home.

Luckily, the phone did a good enough job distracting her that it took her by surprise when they made their first stop. "Can you go with her, in case she needs help getting her diaper off and back on?" their mom asked Alyson.

"I-I don't even hafta go!" Jolene told them.

"Aww, don't be embarrassed," Alyson teased her. "Remember, if you have another accident, you're going to have to do this next time we go on a long trip, too... So, unless you like how those diapers feel, you should probably do everything you can not to use them."

Jolene shot her mother a look, hoping she'd contradict her daughter, tell them that this was the last time she was going to enforce the rule, but there was no sign of that. "I really don't need to," Jo insisted, though, to be safe, she got out of the car anyway, walking into the gas station while their mom filled up the car, Alyson grabbing her by the hand.

"I'm not a baby!" Jolene whined. "You don't have to do that anymore!" But that didn't keep Alyson from keeping ahold of her, leading her through the store, Jo constantly aware of the sound of her diapers, and to the bathroom, locking the both of them into the handicap stall. Jolene was glad she was there, since she didn't trust herself to remove the tapes without ripping the diaper, although it was pretty humiliating having to pee while her sister stood there and watched.

"See?" Alyson pointed out when she was done. "If you hadn't gone, all that would have ended up in your diapers, silly goose."

"I could have waited until next stop!" Jolene hissed, praying nobody else was in the bathroom to overhear. Alyson used the toilet next, then they went out to wash their hands, Alyson letting her wander the store while she picked out a drink for herself. 

It was then that Jolene noticed the sign, over at the table with the small selection of fruit the gas station had available for purchase. 'We apologize for the inconvenience,' it read, 'but there are no bananas available. There was a statewide recall, due to instances of a stomach virus being tied to the largest distributor's latest batch.'

Jolene thought about pointing it out, or mentioning it, to Alyson, until, when she came to collect her, bottled Frappuccino in hand, she gave Jo a swat on the backside, making her diaper crinkle loudly. "What are you staring at, goofball?"

"N-Nothing," Jolene shook her head. "Let's go."

She didn't know if anything was going to happen, at first. How long had her mom had that banana? Did their grocery store use the same distributor as the gas station? If there had been a recall, would her mother or sister have heard about it already, and known enough to be confident they were safe?

After a little while, however, she saw them start to squirm. She wasn't sure either of them noticed it in the other at first, but she did. "Hey, uh... Mom?" Alyson asked after a few minutes. "Do you think maybe we could, uh... make another pit stop?"

"We just got gas not that long ago, Aly," she replied. "Is it really that urgent? I don't want us to be late."

Alyson groaned, holding a hand to her stomach, a rumble emanating from it. "I-I guess not..." she said, only to almost immediately change her mind. "Y-Yes, it is! It really is!"

"All right, all right," her mother told her. "I'll look for the next one, but it might be..."

"No, mom, now!" Alyson whined.

Her mom sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't know what you want me to do, Aly, I can't just make a rest stop appear out of..."

Jolene was watching intently, sitting forward in her seat, looking up from her phone, giving her the perfect view, in the mirror, of the shocked look on her sister's face, a few minutes before the smell hit her... And their mother.

"Alyson!" she scolded, looking over at her older daughter in disbelief. "You didn't!"

"I-I told you I needed to stop!" Alyson complained, wiggling in her seat, nearly gagging.

"Sit still!" her mother ordered. "Honestly... Not even Jo does this!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Alyson blushed, not looking so much like a big, bad college student now. "I-I didn't... I-I wasn't..." 

But, by the time they got to the rest area, even their mother wasn't looking so good. "Go get yourself cleaned up," she said. "Then you can scrub your seat, and I guess you can sit in the back while it dries..." Jolene could see her fidgeting, desperate to finish speaking so she could get moving.

Maybe she should let her... Maybe she be nice. But she had begged and pleaded with her mother to give her a chance, to not make her wear a diaper... And, as she'd been told many times that morning, rules were rules.

"Mom," she pointed out, "she had an accident... Shouldn't she have to wear a diaper?"

"Shut up, you little brat!" Alyson snapped. "Nobody asked you!"

"Alyson!" their mother reprimanded her. "Sh-She's right you know... It's only fair..."

"No! I won't!" Alyson stomped her foot, looking, thanks to the brown stain on the back of her dress, for all the world more like a toddler than had just failed her potty training than someone getting close to graduating from college. "She's the baby, not me!"

"J-Jo, just... G-Get the diaper bag, okay?" their mom asked. "J-Just be a good sport, Aly..."

"No!" Alyson shook her head.

Their mother groaned, bent forward slightly. "C-Can we talk about this later?! I-I really need to..."

She couldn't even finish her sentence, breaking out into a run, though she made it only a few steps before freezing, almost involuntarily squatting down, hands on her knees, a stain appearing on the back of her dress, like the one on the rear of her older daughter's. 

"I guess I won't be the only one diapered for the rest of the trip," Alyson sneered.

"And the next one," Jolene added cheerfully.

She could see her mother trying to come up with an excuse, trying to get out of it, but, in the end, she took the tote bag filled with diapers Jolene had so helpfully fetched, and, along with the clothes she'd picked out for the next day, joined her older daughter for a walk of shame across the parking lot, into the bathroom. 

Jo was feeling very smug, even before her mother emerged from her stall, the bulge of her diaper obvious beneath her yoga pants, a good few inches of the waistband poking out. She tried to pull her shirt down over it, for all the good that did her.

"Come on, Alyson," she knocked on the door of the stall her older daughter had gone in. "You still need to wash your seat..."

"No!" she sniffled from the other side. "I-I'm not coming out!"

"You can't stay in there all day," her mother reminded her. Slowly, the door opened, and a teary Aly was revealed on the other side, her skinny jeans draped over her arm, diaper on complete display.

"Th-They won't even go on!" she complained.

Which meant she had to go toddling back out to the car, frantically trying to use her jeans, and the plastic bag with her soiled dress and panties inside, to keep anyone from seeing what she was wearing. She'd only brought one other thing with her, her nightshirt, and she changed into that, but it wasn't much better, giving Jolene a perfect view of her padded posterior as she scrubbed the car seat, trying to keep it from staining. Even when she was standing up, she had to constantly tug at the hem to keep any of the plastic from peeking out.

Jolene never would have imagined it that morning, but, as they got back into the car to continue their journey, now with little hope of getting there on time, meaning they wouldn't have a chance to stop and change, or avoid a grand, late entrance, it was clear she was going to be seen as the most mature one of the three, whether anyone noticed her diaper or not... And that was even before the other two had their next round of accidents.

"Don't worry," Jolene teased her sister, seeing her squirming uncomfortably in her messy diaper, "it isn't that bad... You'll only have to wear them for the rest of this trip, and the next one we take."

"Oh, shut up," Alyson sulked. "I bet you're wet already, too!" 

She wasn't, much to her sister's dismay as she yanked up the hem of her dress and checked her... And, to rub it in, she took another sip of her water. She already knew there was no reason she'd have any trouble holding it... Her mom and sister probably wouldn't, either, the next time they went on a road trip, but that wasn't going to stop her from reminding them about this, making sure they followed through on it. Rules were rules, after all...