Familiar blue eyes, ones that mirrored her own stared down at her. Juliette kept her gaze locked on him, watching the beautiful face of her brother split into a smile that could please her on even her darkest days. She had made him smile. Even as he just stared at her, she knew she had done right. There was love in that moment. It was deeper than a bond by blood, it was thicker than any chains could ever be and twice as strong. The connection ran through them like an electric hum going through their veins, and Juliette was intoxicated by it.
It didn't matter what anyone thought or said, because they weren't hear, and they couldn't feel the warmth that was Jesse's hands on her. She had a love that had traveled past her trauma and planted itself like a stubborn plant during a nuclear winter, blooming there and showing that yes, she was alive, and yes, her heart pounded in time with his, and yes, her cheeks were as flushed as could be and it was all her brother's doing.
His touch was acceptance of her. It was an acceptance of her, her voice, her very soul, even. Even if it meant bruises on her body, Juliette didn't care. It didn't hurt as long as it was him. Jesse pushed her down onto the bed, and she went down so softly it was almost as if the whole thing were scripted to shock and awe an audience as brother lay with sister in a way not meant in nature.
His hands found her throat, and she swore her heart leaped right there, beating even harder as she gasped with each mark he left on her pale skin. Juliette didn't fight, and was almost still, save for her hips as they instinctively curled up towards his. Part of her knew what to do, the other was waiting for him to lead, as she was always taught.
Her hands shook, and soon she found his hand signing into her palm. Juliette closed her eyes, carefully letting her hands become not only her voice but her ears at the same time. Mine. Mine, he had said, in a silent tongue that only they would understand behind closed doors. No prying eyes would understand that she was branded without a single scar on her body, owned without a contract, and though many would later refer to her as violated, she had never felt so free in her life. A kiss sealed the deal against her knuckles, and she would never forget it.
With a soft, shaky laugh, she responded. Her voice was breathier than usual, lower, but still hers all the same. He had signed and she would speak, and together they stumbled into each other's languages.
The hand which had been used to brand her shifted down, and Juliette gasped, those lips which spoke little words but often harbored a lollipop and numerous layers of bubblegum flavored lipbalm shaped in a small o as she leaned into her brother's touch, her body betraying the insecurities that may have come up.
Off came Jesse's clothes, and Juliette offered him a flustered smile. He wasn't alone, for soon he moved her like his own little doll, stripping her of the clothing she wore just like her own personal armor. She was left exposed, pale skin contrasting the red lace of her underwear and the white of her bra. Juliette flushed further, waiting for some form of criticism.
Instead, Jesse grabbed her face and kissed her, and she melted to his touch. Nothing was more natural in the world to her. Air seemed foreign in her lungs when it was coming between her lips and his. The very concept that she couldn't get any closer was frustrating. Juliette whimpered into the kiss, her hands reaching and touching bare skin once more. As her hands traced his chest, she spelled against his skin with her shaking hands.
She didn't need anyone else. Not a stupid boy who would run off and leave her, not a father who had lost interest when she appeared too meek...nobody. Just Jesse. He had always been there, and he would always be here. Juliette let out a small squeak as Jesse pulled her close, allowing her to feel exactly what was on his mind.
To be fair, it was on hers, too, though she just didn't know how to ask. Juliette made a small mewling noise, rocking a little against him in an attempt to coax him in the right direction.
It didn't matter, she wanted it. Julie could hear her own breath hitch in her throat as her brother's fingers curled under the elastic of her underwear.
He stopped, and she whined a little, but his voice brought her to a screeching silence. Her name was whimpered into her skin, a question not quite answered.
Of course she loved him. Juliette loved Jesse more than her lungs needed air, more than she loved playing violin until her fingers bled, more than she loved living. She had learned to covet his attention even more than she had her father's, something that had plagued her.
"Of course I love you. More than anything."
Her voice was still soft, peppered with tiny little moans as she shifted and tried to get closer to him.
Coming from anyone else, that would have sounded teasing, almost cocky, but from Juliette, it was an honest question, one spoken with more hope than she'd like to admit.
