Web of

It had been such a pleasant dream. Sunny sitting on the picnic blanket with Mari as usual. Kell and Aubrey were bickering, Basil was taking a picture, and Hero was working on the perfect flower crown. It might not seem like a magical scene, but moments like these are ones Sunny wishes could last forever.
He woke up from this dream by the now long familiar sensation of needles digging into his neck.

A sudden sensation of pain would usually make someone wake up flailing or shoot straight up. But there was a special property to bites like this that left Sunny paralyzed. When he was younger he likened it to a kitten having the scruff of it's neck bit into. But after what happened at the lake, he realized it was more like a spider's venom. Prey trapped in a spider's web get bitten by the spider and wrapped in a cocoon. The venom stops them from dying, but also keeps them from living. Wrapped in a dark cocoon, the poor prey is trapped for however long it takes the spider to drain them of their blood, until their life finally drains with it. This thought terrified Sunny more than anything. He was scared of the dark and terrified of spiders. The image that appeared in his head whenever this happened made him freeze up and want to cry. That's when he would open his eyes and the fear would vanish.
At his side, he could see her moonlight form. For a few seconds she had a look of pure desperation. Now that she and had a few sips, her expression changed into one of bliss and her draining slowed. Mari always tried to take it slow, both to minimize pain and savor the feeling. Whenever he saw these two changing expressions of hers, Sunny could never be upset. It was awful. He'd seen how miserable it was for her. It's why he would never try to fight this, even if he wasn't paralyzed. She must have held off too long and couldn't wait until morning. It hurt her too much.
And despite how he made it sound...he couldn't help but in some way enjoy the intimacy of moments like this. His dear sister pressing her body against his side, traces of her body visible through her nightgown. His arm was squished between her body and his, but even in this paralyzed state he could fel how soft she felt. The pure bliss written on her face as she pressed her mouth against his neck while taking her time to slowly sip small drop after drop. And the sounds she made...soft moans escaped her throat and wet kissing sounded against his neck. It never failed to make Sunny feel...funny.

He knew it was wrong to view his sister so inappropriately. But after years of moments like this, he couldn't help it. Mari was beautiful. He'd always know that. It's just as he grew up it felt less like an observation and more like...he was seeing her differently. It didn't help that he was the only one she promised to do this to. He was special. He was hers. Her only little brother, and the only one she would do this to. Maybe he should have felt like that was a sacrifice or something, but...it made him feel wanted. It felt more like a promise that she wouldn't abandon him. That his big sister would always be by his side. Deep down, he was always afraid of that. If she went to college or found someone else, he'd slowly be pushed out of her life. And it might get to a point where he'd never see her again when they're both older. He heard from mom how she had a sister she was close with, but never saw much of anymore. Sunny didn't want that to be us. He loved her too much. He didn't want to lose her. He...wanted to be like this forever.

From what he'd learned, Mari wasn't the best at gauging when to stop. She usually left it up to him. Sunny wasn't the best at telling her to stop, either. He wanted these special moments between them to last longer. To look at Mari for a little longer. To feel her softness pressing against him a litle longer, her arms wrapped around his waist and back. The beautiful sounds she was making. But he could feel weaker...it was starting to hurt. After a few seconds longer, he finally mumbled "...mari..." His voice was quiet, but loud enough to faintly play over the sounds of Mari's pleasure.
At first he thought the look on her face was disappointment. That she had also didn't want to stop. After slowly pulling away she set her head against his chest. Pressed her ear against it. Mari could hear how his heart struggled. He realized the look on her face was guilt. It made him feel bad, too.
"Sunny...you need to be more conscious of when to stop. I don't want to hurt you." Her voice tinged with regret. Maybe it should have made Sunny feel worse, but the small trickle of his blood that escaped her lips only made his heart flutter rather than twinge. Sunny wanted to force a smile to help her feel better, but he had trouble smiling even at the best of times. Mari knew he couldn't respond in the state he was in, so she moved back to his side.
"I'm trusting you to know these things. I could seriously hurt you. Or even...ki-kill you...I-I don't want to lose you, dear brother..."
Maybe he should have felt worse at that. Felt the weight of her words. But the feeling of her tongue pressing against his neck to scoop up the last bits of blood lessened the effect of her attempted chastisement. He wondered if this part of her was honesty, or hunger. Did it contradict her words? Maybe Mari was secretly happy that he let her have her fill. Yet the look on her face told him otherwise.

"Goodnight, Sunny..." Mari pulled more of herself around him. She partially laid on top of him, resting her head on his chest to hear his heartbeat steady overnight. The tip of her head snuggled under his head. One of her legs had placed itself between his, her knee having to lift over part of him to not hang a foot off the bedside. An arm held him in a half hug. Somehow, even with how dull his body felt, every touch and sensation from Mari felt more vivid. Like he could close his eyes and see her more brilliantly painted in his vision than right now. Thinking back on that metaphor...maybe this is the cocoon part. Mari has him trapped in her love. But Sunny doesn't think that's a bad thing. He wouldn't be here if he didn't want to. He loved Mari, too.