ALL WE NEED

However thick my parents thought the walls in our house were, they weren't thick enough. I'd lost count of how many times I'd lain in bed listening to mom and dad fighting when they thought we wouldn't overhear them. I was at a point where I almost didn't care anymore, but I couldn't say the same for my little sister.

Once the yelling started it was usually only a matter of time before Monica would be up and looking for something to take her mind off of our parents' increasingly obvious issues with each other. Most of the time that distraction was me since I was the only other person in the house.

As if on cue I heard the floorboards creak right outside my room, then a brief pause. Slowly the knob on my door turned and it swung open just far enough for Monica to peek in. She always seemed to worry about waking me up, but even as detached as I was getting I still couldn't sleep through the yelling.

"Come in," I said.

Monica stepped carefully into the room, making sure not to step on anything in the dark. She closed the door behind her and padded closer to my bed. I reached for my bedside lamp and missed, finding the switch on the second try. By the light coming from the bulb I could make out my sister's face enough to tell that she was upset, though I didn't need to see her to know that.

"They're fighting again," she said, as if I didn't know.

"Yeah, they are," I said.

She looked so much younger than her eighteen years, like a frightened girl wanting everything to be okay. I hated when she got like this, so unsure of her world and not even able to go to her parents for comfort. More to the point, I hated that there was nothing I could do about it other than providing a temporary illusion of security.

"Why can't they just... stop it?" she said.

"I don't know," I said.

She took another tentative step toward me and I finally sat up, pulling off my covers and pushing them to the side. I knew she'd want to stay for a while, at least until things were quiet again, but she'd never ask. It was as if she was afraid I'd reject her one of these times and I didn't even want to consider what that might do to her.

"Sit down," I said. "It'll be over soon."

"I wish it never happened."

That'd be nice, if little more than wishful thinking under the circumstances.

My bed was next to the wall and as Monica climbed in with me I shifted so we could both lean up against it. As soon as she got comfortable she tugged on the end of my blanket and pulled it around her body. I was sitting on the other half and it wasn't really cold enough that I felt the need for it just then.

"You remember when we were little?" she asked. "You think they were always like this and we just never noticed?"

"No," I said after thinking about it for a second. "I think they really did love each other for a while, and maybe they still do. I don't know. But things change, lots of stuff does."

"It does, doesn't it? I think that's what scares me most." Monica pulled her knees up to her chest, huddling into a protective ball. "'Cause if stuff like that can change, then lots of other things could too. Like maybe they won't always love me either."

"Look, they-"

"Or maybe you won't."

She turned her head toward me with a neutral expression, but her eyes gave her away. She was truly worried about the possibility.

"Never happen," I said, shaking my head with absolute certainty.

"Why not?" she insisted. "If mom and dad could stop loving each other then... maybe anybody could."

"No way. You forget, I had to grow up with you and I know all the most annoying things about you already. If we were gonna hate each other we'd be doing it already."

"Hey, I'm not annoying," Monica said with just a hint of a smile.

"If you say so Miss takes-my-books-without-asking. Strange how those pages get dog-eared all on their own isn't it?"

"I can't help that you've always got all the good ones," she grumbled. "And you're the one who always finishes the cereal and doesn't put it on the grocery list."

"But you deal with it don't you? That's what I'm talking about, we've lived together all our lives and if stuff like that hasn't driven us apart it never will."

"I don't know, you really think it's just little things like that?"

"It has to be, they fell in love before right? So unless it's some big secret then it pretty much just has to be stuff building up over time."

"Maybe you're right."

Monica fell silent and I had nothing else to add so we just sat together for a while. In the quiet minutes that followed I noticed at some point that the sounds of our parents' fighting had disappeared. If my sister also realized it then she didn't say anything.

"Seems safe again," I said eventually, hinting that she could go but not pushing her out.

"Yeah," she said, giving me the impression she had caught on too. "Do you mind if I stay for a bit longer though? Like just a few more minutes. I'm not really ready to go back to bed yet."

"If you want."

I was getting tired, but sleep wasn't a big issue for me. I guessed Monica was sleepier than she wanted to admit as well when she leaned on me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"M'just gonna stay for a little bit, don't let me go to sleep," she said.

"Okay," I said.

****

Predictably we both fell asleep where we were. I woke up mildly disoriented in a slumped over sitting position exactly where I'd been last night. Monica was curled up in my blanket with her head on my lap like it was a pillow.

She looked happier in the morning light, much more like she normally did. Any worries or fears she'd had were erased by sleep and she seemed at peace. I just wished she could feel that way all the time.

I didn't need to get up right away, although I couldn't stay there forever either, and moving would have meant waking up Monica. I decided I'd give her a little while to awaken on her own before I did that.

With nothing better to do I softly stroked her hair, smoothing it out from its nighttime disarray. Unfortunately, as gentle as I was the contact was enough to disturb my sister and she shifted slightly where she lay before cracking open one eye.

"Is it morning already?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Mmph, sorry. Didn't mean to stay here all night. Told you not to let me fall asleep though."

I shrugged. "It's okay, I don't mind."

Monica rolled over off of my lap, still wrapped in my blanket but allowing me to move from what had become a somewhat uncomfortable position.

"I think I like your bed better, you know," she said. "Don't know why though."

"The mattress maybe?" I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. Could just be 'cause you're here too, it's nice not being alone when I wake up."

"There's something to be said for it alright."

I maneuvered myself toward the edge of the bed, shuffling around Monica who seemed less inclined to start her day just yet.

"Are you getting up now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to go see about breakfast. You want me to get you anything?"

"Nah, I don't know how long I'll be."

"Okay."

She might just go back to sleep in my absence, but that wasn't really my problem. And my stomach was beginning to seriously insist on food.

I hadn't quite reached the kitchen when I realized someone else had beaten me there. The faint sound and smell of something cooking registered in my brain just before I turned the corner and had my suspicions confirmed. Mom was standing by the sink with a cup of coffee in her hands and a tired expression on her face. There were pancakes on the stove cooking next to a bowl of batter and by the look of things they needed to be flipped.

"Oh, good morning," mom said, seeming caught off-guard by my appearance. "I didn't realize you were up yet."

"Just got up," I said.

I crossed in front of her and grabbed the spatula to save the pancakes from burning.

"I thought making breakfast for you and your sister would be nice," she said. "But I'm not sure I'm really as up to it as I thought."

That she didn't even mention dad told me something, although it wasn't anything I couldn't have guessed. The driveway was visible out the kitchen window and when I looked I saw his car was gone. I wasn't sure whether he'd left last night or early in the morning. Either way, it had been a long time since all four of us had eaten breakfast together and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

"I can get it from here," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"It's pretty simple, even I can flip things over when they start going brown."

Mom gave me a small smile and set her cup down on the counter.

"Okay, thank you. I might just go lie back down for a few minutes. Make sure Monica gets up in time to eat okay?"

"Sure."

Standing there waiting for pancakes to cook was not what I felt like doing, but somehow I'd ended up stuck with it anyway. I was tempted to only make enough for Monica and me right now and leave the rest of the batter until later since I didn't expect mom back any time soon. The only thing was I really had no idea how well it would keep.

Fortunately my sister did show up before too long so I wasn't waiting around on my own. She hadn't dressed for the day yet and was still in her nightshirt and bare legs. She perked up instantly when she noticed what I was up to.

"You made pancakes?" she said. "I didn't even know you knew how."

"Mom made them," I said. "I'm just cooking them. She went back to bed."

"Oh." Monica frowned for a second as she caught some of the subtext. "Well thank you anyway."

She grabbed a plate and helped herself to a couple already done pancakes as well as the syrup out of the fridge before sitting down at the table.

"It might not actually be such a bad idea for us to do more cooking you know?" she said as she poured some syrup on her plate.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Well just 'cause things are getting a little, you know, chaotic around here."

"You might be right, but you know my talents in that area are limited."

"That's okay, I can teach you some stuff. You're not going to have someone to look after you forever you know, you'll have to learn someday."

"If you say so."

****

When I got home that evening nothing seemed any different at first from when I left. It wasn't until I found Monica in the kitchen that I knew something had happened. There were some opened cans on the counter and evidence of supper being started, but then left unfinished. My sister was sitting on the floor against one of the cupboards hugging her knees and staring vacantly at the floor. She looked about ready to cry any second.

"So, uh, what's going on?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral and wait to see what her response was.

"Was gonna make supper," she said. "Dad was back and he and mom were talking, thought maybe he was gonna stay. We could've all been together and everything. Then he left. Angry. Haven't seen mom yet, she might have locked herself in her room again."

"Dammit," I said quietly, more to myself than to Monica.

I was really losing patience with our parents. They needed to work something out to stop their problems being our problems. We shouldn't have to constantly deal with this, especially Monica who definitely wasn't taking it well. Within a couple of seconds I reached a decision.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go."

I held out my hand to help her up and she took it with a bit of hesitation.

"Go where?" she asked.

"Anywhere. Somewhere that's not here. We'll go eat and then maybe come back, or maybe not. I don't know."

Monica tilted her head slightly as she stood, then shrugged.

"Okay," she said.

I led her back out to my car that I'd only stepped out of a few minutes ago and started driving, not entirely sure where I was going. She mostly stared out the window and didn't say anything without prodding.

"So anywhere you want to go?" I asked.

"I'unno," she said. "Doesn't really matter."

"Exactly, it doesn't matter. So we may as well go somewhere you want to."

She turned toward me for a moment with her vaguely sad expression fading to one of thoughtfulness.

"Do you remember that place we used to go sometimes when we were younger?" she asked.

"The one mom and dad took us when they didn't feel like making anything?"

"Yeah. Is that still around?"

"We could find out."

I knew the place she was talking about instantly since it was the only restaurant we used to go to on a semi-regular basis. It was kind of a family place, a step or two up from fast-food but where you could take your kids and not worry too much about trying to dress them up and make them behave. I was pretty sure it was still there although it had been a couple years anyway since I'd last been.

We'd started out going the wrong way so I had to take a roundabout route back to the area I wanted to go. Monica still wasn't saying much, but every now and then when I glanced over I noticed that she was paying more attention to where we were. That seemed like a good sign to me.

The place was exactly where I remembered it being, although with a few minor changes since my last visit. The table layout was different from what I pictured in my head and some of the wall decorations were unfamiliar. Nothing too huge though.

Once we were seated, across from each other in a booth, I was able to study my sister's reaction more closely. She kept looking around and her lips would twitch upward occasionally, happy memories of the past I assumed. I was glad she could focus on them rather than how things had changed since then.

Before long a waitress came by and gave us each a menu. Monica opened hers right away and browsed through the options while I held off for a moment.

"Can I get you anything to drink while you decide?" the waitress asked.

I made eye contact with Monica, but didn't wait for her answer.

"Yes, could we get two milkshakes please?" I said. "One chocolate, one strawberry."

I had some memories of my own and I knew that a strawberry milkshake was always Monica's goal to get out of our parents. She was successful more often than not too.

"You don't have to-" Monica started.

"Two milkshakes please," I repeated to the waitress who nodded and turned away. "Come on, you really going to tell me you don't want one?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at my sister.

"No, but... I don't know. You didn't have to do that is all. I mean, I know you're paying and all since I don't have money with me so-"

"So I can get you a milkshake if I want," I interrupted. "Seriously, don't worry about that stuff right now okay? We're just going to have some time where we do what we want to and fuck the consequences."

Monica giggled a little as I swore and looked around instinctively to see if anyone heard me.

"You're supposed to be a good influence on me you know?" she said.

"No, I'm supposed to be your brother and sometimes that means setting a bad example if it's in your best interest. Like sometimes you need to just forget about your problems for a while even if it's not actually going to help solve them."

"I don't know, that sounds like kinda bad advice. Or maybe fucking good advice, I'm not sure."

We both grinned conspiratorially, like kids who'd just discovered the word for the first time and knew we shouldn't say it. We really didn't swear that much most of the time even though we were more than old enough that there was no reason we couldn't if we wanted to. There was something about the place too, something about how we'd only ever been there with our parents that made misbehaving slightly seem more than it really was.

"And here's your drinks," said the waitress, reappearing almost unnoticed by our table.

"Thank you," Monica and I said at the same time.

My sister immediately took an experimental sip through her straw and nodded approvingly at the result. Then we had to order, which I hadn't properly prepared for. I went with a burger and fries since it was usually a safe enough choice, and I wasn't really there for the food anyway.

"You know, with just the two of us here this feels a little bit like a date," Monica said once we were alone again. "I mean, except for you being my brother obviously."

"Yeah, I guess it is kinda. 'Cept if it was I might have taken you somewhere there weren't kids running around," I said, looking pointedly toward a family a couple tables away where the parents were having difficulty keeping their children in their seats.

"Oh it's not that bad. Besides, I picked remember?"

"I remember. I guess I'm lucky you're a cheap date then."

"Or maybe I just have plans for later and I'm luring you into a false sense of security."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, not believing her for a second. If she actually did want to do stuff after we were done that was fine by me though, as long as she was happy I didn't have to worry about her.

****

We ended up just sitting and talking for far longer than I would have expected, long enough we probably would have been quite a nuisance if the restaurant had been a little busier. When we got back in the car Monica immediately took over the radio, locating a station she liked and turning up the volume. She looked at me almost daring me to fight her over it, but I let it go.

When we got home I wondered briefly if anyone would be wondering where we went. Dad still wasn't there and when it came down to it I didn't know for sure if mom had even noticed we were gone.

Monica walked beside me to the door, then skipped ahead and stood in front of it blocking my way. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at me innocently.

"If this was a real date, now's when you'd have to kiss me you know," she said.

"You think so do you?"

Her eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief and I knew she was only teasing me. Maybe that's what made me do it, the knowledge that she wasn't truly expecting anything more than getting a reaction out of me. Whatever the case, I kissed her.

Her body registered only surprise at first as I closed the gap between us and snaked my arms around her waist. Her lips too were unresponsive, then suddenly they melted into mine as she got over the initial shock.

I hadn't planned on holding the kiss for very long, just enough to make some kind of point, but that went out the window pretty fast. For some reason once I started I couldn't let go right away, I couldn't simply back away from my sister even if I probably should. There was supposed to be something inherently weird about kissing her, something physical or mental that differentiated her from other girls, and it just wasn't there.

Eventually we did run out of air and had to separate briefly, but I never let go of her and our faces didn't go more than a couple inches from each other the whole time. We just stared at each other, panting and searching for clues as to what the other was thinking. Then, as if it was agreed upon ahead of time, we moved together again.

Monica's hands went to my shoulders and it felt like she stood up on her toes a little to negate her slight height disadvantage as all of a sudden her face was even with mine. I pulled her tighter to me, feeling her breasts against my chest and the warmth of her body through her shirt under my hands. She felt just like a girl is supposed to feel; just as wonderfully soft and perfect as any of my previous experiences, only somehow more so.

It was only when her lips parted, whether in invitation or otherwise, that I snapped out of it. Kissing my sister was one thing, using tongue was taking it to a completely unjustifiable level. I pulled away as she tried to hang on to me for a second, then abruptly backed away too and looked away embarrassed.

"That might have gone a bit too far," she said after a moment of awkward silence.

"Yeah, probably," I agreed. "I mean it's not a big deal right? But if someone saw something like that they'd probably get the wrong idea.""Right." Monica nodded quickly. "I probably should have known you wouldn't back off from a challenge like that, but they wouldn't get that it was just messing around."

Of course 'they' would be right, it hadn't just been messing around. There'd been more to it than that even if I wasn't entirely sure what.

Monica finally remembered that she was blocking the doorway and turned to enter the house. I followed close behind, still with a lingering desire to hold her in my arms again but forcing myself to behave normally. She paused before heading to her room and looked at me with a mixture of uncertainty and hope.

"Is it okay if... I mean if I came to see you again tonight would that be okay?" she asked.

There were a variety of answers I could have given, some better than others. The problem was I didn't know exactly what I should tell her. After kissing her moments ago it might have been preferable to maintain a little distance, but I didn't really want to do that. Besides, that had to have been a one time thing. There had never been even a hint of anything like it before.

"Sure," I said simply.

"Okay," she said, her mouth forming the beginning of a smile just before she turned away from me again.

I hoped that wasn't the wrong answer.

****

It was a peaceful evening, no drama from the parents, and I don't think I even saw Monica again before I went to bed. It occurred to me that if she was in a more comfortable state of mind she might not actually need to talk to me again. With that in mind I let myself begin to drift off to sleep without bothering to wait to for her.

I hadn't quite lost consciousness when my attention was drawn to my door opening with my sister following close behind. I wasn't quite awake enough at that point to move over or acknowledge her without far more effort than I felt like making if she didn't say something first. It turned out not to be necessary anyway as she simply lifted my covers enough to slip under them with me and curl up in an almost impossibly small area of the mattress. My bed wasn't all that big, but she seemed determined not to disturb me and managed to settle in so that our bodies barely touched.

"Good night," I heard her say faintly.

I mumbled something similar in response and within a few moments sleep took me.

****

I dreamt about Monica that night.

It wasn't her at first actually, just an ill-defined image of a girl that I could have sworn I knew but couldn't place. As usual with my dreams I didn't remember all of it later, nor could I necessarily make sense of the things I did recall.

One thing that remained was somehow the girl ended up naked. She didn't mind me looking at her and seemed to want me to touch her too. I was having trouble with that though, I couldn't seem to control where I touched her. My hand would go for her breasts and somehow always end up just below them, or farther down on her tummy. An experimental reach toward the lower areas of her body yielded the same results.

It was around that point that I began to suspect I might be dreaming. Once the thought came to me it became completely obvious that was the case. There were just too many nonsensical things about the whole scenario for it to be otherwise.

As soon as I came to my conclusion and recalled being in bed beside Monica before I'd fallen asleep, the girl became my sister. Maybe that was who she'd been the whole time. Her body still wasn't well defined, and there was no way it could be fully accurate since I hadn't seen it, but the face was definitely hers.

For some reason my hand remained where it had been on the girl's stomach, now my sister's. I couldn't pull it away and she smiled reassuringly as if she didn't want me to. It was too much for me to process however and that was when I woke up.

I was disoriented for a second, not by the room but by the person next to me. It was Monica of course, but somehow we'd gotten closer while we slept and our bodies were pressed against each other. We were spooning actually, when I allowed myself to admit it.

Most problematic for me was my arm was wrapped around her side and had pushed her nightshirt up to just below her breasts. My hand was resting on the exposed skin of her stomach and it became clear then why my actions had been restrained the way they were in my dream. My brain hadn't wanted to make up sensory information when it had perfectly serviceable real information to feed me.

Once I was aware of just how close I was to touching my sister inappropriately it was pretty clear to me I needed to rearrange my position. Getting her shirt back to its original state would be tricky without waking her, but I couldn't very well leave it where it was. Other than her panties she was naked below the hem of her shirt and I didn't want her waking up to that even if she realized that I hadn't done it on purpose.

"Mmm," Monica moaned softly.

She shifted a little and brought her hand up to clasp mine before I could move it.

"Are you awake?" I asked.

She didn't answer right away, and I was almost ready to believe she was still asleep when she spoke.

"Yes," she said.

"How long?"

"I dunno, few minutes. Something like that."

"I didn't mean to, you know, with your shirt and all."

"I know, you were sleeping. Thought you were awake at first, then I realized you weren't."

Monica wasn't giving the slightest indication of minding, plus if she'd been awake then she'd moved her hand on purpose.

"If you let go I can roll over, give you some space," I said.

"Why? I like this. Feels nice being close. Doesn't it?"

It did feel nice. I was only wearing a pair of shorts and with Monica's shirt pulled out of the way I could feel a lot of her skin pressed against mine. Warm, soft skin.

"That's not the point," I said.

She didn't answer right away, but then moved her hand away from mine allowing me to break contact with her if I chose.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

I didn't want her to leave, but that raised the question of what exactly I was trying to accomplish.

"No," I said.

"Good."

"Maybe you should fix your shirt though, just so it's not all bunched up at the top."

It was a weak excuse for my request, but I was hoping Monica would just accept it for what it was. She shifted and raised her arms to grab her shirt, but instead of pulling it back down tugged it over her head and discarded it.

"That so wasn't what I meant and you know it," I said.

"I know, but I like you holding me like this. I want to be able to feel you."

Well, she could feel me all right. Except for around our waists we were both naked and spooning snugly against each other. I suppose I could have rolled away at any time if I really wanted to, but I didn't.

Monica replaced her hand to cover mine and held it tightly where it lay on her tummy. She fully intended for us to spend the night like that.

"This isn't going to work," I said.

"Why not?"

"Because sister or not, you're still a girl and you don't have nearly enough clothes on right now."

I didn't know if she could feel it yet or not, but she soon would. The close proximity of her nearly-naked body was affecting me as I had been worried it would even before she'd abandoned her shirt. I couldn't control myself well enough to prevent my cock from starting to harden and poke into her butt.

Monica wiggled her ass experimentally and elicited a small groan from me at the sensations that sent through my growing erection. It was like she didn't believe I'd really have that kind of reaction to her.

"Do you... need to take care of it?" she asked softly. "Would it be okay then?"

"Maybe, but I can't do it with you here."

"I won't look," she promised. "You can just do it and then we can go back to sleep. It's not a big deal."

"It kind of is for me."

"Come on, everyone does it. Even I do sometimes."

"Wait, really?"

Monica rolled over in place until she was facing me, for whatever good that did in the dark.

"What, did you think I didn't?" she asked. "I know I'm your little sister, but do you really think I'm that innocent?"

"I... never thought about it I guess."

"No, you wouldn't have."

I didn't know what else to say, and with Monica's changed position I couldn't even settle back in properly without risking touching her somewhere inappropriate. Finally she shifted again and I felt her hand feeling its way over my hip.

"Monica? What are you doing?" I said.

"Well you're being difficult and I don't want to have to leave."

"That doesn't mean...."

I faltered as my train of thought was rudely interrupted. My sisters fingers had closed over my cock through the material of my shorts and squeezed gently.

"Please," she whispered. "Just so we can go back to sleep, that's all."

Her words weren't doing nearly as much to persuade me as her hand was. It didn't matter what argument she made there was no way I should be letting my little sister get me off, but the feelings she was producing in me through my cock....

"Just so we can sleep," I repeated.

"Right, and then we don't have to ever think about it again. We can forget it ever happened."

I seriously doubted that I'd forget something like this, yet I still made no move to stop it. Not even when she reached under my shorts and grabbed my cock directly, skin against skin. The only concession I made to the situation was to roll onto my back and give her better access.

Monica stroked me for a couple minutes, seeming to gain confidence in what she was doing as time went by. She was no hurry however, regardless of what she might have said, and her hand's movements were slow and deliberate. It wasn't going to get me off anytime soon, but it felt amazing.

"Gotta be careful or I'll be all worked up by the time I'm done with you," Monica said.

"Might have to take care of yourself too then," I said.

"You'd be okay with that?"

"Can't be any weirder than... this."

"Um, it might be actually."

She let go of me and raised herself onto her knees. Suddenly there was light in the room as she turned on my lamp and I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted.

The most obvious consequences, and what I immediately focused on, was that my sister's almost-naked body became visible. Whether that was the point of turning the light on or not, Monica was just as aware of the fact as I was. She chewed nervously on her lip as she waited for the reaction she knew she was going to get from me, not all that confident as to what kind of reaction it would be.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"So we could see. Do you want me to turn it back off?"

"No, I think I like being able to see right now."

I got a shy smile out of Monica and I reached out to place my hand on her leg. I ran my fingers over her hip and up to her stomach, tracing the soft curves of her body.

"You mean that?" she said.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know how it took me so long to figure out you grew up. You're not just a little girl anymore."

"I know, I got boobies and everything. You were always being too much of a brother to notice."

"Sorry. I'm noticing now though."

"You'd kind of have to."

She had a point; it didn't matter who it was, if they were topless and as close as she was I would notice. It was different with her though. My thoughts went back to when we'd kissed and combined with the current image she presented I was having to reevaluate my opinion of her quite significantly. It was impossible to continue thinking of her in a completely platonic way when she was invoking feelings in me that a little sister simply shouldn't be capable of.

As I was focusing on Monica's chest, she had been eyeing the rather prominent tent in my shorts that was no longer hidden by my blanket. She reached toward it, then stopped herself part way.

"Can I?" she asked.

I nodded affirmatively and she leaned over me again and slowly pulled the waistband of my shorts over my erection until it sprang free. Her eyes widened as it came into view as though it was somehow not what she expected. Whatever the case she repositioned herself straddling one of my legs and resumed stroking my cock.

As she settled in above me she lowered herself until she was very nearly sitting on my leg. This had the effect of putting her pussy in contact with me and gradually she started rubbing against me. I had no idea if that had been a conscious decision or if she was just going with it.

Monica's panties became noticeably damp as the minutes passed, but I questioned whether it was going to be enough to get her off. It seemed like she wasn't really committing enough to satisfy either herself or me and was still kind of hesitant about the whole thing. Not that I could blame her.

"I don't think this is going to work," I said.

"I know, but I can't... I don't want to make it too weird."

"It's a little late for that, just do what you have to."

She nodded and tentatively shifted her body so that her knees were on either side of my hips. Her panties were so close to my cock, and when she moved just a little I felt the material brush against me.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"I'd have a hard time saying no to anything at this point."

"Yeah, but...."

Monica trailed off as she pressed her crotch firmly against mine and for a few moments neither of us could speak. The feeling of her grinding gently on my cock was way more intense than anything up until now and didn't leave my brain much capacity for anything else.

As her pace increased she leaned forward to brace herself on her arms, which put her breasts much closer to my face. I couldn't help it, I was completely enthralled by my sister's body and the ways it moved and felt. I cupped one breast delicately in my palm, then more firmly when she didn't object.

While I touched her and explored formerly unavailable areas of her body Monica was grinding more and more frantically on my cock. Way before I expected it she gave a small whimper and her whole frame shivered in what I could only assume was her cumming. She took a moment to recover, then looked at me a little sheepishly.

"Guess this still isn't really helping you so much," she said.

"That's okay," I said.

She didn't look all that stable above me, her arms shaking slightly in the aftermath of her orgasm. With a hand on her shoulder I guided her to roll off me onto her back, giving her some time to recover. I sat up and took the opportunity to finish removing my shorts. Monica watched me closely, but didn't move from where she lay as I crawled down between her legs.

The front of her panties was soaked and looked uncomfortable for her to continue wearing for much longer. Plus I wanted them out of the way for my own purposes anyway. I watched for any sign of reluctance from my sister, but she only adjusted her legs to make my job easier as I grasped the waistband of her panties and started pulling them down.

I forced myself not to look until I had the last remaining piece of clothing between us fully removed, but couldn't hold out any longer than that. Her pussy was red and puffy from all the recent activity, and so clearly still in a state of arousal. I was drawn to it uncontrollably and reached out with the very tips of my fingers to touch it softly.

Monica shifted self-consciously at all the attention I was giving to her most private area and I finally looked back up at her reassuringly. Once I met her eyes however I found I didn't have the words I wanted and instead kissed her, putting all the love and affection I could into it as a substitute for my inadequate vocabulary.

I felt my sister's arms wrapping around my back as we kissed, pulling me to her as tightly as she could. Almost involuntarily my hips started rocking and sliding my cock just barely across the slit of her pussy. She was so wet the experience was nearly frictionless and I knew it wasn't going to be enough to get off.

As my strokes got longer the head of my cock was being drawn back farther and farther until it finally slipped and nestled itself between Monica's pussy lips, begging to be allowed in. I stopped instantly and stared at my sister, knowing that this was definitely going too far but unable to pull away on my own.

"It's okay," she whispered.

There was no doubt or hesitation there at all. At that moment she probably would have done anything I asked, and for that matter I would have done the same for her.

Monica was still clutching me tightly and all it took was giving in to her and gravity, allowing myself to be pulled down and my cock to slide farther into her pussy. I worried that I might be putting too much of my weight on her, but she refused to let go so there wasn't much I could do.

Our bodies were more than capable of taking over at that point, our hips beginning to move practically of their own accord to bury me deeper inside my sister. Her pussy was so tight, so warm, and so much better that anything I'd ever experienced. What I felt then was far more than an urge to fuck, it was a desire to be connected to her as intimately as humanly possible.

All I could hear was her ragged breathing in my ear and the occasional soft moan. All I could feel was her body underneath me and her hands on my back. For a few precious moments Monica was my whole world and everything else could have ceased to exist for all I cared.

It wouldn't last though, I was too far gone for that. I was going to cum soon and nothing was going to stop it short of pulling out completely, but I had nowhere near the willpower for that even if Monica would let me.

Instead of fighting it I let it happen, pumping my hips harder and more urgently through those final moments. Then I was cumming, still buried deep inside my sister's pussy as my semen emptied into her.

It took everything I had left not to simply collapse on top of her as I finished. Monica still refused to let go of me despite me struggling to lift some of my weight off of her.

"Let go just for a second baby," I said. "Just for a second."

Slowly and with obvious reluctance she did as I asked and I rolled off her onto the bed. She immediately attached herself to me again, curling up against my chest as though losing contact with me even for a second was too much to bear. I had no objection and allowed her to settle in while I recovered. There was long period of near-silence before Monica finally broke it minutes later.

"It'll still be okay tomorrow, right?" she said. "This isn't going to ruin everything is it?"

"Everything will be fine," I said. "I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to us, all right?"

"Okay. 'Cept we're kinda not brother and sister anymore, not the same way we were. We just did something brothers and sisters don't do."

"So what? There's nothing out there that can stop me being your brother. Nothing."

"But-"

I kissed her before she could get anything else out and held it until she relaxed and I was pretty sure she'd given up on arguing the point. When I looked at her again she only met my gaze for a moment before closing her eyes.

"Good night," I said.

"Night," she replied sleepily.

My lamp was still on and I couldn't reach it without moving Monica so I left it. The light it gave allowed me to watch my sister as she slowly fell asleep beside me. I struggled to stay awake as long as possible, but eventually I gave in as well and the two of us spent the rest of the night tangled together in each other's arms.