Nobility is Only a Word

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're an asshole?"

Ah, do mine ears detect the siren call of my dearest sister?

"Hm, let me think. Well, other than the several thousand times an hour you remind me of that fact, probably only the neighbours. They've never forgiven me for the half-dozen boxes of pizza that you, I might add, dumped in their trash."

My sister, placing her hands firmly on her hips, blue eyes flashing, was not amused by that.

"Quit evading, where the fuck did you put my lipstick, Jake?"

I made a show of not understanding what she was talking about, while doing my best to nudge said item carefully down the side of my bed. Honestly, she hardly needed it, she looked lovely enough without it, though I had no plans of actually telling her that. Sasha could be a real bitch sometimes, and she'd certainly been one so far this week.

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's not here, and since I have no intention of cross-dressing anytime soon, it isn't going to turn up here either, Sash."

Sasha flicked her shoulder length raven hair, and her eyes took on an even more deadly look, her face beginning to glow red in fury.

Someone get my riot shield, this might have been a bad idea...again.

"You're about as subtle as a brick to the face, Jake. You've got one chance before I kick your ass."

For whatever reason, I chose to take my chances. After all, she had no proof I'd done anything at all, even though I actually had. It was time to break out the innocent angel face.

"I swear I don't know, maybe mom borrowed it?"

My sister took a step into the room, and even the fact the light through my window cast her face into wonderful light, accentuating her natural beauty with a gentle contrast of shadow and light, did little to make me feel any better about the deadly anger within those soft features.

"Mom doesn't use lipstick, as you damn well know you little shit, and she doesn't even live here either."

Fuck, mission failed, abort, abort!

I had only one chance, and being ever the type to 'seize the day', I attempted a dive for the doorway as she circled around my bed. To my infinite shock, this actually worked, and I quickly bolted from the room, tearing downstairs with the speed of a man fleeing a tiger. Which was appropriate, really...

"JAKE!"

Ohfuckfuckfuck, she's pissed.

"I just wanted to pay you back for breaking my computer. Really, this is mild by comparison, just think about it!"

I yelled this as I fled through the house, attempting a rational defense, but Sasha was not having any of it and remained just behind me, hair flying and, I didn't fail to notice, hips swaying in those wonderfully tight leggings and shorts she was wearing.

Nope, this is not the time for this, I'll think about ass -after- I escape with my life, not before.

Thinking of fat men naked on trampolines I dashed for the front door, victory in sight. Ah, so close...

"Got you, you fucker!"

I had about enough time to register I was about to experience pain before she tackled me from behind, sending us both crashing to the floor and smashing my head into a cabinet beside the front door, and all I could see and feel was stars and pain. It was not at all how I wanted this day to go, and it hurt like hell.

"Argh, get off you psycho!"

I tried to shove her off, but she was firmly latched to my back, and through the haze and pain I could do little to dislodge her as she tightened her grip around my back.

"Oh no, you are going nowhere Jake, fucking nowhere."

She spun me around and pinned me to the floor, legs straddling me as I lay sprawled beneath her. I vaguely registered that, were I not in incredible, unbearable pain, this would be a pretty appealing position to be in with a beautiful raven, chest heaving, sat atop me. As it was though, my world was occupied exclusively by one thought:

"My fucking head, Sash, you trying to kill me?"

Sasha stared at me malevolently, but as her eyes rose and spotted my now bleeding forehead they widened and she leaned in to inspect it, hands rushing to my face and pulling the top of my head towards her for inspection.

"Ohmigod, I'm sorry Jake! I didn't mean to do that!"

She leaned right over me, and while having her ample bosom crushed to my face held merits entirely of its own, being smothered to death was not exactly the solution to my problems that I was searching for.

"Mpf, ahm stufk, geruff."

She moved from inspecting my head to stare at me in confusion, before realising why I was talking like that and, blushing furiously, standing back up, arms over her chest.

"Ah, uh, sorry! Um, if you want, I'll get some ice?"

Groggily standing, head still stinging furiously, I just nodded at her, blearily.

"Yeah, great, thanks Sash."

She just nodded and dashed off to the kitchen, while I staggered into the front room, collapsing into the nearest chair, and regretting almost every decision I had made in my life so far.

Captain's log: Don't ever steal shit from Sasha on a bad day.

I rubbed my head, thinking on that, and then made a slight change.

Addendum: Don't ever steal shit from Sasha, -ever-

Much better. Shame that couldn't be said for my head, and I continued rubbing it, doing my best to reduce the ache that had developed, and just thanking my lucky stars I hadn't caught anything more important on that cabinet. The cut was just above my right eye, and closer to the eye than was comfortable.

After a few more moments Sasha dashed in, and as I turned to look at her I had to stifle a laugh. Her frantic expression was priceless, and the contrast from just a minute or two before could not be more apparent. Really, she could be a mean bitch, but my sister and I really did love each other.

Well, most of the time.

"Uh, I got some ice Jake. Want me to hold it in place?"

I looked at the bags, and nearly laughed again. She'd brought not one, not two, but three whole bags of the damn stuff. There was enough ice there to sink the Titanic.

"That'd be great Sash, but just one bag will be fine, I don't want to freeze to death instead of bleeding."

I smiled as best I could, but her brow still furrowed and she worried her bottom lip. It was incredibly cute, and it had always been that expression that made me forgive anything she'd done. I had no chance, and just smiled more widely at her, encouraging her to come over, and assuring her with a look that all was already forgiven.

She stepped forward with a hesitant smile and came to sit beside me, shuffling right up beside me, and pressing a bag against my head.

Ah, much better.

I leaned back, enjoying the cool relief of the ice as the pain faded almost immediately. I opened an eye and looked at Sasha, but she still looked really nervous, and I reached up a hand to hers around the bag, brushing mine over hers as reassuringly as I could.

"It's OK Sash, it was just an accident."

I reached across and took her other, free hand, and brought it up to my face with my own, kissing it lightly in the way we'd always done to say sorry. Her eyes softened again, and now her beauty really shone through. It was wrong on so many levels, but I'd always been captivated by her when she smiled like that, and even a brief marriage followed by a painful breakup last year, just as she'd turned twenty, had done nothing to reduce the compassion that always, even if after a lot of my own pain, shone through in the end.

"I'm just having a tough time Jake. I'm just...I wasn't really angry, I just needed an excuse to vent."

Her grip on the ice pack slackened, and as the pain had already faded considerably now I took it from her hand, holding it up lightly against my head myself, and smiled at her.

"It's OK Sash. You know, you could always just talk to me, rather than brutalise me every time you need to let loose."

I spoke light heartedly, trying to inject in some of the humour she always enjoyed to my tone. It worked, and she reached up to rearrange her hair, tucking it back behind her ears, smiling a little more broadly at me.

"Well, you are so much fun to brutalise you know. And you've got the cutest behind I've ever kicked."

I choked a little, dropping the ice pack, which was a bad idea as two dozen chunks of solid ice collided with my nether regions, sending a shock of cold straight to my spine, and leaving my mouth, already hanging open from her comment, permanently fixed in that position as I flailed at the pack wildly.

"Gerritoff, gerritoff, GERRITOFF!"

Sasha took one look at the pack on my groin and burst out laughing, in complete hysterics and eventually, no thanks to her, I shoved the pack onto the floor, my shorts dripping wet, and my little soldier thoroughly frozen in place. That was probably fortunate, I realised, as my brain rebooted from the freeze, since he was beginning to respond to my sister's comment. In truth, he'd begun responding not long after she'd first straddled me, and having her beside me, so close and so cute, had not discouraged his efforts to salute the sun.

Sasha was still laughing and I harrumphed, folding my arms in mock fury and turning my head away.

"Fine, I'll call you in the spring once I thaw out."

"Oh, don't be like that, Jake."

I didn't turn around, still a little mad she found my pain so damn funny, and so didn't see her approach as she moved up behind me, wrapping her arms around me.

"I am sorry, really. I just...Things really suck at the moment, Jake. I just feel like I'm living moment to moment."

At this, and feeling the sadness and pain in her tone I turned back to her, embracing her in return, and rubbed her head softly with one hand, as gently as I could, being the best damned brother I could too, for a change.

"I know it's been hard, Sash, you'd been together for so long. Nobody expected him to walk like that."

She pulled back slightly, but still holding me close as she looked into my eyes, her vibrant blue meeting my own; it was a trait we both shared, and we both loved each other's eyes, always had, always sought comfort in the ocean blue softness within them.

"It wasn't just that, Jake, I..." Sasha sighed, and her lips closed tightly, the only sign she ever gave that she was holding her tears at bay. Sensing her vulnerability, I did something unusual for me, and showing her the tenderness we almost never gave each other these days, lifted her chin gently and placed my forehead against hers, our breath warming each other's face.

"It's OK Sash, just tell me only what you want me to know."

She locked her eyes with mine then closed them, rubbing her forehead against mine, as we once had done so often but now rarely did, and the nostalgic comfort washed over us both as she relaxed visibly before speaking.

"That asshole wasn't just seeing one woman, he was with, at the least, five of them."

My eyes widened and I stared into hers, not quite believing it. I'd known Tommy was an asshole for a long time, even if I hadn't the heart to tell Sasha, who was so smitten with him, but five?

"Wait, did you just say: at the least?"

Sasha nodded, her eyes leaving mine, moving her face away from my own, but I maintained my grip on her, cuddling her body to me, allowing her to draw comfort from our shared warmth.

"It was probably more. I didn't have proof, but I'm not an idiot Jake, and people talk when they think you can't hear..."

Sasha's expression changed and grew angry, violent, far beyond the angry expression she gave me earlier; this was real Sasha anger; true rage and upset at the betrayal. When her eyes met mine, widening slightly, I knew it must be a look mirrored in my own features.

"That fucking..."

She said nothing but raised a finger, placing it over my lips to silence me, but smiling ever so slightly at my indignant, apoplectic rage.

"It's over, Jake, there's no sense being angry now. It's done, he's gone, I'm free. But I thought I loved that man, Jake. I thought Tommy loved me. But then I came home, finally, and found seven sets of panties in the basket. I only own six."

I shook my head, disbelieving at the stupidity of Tommy to think his ever observant former wife would fail to notice that; unable to accept any man could be dissatisfied with so wonderful a woman as Sasha. Then, I smiled slightly, as I realised something.

"Hey Sash, if that's true, do you go commando one day of the week?"

She stared at me a moment, the two of us still close to one another, then her face reddened as she realised what she'd just revealed and she smacked my chest with her hands, shoving me away.

"You fucking perv, trust you to notice that when you're normally oblivious to everything!"

I laughed, relieved, at least, that she no longer looked so painfully, utterly broken. This was who my sister really was: playful, funny, and a complete menace to society. I kept laughing as she jumped on me, no longer bothered about the pain in my head, just enjoying the play-fight, and after a minute or two of shoving and yelling we exhausted ourselves, Sasha once again straddling me, and my hands on her waist, holding her away from me.

"You are just...you..."

Sasha spoke softly, through panted breaths and I just grinned at her, amused beyond words at her reaction, and pleased she was her usual self so quickly. Moving my hands up her back, I pulled her down and gave her another hug, not even noticing I was hard, or that she must feel it as we embraced, and to be honest, I wouldn't have cared even if I'd known. She stiffened slightly as we made contact, but relaxed into the hug anyway, and pulled me tightly back.

"Thank you, Jake. I knew I should have just come and talked to you. Thank you."

I released her and smiled up at her, giving my best roguish grin.

"You can always rely on me to annoy you into forgetting your troubles Sash. And I've never minded being assaulted by such a pretty lady."

Wait, did I just say that second part out loud?

Sasha's eyes widened.

Oh, crap.

"Did you...?"

Sasha stared down at me, eyes wide and locked on my own, and my grin faded slightly, praying I hadn't spoiled her mood. Then, she leaned down, and I braced myself for the slap.

"You..."

She moved closer, and before I could even react, her lips met mine, soft, warm, moist and caring. It was a brief, chaste kiss, and not one a brother and sister could not share, but it left me feeling guilty anyway, like my mom had caught me at the cookie jar again, and I couldn't speak as she moved her face away.

"You're unbelievable Jake, you know that?"

I don't know what madness took me but without even thinking, I moved my hands up to her shoulders and pulled her, gently, back down, and our lips met again for another sweet, soft kiss, before breaking apart again.

"You know you love me for that."

Sasha's brain seemed to have crashed entirely, if her expression was anything to go by, and even the feeling of her soft leg between my own, pressing slightly against my cock, did little to distract me from the fear I'd just made a terrible mistake. But even with that fear, I couldn't resist poking a little fun.

"Uh oh, sister.exe just stopped responding, should I call Clippy?"

Sasha shook her head slightly, looking back down at me and clearly catching up on what I just said. Then her lip curled, and she started laughing, and I felt relief wash over me that she wasn't pissed off at me. I laughed too, and she collapsed on top of me as we let it all out; all the tension, all the laughter, all my previous pain. We just laughed like a pair of hyenas, and I only vaguely wondered what the hell the neighbours would think was happening. After a minute or two we stopped, and just lay on the couch together, and I couldn't help enjoying her soft body pressed against my own, until she finally sat up fully, allowing me to sit too.

"Call whoever you like, just don't charge me, asshole."

She punched at me lightly and I dodged, waving a finger at her.

"I think that's quite enough brother abuse for one day. What are you going to tell mom when she sees me tomorrow?"

Sasha stared at me, looking thoughtful, then a playful grin erupted.

Oh, god.

"That's easy, I'll just say you had a girlfriend around, and you've decided to get into BDSM."

I stared at her, jaw dropping like something from a cartoon, not quite sure I just heard my sister say those words. Then, I saw the flaw in her little plan.

"Well, that's brilliant, but there's one flaw Sash: I haven't had a girlfriend in nearly six years.

Sasha stared at me, her grin slipping, and I could almost hear her brain go: 'Shit!' Looks like I have her right where I want her to be.

"Or, there's an alternative plan, and we just say I tripped and hit the table. It's already half-true anyway, I just won't mention the whole 'maniac demon-spawn tackling me'. Seems fair to me, what about you?"

Sasha stared at me, weighing up her options before shrugging in acceptance.

"Fine, whatever. But seriously Jake, sorry."

I smiled at her again, shaking my head at the fact she was still hung up over what had happened earlier.

"And, seriously, it's fine. But we are definitely having another chat later. My door will always be open, Sash, you only have to walk through it."

Sasha looked at me for a moment, her gaze sweeping over me, and then she reached out and grabbed me again, drawing me into a further kiss and now, I was really enjoying this way too much. In fact, if I was any judge, so was she, and I couldn't help but wonder if this, too, wasn't something we should discuss later.

Preferably alone.

Yeah, best not to have mom in the room at the time. For that matter, better thank the gods dad kicked the marriage, then the bucket, and in that order, years ago, or we really would have to paint a target on our backs, even from a simple sibling kiss.

Yet, as our lips met, I realised that my arms were naturally reaching up to press her against me, crushing her breasts against my chest, and if that weren't bad enough, if I didn't know better I'd swear the knee she had between my legs was purposefully rubbing against my groin. As we pulled away and made our way upstairs, heading off to our respective rooms, a single thought remained flowing through my mind.

Oh yeah, we are -definitely- having a talk about this later.

Now, to try and find the best distraction I could, or I would end up ploughing through the local supply of tissues before the day was out.

Sasha lay on her bed, thighs rubbing together, mind blazing with confusion and excitement. She didn't know what had compelled her to kiss her brother again that last time, but as she felt his hard cock thrusting against her stomach, even if he wasn't doing it on purpose, she couldn't deny she had entirely inappropriate thoughts of what exactly she wanted to do to her favourite, and in point of fact, only brother.

He's just been so sweet to me, ever since he let me share his house with him, ever since that -prick-...

It would do no good to think of him again, and she pushed the thoughts aside, trying desperately to calm herself down, to hold back the tears she had had to hold back so often since her marriage had ended.

Yet, as she lay there, staring at the purple paint of her bedroom ceiling, Jake's face came back to her mind, over and over, and each time her hand snaked downwards, against her will, and each time drew closer to her moist, carnal tunnel, which had been flowing nectar ever since that first playfight on the couch.

She had realised not long after she came back, not long after Jake had first let her cry on his shoulder, had held her so softly and delicately that she had, on some level, always loved her brother, and in a less than familial way. It made her feel disgusted with herself, but it was the truth. He had been there for her, instantly, the moment she needed him. And it didn't help that he was damn handsome on top of that with his eyes, like hers, being bright blue and soulful, his short, brown hair fitting his handsome jawline and nose, his lips, his neck...