Siblings with benefits

Conflicting Desires

Conflicting Desires

The next few days after Hide's awkward massage session passed in relative silence. The usual bickering between him and Hinata was more subdued, though the tension simmered beneath the surface, palpable in every glance they exchanged. Each step they took seemed to be on shaky ground, as though both were acutely aware of a boundary neither had crossed before. Yet, something had shifted between them, something neither was fully prepared to confront.

Hide spent most of his time locked in his room, drowning out the noise of the world with his headphones and immersing himself in his studies and games. But even in the comfort of isolation, his mind kept drifting back to that moment—his hands on Hinata’s ankle, the strange warmth that had surged through him. He felt sick just thinking about it. This was his sister. They were supposed to hate each other, or at least argue like normal siblings did. So why did things feel so… different now?

Meanwhile, Hinata wasn't faring much better. She caught herself thinking about that massage far more than she should have, and it disturbed her. Was it the way his hands felt, or just the fact that he had actually taken care of her for once? She wasn’t sure, but it was unsettling either way. She buried herself in her schoolwork, avoiding Hide whenever possible, her mind a whirlwind of confusion.

One afternoon, their mother announced she’d be working late that evening. The house would be theirs for a while.

“Don’t fight, okay?” their mom said as she grabbed her purse. “I’m serious, you two. Just try to get along.” She kissed them both on the head, neither one acknowledging the gesture, and left, the door clicking shut behind her.

Silence filled the house.

Hinata sat in the living room, flipping through the channels without much interest. Hide was in the kitchen, making a snack, but the quiet was oppressive. Eventually, he wandered into the living room, leaning against the doorframe, watching her.

“You know you’re not going to find anything good to watch,” he said, breaking the silence.

Hinata shot him a glance, then looked back at the TV. “I don’t need your commentary, Hide.”

“Suit yourself,” he muttered, turning to leave.

But something stopped him—a pull that had been gnawing at him for days. Maybe it was the emptiness of the house, the absence of their mother, or the strange, unresolved tension between them. Whatever it was, Hide hesitated at the doorway.

“Look,” he started, turning back to her, “about the other day... when I pushed you, I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Hinata kept her eyes on the screen, though her grip on the remote tightened slightly. “I know.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “So, we’re good?”

She sighed and finally looked at him. “Yeah, we’re good. I mean, we always fight, right? It’s no big deal.”

Hide nodded, though it felt like a lie. Their fights had always been petty, surface-level squabbles. But now… now it felt like there was something deeper between them, something they both refused to address. The air between them felt charged, and they both knew it.

Without saying anything more, Hide moved to sit on the couch beside her, far enough that there was space between them, but close enough that he could feel her presence. They sat like that for a while, neither speaking, the low hum of the television filling the room.

Hinata glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “You’re being weird,” she said, her voice tinged with a nervous laugh.

“You’re the weird one,” he shot back, though the usual bite was missing from his tone.

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. For a moment, it almost felt normal again, like they were slipping back into their usual rhythm. But then Hinata shifted on the couch, her knee brushing against Hide’s leg, and everything changed.

The contact was innocent, accidental, but the electricity that jolted through both of them was undeniable. Hide froze, his breath catching in his throat, while Hinata quickly pulled her leg back, her cheeks flushing.

“Sorry,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hide swallowed hard, his mind racing. He needed to say something, anything, to break the tension, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he stood up abruptly, his heart pounding.

“I… I should go finish my homework,” he stammered, backing away from the couch.

Hinata looked up at him, her eyes wide, as if she, too, was trying to make sense of the strange feelings swirling between them. “Yeah… yeah, sure.”

Without another word, Hide turned and practically bolted out of the room, leaving Hinata sitting alone on the couch, her thoughts a chaotic mess. What the hell was happening to them?

Upstairs, Hide paced back and forth in his room, his hands running through his hair. This was wrong, all wrong. These feelings weren’t normal. They were siblings—nothing more. And yet, the way his heart had raced when she touched him, the way his thoughts kept drifting back to her, made it impossible to ignore.

Meanwhile, Hinata sat curled up on the couch, her mind replaying the last few moments over and over again. She felt a strange mix of guilt and excitement, emotions she couldn’t quite understand. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be between them. They were supposed to fight, to annoy each other, not… whatever this was.

As the evening wore on, the weight of their conflicting desires hung heavy in the air, unspoken but undeniable. Neither knew what to do next, but both could feel that their unspoken desires getting stronger