I'm not sure when it happened, but I think I may have a crush on my own brother.
My brother, Wise, and I run our own movie rental store on Sixth Street in New Eridu city.
And at the same time, we're Proxies who help our clients explore the Hollow dimensions that have affected our city.
That is to say, we're used to strange stuff in our lives, but the attraction I feel toward Wise is a different kind of strange.
If I had to choose a time when I started realizing I had a more than familial attraction to my brother, I would say it was that time last week when there was that huge thunderstorm.
My room was illuminated by the flash of lightning outside my room, and then came the roar of thunder.
BOOM!!
"Ah!!" I let out a scream as I hid under the blanket on my bed.
Dammit, that one actually took me by surprise!
Suddenly, there's a knock on my bedroom door that threatens to make me cry out again.
"Hey, Belle," Wise called out to me from outside my door, "Are you okay?"
No, Bro! I'm an adult hiding under the covers in my room like a freaking kid!
"I-I'm okay!" I told him, trying my best to pretend that I didn't just scream out in my room.
"Is it okay if I come in?"
"Y-yeah."
Wise opens the door gently, while he makes his way to my bed, I flinch at the next round of thunder that goes off.
"Thunderstorms still giving you a hard time?" he asked sincerely.
"W-what?! No way!"
My embarrassment was plain to see.
He simply smiles, "It's okay if you're scared, Belle."
"Hey, I told you I'm not scared," I pouted.
As soon as I said that, the sound of thunder roared again and I immediately hugged Wise. It wasn't my intention, as my body had just moved on its own during my bout of fright.
But before I got the chance to pull away from him, Wise held me tight instead.
"It's okay," he says gently.
Moments like this when my brother holds me like I'm the most important thing in the world to him, that's when I feel safest.
"Wise…"
"Yeah?"
"...I don't want to be alone tonight."
"Ah, I understand."
It was my way of telling him that I wanted him to sleep in my room, so I wasn't alone.
We've always been close as siblings so there was nothing strange about it, but that night felt a bit more special than usual.
"I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay," I nod.
Wise gets up and goes to his room next door for a few minutes before returning with his own pillow. I had to brave the thunder by myself for those few minutes, but it would be worth it.
"I'm back," Wise smiles at me and I make room on my bed for him to jump in next to me.
As soon as he gets comfortable enough and turns over to face me, I wrap my arms around him tightly, pushing my face into his chest.
"Someone seems to have missed her big brother, haha," he teases, but holds me close all the same.
"Doofus."
"I know, haha."
"Hey, Wise," I lift my face a little bit off his shirt so he could hear me, "I'm really happy you're my brother."
"Oh, is that so?"
I nodded quietly, "I just think about how you've always been there for me growing up, you know? Times like this when you comfort me like this."
Almost as if the thunder was listening to what I said, it boomed again, causing me to sink my face inside Wise's chest again.
Thankfully the noise outside drowns out how much my heart is beating right now.
"Of course, it's what I'm here for."
I'm so glad he can't see how red my face is right now.
"Am I a good sister?" I asked him.
"Well, you can be a little pain in the butt sometimes," he teases again.
I headbutted his chest.
"Ow, Belle, haha…yes, you're a good sister. I wouldn't ever trade you for someone else."
"Hmm."
As sweet as it was, I wasn't ready to buy what he said just yet.
"What?"
"What about Nicole?"
"N-Nicole?" Wise gets flustered. A small victory, despite how jealous it made me.
"Or Anby. Or Zhu Yuan. Or Ellen. Or Corrin. Or-"
"W-wait, do you think I like all of our female clients?!"
"Don't you?"
"No!"
"Liar!"
This time I'm pouting, still holding onto him, but giving him my disapproving little sister face.
"Okay, maybe at least one, but it's nothing I'm interested in pursuing! I swear!"
"...Really?"
"Yeah? Why does it even matter anyway? I'm free to like whoever I want, woman or otherwise."
Now it's my turn to get flustered…and sad.
I let go of him, and before I knew it, I started crying a little.
"B-Belle? What's wrong?"
"...It's nothing," I said softly.
"Huh?"
"I said it's nothing!"
"Okay, okay!"
Defeated, Wise turns around on the bed, but then I hug him from behind, holding onto him as the big spoon.
"Wise…"
"Yeah?"
"...I love you."
"I love you too, Belle," he says, holding my arm with his.
Even though I know he loves me as his sister, my heart aches because I want him to love me so much more than that.