Guest: No. That's a fanfic, right? I know the name, but I can't place it right now. Never read it.

Guest: No, males were still dominant throughout the history of her world. I look at it this way: Here, George Washington was the first US president and he was married to Martha Washington. In Linka's world, it was, like, idk, Martin Washington and his wife Georgeanna.

Lincoln nervously licked his lips and tried to regulate his breathing so that he didn't pant like a creeper. His hands rested limply in his lap and his eyes stared straight ahead at the Glob Man poster on the wall flanking the closet. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in steely claws and his stomach like it was literally being shredded from the inside out. Linka filled his periphery, and he did he best not to look at her head on - if he did, she'd know he was trying to check her out and think he was -

You heard Lisa. She's just as horny as you.

His stomach twisted and his dick strained against the crotch of his underwear like a feral dog against it leash. Okay, she looks...a lot like me, and that's kind of weird...but there's a horny girl sitting on my bed with her knees pressed coquettishly together and her lips sucked cutely in - I can smell her sweet perfume and...God, is that her crotch? There's something else, something wild, dank, and it's driving me crazy.

Breaking, he hazarded a slow glance at Linka - she stared down at her lap, her long, slender fingers worrying at the hem of her dress. As he watched, she brushed her hair behind her ear, long, snowy white strands caressing the side of her throat. She wore a silver chain that lay against her creamy skin and rustled when she moved, and a black hair tie around her wrist. He swallowed and darted his eyes to her face, so much like his own, but different, girlish, feminine, her jawline soft and smooth, her glossy lips fuller, pinker; Lincoln found himself wondering what they would taste like, and turned shamefully away. He was getting turned on...by his female self. That's...that's something.

It's like getting turned on for your sister who looks so much like you even random people are like oh, they're brother and sister. Some people like looking in a mirror as they get busy because, Lincoln assumed, they were narcissistic sociopaths who loved themselves in an unhealthy way. He wasn't like that (he didn't hate himself, but he didn't pop erections when he looked in the mirror), but...he was so turned on right now it was stupid. He could so vividly picture laying her down and kissing her, his hand brushing up the outside of her leg and pushing her shirt to her hips, that his hand shook and he could almost feel her.

He sensed her looking at him, and fought to keep from meeting her gaze and scaring her away like a timid fawn. His face burned and he was legit afraid to move or even breathe.

Linka allowed her eyes to wander from Lincoln's strong jaw to his toned arm - when she noticed how full his crotch looked, her breath caught. Is...is he hard? Oh, my God, that's so hot. She flicked her gaze to his face - it was a deep and painful shade of red, like he'd been in the sun too long, and his eyes, pointed at the wall, seemed to thrum, as if they were fighting to turn to her and was holding back. No, don't look at her. Bad. She went back to his crotch and unconsciously bit her lower lip, a whine rising in the back of her throat and her core pinching. Yes, please, I'll have some of that.

She was so close she could reach out and cup it in her hand, trace its outline with her fingers, feel its firmy, masculine warmth radiating through rough denim, explore every square inch, then take it out, look at it, stroke it, taste it, and sate her girlish curiosity. She could see herself now, mouth agape in wonder and eyes huge as she drink it in, her cheeks scarlet, her chest rising and falling as her excitement grew and grew until it burst against her frame like a lead balloon. A hot lead balloon.

The crotch of her panties was damp now, clinging wetly (and uncomfortably) to her swollen lips like a second skin. She shifted in the hopes they would come unstuck, but they didn't. Sigh.

She swallowed thickly and opened her mouth to speak, but words deserted her, as they always did when she tried to talk to a boy. This time around, it was double because...wow, this is a pretty strange situation. I've been really wanting to do things with a boy for, like, ever, but now that I'm here, I'm kind of...I don't even know him, and while that doesn't mean anything to my body, I feel like just jumping his bones is wrong. Like it'll make me a slut or something. I don't want to be a slut...but I do wanna do slutty things *wink*

Lincoln was having misgivings of his own. For the past six months, eight months, whatever, he'd been horny non-stop and constantly thinking about girls, girls, girls - he was worse than Motley Crue. Sitting next to one on his bed and knowing that she was feeling the exact same fire down below, he was very turned on, but... and maybe it's not cool for a guy to think this way...he didn't know Linka. Most of the girls he thought about were girls he'd talked to, whose personalities he knew, girls he'd hung out with and laughed with and...and all that stuff. Part of him wanted to just do Linka, but another part, a very strong and vocal part, wouldn't let him because…

It seemed wrong.

He stole a sidelong glance and swept his gaze up and down her body. He could see himself...you know, 'with' her...but not like...Hi, I'm Lincoln, nice to meet you *grabs pussy*

Who was he, Donald Trump?

Heh. But yeah, he could see it clearly - her lying back on the bed with a beautiful blush, maybe chewing on the tip of her pointer finger, naked except for her socks and that necklace, her eyes hazy and narrow as he ran his hands slowly up her body, from her silken legs, over her quivering stomach, across the nubs of her breasts, then down to the little garden of mysteries between her thighs. He could see himself taking his time, letting his hands linger here and there, completely satisfying his boyish curiosity...then getting on top of her.

Ring, ring. Hey, Linc, it's your dick, stop fucking around and PUT ME IN HER! PLEASE! DIP ME IN HER WET HEAT, I'M DYING HERE!

Is he going to talk to me? Linka wondered. She stole a look at him, and frowned slightly. Maybe he's super nervous, like me. Lisa did say we're a lot alike. Lol. That's an understatement. I guess I have to take the lead. I can be pushy, you know - playing middle management to ten brothers and all - but I don't want him to feel like I'm a bossy bitch or something like that. One of us has to talk, though.

She waited a moment, and when it was clear that one of them wasn't going to be Lincoln, she took a deep breath, not knowing what to say so going for the long-hanging fruit. "This is really weird." She uttered a nervous laugh.

"Yeah," he said, "it is. I-I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept."

Linka nodded. "Umhm. Me too. Like...you're me and I'm you, but not...really?" She frowned.

"It's...it's pretty…"

"Mind-boggling," they said together, then laughed sheepishly. From there, they lapsed into awkward silence. "I assume you have ten sisters," Linka said, forcing the conversation back to life like a defibrillator in a hospital drama. Clear!

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, uh...t-ten sisters. Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and Lily. Oldest to, uh, to youngest. You have...brothers?"

"Yeah," she said, "Loki, Loni, Luke, Lane, Lynn, Lars, Leif, Lexx, Levi, and Leon." She added: "That's oldest to youngest too."

For a moment Lincoln digested the information like a gas station chilldog - heartburn and all. When he spoke, his voice was halting. "What...what are they like?"

Linka considered her response. "Well...Loki's kind of a bully to everyone but me…"

"Sounds like Lori," Lincoln said, "except she's a bully to me too."

"Does she use her phone a lot?"

Lincoln snickered. "Yeah, she's always on it."

"Wow," Linka breathed, "that's freaky, Loki too. Loni is…" she trailed off, not sure exactly how to explain her second oldest brother.

Luckily, Lincoln did it for her. "Sweet but not the brightest?"

She smiled fondly. "Yep. That's him; he's the sweetest thing ever but he's...he's pretty dull." She hated being so blunt and uncharitable, but it was true, Loni was a wet match in a dark cave. His heart of gold more than made up for it, though.

Humming his agreement, Lincoln said, "Same with Leni. Sometimes it's...a real challenge…"

"Oh, I know," Linka said, "sometimes you have to be really careful in how you explain things to him. One time Loki to time 'make my bed' and -"

"He made an actual bed, didn't he?" Lincoln asked with grin.

Linka laughed. "Yes! He started building a bed, it was hilarious."

"Leni did the same thing. Does your brother have his license yet?" He watched her curiously, his forearms resting on his knees and his hands loosely laced. When you took the resemblance out of the equation, which was admittedly kind of hard, he was actually pretty cute.

That didn't mean she was in love with herself! She didn't hate herself, but she also didn't get turned on by looking in a mirror. Who does that? Narcissists, maybe? "No," she said, "he's tried a bunch but he keeps failing. He came close one time, when my brothers and I helped him, but he didn't make it all the way."

"Did...um...what's his name? Your oldest brother. Did his sabotage him?"

Linka's brows furrowed in confusion. "Loki? No, he didn't do anything like that. Loni was almost done with the driving part of the test...then he saw a squirrel and drove after it...off the course...into the side of a building." She smile at the memory.

"Hm," Lincoln said, "me and my sisters helped Leni, but Lori sabotaged her." He put an irritated spin on the second to last word.

"Why?" Linka asked.

Lincoln sighed. "Jealousy. Lori didn't want to share the van and thought no one would ever want to hang out with her if she wasn't giving them rides."

Say what? Out loud: "Oh. That's...interesting. Does she get jealous a lot?"

"Not really," he said after collecting his thoughts. "She's bossy, though. That's her big thing. Miss queen of the hill telling everyone what to do."

He glanced at her at the same time she glanced at him, and they both looked hurriedly away. Talking to him was getting easier much quicker than she thought it would.

"Loki is kind of the same," Linka allowed, "but really not. Like I said, he mainly bullies everyone. Not like mean...well, sometimes mean..but mostly playing around. If anyone's the boss, it's me."

In her periphery, Lincoln turned to her. "You?"

"Me," Linka said. "Why? Don't think I can be?"

"No, no, it's not that, I just...I'm not, ya know, timid or anything, but no one listens to me around here. If I tried being the boss, they'd all laugh. I kind of assumed it was the same with you." The way he stammered was adorable.

Let's do him now!

No! I mean...can at least get to know him before I have to decide? Sheesh, you're a ho and you need Jesus.

Realizing it was her turn to say something, she shrugged, "I'm not really the boss, it's just...I've always kind of been a den mother." Before she continued, she looked at Lincoln to see if he understood what that meant, and he nodded that he did. "Like...when I was a little girl I really liked...like...being a mommy to dolls and stuff, so I kind of started being a mom to my brothers." She laughed because it was kind of weird when you put it like that. Most little girls display maternal instincts to stuffed animals and baby dolls (which is why the latter even exist). "I guess I just...watched my mom and wanted to be like her. I'd be like "Loni, get your feet off the coffee table' and it kind of stuck."

Lincoln snorted. "Well I guess you'd have to start early. It's too late for me."

"Well...boys and girls are different," Linka pointed out. "So maybe that has something to do with it. What's your relationship like with them?" She propped her elbow on her knee, rested her chin in her palm, and settled in to listen to what he had to say. It was only when she found herself caressing his cheek with her eyes that she realized she was looking directly at him like...a friend and not a boy she was thrown together with for the express purpose of sex.

He took a deep, thoughtful breath, and said, "Well, we're all really close. We have each other's backs, and-and-and help each other and stuff, but we do fight."

"What siblings don't?" Linka asked.

"Exactly," he said gesturing with his hand. "One time I calculated the perfect spot to sit in the van, and...l-long story short we wound up in knock down, drag out fight over it."

Linka giggled because 1, that totally sounded like something her brothers would do, and 2, because he was getting more animated as he relaxed. He was less stiff, not as tense. She felt a little more comfortable too. "My brothers do that, but they usually stop when I yell at them." She frowned slightly. "Sometimes they treat me like I'm made of glass or something. And they can be a little overprotective. There was this boy I liked, and whenever we'd hang out in the living room, they'd all circle the couch like sharks to make sure he doesn't try anything. Hello, maybe I want him to try something." When she realized that she said that out loud, her face burned and she looked away. Real smooth, Linka, way to sound like a thot.

Thankfully, Lincoln ignored it. "My sisters are overprotective in ways," he said, "like if I get a papercut, they'll act like I'm dying." He chuckled. "It gets old."

"Well, they worry about you," Linka said, and yes, she was speaking from experience. She worried about her brothers all the time, especially Lynn and Loni, Lynn because he was always playing sports and breaking stuff (wrists, ankles, you know, the usual) and Loni because with his...childlike nature...he could get hurt pretty easily.

"Same with your brothers," Lincoln said. "My little sister Lucy was...I guess you could say dating...this boy, and I was...I was honestly afraid he'd hurt her some way." He sucked his lips into his mouth in thought. "I guess I can be a little overprotective too."

That was sweet...and really hot. For some strange reason.

He was overlooking one teensy thing though. "Yeah, but there's only one of you and ten of my brothers. Nine, if you don't count Leon, since he's baby and doesn't do much. It's like, you know, sometimes I feel -"

"Outnumbered," Lincoln said, finishing her sentence.

"Exactly."

Her gets you on so many levels, Link. That's crazy hot. Let's do him now.

This time...Linka couldn't use the argument that she didn't know him, because the more she listened, the more she felt that she did know him. It wasn't just the things he said, it was also the tone and cadence of his voice, the inflection of his words - they worked on her brain just as surely as his yummy boy-scented pheromones. Those things conveyed so much to her subconscious, chiefly among them familiarity. He didn't simply say I know what you're going through in life, he also...it was in the way he spoke, okay? I'm flipping horny and scared and awkward and so nervous I'm literally shaking, leave me alone.

Let's do him, then!

"I also, you know, feel kind of alone," he said. "I mean, being one boy among ten girls. We're all really close, like I said, but sometimes it's like I'm an outsider."

Linka was nodded before he was even done speaking. "I feel like that too. It's nothing my brothers do -"

"No," Lincoln agreed.

"It's just...they have this bond that I can never really be apart of or something. Being the only girl, I'm always on the outside looking in."

Lincoln hummed. "Umhm. I mean...it doesn't mess me up or anything, I'm not depressed, I just feel a little excluded by my very gender. Curse of being a boy, I guess."

Ummm, boy, that's right, I almost forgot (kind of, not really, maybe). Linka glanced at his strong hands, his toned forearm, and then, finally, at his bulge. Her core tingled and she squirmed uncomfortably.

Alright...we've only talked for a couple minutes, but there are clear and obvious extenuating circumstances. I think…

I think I'm ready.

Mentally.

Kind of.

I'm nervous and stuff, but I'm pretty sure I know him enough that I'm okay with...you know. It's not like he's a total stranger, he's me. In a way. He strikes me as kind of...passive, though. It looks like I'm going to have to take the lead...again. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Unless it makes me look bad, but he's feeling the same unbearable pressure as me, so I don't think he'll mind.

Her heart thumped and her stomach crushed painfully.

Oh, wow. Lol, I'm so nervous.

How should she do it? Show subtle signs that she was interested? That's what she usually did and it never worked because, she assumed, most boys didn't want a girl with white hair and chipped teeth. With Lincoln, though, knowing how he thought (like me...mostly), she thought maybe she should be more upfront.

Her heart thumped even harder and her stomach felt like it was being clawed from the inside by a thousand tiny razor fingers.

Could she be upfront about...that?

Do it, Link!

O-Okay, I-I guess.

He wants it just as bad as you. Remember, you're both horny toads...and it's mating season~

You're such a perv!

But I like the way you think ;)

"Speaking of curses," she said and glanced at him, flashing what she hoped was a naughty and knowing smirk when he looked at her in return, "you're...you're really...horny...like me?" Those words passed like kidney stones, and when they were out, she was so embarrassed she almost buried her face in her hands to hide.

Lincoln tensed up again and drew a reflexive intake of breath through his nose like she punched him in the stomach instead of asked a question. To be fair to him, it was a really awkward thing to talk about. "W-W-W I, uh…" Linka cocked her head and watched him fumble, the corners of her mouth turning up in amusement. Seeing that he was more nervous even than her made her feel a little better. Think of it like this: He was like a cute little boy who needed motherly guidance~

Uhh...that was both hot and not at the same time.

Don't do that again, Linka.

"Yes," Lincoln finally sighed like a man who was too tired to fight any longer. "I-I-I am."

Linka darted her eyes to his bulge, then to her hands. They were shaking. "I am too. A lot. And it's flipping annoying."

"Sometimes I can't even sleep," he said, a mournful edge in his voice.

"As soon as I get home from school…"

Lincoln shook his head. "I try to read a comic, or play a game…"

"And it's dirty thoughts about boys…"

"I want them to leave me alone…"

"But at the same time…"

"I really…"

"Like having…"

"Them…"

They both drew a deep breath and said, in unison, "It's hell." They glanced at one another, and for the first time their eyes met. It might be kind of a weird analogy, but to Linka, it felt almost like two puzzle pieces clicking together, and as she stared into his warm, limpid browns, she felt a stirring in her chest and a flutter in her stomach, like the faint kiss of butterfly wings. Linka had see her own eyes in the mirror a thousand times over the years, so she was confident that his were different. The same color, the same shape, but somehow indefinitely unique...warm, dancing with light, and beautiful...even though he looked so nervous she was worried he'd pop a blood vessel.

Something heavy and profound, like a ball of electricity, seemed to pass between them (or maybe Linka was being melodramatic), and she looked away, surprising herself with a giggle. Wow, that was kind of...intense. And nice. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth to kill her goofy grin - it felt crazy good, but probably made her look like a dork, or worse, a leering pervert. Technically, she was both, but let's not tell the cute boy that.

Until it's too late~

"What, um...what kinds of things do you think about?" she asked, and pressed her knees together. Asking him that - and anticipating what he would say - was making her even wetter. I bet it's going to be the same things I think about, she thought, and her heart skipped a beat. They were a lot alike, right? So maybe the same things got them going.

When Lincoln didn't speak, she looked at him - his face was beet red and he looked like a doe in the headlights. Awww, poor thing; she wanted to give him a big, reassuring hug and maybe boop his little cowlick (finally, I get to do it to someone else, muhahahahaha!).

Guess it's up to me to break the ice.

"I can tell you one of the things I think about," she offered.

Lincoln shifted, and was his her imagination, or did his bulge twitch? Wow, it moves? "Uh, yeah, I guess, sure," he stumbled.

Okay. Good. I'll just...talk about my dirty thoughts...in front of a cute boy...and that's so awkward! Oh, my God. I know he wants it just as bad as me and all that, but still. "Um...well...one thing I like...or think I like is…" she trailed off. Which fantasy should she tell him? Not the one about the shower...or letting a bunch of boys 'explore' her. Those were waaay to embarrassing and would really make her sound like a slut. Then, it came to her. "There's this boy named Jordan," she started haltingly, and Lincoln looked at her funny. For a second she thought she said something wrong, then it occurred to her that if she had a Boy Jordan and a Girl Jordan in her universe, it would stand to reason that he did too, only the boy here was the girl there and...you get the picture.

Maybe he liked his Girl Jordan and thought about her the way she thought about Boy Jordan. "I was thinking...it would be really, like," she giggled nervously. "Like...hot...if were were on a hike together, and…" her heart slammed so hard it echoed in her head and her throat was suddenly dry. She could see Lincoln staring expectantly at her from the corner of her eye, and if she could blush any brighter, she did. "And I...I lifted my shirt and...and showed him my pussy."

Lincoln's jaw dropped open, then snapped closed again.

"And then he...he started fingering me and kissing me." Being so blunt for some reason sent a quiver through her core. I'm being openly dirty...alone...with a boy...on his bed…

Lincoln shifted, and she looked at him. "There's a girl named Jordan," he said, "here. And a boy."

"Umhm. In my world too."

"And...I-I had the same thought about her. That she pulled her skirt up and s-showed me her...her pussy...and I started touching it and kissing her."

You know...she figured they might have some of the same fantasies...but hearing out loud that he wanted the exact same thing as her was, like, the most erotic thing ever. "Do you ever, like, think about just...like...running your hands over a girl's body?"

Lincoln nodded. "All the time. Exploring her...touching everything. It's weird, but that-that really turns me on."

"It's not weird," Linka said. "I think of the same thing. Only letting a boy do that to me. And doing it to him too." Her eyes were drawn to his crotch again, and she imagined caressing it with her fingers while looking into his beautiful eyes. She looked at him, and he at her; their eyes met again, and a goofy grin crossed her lips like a fart slipping out. "I also think about kissing them all over."

"Me too," Lincoln said. "The taste of her skin...how warm and silky smooth it is, and what she'll sound like. You know, panting, like in porn."

Linka crossed her eyes. "Oh, my God, yes. The intimacy is such a turn. Like when you cum…"

"You're showing the person you're with something...sacred."

Linka smiled and nodded. "Umhm. Like a sexy secret. The moment of orgasm is such, like, an intensely personal moment, and the thought of letting go in front of someone-"

"And watching the other person let go -"

She threw her head back and moaned deep in her throat. Her pussy throbbed with every staggering beat of her heart and her stomach roiled like hot water on a stove. She didn't know what it was like to burn alive in a house fire, but she couldn't help imagine it felt a little like this: She was hot from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes, so much that the backs of her hands were a light shade of red and chills wracked her frame.

Please, Link, can we…?

Yes.

She chewed her bottom lip.

Yes, we can.

If I gathered the courage. She looked over at Lincoln's bulge at the same moment he looked at her lap. Linka's chest squeezed - she saw an opening, and she was going to take it. Turning her gaze to her feet and wincing at the anxious clawing in her midsection, she tucked her hair behind her ear and swallowed - her throat was dry and tacky, and the motion produced an audible click. "You can...you can touch my leg if you want."

She flicked her eyes to Lincoln, and he looked even redder than she felt as he stared at her bare knee. For a second she didn't think he'd do it, but then he reached one shaky hand out, hesitated, then laid it on her leg, his warm fingers grazing her skin and sending a shiver down her spine. A giggle burst from her throat and she looked away to hide her face. Get ahold of yourself, Linka, jeez.

"T-That's okay?" Lincoln asked. His hand rested half on her skirt and half on her thigh, light and firm, its heat flowing into her and making her heart race. Any faster and it'd make Usain Bolt look like a tortoise.

"Umhm," she said because she didn't think she could form words. She fisted her hands in the dip of her lap and moved them ever so slightly against her crotch because oh my God, a boy's touching me and I need friction stat.

Lincoln watched her profile as if for instruction, then brushed his hand down, his fingertips kissing her flesh and his palm molding to her like a glove to a hand. Her core tingled and her breath caught. He closed his hand over her knee and stroked it like a cat, rubbing slow, clumsy circles. "T-That still okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yes," she said, "it...it feels really good."

He let out a shuddery breath and moved his hand higher, getting just a little bolder. He halted when he reached the hem of her skirt like an immigrant at a fence. Her heart slammed and her body trembled in anticipation, every inch yearning, crying out to be touched too. "You can go higher," she half said/half panted. "I-I want you to."

Lincoln yanked away, leaving her leg cold and alone, and for a horrible moment she thought he was going to chicken out, but then he turned to face her, drawing one bent leg onto the bed. He pressed his left hand to the top of her thigh and stroked back and forth, from the top of her knee to her skirt hem, his skin scraping hers and sending goosebumps up and down her arms. Her heart dropped into her stomach when his fingers crept under her skirt - he was so close to her thing it was both scary and exhilarating. She looked at him, and their eyes locked. She felt that stirry/fluttery thing again, but also something else, a sort of magnetic pull...like she was being physically drawn to him by unseen hands.

He felt it too, and with dreamlike languor, lost in each other's eyes, they leaned into one another's lips, each meeting its mate with an electric spark. For a moment they breathed the same air and searched each other's eyes, then Lincoln flicked his tongue across her bottom lip, a male animal seeking a female's favor. Linka gave it willingly and completely, allowing him into her mouth and stroking his tongue unskillfully with her own. She fluttered her hand to his chest and laid it over his heart, the crazy way it beat against her palm exciting her even more than she already was; she deepened the kiss, prodding and curiously exploring every crevice of his mouth, reveling in his taste and the heat of his ragged breath. His fingers dug pleasantly into the soft flesh of her thigh as if to keep himself from being swept away, and she laid her other hand on the side of his face.

When they pulled apart, they were both panting and blushing fire truck red. They giggled like girls and broke eye contact to glance nervously at their laps. "I-I really liked that," Lincoln said.

"So did I," Linka replied.

He cupped her cheek in his hand and tilted her face up to his; he smiled warmly and tender light shone in his eyes. He leaned in, and Linka met him halfway.

The second kiss lasted much longer than the first.

In her room, Lisa crossed to her chair and sat; Levi closed the door behind him, came over, and leaned against the desk, his arms folding over his chest, his normally stoic face ashen and pinched slightly as if in worry. Lisa rolled her eyes and opened the top drawer. "You're being fallacious," she said as she rummaged through, pushing aside papers, office supplies, and a revolver.

"I'm apprehensive," he replied defensively. "My sister is in the next room with a boy. What do you want of me me?"

Package of rubber bands, cassette tape labeled Symphony No. 40, a stationary pad headed Overlook Hotel (that was an...intriguing vacation), a postcard from her friend Darcy's recent trip (MOONLIGHT BAY, CA)...hm, where are they, goddamn it? I know they're in here. "My brother is in the next room as well," she said absently and snaked her arm in, turning to Levi and plastering her tongue to her upper lip in concentration. "With a female, I might add. I, however, trust them both to conduct themselves magnanimously. You, on the other hand, are being a mollycoddler out of some misguided and vaguely misogynistic belief that your sister is a delicate flower who needs to be guarded like a bank vault."

He sighed. "No," he said in a strained, patronizing tone, "I am concerned for my sister's emotional and, yes, physical, wellbeing. You know as well as I do that females are more easily taken advantage of in situations such as this, and that they are quicker to develop intense feelings, whereas males, by their very biological make-up, tend to treat sex in a more cavalier fashion." His lips turned down in a sharp snear.

"I ought to be offended by your insinuating that Lincoln would take advantage of Linka," Lisa said, "but knowing that you have an unresolved Oedipus complex in regards to Linka, I'll let it slide." She smirked at the barb.

Levi's eyes narrowed. "I do not have an Oedipus complex centered around my sister," he said tightly. "She's very important to me and when you care about someone, you worry about them. Your flippant attitude in regards to Lincoln leads me to suspect that you wouldn't know the first thing about how I feel."

Alright, that was uncalled for. "I care a great deal about my brother," Lisa said, her tone matching Levi's now. "Which is why I arranged this meeting in the first place. It does not benefit me in any way, shape, or form, but it does Lincoln." That wasn't exactly the truth, it did benefit her in that she was able to see Levi in person, but she was currently offended, and wouldn't' give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was happy at that fact.

"And I came all this way for Linka," Levi said, "because even though I worry, I know that she does, in fact, need this, and the idea of her with Lincoln makes me far less uncomfortable than the thought of her with anyone else. I'm still not particularly comfortable with it, though."

Closing her hand around a cellophane bag, Lisa grinned. Got'cha. She dragged it to the front of the drawer, reached in, and pulled out two lollipops. "Here," she said and handed one to Levi, "have a sucker."

Levi eyed her suspiciously, then took it and ripped the wrapper off. Lisa plopped hers into her mouth and sat back in her chair. Hm. Blue raspberry. She was fond of that flavor. "I understand your concerns," she said with a level of tenderness that she rarely showed, "I honestly do. You, and your brothers, must realize that even though you've, perhaps, put her on a pedestal, she's a human being, and like birds, human beings require freedom and space to breathe."

Taking the sucker out of his mouth, Levi said, "We haven't put her on a pedestal -"

"You have," Lisa pressed. "It's natural in a familial context to see one's parental figures as larger than life, above reproach, beyond, as it were, base human instincts. Take your grandmother for instance. Can you picture her on all fours being rutted by your grandfather like a dog?"

Levi sputtered. "C-Christ, no!"

"Precisely. To you, she's your sweet old granny, but the law of averages says she's performed oral sex on at least one man…"

A look of disgust flickered across Levi's face. "You're vulgar," he spat.

Lisa chuckled. "Perhaps I am. My point is that you and your brothers look at Linka in much the same way."

"Because we don't relish the thought of her fillating someone?"

"No," she said patiently, "because you treat her as something other than what she is: A young woman. A young woman currently in the bloom of adolescence. Your mother, to you, is mom. Grandma is grandma. Linka is..Linka."

Sighing, Levi said, "My brothers and I perfectly well understand that Linka is a human being and not some..d-deity or something. We don't treat her as though she's above us - we love and worry about her. She's fairly assertive and not quite as passive as Lincoln, however she is a girl, and girls, whether one cares to admit it, are physically weaker than boys, on average, and tend to feel more deeply. This increases the likelihood of being hurt, used, taken advantage of, or molested...sexually or otherwise. That, then, is why we worry about her. We do not coddle her, we do not deny her freedom, and we give her space. You make it sound as though we guard her night and day with barbed wire and firearms."

Taking the sucker out, Lisa twirled it thoughtfully in her fingers. "No, but you are overprotective."

"We are not," Levi challenged, "we don't make her decisions for her. She's perfectly capable of doing so on her own."

Lisa pointed the sucker at him. "Exactly. Whatever occurs in that room will be of Linka's own free will. You know that Lincoln would never force himself on her. If she wants it to stop at any point, it will stop. I am confident that the same can be said of Linka. No matter how much she may want it to continue, if Lincoln says no, she will stop. They are not carbon copies of one another, but they are alike where it really counts: They are both kind, caring, and considerate. You're not wrong about girls being taken advantage of, but Lincoln isn't like that, and you know it."

Levi opened his mouth to protest, but fell silent and jammed his sucker back in as if to buy himself time to think. He was clearly coming up with every excuse he could to dislike what was happening down the hall - he loved Linka and worried after her. Lisa understood that and respected it (it was a quite admirable quality...attractive, even), but she was certain that deep down, he knew she was right, at least about Lincoln and Linka. They were as compatible as two people can be (as were she and Levi), and their time together would be one of mutual trust, understanding, and respect. Levi was aware of that - he was just too goddamn stubborn to admit it, and to admit that while Linka might be something of a pseudo motherly figure to her brothers, his feelings, and perhaps his brothers', were more than glancingly paternal. No one will ever be good enough for my little girl.

He took the sucker out with a plop and sighed. "I don't think he is," he allowed, "but Linka is precious to me and I'll continue to worry no matter how much you harangue."

Lisa chuckled. "Fine. Would you feel better if we observed?" she asked and nodded to the computer.

Poor Levi's face went completely white and his eyes widened. "N-N-N-No," he stammered, "I-I'd rather n-not."

"Very well," Lisa grinned. He was cute when he was mortified. "How're your brothers?"

"Insufferable," he said, "as always."

Lisa hummed her sympathy. "Not as intolerable as my sisters. Last week Lori and Leni stopped speaking because they both bought the same goddamn sweater." She chuckled humorlessly.

"The constant roughhousing is killing me," Levi moaned and threw his head back. "I swear to God, it sounds like a stampede of elephants. The hallway is a Mad Maxian wasteland; to use the bathroom, I have to fight my way through marauders in assless leather chaps."

Lisa laughed richly. "It can't be worse than the incessant bickering. And whining. And bellyaching. God above, it's like having icepicks shoved into your ears."

Relaxing a little, Levi crossed his arms and put his sucker into his mouth. "Le me ask you question," he said around it. "How often do you play family physician?"

"I conduct physicals at routine intervals," she shrugged, "outside of that...not very often. Last week Lynn sprained her ankle and before that Leni, God bless her, walked into a door frame and gave herself a bloody nose."

Levi snorted. "Cute. For me it's every single day. Someone is always hurting themselves or someone else. Cuts. Sprains. Abrasions. The list goes on. Yesterday, Lynn knocked Luke's front teeth out playing an unsanctioned game of hockey in the hallway, and I spent the entire afternoon working on him. The day before that, Lars got tired of Loki's constant bullying and charged at him, head down like the genius he is. Loki stepped aside and Lars rammed right into the wall, cracked the plaster and gave himself a concussion too."

"Your brothers are barbarians."

"They're boys," he corrected, "which, admittedly, is a half step up. Do you see now why I worry about Linka? My brothers are tender and loving with her, but if their behavior is any indication, it won't be long before a boy isn't."

Lisa shrugged. "I see your point. You can't hold onto her forever and you can't be her bodyguard for the rest of her life."

"I know that," Levi sighed, "but as long as I can do something to ensure she's okay, I will." He stuck the sucker back into his mouth and rolled the stick from one corner of his lips to the other.

"That's very sweet," Lisa said, then frowned. "Maybe you're right and I - and my sisters - don't concern ourselves enough with Lincoln. We do worry, of course, and we are somewhat protective, but we tend to let him go."

Across from her, Levi bobbed his head from side to side in thought. "The gender dynamics are different, therefore you and your sisters express your feelings differently. I will admit that I, and my brothers, may go a little overboard at times. Linka is not made of glass and she's shown again and again that she can handle having ten brothers - God, if one can handle that, they can handle anything. It's natural to worry about your loved ones."

One of the many differences Lisa had been able to detect between her and Levi was that he was more sentimental than she - not overly much, just enough that there was a marked contrast. Also, strangely enough, more conservative and conventional. Normally, she found bathos tiresome and irritating, but in him, she appreciated it. There were times when she wondered, despite evidence to the contrary, if, perhaps, the versions of people in one universe weren't the mythic other half to ones in the other. She thought often of Plato's The Symposium, in which it is written that humans were born with two heads, four arms, four legs, and two faces, then split in half by the god Zeus, who feared their power; from that point on, the were doomed to spend their lives searching for their other half.

Complete garbage, of course, like all religious myth, but she saw in Levi something missing from herself, and she imagined he saw the same in her. Of all the universes they had studied at any length, theirs were the most alike, which lead her to believe that maybe certain realities were sister-verses, not the same but so closely related that the resemblance was stark. Each universe probably had at least one, maybe more.

Or perhaps there were only two as alike as these.

Adam and Eve.

Two of each animal.

Beings cleaved by a frightened god.

Nonsense...but at the heart of every swirling vortex of bullshit, there's always a nugget of truth, like thorny briers growing rampant around a delicate flower you'd have to dig long and hard to find. Call it Lisa's Law.

"Yes," she said now, "it is. Linka's a smart girl. Her thinking, like Lincoln's, has been clouded recently, but hopefully today will clear that up." She glanced longingly at her computer screen - she wanted to access the camera in Lincoln's room and check on their progress but, and maybe it was Levi's presence affecting her, she felt that maybe that wouldn't be entirely ethical.

Levi sighed. "I certainly hope."

"Isn't it strange how our sexual impulses work?" Lisa asked. "They supersede almost everything else and turn rational, thinking people into raving maniacs." She humphed. "I understand the biological necessity, of course, but...it's mind-boggling how strong our instincts are in that regard. As far as I can tell, the only ones stronger are parental instincts and the will to live." She put the sucker in her mouth. "At least with animals, it comes and goes, but with human beings it's persistent."

"You have to wonder how much of it is purely biological and how much of it is us manufacturing those urges. After all, we're among the only animals who with enough brain power to sit there and dwell on the matter."

Hm. "True," she said. "Humans are strange and complex creatures. Except for my sisters. They're all so simple a Caveman can do it."

Levi chuckled. "Your sisters?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "you should see some of the boys Luna's dated. They look like cavemen. Beards, sloped brows, knuckles dragging across the floor."

"I doubt they're that bad," Levi said.

"Close enough. Is Luke still seeing that girl...what was her name? The one with the bright pink hair and nose rings"

Levi rolled his eyes in disgust. "Holly. No, thankfully they broke up. I believe she cheated on him. Lately he's been talking about someone named Sarah or Sondra or something. Is Lori still with Bobby?"

"Yes, she is."

"Hm. I guess I was wrong about them not making it past the six week mark."

Lisa smiled. "You're wrong quite often."

"Far less than you'd imagine," he said sportingly, "but far more than I would like. Speaking of, when was your last lab explosion?" The corner of his mouth turned up in a cocky grin as he spoke. Owing to his more careful approach, he did not blow himself up very often, whereas Lisa was constantly reducing her lab and her face to blackened smoot.

The sucker was smaller now, more brittle. She crunched it between her teeth and dropped the stick onto the desk. "I'll have you know it's been nearly a week," she said with a ludic arch of the brows.

"That long?" he asked patronizingly.

Lisa nodded. "That long."

"Well, in that case," he said and stood up straight, "you deserve one of these." He reached into the pocket of his lab coat, took something out, then came forward - Lisa's heart skipped a beat and for some reason she had the strange and exciting notion that he was going to kiss her. Instead, he pressed his thumb to her forehead, making her wince, then stepped back and smugly crossed his arms.

She slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose and rolled her eyes up. "A gold star," she said around a grin.

"Yes," Levi said, "a gold star."

She started to peel it off, but the bizarre compulsion to keep it right where it was overcame her, and she left it. "Do you carry these everywhere you go?"

"I do, in fact," he said, "I have to reward the simpletons when they display proper behavior. Positive reinforcement."

Lisa smiled. "You're a jerk," she said, 'but I like you anyway."