Domnick's words halted the arguments forming in Tory's mind. He watched his step-brother exit from the family's scene of drama. And... that was the end of that.

Tory briefly glanced at his mother before becoming increasingly interested in the contents left on his plate. He was trying to work through the events that had just transpired; he wasn't particularly doing a great job of it. He clenched his fists tightly, Tory hated not knowing what to do or what was going on. It didn't help that some of his thoughts and questions made him feel uneasy.

Sara cleared her throat. She still was surprised at Tory's outburst. Of course he was getting older and those types of things were to be expected... but it almost seemed as if it was more than merely an adolescent outburst. Still, Tory didn't seem to be turning into the typical wild child. There was no reason to make a fuss.

"Why don't you go watch some TV?" she suggest with a slight smile.

Tory nodded. TV would indeed be a great distraction from the messed up evening. As he got up he mumbled, "Sorry."

An hour later, Tory wasn't distracted.

Dom just stared at Tory a few moments, the tirade had certainly not been anticipated. But that was part of what got his blood up, really. Tory was far more attractive when he was actually passionate about something, even if he was being moved by his anger. Dom knew he shouldn't be thinking this way.

Just another sin to add to my growing list. He sighed mentally. At this point it probably doesn't make a difference.

"I didn't know you cared so much," he said by way of deflection. But he couldn't quite bring himself to be mean about it. He could tell by the way Tory eyes flashed that his stepbrother wasn't going to let it go.

"Like I said, I have nothing better to do right now," he shrugged, "Why not leave school and better jobs open for those who want them." He stood up from the table, pushing his half-eaten plate away.

He hoped he didn't sound as bitter as he suddenly felt. He was tired. Of this argument and of simply being himself. His work was how he defined himself now, how he marked off the day to day, and he defied Tory to try to take that way. So what if it was shit? At least it was something.

He could have said any sort of mean things, any sort of things to tear down Tory's delusions. To show the kid just how selfish his words really were. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Anger was attractive, but the type of pain that words could bring was not.

"I'm feeling tired," he said instead. "I'm gonna go to bed now. I have to work the morning shift, anyway."

Tory gave Dom an indignant look. His heart was pounding, his step-brothers comment had only made things worse. He ignored the obvious fact that he was basically putting on a show while the rest of them watched and gave a few lines of input.

"Why..." Tory started then averted his eyes down to his unfinished plate. He was trying to sort through a few responses. Naturally, he didn't spend much time doing that. Tory resumed looking at Domnick with upset eyes. "Really? That's stupid! You could try to have some fun! There's lotsa stuff to do like go to the bar, see a movie, go on a date." Tory huffed loudly. His last suggestion didn't really sit well with him, but it was too late and he pushed it away.

Tory couldn't understand Domnick's indifference about the whole matter. Who would want to work at a shitty place to the point of exhaustion? It was retarded.

"And you should go to school or get a better job," Tory continued, preaching and passionate. "Cause most waitresses are just stupid blond bimbos and you could do better."

It was really a difficult question to answer. Partly because Domnick himself wasn't certain why he stuck around in his current situation. Most of it, he suspected, was because he had nothing better to do, and little ambition to make something of himself or his situation. Possibly the years of people telling him that he was no-good, bound for self-destruction, and had no future had seeped in. He certainly didn't see the point in trying.

Personally, he saw Tory as someone who had a future, even if he was dense at times. Possibly more than a few times. But it wasn't something to complain about. Though he understood why he was upset. It all came to not knowing.

Innocence was bliss to everyone but the innocent.

And then that fiery temper was turned on him. Tory's eyes were really pretty. Especially when he was angry. And suddenly, he thought he might want to provoke him a little, to see what might happen.

This side of Tory was different. It was demanding, where his stepbrother had so far been meek. It was almost . . . agressive. It was exciting. Sort of like the drugs he used to do in high school.

He shrugged, "Nothing better to do, I guess. Is there something else I should be doing?"

Tory wasn't satisfied with that answer but he didn't know to exactly push the issue. Until now, there hadn't been any sort of argument or conflict involving all four of them. There weren't many conflicts at all, really which was a relief since Tory disliked arguments. He lost most of his battles due to his nature to get emotional and explode rather than attempt to stay calm and rational.

He narrowed his eyes at his mom. "If you guys are all helping, why can't I get a job then?" Tory asked plainly. That subject had been discussed and put to death many times by his mom. He needed to focus on his school, once he got an education he could work the rest of his life, was Sara's reasoning. It was sound, but Tory still saw a lot of his peers work a part time job and have extra money. It wasn't that cool to have to ask money from his mom. And, some of the jobs seemed fun too.

Sara gave him an endearing but tired look, "Honey, we've talked about this before. There's no reason for--"

Tory cut her off, "Yes there is if you are having a hard time!" His voice was louder, cheeks red from anger. "I do nothing but school and study my ass off in my room. And it fucking sucks!"

Tory's mom anxiously glanced at her new husband and step son. She really didn't want to have it out with Tory in front of them.

"You say we're okay, but why does Domnik work so freakin' much then?" Tory looked over to his step brother, eyes demanding. "You want to tell me?"

Dom took another bite of pasta. And things were certainly awkward now. He picked at his food.

"I wouldn't say we're poor," Dom said. "But everyone has trouble making ends meet from time to time."

He was staying out of this if he could. He'd only said anything at all because Tory had directed the question to him. He took another bite of food, wondering if he could bail.

He watched his father. And there was a man who hated confrontation. Let everyone walk over him when he could get away with it to avoid it. But he was also one of the kindest and open-hearted souls that Dom had ever encountered. Not to mention patient. No one else would have put up with raising him, his mother certainly hadn't. She hadn't handled him well even before her relatives convinced her that moving away from them was the best thing to do with what little sanity she had.

Bitter? Maybe a little.

Nice his father was--but easily cowed, and eager enough to give that it often got him taken advantage of. He'd be suspicious of Sarah if he hadn't already seen enough evidence that she was sincere.

His father was utterly useless in a headache like this.

Tory wasn't skilled at figuring people out most of the time, but he sensed that he wasn't being let in on something and that pissed him off. For most of his life, he'd been in his own world and his mother took care of whatever needed to be taken care of within reason, of course. Sarah believed that her actions would give Tory the environment to be happy and grow to be a good person. It was a simple arrangement that worked, especially when Tory was younger. Now, however, her son wasn't overly pleased about it all.

He scowled and rolled his eyes at all of them. "I'm not stupid, I can tell tell something's going on." Tory's tone fit completely with stereotypical teenager attitude.

Stephen leaned back in his chair - it wasn't really his battle; it was Sarah who had been adamant on keeping it all a secret. Sure, it had been a little strange at the start to agree that he would contribute to a school fund for Tory, a step son but a stranger nonetheless. He loved Sarah and love helped or influenced decision making. It was a good thing he ended up liking the kid.

"Tory," his mom began and gave him a reassuring smile, "It's not a big deal. Like Domnik said, nothing to worry about either. We all help out with the bills and savings. That's all."

Tory raised his eyebrow, not quite convinced. It was normal to have parents talk about money. It was normal to have older kids pay a bit of rent. But... Domnik worked too much. There's no way he'd have to pay that much rent. Plus, he generally appeared more tired than the rest of them too.

"Shouldn't only parents have to worry about that kinda stuff?" Tory asked and looked over at Domnik. "Are we like, really really poor or something?" He had never thought so. They didn't look poor.

Things weren't adding up. And that also pissed Torry off.

Dom ate the pasta cold. He wasn't entirely unused to cold meals, his job always seemed to ensure his making the family dinner late or missing it entirely. He sighed to himself.

He nodded to his father. Finances. Didn't sound good. Well, he had a few places in mind where he could pick up work if it was necessary. He wouldn't like it, and it'd leave him even tired than he was already, but he could do it.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he told Tory. He smiled at Sarah, "This tastes wonderful."

He didn't really taste anything over the dread in his stomach. But if such a little thing would please his stepmother it was easily enough said. And the affection, at the very least, was sincere.

For most of dinner, Tory had poked and swirled the pasta around, taking a few bites here and there. He forgot what the dish was called. It tasted good and that's what mattered to him. Still, he hadn't been incredibly hungry but he knew how much he could leave on the plate as to not come across as rude.

He made small talk with his mom and stepfather. He told them about the novel's premise and couldn't help but smile at their initial expressions. Tory was quick to list the importance of the novel's theme and threw in a few good points about what he was learning. Their little conversation halted as Domnik joined them.

"Mm... that happens." Sarah said to Domnik, and gave him a small, hesitant smile from across the table. She more or less believed the older boy but it was a difficult task to know how to be a step parent to someone who was an adult but at the same time, lived at home. "You may want to reheat your plate, though."

Tory's pasta managed to become more interesting and he pushed it around on his plate with more enthusiasm than before. Was garlic in it? Looked like garlic. Cool...

"Dom, sometime tonight or tomorrow you should speak with Sarah and I about, you know, finances," Stephen casually said.

Tory's eyes narrowed. Why were those three having whatever talks? If it was a family thing, Tory didn't know why he wasn't invited.

"About what?" Tory left his pasta alone and gazed at the faces around him.

Straightening his hair took a little longer than he'd thought. One stray curl in the back had refused to cooperate. Shaving was definitely looking like a good option.

He pulled on a shirt as he passed his room and made his way downstairs. He was going to get lectured later about showing up late, again. As if he did it on purpose to make his new stepmother insecure. He sighed.

As he'd suspected everyone was almost finished by the time he arrived. He winced before they looked his way.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Work ran late tonight and I barely finished my shower."

He slid into a chair next to Tory, avoiding his father's look. He knew what it would be. He'd been looking at that disappointment one way or another most of his life.

When Domnik had walked past him, Tory remained rooted in the same spot. He licked his lips. Cracked his fingers again. Swallowed hard. Cleared his throat. Tory had no clue how to process what the hell was going on with him. He wasn't sure he even wanted to. Was there even something going on?

He looked into the now empty bathroom, at the mirror, at the shower mat then finally at the shower. He felt hot. Tory was sure it was from the steam escaping the room.

It seemed like only a few seconds later that Domnik was back and giving him a confused look. Tory quickly stepped back, finding the will to compose himself.

"Nope, see ya downstairs in a bit," was the answer Tory gave, voice clear and not failing him (thankfully). Wasting no time, he turned around and headed to the staircase determined to leave the awkward situation behind him.

The trip down didn't go as smoothly as the one earlier in the evening, unfortunately. Tory's foot slipped off a step and he lurched forward which was an experience he was familiar with. With a yelp, he frantically grabbed the rails and steadied himself. Another one averted! He let out an exasperated breath and slowly continued down to the main floor. His near accident at least gave him a reason why his heart was beating fast.

I think he's hot, Tory concluded. It made sense and really, it wasn't the end of the world for thinking one guy was attractive... right?

"Uh . . . okay," Dom looked at him. Something was off. "And yeah, my hair's naturally curly. It looks horrible."

He stepped past Tory, moving to his room.

"Tell the rents I'll be down in a bit. I need to change and straighten my hair."

He closed the door behind him, dropping the towel to the floor. He glanced in the mirror. Yeah, the curls were still horrid. In theory they wouldn't look bad if he grew his hair out. But they didn't fit with the punk--

But yeah, he was clean now. Still, they weren't him. He pulled on a pair of pants and moved to return to the bathroom. He needed the hairdryer and straightener that were in the bathroom.

His old friends used to call him a girl for how long it took him to get ready in the morning. But none of them had a head of hair like his either. It was already starting to frizz a bit too. Annoying. Maybe he should seriously consider shaving it all off. Much less trouble.

Tory was still standing in the hallway.

"Uh . . . did you need something else?"

Tory begrudgingly finished the summary he'd put off despite the urge to scribble on notepad paper and rebel. He putzed around his room feeling the need to organize various things (he was sure it was his mom's fault). He then spent some time on the Internet looking up which shows would be on in the evening. TV was his enjoyed break from reality. Truthfully, his life was not that exciting.

Another yell from his mom alerted him to the fact that dinner was almost ready and he was to grab Domnik and inform him as well. Tory promptly slipped into his normal casual wear - baggy sweat pants, white undershirt and no socks - preparing to relax after dinner, fully planning on zoning out.

Tory stood outside the bathroom door but didn't do anything. He blinked a few times as if needed to collect himself.

What happened next was really quite simple. He knocked, the door opened and he was then presented with a nearly naked, still wet Domnik. With curly hair. Curly hair? Tory quirked his head, surprised at that observation. His eyes then moved elsewhere, down then up and back to Domnik's confused eyes.

"Ah... curly hair?" Tory managed to mumble, not quite sure of what else to say. "Dinner's ready." He cracked his fingers - a sign he was nervous and added, "Yeah..." Tory directed his eyes to the door and tried to ignore the new twisted feeling inside his stomach.

Dom stumbled to the bathroom in only his pants, a pile of clothes to change into in his arms. He was never so happy to see a shower as after a long day at the cafe. The smells of food mingled almost sickeningly and clung to his skin. It took time to scrub them off. On some days, depending on what the customers ordered, the smell never came off.

The shower was lovely. He liked his water hot. And by some miracle there was plenty of hot water. He pitied whoever bathed after him, though, because he probably used it all up. His skin was pink and pruney when he stepped out, how attractive. Not that he had anyone to attract. And certainly no one he'd be seeing as he stepped out of the shower.

He was toweling off his hair when there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Just a minute!" Dom yelled and wrapped the towel around his waist.

He figured someone needed the toilet, so he'd just change in his room instead. He hated to put the dirty, food-smelling pants on top his clean clothes, but he'd suffer for now. He balanced the clothes on one arm and held the towel up with the other.

"Okay, you can have the bathroom," he said, opening the door to Tory. Who stared at him.

"Uh . . . ?"

No, he remembered the towel. He had no idea why Tory was staring at him.

Tory liked Dom's left eye. He never mentioned it or inquired on the subject. He hadn't asked a lot of personal questions, figuring they weren't on those sort of terms. He hoped once day they would be. He didn't really know how to get to that point. Tory wasn't especially gifted in the area of friendship. He could do acquaintances well, chats with the teachers, engage in small talk with his relatives.

The color of the eye was different and didn't didn't open as much as the other. Tory had no idea what was wrong with it. Was it caused by an accident? Born with it? Either way it was unique.

Tory didn't consider himself unique or interesting. His dirty blond hair laid flat and ironically had a cut was similar to Domnik's - Tory thought it was pretty damn cool that they had ended up with hair styles. Kind of like they were meant to be brothers (and he'd never ever tell that thought to anyone because it sounded super lame). According to other's he had nearly a perfect smile but it wasn't normal or natural to smile all the time so Tory wasn't too thrilled about that feature. He felt average. Blue eyes, but not the kind that were striking. Not tall enough. Not toned enough. The list went on and on for him.

After Domnik left the room Tory ran his fingers through his hair. Growing up, he hadn't been raised in a touchy feely environment. His mom gave him hugs or a pat - but only when the situation was serious or important in her eyes. The little gestures that Dom would do made him feel special.

Tory tried to not have a smile plastered on his face as he quickly washed the bowl. He was quickly disturbed by his mom yelling from her room, "Did you finish your reading?"

With a roll of his eyes, Tory answered louder, "Mission accomplished, mother!" He rarely gave her "attitude." However, it was happening more recently. It was easy even. And it felt good.

Tory's growing smirk slid off his face when she replied, "Did you write your summary, smarty pants?"

Fuck. Tory was now scowling as he stomped out of the kitchen, back up the stairs and back to his room.

"Sounds like an interesting book," he said by way of conversation. Books weren't his thing. Studying wasn't his thing. He could only be thankful Tory hadn't asked him to help with homework yet.

"The most controversial book we ever read was To Kill a Mockingbird, not quite up to par with pedophilia." And he hadn't read it anyway. He wasn't really sure what it was about. But he was reasonably sure that pedophilia hadn't been in it. He would have heard about that.

Dom smirked crookedly, one of his grins that almost made his lazy eye harmonious with his face, enough at least that people overlooked it. "Makes me wonder about your teachers though."

Dom swallowed his bite as Tory asked why he'd been griping, he could have laughed at the boy. Most people didn't take such mindless griping seriously. Didn't everyone complain about their job from time to time? Not that Tory had ever had a job, or at least he didn't act like he had. It was kind of endearing how his complete and utter innocence shone through at times. Made him want to ruffle the kid's hair again, like he was a five-year-old.

"Same old," Dom answered around a bite of cereal. He swallowed. "Never go into customer service. Customers suck. Managers suck even more."

"Especially," Dom added under his breath, "When they're younger than you are." And he was about 80% sure said manager had a crush on him. But she had tits, and was annoying besides.

Finishing up his cereal he dumped his bowl in the sink. He was still wearing his uniform. It would need washed soon. Sigh. If he was lucky he could catch a quick nap before dinner. Wouldn't do to nod off again, he was working alternating shifts and the lack of sleep was getting to him. But he really needed the hours.

"Hey, bro," he glanced back over his shoulder. "Do me a favor and wash this up? I need a shower and could do with a change of his clothes. Frigging dress pants, I am never dressing up again after this shindig is through."

Never mind that no place else seemed to be hiring. Not people without college degrees anyway.

He ruffled Tory's hair again on his way out of the room, it had a soft texture, pretty hair--like a girl. He didn't wait for a reply. Tory would probably wash the bowl anyway, the kid was way too nice. Didn't have even half of the bite Dom had when he was that age.

That was probably a good thing though, though. More than a few people had commented he'd never amount to anything when he'd been in school. And well, maybe they were right. He was still living with his parents and working a shitty job. Most days he was okay with that, today he was just tired.

"Thanks, you're a good kid, Tor."

He tried not to think about how each of Tory's smiles cheered him up a little as he left the room. It wasn't that it was bad that his brother could make him feel happy (you take happiness where you can get it, yeah?), it was just that it wasn't the sort of happy your brother was supposed to make you feel. Or someone who was a lawsuit waiting to happen.

"Jesus," he resisted the urge to beat his head on his bedroom door. Barely. "Even if he weren't my brother he's too young. Definitely too innocent." He threw his apron on the bed and started stripping.

"I am way too old for this butterfly shit."

Tory was generally happy when Domnik was around even if he didn't say or necessarily show it. He didn't really know why, not in words, anyway. He wasn't big on the analysing his feelings - that was something chicks excelled at. Like usual, Tory watched Domnik as he moved about, following him to the kitchen without a second thought. His behavior didn't strike him as odd or out of place despite his mom and step dad occasionally shooting him a curious glance. Of course he didn't notice those looks and both parents chalked it up to normal awkwardness of merging their two families together. No one suspected that it could be something else, some sort of trouble or problem slowly unfolding before them. Tory wasn't worried or weirded out in the least. In his mind, he considered Domnik as a nice addition to his life, a sibling he never had. It was exciting to have something new and different.

He sat down without a word and stared at the table for a brief moment before resuming his watching of Domnik who had begun eating the cereal. Tory hadn't placed it out.

"School was ok," Tory finally answered. "I'm doing a book report. It's about this dude who's sort of a pedophile - but like, not the horrible kind but he kidnaps this little girl anyway. But he doesn't hurt her." He paused. "I dunno. It's weird." Tory gave a small smile, "Why was work a bitch?"

Domnick looked up sharply, a bit too accustomed to his new stepbrother to jump, and way too accustomed to the boy to be surprised.

"Work was a bitch," he answered, and stretched. He felt his spine slowly begin to unkink. God, he felt old. Tory was still standing there staring at him. It'd be flattering, really, if it weren't for a few little things.

One. The kid was too young. Two, he was technically family. Yeah, family. Not good.

"How was school?" He walked into the kitchen before Tory could answer, knowing the kid would follow him like a shadow. Or maybe just like a puppy. He just might be cute enough.

Dom smiled wryly when he noticed a bowl on the kitchen table next to his favorite cereal. It was either his new stepmother or stepbrother's doing. One was trying to curry his favor and . . . well he had yet to figure out Tory's motives.

Hero-worship? Or maybe the kid was afraid he'd kick his ass if the boy didn't kiss up? Who knew? His brother was on the quiet side, whether he was still intimidated or if it was just his nature was something else Dom didn't know. He figured that at least would come out sooner or later, though.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal, and added the milk. Sitting down and motioning to the chair next to him. He could have almost laughed at how eagerly the kid sat down. Really, had he ever been that innocent?

He sat at his desk, head down, eyes concentrating on the novel he was reading for an extra credit book report. The only light on in the room was a stainless steel desk lamp. It was a normal night for Tory. His mom always chided him, claiming that it would strain his eyes to be focusing on homework. In his mind, he was sure his eyes were already strained from the amount of hours he clocked in with reading, writing notes, doing projects and studying.

Tory yawned, not in the least bit interested in the book's subject matter nor did he have any desire to be holed up in his bedroom looking like an academic super kid. Which, despite his efforts, he actually wasn't. By no means was Tory stupid. His grades were slightly above average; extra credit projects and a good rapport with the teachers giving him a boost.

He felt irritated. Fuck it, I should be a genius by now. Tory groaned and placed a folded piece of paper that served as his bookmark into the novel. In the notebook beside him, he scribbled down what page he had gotten to. 357. Thankfully that had been the goal he'd set for himself earlier. He was tracking his reading progress to make sure he made the dead line and didn't slack nor have to rush at the end. The whole idea of having to actually plan this type of shit made him feel like an idiot. Too bad he'd been doing it for so long he was pretty good at it.

The sound of the front door opening shook him out of his "woe is me" session. It was Domnik returning home from work. Tory bolted out of his room, happy to have a reason to escape. He slowed his pace to go down the stairs, carefully eyeing each step he took. He had a history of slipping if he rushed. When he reached the bottom, he grinned, wide blue eyes regarded his step-brother who was currently slipping off his shoes.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" Tory asked, genuinely interested.