Work Text:
Today is the first day of school for Liam. He would be starting 7th grade. His big sister, Lily, is about to wake him up to start the day. She enters his room and sees him sleeping. She walks over to him and shakes his shoulder gently.
"Liam? Liam, it’s time to wake up buddy." Liam slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Good morning, Liam."
Liam reached his arms out to his sister, wanting a hug. He wasn’t a very talkative person, especially in the morning. Lily accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around her brother’s small body. They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Liam started to squirm. Lily pulled back and looked at him. His legs were tightly pressed together and he couldn’t sit still.
"I think someone needs to go potty."
Liam nodded and went to the bathroom. After using the toilet, he brushed his teeth. Then, he went to the dining room for breakfast. Lily prepared a bowl of cereal for him.
"Thank you, sissy."
"No problem."
Lily sat at the table with him. "Are you excited for school?"
"Kind of. I’m not excited to leave Sissy."
"I know, but I promise I will be there at the end of the day to pick you up. When I do, you can tell me how much fun you had today."
"Okay, Lily."
20 minutes later, Liam was dressed and ready for school. His school was not far from home, so Lily and Liam walked together. When they got there, Liam started to feel anxious again.
"Lily, my tummy feels funny."
Lily crouched down in front of him and held his hands. "You’re nervous, buddy. That’s completely okay. I know once you see all your friends you’ll feel much better."
Liam gave Lily a hug. "I love you, sissy."
"I love you too, Liam," she said, standing up. "Have a great day, okay?"
"Okay." Liam walked into school, turning around to wave goodbye one more time, and Lily walked back home.
(4 hours later)
It's the middle of the day. Lily arrives at Liam’s school with a bag of clothes. She heads to the front desk.
"Hello. Can you tell me where the nurse’s office is? I got a call from Ms. Luna."
The lady stands. "Follow me."
They walk to the nurse’s office. Lily walks in and sees Liam on a cot in wet pants with tears streaming down his face. "Sissy!!," he cries, reaching his arms out.
Lily runs to him and hugs him tight. "I’m here, bud. It’s okay now."
Liam sniffs and wipes his nose. "I went potty in my pants."
"That’s okay. Accidents happen, yeah? I brought you clean clothes."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Ms. Luna speaks gently. "Liam, you can use my private bathroom to change."
"Do you want me to help you?"
Liam shakes his head, quietly walks to the bathroom, and shuts the door. Lily turns her attention to the nurse. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Sure. Liam was in math class and, I guess, really had to use the restroom but was a bit too shy to speak up. He tried to hold on but couldn’t wait anymore and went in his pants. He was really upset with himself."
Lily’s heart broke. "I feel awful for him."
"Does this happen at home?"
"Not at home but when we go out, I often have to keep an eye on him to see if he needs to use the bathroom because he won’t tell me."
"I see."
Liam comes out of the bathroom in dry pants. "Hey, bud. How are you feeling?"
Liam hands Lily his wet clothes. "You can put them in here, Liam."
Liam puts them in the bag. "Wanna go home," he mumbles.
"You want to go home?" Liam nods.
"Okay, buddy. Get your bag." Liam puts his backpack on and holds Lily’s hand.
"Bye Liam. It was nice to meet you." Ms. Luna says, waving.
"You too," he whispered.
"Thank you," Lily says.
"Take care."
Lily and Liam walked home. Lily sees Liam’s frown on his face. "Do you want to talk about it, bud?"
"No, sissy."
"Would you like a snack when we get home?"
"Yes, please."
"Alright."
(At home)
Lily makes Liam his favorite snack: Nutella and crackers. She watched as his tears were gone and a smile was forming on his face. "Do you like it?"
"Yes, sissy. Thank you for making it for me."
"No problem, buddy. I’m glad you’re feeling better now."
Liam's heart was racing, but he decided to speak up. "Lily?"
"Yes, Liam?"
"Can I tell you something?"
"You can tell me anything. What’s up?"
"I was too shy to ask for the potty at school today. I had the potty feeling, but I couldn't tell my new teachers."
"That’s alright, Liam. Everyone feels shy sometimes, especially on the first day of school. As the year goes on, you’ll get used to your new teachers and feel more comfortable around them."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"But, what if it does happen again, Sissy?"
"Well, I'm sure it won't because I know you're really good at using school potties." That made Liam blush. "But if an accident does happen, I will leave a change of clothes with Ms. Luna so you can go to her to change your clothes."
"Thank you, Sissy."
"Anytime, sweetie. Now, finish your snack, and let’s go over to the couch and cuddle up while watching TV." Liam smiled and happily ate his snack. When he was finished, he joined Lily on the couch and sat on her lap, feeling safe in her arms.