The Man of the House

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“No.”

“Well, she’s definitely not on ADD medication. It could be something she’s using to help her focus on her studies.”

“Maybe.”

“Or… it could be something that she’s selling…” London sighed. “At least, she didn’t get them through me.”

“I see.”

London and I were on a bus now. We had walked the distance to the gas station. At first, she was going to call a pickup in a cab, but we weren’t far from the bus station and it wasn’t much to get a ride home. As for Dan and Jasmine, London specifically canceled their ride. It would be up to them to take care of themselves from now on. It was the least London could do after everything. Of course, I had encouraged her to do it. London wasn’t the only one cheated on.

Perhaps, we would have been truly angry, if we hadn’t been doing much the same ourselves. It took a thick skin to berate someone for cheating when you yourself were doing the exact same thing. Rather, seeing the pair together only seemed to calm the pair of us, taking away the last little bit of anxiety and worry that we had regarding everything. I had only been using Jasmine to bug London anyway, so I didn’t have too many lingering regrets. As for London, I think she had already decided to leave Dan on her own to pursue something better, and so this only gave her an excuse.

That didn’t stop Dan from breaking down in tears. I had already felt traumatized seeing him acting in traditionally female roles. Seeing him cry thick crocodile tears was gross. When he realized that tears weren’t working, he changed the tactic and got angry. He screamed obscenities toward London, calling her many names. I sat on the couch seething as he pissed me off more and more. He launched all kinds of accusations that London was a cheater first, even claiming we had sex.

It was clear by both of their expressions though, that they didn’t actually believe this to be the case. I found it kind of amusing how close they actually were to the truth, yet even they couldn’t believe a brother and sister started such a relationship. I was worried that London’s newfound clarity would wane under Dan’s assaults, but she stood her ground and came off kind of cool as she met all of that vitriol with a cold look and a small frown.

Then, Dan tried to hit London. She managed to dodge the worst one, but Dan came at her like an animal. I launched off the couch and before anyone knew what happened, I had sucker-punched Dan. He fell back onto his butt, surprised that he had been hit. By the looks of it, he had been trying to get London to attack him back. Then, he’d claim that he was attacked, and go to the police. Maybe, that was my overactive imagination, but he had that kind of look on his face.

When he fell back onto the ground after I punched him, he had a realization that it wouldn’t work. Not only had he been struck by someone, but it was another man. That man was their junior, and also just a bit smaller than them. There was no way he could convince the police of us being in the wrong. That’s when Dan’s anger redirected on me. I wasn’t scared of him, although he had a few inches on me. He was ultimately not up for a real fight.

That didn’t happen though. When he sprung up, letting out a scream and racing at me, the girls stepped in. I let London get in front of me while Jasmine grabbed the screaming Dan. At this point, he was spitting and screaming. It was weird seeing him have such a mental breakdown. Jasmine managed to drag him away to his room, where he finally broke into tears and sobbed so loudly it sounded through the entire house. You’d think his wife died by how he cried.

“London…” Jasmine spoke when she got back out, looking awkwardly.

“It’s cool… but don’t blame me if we don’t hang out anymore,” London responded.

“Yeah, I guess I deserve that…” She gave a rueful grin before turning to me. “Noah…”

I crossed my arms. “Yeah?’

“Sorry…” She responded stiffly. “Your body is the best. I like your dick.”

“I know,” I responded, letting my lips curve up just slightly.

She laughed, before turning and going into her room. That left one room left. I got the room, and London took the couch. However, we only took a small nap before packing very quietly and then taking off early in the morning, after Dan had cried himself to sleep. London had told me she’d rather not travel home with them, and I agreed.

“Dan’s really unstable.” I nodded.

“Well, you boys.”

“Huh?”

“Boys are crazy…” She chuckled, roughing my head affectionately.

And so, we ended up on the bus, talking about whatever came into our minds. At this point, I felt especially calm around London. I told her about my experiences regarding Samantha and Abby. I even told her about dad. Dad wasn’t her father, so she had no opinions about him whatsoever. He was in her life when she was a kid, but they were never close. She was just becoming a teenager at the time, so he was just the guy her mom was with. The only thing I didn’t discuss was my own issues with role reversal.

That’s when the subject inevitably fell on the meds I had found. Since she was a medical professional, I thought it was a good idea to ask for her advice.

“Whatever is going on with Kristy, I’m not sure if you should get involved. You may just be causing her trouble.” London advised.

“I see…”

“Honestly, I feel more concerned about your father showing up.”

“Dad?” I asked, and then shook my hand. “Ah… about mom…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell her.” London shook her head. “If I didn’t keep your secret, then how could I deserve your trust?”

“London…”

“It’s just, you were too young at the time, so you didn’t see it, but dad’s actions really put a number on mom. She was extremely depressed for a long time. I don’t recall them necessarily fighting or anything, but those days were really bad.”

“Mom cheated on dad, right?”

She looked down. “She told you?”

“Yeah…” I nodded slowly. “She told me everything. She’s the reason their relationship fell apart.”

“Well, that’s what she said,” London spoke slowly.

“What does that mean?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s possible… we don’t know the whole story.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but then I closed it. I had felt sympathetic to dad. I was trying to tell myself that dad was just a victim in all this. Of course, I knew that he hadn’t been that great of a father, but how could I blame him. Mom cheated on him to the point where it wasn’t certain if all of his children were even his own. He didn’t even know for certain I was his true kid, so if his ways of showing affection were a bit callous and he seemed a bit self-absorbed, he kind of earned it.

Even when he sneaked into our house, which I was pretty certain was to steal some money, I was willing to overlook it. If I saw him like a woman who had lost everything, I wouldn’t look twice at his actions. I told myself that all of my discomfort and questions were just a part of the fact I still wasn’t acclimated to this world. In my mind, men were expected to be tough leaders. A party animal mom, or in my case, a dad, wasn’t that bad.

“Just be careful around him. Okay?” London said.

I hadn’t told her about the close call to kidnapping. That was one story that would worry even her too much. However, it was nice to get out of all of this stuff. It did feel relieving to get it all out. With a sigh, I put my head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around me. Anyone who saw us on a bus would think we were a couple.

“So, what are you going to do next?” I asked.

“Find my own place.” She responded. “Concentrate on my career. Start from the beginning, build me a new life… what about you?”

“Me?”

“Are you just going to keep going about, playing with the hearts of women, and doing whatever you want?” She glanced at me, a slightly bemused expression on her face.

She didn’t ask such a question to be malicious. Rather, she wanted me to think about that answer. Ultimately, that was a good question to ask. Up until that point, it was hard to say if I had ever adjusted to this world. It had been just over two weeks since everything changed, and it was hard to say I was adapted well. I had slept with half a dozen women, blackmailed a teacher, missed half my classes, and even toyed with the feelings of my sisters, my best friend, and various other girls. If there was a time to reflect on my actions, this might be my only chance.

Part of me still wondered if I’d just wake up one day, and everything would be back to normal. I wasn’t even certain that was what I wanted. After all, in this world, I did have things easier when it came to relationships. I could just point at a girl, demand sex, and it was almost that easy. Girls I would have only dreamed about once were now clambering for my dick. Whether it was London, Dawn, or Mackenzie… my relationship with all of my older sisters had improved. I even knew more about my mom now.

“I want to be better,” I said, after hesitating for a bit.

“Better?” she raised an eyebrow.

“If… things change… I want to make the most of this time. I can’t tell you what I want out of life. There was once a time where I thought just getting to have lots of sex was already a fulfilling life. I’m now realizing… I need more.”

Glancing at London, I realized that relationships were more than just naughty and taboo sex with every girl I could.

“Do you know how you’re going to change?”

“Heh… I wish.”

“Well, you don’t have to do it alone.”

I smiled. “You’ll help me.”

“Me? No… I got my shit to deal with.”

I looked up at her in surprise, and she grinned mischievously. “I’m talking about your sisters.”

“My sisters.”

“All of your sisters love you. They will be your support. Let them help you. Mom, too. You’re the man of the house, after all.”

For the longest time, I always felt that I needed to be on my own. I locked myself in my room and kept my sisters away. I let all of them deal with their problems on their own, and I only looked at getting out of there and getting my own life as quickly as possible. However, at the end of it, they were my family. They weren’t there to be my entertainment. They weren’t there to manipulate and toy with. They were there because they would always be there, and so would I.

I could lean on them, and perhaps, they could lean on me. I began to get a glimpse of what I realized I had wanted. In my old life, I had completely failed to be a man for my family. Since dad was gone, I was supposed to be the support that held the family together, but instead, I hid in my room and kept myself distant. Now, in this world, I had become a mess, causing trouble, and just making them worry.

I didn’t have to do that anymore. In this world where men acted like women, it was time I stepped up and became the man my sisters needed.

“Thank you,” I said, lifting my head and kissing her cheek, as I would a sister.

Her face flushed. “You’re too dangerous. If you do such naughty little brother things like that, I might end up giving you my heart and sinking into pure depravity.”

“Oh?” I grinned devilishly. “Are you sure you’re ready to end this thing between us for good?”

I reached and put my hand on her legs, sliding it gently up her thigh.

“Y-you… devil…” She panted, before looking away. “M-my place will be empty for a bit, I’m sure. Dan probably hasn’t even woken up in the cabin yet, let alone find a ride. O-one last time…”

We ended up getting off the bus at her place. It looked like Jake had brought the car to the apartment and left it in her space. He then dropped the keys off in the mailbox. I guess that was the concession he gave, worried he’d get the cops called on him. After London and I indulged one last time in her bed, she gave me a ride home. When she drove away, I felt really good. I was completely rejuvenated. Sometimes, a chance to get away really did help you recuperate and get a fresh outlook on things.