Better with Brother (Mr Incognito and skittish_butterfly)

[skittish_butterfly]

"Roger, please let me in!" Susan pounded her fist against the door in frustration, the doorbell not having worked. Roger couldn't possibly be sleeping through this, even at 2 am. "Roger, she kicked me out!" Maybe an oversimplification, but at 2am, oversimplification was allowed. Really, Mom had called her a tramp and told her to dress like a regular girl, or even her old tomboy style, whatever, and to stop sneaking out to see Josh. Or she'd be kicked out.

Susan had been so incensed she'd walked right out of the house without so much as packing a bag or taking anything but her pocket book -- thank God for her bus pass! Maybe it was rash, maybe it was a mistake, but she wasn't going to let her mother come between her and Josh. They were in love, and Josh loved how she dressed. He was the first to notice the change in her, the different clothes and the different body, slimmer lines and sleeker curves and actual cheekbones like the models, as she'd finally "blossomed" like the other girls. For years she'd been the short one, the one with the plain face dressed like a boy who climbed trees, but now she was 5'6" and slender and slinky -- that's how Josh described her and she loved it. Sure, she didn't have a chest quite like some of the other girls, but there were movie stars and models and even some porn stars she'd sneaked a peek of who didn't have such big boobs.

It was the little black dress her own mom had given her special for the academic awards night that finally got her noticed. Mom tried so hard to get her out of the tom boy clothes. Who's sorry now? Maybe she hadn't won the award she was up for that night, but she'd won something that made her so much happier. Josh got one look at her and it was all over. Susan remembered it so vividly, the look in his eyes, one of the coolest boys in school stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. She remembered the feeling of having such an effect on him. The way her pulse had pounded in her throat and her whole body tingled when he said "Fuck me, is that you Susan?"

And for that, for finally being happy, her mother calls her a tramp!

She pounded and pounded. "Josh, wake UP!"

"Shut UP!" A door creaked open behind her and Susan's long dark wavy hair flipped over her bare shoulder as she turned to see who yelled at her. "Shut up and let us sleep. And she's right, you are a little tart, dressed like that." The old man scanned her up and down, trying for a look of righteous indignation but Susan was starting to recognize the reality of that look more and more. The pervert.

"Go to bed old man! Mind your own business, perv! I'm still in fucking High School! And don't you even DARE fucking think about me while you jerk off!" It was mean, mean in a way she'd never speak to her own gramps, but he should keep his nose out of what he was too old to understand. Just showing a bit of belly button and fishnets showing leg all the way up to a tight skirt that just covered her bottom didn't make her a tart, not these days at least. "It's not the 1920's anymore!" The door slammed.

Susan turned back to Roger's door. It said Roger Crocket, right there, so she knew she was at the right place. "I told her she never would have treated me like this when you were still there. She said, 'fine, so live with your brother if he's so wonderful.'" So she had, or at least wanted to, if only he would let her in.

"Please Roger. Just let me in, I won't be any problem at all. I'll solve all my own problems so you won't have to do anything at all for me. Remember how much fun we used to have, before you left? And if you have, you know, a lady or whatever..." she couldn't help adopting the same teasing voice she'd used back when Roger was a dashing teen starting to date and she'd been a young girl absolutely fascinated by it and taunted him mercilessly just so he'd talk about it with her. "I'll stay out of the way, you won't even know I'm there. In fact, I'd even leave for sure. The thought of you having sex... ewww!" Old patterns, so hard to break.

She knew he was home. She'd checked his calendar on the cell phone while riding the buses cross town to get to his fancy new rich bachelor pad. He wasn't on one of his jaunts. "Please let me in Roger. It's me, Susan, your little sis, remember? I don't have anywhere else to go. Please open the door."

 

[Mr Incognito]

(Sorry if the post is a little lacking.)

Roger had always been a deep sleeper most of his life. He could vaguely hear the pounding on the door, but it was distant, and at first he thought it was part of whatever dream he was having. After a while, however, his eyes slowly opened hazily, and the pounding was still echoing softly from downstairs. He groaned out loud as he realized it was someone knocking on his door. Then he heard the voice, which startled him to partial alertness. He quickly put two and two together and realized that it was his sister who was making the racket. He glanced over at the clock, realizing the time. What the hell was she doing, banging on his door at 2 AM? Better yet, what was she doing here at ALL?!

He slowly rose from bed as the pounding and yelling grew more frantic, throwing aside the covers that had been tangled around his sleeping form, having gotten caught due to his restless sleep habits. He didn't bother with any kind of shoes, as his house had a lot of carpet, something he'd chosen on purpose for that exact reason. As he walked to the stairs, he became more alert, knowing it would be difficult for him to go back to sleep after this fiasco. He grumbled a little bit as he finally made his way to the front door, reaching out to open it. When he opened the door, he was surprised by the sight, and what little grogginess that was left in him was washed away. He had thought he was going to be seeing his little tomboy sister. What she was dressed in was....well, it was "feminine" he'd give her that. He never thought she'd really turn to such revealing clothes. When he spoke, he was so confused that he didn't know what to say first.

"Susan, what are you.....why are you...."

Roger shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts, before composing himself a little better. He stepped to the side, waving Susan into the house.

"Whatever it is we need to talk about, the doorway isn't the place for it. Come in and sit down. Shut the door on the way in and lock it."

With that established, Roger made his way to the family room, not too far from the front door to sit on the couch. He was dressed in simple night attire, a worn T-Shirt and some boxers. His build or frame wasn't all that large, but he was taller at almost 6 feet with blonde hair and blue eyes. He'd never been much for the outdoors, so he didn't have much muscle mass, but he did seem to keep a healthy figure overall. He had been the same pretty much throughout his childhood and even college, a creature of habit in his attire as well, preferring simpler, lighter clothing to anything too fancy. He was all about comfort over style.

"So, you say Mom kicked you out? I'd heard from her that you two had been having arguments, but I didn't imagine it would get this bad."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan's laugh was more of a snort. "Arguments? She's a bitch to me! That's not an argument, that's just a control freak who doesn't want to let her daughter grow up normally!" Susan didn't mean to but she slammed the door shut, then locked it as gently and carefully and gently as she could, like it could balance out the noise of the slam.

Careful with her heels on the thick carpet, she sauntered into the room where he sat with arms and legs spread out comfortably on his couch, his hair a mess and dressed like a drunken frat boy even though she was pretty sure he was stone cold sober. Good old Roger. Susan approached the couch and sat down next to him, not so prim and lady like the way she would around regular guys, but like his little sister again, craving the feeling of being with good old Roger again. "I'm not going back." She just said it. No sense even letting him consider it. "She won't let me see my boyfriend, won't let me dress the way I want or act the way I want. Who needs her? And you know I won't put up with that. She knows it too, that I won't give in. She still calls me 'Stubborn Susan'."

She looked around the place, all the new furniture. The older brothers of so many friends had moved out and she'd seen them take ratty old family couches and beds and chipped tables and stuff with them. Roger's apartment seemed to gleam with niceness and newness, even at 2am. He'd always been cut out for something different, something better, not like the other boys she knew, a big brother she could be proud of. "You're doing ok, you know Rog? So, which room can I crash in? You won't even know I'm here."

 

[Mr Incognito]

Roger winced a little when the door was slammed shut, but didn't say anything. It was better then having her shouting at his front door at 2 AM and waking more of the neighbors. In a way, he was glad to see her again, although he was still recovering from the shock of seeing her dressed the way she was. He had been so used to the tomboy. What he'd seen on his doorstep was not that girl. He could see why their mother called her a tramp. By his standards, she wasn't, but it was provocative to the eyes.

Before he could speculate of the matter further however, he snapped back to reality as his sister commented on his place. He smiled a little bit. It was true, he had been doing quite well for himself. He was proud of that fact. His only regret was that he was single in a large house like this, with no one to share it with save the occasional friend that visited...and even that was fairly brief in itself. He was lonely in that sense. He let Susan vent a little, listening to her, but also thinking to himself carefully. He loved his mother, and he didn't like that the two of them were fighting. But he also loved his sister, and didn't want to see her homeless. Even before Susan had kind of thrust the idea upon him that she would be staying, he'd decided to say yes to the request. "What was the harm" he thought. If only he could see what would arise from his sister's most recent behavior.

"Well, Susan.....I have a few. I do have a guest bedroom you can sleep in for a while. That can be your bedroom."

Richard rose from the couch and motioned for Susan to follow. The guest bedroom was in the hall, and while it wasn't too large, it was decently sized to accommodate certain things like a small desk and a closet for some clothing. Across from it some distance down the hall was the bathroom which had a shower and other necessities.

"If you need pajamas, I do have a spare bathrobe you could borrow. Come to think of it, what other clothes do you have? I don't see you with a bag..."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan smiled brightly before getting up to follow him. "I'm so lucky to have a brother I can count on." That was where she was usually supposed to punch him in the shoulder, but maybe she was just too tired. Or maybe she was getting too old now for that kid stuff. She just followed him across the thick carpet, down a little hall.

If they weren't both so tired, Susan thought it might have felt like a landlord showing the way to her new apartment. Away from mom, the horrible shrew, on her own -- with Roger of course -- but on her own! As he pointed to the bedroom, she almost felt warm with pride. Her bedroom. Roger's of course, but hers in a way. Not Mom's. And then he pointed out the bathroom -- her bathroom! She felt so tired everything was out of proportion. Even though she was basically 17 now, she still didn't have a lot of experience staying up this late, and as much as she was trying so very hard to put on a show of how she wasn't a little girl anymore, so Roger would feel comfortable letting her stay, still she was exhausted.

Leaning against the wall just outside her bedroom, the wall hard and cool against her bare arm, Susan smiled blearily as Roger asked her a few more of his practical questions: clothes, what she brought and so on. "Such a big brother, and so responsible!" Did he actually flinch, like he thought she'd give him one of the old punches still, even after her mature restraint in the other room? Susan couldn't stop a big yawn before answering the slightly boring questions that were entirely secondary to the central and amazing fact that she was out of Mom's house! "Ok, so. You're technically correct that I didn't bring anything with me right this very minute. Which I think is rather considerate, don't you? Not making you traipse up and down bringing boxes or suitcases or what-have-you up? In the middle of the night? But, I did think it through while I was on the 219 and I think tomorrow would be a good day for you to drive back to Mom's and pick up my clothes and a few things. I'll draw up a list, or mail it to your phone if you give me your computer password in the morning. Mom loves you so I think you should be the one to go."

Susan looked down at her outfit, the shiny black heels, the fishnets -- not the wide spaced whorish ones but the classy ones, like at the clubs -- her tight skirt and the belly baring mesh tank with lace white tshirt underneath. No, not comfortable for sleeping at all. So as much as it grossed her out to wear anything of her brother's, she nodded, "And yeah, I'll take whatever you have for me to sleep in, thanks."

Her look, as she stared back at him with eyelids that wanted to close made it clear she was ready for bed now, thank you very much, and if he would fetch something for her to wear that would be splendid. Her big browns and high eyebrows really were that communicative, she knew, especially in the last year since Brenda taught her the right way to use a little mascara and eyeliner and the pencil. As Susan waited for something to wear, she peeked in to her dim bedroom by the light of the hall. There was some simple stuff inside, desk, bed and a little storage space, certainly enough for her. At least for now. Everything was going to be so much better now with Roger.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Roger simply nodded as he went upstairs to where he kept his normal wardrobe. As he was going upstairs, he couldn't help but worry a little about the situation he was getting into. Susan seemed different to him since the last time they'd met, and it wasn't just the way she dressed. He couldn't put his finger on it as he reached the top of the stairs and turned into his bedroom. Maybe....maybe it was her assertiveness. She hadn't normally been this aggressive, and she'd made herself at home quite quickly. He was hoping it wouldn't be an issue. He did love his sister, so he would let her stay as long as she wanted in the house.

Looking through the closet, Roger picked up a particular set of shirts. These were large T-Shirts that could act as short skirts for Susan. The bathrobe he'd thought of early he'd just remembered was in the washing machine, not ready to be worn. He frowned a little bit looking at the shirts. They would work for now, he thought, but even though they were large, they came just below Susan's ass by a fraction of an inch..meaning if she bent over he was going to get a show. He sighed. They would have to do given the current situation. He gathered a few of them in his arms and made his way back downstairs.

When he reached downstairs, he wearily tossed the shirts at Susan, making sure to do so slowly so she could catch them. She looked tired to him. He didn't blame her; she'd had a long long night, and a dramatic one at that. Yawning and stretching, he turned around to go back to his own bed.

"I know they're not much, but it's better then nothing. Sleep well, Susan."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Still leaning lazily in the doorway Susan turned at the soft sound of Roger's footsteps on the plush carpet returning. It wasn't a bathrobe, but she didn't care. Whatever he had, she just wanted to get to sleep. He could get the rest of her clothes tomorrow and it wouldn't matter after that.

Roger stopped a few feet away from her, seeming for a moment like he couldn't be bothered to make the long trek all the way over to where she stood. What, was she supposed to come to him? Was this some subtle hint that he was annoyed and she had to make a bigger effort to make it easy on him, something like that? But then she saw the teeniest little smirk on his face and the exaggerated slow toss. Susan gave him a fake scowl. The old "girls can't catch" crap he used to always pull on her while he was really tricking her into getting really good at softball. She wondered ever so briefly if he was disappointed she wasn't his old slick-fielding shortstop tomboy of a sister anymore. He was tossing her a couple tshirts, one after the other. Slow. So she could catch them. She even giggled through her grogginess. She grabbed the first two with one hand, then the third behind her back. The fourth one though it was like when he used to test her, just the slightest bit off-target, and she had to take a step or two to get it. Susan was shocked, she almost stumbled in the heels on the carpet and dropped the last tshirt, giving him a good laugh this time. He didn't need to say it. Things had changed. She was a girl, and she couldn't catch. It felt wierd, but it was fine. She didn't need to catch anymore.

"Thanks Roger. You sleep well too!" But he was already turned and slouching off back to bed.

Susan went in, flipped on the light for a moment, stripped down to her panties and then shrugged her way into the first tshirt that came to hand. She didn't turn off the light right away, new instincts already taken root in her over the last year. First, she checked around the room for a mirror, checking her reflection. The tshirt was a simple white job with the logo and name of some generic bar on the front. It was way too big in the shoulders for her, making her look like a little kid, and it didn't cover her nearly as much as she would have hoped, barely reaching her thighs, but at least it covered her panties for the most part. Susan made a mental note to try this look around Josh, once she reconnected with him as planned from their texting while she was on the bus.

She did a little bend this way and that in front of the mirror, checking her different angles so she would know how much leeway she had in the morning if she had to walk around in the tshirt -- figuring she would wash her other outfit first thing as insurance in case there was some sort of problem for him getting the rest of her things. There wasn't much wiggle room with the tshirt before she flashed a bit of the soft pink panties, but it was enough.

Lights off and eyes closed in less than 30 seconds. Not that she was counting. She slept deeply, in her dreams playing back the arguments with her mom over and over, only this time Roger was standing there next to her, making her feel safe. It was the best sleep she'd had in a long time.

She woke, still tired, but hungry and thirsty. There was a little light trickling in through a window, but she couldn't see a clock and didn't have the energy to fish her phone out to check the time. She padded across the carpet and out, a quick trip to the nicely enough appointed bathroom, and then hunted down the kitchen. She thought she'd make herself some eggs and coffee, assuming her big bachelor brother actually had pots and pans and some food in the fridge other than beer and days old pizza. She could see herself sitting in his breakfast nook, relaxing and reading through his magazines, enjoying a lazy Tuesday. No school, not when school was 2 bus transfers away. No way. She felt like she deserved a little break, after what her mom had put her through. Leave later for later, she just wanted to relax and have a little bite to eat, maybe make some extra so Roger could have some if he woke up before she finished it. What time was it anyway?

 

[Mr Incognito]

(Sorry the posts are spread so apart, I get busy with work a lot.)

Roger was actually somewhat surprised that Susan had missed the last T-Shirt, although the clumsy show did manage to make him laugh a soft laugh at the scene. She had changed, changed from the tomboy into a girl. He would miss the tomboy, but he hoped that the sister he knew was still in there somewhere. He had wanted to stick around and chat, but fatigue was beginning to wash over him once again, and he found that he could barely keep his eyes open. He trudged back upstairs to where his bedroom was located, and simply flopped onto the bed headfirst, not really worrying about closing the door for privacy, he was so tired. His own dream was fuzzy and vague, and when he would awaken, he would not remember the details, only that his morning wood seemed..stiffer.

When he awoke, the first rays of sunlight were peering through his window, and he groggily tried to wake himself up. It took some time for him sitting up to achieve this feat, as he was somewhat sleep deprived and never really had been a morning person. Eventually he could see straight and slipped out of bed, walking over to the closet to change into a fresh pair of clothes. It was a quick process as he peeled off his shirt and threw it into his hamper along with the pajama bottoms he used to sleep in, quickly putting on a different T-Shirt with some jeans and socks. With this, he made his way downstairs, guided by the scent of food being made in the kitchen. Seemed like she was already making herself at home. That was fine by him, though he would have to remember to buy more food now that there were two people living in the house.

When he finally made it into the kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of Susan in one of the T-Shirts, having by now found the eggs he kept in the fridge. He tried to stock on REAL food instead of junk food to add some variety to his diet. He sat down in the chair that would be opposite of Susan, rubbing his eyes a little to get the sleep dust out of them.

"You're already up? I thought you would have been asleep still, given your long night."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan heard him shuffling into the kitchen but played it cool. She was just so happy to be out from under Mom's thumb. As Roger sat down, Susan could see he seemed pleased with the food. That was good. She wanted to stay on his good side as much as possible because there was no way she was going home to live with that Wicked Witch of the Wast again.

He looked a little bit groggy so she poured him a cup of coffee and slid it over to him along with some eggs she hadn't taken for her own plate yet. She tugged her tshirt back in place after pushing the cup and the eggs to him, feeling it ride up. Tshirts and jeans, and yet he was so successful? Why didn't it matter how boys dressed? It was like they could wear whatever they wanted, wherever they felt like it and nobody gave a damn, but she wore just one short skirt, tried on a fancy pair of heels she was planning to take back anyway, and it was suddenly like the whole world was going to end because of it.

But it wasn't Roger's fault, she didn't resent her brother's success, and actually, it was a good look for him, relaxed and confident. For the first time, she could actually see the part of him that could lead in a company, that people would trust. She smiled at his greeting. "Well, I'm not a lazy sleep-all-morning type like you, apparently." She stuck out her tongue at him, an old favorite that used to get his goat even though he was older, mostly because Mom always blamed him, the mature one, for not stopping it. Back before Mom started hating everything she did. It seemed so long ago.

"Seriously though, I have to send some texts, and I wanted to make sure you had some breakfast when you woke up. I didn't want you to have to eat stupid granola bars on the run, or whatever you big time business guys do. And I was just excited to be here. You don't know how bad it was. I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here."

She sipped her own cup as she waited for him to dig in, to taste how fluffy the eggs were. Mom had showed her the trick with the milk. Then, when she hoped she had his good will, "So, how soon do you have to be in to work? Is there any chance you could get my stuff from Mom before you go in?" She had texted Josh earlier where she was, along with a few risque comments she'd erased immediately in case her phone fell into the wrong hands, and they'd arranged he would skip school along with her today, play hooky together. He had the use of his older brother's car today so he could pick her up. Or they could just stay here. She smiled to herself at the thought. But she didn't really want him seeing her in the same outfit she wore the night before, not if she could get Roger to pick up the rest of her nice things first. She smiled at Roger, her head tilted a little, eyes big. "Please?" It always worked.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Roger smiled and nodded in thanks as Susan slid him a plate of food and coffee, picking up his fork and casually digging into the contents. He resisted the urge to chuckle as she tried to adjust the t-shirt she was wearing, knowing it was something that he had given her as an option to wear, since he didn't exactly have that many women's clothing laying around.
He did laugh at the sleep all morning comment, however, since it was true, giving her a playful middle finger that she knew was his regular response to her tongue taunting. He had always slept through mornings, at least when he was with his mother.

"I've gotten better at getting up when I have to check in for work every now and then."

When he started putting the eggs in his mouth, his taste buds greeted him with a pleasant surprise, the eggs having been seasoned quite well and the right amount of milk used. He had always been a half decent cook, able to make food for himself of some basic nutritional value. Only his mother, and apparently his sister, had the real talent to make it taste good. The eggs did not last long as he chewed quickly and shoved them into his mouth, leaving him to sip on his coffee. When his sister mentioned getting her clothes and work, he knew it was coming. Even as a tomboy, she'd always been a sweet talker. It was a talent of hers, and it worked quite often, even on Roger. In this case, he didn't mind doing what she asked.

"I have all the time I need. I work from home, Susan, so technically speaking, this whole house is my office. That's why I don't own any 'work attire' as I call it."

When he was finished with his coffee, Roger got up and grabbed his keys from the holder mounted on the wall for his car and door. Putting them on a key ring attached to the belt loophole on his jeans, he turned to Susan with a more serious look.

"When I get back, I need to cover a few ground rules, OK? I'm more then happy to let you stay, but there are a few things I need honored. I'll see you once I get back from Mom's place."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan sat and watched with pleasure how Roger wolfed down the food she'd made him. Hopefully she could be at least a little useful for him too, enough that he'd put up with her and not send her out into the streets -- no way was she going home now.

Roger's explanation of how he worked from home totally took Susan by surprise. "I didn't know you work from home! I thought... well, I don't know what I thought but I guess... I just hadn't really talked to you much recently have I? I'm sorry about that, I hope we can catch up a little while I'm here. I missed you. Thank you so much for helping me and picking my stuff up."

But he didn't just say "You're welcome," like he was supposed to. It was like he felt responsible or something. Rules. Stupid rules. She looked back at him plaintively, but she needed him, needed his place. "Ok, well, we can *talk* about your rules when you get back."

No sooner was he out and she had the door locked that she threw a few pillows in the air and jumped on the couch, yelling "I'm free! I'm free!" She knew the tshirt rode up but now that she was alone she didn't care. Finally, breathless and the exuberance out of her system, she sat down and reached for her phone on the end table. It didn't take long to make the connection -- she kept Josh in prime position in her speed dial.

"Josh? Yeah, yeah, it's me! Everything's fine. I'm out of her house. No more stupid Mom rules. He's letting me stay here." She listened. "I don't know how long. As long as I can stay on his good side I guess, but I've always had him wrapped around my little finger. He's always adored me. Big brother, little sis thing, you wouldn't understand. You just have little brothers who are only good for punching practice." Josh was mean for sure to his younger brothers, but it was cute.

It would take Josh awhile to get there, but they would still probably have at least an hour or probably two before Roger could possibly get back -- Mom was a talker, especially with Roger. Susan wished she had something other than what she'd worn the previous night, something to entice Josh with. He loved being surprised by her new looks, little change in her hair or makeup, seeing she cared how she looked to him. And she loved how he loved it.

In the end, she decided to be daring. She was an independent girl now, so why not. When the doorbell rang, she opened it wearing just the tshirt and her panties, and a huge smile. Josh was in his jeans and leather jacket, his hair parted just so with some gel giving it body on top. She practically threw herself at him and he wrapped her up in his arms, kicked the door closed behind him, and carried her to the couch, where they made out as if they hadn't seen each other in 12 hours, when in fact it was really only about 11. With his hands under the shirt, stroking her back, holding her so tight she felt he'd never let her go, it was easy to lose track of time kissing Josh. And it didn't matter really, she had no school today and Roger wouldn't be back for, well, awhile at least.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Roger couldn't hear his sister's jumps and shouts for joy through the closed door, focused on getting his keys out to open the car. He was wary of going to his mother's house for the errand. He didn't dislike his mother. In fact, they got along very well. But he knew that for her to have kicked out Susan it must have been fairly bad. He would find out when he got there, he supposed. He did look forward to talking to her in person again, since they rarely got to see one another anymore. Opening the door to his red car, he jumped in and slammed the door shut, his engine starting up with a loud roar when he turned the ignition, driving carefully out of the driveway to his house.

The drive over was not fun for him. It wasn't that he was disliking or regretting the errand. It was the city he lived in; it was filled with the worst drivers he'd ever seen. Getting cut off three times a day by people running the red lights was a norm for him, and his mother lived quite a distance away. He checked his rear view mirror constantly, and was paranoid about taking a light unless traffic had completely stopped in one direction. Even if he had the right of way in some lanes, he would let people through just to ensure that he wouldn't crash into them if they decided to be bold. It was in this manner he finally arrived at his mother's house a little later then expected.

When he knocked on the door his mother was quick to answer, and they embraced on the doorstep before she motioned him inside. They sat to chat for a while, catching up on things like normal current events and the daily happenings of their lives before the subject eventually turned to Susan. What his mother had to say was not flattering, although she had more bad things to say about her new boyfriend Josh. It seemed like she was being a bad influence on Susan, and that she was doing all of this behavior and dressing up to please him. As they went around the house collecting her wardrobe, he could see what she meant. The attire was quite risque for the most part, and some of it in his opinion was downright slutty. Personally, he didn't mind the look on women at all, but it was an unusual change for his sister. Still, though, he didn't want to judge her. It seemed unfair to go based solely on what their mother said. He'd wait to see how she acted and what she did before making a judgment.

Finally, after some more chatting with his mother, he finally left, later then he expected.

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan thought she heard a door close outside in the hall. She shushed Josh immediately, starting to push him up off her and prying his hand out from up under Roger's tshirt. What if it was the entryway? What if it was Roger?

"Oh shit, what time is it? Josh, what time is it? How long have... ohhhh this might not be good." She slid herself out from under Josh's lean body and ran her fingers through her hair, looking around like a caged rabbit. "Ok, get your shirt on... are your pants unzipped! Josh!" She gave him a pretend swat, but it was an annoyed pretend swat. "He might be coming, I think he's coming. Go out the window!" She was whisper yelling, just couldn't help it.

Josh laughed easily. "Hey babe, ease up, come back here, I'm not finished with you. Your big bro sounds cool, he'll be down with us, no worries." He wasn't zipping up his pants.

"No no, you don't understand. He's cool but... Ohh, just trust me, if he doesn't let me stay here, I might have to go back to my mom who'd NEVER let us see each other. Or it could even be worse, like she could send me to an Uncle in Idaho or Iowa or whatever. Will you just listen to me?"

The sound of a key in the lock. It had to be. Susan's heart was pounding and she immediately smoothed her hair again with her fingers and straightened her tshirt again without quite noticing or fixing how it had gotten hitched on the hem of her panties in back. She just hissed at Josh. "Hide, do something!"

Josh rolled from the couch with a thump and made a hiding motion under the glass coffee table, smirking up at her like he just thought the whole thing was funny.

Susan took matters in her own hands and ran to the door to greet Roger before he could enter and go to the living room. Get him down the other hallway for some excuse so Josh could sneak out. What else was she going to do? Why was she so stupid. But of course, she could still feel her nipples swollen against the inside of the tshirt, still feel her lips tingling where they'd kissed, still felt all squishy and breathless.

 

[Mr Incognito]

The drive home for Roger was more uneventful then the ride over. By then most people had arrived at their destinations and there weren't all that many cars on the road. It made him breath a little easier as he gripped the steering wheel, able to navigate with little to no stress this time around, Susan's clothes occupying the back seat. it gave him time to think as he navigated the streets about the situation. What kind of ground rules should he set? What kind of limits should he tolerate? What was he supposed to except from her, or how was she going to act? These thoughts occupied his mind the whole way home, so that he barely even noticed when he pulled into his own driveway. He left Susan's clothing in the backseat, figuring she could help him carry it in and she could organize it on her own time. He fumbled with the keys as he made his way up the steps, and when he finally got them steady turned them in the lock to open the door.

He was somewhat surprised to see Susan there to greet him, seeming to be out of breath. His eyes were sharp and at once noticed a few things out of place. Her T-Shirt caught on the hem of her underwear, showing more then she probably bargained for. Her skin seemed flushed, as if she was doing something exerting...and her nipples seemed to poke against the shirt when it went flat against her chest. He resisted the urge to smile, instead wearing a false look of surprise. That must have meant Josh was here. He didn't like that she'd already invited this boy into his house, and he planned to lecture her on it, but he'd play along for now.

"I have your stuff in the car Susan. Want to help me put it in your room?"

 

[skittish_butterfly]

As Roger came in, Susan was still a little flushed in the face, but she hoped Roger was still the big old dolt kind of big brother who missed important details -- because she felt like she was nothing but details to be noticed as he came in. Details protruding against her tshirt, breathless, anxious details. Her eyes flitted about quickly, like she was trying to figure out the floor plan, to figure out if she could lead him to some room with an excuse that wasn't too lame so Josh could slip out -- hoping Josh would be sensible enough to avoid the risk of messing this up with Roger and leave, at least for now.

But her fears were groundless. Sure, Roger's eyes seemed to trail over her shirt -- no, his shirt -- making Susan fold her arms in front of her, but after a quick look about Roger was focused on her and talking like absolutely nothing was wrong. Susan sighed with relief, her lovable big brother was as clueless and oblivious about this kind of stuff as ever.

"Uh, well, you know how much I'd love to help, but..." She glanced down at herself, like she was all legs in the tshirt. He didn't really think she'd go out dressed like this. But then again, how else was she going to give Josh a chance to sneak out? "Well, I guess I can carry some light stuff and you can carry my books and jewelry box and the makeup stand -- you did get everything right? Mom didn't make you... whatever, don't worry about it. You can always go back if you have to, when she's not there. I know where she keeps the spare key. Whatever you brought is fine. Let me help."

She took her big brother's big hand and hurried him out the door before he had a chance to look around anymore, and more importantly before Josh would have time to do anything stupid and cavalier, in that lovable but annoying way of his. Her hand that wasn't tugging Roger along behind her was pulling down on her shirt, trying to somehow stretch it enough to cover herself a little more. For all that her mom called her a tramp for how she dressed, Susan didn't really feel like one. It was for Josh, that's all. But the thought of walking out into the hall where that miserable old man might peer at her through his peep hole and jerk his withered old dick off staring at her in the tshirt made her blush and walk quickly, bare feet padding on the sparse hallway carpeting.

She really hoped Roger's building had a parking garage and she wouldn't have to go out in the street like this. But most important was to give Josh a chance to sneak out, so Susan pressed on, acting like it was the most normal thing in the world for her to go out in just a tshirt like this, not giving Roger a chance to do anything but follow along, at least until he needed to show her where the car was.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Richard nodded and turned around to go to the car. His mother thankfully had had the mind to tell him about her other things, like the jewelry box, make up stand, and books. Those he had put very carefully in the trunk of the car, which he unlocked now with his key. He grunted a bit as he lifted the most fragile object from the bottom, starting with the mirror. He took this item alone, careful to make sure he did not trip over anything on the driveway when he made his way back. The last thing he wanted was broken glass all over his driveway, as well as a very upset sister, who would not only be angry he had broken her mirror, but that she was most likely barefoot and would injure herself on the glass.

"I'll take this in and put it down. Show me where you want it when you get inside."

When he went sidewise through the door, Richard opted to carry the mirror through a different hallway that passed close the the living room. The angle would not allow for either him or Josh to see each other, but the delinquent would surely here his footsteps down the hall. If his unwelcome guest was present, he would let him know he was hear that subtly, and if he didn't leave after hearing that...well, he'd have to use a more direct method of intimidation, one he would prefer not to use. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, as he really didn't want to hurt the boy Susan seemed to have such a vested interest in.

Finally, he made his way to Susan's room, and put the mirror in the corner. He politely waited for his sister, who was most likely not for behind. When she did enter the room, however, it would be greeted by crossed arms and a stern look, along with a few surprising words for her.

"The next time you want to have company, let me know instead of just letting them in, OK Susan?"

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan slowed as she approached the point where she really didn't know which way to go to where his car was parked. It was ok though. She'd gotten Roger far enough away it wouldn't be hard for Josh to slip away unnoticed. Hopefully he'd be clever enough to hang around the neighborhood, drive around the block a few times or get some coffee until she could text him and work out a way to get together again. She just needed to get Roger out of the way, to work or something like that.

As she slowed, Roger walked past and she dropped his hand. Susan watched him stride out the front door and sighed deeply. Of course. He had to park outside. She tugged the tshirt down a little further over her thighs, took a deep breath, and followed after him, her bare feet taking short, light steps carefully across the hard bumpy driveway.

Roger had her make up stand, the glass reflecting the morning sun, and Susan smiled and thanked him for thinking of bringing the important stuff. She was sure her mom had probably tried to get him just to bring her homework and a nun's outfit, but Roger was cool and Susan let him know it, just this once. She didn't even give him a punch in the arm -- not while he was carrying her stuff. "Ok, I'll be right behind you. Just put it anywhere in my room, and then we can figure out where it belongs once I get there." Just keep him in her room, away from Josh if he was still stupidly in the house, long enough for her to shoo him away.

The rest of her stuff was at the bottom of his deep trunk and Susan looked around nervously, trying to see how many people were around, trying to figure out how many pervs were peeking at the teen girl in the tshirt. How was she going to do this? She was going to have to bend over to get her stuff out, but the shirt wasn't long enough, she knew that.

The answer was to do it fast, she'd have to do it so quick nobody noticed a brief flash of more of her body. One... two... three... Susan bent over and scooped up as much of her clothes as she could and then straightened up immediately, her hair loose around her face from the quick flip the dip into the trunk had given it. Her arms were holding about half her wardrobe and there was still more stuff in the trunk -- her books, the jewelry, her toiletries bag and her shampoos and conditioners. It was like her whole life was in Roger's trunk, and she hoped in her heart that Mom was shitting herself watching all of her stuff taken out of the house, out of her control. Susan wasn't a little girl to be bossed around anymore, and Mom had to see that.

Unfortunately when Susan straightened up, the tshirt had clung to her lower back and was still riding up, and she was sure her panties were totally on display. "Yikes!" She took off, dashing back to the door, yipping and yelping and hopping uncomfortably as her bare feet landed on little pebbles that hurt like anything. Finally she got to the door and it took a few long seconds before she managed to twist herself and get her fingers to the doorknob, contorting herself and bending her elbow and dipping her knees like she was having an epileptic attack just to open the thing without dropping her clothes and having to bend over even worse to pick them up.

Finally she slipped back into the hallway, the comfort of the patchy rug under her throbbing bare feet, and the privacy to drop the clothes, pull her tshirt down and then squat down to pick them up again. Of course that still left the tshirt bunched up again,but this time only at her hips so she was probably only flashing just a little bit of her panties.

Thankfully, Roger left the door to his living room open and she was able to slip in easily. She heard Roger setting down the mirror in her room to her right, so she took advantage of the moment to peek into the living room, to make sure Josh was gone. No sooner was she around the corner than there he was, grinning like he was stoned and staring at he panties. "Nice look little lover, I like, I like."

Susan hissed at him, "Shhhh, keep your voice down!" She couldn't keep herself from whisper-shouting at him, she was so worried he was going to blow this for her and get her kicked out of Roger's place too -- and then where could she go? "Get out of here, go wait in your car and I'll... I'll text you or call you as soon as I take care of my brother." She had to drop her clothes on the floor to slap his hand away from her panties. "I mean it Josh. This isn't play time. Give me, like, 15 minutes or so. He's gotta go to work or something, just wait outside."

Josh made his stupid fake-pout face he thought was so cute -- actually it was but Susan still didn't like it. He took a step past her and she sighed with relief, bending down to pick up her clothes again. Then she felt a light slap at the back of her exposed bottom and jerked up and glared at Josh as he kept going to the door with a smirk. She shook her head but it didn't seem to matter to Josh at all. Finally she got her clothes gathered up and dashed breathlessly to her room only after she heard the door close behind Josh. Wait, would Roger hear that?

She reached her door, arms full of clothes and realizing he panties were on display again. Before she went in she already started explaining, "I, uh, I managed to shut door as I, uh, as I came in that's what you..." Her voice trailed off weakly at the sight of him already staring at her, his arms folded across his chest, looking like some kind of vice-principal ready to give her a lecture about cutting social studies to be with Josh. She dropped her clothes as her hands reached instinctively to pull her panties down, and Roger started talking.

He told her the next tim she wanted company she had to let him know.

The next time? He couldn't know. He hadn't seen... Had Josh showed himself while she was still outside? How could he know? Was it a bluff? Susan stood with her mouth open, her face slowly getting warmer and warmer as the indecision of how to reply embarrassed her, that and the way he was staring at her like she did something wrong.

Bluff him with a lie? Or cop to the truth? Was she risking upsetting him either way? How could she know? His face was giving her nothing except that she was really on the spot, and Susan totally wished she was dressed, maybe in that nuns outfit her mom should have sent.

Finally she decided to finesse it, play it like with her mom. "I'm not a little kid anymore Roger, you know? I'm all grown up and I can make decisions for myself." She saw his eyebrow and responded before he could say anything. "BUT... but... Roger, I know this is your place. I don't see why I should have to get written permission for absolutely everything, but how about this, anytime it matters to you whether I have someone over, like you want to have some girlfriend over for... whatever it is you do, or something like that, you let me know and I won't bring company over then, respect your privacy and all, ok? Just let me know."

But Susan didn't mention Josh. Her personal life wasn't really anyone's business, not even Roger's, especially if he was going to look at her like that, kind of like Mom did sometimes. It made her squirm a little. Grownups didn't have to clear their boyfriends with each other, that was just stupid.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Roger listened intently to what Susan had to say, although inwardly he was concerned and a little annoyed by it. What concerned him was her way of thinking, of trying to justify having this boy in his house without his given permission. She didn't seem to regret it that much, but he could tell she was afraid of getting kicked out of the house. All he had to do was listen to her tone of voice and he could tell that much. When she was finished, he didn't hide his frustration as he gave an exasperated sigh, sitting down on the bed and looking up at her. It was a stern look, but not one that was made for scolding. He would save that for another time, and he could only be fair. He hadn't officially laid down the ground rules, which he thought were fairly reasonable. He could only hope she could abide by them and keep peace in the household.

"I'm not saying you can't have company, Susan. Mom is overprotective, and I'm protective to. That said, I've never met Josh. I can't make a personal impression of him until I've seen him. But there ARE some rules I want to set because this house is like my sanctuary, and I just don't want the peace disturbed, OK?"

Roger took a deep breath to see how she'd react, as well as start off the rules of his list. He wasn't sure of Susan would abide by all of them, but if she tried, in his eyes, that was what mattered. If she did not, he would have to institute his own punishments, and while he wasn't sure what they would be, he could make them up as he went along, depending on the severity of the violation of the peace in his household.

"Number one would be just to let me know when you'll have company. It's not a major deal so long as I know that someone is here, just so that I can be careful. I understand you have a social life, but I like to know who is in my house.."

"Number two is curfew. I'm going to give you some leeway and say midnight, but no later then that. This gives you some time to party or do whatever, but as your brother and now caretaker, I'm responsible for your safety. If this means you have to call me for a ride, I'll do just that if you need to get home."

This leads me to number three. Always keep your cell phone on and answer when I call. The last thing I need is to worry about where you are and not being able to get through. If we can live be these three simple rules together Susan, I think we'll be OK. And for the record, I AM glad you're staying with me."

 

[skittish_butterfly]

Susan nodded as Roger's first words, that she was in fact allowed company. Well of course she was, but it was good for him to say it. She nodded again at mom's overprotectiveness, her only disagreement there being that he was probably underestimating Mom's paranoia -- but then again he'd always been Roger, treated differently than Susan was. Roger probably didn't really understand or believe Susan, that Mom really was a total buzzkill whose only joy in life was making sure Susan never had fun like the rest of the kids in school and treated her like a little girl rather than a young woman. Well, it didn't matter. So long as she could stay with old "Reasonable Roger" she would be ok.

He said he was protective too, and that struck her as odd, wrong. "But you don't have to protect me at all Roger. I just need a room, and maybe some food, and perhaps a little pocket money once in awhile if you can spare some, but that's it -- I don't need a second mother. I'm not little Susan anymore Roger, I can take..."

But he interrupted that, explaining about not having met Josh, not knowing him. Apparently he wasn't fooled at all about who was here. And he wanted rules. Rules.

"Rules?! Roger!" He was as bad as Mom, but she had nowhere better to go. Maybe she could pout her way out of it like the old days, or tickle him until he forgot what he was upset about.
But he kept talking about his house, his sanctuary, his rules, and Susan started to understand. He wanted to protect HIMSELF and his HOUSE. She gave a knowing 'ahhh' as he paused before starting whatever list of rules he'd somehow inherited genetically from Mom. But now that she understood she felt better. It wasn't personal and it wasn't about her. Whatever literal rules he would come up with, the spirit was this: don't mess up his house or privacy or whatever was so important about his man cave.

She stopped feeling so threatened now that she understood. A quick glance at her watch told her that she should be scooting this little session of congress along so she could take a recess to call Josh and meet him somewhere. "Ok, Rog, shoot. We need to get you back to unloading the rest of my stuff from the back of your car and settling down to work, your job and all that -- which I also very much want to respect and stay out of the way of." She felt proud of her thoughtfulness and helpfulness. Maybe it would help. And if he was busy and uninterrupted with work, she could sneak off and meet Josh uninterrupted somewhere.

Susan ticked off the rules on her fingers along with him. One, let him know when someone was coming over so he wouldn't have to worry about who was in his house. Probably his privacy bit and using coasters. She nodded. "Ok, I see your worry there." She'd make sure he never bumped into any visitors, and always ask if he was around for sure, and make sure everybody took care of his house. Easy enough. Maybe if she introduced him to Josh he wouldn't even care, she thought. They weren't exactly cut from the same cloth, but maybe...

Roger was going on with another rule and she ticked it off on a second finger as she leaned against the wall, more relaxed now as she watched and listened to him. "Curfew!" Her little whine of protest came out before she could stop it. She really didn't want to complain. She learned with mom it never really worked, always made it worse. But seriously, at her age? She kept quiet though as he glared at her briefly and went on about it being for midnight and giving her time to party. He even volunteered to give her rides, which to her seemed to mean that technically so long as she called for a ride before midnight that would count. "I don't suppose we could negotiate on one instead of midnight? No, never mind." She dropped it, not wanting to risk being able to stay here. She would just have to slowly push the boundaries back a little at a time until he couldn't' remember what the original time was anymore. Easy enough again. Except for that word caretaker. But if she brought that up this discussion could end up with him sending her back to Mom, or at the very least wasting her whole morning while Josh was hopefully outside idling his car on the street waiting for her. Not worth it, not now at least.

Number three. Cell phone. Alway keep her cell phone? What kind of planet did he live on? When would she ever be separated from her cell phone unless she was underwater or having major surgery or something like that. That wasn't a rule, it was a simple statement of fact. She just nodded with a smile. There was that part about answering when he called, but common sense and common convention told her that wasn't too big a burden. Worst case if she was busy she'd call him right back. That's how cell phones worked and he wasn't too old to understand that,the way Mom seemed to be.

She smiled, feeling quite relieved. He hadn't mentioned dishes or homework or vacuuming or chore schedules or any of Mom's stupid rules. This would be a breeze.

"You know Roger, I'm really glad to be here too. I've missed you so much since you left." She really did, she realized. When he took off, that was when things really started getting bad. Maybe it was because that was about when she started going through puberty soon after, that's what Mom said at least, but having Roger around had always just made things better.

She came closer and gave him a hug from a distance, just clasping him with her hands around his shoulders. Then she looked up. "So, uh, I'm still kinda..." she looked down at her bare legs, his tshirt really not enough to let her go out again in her opinion. "Could you be the most amazing brother in the world and fetch the rest of my stuff before you scurry off to whatever it is you do with your day?" She pointed at her pile of clothes on the floor. "Meanwhile, I can change into something a little more appropriate -- so you won't have to worry as my caretaker about how I'm dressed. And then I'll stay out of your hair so you can work." Caretaker -- use his words against him, that was how she'd always tried to twist Mom around her finger. Of course that strategy had ended up with her out of the house and living here now, but the strategy was sound, it was her mom who was the problem.

Susan tried to scoot him out of her room so she could change real quick after sending an SMS to Josh to pick her up in 5 minutes out front. As she tried to push Roger to the door she was struck by how much stronger he seemed than the old days. As hard as she ended up pushing on him with both hands, it felt like he would only move where he chose to move, be pushed if he chose to allow it. A little bit of the old tomboy inside her flared up, annoyed at not being stronger, but she'd given up caring about how strong she was years ago now. But still, she wanted to get dressed for Josh, and she gave him a good push, giggling just a little like the old days so he wouldn't get upset about it.