Protective

Sunday was a nice day to sleep in late. Blake decided it was finally time to get up when he woke up the second time, now warmer in the near-noon sunlight. From his third-story window, he could see sparkling snow melting on the bushes below, the first glimpse of green in weeks. He picked up his pillow, rolled up his blankets, and pushed his pull-out bed back into a couch.

His little sister Libby was already up, sitting criss-cross in the corner reading a book, which meant his weekly laundry was already put in the wash. "Good morning!" She glanced up from the pages. "What are we gonna have for breakfast?"

This studio apartment was cramped enough for one tight-budget grad student to live here, but he just had to keep Libby too, their folks said. A normal girl of Libby's age would be living in a college dorm. As bright as she was, that wasn't the life Libby could have. At least she provided good household help, he figured. Sure gave him more time to relax. "How about pancakes? With the blueberries in the fridge. Think you can do that?"

"Yep!" She dog-eared her page and sprung up to work.

By the time Blake was all showered, shaved, and brushed, Libby had the table all cleared and set, with a few bites out of her pancakes.

"Now that you have a little something in your stomach..." Blake brought over a bottle, a pipette, and a tiny paper cup. "You know what it's time for."

"Can I just not take my med?" she asked, with her drawn-out whine. "It makes me feel sick. I don't even know if it's working."

Blake eyed the clear liquid in the pipette--yep, 50 milligrams precisely--and squeezed every drop into the cup. He wished he could squirt it straight down her throat when she whined like that. "You'll feel sicker if you stop."

"Whenever I get out of bed, it's like I got off a rollercoaster! My head, my tummy...oh, I feel so yucky."

"We know what happened last time you stopped taking it. We don't want that happening again, do we?"

Libby did a huge fake sigh, closed her eyes, and chugged the cup.

"Good girl."

"That stuff was

nasty

. Probably the worst part of today." She giggled. "I'm excited for the rest."

Blake took a bite of his pancake. A bit too crisp this time, but he was glad it wasn't the same old cereal-and-milk he would've had every day without Libby. He nodded for her to continue.

"I'm going on a date! I met a boy on a dating app--he's a little older than me, not as old as you--and he said I was cute and he wanted to get to know me. We're going to see--"

Blake swallowed fast. "Nuh uh. That's a bad idea. We don't know who this man is, what he wants out of you."

"Why can't I do dating? I'm 19! The app let me sign up--that means I'm old enough."

She thought she was so grown, huh? Blake was 25 and still didn't feel ready for love. "It's not about how old you are. I don't want you to get hurt. Do you want to go in that app right now and tell him you're sorry you can't make it, or should I do it?"

Libby's face crumpled. Tears were getting ready to spill.

"Oh, Libby. Come give me a hug." He clutched her close, nuzzled his stubbly cheek on her forehead, stroked her long hair of soft brown silk. He could surely scoop her up in his arms and rock her like a babydoll.

As a teenager, Blake resented having to be the brother who looked after anxious little Libby. Poor girl couldn't even handle family grocery store trips without a meltdown. But now she was a big girl who wanted to go out into the big scary world, and all he wanted was to cradle and protect her.

It had been too long since Blake had last spoken to his mother. Fortunately, now that he was cooped up in his departmental office on a Monday afternoon, he could finally make the call out of earshot from Libby.

"She got a dating app! And got asked on a date!"

"Glad to hear; I knew it was time for her to start that. How'd it go?"

"She didn't go. I wasn't going to let her get taken advantage of." He could scarcely imagine a real dignified man going for someone so sheltered. She seemed like the type who'd blow air on a man's dick saying she'd heard of "blow jobs" somewhere.

"Honey, she's a woman now," his mother said with the gentle lilt of a lullaby.

"Not a normal one."

"It's very normal for her to want this. She doesn't want to feel like she's missing out, or like she isn't beautiful enough for a boyfriend."

Blake sighed. "Well, what now? She already turned it down."

"Take her somewhere special. She needs to get more adjusted to going out."

"Like where? The zoo?"

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Perhaps a dinner too. You take such good care of her."

"Okay, will do, thanks. Have a great day. Love you." Now it was time to interrupt his sister's reading session. "Hi, Libby. How are you doing?"

"Same as always?...Oh no, what's happening? Why'd you call me?"

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to say I'm sorry I got you to cancel your date; I know you really just wanted to get out and have a special night." He inhaled. "How would you like it if we had that kind of special night together? I'll be there for you. If you freak out, I'll know what to do. I've got you."

"Where are we gonna go?"

The zoo? No, tickets cost money. "We're going to the pet store to see the cute little animals. Then I'm going to take you to Chick-fil-A."

"Yay! Is this tonight?"

He checked his calendar. "Sure." The departmental seminar that evening wasn't that important if he could say he had a "family event."

"Thank you so, so much. I'm so excited."

"Be ready when I get home, okay? Take care." He hung up. His fluttering heart sure seemed excited too. The deadlines and demands of his department had been consuming his mind every night this semester. A nice night of bonding was just what he'd need.

And when Blake got home, oh, was she ready--glossed lips, special-occasions-only don't-you-dare-get-it-dirty dress, and a big beaming grin.

"You look so nice tonight!" He hugged her, sniffing the soft strawberry scent of her fresh-shampooed hair. "Let's go catch the bus."

The stranger-stuffed bus roared its way through scary parts of the city Libby had never seen. Blake held her hand, stroking it with his thumb to tell her,

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.

Her smile never faded; she just glowed with joy.

"You took that like a champ," he whispered as they got off at their stop.

She giggled. "I want to see the animals!"

As they strolled through the aisles, stopping to check out the fuzzy little critters, Blake could see she sure did. She kept her hands clutched at her chest as she gazed into the glass tanks, and her eyes darted around to follow the scurrying mice. Charming, he thought.

She motioned him over to the rabbit cage. "Rabbits used to be classified as rodents until 1912."

"They're not rodents?"

"Apparently not, due to their teeth." She stooped down and made kissy noises to the sleepy bunnies, then moved to the enclosure of fighting ferrets. "Pet ferrets are illegal in California," Libby remarked, "just like pet gerbils and squirrels."

Blake chuckled. Libby didn't need pricey dates to feel special; this was clearly the right place for her.

"Did you know rats can't throw up?" she called from the next aisle.

He hopped on over. "Interesting. You want to move to the fish tanks?" he asked, tickling her back.

"Fish are kind of boring."

"Okay." He took her hand and gave it a rub. "Let's walk to Chick-fil-A now."

A chicken sandwich, eight-piece nuggets, two orders of waffle fries, and two peach milkshakes--Blake wouldn't have thought it would all be so expensive.

He'd gone on plenty of dates back in the day, all a waste in hindsight. He met a nice-looking candidate, he'd pay for a meal, they'd interview each other, and she'd decide, whether after one meal or four, that she didn't feel like seeing him anymore. It happened too many times for him to have any more hope.

But his little sister wouldn't leave him. She had to cling to her protector. The way she warmed him with her appreciation, Libby was worth the price of this date more than any girl he could've spent an evening with.

The server smiled to see them in the booth, sitting side by side, hand in hand, as she laid down the tray. "You two have a lovely evening!" It sounded as if she saw them as a couple.

Thank goodness Libby wasn't out on a date with some other man, Blake figured. That man wouldn't know how to deal with her charming weirdness. Libby certainly wouldn't know how to deal with heartbreak. Blake had been dealing with her for years, and he wasn't going to leave her.

Blake and Libby were perfect for each other.

The thought was sick, but Blake let himself think it. He calmed himself. How could it be wrong? She needed love, and he was the right one to give it.

Libby dipped a waffle fry in the sauce. "Chick-fil-A makes the best stuff." She washed it down with a sip of her milkshake. "We should come here more often."

"Libby," he whispered. Deep breath in, deep breath out. "Will you be my...girlfriend?"

"Yes! I've been wanting a boyfriend so bad!"

He burst into laughter. So sheltered, she really had no sense of taboo, huh? "I love you."

"I love you too. And I love animals. And Chick-fil-A. Can we do this again sometime?"

"We'll see." Blake wiped some sauce from Libby's chin. "I think there are a lot more things I'd love to do together."

As they later stood under the streetlamp waiting for the bus home, Blake figured he should check his phone to see when it would come.

Four minutes.

He knew how to pass the time.

"Would you like a kiss, babydoll?" They looked enough like a couple. Nobody who saw them would know the truth.

Libby got on her tip-toes and strained to reach his cheek. Her prolonged peck left a sticky stamp.

Blake stroked his face dry. "I take it you've never kissed on the lips. Let me show you." He stooped down, embraced her little waist, leaned in--lips and tongue met teeth. He pulled away. "I'm kissing

you

. You need to kiss me back!"

"Oh!" Libby's squeal was annoyingly cute.

Blake kissed and kissed, and soon enough, Libby got it right. "Good girl." Once the bus rolled up, he motioned her along with a smirk.

He stayed touchy on the ride home--this time, on her thigh.

Blake pulled out the bed. "Come lie down on me." He patted Libby's cheeks, so warm, clearly flushed with excitement. She lay cradled on his chest, rising with his breaths, his feverishly fast heartbeat underneath. Never had he gotten the pleasure of a girl so innocent. He'd gotten intimate twice before, and he sure wouldn't have thought he'd be spending this night getting it again.

"Ooh, can we kiss again?"

"Mm-hmm." He scratched her back as they did; his hand crawled to the zipper on her dress. "I want to see you without clothes, okay?"

This would be the first man who'd ever see her bare grown-up body. "Sure." She shivered as he unwrapped the sight out of the delicate dress and revealed she hadn't put on a bra or panties.

"So beautiful." His hands traced her curves. "My little Libby. My babydoll." He squeezed a developed breast; she was a full woman now. The natural churn in his pants felt a bit wrong.

Let yourself love it,

he told himself.

She wants it. She wants you.

"I love you so goddamn much, you know that? I love your beautiful little body." He gave a nipple a kiss, a tender suck. "How'd you like that?"

"That felt good." She was staring at the wall.

"Look at me. Tell me: do you want me to give you more of that?"

"Yes, yes. I do."

"My pleasure." His tongue slid and swirled over her swelling nipple as his fingers played with the other; she kept crying out like it was a tickle. What a pleasure indeed, knowing he could have these breasts every night. If only she could learn how to please him right as well. He gave a final kiss, pulled off with a pop. "Ah, now let's take a look at where I'd like you to suck."

He stripped down to his underpants. It was her duty to take them off. She ran her hand down his barely-there belly, down the trail of hair. When she glanced up, he nodded back with a grin. She wouldn't know whether it was big or small, normal or strange. All she'd know was that it was firm, throbbing, dripping, begging her to take care of it.

"You know what to do?"

Libby pulled the underpants down. She clutched her hands at her chest, like she was inspecting a critter in a tank. "Huh?"

"Wrap your lips around your teeth. Take me in your mouth. Use your tongue; get it wet with a lot of spit. Keep going 'til I say." He gathered her hair in his fist. "You've got this."

She gave him a cautious taste.

"Come on; you can do this. Put it in."

Her lips hugged it tight; she slid down until it hit her tight throat and made her gag. Blake did a guttural grunt--so soft and wet, it was bliss. She settled into a steady pace, back and forth, pumping him with passion, no longer so shy. She kept sucking as he stiffened, as he twitched, as his eyes got all dreamy and he yelled out his love as he reached his peak and released himself in her. Such an obedient girl.

Tuesday was no day to sleep in. Blake had morning classes to attend. He awoke like clockwork, but this time, he wasn't lying in the pull-out bed alone. There lay his new girlfriend, the girl he knew better than any other, the little lady he'd loved and protected for years.

"Good morning, my doll." He scratched her back until she opened her eyes.

Libby curled under his touch. "What are we going to do today?"

"I need to get going. Can you start making breakfast while I go take a shower? Just some eggs?"

"Uh-huh, but first, may I get a...um, a kiss?"

"You love my kisses, don't you?" He left a kiss on her forehead, on her cheek, then deep in her mouth. "Don't be shy." He stripped down for the shower right there.

When he got out of the shower to get dressed, there sat Libby, all smiley and sweet, breakfast on the table. "I'm ready to take my med."

No fuss this time? Nice. "Good girl. I'll bring it over in just a moment."

"What are we going to do today?" she asked again at the end of their meal.

"I have to leave soon; I've got a lot of things to do. But I promise you we'll have some fun tonight. I'll show you something new." He got up and pushed in his chair.

"You're leaving now? I wanted to--"

"Hush. Yes, I'm leaving now. You'll be okay. Just text me if you need anything; you know I'm here for you." Blake gave Libby a tap on the nose. "I'm always here to protect you."