tw: manipulation, toxic siblings relationships, suggestive (mdi)
2,6k words
your jealousy got the best of you.
it was during lunch break.
you were in class, sitting at your table with two friends, when you overheard girls from another class sitting a few tables away with some of your classmates, talking about your big brother caleb out of all people….
fawning over how responsible, handsome and trustworthy he seemed… you discreetly rolled your eyes.
was he the last man on earth for them to gush about him like that, in the same room as his little sister? couldn’t they talk about some celebrity instead? it made your blood boil.
one of them noticed you–a girl who had never bothered acknowledging your presence before–asked gleefully if he was always this reliable even at home.
confusion and irritation made you almost choke on your meal, carefully made by said brother, but you tried to feign indifference as you stubbornly swallowed your food and emotions, faking a smile as you quickly recovered:
“hahaha, trust me… he’s not that great. he’s kinda annoying even…”
the lie almost made you bite your tongue, but it didn’t stop them.
“well, he’s your brother, of course you wouldn’t understand…”
“haha, right. you’re just too immature to see it yet!”
“annoying? caleb? i don’t believe it!”
it made you clench your teeth. what made it worse was that your own friends doubled down..
they nodded along, one of them even blushing at the thought of him, making you blink several times as if to make sure exasperation weren’t making you see things.
the other one mumbled, poking at her food, that she wished her idiot of a big brother was even a third of what yours was.
you don’t even know how you got through the day with this amount of anger inside you; your handwriting was so messy and the bottom of your notebook was filled with “caleb is a big dummy!”
when the bell rang, you hastily shove your stuff into your bag and headed directly outside.
as you almost reached the gate, you heard hasty footsteps followed by your name in that familiar voice you’d recognize anywhere:
“well, you’re going home without me now?”
he was slightly breathless, though he quickly recovered from the jog he just had to catch up to you. his smirk always ridiculously made your heart flutter, yet it got on your nerves just as much, because it was always followed by him teasing you and, oh God, it didn’t wait:
“aren’t you scared to get lost? do you even know your way back?”
his light tone and the way he couldn’t hide his amusement would have been so endearing… if you didn’t feel like punching a wall right now.
you puffed your cheeks and crossed your arms over your chest; he let out a soft laugh, at least he was amused…
and as if it wasn’t enough for today, just when he tilted his head to the side with a grin, waiting for your comeback, a girl waved him goodbye with a sheepish smile: “see you tomorrow, caleb!” you automatically squinted your eyes, your upper lip curving a little…
“what? who–again? hasn’t it been, like, the fourth time this week?”
he, in response, just nodded before looking back at you.
you hated the way this whole situation made you feel–stupid, greedy, reacting way too much for what it was.
it also made you act like someone else entirely, someone you barely recognized, someone who resented how her brother kept growing more popular as the years went on. shame started settling as you couldn’t understand why it affected you this much… he’s your brother, for fuck’s sake!… but why did it feel impossible to stop?
you couldn’t suppress the voice screaming inside you that he was your brother, yours only, and you weren’t ready to share him with anyone.
caleb was about to reach out to you, ready to take your bag like he always did, wanting to make things easier for you when you walked home together, but you jerked away.
“you gotta have them all, huh?”
confusion took over his face as he asked you what you were going on about.
“neighbor girls, my friends, my classmates and now some random girls too?”
he was taken aback. what on earth were you going on about? still, a faint smile returned to his lips.
“pip-squeak, you’re not making any sense right now…”
you clenched your teeth–was he playing dumb on purpose? gosh, you couldn’t believe he didn't see how everyone was at his feet.
it ultimately got the best of you: you started throwing a tantrum.
“i don’t wanna go home with you. i can’t be seen with my brother who’s slowly turning into some playboy,” you made air quotes with your fingers. “what would people think? ‘look at them… guess being easy runs in the family…’ you want me to get bullied or what?”
you could see his eyes slowly widen as you went on, and you cowardly looked away so you wouldn’t lose your resolve. his mouth opened, but you cut him off before he could say anything:
“… cause, honestly? i’m starting to think you’re nothing but an attention whore.”
you turned around and started walking.
your heart was pounding so hard, your ears were ringing, your face was flushed.
it’s not your first fight with him–and far from being your last–but you’ve never been this cruel to him! attention whore… seriously? the word echoed in your mind.
as you kept walking, the cool air of the late afternoon calmed you down a bit and that’s when you picked up on the footsteps behind you.
his, of course. you could recognize them so easily–they were careful, purposeful, light, keeping their distance, giving you space…
you could feel a lump slowly forming in your throat as regret started creeping in, but your pride made you swallow it faster than a pill.
when you got home, you kicked off your shoes by shaking your feet, sending them flying carelessly against the old wooden shoe cabinet and stormed straight to your room without even acknowledging josephine’s presence, startling her in the process.
still at the entrance, caleb naturally picked up your shoes and set them aside before removing his own.
“what happened?” josephine frowned, worry creeping into her voice.
but of course your brother was always quick to smooth things over and found an excuse for you about how school has been exhausting these past few days.
“she’s just tired.” he added, putting your grandmother’s mind at ease.
caleb, though, seemed awfully out of it, his eyes lacking their usual light.
but he fell back into his routine anyway: changing his clothes, putting on a load of laundry, doing his homework, starting dinner, going for a jog while it cooked, showering, setting the table…
when dinner was served, josephine called for you from downstairs but no answer came.
caleb set a carafe of water on the table before turning his gaze at the top of the stairs silently.
“don’t worry, i’ll make her a plate for later.”
she thanked him, as she returned to the table.
and you? you were in your own world.
stretched out on your bed, your legs up against the wall, wrinkling posters of celebrities as you scrolled through your phone with your earphones in, your school bag long forgotten after you threw it across your bedroom.
your foul mood slowly began to fade. you even found yourself thinking about sending caleb some videos that would make him laugh for sure… only to snap back to reality when you noticed how dark it has gotten outside.
you hadn’t done anything since you got home, and you were still in your uniform.
you quickly grabbed some clothes and stormed to the bathroom to shower. when you finished, you headed downstairs.
all the lights were off, but you could still navigate pretty easily through the dark, thanks to the streetlamp outside and the soft glow of the oven clock.
you found a plate covered in film.
you heated it as you paced a bit in front of the microwave and ate it quickly; it was delicious as usual, just the way you liked it.
you put your plate in the dishwasher and headed upstairs to brush your teeth, phone in hand, not even bothering to close the door–granny was surely reading in bed at this hour.
he had just entered the bathroom to retrieve the now dry clothes, just as a meme made you laugh so hard you almost choked on your toothpaste.
you rinsed your mouth, dried it with a towel and turned your phone toward him.
“haha! hey caleb, look! isn’t it—”
but you found yourself facing a somewhat different caleb, one that stopped you in your tracks.
his expression was calm, yet heavy, his eyes fixed on you with a weight you’d never seen before. it took you aback, firstly because he had never looked at you that way before, but mostly because you had completely forgotten about that afternoon, like totally!
you could only stare at him as you lowered your phone, your smile long gone, guilt slowly creeping back in.
he let out an unamused huff at your reaction, shaking his head as he looked to the side. without a word, he tossed the piece of clothing he was holding into the basket of clean laundry, then finally looked back at you.
“so… after how you spoke to me before and ignored me, i suddenly exist now…?”
his tone was devoid of anger; only sarcasm… disappointment… and hurt. his long lashes cast shadows his trystine eyes. you found it hard to look at him right now, it filled you with remorse…
so you tried to apologize for your stupid tantrum.
“caleb… gege… listen, earlier–”
you couldn’t even finish your sentence when you noticed something falling quickly.
you looked up–and saw something you didn’t think you’d ever see in him.
…clinging to your big brother’s lashes. falling from his eyes. actual tears.
panic rose in your chest as you settled your phone near the sink and stepped closer.
you reached for him and grabbed his sleeve, tugging gently so he’d focus on you.
he met your gaze–his eyes glossy and unfocused, the skin beneath them reddening, his nose flushed.
it tugged at your heart instantly, and like an invisible bond linking you two, your own eyes began to sting. tears welled up, and soon enough, you were a crying mess.
he pulled you closer, cupping your cheek as he tried to wipe your tears away while you sobbed, a small breath escaping his lips–half surprise, half amusement.
the irony: him consoling you when it should be the other way around. he really spoiled you rotten…
your words came out tangled, broken by hiccups and sniffles.
“g-gege… i’m so sorry… i-i was just… mad… i don’t even know why! and… and i hate that i said that, i’m so mean!… and i wanna walk home with you by my side, like before… and… i-i won’t be mean to you ever again… p-please…”
he wrapped his hands around your smaller frame, letting you cry against him, his hand gently stroking the back of your neck as your shoulders quivered with every sob.
he softened, reassured, a small smile forming as he ruffled your hair, silently showing you he wasn’t holding it against you anymore.
“it’s okay, i’m not sad anymore, hm? do you really think i could stay upset with my precious baby sister?”
you looked up at him and was met by his usual warm gaze, his confident, reassuring and youthful smile–making the fat under his eyes a bit more prominent–you felt like you had found your big brother again… finally.
but you couldn’t shake the guilt still weighing on you, so…
you jumped into his arms, and he instinctively caught you–legs around his body, arms around his neck, forehead resting on his shoulder as you inhaled his warm, sweet, familiar scent.
something you’d done countless times before, whenever you selfishly needed comfort.
“how am i supposed to fold clothes with my little gober clinging to me like this?”
his usual teasing tone eased your mind. you tightened your embrace, your voice muffled against his neck.
“’m sure you’ll manage, like you always do.” you felt him chuckle softly.
“sooo, what was this thing you wanted to show me earlier?” he asked, resuming his previous task.
his voice was low and rumbled through his chest, soothing you as you answered that you’ll show him later. he hummed softly, a hint of satisfaction in his tone.
you couldn’t see his face right now… yet, if you could…
it would have surely sent shivers down your spine, as you would have certainly caught on to his not-so-innocent designs.
there was this disturbing smile that didn’t match his earlier distress, nor the tears that had previously reddened his features.
and the way he had to contain a small moan when you gave him that puppy-like expression…
the way his eyes rolled back in his skull as you cried against him? absolutely disgusting.
he also felt a small sense of relief that you were perched a little higher in his arms right now… any lower, and you might have noticed the effect you had on him.
so… was that all it took for you to come back to him? a pitiful expression and a few tears?
he had spent the whole evening thinking about how to get you back to him.
your silence, the way you turned away from him, it tortured him.
and being ignored by you? it unsettled him in a way he couldn't name, frustration tightening in his chest during all the way back home.
but he knew why you reacted this way, you couldn’t fool your big brother, even if you tried.
your jealousy was something he found absolutely adorable, how could you even think he’d care about anyone else but you? your naivety only makes him cherish you even more.
… and your previous tantrum? it made you so irresistible. your possessiveness over him actually had his stomach fluttering… a slow warmth curling even lower.
but he needed to do something to make sure you–his dear sister, who’s bound to him far deeper than you understood, who’s meant to remain at his side alone, with every inch of you rightfully his–would never ignore him like that ever again.
if he hadn’t caught up to you after school, you would have headed home alone, and he couldn’t risk that…
no. not after he noticed the way some boys dared to look at you, just waiting for an opportunity to get close when he wasn’t around… it truly made his blood boil.
he didn’t want to have to take matters into his own hands. again.
he would make sure they understood–quietly, efficiently–that you're more than off-limits.
heck, if it were up to him, he would show it to everyone, make it crystal clear, leaving no room for doubt… but he couldn’t risk rushing you or scaring you.
you were still trying to figure it out after all, not even realizing yet what you had for your brother was more than simple fraternal love.
so he put on this little act, pretending to be hurt, secretly savoring the thought that every time you will remember how hurt he was when you ignored him, it would prove how fully he consumed your mind–a small punishment for thinking you could escape his grasp.
the guilt he’s stirred in you devouring you, making you crawl back into his arms. back to him, where you belong, just like now.
your reliable and devoted big brother had just imprinted himself on your mind, and you would never be able to forget it.
so he’d be the only one left to occupy that space ever. he would make sure of it.
