Twin Comforts Twin Sis During Storm

I laid in bed and waited quietly for the inevitable visit from my sister. The alarm clock on the table glowed uncomfortably bright in the dark room, its display showing 10:45.

It had been dark for hours now and Hazel might have been sleeping- or she might have been laying there struggling to sleep since it had gotten dark. Or she might have stayed up late reading again. I wasn't really sure. What I did know is that she would be here in my room any second now.

It was raining, and the lightning and thunder had just started up. Hazel was absolutely terrified of thunderstorms. Every time one happened she would come to me for comfort because she was so overwhelmed with terror. We had turned 18 a few months ago and it wouldn't be long before we were moving out on our own, but even now she was still terrified of storms. Early on, when we shared a room, she would make her way over from her bed to mine.

Later on, we outgrew sharing a room and eventually we each had our own (even though they were right next to each other and shared a bathroom). At this point whenever a thunderstorm happened Hazel still found her way into my room and into my bed. Even when I tried to go to her room, she would usually lead us back to my room if she needed to be comforted. I wasn't really sure I understood why but I still agreed. She didn't tend to ask for things she didn't need, so it must help her somehow if she wanted it.

Not too long after having the thought I saw a bright flash illuminate the room- even through the curtain. Moments later I heard soft footsteps growing louder- approaching.

The door opened and closed in the dark- right as a loud crack of thunder sounded like a bomb going off just outside. I heard a soft yelp and Hazel leapt into my bed. Her movement was lacking her usual grace and she ended up elbowing me in the ribcage. I grunted and she curled herself around me like a cat wrapping around its human's leg.

"Sorry, sis," she said in a hushed tone, as if afraid to speak too loud.

"I know. Come here," I said, matching her quiet volume.

She had been laying at an awkward angle, having dived into the bed and curled around me. She released the uncomfortable pose and sat beside me, wrapping herself up in my comforter. This pulled it most of the way off me, but I didn't mind; she clearly needed it more than I did right now. I pulled her (blanket bundle and all) into my arms, pressing the side of my body against hers through the blankets. "I know it's loud, Hazel. I know it's scary. I'm sorry I can't make it stop, but I promise you're safe here with me."

She nodded, looking into my eyes, desperately seeking reassurance. "I hate this," she whispered, her voice cracking from terror.

"How can I help?" I asked. "We can go to your room, if you want. At least it doesn't have a window." That was actually why she'd chosen that room in the first place, but it never seemed to matter much.

She looked at me with her thoughtful eyes and shook her head.

"No? Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded. "Your room smells like you," she said simply, as if that answered my question perfectly.

I smiled and shook my head. "You're impossible, Hazel. What else would help?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "I... I just want you to hold me close. Distract me."

"I am holding you," I pointed out, squeezing her tighter for a moment.

"I... That's not what I mean, Hailey."

I bit my lip. I wasn't exactly sure what she did mean, though. I had the thought that she might mean she wanted something more than cuddling, but that just made me feel nervous, so I assumed I had to be wrong. Surely I just... didn't understand?

"Do you want me to get you the headphones again? The ones that cancel the noise?"

"No, Hailey, they don't work. Not really. It's just not enough. I told you what I want. I want you. Is that... too much?" she asked. The wavering uncertainty in her tone cut through me like shards of glass.

"No, Hazel, you're never too much for me. Don't be ridiculous. I just..." I hesitated and bit my lip again, glad she probably couldn't really see me in the dark.

"Are you ashamed?" she asked quietly, her voice seeming even sharper, more brittle somehow.

I reached out and grabbed the comforter she had clasped in her hands, wrapped around her like a security blanket. She released it into my hands and I pushed it back, over and off of her shoulders. At the same time I surged forward and wrapped my arms around her thin frame. I pulled her close to me, into a tight hug.

"Not at all," I said truthfully. I couldn't even imagine a reality where I would be ashamed of my precious twin, my other half. "I love you."

"Then... why do you hesitate?" she asked, her luminous eyes turning toward me.

It was a fair question. We had kissed before, it's not like that was new. But going further seemed... taboo in a way I couldn't quite ignore how she could.

Another flash made her whimper and close her eyes, curling her head into my shoulder. I reached up and covered her ears, knowing that it could only help so much.

The inevitable crash of thunder made her cry out and squeeze her arms around me tightly and her eyes were squeezed shut.

"Oh, sis..." I said, unable to suppress a soft giggle as I cradled her head against my chest, stroking her silky hair.

"Don't make fun of me!" she protested, jerking away from me, but I held her too tight for her to escape- she wasn't really trying that hard anyway.

"I'm not. I was just thinking you're so fearless about so many things. You push through so many of your fears but this one is just too much for you, isn't it?"

Another crack of thunder brought another round of whimpers from her.

"Fearless?" she asked after recovering, seeming incredulous.

"Yeah. Fearless. You want to know why I hesitate? It's because it's ME that's afraid, sis. I'm afraid of... what will they think if they know?"

"Who?" she asked, seeming confused.

"All of them. Our parents, our friends... Everyone in our lives."

"Why do you care? You know they're probably more focused on their own escapades, right? I mean, we're both adults... we can make our own decisions."

I nodded. "I know. That is true, it's just... what if they judge us?"

She shook her head. "You're afraid of the silliest things, Hailey."

I sighed and lowered my head, frustrated. Usually she understood my thoughts and feelings without so much as a word between us, but this she just didn't seem to understand no matter how hard I tried to convey it.

"I... What if they try to keep us apart? What if they say it's wrong? It's not silly, I'm serious! I can't be without you," I insisted.

She reached out a hand to stroke my hair, taking her turn to comfort me, now. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just meant... they won't care, Hailey. I know they won't. I'll talk to them about it if you want."

I considered this idea and felt mildly reassured. "Maybe... we could do it together? I don't like hiding things," I added, wrinkling up my nose. "I'm not good at it."

She nodded. "Sure. We don't have to hide things, we can talk to them about it. Later. In the morning, when the storm is gone," she said, sounding hopeful that I would be willing to accept that idea.

I grabbed her chin and angled it so her face was looking in my direction. "Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not ashamed of you. I never could be. I love you more than anything. You're a part of me that I can't be without."

She smiled. "I'm glad, Hailey. I feel the same way. You make me feel like I'm home," she added with a shy smile.

"You are home. You're here with me," I said.

She leaned forward and kissed me, a slow and tender kiss.

I broke away for a breath but kept my face close to hers, enjoying the feeling of her warm breath on my chest and neck. I stroked her smooth hair down for a moment before lightly caressing her face.

"I want you, Hailey," she said, her voice thick with desire. "Please... you're the only thing that makes the fear go away."

I kissed her on the lips again before moving down to kiss her neck. "Oh yeah? Is that why you wanted to cuddle with me last night, too? Were you afraid?" I asked, my voice light and teasing.

"Sh-shut up," she said half-heartedly. "That was different."

"Sure it was," I said, my lips lightly brushing against her smooth skin.

"Does it matter?" she asked, her voice coming out as a wail.

"No, I'm just teasing," I said, and she whimpered.

"I... come on, don't tease me right now. I'm really stressed," she protested.

I caved to her request, as usual. "Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore. So, tell me, then, Hazel. How can I help you? What can I do to help you get past your fear? How can I help you get past the storm?"

"I don't know," she groaned miserably. Her whole body was trembling and she looked like she wanted nothing more than for the storm to stop.

"Would it help if I put on music for you?" I asked, and she bit her lower lip, barely containing its quiver.

"Maybe," she said without much hope.

I released her from my arms and pulled the blanket back up around her frail shoulders.

"I'll be right back," I murmured to her after a quick kiss on her forehead. She almost looked reassured until the next flash of lightning made her flinch.

Rather than staying to soothe her the way I wanted to, I moved quickly to her room and located her headphones. I grabbed them and rushed back into my room, closing the door behind me. I connected the headphones to her phone, which she'd haphazardly tossed onto my bedside table.

I went to put the headphones on her head and found that she had retreated fully into her blanket cocoon.

"Open up, Hazel," I said gently, and she peeked her head out from the fuzzy mass she was wrapped up in. "You have to choose something to listen to. Here," I added, holding the phone out to her. She didn't really respond, she just wrapped the blanket tighter and moved her head in a way that was hard to see in the dark, but my guess was that she was shaking her head no.

"Come on," I groaned. "I can't hold you if I'm choosing music for you," I added. This seemed to be enough to convince her and she gently released the blankets, allowing them to slump in a puddle around her. She reached out her delicate arms in my direction and I placed her phone into her open hand.

With one hand free, I found it was easier to put the headphones over her head. I brushed her long, silky hair out of the way and lightly settled the headphones in place over her ears.

She had a look of fierce concentration on her face and I knew she was trying to choose the ideal music for the situation; she wanted something that wouldn't stress her out or be overwhelming, but it also had to be intense enough to keep her attention off of the thunderclaps. I have no idea what she chose, but eventually the look smoothed out into one of mild contentment as the music (presumably) started playing.

I smiled to myself as I embraced her again, positioning my body just behind hers so I could wrap my arms around Hazel and pull her body tightly against mine.

She was shivering, though I wasn't sure if it was from her fear or if she felt cold, so I wrapped the blanket around the both of us.

From right beside her I could hear a faint rhythmic thump of her music that she was using to drown out the sounds of the storm.

I was glad to feel her starting to relax against me, seeming soothed by the music. She would still get startled everytime lightning struck outside, but she no longer shuddered with terror at each clap of thunder, so at least she was feeling a bit better.

The striking of several bolts of lightning in a row seemed to agitate her again, making her whimper and shift, though, so I released my grip on her to allow her to move freely; she turned around to face me, wrapping her legs over mine and around my torso, pulling our bodies close against each other. She leaned her head forward until her forehead (and the headphones) came to rest against my chest. Without looking, I could tell she had probably closed her eyes.

When it seemed like she was sitting comfortably I wrapped my arms around her again, using the blanket to cover us both as if it were a shield that could protect us somehow.

"Hailey," she said softly, so quietly I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the rain on the window.

"Yes?" I asked, but she couldn't hear me. Of course she couldn't hear me. I felt silly for even responding when she still had her headphones on.

It took me a minute to realize that she wasn't trying to get my attention, she was just murmuring my name to herself. She said it again, repeating it to herself every once in a while like it was a talisman or an incantation to keep her safe, or like it was bringing her comfort. I supposed it probably was.

I kissed her head before resting my chin gently on top of her head, still pressed against my chest.

I made sure to keep the blanket loose enough that Hazel could still breathe easily and didn't get too overheated.

I held her like that for a while, at least half an hour before I felt her body starting to fully relax. She leaned against me and I was starting to hear the faintest sounds of snoring. I gently nudged her back up into a sitting position and she blinked sleepily at me.

I moved the blanket out of the way and laid the pillows in position so we could lay together in bed. I laid down on my side and she followed suit, choosing to lay facing me, and I draped the massive blanket over the both of us.

She looked up at me with her curious eyes and I smiled, not knowing if she could even see in the dark- I could barely see either.

She turned onto her stomach with her head propped up to keep the headphones comfortably in place.

I placed my hand on her back and started lightly stroking up and down, feeling the contours of her back, the graceful curve of her ass, the tight, toned feeling of her thighs.

Moving my hand back up to her neck I started lightly massaging down both sides of her spine, causing her to gradually relax her muscles and melt down into the bed below her.

The headphones looked like they might have gotten pushed askew, but luckily the lightning seemed to be more distant now, so the thunder had gotten quieter. I reasoned she could adjust them if she needed to, but she didn't move at all other than to continue to melt into the bed below her as I continued massaging down her back.

My hand was starting to get a little tired by the time I made it to her lower back so instead of continuing further down I switched things up and lightly rubbed my hands up and around on Hazel's soft, smooth back. I gently ground my fingertips into her shoulders and she moaned, the storm all but forgotten.

When my hand was feeling better again, I resumed my massage down her spine, gently rubbing out the tension and knots along the way. She didn't have a lot, but there were some.

I massaged all the way down her lower back and got to that awkward part of her back where I was basically just massaging her butt. I was mildly aroused at touching her in such a private, sensitive area, but she didn't seem to even notice. She just kept moaning as I massaged, enjoying the feelings.

I kept massaging down her body, taking special care as I made my way down over her butt area. I moved my way from side to side, trying to ensure I actually loosened up the muscles and helped relax her.

I shook away the intrusive thoughts to squeeze her ass, to spank it lightly, to play with it.

I made my way down further, now massaging her upper thighs. Hazel walked around a lot which resulted in her having a lot of tension in her legs.

I stroked and kneaded the muscles in her legs, enjoying the way she groaned when I hit a spot just the way she liked and helped ease the tension she had there.

"Hailey," she said again, slightly louder this time, but not enough to really draw my attention away from what I was doing.

I continued my massage, hoping it was enough to keep her focus off of the storms. It seemed to be working, at least.

I rubbed down along the backs and the outsides of her legs, trying to apply a nice, even pressure throughout the massage. My hand got pretty tired about halfway down, so I crawled up from my spot beside my twin on the bed and stood off to the side.

Hazel looked up at me, curious and drowsy. I gestured for her to scoot over and she complied, making room for me to lay down on her other side. I draped the blanket back over us once more and resumed my work, this time with my other hand. I rubbed the back and outsides of her knees and down her calves before I started making my way slowly back up again.

While she had seemed extremely relaxed and at-ease before, she started to seem increasingly agitated as I moved my way back up her legs.

When I massaged her calves she let out soft moans. At her knees she was whimpering out soft, pitiful little sounds. Once I started making my way up past her knees and massaging the insides of her thighs she was crying out softly.

"Hailey!" she said, louder still and now tinged with a hint of desperation.

I reached up an pulled the headphones off her head.

She jerked back, reeling with surprise. "Hey, I was enjoying that song," she complained.

"I'm sorry. You can start it over," I said lamely. "I just have to... we need to talk."

Despite her protest, she didn't seem especially surprised.

"Do we?" she asked, turning her eyes up to meet mine, glowing surprisingly bright when another flash of lightning struck. She flinched and reached up to cover her ears just before the clap of thunder.

I tapped her arm gently to let her know when it was done and she pulled her hands away, still shaking.

"I'm sorry, Hazel. We'll try to make this quick. We do have to talk, though."

"I mean... it's okay, right? I guess... I shouldn't assume... Do you...? I want..."

She hesitated, stuttering and struggling in a way I had never from her before now.

"Are you getting turned on when I touch you?" I asked bluntly, trying to soften the blow of the words with a calm, gentle tone.

She bit her lip for a second before answering. "I... I guess I am, yeah. Is that... is that okay?"

"I don't mind," I said. "I just wanted to know."

"I love you, Hailey," she said in a soft, quavering voice. "I... I love you," she repeated, as if that made it more clear.

"I love you too, Hazel," I replied.

She turned onto her side to face me again and started kissing me, her soft lips eager against mine.

This wasn't new to either of us. We were each others' first kiss and we had kissed several times before, but it had never been quite like this before.

Thunder cracked again, breaking her reverie, making her pull back with a violent shudder.

"Oh no...," I said quietly. "We... This won't work, will it? If you're laying on your side, you can't wear your headphones. Let's finish talking real quick, then I can wrap up the massage."

"We're not done talking yet?" she asked, voice filled with anguish.

"I don't think we'll ever be done talking," I pointed out with a giggle, unable to fully suppress the urge to tease her. "But real quick. I just wanted to... clarify."

"Clarify what?" she asked, grabbing the headphones in her hand so she could put them back on.

"Hazel... Do you want me to touch you? Like... sexually?"

She giggled at my terrified tone. "I really do, Hailey. Please. It's all I want right now. I want you to touch me and relax me and help me calm down. Take my mind off the fear."

I was tempted to ask her if she wanted to continue doing things like this after tonight or if it was a one-time thing, but I didn't want to risk more thunder upsetting her so I kept the thought to myself for the time being.

"So... Is it okay if I-"

"Yes!" she said impatiently, cutting me off. "Please, Hailey. Please just... just touch me. Let me lay back and close my eyes and listen to music and... Please keep touching me," she asked, her tone hopeful in spite of her impatience. "Please help me forget my fear?" she pleaded.