Save the Princess

Callie and Edmond weren't a picture-perfect pair of siblings. They didn't hate each other, but they didn't really know enough to like each other. They were tolerant of each other's presence, really only hanging out together when forced on road trips by their mother or taking pictures at family gatherings. Edmond was a reserved twenty-year-old who spent the majority of his time in his room.

Callie was the same way. She was twenty-two and enjoyed being by herself. The most interaction they'd had with each other in the past two weeks was brief glances in the hallway. This happened when they were given their own rooms when they were younger. Unfortunately, that turned the blood-related sibling's relationship into one that resembled shy roommates.

When they lived in the same room, they shared a bunk bed. Callie was eight and Edmond was six. Their imaginations were almost the same, constantly creating little adventures in their young minds. Callie would pretend she was a dragon ready to eat the famous princess of pillows. Edmond had to get up to Callie's top bunk before the princess was eaten. He usually failed, getting pushed off the top by the evil, redheaded dragon, or dying to its fire breath.

Good times. Now both of them had jobs and responsibilities. Not too much since they were in their early twenties, but the princess of pillows and the dragon remained in an imaginary land with no place in the real world. Callie and Edmond never really gave much thought to their loss of connection, losing themselves in the new, wild, and mostly confusing world of middle and high school.

That night, their mother, Rebecca, sat in the middle of the table during dinner. She usually sat on the couch to eat, but this time she was watching her children like a hawk. Edmond was giggling at something on his phone while barely eating and Callie finished ten minutes ago, now just mindlessly swiping and typing. Rebecca cleared her throat to get their attention.

"How was work today, Edmond?" Rebecca asked.

"It was alright. The usual." Edmond shrugged.

"Callie?" Rebecca turned her head.

"Huh? Yeah. It was fine." Callie said, not taking her eyes off her phone.

"Kids, phones down for two seconds please." Rebecca sighed.

Edmond and Callie flipped their phones upside down on the table.

"Thank you. Now, I have some... news." Rebecca started.

"What kind of news?" Edmond asked.

"Your dearest Aunt Tabitha's house flooded."

"Is she okay?" Callie asked.

"She's fine. She's taking it... quite hard though. Her basement flooded and the damage is so severe that she can't stay in the house or else it'll collapse."

"If the basement-"

"Yeah I know. She thinks the floor above it will cave in in her sleep." Rebecca huffed, cutting off her son.

"Ole Aunt Tabitha..." Callie smirked.

"Yeah. Well. She's moving in." Rebecca said. Callie's smirk faded.

"Where is she gonna stay?" Callie asked.

"One of you two's rooms," Rebecca started. "Probably yours."

"Why mine?" Callie asked.

"Does it look like we have any guest rooms?"

"She can't stay in your room?" Edmond said.

"You know she has her... quirks alright? She has a thing about sharing a bed. So, when you two or I decide which room is being taken, the bedsheets have to go and the entire bed needs to be disinfected." Rebecca explained, her exhaustion clear in her voice.

"That doesn't seem fair." Callie crossed her arms and pouted like she was ten years younger than she actually was.

"Yeah well, neither does flooding."

"You can't just explain to her that the house won't collapse?" Edmond asked.

"I tried. For hours. She's... in sort of a manic state, alright?" Rebecca sighed. Edmond and Callie's faces went hot when the realization set in. They'd have to share rooms again. They'd lose their private time.

"I'm sorry. It'll only be a few weeks at most, alright?"

"When is she moving in?" Edmond asked, his displeasure clear as day.

"Um... what day is it? Thursday? Probably Saturday or Sunday. Most likely Saturday. I'll let you know just be ready. Please." Rebecca explained.

"Alright..." Edmond sighed.

"Thank you. I'm sure you two can figure out whose room will be taken."

"More like stolen." Callie scoffed.

"Sacrificed." Edmond added.

"Okay... Okay. Just let me know when you decide." Rebecca ignored her kids' snark and grabbed the plates for the sink. For the first time in a long time, Callie and Edmond made eye contact with each other for more than a few seconds.

"She's not going to be in my room." Callie said immediately.

"You want my stuff in your room?" Edmond asked.

"I don't want any of this. But I also don't want remnants of Tabitha's four cats on my furniture." Callie said.

"I don't either. But it should be fine, she probably won't even bring the cats."

"Oh she's bringing the cats. Whisper, Cloud, Bumper, and Rick." Rebecca added from the sink.

"Why would you name a cat that... You know what? Screw it. You still got the bunk bed right?" Callie asked.

"Yeah," Edmond answered.

"Then... I'll give up my room. As long as I get the top bunk." Callie sighed.

"Why do you get the top bunk?"

"I always had the top bunk."

"Had. It's mine now." Edmond said.

"I'm older than you. Why do you sleep on the top bunk anyway?"

"I get a better view of the TV from up there. There's too much stuff on the floor."

"Dude, you better clean up your room." Callie hissed.

"Don't worry. You better think about all the cat hairs you'll be picking off your walls when this is finished." Edmond teased.

"Oh screw you."

"Hey," Edmond threw his hands up. "You gave up your room."

"I'm glad you two figured it out. Can you two handle staying in the same room?" Rebecca asked as she dried her hands against the dish towel.

"Yeah," Edmond answered.

"Of course." Callie said.

"Okay... I'm just... making sure."

"Why do you say that?"

"You two tend to stick to yourselves is all I'm saying." Rebecca shrugged.

"We'll be fine." Edmond assured his mother.

"Should I get my stuff ready now?" Callie asked.

"Sure. Get your clothes together. You won't have to go to your brother's room until the morning Aunt Tabitha moves in." Rebecca explained.

"Great!" Callie's snark and annoyance were clear as day.

*

That night, Edmond sat in the top bunk, staring at the ceiling while thinking about his sister. It was pitch dark and he had work in the morning, but the sudden change in his living situation made his mind race. Callie living in the same space he did wasn't new, but for some reason, he couldn't shake his mother's question from his mind. Why did she question their ability to handle themselves around each other?

He didn't think of Callie as anything other than his older sister. His sister who he barely interacted with. He felt like he'd have plenty of questions to ask her since they knew basically nothing about each other's academic pursuits or even each other's jobs. Maybe he'd have nothing to say. Maybe those few weeks would just fly by and they'd go back to being strangers until one of them moved out.

Deep in his heart, Edmond didn't want that.

Maybe Aunt Tabitha's fears would be the chance for Edmond to get his first friend back. Maybe he'd finally get a chance to stop the dragon and save the princess. Edmond cherished those memories with Callie, especially when he'd pass by a playground and hear those same wondrous conversations shared by the children. It made him reminisce on better times. Of course, as adults he knew they wouldn't really be able to capture that same youthful imagination, but something had to be there. It just had to be.

*

"This is it." Rebecca said to her sister Tabitha, dramatically gesturing to the light pink walls of Callie's barren room. She'd taken most of her stuff off the walls and desk and stuffed them into a duffle bag.

"Is the bed-"

"Yes Tabitha, the bed is clean. You can put your own sheets on it." Rebecca said, noticing the horrendous gray bed sheets her sister had packed into the suitcase poking out through the zipper. The soft purr of one of the cats in the kennel reminded Tabitha to set them free before she did anything else.

"Is this good?" Rebecca asked.

"It's fine. There's plenty of space for Cloud and Rick."

"Yeah, sure. If you need something to eat-"

"Don't worry. I brought food." Tabitha said, pulling out a family-sized bag of sunflower seeds from her backpack.

"You plan on eating that for dinner?" Rebecca asked.

"I've only eaten half of it. You want some?"

"No I'm alright," Rebecca sighed. "Just get settled first, and please try to keep the cats in here. In this room."

"I've got that under control. They're all indoor cats." Tabitha said as she opened the kennel and immediately rubbed the face of Bumper.

"Alright. Great." Rebecca closed the door and held back a loud sigh.

"How's Cloud?" Callie asked with a smirk on her face. She was bringing in the last bit of clothing she had in her room.

"Shut up." Rebecca said jokingly as she made her way towards her daughter.

"You got this, alright? It'll be fine." Rebecca assured Callie.

"I know." Callie sighed.

"Good. Just a few weeks." Rebecca said before making her way downstairs.

"Just a few weeks..." Callie huffed before turning around and entering Edmond's room. It was cleaned up nice and Edmond sat in the bottom bunk, playing a game on his PlayStation.

"How much do you need?" Edmond asked, noticing the jumble of clothing in his sister's hands.

"I don't wear the same stuff." Callie said plainly. She had a giant duffle bag full of clothing and other things pressed against the wall closest to Edmond's closet.

"Wait," Edmond paused his game. "How are you supposed to get changed normally if you're going to climb down the bunk to get dressed?"

"I'll grab whatever I want to wear that morning and put it on my pillow. If not, you just can't look."

"Sure," Edmond said, ignoring what he thought was a slight smirk on his older sister's face. He actually got a good look at her when she brought her stuff inside his room. Callie stood five-foot-eight inches tall with a thin, athletic frame. Her skin was pale and her dark auburn was always straight as an arrow, falling down to her middle back. She had steely blue eyes, thin lips, and thin eyebrows. She wore a light blue and white striped T-shirt and jean shorts.

Edmond had the same deep red hair but cut shorter with matching height and pale skin. They were both thin, but Callie had a... chest. Edmond pushed those thoughts from his mind, focusing on his game as Callie climbed up to the top bunk. Callie watched her brother shoot monsters for ten minutes until he got stuck on a boss.

"Is this what you do all day?" Callie asked out of curiosity.

"When I'm not working, yeah." Edmond answered, forgetting that his sister was up there.

"The same game?"

"No. I have other games."

"Hmm." Callie yawned before sliding off the top bunk. She stretched when her feet hit the floor and Edmond briefly glimpsed at her butt. Her nice butt.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Callie turned around. Edmond's eyes shot up to his sister's face.

"I'm okay."

"You good?" Callie asked, noticing the slight blush on her brother's face.

"Yeah," Edmond cleared his throat before returning his attention to his game.

Callie turned around and Edmond shamelessly stared at her back and legs as she made her way out the door. Edmond paused the game and took a deep breath. He was ogling his own big sister like a pervert. A weirdo. Looking at her as an object of desire rather than a human. Edmond felt his half-hard cock against his inner thigh.

He wasn't that bad. He obviously respected women but the truth was he never got attention from them. He was average. Stayed out of the way. Much like his sister, he found comfort in being alone. Now he wasn't alone and Callie was another person in his place of solace. Edmond wanted to rebuild the strong connection he had with his sister, but he didn't know how to do it without his stupid, teenage mind getting in the way.

Callie came back with a handful of sunflower seeds in a napkin and half a Subway sandwich.

"What's with the seeds?"

"Aunt Tabitha. She insisted I take some." Callie stood at the bottom bunk, eating her sandwich and unintentionally giving Edmond a nice view of her long, smooth legs.

"Ole Aunt Tabitha." Edmond snorted.

Callie's phone dinged in her pocket. She pulled it out and scoffed.

"Fuck..." Callie muttered as she quickly finished the rest of her sandwich and placed the plate on a nearby dresser.

"What's up?" Edmond asked.

"I gotta cover for Maxine today. Something about her car or whatever." Callie scoffed as she unbuttoned her shorts and quickly slipped her shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but a plain black bra and panties. Edmond's eyes went wide and his cock twitched in his sweatpants at the sight of Callie. He noticed her subtle curve and the cute, natural flushes of pink along her chest and shoulders.

"Um..." Edmond began but stopped himself when he realized Callie was moving towards her duffel bag. She didn't hear or see her brother's mix of confusion and excitement. Callie slipped her black polo shirt over her head and pulled her black jeans over her legs. She then threw on some matching black ankle socks and tied her hair back into a ponytail before walking to the door without a word.

"Have a good shift." Edmond said in a mousy tone.

"Oh! Um yeah thanks." Callie smiled as she exited the room. Edmond couldn't believe what just happened. There was no way Callie stripped down to her underwear so casually on purpose. He figured that she was just so used to being alone that she forgot to break the habit. That image of his sister's beautiful, near-naked body certainly didn't help with his efforts to humanize her.

Edmond felt extreme guilt and shame for viewing Callie in that way, but when he put his hands down his pants and gripped the base of his hard dick, she was no longer his sister. She was the first woman to strip in front of him and that did something to his young, horny mind. He stroked himself slowly for about a minute before the door opened quickly.

"I forgot my- What were you doing?" Callie asked. All she saw was Edmond's hand shooting out of his pants in a mad scramble to his controller.

"Nothing." Edmond lied.

"Sure... I forgot my name tag..." Callie said, her face unreadable. Edmond's face was burning hot and his hands were trembling. Callie grabbed her name tag from the front zipper of her duffel bag and clipped it into her shirt.

"Um... Edmond?"

"Yeah?" Edmond was hiding himself under the covers.

"If you want to have your um... y'know... private time... I can leave the room..."

"That wasn't- I was just- I..."

"I'll be back around nine tonight. Maybe nine thirty." Callie said.

"Callie, I wasn't..."

"It's fine," Callie threw her hands up. "We all need our... time." Callie then exited the room, making sure to close the door behind her. Edmond sighed in embarrassment. He was lucky that Callie thought he was just masturbating because he was alone. Despite the near heart attack from almost being caught, after a few minutes of cooling down, his big sister's flawless skin flashed in his mind, and refused to go away. Edmond's hand snaked down in his pants.

*

Callie came home after work annoyed and tired. Normally after a day like that, she'd go to her room and cool down. In her own way. Now she couldn't. She figured she'd have to suck it up and fall into the top bunk without a word to anyone. Callie opened the door to her new room and instantly popped the two buttons of her polo shirt before slipping it over her head and throwing it in the duffle bag. She did the same for her pants, socks, and shoes.

She heard Edmond in the shower, but she was so tired she didn't want to wait for him to get out. Callie removed her bra and panties, before stretching out her lower back and legs in complete nudity. What usually followed in her room was a therapeutic masturbation session and a few hours on her phone before sleep, but she obviously couldn't do that with Edmond in the room who could exit the shower at any time.

"Damn..." Callie muttered to herself before digging in her bag and pulling out a plain white shirt and black cloth shorts. She then climbed into the top bunk when she heard Edmond turning the water off. Edmond exited his bathroom and jumped when he saw Callie up there.

"You forgot I was here again?" Callie smiled.

"Yeah," Edmond's towel was wrapped around his waist. Callie's eyes briefly dropped to his body, focusing on the little droplets of water he'd missed.

"You like these muscles?" Edmond quipped, flexing his average physique.

"What muscles? That looks like skin and bone." Callie waved him away.

"Oh sure," Edmond made his way under the bunk to his storage dresser. "Don't look."

"How would I?" Callie asked.

"The mirror next to the door. You can easily see." Edmond explained as he dropped the towel. Callie's eyes immediately saw his bare ass in the mirror.

"I... Why would I look?" Callie said after moving her eyes away from the mirror.

"I don't know. Just don't."

"That's gross. I'm not gonna perv out on my own little brother." Callie said despite her eyes still trailing back to his nude form in the mirror. Edmond paused briefly as the guilt of the early afternoon re-entered his mind.

"Good." Edmond said, trying to move past the awkwardness of his sudden pause.

"Good." Callie watched him finally put on some underwear and shorts.

"No shirt?" Callie added before immediately slapping herself in the head.

"Have you been watching me in the mirror?" Edmond climbed up his bed. His head was at Callie's feet.

"I was just... Look, I didn't even know the mirror was there." Callie said, crossing her arms over her breasts. Her braless, shuffling breasts. Edmond's eyes briefly locked onto her chest as she blew a lock of hair from her face.

"Uh-huh, y'know it's okay to admit it." Edmond said.

"Admit what?"

"You like these guns." Edmond grinned while flexing his left arm.

"Shut up. Get away." Callie laughed while lightly kicking him in the head.

Edmond dramatically fell to the floor which gave him an idea.

"Ugh... Ooohhh my head..." Edmond whined.

"What the hell are you doing down there?" Callie asked, seeing right through his faked pain.

"Ohhh foul dragon... I will defeat you!" Edmond added a low group to his voice as he pretended to struggle to his feet. Callie's mouth dropped and looked over the bed with a smile.

"Really? Seriously?"

"Do not try to escape me!" Edmond shouted.

"It's been years, dude."

"I don't care! I will defeat you, foul beast!"

"Alright..." Callie decided to play along. She grabbed her pillow and waved it around like a toy. The difference between playing around as children and grown adults was clear. When Edmond was six and much smaller, climbing up the bunk felt like an actual climb. When Callie was eight, the pillow was much bigger in her hands. Now all Edmond had to do was put his hands up to reach the top.

"You'll never get her! You've failed forever! If we're being realistic she probably starved to death years ago!" Callie explained, trying to imagine how a dragon would speak in her adult mind.

"I will not give up!" Edmond said, trying his best to suppress his laugh.

"Give up!" Callie leaned forward and threw her hair in Edmond's direction, pretending it was fire.

"Argh!" Edmond fell to the floor again with a loud bump. Callie laughed at his surprisingly good acting chops.

"I will not lose!"

"Do you just want the princess?" Callie asked, her voice still gravely.

"No! I need to save her!"

"Why do you need to save her? Because you're the man? Have you ever thought the princess likes me more?" Callie was breaking the illusion, but they were still having fun.