My Brother, My Spouse

Chapter 4 Another Kiss

Back home, Brian was forced to kiss Zola goodnight.

He had never experienced maternal affection before, so this display of close parent-child intimacy made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

That night, just as Sylvia was getting ready for bed, she noticed a figure by her window—it was Brian!

"Why use the window when there's a door?" Sylvia whispered, pulling him into the room.

"My dear sister, Arthur and Zola's bedroom is right between ours, and you know Arthur's hearing is practically supernatural. Do you really want them catching us sneaking around in the middle of the night?" Brian replied with a smirk.

Sylvia glared at him. "If your dog hadn't scared me into the pool, maybe none of this would have happened. And you still have the nerve to blame me?"

"Fine, fine," Brian held up his hands in mock surrender, "You're absolutely right. But I hope you're prepared, because in a few seconds, you'll have to kiss your most despised brother."

Sylvia took a deep breath, steeling herself as she looked at Brian—her own reflection looking back at her. She kept reminding herself that this was technically just... kissing herself. She could handle it.

She leaned in, planting a quick kiss on his lips, pulling away almost immediately.

"Did it work?" Sylvia asked, searching Brian's expression.

Looking back at her, Brian shook his head. "Apparently not. Maybe... we didn't go deep enough?"

Sylvia shut her eyes, a look of pure dread crossing her face. "Fine, let's try again."

"Something a bit more... thorough?" Brian asked, unable to keep from teasing.

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped.

For Brian, this was no small feat either. He leaned in, kissing her and slowly coaxing her lips apart, his tongue exploring hers with an unexpected tenderness.

Soon, both of them were absorbed in the kiss. Sylvia's cheeks flushed as she felt the warmth of his lips and the softness of his tongue, losing herself in the kiss for a moment longer.

'Must be because Brian's good at this,' she reasoned, feeling her temperature rise.

After a while, they pulled away, breathless, only to realize in despair that nothing had changed.

"We still haven't switched back," Brian said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Sylvia replied with a sigh, "If we're stuck like this, it's going to be torture... especially with Mom and Arthur around."

Zola had no idea that the person she'd kissed goodnight was actually her stepson, with whom she barely exchanged ten words a year.

And Arthur? He was completely unaware that his proud son now housed the soul of his stepdaughter.

Sylvia suggested, "Maybe we should tell Mom and Arthur about this. Maybe they'll know what to do?"

"Absolutely not." Brian's expression turned serious. "Ten years ago, a group of malformed werewolves appeared within the pack. Arthur expelled them to protect everyone. Do you really want him coming after us both?"

Sylvia calmed herself and said, "Fine. If we're going to live as each other, we need to set some ground rules. First, you're not allowed to do anything immoral with my body—especially with Selina."

"Don't worry," Brian said with a grin, "you and Selina aren't my type." He added with a serious tone, "And no flirting with men using my body. I don't want people thinking I'm into guys!"

"Second, you'd better take studying seriously. I'm top of the class, you know," Sylvia replied. Zola had always been strict with her academics, and Sylvia's theoretical knowledge was near perfect.

"Alright, I get it. You're amazing, but..." Brian glanced down at her body with mild disdain, "you're incredibly weak. You couldn't even beat an Omega."

Sylvia's face paled. She wasn't physically weak, but an unfortunate event at seven had left her with a deep-seated fear of physical confrontation.

"Sylvia... Sylvia, are you okay?" Brian asked, seeing her turn pale.

She shook her head, forcing a weak smile. "I'm fine. It's almost dawn. Go back to your room before anyone catches you."

"Alright... maybe not the best timing, but goodnight, then," Brian said softly.

"Goodnight."

Sylvia crouched in the corner, trying to shake off the fear that gripped her. She took a deep breath, muttering to herself, "It's over now, Sylvia. It's all in the past. Pull yourself together."

Feeling sweaty from the ordeal, she decided to change her clothes.

She took off everything, standing before the mirror to observe Brian's toned muscles and the expanse of his chest hair. "Annoying as he is, I have to admit, Brian's got a great physique," she remarked, admiring his body.

Scanning the room, she noticed that apart from fitness equipment, there was very little else—just a locked box in the corner.

Curiosity briefly flickered, but she dismissed it, figuring whatever was in there mattered a lot to Brian.

"This is what a man's room is like—simple," she concluded.

Meanwhile, Brian was feeling the exact opposite, thoroughly annoyed by Sylvia's room, which was filled with stuffed animals and books, leaving him no space to sleep.

Carefully, he picked up a lacy pink bra from her bed, stared at it for a moment, then put it back with a look of pure disgust. "How am I supposed to sleep here... with all these girly things around?" he grumbled.

Suddenly, his stomach ached. Resigned, he headed to the bathroom, looking from the toilet to his new attire.

He had undressed many girls before, but this was his stepsister's body, after all.

"Close your eyes... okay, unzip... oh no, right, need to sit down."

Brian swore to himself that this was the most nerve-wracking encounter he'd ever had with a girl's clothes.

*****

The next morning, both Brian and Sylvia arrived at the breakfast table sporting dark circles under their eyes, exchanging a look of exasperation.

"Sylvia, didn't you sleep well last night?" Arthur asked, noticing Sylvia's tired expression.