Never Have I Ever…had a sister
As Rio hums to herself and tidies up around the house, I grow gloomier by the second. Any minute now the two of us will hear a knock on the door and I'll have to give up a whole week with Rio.
It was decided that her sister was to stay in our house, and since the two were going to be sharing our bed I didn't want to spend the night on the couch listening to them gossiping about me and Claire's husband, Gray.
I'll be returning to my old house for the entire duration of Claire's stay, although the idea of living back in my old home has me grumpier than usual.
The day that I heard Claire was coming to stay with us by herself for a week was the day I knew I'd be deprived of Rio until her sister went home.
While I don't have a problem with Claire, the idea that she'll be monopolizing Rio has me wishing this entire week was already over. After being married for a year I've already become far too attached to Rio; the thought that I won't be waking up next to her in the morning is kind of depressing and makes me feel lonely.
A knock at the door signals any time I'll have with my wife is about to come to an end, but before I can even give Rio a kiss or a hug Claire bursts through the door happily.
"Riiiiiiiiioooo!" Claire sings, dropping her bags on the way in as she jumps on my wife and snuggles her face into Rio's chest. Instantly I'm jealous, but I do my best not to show it as I cough and grab Claire's attention.
"Hey, Claire," I say awkwardly as my sister-in-law straightens up and lets go of Rio, heading straight for me and practically bowling me over. As she rubs my spikes fondly, I growl, "Hey, let go-"
"Awww how cuteeee," Claire giggles to Rio. "It's like having a pet cat!"
"Claire," Rio laughs and shakes her head as I struggle to get free. "He's not a cat, he's my husband. Let go of him, silly."
At Rio's request, Claire loosens her grip and I back off immediately, ready to make a quick escape as I head for the door where my own suitcase is packed. Just before I can make my escape though, Claire grabs the back of my coat and nearly chokes me.
"Sorry, Rio," Claire grins. "But I'll be borrowing him for today. I promise you'll have me all to yourself tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay…?" Rio tilts her head but doesn't question it much, and as she waves good-bye to me as I'm all but dragged out the door.
"So Leon would LOVE a new playmate…" Claire wags her eyebrows at me as we stand on the far side of town, watching the water pour from the lavish fountain that Rio built when she was working on the town.
I say nothing, but avoid her burning gaze and hope that all the questioning and suggestive looks will stop soon.
It was surprising that Claire dragged me out of the house and left Rio behind, but we'd barely walked off the farm before she let go of me and started asking about my love life with Rio.
At first it was just few normal questions about how much time we spend together, but after awhile Claire stopped holding back and just started asking about whether or not the two of us were planning on having a kid anytime soon.
As I say nothing, Claire elbows me roughly before saying, "Hey come on, say something! It's going to be boring if you won't even get all embarrassed, like you used to whenever I talked to you about my sister."
Turning on my heel, I call over my shoulder, "It was nice seeing you Claire, but you came to spend time with Rio didn't you? If you two need anything while you're here, you can find me around town or in my old house. Bye."
"Wait, Neil-"
Focusing on the ground, I full-out sprint away from Claire, knowing that if I allow myself to be caught I'll never hear the end of her questions and urgings for me and Rio to have a kid.
After awhile I no longer hear her footsteps behind me, but when I look up and see where I'm at I notice that I've managed to make it to the mine. Slowly, I lean against the nearest wall and sink down into a crouch, panting for breath.
Just as I start to think that I'm okay and have nothing to worry about, I hear Claire and Rio's voices echoing in the mine.
"Neil? Neil, you in here? Come on, Rio's gonna make dinner and she refuses to eat without you…"
"Claire, this is your fault!" Rio scolds, her voice bouncing off the walls of the mine as I crouch behind a few abandoned boxes in the hopes they won't come any closer.
Claire's voice is indignant as she complains, "My fault? I was just asking him questions and he ran off like a scared rabbit!"
"What were you asking about?"
I begin to turn bright red, not wanting to hear the conversation that I know is bound to happen. All the same, I'm trapped here in this hiding place so my options are limited at this point.
My face feels hot as Claire says, "When you two were gonna have a kid."
"C-claire!" Rio bursts out, sounding every bit as embarrassed as I feel. "Why would you ask him that?"
I can almost see Claire pouting as she complains, "You two have been married for nearly a year already…I want to see a niece or a nephew, I bet they'd be super cute since you and Neil look so good together! Haven't you two had enough time for you to be pregnant already?"
My mortification grows as Rio mumbles, "Y-yeah, but even you didn't have Leon until a few years after you were married…Neil and I have only really just started life together. And besides, sometimes we're both tired after a long day of work-"
"Hahaha, you're kidding me, right?" Claire laughs. "Man, the way Neil looks at you tells me that no matter HOW tired he is he'd be more than willing to enjoy the night hours with you."
"Claire-"
"No, Rio, seriously! I think you guys should try for a kid sometime soon. It's nice to expand your family." Claire tells Rio, as I shrink back into the darkness more and silently wish that this conversation would end.
While the thought of having a kid hasn't passed my mind, the actual idea of being a father is still a little scary to me.
That, and having the privacy of the house for just my wife and I is more than enticing to wait on having a kid.
I'm so focused on this thought that I nearly miss Claire's next words.
"I actually only came to see you because I had a plan to instigate you two being together," my sister-in-law admits. "I wanted to make Neil really lonely so that when I left he'd pounce on you right away. I mean, Gray is like that when I leave-"
"I did not need to know that," Rio says, the blush on her face practically visible as she sighs. "Claire, whatever Neil and I do is our business. I appreciate your…advice…but when we decide we're ready to be parents then we'll get ready for it! You didn't need to come all this way just for that…"
"Silly Rio," Claire laughs, "I'm just doing what a sister does best-giving advice, like you said. And is it so bad of me to play the doting older sister who wants a niece or nephew?"
"Yes," Rio says seriously, "it's embarrassing. No wonder Neil ran off, you know how embarrassed he gets-"
"Yeah, he's worse than you. But that's why I have so much fun when I visit you guys, you two are always so easy to tease! It's adorable!"
Their voices start to fade as they leave the mine, and slowly I relax before leaning against the wall and closing my eyes.
No matter how well my sister-in-law and I get along, I will never understand how Claire and Rio are related.
Somehow, being an only child became a lot more appealing after I got married.
So FINALLY I finished one of liznightangel's requests :) Don't worry! The other one will be coming up as well :)
I also finished Coola13's request and will post it tommorow!
Claire to me is super bold, and that means that she likes teasing her little sister and Neil, especially since he blushes so easily! That, and she'd love to see a niece or nephew for her own kid to play with...XD
Thank you all for the reads and reviews, and I'll see you on the next update! Requests are always welcome!