Ai pulled back just enough to look at him, her eyes half-lidded but gleaming with mischief. Her fingers toyed with the hem of his shirt, brushing lightly over the line of his stomach—those hard lines she'd already traced with her eyes a dozen times tonight.
Then she tilted her head, that teasing little smile forming.
"…Ne, Onii-chan," she began, voice soft and curious, "even if I get naked… why do you get naked too?"
Shin blinked, caught off guard for half a second before letting out a breath of a laugh.
"Oh, you're starting that again?"
"I'm serious," she said with a pout, tapping his chest. "You say I climb into your bed. Fine. But then you just strip down like you're my boyfriend."
Her words landed sharp and sweet. His fingers paused on her thigh, and she felt his breath hitch just a little.
"You even wrap your arms around me from behind," she added, voice lower now, a whisper meant just for him, "and kiss me before we sleep. You touch me everywhere. Everywhere, Onii-chan."
Her eyes glimmered—challenging, testing, knowing full well the effect her words had.
"But no matter how many times I ask you to go further…" she let her voice trail off, then smiled slyly, "…you never do."
Shin's jaw tightened, eyes locked on her. "We already talked about that."
"I know," she said quickly, fingers tracing idle circles against his chest. "You said it's wrong. You said we shouldn't. You said you're waiting for me to grow up."
She paused, brushing her lips against his jaw. "But if I'm naughty, then you are too."
Her voice was a whisper now, curling against his skin like silk.
"We're the worst, aren't we?" She giggled. "The worst BroCon and SisCon in the world."
Shin let out a low groan, his hand tightening on her thigh. "Don't say that like it's cute."
"But it is cute," she murmured, pushing her nose against his cheek. "We cuddle every night, we kiss like lovers, we whisper secrets in bed… Onii-chan, you act more like a boyfriend than anyone I know."
He exhaled slowly, a hand sliding up her back again, his fingers brushing the thin strap of her bra beneath her loose top.
"You're soft," he muttered suddenly.
Ai blinked. "…Huh?"
He looked down at her, eyes warm and dark, lips twitching at the corners.
"You're so damn small and soft," he said, voice heavy with affection and restrained desire. "I hold you and it's like you melt into me. It drives me crazy."
Ai's face turned rosy again, but she didn't stop smiling.
"And you're so big and strong," she shot back, poking at one of his abs. "Seriously, these muscles? These abs? Are you really a high schooler?"
Shin smirked. "You're the one who keeps touching them."
"You're the one who keeps flexing," she teased, then leaned in, laying soft kisses across his chest. "Like you're proud of being my pillow."
"I am your pillow," he muttered against her hair, kissing the crown of her head.
Ai giggled again, hands curling into his shirt, heart fluttering.
Shin leaned back against the couch, still holding Ai close, his fingers brushing along the small of her back as the movie played on, long forgotten.
Then, with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he murmured, "So… should we take this to bed, or just stay here and watch whatever nonsense is on TV?"
Ai blinked dramatically, eyes wide as if pretending to be in deep thought.
"Hmm…" she tilted her head left and right, lips pursed in mock consideration. "Bed means cuddles under the blanket, but here has the 'forbidden couch' vibe..."
Shin snorted. "You always end up in my bed anyway."
"I know," she said brightly, grinning now. "Then let's go!"
Before she could say another word, Shin kissed her—soft and brief but full of promise—then slid his arms beneath her, one behind her knees and the other under her back. He started to rise, lifting her up effortlessly in a bridal carry, her weight light against his strength.
"Ehh?! Shin—again with the princess treatment?" she laughed, arms looped around his neck.
But just before he could fully stand, her voice quieted, stopping him.
"…Wait, Onii-chan."
He paused mid-rise, gaze dropping to meet hers. Her smile was still there, but something tender, something uncertain had settled in her eyes.
"If…" she hesitated, "if you confess to Yuki—and he says yes—and he starts living together with us…"
Her fingers tightened just a little around his neck.
"…will you still do these things with me?"
Shin didn't answer right away. His expression didn't shift, but she could feel it in the way his grip stayed still—frozen in that one breath of a moment.
Ai looked straight into his eyes now, not teasing. Just quiet. Serious.
"I mean… you're in love with Yuki, right?" she asked softly, voice barely more than a whisper. "So, tell me that."
The room felt quieter than before. The TV's flickering light cast gentle shadows across their faces, but neither moved.
Ai's heart thudded against her chest as she waited—still wrapped in his arms, but suddenly unsure of where she stood.
Shin's lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but the words didn't come yet.
He just looked at her, gaze intense, caught between two worlds—one of love, and one of something more complicated.
Shin paused for a moment, his arms still loosely wrapped around Ai as her question hung in the quiet, blue-lit room like mist. His fingers absently brushed against the side of her waist, where her top had ridden up just a little more from all the shifting.
"If Yuki says yes… and he's okay with a threesome," he said, half teasing, half serious, "then I guess that solves everything, doesn't it?"
Ai blinked at him with her lips slightly parted, then narrowed her eyes and playfully shoved his chest. "Onii-chan! Stop teasing."
"I'm not teasing," he replied, the corner of his mouth twitching in a smirk. "Okay, maybe just a little."
Ai pouted, her brows pinched together. "Well… I could do it. I could share you, if it was Yuki-kun. But… what if he says no? What happens to me then?"
Her voice had dropped into something softer. Quieter. More afraid. Her arms stayed around his neck, but her fingers curled tightly into his shirt like she was clinging to more than just fabric—like she was holding onto hope.
"I'll be so lonely," she whispered. "It'll eat me up from inside…"
Shin looked at her, really looked at her. The way her lashes trembled with unshed emotion, the slight wobble in her lip, the fierce way she tried to look strong even when she was scared.
He didn't know what to say. So he said the first thing that came to him.
"…Maybe I shouldn't confess, then."
Ai's eyes widened. "Don't," she snapped, the word sharp like a slap. "Don't even say that."
She pushed back, but not far. Her hands stayed on him like she couldn't quite let go. Her breath hitched again. "As much as I love being with you—being spoiled, cuddled, kissed… all of it—if not confessing means..."
"Ai…"
"I'm serious!" she barked, but her voice cracked. "If you're going to hurt yourself by holding back, then maybe I shouldn't… I shouldn't stay so close…"
Shin just stared at her a second longer—then burst out laughing.
"Wha—!?"
"You're seriously too cute," he grinned, eyes gleaming. He squeezed her hips, hard enough to make her yelp. "Even when you're mad, you're just this tiny, pouty little ball of fluff."
"O-Onii-chan!"
"I'm never leaving you," he said, all teasing dropped from his tone. His voice softened, grew serious, warm. "Not now, not after all this. Maybe I should just open a harem or something."
"…Eh?"
"That way, you and Yuki can both stay with me," he added, smirking again. "And I'll invite Haa-chan too. I mean, she's loved me since we were, what, ten? Poor girl's still waiting for her turn."
Ai turned red like a rising sun. "H-Haa-chan?!"
"Yeah," Shin chuckled. "You know she kissed me first, right?"
"I know!" Ai huffed. "She told me when we were still kids… said I should hurry up or she'd take you away."
"And you didn't hurry," Shin teased.
"I did!" Ai snapped, cheeks puffing. "I just took a different approach."
"Throwing your tiny self into my bed and stealing all my hoodies?" he said, eyebrow raised.
"Exactly," she nodded, proud. "Worked, didn't it?"
He grinned wider, then leaned in again, brushing their noses together. "Worked a little too well."
Ai blinked again, shy now. Then she said it—soft and sweet:
"Do you promise, Onii-chan…?"
It wasn't just a question. It was a plea. A little voice laced with vulnerability, asking for reassurance, for protection, for love.
Shin felt something twist in his chest.
He cupped her cheek gently with one hand, thumb brushing along her jaw.
"I promise."
Her lips parted—just barely—then curled into a soft smile that could melt stone. It was so sweet it could make even a girl blush. And it did.
Shin leaned down and kissed her again.
And again.
His hand found the curve of her thigh, fingers sliding up, pulling her closer until she was flush against him, her soft chest pressing into his as her legs draped lazily over his lap. She was so small, so warm, so impossibly soft in every way.
"Ai," he murmured against her lips. "You're so tiny… how did I end up with a little sister this small and soft?"
Her laugh was breathy, girlish, and teasing. "And you… you're so big and strong. These abs… seriously, are you even a high schooler?"
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Why? Want to check again?"
She blushed deeper and bit her lip. "Maybe."
He kissed her cheek. Then her jaw. Then her neck.
"Should we take this to bed already?" he murmured low, voice tickling her skin.
Ai gasped softly, but then placed a finger on his lips with mock thoughtfulness. "Hmmm… let me think…"
He smirked. "Decide fast."
"Okay then—" She suddenly lit up, smiling brightly. "Bed!"
He chuckled under his breath. "You're really something else."
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END OF CHAPTER : 44 : TEASINGS!
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