Siblings Alone

It's 2021

Brad groaned as he was woken by his phone. He checked his watch, it was 1.30am, tomorrow. That wasn't right. He had been sitting on a bench at the airport, where he must have dozed off. Seeing MOM as the caller I.D., he immediately took a sharp inhale.

"Hi Mom." He said, rubbing his face. "Yeah, I'm in Detroit. I landed safely. Yeah, I'm tired. I'm probably still on European time."

Growing up in Flint and barely graduating high school, Brad didn't have much of a future. There was no way he could survive two years of community college, and there were no jobs. With no choice and graduation coming, he joined the Army when he turned 18.

When he returned from the recruiter's office, his mom and dad were very chill. Brad would have been shocked if they weren't. They were always very hands-off as parents, probably too hands-off. They never cared about report cards or even if Brad actually attended school. They were probably happy that there was soon be one less mouth to feed.

The only one who cared was Lucy, his older sister by three years. Brad could still remember her face when he told her he had enlisted. She was close to tears. Since they were kids, Brad and Lucy had always been tight. She was always protective of him, keeping an eye out on him during high school, giving him advice with girls and generally guiding him. Brad paid her back by covering for her whenever she was out late and being her chauffeur during dates.

Brad calmed her down when he told her what he scored on the aptitude test and that he wouldn't be in the infantry. But not by much. When his test results returned, Brad discovered he had a knack for construction and fighting. So, he signed up to be a combat engineer on an eight-year contract.

After four years and three different bases, two firefights, and one drunken incident with a tank, Brad's active duty was up. By then, he had been in Afghanistan for 18 months. He thought about asking if he could stay another year but be transferred to somewhere else, like Korea. They denied that, and Brad was returning back to Michigan just before Christmas.

Everything happened so quickly, and Brad didn't have the chance to find a place to stay. He had lost touch with friends from high school. The friends he did make in the service were dotted around the country. Out of options, he called Lucy a couple of weeks before he left Germany and asked if he could crash with her. Lucy screamed and instantly agreed but warned him that she only had a sofa for him to sleep on. That was fine; he will sort something out after the holidays.

He told his mother that he was waiting for Lucy to pick him up. Also, he had shipped his belongings to her house; it should be there after Christmas. His mom was now living in Florida without Brad's father. He left the family months after Brad left for basic training, and no one had seen him since.

"I know it's been a while since we last saw each other. I really wished that we could spend the Holidays together, me, you, Lucy, and Julio."

"I know, Mom."

"Florida is so scary right now. Are you and Julio keeping safe?"

"Yeah. We're taking every precaution here. We've got our booster jabs. Look, you sound so tired. I'd let you go. I hope you and Lucy have a fun Christmas together. Especially now you're back. I can't wait to see you again. Talk soon. Love you. Bye Brad."

He told his mom he loved her too and put away his phone. She was correct; Brad felt exhausted. But he didn't want to fall asleep yet. There was so much he wanted to do. But first, he wanted a beer.

"BRAD!"

He dropped his phone at hearing his sister scream his name. He looked up, seeing Lucy running up to him. He got up on his feet just in time for Lucy to throw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the mouth. The kiss was quick and chaste. He let out a soft groan as her tits pressed up against his abs. They weren't the biggest pair of tits Brad had ever seen; those belonged to Mrs. Fox, his calculus teacher. But they still were a good size and probably fun to play with.

Brad groaned again, disgusted that he was thinking about his sister's breasts. It was probably due to Lucy being the first attractive woman he met in the last couple of months. He knew he needed to get laid soon. Or at least masturbate.

He peeled her off him, looked down and grinned at her. At 6 feet, Brad easily towered over his sister. Lucy had her height down as 5 feet on her driving license, but Brad always thought she was lying. When Brad turned 13 and got his growth spurt, everyone would be confused about who was the older one.

"God, it's like hugging concreate." Lucy groaned.

Brad chuckled. With all the P.T. he had to do and his job, he had developed a strong, toned physique. While he was nowhere near as shredded like the other soldiers on the base, Brad felt proud that he was able to get himself a six-pack and bulging biceps.

"God, I missed you!"

"I missed you too!"

He took a good look at his sister; Lucy hadn't changed that much since the last time Brad had seen her. She had lost the bangs, and her silky brown hair now touched her shoulders. With heavy snow falling, Lucy wore a thick coat that covered most of her tiny frame.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm good, but I'm sick of airports." Brad said, smirking.

"Let's get out of here, then." Lucy then pulled him outside to her car. As they trudged in the snow, she looked at Brad and the lack of luggage. He was dragging a small carry-on and a duffel bag.

"Where's the rest of your stuff?" She asked.

"No. I sent most of my stuff to Mom's. She's going to keep hold of it until its cool for me to get down there."

Lucy stopped immediately and hit her brother. "You sent it to Mom, really? Have you talked to her yet?"

"Yeah. I had no choice. I had to tell the T.O. where they can ship my stuff like 6 months ago. I didn't know where you were staying."

Lucy nodded and shrugged her shoulders, then continued walking. She knew that he was right. In the last two years, Lucy had been all over the state, following different jobs and different men. She was now staying in Lansing, living in a tiny apartment, and working at a bar.

"Mom called when I landed. She asked how I was doing and we talked. It was strange but good. Are you guys talking?"

Lucy nodded her head and smiled. "Once a week, maybe more."

"And Julio?"

"He's a nice enough guy. You might like him. Big basketball fan. I saw them back in February."

"Cool." Brad then stopped, looking at the powder blue 2004 Pontiac Vibe. "You still got this car?"

"Hell yeah!" Lucy smiled. "Brings back lots of memories."

"Not for me. I was just driving you to Detroit."

Brad dumped his luggage in the back, and they got moving. Talking nonstop during the drive to Lansing, Lucy asked about his life in the Army. That was easy. As a combat engineer, Brad had many stories he could throw out. He told her what he got up to in Missouri, Germany, and Afghanistan. Weird C.O.s, riding in an Apache and getting drunk in a tank. Knowing how Lucy might react, Brad kept it brief when discussing combat situations.

"So, this is it? You back home for good?"

"Yeah. But kinda." Brad said, smiling at the change in Lucy's expression. "I'm in inactive reserves. I don't have to do any weekend drills. But I can still be called up if the Army needs me."

"What are you going to do next?"

"Drink, sleep and eat?" Brad grinned.

"Funny." Lucy rolled her eyes. "What about work? College?"

"Maybe. I joined the Army, so I don't need to go to college. Maybe I get a job in construction. I don't know. But right now, I just want to celebrate Christmas."

"Picked the best time to come back home."

Brad chuckled and nodded his head. "But at least, I'm going to have a chill Christmas. Like I'm easing myself into it. Anyway, what's up with you? When did you move to Lansing?"

"Couple months back. Shawn needed to move."

"You're still with him?"

"Yeah."

Brad tried not to roll his eyes but saw his sister giving him a dirty look; he guessed he didn't hide his disgust that well. It was too late or too early to think about that loser, Brad thought. He will try to speak to her another time. He then tried to stifle a yawn but realized that he was in a losing battle.

"You mind if I just fall asleep?"

Lucy smiled and said, "It's cool."

---

Brad felt the jab to his chest, waking him up. He ignored his sister and checked his watch; he had only been asleep for around thirty minutes. Stretching out his arms, he looked at the building and then back at Lucy, who just smiled. It didn't look too bad. It was better than some of the places she had told him about.

As soon as Lucy opened the door, Brad felt he had seen the entire apartment. He guessed that's the most people get in Lansing for just under $800. Lucy gave him a quick tour; she was incredibly proud that she had a balcony and a view of the river. Brad nodded back at her, yes, it was small, but it was definitely better than staying in barracks. But she didn't have a TV, which was annoying.

"What's with the couch?" Brad asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah, there's a problem with the couch." Lucy said.

She walked past him and into the kitchen. She returned with two beers and crashed on the sofa. Waving the cold beer in his face, Brad joined and took the bottle.

"Yeah. So, this all I've got," Lucy said, taking a sip.

"What happened to the futon? You said you had it."

"It kinda... broke," Lucy slowly said. "It's was creaking and Shawn tried to fix it." She then rolled her eyes. "I got the couch a couple of days ago from Craigslist."

Sitting together on the couch, Brad felt his leg hit Lucy's. It was too small for him to sleep on, and his legs would be hanging over the armrest. "I can't sleep here."

"I know. You can sleep there," she said, pointing towards her bedroom.

"You want to share a bed? Isn't that going to be weird?"

"Why? If you don't fart and or sleep nude, then we should be fine."

Brad shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have much of a choice.

"Look, I was going to get you an air mattress but err... money is a bit tight." Lucy said, biting her lip.

"It's fine. Also, those air mattresses always deflate after a while."

Lucy got up and grabbed two beers. Sitting back down, she was amazed at how much he had changed. The last time she had seen him was two years before he shipped to Afghanistan. Even then, he still had the gawky teenager look about him. Now he was this ripped man sitting in front of her.

"So, what are you going to do next?"

"I don't know. Might get myself a job, something easy and then decide what I want to do next. What do you think about Lansing? Is it good?"

"Yeah. It's not bad. Been here for a couple of months and it's been okay. I might need to leave this place," Lucy said, gesturing to the apartment. "You thinking about staying?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's not I can go back to Flint." Brad smiled. "And you're the only one that I still talk to who lives in Michigan."

"Cool."

"But I know what I'm going to do tomorrow -- getting you a Christmas tree."

"Shit. I've been meaning to do that. We'll go tree shopping tomorrow."

"Buy a Christmas tree. Remember when Dad would go to the woods with Mr. Johnson's chainsaw?"

Lucy laughed. "One year there was a squirrel in the tree!"

"I know," Brad yelled. "I had to chase it out of the kitchen. Mom was screaming."

"You know Dad called me a couple of months back."

Hearing this, Brad started coughing, choking on his beer. "What?" He asked, wheezing.

"Yeah. He said he needed help. Calls me out of the blue and asks for money. That piece of shit. He sounded like he was on the run."

"You don't think... he was at the Capitol? I know he's gone that way."

"Probably. But if he was, it was just so he can go looting. I'm sure he doesn't know who's the President is right now or back then."

Lucy then ordered a pizza and they carried on catching up. Brad explained living on the base, how he survived the Afghani weather and more dumb stuff he got up to in Germany. It was around midnight when they decided to go to bed. Both Brad and Lucy became unconscious immediately as soon as they got underneath the covers.

---

Brad woke up, groaning. His sister's bed was a lot softer than he was used to. He rolled onto his side, seeing that he was alone. Hearing the shower running, Brad guessed where she was. Thinking back, sharing a bed with his adult sister wasn't that bad. Not something he should be doing regularly, though.

He spun onto his back as the bathroom door swung open. Lucy came out, wrapped in a towel that just covered her body, stopping short at her thighs. Brad knew what he was supposed to do, roll back on his stomach and turn his head away. He couldn't and had to reach down to his crotch, trying to hide the growing bulge.

Lucy ignored him or still thought he was sleeping. She slowly strutted to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pink panties. Squinting his eyes and pretending to still be asleep, Brad watched Lucy lift one leg, then the other, before sliding the underwear up. This is so wrong, he thought. She then dropped the towel, and Brad tried not to gasp.

She had her back to him as she looked for a bra. With every move, Brad caught flashes of side-boob. In any other circumstance, he would be annoyed, angry that he couldn't see her breasts in all their naked glory. But he didn't care. This was something Brad was never meant to see; no brother should.

Finding a sports bra, Lucy quickly slipped it on before turning to face Brad. Feigning to shut his eyes, he watched her walk towards him. Brad braced himself, thinking that she was going to hit him. But she didn't. There was a pile of clothing on the floor next to his side of the bed. Lucy bent down and grabbed a pair of jeans, the same ones she was wearing yesterday. After sliding those on, Lucy put on a tee and a plaid shirt.

The show was over.

She left the room, leaving Brad to rationalize what he had just done. He was turned on, and he couldn't help it. His cock just reacted as it would whenever he saw a hot girl. But this was his fucking sister. One of the most important people in his life. He ranked her higher than his own mother. He should have said something. But no, he just kept watching and now had a painful erection he needed to deal with.

"Brad, wake up!" Lucy shouted from the kitchen. "I'm hungry!"

He groaned, getting out of the bed. Standing up, his cock strained against the material of his shorts. Looking down at his hard-on, Brad sighed and shuffled to the bathroom.

---

Lucy had only a nearly empty box of Frosted Flakes and no milk, so they braved the cold and walked to a nearby diner for breakfast. When they sat down, Brad said he'd be paying without prompting, saying he owed her for letting him crash. But it was more down to not looking away while Lucy strutted around half-naked.

"Do you guys need anything," The waitress asked, focusing more on Brad than Lucy.

They both shook their heads, smiled and went back to their eggs. Brad was a little confused by her; this was the third or fourth time she had come over to check on them. And it wasn't like the diner was empty or anything.

A minute went by before Lucy hit him on the shoulders. "She likes you," she said.

"Who?" Brad replied, looking up from his plate.

"You're so dumb," she smirked. Lucy then leaned forward and said, "The waitress."

"How can you tell?"

"Fuck," Lucy sighed, rolling her eyes. "A girl can tell. Her body language is focused on getting your attention. Look at the way she's pointing her boobs. She's glanced at me a couple of times, seeing if I'm going to mark my territory over you. I'm not holding your hand or touching you or anything. It's clear to her that either I'm just a friend or a relative and she's got a green light."

Brad looked back at the waitress. A blonde in her early twenties with a cute smile. She was wearing a plain white tee and black jeans. They were tight enough that Brad could tell she has a nice ass. Her tits were a bit small; Lucy's are easily bigger. Thinking that, he immediately rolled his eyes; Brad knew he shouldn't be saying stuff like that about his sister.

He turned to Lucy and asked, "What time does your shift start?"

"Eight. We have enough time to get a tree and decorate." Lucy then paused for a moment. "You can come by if you're bored," she added.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Well maybe. I just wanted to know if you will be okay being alone."

"I'll be okay. I'm kinda looking forward it. I never got a lot of privacy. Also it gives me time to play with my resume and go through my watchlist."

"Cool," Lucy said. "We should get going."

Brad nodded and was about to get up, but Lucy told him to stay still. She mouthed, wait, and he did, confused. A minute passed, and finally, his sister told him to move. Weird. At the register, he saw the blonde waitress again. Her face broke into a big smile as she saw him approach. He guessed that was Lucy's plan.

And she was right about the waitress; she was really into him. Getting closer, he caught her nametag, Katie. Maybe he could get her number. Take her somewhere nice and then. Shit, Brad remembered he couldn't take her back to Lucy's apartment. He didn't think his big sister would be happy giving up the only bed so he could have sex with Katie.

"How was everything?" She said, grinning at him.

Brad smiled back and nodded, pulling out his wallet. He made sure he had enough cash for a big tip. As she rang him up, Brad started psyching himself. It had been a while since he had to ask anyone out. Relationships were weird in the army. Usually, a drunken hookup during R&R in a dive bar in Germany or hiding in a tent near Kabul. Barely any words were said; he just needed to find a semi-private place and get naked quick.

Taking a deep breath, Brad started his approach. "Hey, I was just thinking...."

"Katie!" A voice from behind her yelled, and she walked away.

"Fuck." He grumbled and walked to the door.

Lucy was there waiting; she had seen the whole thing. She had this gentle smile on her face.

"Don't worry. Just try again another time."

They then went tree shopping in an empty parking lot. Walking around, they were surrounded by firs, spruces, and pines. They both looked at each other, wondering what were the differences and whether they should care. They finally picked a Fraser fir, and Brad reached for his wallet when it came time to pay. He didn't mind, but he could tell that Lucy wasn't happy. She looked a little ashamed.

After stopping off at the Dollar Tree for ornaments, lights, and a wreath, they returned to the apartment and began decorating the tree. It was surprisingly usual for Brad. He knew that compared to most people, he and Lucy never had a typical Christmas. Wild animals, police turning up and shoplifted presents were their Christmas memories.

"You know something?" Lucy asked, placing another decorative snowflake on the tree. "This is the first time in years that I can get you a present."

Brad nodded, "Yeah. It's weird but I'm looking forward to Christmas."

"What was it like having Christmas on base?"

Brad paused but then smirked, "You do your best. There's a makeshift tree, sometimes it's an actual bush or plywood someone cut into a tree and spray painted green. We would go for a 10K run in the morning. Someone is dressed up like Santa, an elf, or the Grinch. We relax and chill. Then we have a big meal, but the officers are the ones that serve. Then there's some live music. Maybe a classic Christmas movie."

"That sound's nice. Hope I can match it."

Brad and Lucy then took a step back and admired the tree they had decorated. It was covered in tinsel, gold baubles and fairy lights. It looked a little trashy, but they were pleased with it.