A/N: I know many of you are wondering when this story will get to the Jalexy goodness. That would be the reason the first thing the summary to this story says is "Jalex eventually." I honestly have no idea how long this story will be, though I do know that we'll be definitively straying from canon in a few chapters. I'm going for realism here, people, so this will not be a short, easy process for Justin and Alex. You may notice that I'm not skipping over large amounts of time yet. Though that may happen in the future to keep the story going.
Also, to those of you disgusted by the incest: why are you reading this story? I understand that you may enjoy the narrative style, but you should understand that after all of this I will not be copping out by suddenly saying that Justin and Alex are not blood relatives. I think the adoption plot is just ignoring what most of us love about this pairing. Justin and Alex have chemistry despite being siblings, and that's the whole point of my story. I want to explore what happens to two siblings in that situation. So please bear with me if you think you can handle all the incest. XD I hope you guys continue to enjoy my hard work. Thanks for all your support. :D
Disclaimer: Again? I don't own WOWP.
Thursday morning at breakfast, Justin is in a fairly good mood. He knows Alex was still in his dreams, and he took an extra long shower to rid his mind of the images, but he's decided to not let it affect the rest of his morning. He tries to not let it ruffle him that Alex's breast presses against his arm when she leans over to steal the bacon from his plate. His body temperature rises, but he doesn't run away like he might have a couple days before. No more avoiding his attraction; only accepting it, like Mona advised. It's definitely harder than he expected, but at least manageable for now.
"Are you feeling better?" Theresa asks him. She places her hand on his forehead as she's passing by to fill up Max's glass with milk. "You still feel a little warm to me."
"I'm fine," Justin says, to his credit, without hesitating before he tucks into his scrambled eggs.
"How about you, Max, and I have a boys' night out this Saturday? Do something fun like see a Mets game?" Jerry asks.
"Sorry, Dad, but Zeke and I are doing a movie day." Justin knows his dad is trying to be nice and somehow reward him for having saved Alex, but he really doesn't feel like it's necessary. Not to mention that he feels like he doesn't deserve it. "Why don't you and Max go? We can do something another day."
Jerry looks dejected, only because he knows what Max is like at sporting events, and he really doesn't want to be banned from seeing his favorite baseball team for the rest of his life.
"What are you doing this weekend, Alex?" Theresa asks, jumping on the family-bonding bandwagon. "Want to go shopping?"
"Actually, I'm going to watch the movies with Justin." Alex is drinking her orange juice like Theresa and Jerry aren't momentarily questioning her sanity.
"Really?" Jerry's attention switches to Justin.
He shrugs. "She thinks that's her way of making it up to me, when she's really only going to annoy me."
"Well, you can't get rid of me now 'cause you already agreed to it." The corner of Alex's lips curl in a smirk, and Justin finds it very tempting. He takes a sip of milk and prays that he'll be okay today.
On the train to school, he actually sits beside Alex and tries not to mind the way they bump and brush against each other.
"Tired of standing?" Alex asks, nearly leaning on him.
"You can say that." He smiles unsteadily as they bounce along.
"Good." She doesn't look at him, but he can see her smile in the reflection of the opposite window, and he's not sure how he's supposed to feel about it.
At lunch, Alex sits with Harper like usual, and Justin's glad because he can talk to Zeke without interference.
"I saw the therapist yesterday," he says bluntly.
"How was it? Did it cure you?" Zeke is obviously being facetious with his smile, though he honestly cares about Justin's problem.
"She didn't cure me, but she gave me some advice that's been helping so far."
"Really? So how do you feel about the mystery girl now?"
"I still like her, but it's not such a big deal, I guess. Mona -- I mean Dr. Gardner -- told me to not let my attraction affect our everyday life."
Zeke bites into a dark red apple. "Interesting. So if the therapist didn't lock you away, maybe your attraction isn't such a bad thing?"
"I wouldn't say that." Justin unwraps his tuna sandwich and takes a bite before speaking again. "I still think it's not right for me to be attracted to this girl, but Dr. Gardner told me to accept it and not make a big deal out of it. So that's what I'm trying right now."
"It makes a difference. You seem more relaxed and normal today. So you won't need cognitive therapy then?"
"I guess not unless it becomes a definitive problem." Justin looks over to the table where Harper is dramatically gesturing while holding up a strange purse that appears to be made from a wicker basket, decorated with fake green grass and white dandelions, and there is even a cutout of a pink rabbit on the side, as if it is some gaudy Easter basket, and not something to carry around every day. Alex appears annoyed as her friend tries to make her hold it, and the expression on her face makes Justin smile out of amusement.
"Dude, are you sure you don't like Harper?" Zeke asks, slurping loudly from his carton of chocolate milk. It's in that moment that Justin realizes he really can't tell anyone else about his feelings because normal people don't even consider them to be an option. The idea of Justin being interested in Alex doesn't even cross Zeke's mind, so Justin knows that as intelligent as his best friend is, he would never be able to understand Justin's corrupt feelings.
"No, I don't like Harper," he mumbles. "Why?"
"You just look over at her table a lot. Hey, is your sister still watching the movies with us on Saturday?"
"She said as much this morning."
"Then do you want to work on our project for the Science Expo tonight?"
"Can't, Zeke. I've got to hit the library for a paper."
"What about tomorrow then?"
"I'm meeting with Dr. Gardner after school."
"So you're going to keep going to therapy?"
"Yeah, but not as an official appointment or anything. Dr. Gardner said she'd help me as a friend in need."
"That's. . .pretty cool of her." Zeke obviously hesitates, but Justin decides to overlook it in favor of continuing with his optimistic attitude for the day.
"I know, right? I feel like she's not judging me, and really listens to my feelings."
"Therapists are good at that."
The bell rings to signal the end of lunch, and Justin's surprised that he actually spent most of the time not thinking about Alex. It's a huge relief, and he goes to class with an extra bounce in his step. After school, he's actually humming to himself as he takes the books from his locker and zips them into his backpack, though he's startled when Alex comes up to his side without a sound.
"Hey, Justin, can you take my afternoon shift? Harper and I want to go shopping." She cocks her head to the side and examines her nails like it's not a big deal, and he tries to act like his heart is still racing merely from shock -- yeah, he'll stick with that.
"I'm going to the library now, Alex, I can't." He shoulders his backpack and starts walking toward the exit.
And she's right at his side with, "I thought you went yesterday?"
"So? I have a lot of research to do. Why don't you just wait until Sunday and go with Mom like she wanted? I think she'd like that."
"Because Mom always ends up trying to buy me a dress or something way too frilly." Alex suppresses a shiver and grabs his arm, pulling him to a stop. "Plus, you're lying."
Justin reacts with wide eyes before he can even think about keeping a straight face because he never expected to get caught. "W-What?"
Alex's eyes narrow dangerously, making his heart leap. "Harper says you weren't at the library yesterday."
Justin lets loose his breath in a gust as he laughs in relief. "Maybe she missed me, Alex. I was in the reference section in the very back of the second floor."
She considers him for a moment before releasing her hold, and Justin wishes his arm didn't tingle, like his very cells are remembering the shape of her small hand.
"Fine," she says. "Harper will just have to be satisfied with hanging out while I work."
"You say that like you actually work when she's around," he says, rubbing his forearm as if the friction will keep away the attraction squirming into the forefront of his mind again.
Alex snorts. "I know, right? But really, Justin, would you work for me? Please?"
She's pouting, and her lower lip is trembling, which is all doing quite a number on Justin's hormones because he suddenly wants to take her lip between his teeth and. . . . He averts his eyes and swallows, then he takes a deep breath and sighs before nodding.
"All right, Alex, but if I do this, you really do owe me. And I won't accept your attendance to a Star Wars marathon. It has to be something I want, got it?"
"Got it! You're the best! 'Kay, thanks, bye!" Alex is out of the door before he knows it, leaving Justin to wonder if he did the right thing. Dammit! Why can't he ever say no and stick to it?
Justin sighs again and starts walking to the train station. At least he might get something out of the deal. Never mind that Alex rarely delivers on her words of promise. And certainly never mind that Justin's brain rather enjoys coming up with naughty ways Alex can pay him back.
He spots Max walking up ahead with a few of his friends, and they ride home together. By the time they get to Waverly Place, he's made a list of acceptable tasks for Alex to do. She could clean his room. . .but then, he really doesn't want to risk his various collectibles being damaged (which he had no doubt that they would be). She could do the dishes for him a couple times. . .but she really doesn't even do them on her own days. Doing the laundry would be an option if he thought Alex had the faintest idea how to actually do laundry without breaking the washing machine or dryer. Hell, she'd even probably try to purposefully shrink some of his clothes.
So, really, by the time he's finished his snack and headed down to work Alex's shift at the Sub Station, he has no idea what he wants from Alex, aside from the obviously hormone-driven thoughts that he keeps shoving to the back of his mind. To keep himself from straying down a path that will get him in trouble, Justin focuses on work for the next couple hours until he takes a break to eat dinner before the crowd comes in. Max has already gone upstairs to do his homework (due to an earlier curfew) when Alex comes in carrying a paper shopping bag from a store, the name of which he doesn't recognize.
She flashes him a big smile that doesn't help his wandering thoughts before she heads right up the staircase without a word. Justin vaguely wonders if she's trying to avoid their mother because she spent too much money, as is her habit. He finishes his work shift, locks up, and goes upstairs to try to finish his Mythology paper that's due tomorrow. He now has to make due with finding books and scholarly articles online, where he can read the digital copies for the information that supports his thesis.
He's nearly finished with his essay when he decides to go downstairs for something to drink. With a steaming cup of decaffeinated green tea in hand, he passes by Alex's room and pauses to make sure he's actually hearing music quietly playing from inside the half open door. It's some whining boy band he doesn't know, and Alex is bouncing around like it's not eleven at night, which somehow, he's not really surprised about as he hesitates before pushing open the door and standing just inside her doorway.
"What are you doing?" he asks, laughing when she spins around to face him and nearly falls over.
"Justin! You scared me!" Her hand is over her heart, and Justin wants to feel it beating beneath his own palm.
"S-Sorry." The urge to make that thought a reality is what makes him take a step back as he apologizes -- for what, he's not sure, since he knows she can't hear his thoughts. "You're up later than usual."
"You too. Isn't it like two hours past your self-imposed bedtime?"
Justin shrugs, looking away. "I just have to revise my paper for tomorrow."
"Bor-ing. I'm trying on the cute shirt I got for my date with Riley tomorrow night." His heart constricts at the thought of her going out with some guy, even though he knows Riley's been her boyfriend for a while now.
"Do you think he'll like it?" Alex asks, posing in front of the full-length mirror and inspecting herself from every angle. She's wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt beneath a short-sleeved black T-shirt spattered with bright neon paint in some vaguely recognizable pattern over her pajama bottoms. "What if I wear my purple skinny jeans? Too much purple?"
"Purple looks good on you," he says, a little quietly. "So does green."
"Oh, you're right! I'll wear my green skinny jeans and that cute belt I got last week. Great idea, Justin!"
When she goes to her closet, Justin takes a big gulp of his tea and wonders why he's so calm when part of him is irritated. He never really liked Riley, even when they played on the same baseball team together. Riley's not a bad guy, but Justin's convinced he's not good enough for Alex -- as if any guy would be? Though this is mostly because he knows Alex will never be able to be her true, obnoxious self around anyone but him, her brother. But thinking that is the part of himself that Justin wants to ignore. Only, he's not supposed to avoid the thoughts that he wants to be the one taking Alex out to dinner. He's supposed to accept that he wants to be the one Alex is dressing up to see, the one she's excited to spend time with.
"Are you finally over whatever was making you sick?" Alex asks. She's holding her green jeans up to her waist and not actually looking at him.
"Over it?" Justin considers the concept in light of his unusual thoughts. "Not quite."
"Hmm. Okay. Do you mind taking my shift tomorrow?"
"You know I don't work tomorrow, Alex, so yes, I mind."
"Yeah, but it's Friday night, and I have my date with Riley."
"I worked for you today, Alex. Remember how you owe me for that?"
"So I'll owe you twice. No big deal." She finally abandons her image in the mirror, flings the pants onto her bed, and places her hands on her hips as she stares at him.
He's already angry that she's going out with some other guy, which is too weird for him to contemplate at the moment, and he hates how Alex so easily takes advantage of him -- and most of all, how he lets her do so.
He's not having it this time, so he takes her challenge, and his grey eyes meet her steady brown gaze. "What if I have something to do tomorrow?"
"What, like a date?" She scoffs, ticking up his anger a notch.
He wants to imagine that she's as upset over the idea of him on a date as he is over her on a date, but that's only wishful thinking that doesn't fit in what he knows is her opinion of him.
"Maybe I do, but it doesn't matter," he says. "I'm busy, so that's all. I can't take your shift. If that's what you wanted, you should have checked with me before making your date with Riley."
"But--"
"I'm not always at your beck and call, Alex. Change your date to Saturday, so then you can avoid hanging out with Zeke and me. It'll be a win-win for you then, right?" He's no longer calm, and he doesn't quite know why he's getting so worked up about all this, but he doesn't want to back down now.
"Justin, what's wrong with you? I swear, you're like PMSing and giving me whiplash with your moods." Alex is frowning at him, and damn him for thinking she's still far too attractive.
"Because I say no to you, there's something wrong with me? I'm your brother, Alex. Maybe you should treat me with a little more respect. If your plans are going to include me somehow covering for you, maybe you could ask what my plans are beforehand."
"Fine, Justin. And if you really didn't want me to come on Saturday, you could have just said so. I didn't think I would bother you that much, but I guess I was wrong." Her eyes are shimmering, and he doesn't want to think it's from tears because that would just break his resolve. "I was only trying to do something nice for you. I guess I'll make my date for Saturday then. I hope you have fun on your date, or whatever you're doing."
Alex crosses her arms and the conversation is obviously finished, though he feels like there's still something he wants to say. Justin doesn't know how this turned into such a heated argument, and now he's not sure what to do. His first impulse is to apologize and backtrack to letting her walk all over him, even though he knows that would be the wrong thing to do. But he doesn't like the feeling of her being upset at him. He likes even less being infuriated with her for a reason he can't explain out loud.
"Are you just going to stand there?" Alex asks. "I'm going to sleep now."
He doesn't want to leave like this, with both of them mad for no good reason. "Alex--"
"Please, Justin, I'm tired." Her hand is on his arm then, she's pushing him out of the room, and all he can do is let her.
Alex's door closes, and Justin's left with a lukewarm cup of green tea he no longer wants to drink. He goes back into his room, finishes his Mythology essay, and tries to sleep. It takes him a long while because his mind won't stop repeating the scenario in his head and showing him what he should have done differently.
He's telling himself that he should have said yes and given in to Alex's demands, even though he knows he did the right thing. Because he has to see Mona tomorrow about his problem with Alex, and it just wouldn't do for him to reschedule with a therapist who's helping him from the goodness of her heart -- especially when he'd be rescheduling in order to appease the source of his problem. He's mostly convinced that Mona also wouldn't want him to do that, since he's only supposed to be accepting his feelings, not acting as a slave to them.
Eventually Justin falls into a fitful sleep of dreams about angering Alex or letting her down, and even his unconscious self feels horrible about it. Somewhere in the back of his restless mind, Justin wishes he were back in time to a few days ago when Alex didn't infiltrate every waking and dreaming moment of his life, but he knows it's too late. Alex always has been and always will be an enormous part of his life, and Justin needs to not let his unhealthy emotions affect their relationship like he did that night.