Family Barriers Twins Tale

Family Barriers

Twins Tale

John and Elie arrived home in the late afternoon, having stayed after school for track practice. They entered their home with the intent of heading straight up to their room but only made it halfway up the stairs before hearing the sounds of loud, aggressive sex.

The twins stopped and looked at each other, then one sighed and turned back the way the had come.

"Dammit, Vi," John grumbled.

"You know she's loud on purpose," Elie said, referring to their eldest sister.

"Yeah of course I know. And it's no good complaining because she just makes more noise."

John and Elie retreated to the living room, which at least was out of earshot of the sex noises from upstairs. John sat on the couch, and Elie did the same but swung her legs across her brother's lap.

"It's mostly her boys," Elie said.

"Hm?"

"You know. You hear moaning and stuff, but it's not usually Vi. Usually whichever boy she's dating. That's who you hear, mostly."

"Yeah, and I don't know if that makes it better or worse," John sighed. He idly ran a hand up and down Elie's leg. "Is she actually ever dating any of these guys though? Or just, you know, fucking?"

Elie shrugged. "I asked once. She just smirked at me."

"No help there then."

"I do recognize some of them sometimes, though, so they can't all be one night stands."

"Especially since it's so often in the afternoon."

"Haha, yeah."

Lily, the second eldest sister, arrived a while later. She was humming to herself, and like the twins headed for the stairs without thinking about it.

"I wouldn't do that," John called to her.

Lily stopped, then slowly padded over to the living room. "Again?"

John and Elie nodded.

"This one's a moaner," Elie confirmed.

Lily sighed. "The least Vi could do is keep it down if she's gonna always be boinking guys in her room."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you," John said.

"There's a chance they're done by now," Elie said. "It has been, what, half an hour since we tried?"

"Something like that," John said.

"Oh the hell with it anyway," Lily said. "I got a new game I want to break out anyway."

John and Elie stayed right where they were while Lily pulled out her playstation and popped in a new disc. Lily settled herself on the floor, back against the couch, just in front of the twins.

"Elden Ring, huh?" John said. "I've been hearing good things."

"Same," Lily said. "Here goes."

Elie, less interested in watching than her brother, pulled out her phone to occupy her. John and Lily chatted away while Lily started her game.

John's hand brushed up and down Elie's legs every now and then, just a casual caress. Elie recognized that she and her brother had what was most certainly a more intimate relationship than a lot of siblings, it could even be considered weirdly close, but she wouldn't trade it for anything more 'normal'. Especially because she was proud of her legs, honed from years of running, and it was nice to have them appreciated sometimes.

Vi came downstairs a bit later, boytoy in tow. She saw him to the door, gave him a goodbye kiss, then returned and joined her siblings in the living room.

"Proud of ourselves, are we?" Elie asked without looking up from her phone.

Vi sank into the comfy recliner that was, by right of age and fighting prowess, hers. John glanced at her and indeed saw the self-satisfied, cat-like grin on her face that he expected.

"Feeling pretty good, yes," Vi said. "Jealous?"

Elie snorted. "Of what?"

"Derek. He's a cutie, isn't he?"

"He's alright," Elie said, nonplussed. "You banged him before? He looked familiar."

"Nope. He lives down the street though."

"Oh. That's probably it."

Silence descended. Vi flicked her eyes around between her brother and sisters, seemingly waiting for some further comment.

"You guys waiting for me to finish, were you?" she asked when no one bit.

John sighed. "Yes, Vi, we heard you guys in your room. You're such a weird show off."

"Not showing off," Vi said.

"You're a huge show off," Lily said without taking her eyes off her game.

"The worst," Elie agreed, likewise not looking away from her phone.

Vi rolled her eyes and got back out of her seat. "Whatever. I refuse to be ashamed of it."

"That's fine," John said. "But you could do with being a little less proud of it."

Vi shook her head, her short, dyed hair tumbling over her eyes before she brushed it back. "Women have had to spend too long being--"

A chorus of groans drowned out Vi's point before she could finish it.

"We respect your choices to fuck every boy with a pulse," Lily said. "We truly do. It's just we don't need to hear it."

"And you definitely make sure we hear it," Elie added. "Like, every time."

"Can I help it if I know what I'm doing in bed?" Vi asked.

"At this point, probably not," John said.

Vi glared at her siblings, but gave it up. "Alright, whatever. I'ma get started on supper. Who's gonna peel vegetables for me?"

Elie put her phone away and rolled to her feet while John and Lily were busy bickering over whose turn it was. "I'm not doing anything anyway," she said.

"Neither are we," John said. "Peeling vegetables just isn't tha--"

"It's not appealing," Lily said

"--t fun. Oh goddammit Lily," John said batting a pillow from the couch at Lily's head, who only giggled, fully pleased with herself.

Vi and Elie hit the kitchen, Elie accepted her assignment of veggie prep in assistance of the evening meal.

"We don't care who you fuck," Elie said.

"Yeah, I know," Vi said.

"You just... you really do kind of show it off."

Vi smiled crookedly. "I know that too."

"Then why do--"

"Because it annoys the shit out of all of you."

Elie made an offended noise and winged half a potato at Vi, who nearly caught the projectile, but instead it bounced off her wrist and into the sink.

"Don't throw food around," Vi chided.

"Don't be a little shit," Elie countered.

"Can't be a little shit. I'm the oldest."

"And yet somehow you manage it anyway."

****

Supper was cooking by the time Helena got home from work. Vi was hanging out in the kitchen keeping an eye on things. Helena greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Mom. How was work?"

Helena shrugged. "Oh, you know. The usual."

"Thought it might be."

"Supper smells good."

Vi nodded. "It's almost ready. You've got time to get changed."

"Then I'd probably better get on it."

Helena breezed through the living room too, greeting each of her children with the traditional kiss on the cheek or forehead, depending on their relative position, then went upstairs to shower and change.

"She's excited," Elie commented. "Bet she's got a date tonight."

"You think?" Lily asked. "I didn't notice anything."

"You never even looked up. You wouldn't have noticed."

"I'm at an important part."

"Uh-huh."

"I hope it's not the same guy she brought back last time," John said. "I got a weird feeling from him."

Elie shrugged. She was sitting next to John now, with his arm around her and his hand resting on her tummy. He'd deliberately pushed her shirt up a little to give them that extra little bit of physical connection. They both found it comforting.

"I think you just get weird about any of Mom's boyfriends," Elie said.

"I don't," John protested.

"No, it's true, you do," Lily said. "But I actually agree, that last guy had a weird vibe."

"I don't know whether to feel ganged up on or supported just now," John grumbled.

Elie turned her head to beam cheerily at him. "That's family for you."

****

Helena turned up for supper wearing going-out clothes. Elie smirked at John, who stuck his tongue out at her in return.

"Alright, children," Helena said calmly. "None of that."

"Who's the lucky guy?" Elie asked.

"Hm?"

"You're going out," Lily said. "You've got date clothes on. Elie called it earlier."

Helena sighed. "Yes, I'm going out with someone. No, you don't know him. No, I'm probably not bringing him home tonight. Yes, I--"

"You do rather take the fun out of interrogating you," Elie complained.

"Technically I should be grilling you lot about your dating choices," Helena said. "Not the other way around."

"Yes," Elie agreed, "except for we're all responsible and competent individuals and can make our own choices."

Helena narrowed her eyes. "And what does that make me?"

Elie fluttered her eyelashes. "Our beloved mother who we all want to see happy and never get hurt."