Siblings

Cody stared at the plastic cup in front of him. He did not mind meeting the new neighbors, if only it weren't for two things. Firstly was the cup in front of him. Mrs. Dalton had said they were still unpacking their kitchenware, but he could not help but notice his mom and her got glasses while he got a faded pink Barbie cup that matched the cup sitting in front of Bethany, the second thing he did not like about this encounter. She leered across the table at him. Despite being five or maybe even six years younger than him, she seemed to tower over him enough to make him feel like a baby, even if she was really only about a head taller.

"He's easily the shortest in his class." His mom had said as if unaware that that particular fact hurt him more than any other every time it was brought up. He sighed. At least the cookies were good.

"Bethany, how about you and Cody go play in your room for a bit while me and Cody's mom chat?"

"Oh, sure!" Bethany said eagerly, practically leaping off of her chair. She grabbed Cody's hand. "C'mon, little Cody! We can play a game!"

"Little?" He said as she dragged him out of the room at a breakneck pace.

"Oh, yes. You're so itty bitty."

"That" he stammered. "That's not very nice!"

"What? It's just a fact. You have cute little feeties and you're itty bitty!"

"Stop saying that! I'm older than you!"

"Yeah," Bethany shrugged. "That's what your mom says, but I don't really believe her." She opened her bedroom door.

Cody had expected something pink and frilly, but honestly, her room did not look that different from his. Sure, the toys on the floor were Barbies instead of action figures, but all the same, she had a desk, a bookshelf, a bed, everything seemed a lot like his.

"So, what are we gonna play?" He did not know why, but the room being so ordinary put him at ease.

"Dress up." Bethany said at once.

"Uh, what kind of dress-up?" He had flashbacks to his cousins insisting he play house with them. They had outgrown that a few years ago, though Cody had not done much growing since.

"Well," Bethany giggled. "Let's pretend we're sis- siblings." Cody blinked, but dismissed the slip-up.

"And?"

"And siblings wear matching outfits, don't they?" Cody did not like where this was heading, especially with how Bethany had positioned herself between him and the door.

"I'm not sure about that." Cody said, feeling more and more nervous by the second. Bethany just shrugged.

"Let's see. First things first, we need to get you undressed."

"What? I'm not taking my clothes off."

"Oh, I know."

"Huh?"

"Well, obviously you'll need help!" She cooed as if he was a very small child. "You're so itty bitty!" Before Cody even knew what was happening, he found himself lying on the floor of Bethany's room as she tickled his bare feet.

Perhaps if Cody were not hopelessly ticklish, the afternoon would have turned out differently. Bethany, however, had had a good feeling that he would be and his squeals of laughter proved just how right she was. Even as he pleaded for her to stop, she pressed on until Cody lay there, out of breath and barely able to move. Smiling confidently, she pulled his shirt over his head. She had helped take care of countless little cousins. She knew how to undress little kids. By the time Cody had regained his composure, she had him stripped down to his underwear.

"Give me my clothes back!" She smiled and mimed tickling his feet. Cody was so terribly ticklish, he squealed and giggled.

"What a sweet little Cody." She cooed. "Little baby Cody's so tickly wickly, aren't you?"

"Stop. Give me my clothes back."

"I've got much better clothes for you."

"Better?" He shivered, though that may only have been because he was in his underwear.

"Alright, prettier. More appropriate for my little sister."

"What?" He turned red from a mix of anger and so much embarrassment.

"I know a girl named Cody, so you can be my little sister Cody." She giggled. "I guess you're the second girl named Cody I know!"

"I'm not a girl!"

"Well, I guess not technically." She allowed. "But you're so little and tiny that you're basically a baby." He tried to argue, but she quickly tickled him back into squealy submission. "And babies like you wear whatever they're told."

"I won't!" He whined. She knew all too well how much babies whined.

"Sure you will." Bethany replied matter-of-factly. "Now hold still while we get your tights on."


Through a combination of tickles and just plain overpowering the tiny boy, Bethany got a pair of white tights up his legs and over his waist.

"Oh, perfect." She cooed. "Now for your dress!"

"My dress?" Bethany giggled.

"Tights do not make a whole outfit. Since it's your first day as my little sister, I suppose there's all these girl things you need to learn, hmm?"

"I am not heheHE" There was nothing Cody could do as Bethany blew raspberry after raspberry into his tummy. "Stop! Stop!" He yelled.

"Only once you beg me to put you in your dress. Your pretty dress, actually." She alternated tickles on his sides and raspberries right into his adorable outie belly button. He had the finest, lightest hair on his tummy, which only made him seem more cute, more like a chubby little baby to dress and treat however she wanted.

"Fine." She kept her hands nearby, but stopped tickling him. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Please put me in my dress."

"Your pretty dress." She said loudly, so he could hear her over his giggles and squeals.

"My pretty dress!" He gasped as she picked him up off of the floor and carried him over to her closet. Hanging there, waiting for him, was a white dress, a white cloud erupting below the bodice. He could not decide if the white cloud was a dress or a tutu. Even when it was on him, he could not be sure. It only fell to about mid-thigh.

"Oh, how lovely." Bethany said as she admired the boy's appearance. "And for your shoes." Pushing him back to the floor, she put a pair of light pink ballet flats on his feet. "I wore these when I was four. I can't believe they fit you." She smiled at him. "Oh, you look as pretty as a princess."

"Take this stuff off me!" She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, how cute! You already understand that you're too little, no, itty bitty, to undress yourself. Such a good baby sister I have!"

"I'm not your sister!"

"Well, you're not a very good brother, dressed the way you are." She fussed with his skirt, as if to remind him that he, the boy, wore a dress, tights, and ballet flats, while the girl before him wore jeans and a t-shirt. "Alright, let's get you situated." She said, picking him up and depositing him on her bed. "Now, Cody, can you promise to be a good baby sister and sit right here?"

"But"

"Promise me."

"I promise." He sighed.

"That's a good girl. Now, remember what I said sisters do sometimes?"

"Um"

"About outfits?"

"Oh. They wear matching outfits." He felt ashamed to feel almost proud when she smiled and nodded.

"That's right. Now what I want you to do is" she took his hands and lifted them to his eyes, "is keep your eyes covered while I'm changing. It's okay for me to see an itty bitty boy like you in your undies, but it's not appropriate for you to see me in mine, understand?" Cody had no real desire to see her in her underwear, so he covered his eyes. "Very good! No peekies!"

Cody sat there, listening just to make sure she did not try to trick him and sneak out. He heard the familiar sounds of clothes coming off and going on and decided she was true to her word.

"Okay, Cody. Open!" He did and saw her standing before him in the exact same outfit as his. "Ta da!" She held her arms out and he noticed she was holding something.

"What's that?"

"Why, it's your wig. My baby sister's hair is a little short, so we're going to cheat." She led him over to the mirror, where he got to see himself in all his sissy glory.

"Oh, god." He moaned, his noises only growing louder as she situated the wig on his head. His darker hair was gone, covered by the wig that almost exactly matched Bethany's hair color. Just like that, he really truly did look like her sibling, her little sister.

"Like magic, hmm?" Bethany giggled. "I thought we might need some make-up, but you really do look like a girl just naturally, don't you?" She teased his sides. "And your pretty smile just makes it better!" She grabbed his hands and twirled the boy around and around her room. "Oh, this is so fun!"

"Are we done?"

"We're dressed." She said authoritatively. "Now, we go show our moms!" Still holding his hands, she had no trouble at all dragging Cody toward the door. "If we're lucky, they'll let me keep you as my baby sister, just for a week or two!" Cody did not know how likely that was, but as he heard their voices grow nearer, one thing was certain: there would be pictures, and lots of them.