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"Why do I have to ask him?" Alex groaned. He barely stirred, sprawled on the futon, totally engrossed by his phone.

Samantha rolled her eyes, slipping into a clean pair of panties and dropping her towel once they were secure on her hips. "Because this whole trip was your idea, you chode." She folded her arms, hands cupped to cover her breasts. "Don't be a pussy."

To her disappointment, Alex did not so much as look over. The only indication he had even heard her was the way his fingers slowed on his phone. "He likes you better is all I'm saying."

"Do you want to go, or not?" Samantha snapped. She yanked open a dresser drawer a bit forcefully, grabbing the first bra she saw. "Cuz I'm really not in the mood for this."

She heard the futon creak, and then a second later, Alex's arms slipped around her belly. He hugged her gently from behind, cheek resting on the back of her neck.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just being lazy, sis. I'll go ask him."

Leaning forward slightly, Samantha fumbled with her bra strap. No sooner had she clasped it in place, than Alex's paw slipped up beneath one cup, throwing the whole thing askew. He squeezed her breast gently, then gave it a playful pinch. "Honk honk," he said, planted a kiss on her cheek, and then fled the room.

Samantha sighed, rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that morning, and adjusted her bra back into place. "Moron," she said, then smiled.

***

Alex knocked on the door, then held his breath. There was no response from the other side. He knocked again, slightly louder.

A pause. "What do you want?"

Alex cleared his throat. "Hey, James. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Of all the rooms in the house, Alex saw the inside of James' the least. His stepbrother was rarely home from school--barring the occasional weekend--and tended to remain locked in his room when he was. Not that Alex necessarily blamed him. James had been in high school when their parents had married, and spending time with a pair of undoubtedly obnoxious elementary school kids hadn't been high on his list of hobbies. Fortunately, a few years out of the house had made him a little more personable. Not to mention everything else that had happened in that time.

Opening the door, Alex found the older fox sitting on his bed. A laptop and several weighty textbooks were strewn around.

James glanced at him, somewhat distractedly. "What you need?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. It was silver--after his biological father--and much, much longer than Alex's.

"Sam and I were wondering if, ah, you could drive us to the mall. In a bit." Alex's heart was beating far too hard. James was family, after all. It shouldn't be that hard to talk to him, right?

James gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah, fine. You need me to pick you up too?"

Alex swallowed. "If you don't mind."

James shrugged. "I'm meeting some friends for lunch out that way. I can just grab coffee and study afterwards. How long you gonna be?"

"Um... we were thinking about seeing a movie. You could join us if you wanted."

"Nah, maybe another time. Thanks, though. So... couple of hours? You want to just call me when you're done?"

Alex nodded. "Sure. Is that okay?"

"As long as you're done by dinner." James gave him a small smile. "I gotta finish this. Be ready to go in like... half an hour?"

Alex nodded again.

"Alright. Can you close the door, Alex?"

Samantha was waiting for him when he did. As soon as the door clicked shut she gave him a grin and a muttered, "I told you so."

"Half an hour," he said.

"I heard." She was practically smiling from ear to ear. "Know what you're gonna get?"

He shook his head.

"Well, you've got time to figure it out," she said. She closed the distance between them with a few deliberately sexy steps. Swinging her hips, she reached out and grabbed him gently by the scruff of his neck, then pulled him into a deep kiss.

Alex's eyes went wide and he tried to pull away. Half-succeeding, he silently gestured toward James' door. It was one thing to kiss in their room or when no one was home; it was quite another when they were mere feet away from someone. Particularly a silver fox with exceptional ears.

"Sam," he said, using her name as a warning. He shot her a look and she blushed slightly, throwing up her hands in acquiescence.

"Alright," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be careful." She turned and walked away, still emphatically swinging her hips. "After all, nothing good ever happens to bad girls."

***

"So, how is school going?" James asked. He glanced briefly toward Samantha in the passenger seat.

"It's fine," said Samantha, shrugging. "Couple bomb threats, some pregnant drop-outs. The usual."

James laughed. "Yeah. Sounds like East. Mellor still teaching pre-calc?"

"Uhh," Samantha said. She twisted about in her seat. "Alex, you know?"

Alex shrugged, the slight motion failing to break his concentration as he stared out the window. "She's retiring next year."

James gave a low whistle. "Damn. Makes me feel old."

Samantha gave a snort of amusement. "Bullshit! You're what... twenty-two?"

James shot her a stern look. "Don't swear," he said.

"But!" Her mouth gaped in disbelief as she protested. "You just...!"

Grinning, he winked then reached over to muss her hair. Samantha squealed, trying and failing to shield her head from his vandalism.

From his seat in the back, Alex suppressed a sigh, mentally calculating the minutes until they arrived at the mall. He had no idea why, but watching the two of them laugh and tease one another filled him with an unexpected jealousy. Perhaps a small part of him feared James would swoop in and steal his sister away? It was, admittedly, something of a long shot. They were siblings in a manner of speaking. But then... that didn't really mean a thing, did it?

"Alex?" James voice broke through his reverie. "You doing okay back there, bud?"

"Fine," he said, avoiding his step-brother's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"Oh-kay then." James tone of voice made it clear he didn't believe everything was fine, yet he had no intention of pressing the issue. He fell silent for a minute, then asked a little too loudly, "You guys want me to drop you off at the south entrance?"

"Sure," Alex answered quickly. Samantha turned slightly, giving him a look. The south entrance was on the opposite end of the mall from their destinations, but would cut a few minutes off the drive.

"Okay," James said. "Just, ah, give me a call when you guys are ready to leave, yeah?" He turned sharply into the appropriate parking lot.

"We will," Samantha said. She gave a strained smile. "Thanks for driving us, James."

"No problem. See you guys later."

Stepping out of the vehicle as James slowed to a stop, Samantha gave him a smile and a wave. Alex closed the door behind himself and did not look back.

***

"Hey, are you okay?" Samantha said. She gave a slight tug on her brother's sleeve when he did not immediately respond. "Alex! Hey!"

Turning, he gave her a weak smile and a shrug. "I'm okay," he said. "Just... I don't know. Feeling a little off."

"Anything I can do to help?" She rubbed his arm affectionately.

He shook his head. "I don't think so. Just give me a bit, I'll feel better."

"Oh, uh, okay." She looked troubled, but slowly withdrew her paw. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

Samantha hesitated, then grabbed her brother's paw and pulled him into a deep hug. He resisted for a split second, then simply stood still, arms hanging by his sides. "You know what we need?"

Alex was silent. After a solid ten seconds of stillness, he finally relented. "What?"

"A date." Her voice was much higher pitched than usual, almost giddy, but in a way that felt entirely authentic. She pulled back slightly, though they remained connected by their forearms. "Nobody knows us here. We could just pretend to be a couple. Instead of... you know... siblings."

Samantha saw the corner of Alex's mouth sneak upward briefly. "We could run into somebody," he said.

"So we won't kiss. Not in public. But we could still pass as normal, ah, unrelated couple. Affectionate siblings, you know?"

He rolled his eyes. "Such a stupid risk to take...."

"But you'll do it, won't you? For me?"

"Fine."

Samantha gave a giggle, then leaned over and kissed him delicately on the lips. "Thanks, Alex." Spinning, she slipped her arm around his and leaned lightly on his shoulder. "So. Lunch. What you feeling?"

Alex was silent, but looked around. "Food court's that way," he said, gesturing with his free paw. "Let's just get something fast."

Nodding, Samantha set off at a flamboyant march. She kicked her legs much higher than normal, grinning like a fiend and more-than-half-dragging her brother through the empty atrium. "I could really go for something spicy. Or like... a hotdog. No, wait!" She looked over, eyes twinkling. "Subway. I need to get foot-long inside me."

Alex rolled his eyes, again, but laughed. "Six inches not enough?"

"Hell, no."

"What about a burrito? They're... girthy. Plenty of meat."

"Mmm... there's an idea. Maybe a Big Mac, though. I'm craving some secret sauce."

Grinning, Alex poked his sister's side, making her yelp and dance away. She kept her arm tightly wound around his the whole time, however. "That's gotta be the least phallic food of all time, sis. Get your McChode some other time."

Samantha squawked indignantly, glaring at him in mock outrage. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with dong-shaped food on the fly like that?"

"Eggplant. Carrots. Cucumber."

"What the fuck kind of food court has cucumbers?"

Alex leaned over, kissing her forehead, then gently directed her gaze with a paw. He nodded toward the small, seemingly abandoned Sushi counter. "Cucumber rolls."

She stared at him for a moment, then stuck out her tongue. "I'll roll your cucumber," she said, squeezing his arm.

He strolled them leisurely toward the sushi joint, leaning over to whisper directly into her ear. "What a thing to say to your dear brother."

Samantha blushed unexpectedly, then leaned over in an identical manner. "I want your cock inside me." Pulling free of his arm, she danced forward several steps, spinning to walk backward. She raised a brow. "How's that?"

Grinning, Alex scratched one ear in embarrassment. "That's, ah... I... I don't have a response to that."

Samantha turned, walking a few steps ahead. She drew her tail up against her back and began to swing her hips a little more forcefully as she walked, looking very pleased with herself. "You're buying lunch, then," she said.

"Alex?" A voice called.

The twins turned--Samantha perhaps a shade faster--to find a young coyote with golden eyes and a blue sundress walking toward them. Her face lit up as they turned, and she gave Alex a wide smile.

"I thought that was you!" Karina said with a laugh. "Fancy meeting you here."

Alex returned the smile, though a little less enthusiastically than he felt. "Likewise." He gave a sweep of his paw and glanced between the two women. "Karina, have you met my sister, Samantha? Sam, this is Karina, from my English class."

Samantha's smile looked genuine and she gave the appropriate twitch of her tail, but her eyes were like ice. There was a brittleness to her voice as she addressed the coyote. "Nice to meet you, Karina."

Karina hesitated, then her eyes widened slightly. "Are you two...?"

Alex's heart stopped.

His sister laughed. "Twins? Yeah. We just look alike, though. Not identical or anything."

"Ohhhh! Alex mentioned he had a sister, but I just figured you were older or something."

There was a growing sharpness to Samantha's voice. "Only six minutes. I'm definitely more mature, though."

Sometime during the exchange, Alex's heart had resumed beating. "So, ah, you finish your essay?" he interjected. He fought to maintain his smile through his sister's well-concealed, utterly murderous glare.

The coyote laughed. "Would I be bumming around here if I hadn't? Knocked that sucker out in a single draft." She pantomimed a mean right hook, tail wagging. "You?"

Alex scratched the back of his head, awkwardly. "Pretty much. I got it written, I'm just looking for more dirty jokes in case I have to read it in class."

Karina laughed again, covering her mouth with a paw as her eyes lit up in delight. "Ms. Miller is never going to bother you again at this rate!"

"Damn straight."

Karina turned, giving Samantha a friendly smile. "Who do you have for English?" she asked.

She shrugged. "I've got miller, too. Sixth period."

"Oh! How's your essay coming?"

Samantha ran a paw through her hair, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. "Life comes at you fast, just like a raging current. I don't fight it. Going against the flow? That just means you're swimming in place!" She ended with a flourish, then shrugged. "I'm just fucking with you. I'm not in Honors; we have a test next week."

Karina's mouth slowly dropped open, and she gave a knowing chuckle. "Sounds like a dandy way to live," she said with a wink.

Stiffening, Samantha opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. She relaxed, and gave her first earnest smile since Karina's arrival. "You're alright," she said. Paws slipping into her pockets, she eyed the sushi counter. "Alex, I'm hungry."

Karina tapped a fist against her forehead. "Sorry, guys! I didn't know you hadn't eaten. I'll let you get back to it, then. My ride's almost here." She gave a small wave.

They'd barely taken a step on their way, when there was another outburst of "Oh!" Alex glanced back, and caught another warm, Karina grin. "I almost forgot. Could I talk to you for a moment?" The coyote gave an almost imperceptible glance toward Samantha, and added, "It'll just take a sec."

Alex felt his heart sink. He could almost tell what was coming. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to be led away, Samantha's eyes drilling into his back.

Karina was blushing, chewing her lip a bit nervously. Even her ears were fluttering back, though she was obviously trying to prop them up to conceal her anxiety.

"Hey, uh, Alex," she said, almost stammering. "I know this is probably super-weird or whatever. But, would you be interested in hanging out sometime? I mean, I don't really know what you like to do, but I'm sure we could, you know, find something that we're both into." She blushed a much deeper shade of red. "And that probably sounded really bad, right. I promise it's, ah, nothing, ah..." she trailed off, looking utterly panicked and embarrassed at the same time.

In the solitude of his own mind, Alex cursed everything. Especially fate. A few months ago, he would have killed for the opportunity Karina was giving him. But right now... this particular moment was literally the worst possible timing. Samantha, hopefully standing just out of earshot, undoubtedly still knew the nature of the conversation. If he said yes, she would never forgive him. Their relationship, romantic or otherwise, would never, ever recover. And even though this chance would almost certainly never repeat itself....

"Karina, I..." he said. His throat was tight. "I really, really wish I could. God, you have no idea how badly I want to say yes. But, I just... I can't right now. I'm sorry, I know that's a horrible excuse. Maybe another time. I'm sorry."

The coyote looked like she'd been kicked in the gut. She tried to smile, but failed, and wound up giving him a sort of pained smirk. "It's... okay." She sounded a bit hoarse. "I, uh, shouldn't have just sprung that on you."

"Karina, I..."

She retreated a step, still struggling to smile. "No, no, it's okay. I'll see you around." She spun too-quick, and banged her hip into a table, hard. One paw came up to wipe something from her cheek, and suddenly she was limping away. It was far too quick a pace.

"Shit," he whispered.

"Everything okay?" Samantha asked, laying a paw on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard her approach.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he lied. Not with you, at least.

Samantha gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Then come on. Let's get some food in you. That'll help."

It was the last thing he wanted right now. If his stomach was growling, he certainly couldn't feel it over the pain and regret stewing in his gut. There seemed to be a lot of that lately.

"Not really."

***

It did help.

Alex felt terrible about it. A part of him wanted nothing more than to sit and brood on the hurt he'd caused Karina. To blame himself. To look around for someone else to blame for forcing his hand. But the unmistakable fact was that once he'd gotten a stomach full of rice and tuna he felt better. Though not for lack of trying.

"I just feel bad," he said.

The twins walked the still-sparse mall, arm in arm. They hadn't needed to talk about toning down additional displays of affection; Karina's arrival had spooked them both.

"Why?" Samantha said, as ever playing the voice of reason. "She asked you out, you turned her down. It happens every day."

"I didn't want to hurt her though."

"You didn't. She hurt herself. She built her hopes up way too high. That's on her, not you."

Alex was silent.

Samantha gave an exasperated sigh. "You liked her, didn't you?"

He paused, searching her words for a trap. "A little," he admitted.

"And you blame me. You thought I'd freak out."

He paused again, longer this time. "I don't blame you," he said. It was mostly true, after all.

His sister groaned. "Come on, Alex. This isn't like the party. You're allowed to be interested in other girls, too." She flashed him a grin. "Just not skanky bitches named 'Morgan.'"

Shooting her a look, Alex allowed a small amount of skepticism to bleed into his words. "Really. If I'd said yes, you'd be okay with it." His words were flat, lacking the usual inflection of a question.

"Well," Samantha said. She paused. "I'd be jealous. And I definitely don't want you throwing it in my face. But..." she scrunched up her face thoughtfully. "We're not exactly a normal couple. I'm not expecting you to be my mate for life, or any crap like that." She reached and squeezed his paw with hers. "Just keep it all separate, okay? Don't bring your girls around, keep me in the loop, and we'll be friends with benefits. Siblings. Whatever."

Feeling a bit bold, Alex leaned over and nipped at her ear lightly. "You're not just saying that so you can see other guys, right?"

"Not right now," she said, leaning out of reach of his fangs while continuing to grasp his paw. "Maybe in the future."

"Gotta keep your options open," he teased.

"Damn straight." She gave a pleased growl, snuggling against her brother's side. "And speaking of!" She raised their still-clasped paw to gesture ahead.

***

"You guys eighteen?" The only visible employee was a very bored looking badger with astonishingly gauged ears. He leaned heavily on the glass counter, examining his phone.

"No," Samantha replied, sounding utterly unconcerned.

The badger gave a grunt. "Aight. No drug or alcohol paraphernalia. Otherwise, knock yourselves out."

She marched to the counter, leaving Alex wide-eyed just inside the entrance. "I've got cash," Samantha said, paws on hips. "And I can pass for eighteen."

The badger barely looked up. "You a cop?" he asked. If the notion worried him, it didn't show.

"No."

He grunted.

After an awkwardly long wait, Samantha cleared her throat. "So. We good?"

"No paraphernalia," he repeated. There was an evenness to his voice that suggested he may have taken it upon himself to test the merchandise before his shift began.

Samantha groaned a curse, then waved Alex over. He obliged.

"What about now? Together we're almost--"

The cashier gave her a look, glancing right past Alex, that made it very clear he was not interested in negotiating.

"Right. Well then," Samantha said. She nudged her brother. "Remember what we agreed. Keep it a surprise; don't let me see what you get."

Alex nodded. He wasn't sure he could've talked if he'd tried. Instead, he simply wandered away, perusing shelves well-stocked with leather, glass, and silicone. A number of items made him blush, but after fifteen minutes of awkwardly avoiding his sister's eyes and praying no one he knew stumbled in, he managed a purchase. The bored-maybe-stoned cashier was even considerate enough to tuck his purchases into a black, non-descript bag. There were few things worse than riding home with James carrying a big ol' bag that practically screamed "SEX TOYS IN HERE!" but carrying them openly was definitely one.

Waiting on a bench outside, Alex swung his legs in silence, waiting for his sister to complete her own purchase. She joined him, and sat down wordlessly. A long, awkward pause ensued, during which neither of them wanted to admit or acknowledge what had just transpired.

"I think," Alex said finally. "We may need to slow down a bit."

Beside him, Samantha nodded, numbly.

"Not stop, just... proceed with caution."

"Mmhmm," she agreed.

"We're messing with dark forces beyond our knowledge."

Samantha groaned, shooting him a look. "Alex, they're vibrators, not Voldemort."

He grinned. "It's all fun and games until She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named grabs your wand."

Rolling her eyes, Samantha gave his shoulder a light kiss. "I guess it depends on the wood."