5

“Okay. I know you’re mad.” I began tentatively. Damien walked in with a face full of love and mercy. So much mercy...yeah, not. “But it’s all good. I’m fine. Not kidnapped nor robbed, perfectly alright. And isn’t that all that matters?” I smiled.

He stood in front of me with arms crossed sporting eyes glimmering with a cold, hard light. He must’ve left his coat in the car because you could see that tight long-sleeve of his struggling to contain the powerful biceps he had packing underneath.

I inanely took note of how form-fitting his clothes were despite the current predicament I found myself in. He’d become even more masculine in the few years we spent apart, I thought for the tenth time since our reunion.

I suddenly recalled the way his bare muscles rippled the night before during the session of debauchery he’d participated in.

I shook myself of the memory in fear I’d recall feelings I knew I couldn’t allow myself to fully admit to.

“I called five times.” He deadpanned. “What’s the use of you having a phone if you can’t be bothered to answer when people try contacting you?”

“Shit.” I cursed. “I always leave it on airplane mode during school. I guess I forgot to turn it off.” I laughed awkwardly. I wouldn’t even receive the notifications on that setting so there’s no way to tell if someone was trying to get ahold me.

“Fine. I don’t blame you for not calling me. I understand people can be busy or distracted. But I need you to at least eventually notice when I send you a text.. From now on, airplane mode is off. Indefinitely.” He commanded authoritatively.

“So...that’s it?” I asked. I was surprised. I was sure he’d be a lot angrier. “No lecture? No spanking?”

“I give more than enough lectures. As for the other thing,” He raised a brow. “I think you’re a bit old for that, no?”

I paused as images of Damien bending me over his knee and administering various forms of punishment entered my mind.

….Well a person’s never too old for a good spanking, right?

I felt Angel Me’s reproachful eyes at the thought.

“Obviously. I’m just relieved. By the look of your face just now I was sure you were going to, like, totally eat me out.”

“Would you like me to?” He seemed amused. That small tug at the corner of lips made me momentarily lose my head.

Was it just me, or was this exchange a little...suggestive?

“No?” I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure if I meant that at all. And I’m almost sure my uncertainty was on full display for everyone to see.

“Yeah, that wasn’t a question on her part. Rest assured, you don’t gotta get mad.” Someone elbowed me. “ At her, at least. I was the one who dragged her here.” I got a text just then.

--Are you stupid? Answer with more conviction, will ya?! Don’t let the fear shake you!

What the hell? She was good. I didn’t even notice her typing. And so fast! So she thought I responded like that because i was scared? Okay. I can live with that.

Damien does get pretty frightening when you piss him off, after all. I remember once a long time back when a certain girl kept acting up and misbehaving. He smiled, used a single finger press to the shoulder, and had her on the ground in seconds with eyes full of tears. He gave no mind to gender at all in such cases.

Vera never learned to stop messing about around him, either. Actually, now that I think of it maybe that was her way of getting his attention?

Anyway, yeah. Damien isn’t the forgiving type. With me he was, but I had no idea if that still held true and I didn’t want to test it.

“Bea.” He looked genuinely surprised. “I didn’t notice you there.”

“Wait, you know her?” He knows Bea? What? HOW?!

“Of course I do. Bea knows everyone.” He spoke dryly. “She gets around.” He graced the girl with a smile. It was exactly the same kind of smile he used to direct my way. I was instantly jealous. “Thank you for looking after her.”

Bea shrugged. “Hey dude, when I make promises I go above and beyond.” Then flashed pearly whites and patted his arm like an old pal.

I looked between them suspiciously.

Bea apparently noticed and explained. “As I think you can guess, Beefcake here gave me a call this morning and asked me to look after you today.”

Beefcake? The hell? What’s with the nickname? And he didn’t mind? This was too weird. And is the only reason she was nice to me because of the fact Damien asked her? That...I felt lied to.

Bea flicked my forehead. “Ow!” I hissed. “What was that for?!”

“You were getting the wrong idea.”

“What wrong idea?” I scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you explained it well enough.”

“Alright, but don’t get all pissy on me.” She sipped her coffee. “I was only asked to watch over you. I didn’t have to be so good to you. I did it since I felt we would seriously get along. And you’re a perfect match for this Aunty here. So I was right. If you wanna end this budding friendship because you think I was only in it to somehow curry favor with Eyecandy here, that’s on you. Your loss.” She downed the drink in one go and wiped the liquid left on her lip. “Oh, and don’t worry I’m not looking to jump him. Me and Sex On A Stick are purely friends. Peas in a pod. Comrades in culture. Brothers from other mothers. If I were a man, that is. But I’m not sure what the equivalent is since I ain’t a dude. You get my point, though. Fear not, I am in no way a rival. I’ll just be here getting my munch on. Brocon to your heart’s content.”

….Uh….What?

Both me and Damien were staring at her with curiosity, wondering what kind of creature this Bea was. She was speaking some sort of language we couldn’t understand.

Finally, Damien broke the silence. “...Brocon?” He furrowed his brows. That was NOT the word I wanted him to concentrate on.

Bea smile like she’d just caught hold of something fun. “Yup. She’s definitely got that brocon going on. I can’t wait for you guys to start a sordid affair full of forbidden love and passion.”

I felt my ears burn. Bea! This chick, what’re you saying?! I had half a mind to punch her.

“Are you trying to be disgusting?”

“Let a girl have her fantasies.”

“Have all the weird fantasies you want, just keep us out of it.”

“Never. You know how long I’ve been waiting for a couple of siblings like you in real life? I’m boarding the incest train and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!” Bea announced with vigor.

Damien nodded. He looked over to the large man behind the counter. “May I?”

“Please.” He nodded.

He returned his gaze to Bea. “Left cheek, or right?”

“What?” Her smile shook.

I watched with flashbacks to my childhood, and maybe even a very tiny bit of envy, when he bent the girl over his knee right there and started letting loose on her rear.

Or not. He actually started pinching her cheeks. In a way her screams indicated were less than pleasant.

“Help! R*pe! She struggled.

To my surprise I found that not a single customer batted an eye to the performance.

I sent a questioning look to the lumberjack-looking guy. “Is this...normal?”

“They’re used to me doing it often enough.” He confirmed casually.

“And you are…?”

“John. Bea’s uncle. Nice to meet you.” He extended a rough, calloused hand.

“You always let people do things like this to your niece, John?” Even if she deserved it, it’s a bit much wasn’t it? To let other people do those kind of stuff.

He barked out a short laugh. “Hell, in the first place Day’s the only other guy who dares.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He agreed. “ She’s super petty. Damien’s the only one she’s too scared to retaliate against.”

“Why?”

He gave me a frank look as if to say, do you really have to ask?

I went, “Ah. I see.” Damien is Damien, after all.

Several minutes later Bea was rubbing her swollen cheek miserably. “Bastard…” She sulked.

“Let’s go.” Damien motioned towards me, completely nonchalant. I couldn’t help looking at the two again.

Exactly which of us were the siblings here? They felt closer than we did.

***

“So” I started after ten minutes of silence. “Were you concerned about me?”

“Of course I was.” He replied instantly.

“Huh.” I breathed. I spent a couple more minutes tapping my fingers. “Hey, Day?”

“What is it?”

“It was fine, right? Me coming here, I mean.”

“It is.” He assured, making me feel more relieved. “I just think it would’ve been better if you hadn’t come.”

….Uh, what?

“I’m sorry?” I honestly thought I’d heard wrong.

“I said it would’ve been best if you hadn’t come.” He reiterated.

...Ah. “Right.” I forced a laugh. I’m not sure why. “Yeah, no. I totally get it.” My throat felt raw all of a sudden.

“No, you don’t.” He all but snapped, his voice ripe with irritation. “You have no idea. It’s just...” He searched for the word. “...just frustrating having you here. But that’s not because of you. It’s fine. I’m handling it.”

“What the hell does that mean, you’re handling it?”

“What it means is it’s my business.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked snarkily. “ Because it sure seems like it has a lot to do with me.” I could hear the bite in the words. The anger, the abrasiveness. But I couldn’t stop. “ You know if you didn’t really want me here you should’ve never agreed to let me come in the first place.” Every syllable felt sharp and hateful and I resented how hard it was saying them. I shouldn’t have to to begin with.

I could tell he was starting to lose his own cool too by how tightly clenching his jaw became.

“I not that I don’t want you here,” He emphasized, “it’s that I CAN’T have you here.” And then he seemed to laugh in spite of himself.“But God knows I’ve never denied you anything.”

I had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. But everything about him said he wanted to be anywhere but here. Or rather, with anyone else but me.

On a scale from one to ten, my melodramatic teenage white girl depression was over eight thousand.

The day had started so well, too.

Now I just wanted to crawl in bed sigh into my pillow.

***

It was later that night. I was angry, confused, sad, and in serious need of comfort food. Which is why I’d decided to get myself a tub of ice cream I’d spied earlier. With that, root beer and a bag of chips gripped tightly between my teeth, I heard a chime.

Looking at the clock, it was over 10:30.

I scurried over, placing the soda down and grabbed a letter opener from the coffee table, ready to shank anyone with ill intent. Because you never know.

Checking through the peephole, I discovered Triss.

I opened the door with a burst of annoyance.

“Oh. Evie, hey.” Was her first reaction, like she wasn’t expecting it to be me.

“Hey.” I greeted flatly.

“Can I come in? I could do for a warming up. It’s a bit chilly.” She rubbed her hands together for warmth and gave a kind, almost shy smile

“Nope.” And almost slammed the door in her face.

She panicked. “But your brother....!”

I cut her off. “What’s a student doing visiting a Professor’s home this late at night?”

Her smile froze. “That...well…”

I smirked. “Yeah, I thought so. Just go.” And shut the door.

Seriously, the nerve of that girl. Does she have absolutely zero shame? I couldn’t stand that disgusting smile of her’s either.

Although I guess now I know which one’s his favorite, I thought sourly.

Damien should be at the bathhouse next door anyway.

It didn’t occur to me until about five minutes later that the woman would see the light on and probably go there directly instead to “warm up.” No, she wouldn’t, right? She can’t be that thick-skinned. No?

Unable to resist my curiosity, I made my way downstairs and through the hallway connecting the two buildings.

The light was still on.

I could hear a faint sound coming from the room leading to the artificial hotspring. The changing room right before it was littered with a woman’s clothes. The sounds were getting louder, distinctly feminine.

The frosted glass sliding doors were carelessly left slightly ajar. And from there, just past the escaping mist, was Triss.

With her back towards me, sitting on one of the large rock formations, legs wrapped something I couldn’t see from this angle. But what I’m sure must’ve been a dark head of hair.

Goddammit.

Really? It’s like he’s barely even trying to hide it from me. He does realize I could walk in on them, right? And yet he’s blatantly inviting a girl over at night?

Feeling sickened with the entire situation, I promptly slipped out.

I didn’t think even cookies and cream could even out the bitter taste in my mouth right now

***

It was around 3 when I was woken up by a familiar click. I’d gone to bed as fast as I could when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs a few hours before. Multiple footsteps, one obviously trying to be light and soundless and failing hard.

Of course they’d move things to his room, which was literally right next to mine. Why wouldn’t they? Asshole.

I went to my door, opened up a smidge, and caught Triss slipping out quietly. Bitch.

I just stood there watching her leave. All kinds of dark, hateful emotions rolled about in my tummy right then and I just wanted to walk out there and give her a good slap. How dare she come into my family’s home after I so very clearly told her to go? Just to sneak around with MY brother and have meaningless sex?

No. Maybe...maybe it wasn’t meaningless. Come to think of it, what kind of relationship did they really even have? Lovers, of course, but maybe it was more than that.

But still. I hated it. This is my house too. I remember coming here as a kid. I remember writing on the walls and running around the entire estate. I remember Day letting me ride on his shoulders. I remember him making me pretty wreaths out of flowers and twigs during the holidays…having him mark my height by the door every time we came to spend time here with mother and father.,,the scent of burning incense...hearing him practice on the piano early in the morning…

I realized, then, just how much of my most memorable childhood memories revolved around Day.

Not father, not mother. Day. And it’s fine, isn’t it? He’s my brother, after all.

I felt my eyes sting.

That’s right. He’s mine. Isn’t he? Certainly not their’s. I’m the one who grew up with him. I’m the one who knows him the best.

So why should it be them? Why not….me?

The thought lingered dangerously. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed up. Or when I’d arrived at his door. I only felt the fear and apprehension, the resentment and the longing. They paralyzed me. Rooted me to the floor.

Why not me?

The question repeated itself over and over inside my head.

I opened the door. Anxious. Scared. Hopeful.

“Day?

Silence.

“Are you awake?”

Still, nothing.

I stepped closer. Shut the door behind me, leaving the whole room encased in darkness. Only the soft, dim rays of the moon streaming through the window allows that faint outline of his sleeping form to register in my eyes.

He laid there comfortably on his back, upper body completely exposed. Everything was faint and barely discernable.

“Day?” I called out again, this time a whisper. A half-hearted attempt I wanted to fail.

And it did.

I paused for a moment more. Then decided.

My nightgown slipped to the floor.

My heart was beating like crazy as I crawled into bed on top of him. I took my sleep mask off from my forehead and carefully placed it over his eyes. He stirred slightly.

My lips touched him. Timidly at first, then with more confidence. I could feel him waking up. The hot, hard something hitting my leg was all the indication I needed.

“Another round?” I heard him ask. I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. I just buried myself in his neck. He smelled of sweat and sex and it made my girl parts quiver. But there was another scent there, too. A sweet fragrance that clung to his skin. Her.

I couldn’t help it. I wanted it erased. I wanted it replaced. With me, with my own smell. To mark every inch of him, claim every line and curve down to the very last strand of hair.

Before I knew it he was sitting up. His mouth of my breast, teasing my nipples with a wicked tongue. His hands drifted down to my crotch. I held in a breath of air when that first finger played circles around my clit and hood. He was slow and patient. A flick, a tap, a pinch. Methodically going through motions I didn’t know could feel so good.

I could feel his erect member burning against me. It felt...daunting.

It didn’t matter. I was ready.

...So what if I couldn’t have all his days? A few of his nights were fine too.