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All The Small Moments (Grizzly_Mang & Beelzing)

Grizzly_Mang

Grizzly_Mang

Planetoid
Joined
Jul 22, 2015
Location
Central Florida
"Alright, grocery money's on top of the fridge, but we have all the basics," the middle-aged woman struggled with her suitcases as she talked at-not to, at-her son and tried to get out the door. "All the bills have been paid, you have all the emergency contacts in your phone and written down next to the cordless, just in case. The dog has plenty of food, and I expect you to keep up with your laundry while we're in the Dominican Republic."

The woman's son, a slim boy standing at 5'11", rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Don't worry," he said smoothly to his mother, helping her with one of her six bags. "I've got everything under control."

The woman kept prattling on, and her son, Damian Bayer, kept nodding his head, every so often uttering a "yes" to keep his mother placated. All the while Damian was fantasizing about when his parents finally pulled out of the driveway and headed for D.R. for 3 weeks, allowing his to fina-fuckin'-lly go to his room and spark a blunt. For the most part Damian was a good kid; he did any tasks his folks asked of him, and kept a B average in honors classes, and didn't get into any trouble his folks would know about. He behaved thus so he wouldn't garner any suspicion as to his favorite hobby: smoking weed. It's what he felt kept him level-headed and able to deal with the mountain of stress that other people make high school out to be. Truth be told, with ganja on his side, Damian felt that high school was a breeze; the class work was easy enough, peoples' opinions didn't matter considering he was only stuck with those people for four years, and he felt no particular social drive. Sure, he had a few friends, but they were usually older kids just out of high school themselves that he could smoke with and wax philosophic.

Damian had to keep from licking his lips when he imagined the fatty he was going to roll once his parents were out of the block. He was so ecstatic he could shout! That's when his mom dropped the bomb on him.

"Oh, and by the way," the woman added just as she was about to have the door shut in her face. "We invited your sister over to watch you while we're gone. She should be arriving any minute now! Well, you two have fun and don't burn my house down, and we'll see you in three weeks!"

Damian's father honked the car horn from the driveway, beckoning his wife while he son stood in the doorway, his mouth agape. How could they do this to him!? How could they shatter his dreams of being the big man around the house like this? It was such a sudden and powerful blow, like his parents' metaphysically sucker-punched him in the groin! Well, at least it'll be nice to see sis, he thought, weekly attempting to see a silver lining in the storm cloud his mother cast above his head.
 
RE: All The Small Moments (Grizzly_Mang & Beelzy)

When the knock at the door came, Damian was sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. After his mother left the boy had paced back and forth in the kitchen, debating aloud with himself about whether or not he should go roll his blunt anyways. He hadn't seen his sister for a few years, but from what he remembered she was a pretty cool person, or at least she was in his eyes. That said, Damian still couldn't be sure she would be cool with his smoking, so eventually the boy decided not to bring that stuff around his sister, but rather wait until she was asleep to go blaze.

He heard a knock at the door and knew it was Audrey. He sighed and pushed himself up from the table, excited to see his sister while being so very sad for her presence. He pulled open the door and peered down bemusedly at his sibling.

Damian was an aloof nerd kid, but he looked like his female classmate's wet dream. He was 5'11", with a thin build and naturally tanned complexion; his eyes were a vivid blue-gray and his hair was a soft, sandy brown that fell straight to about his mid-back; he had a darker brown shock of goatee on his chin, which he was quite proud of; his features were fair, and his lips a little more plump than most males; he dressed like a casual nerd, and tonight he had a Green Lantern shirt on over some ash-gray pajama pants.

40 minutes... he thought, aggrevated, as Audrey snuck past him. He nodded to his sister and shut the door, trying to remember the last occasion they had been face-to-face like this. "No worries," he lied flatly. "Traffic happens. So... Wassup, sis?" He grabbed the largest piece of Audrey's baggage and hauled it over to the living room with ease, where he gingerly set it down on the couch. "Why did mom"-because Damian knew his dad nothing to with it-"call you over? Is everything okay at school, or did you need to come back home for a little?"
 
RE: All The Small Moments (Grizzly_Mang & Beelzy)

Damian nodded absently in agreement with his sister as she explained why she had arrived to become his sudden warden. Their mother was lovely person, in her own rights, but was far too overbearing on her children. She was under the impression that if her kids weren't constantly monitored, all the wicked forces in the world would descend upon them. Damian got it the worst from her, since he was the baby, and because of that he had been counting down the days til his parents' vacation from the moment he heard them planning it.

He stayed silent as his sister examined him, which he was well aware that she was doing. They hadn't seen each other in years, he expected her to be shocked by some of the changes he'd gone through. Audrey, however, looked nearly the same as Damian remembered. He looked her over while she reciprocated, though his height gave him a slight advantage. The boy felt his face get a bit warmer as little blood rushed to his face; for the first time he noticed how luscious his sister looked. He was thoroughly embarrassed by that fact as he struggled to keep that hidden. He was embarrassed because he noticed, but he was also embarrassed because he now knew that other guys were surely noticing themselves.

His mind wandered back to when he was 10-years-old, and he was racing to his sister's busstop to greet her when she got home from school. When he got to the busstop he noticed Mike Legens, an older kid from the neighborhood who was obsessed with baseball, grabbing his sister and getting too close. 10-year-old Damian ran up and literally jumped on his foot, not understanding what was going but feeling strongly compelled to protect his sister. He chuckled internally at the memory, while simultaneously worrying about all the other times when he wasn't around to jump on feet.

He was stirred from his thoughts when Audrey started playing with his hair. He blinked and forced himself not to turn his head, so as not disturb her fussing. He cracked a grin as Audrey fawned over his locks, chuckling aloud softly when she asked what their mom's reaction was.

"Ha, yeah, mom hated it and threatened to shave my head in my sleep," he told her amused. "But ultimately they couldn't say anything about it. I'm maintaining a B-average in honors classes, I make my own money on the weekends at the burger joint next to the comic shop, and I don't really get into trouble. So, when all I want is to grow my hair they don't have much grounds to refuse me. And yeah, it's cool, you can braid it later."

He was actually really excited about bonding with his sister now. He'd seen and heard the girls at school love his hair, and he always dreamed of sitting on a picnic bench outside the cafeteria while a group of girls brushed and fussed over his hair. Besides, it sounded like Audrey had the right attitude to make this three week stint an adventure.

He smiled wide and pivoted on his heel, facing his little-big-sister. "We can get some takeout," he said happily. "I could throw something together, I've become a really good cook while you've been gone, but I don't think we stocked up on groceries for real meals, you know? I had been planning on spending this time solo, so there's a lot of quick and easy frozen food, but no real dinner stuff. What kinda takeout you want? I'm partial to the Puerto Rican/Chinese place down on 10th, Palacio Chino. There's nothing like tostones with your egg foo young."
 
The grin on Damian's face widened a bit when he heard his sister's praise. He didn't really think he was accomplishing much, really he thought he was doing just enough to get by comfortably. He nodded when Audrey asked him to order the food and he pulled his phone out his pocket as she disappeared to make her own call. The phone was a late 2000's flip phone, construction grade with an extending antenna; all his friends and acquaintances made fun of him for it, but he adored the heavy little brick. It was all he wanted in a phone: it could get texts, make calls, got great reception, and it was nearly indestructible. Fuck iPhones, was Damian's general mentality. He flipped it open and dialed the number quick, since he had Palacio Chino saved in his phone.

"Yeah, hi, I'd like to place an order for carryout please?" he spoke politely into the phone. "Yeah, I'd like a large order of orange chicken, two orders of mofongo, a medium order of shrimp fried rice, and a large order of carne frita... No drinks. The name's Damian... 20 minutes? Okay, bien rico, thanks." He shut his phone with a satisfying slap that echoed throughout the house. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and wondered about his dog, Sheela, whether or not he should bring her in from the outside. Then the thought occurred to him, striking like lighting from a cloudless sky: Audrey never me Sheela. They got her from the pound two years ago, before that the last dog they had was Watson, the goofy little Scottie who was often too curious, who died right before he turned Damian turned 11. He couldn't believe Sheela hadn't made a fuss when Audrey knocked at the door; he knew that meant she was into something she probably shouldn't be.

The boy was about to head into the kitchen himself, to enter his backyard to get his dog out of whatever mess she was making, when Audrey appeared in the living room. He nodded hurriedly, feeling bad that he currently had no intentions of helping her carrying her baggage. "No, your room's just as you left, actually maybe even cleaner than when you lived in it." He said, grinning at the idea of what his mother's 'mom-cave' would be. "You know, she's such a pain in the ass because she loves us so much, and she loves us too much to ever even think of taking over our rooms when we leave."

He was about to turn around and head outside to deal with Sheela when he heard the comment about sleeping in desk chairs. He stopped and pivoted to face her. "What's this about sleeping in desk chairs?" he asked, his tone deep and demanding. "What's going on right now? Why are you not sleeping in a bed?"
 
The boy eased up when he heard his sister's story and rolled his eyes are her general retardation. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, turning back to head towards the back door. "I'm glad I can make you laugh, but y'know you're a dork, right?" Damian retorted as he disappeared into the kitchen. As he pulled open the sliding glass door Damian thought about how much he worried about his sister, all through his life. She was more than capable of maintaining herself, but she had the tendency to develop bad habits, since her brother could remember anyways. She was right though, he felt like he could stop worrying about her so much.

Damian stepped into the night air and whistled sharply for his dog. Out back their yard was fenced in, but because Sheela was such an active and nosy little bitch, the Bayers took extra precaution to prevent escape number 2, because 1 was enough; the yard had a cable running across the lawn, stretching from the wall to the opposite fence, and on this cable a leash was hooked up, a leash with enough slack to roam the whole lawn and patio freely plus 2 feet extra for safety. Damian noticed when Sheela didn't come that the leash lead behind the garden in the far right corner of the yard. He heaved a sigh and jogged briskly over, taking care to move around the garden which was composed of fine flowers, herbs, and some fruits and vegetables, scolding his dog loudly with each step.

He arrived to a grisly scene in the corner of the garden: Sheela lay between the bushes lining the rear fence and a row of tulips, with blood spattered all over her fur and the dirt; and a group of small, ripped-up corpses of something rodent looking were strewn about. Sheela was gnawing on a large gray body that looked like a mole and actually wagged her tail upon spying her master, though she did not cease. Such a sight would seriously shake certain dog owners, but Damian was wise to what predatory behavior was about; he was actually planning on majoring in biology after highschool, so he met the situation with an admirable aloofness.

"God Dammit Sheela," he hissed as he crouched low and whacked his dog on the head with his index and middle fingers. The dog whimpered through her mouthful but didn't drop it, so Damian grabbed it and pulled. Sheela wouldn't let go, and her master even pulled her to her feet as the pair wrestled for ownership of the mutilated mole. Damian grabbed the canine's muzzle with his free hand and grudgingly pried it open, winning the dead thing, which he promptly chucked out of his yard. "Bad dog!" he growled as, in one fluid motion, he crouched and scooped her up and rose to his feet again. Sheela whined and squirmed listlessly, but she knew she was defeated. As he carried his pet bat to the door he unhooked the leash, letting it drop in the middle of the lawn.

When they got inside Damian knew he had to clean Sheela, and now himself, up quick, before Palacio Chino arrived. He rushed his furry, bloody package to the laundry room and right into one of the large sinks of their double wash basin. He turned on both taps held her down, struggling to keep his hair away from the mess while running his fingers through the dog's fur to wash out the blood. Shortly she was clean and the boy grabbed a towel from a shelf, since their clean-freak of a mom always had an excess of rags and towels. He dried her off hard and fast and let her shake herself off in the sink before he put her back on the ground. Now he had to worry about himself. His own shirt was bloodied and wet, so he threw it off and threw it in the sink, soaking it with hot water. He then rushed to the kitchen, where he washed his hands thoroughly with dish soap, drying them on a hand towel before grabbing the money off of the top of the refrigerator their folks' had left.

He stepped out into the living room, where Sheela was rubbing herself against the couch like a dope, trying to get dry. He intended to get to the downstairs bathroom, where he kept a brush, so he could pull his hair back into a ponytail before the food guy showed up. Just then the doorbell rang and Sheela barked, only once like she always did until she saw the guest. Damian sighed a third time and went for the door, pulling it open to greet the little delivery man from the restaurant, who was a dark, lean man with slant eyes.

"Damian?" he asked, looking at the receipt in his hand.

"You've got him." Damian replied in a friendly tone. "Should come to about... 35,36 bucks, yeah?"

"It's $35.67." Damian exchanged 2 twenties for the bag of food and shut the door, bringing it inside and setting it on the coffee table in the living room, shooing Sheela away from it. Just then Audrey came down the hall, and Damian didn't even want to respond to her, he was so worn out from just dealing with the dog.

"Food is here," he replied as he opened the big brown bag, pulling out Styrofoam plates and cutlery packets. "A movie sounds good, but the choice is yours, I just wanna munch. I'm gonna go get some tea to drink before I sink into the couch, do you want anything?"
 
Damian laughed when he heard that his sister discovered little Sheela. "Her name's Sheela," he called as he grabbed a cup from the cabinet for his tea. "And she's an adorable little mutt. She's a mix of King Charles spaniel, collie, and springer. He opened the fridge and grabbed the glass pitcher of tea, pouring himself a cup and replacing it, along with a bottle of water for Audry. He returned as she slid the movie into the DVD player, handing her the bottle of water, and grabbed his plate. He was quite hungry himself; he didn't eat a little as his sister, but he did usually only eat breakfast and dinner, so as to take the luncheon hour to himself. It had been nearly ten hours since breakfast, so the boy loaded his plate with rice and mashed plantains and carne frita and orange chicken, licking his lips in delight.

He flopped down into the couch as Audrey settled next to him, the movie logos flashing across the TV screen. He munched down with great vigor, feeling more... at home than he had in a long time, savoring the warmth and flavor of the food as well as the comfort of chillin' with his sis, watching the funniest jew to ever live. It was great. He finished his food quicker than Audrey and set his plate down next to the leftovers, which would become breakfast tomorrow.

When Audrey spastically but still nimbly scrambled off the couch her brother didn't even bat an eye. He didn't really know what she was up to, but he had an idea. Meanwhile, he was caught up with the adventures of Lone Star and planning his future smoke session; he figured it wouldn't be long after the movie when his sister went to sleep, so he probably an hour, 45 minutes. He would smoke on a stool on the back patio and try not to think of the gory mess he would have to clean off his lawn in the morning. He turned around to look at Audrey when she tapped him and he nodded happily in response, beaming a warm smile her way. Damian had always wanted a woman to pamper his hair, that's partly why he grew it. So he complied with her directions as she brushed his hair and twisted it tightly but not uncomfortably.

Damian smiled at his sister's finished work and draped the braid over his shoulder before he sunk back into the sofa. When Audrey said she was going to lean against him for the rest of the movie, he thought that would be fine, but the she actually cuddled up to him and got herself wrapped up and looking super comfy. Damian blushed a little, thinking to himself that life would be perfect if he was only with another girl. He didn't realize how truly cozy it was have another body pressed against your own. When she fell asleep, though, he groaned a bit stared down frustratedly at her. He cursed her in his head for keeping him trapped like this, away from his weed. However, his curses soon turned to compliments, and questions, and... other things... as he stared down at his older sister. She was so cute, just utterly adorable, with her dark curls strewn wistfully across her face. He blushed brightly, and a voice in the back of his head gnawed at him to take his thoughts elsewhere, but he didn't stop examining her, wishing she wasn't his sister. He envisioned kissing her, passionately and deeply, their hair entangling and tongues dancing through their mouths. He shook his head quickly and blinked his eyes, looking at the screen as King John returned.

What's wrong with me...? he thought to himself. Maybe I just really need to smoke, calm down some. He knew, deep down, though, that he was probably going to think of Audrey again before he fell asleep.
 
It wasn't the ringing of the phone that woke Damian, or even the little movements of his sister going for her phone, no it was the far too loud exclamation that erupted from the device when Audrey answered it that caused Damian to leave the land of Nod. He groaned as he awoke, his neck also sore from passing out on the couch, blinking madly, as if the next time he opened his eyes the sunlight would be replaced with nighttime once more. No such luck.

"The fuck izzat?" he grumbled softly, still not having a voice this early. He turned his head and stared down at Audrey, who was talking to someone on the phone who had a much too voluminous voice for any time before noon. He sighed and cracked his neck, wiggling his way away from his sister so he could rise, his bladder so demanded it. Damian had stayed up for some time after Audrey crashed, debating on what he should do. He watched Space Balls play over again on the TV while he wondered if he should wake Audrey and escort her to her room, or whether he should just wrestle himself free and leave her snoozing on the sofa. He couldn't bring himself to do either, he only sat there. He let the movie provide the background noise while he stared down at his sister, loving the feel of her next to him, while he dreamed about what he would do if he was in the same situation with any other girl. Damian didn't have the best experiences with women and never had a real girlfriend, mostly because the girls at his school either thought he was too weird to be around or too hot to ask out. He didn't have many friends at school, most of his buddies were older than he was, and a part of the party crowd; so despite his misses at school with the ladies, he was not a virgin any more. He had had some drunken/doped-up sex with random girls before at parties or in public parks in the wee hours of the morning, but he didn't have any experience with actual romance. He didn't even know those girls' names. As sad as it was, when Audrey cuddled up to him and fell asleep, it was the closest thing he'd had to a real... date? romantic moment? Something along those lines. So as he walked down the hall to the bathroom, his heart went cold for a second when he heard Audrey tell the annoying phone-man, whose name was apparently Alexander, that she loved him.

He shook his head, staring his mirror-self deep in the eyes as he let loose the floodgates over the toilet. You're a fucking idiot, he told himself. You shouldn't have been thinking anything you did last night in the first place. And of course she's going to have a boyfriend, in what world can a woman look like her and stay single? You need to calm down, there's no reason to be jealous or upset that some other guy is loved by your sister. Now just stop giving the ghost of Freud a hard-on with your sick little fantasies and go smoke, you need it. The toilet flush rang throughout the house and in a matter of moments Damian returned, looking slightly grumpy.

"Alexander, huh?" he asked as he walked past on his way to the kitchen. "He sounds... No, that's it. He sounds. So, how'd you meet?" He dug through the pantry, looking for the roll of garbage bags since he still had to clean a mess of mole corpses from the garden. He tried to let his emotions settle, but they just wouldn't; he couldn't tell if he was jealous of Alexander for getting to have more moments like last night with his sister, or if he was just mad and protective of his Audrey. He knew he was her little brother, but it felt right and came naturally to be the protective sibling; that's just how the world worked, right? Big or little, it was the brother's job to worry about their sister and keep her from every other jerk with a penis.

But he tried to keep focused, he couldn't worry about Audrey and boys just now, he had a plan. He needed to make up for lost time, and figured the best way to do that was a wake-n-bake. If only he could actually wake and bake, but he was still wary of Audrey. So he figured he'd walk to the park where he could get lost in the woods and spark one up without drawing too much attention. First things first, though, he had to scoop the death off his lawn, which he refused to do in pajama pants.

He appeared in the living room with a big black trash bag in one hand and pair of shorts from the laundry room which he'd worn a few days earlier in the other. What better to clean in than dirty clothes, right? "You got plans with Alexander today?" he asked mockingly, stretching the other boys name out Alexaaaaander.
 
Damian had to stop himself from shouting when he heard his sister's question. Especially after the events of last night he got butterflies in his stomach when Audrey asked him to spend the morning shopping; he wanted nothing more than to take a shower and shop for groceries with Audrey like a newly wed couple. He also wanted nothing more than get high, really really high. Conundrum.

He stood for a moment in eternal silence, debating with himself about what answer he would give her. "That sounds..." he trailed off, wanting nothing more than to complete the statement with 'problematic'. "Fine. That sounds fine. Just let me do what I was gonna do"-he waved the trash bag in his hand-"then take a shower, and I would love to go shopping with you."

Damian walked to the bathroom, sniffing the air to drink in the coffee scent before he left the kitchen area. As he cast off his pajamas and slipped on his dirty shorts he thought about rolling something quick and small to smoke while he cleaned his dog's mess. It would only take... 30 minutes, he figured. Did he have thirty minutes? Could he keep Audrey away from the backyard for a half hour? Their mother was ancient or deliberately naive, so she never took notice when Damian showed up with bloodshot eyes, smelling like a skunk; he often wondered if she knew and just didn't say anything, or if she was really that thick. He shook his head as he zipped up the fly on his shorts, deciding that smoking would be a bad idea. Besides, Audrey said he would have the rest of the day when they got back to himself, and he could smoke then. As he stepped out of the bathroom he knew he wasn't going to want to take time to himself when he got back, he was going to be soaking up every second he could spend with his sister.

Damian went out back and did his job, cleaning every shred of dead mole from the garden before he took the hose to it, trying his best to 'cleanse' the area. He cursed his dog as he walked around front, to the garage to drop off the bag of morbidity, claiming that the only reason she was still alive was because she was so damned cute. When he came back in he entered through the front door, which sent Sheela on a fit of barking until Damian scratched her enough. He stepped into the kitchen and scrubbed his hands, savoring the luscious smell of the coffee Audrey made. He didn't bother drying his hands, he just grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself a cup. He took a long sip that slightly burned the tip of his tongue, after he added some honey to the black nectar, and heaved a satisfied sigh.

"You make some damned good coffee sis," he complimented as he buried his face into the mug for another go. He couldn't stop himself from wondering if Audrey made Alexander coffee in the morning. Gods that boy bothered him! Alexander. That name alone was enough to put him in a fit! He shook his head as he lowered the mug from his face, as he realized that no Alexander could ever steal this moment away from; and what was life but the moment we were experiencing? Fuck Alexander he thought pleasantly.

"The water heater's not the best," he told her seemingly out of the blue. "So only one person can shower at a time. And I believe the rule is ladies first?"
 
As Damian sipped his coffee he cast a glance towards his sister, who was cursing to herself and tapping away on the phone. The boy had to stifle his first thought, which was something awful about Alexander, and he wondered what crawled up his ass? This was all very odd behavior for him, and he recognized; he was normally much more laid back and uncaring. He puzzled to himself for a while when Audrey left to go shower, the immediately puzzlement on his mind being his sister's last statement. Who doesn't like hot showers? he wondered. Does that mean she likes cold showers? That would be... queer, but not unheard of... Maybe she doesn't like showers at all?

The goofy kid shrugged his shoulders and drained his mug, rinsing it quickly before setting it next to Audrey's in the sink. Audrey's showering habits aren't the issue here, he told himself as he left the kitchen, headed for his bedroom. No, you're the issue, Damian my friend. Spotlight's on you. Now tell me, what the fuck? He pondered his current condition as he rifled through his closet, looking for something to wear though he didn't know what. He determined he didn't really despise that Alexander guy, he was just mad at his situation in general and didn't know how to cope. He was mad at his mother because his plans for a 3 week vacation from his family were crushed; and he was mad at Audrey too. He was mad at her not really because she was there, but because of what her presence meant; it meant he wasn't the man in charge, it mean that he couldn't smoke weed in the house and walk around naked, it meant that Damian would be in a constant state of confusion. That's what was wrong, he was confused and it was all his sister's fault. He hadn't seen her in three years, and then she just pops back into his life at a hormonally vexing point, looking sexy and giving him more attention in one night than he's gotten from any sober female in 16 years. He was just confused and frustrated, and couldn't smoke to cope like he normally did, so he was acting like a jackass. That needs to change he decided as he pulled his chosen outfit from the closet. You need to behave yourself, otherwise you're going to ruin your vacation and maybe even your relationship with Audrey. We'll just smoke 'til we're retarded and everything will be fine, even if Alexander shows up on the doorstep.

With his chosen outfit for the day draped over his shoulder he stood in the living room, leaning against the back of the couch reading an old Wildstorm comic from the 90's, just waiting for his turn to shower. Audrey stepped out and Damian eagerly hopped into the bathroom, pulling his little MP3 player from the pocket of his dirty shorts and setting his clothes on the counter. He turned the water on, to let it warm up before he hopped in, and plugged his music into the pair of small computer speakers he left on the corner of the counter. He selected the song 'Love So Nice', by Junior Kelly and stripped the shorts off, hopping into the shower.

When he finished showering he grabbed his towel and turned the water off, drying his hair quickly first before he turned his attention to the rest of him. Once he felt he was satisfactorily dry he stepped out the shower and checked his face in the mirror. He was looking for zits and determining if he needed to shave before going out; he wanted to look nice, y'know? He decided his little fuzz didn't need shaving and quickly threw on his clothes before cutting the music and exiting the bathroom.

He stood in the hall, watching Audrey play with dog, and smiled warmly. He was trying to look nice, but he was still Damian so his look was... odd. He stood there in a solid black kilt with a bunch of pockets sewn on, and a faded black t-shirt that looked to be a size or two too big with a white electron diagram of a carbon atom on the front. "Glad to see my girls getting along," he said, beaming. "Now, Audrey, did you have any idea what you wanted to eat tonight? I gotta say my specialties are seafood and pasta."
 
"I can do salmon," he said with a nod. "I could grill it out back and make, like, a rice dish on the side or something. I can also do shrimp and penne." He climbed carefully into the passenger seat, not wanting to flash his sister accidentally because his kilt caught something inside.

He was not bare under his kilt, though he was doing best; he had on a jockstrap for underwear, though he was pretty his sister wouldn't appreciate the sight regardless. He wanted to go traditional, which meant commando, but he promised he wouldn't. Their mom despised Damian's eccentricities, and discouraged them as best as possible, but for years the big gift he asked for for birthdays or Christmas was a kilt. When she finally caved and bought it for him last December, it came with a rule: he couldn't wear it in public (their mother wishes that was the end of it) without wearing something underneath. He promised he wouldn't, and the next time he got paid he went out to the sports store and bought himself a few jockstraps, as close to nude as he could get.

While they drove he hung his right arm out of the window and let the wind dry his wet hair. He started making a mental list of what he knew they had at the house while also making a list of potential dinners. When they parked he quickly climbed and pulled a folding brush from one of his many pockets, forcing painfully through his recently dried and tangled hair. He finished, shoving his brush back in it's place and wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye, while Audrey grabbed the cart and started on without him.

He jogged and caught up with her just as the entered the building, with Damian glaring up at the AC unit over the door for tossing his hair around after he just painstakingly brushed through it. When he heard his sister tell him they were going to buy ice cream he opened his mouth for just a second; he wasn't going to protest, who didn't want ice cream? He was just going to suggest that they grab the frozen treat after they got everything else, to avoid it melting more than it had to. He was about say this thought out loud when Audrey turned him around and started shoving him out the aisle.

"But you said..." he trailed off with his meager protestation when he heard his sister's name shouted at a volume that should be considered noise pollution. He turned his head back to look over his shoulder at the voice he knew disturbed his sleep. So this hyperactive little shit was Alexander, huh? Damian was colored unimpressed. You said you were gonna stop being such a dickhead Damian reminded himself. That's when he wrapped himself around Audrey. Though, that was on the condition I blazed first...

He turned around to get a better look at Audrey's friends just as the tall girl stepped up. He couldn't help but grin at the scene his three elders were making in the ice cream aisle. Mostly he was entertained by, and proud of, his sister's responses to Alexander. Then his heart sank into the pit of his stomach as the other man's attention was shifted to him.

You heard so much about me, huh? the boy thought, struggling to keep the detestation he felt from showing up on his face. I've heard so much from you, and we just met. The cute comment stopped him up and niggled at him inside. If it was any other male saying that he could walk away, let it all slide off him like water off a duck's back. However, today, them's fightin' words. As much as he could picture landing a solid punch on Alexander's jaw, sending a tooth flying, he kept himself down for everyone's sake.

Damian forced a small smile and stretched his hand out to the boy who was clinging to his sister. "It's good to meet you too, Alexander," he said as he shook the other boy's hand, deliberately ignoring his request to go by Alex. "I can't say I've heard a lot about you, but from what Audrey has told me you guys seem like good friends. I'm glad she has you to watch out for her."
Yeah, you look out for Audrey like a chihuahua guards a house. he thought snidely, wanting nothing more than to crush Alexander's hand in his grip.
 
Damian couldn't help but stare as Sarah laughed, seemingly out of nowhere, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity. The boy didn't get the joke at all, and was actually a bit disturbed by the whole scene, especially when the other two turned on Sarah. He wondered what the tall girl implied that could get Audrey to sound like their mother, and he figured the annoyed tone of Alexander was most likely a rarity, considering how he behaved. Damian just shook his head and then shook Sarah's hand, noticing how her pale skin stood out against his own.

"Yeah, I'm in highschool," he confirmed. "I'm going to be a junior when school gets back in." He wondered if he should say something else, although honestly he was off-put by his sister's friends. They were a odd couple of people, and this came from the pothead who read comics and wore kilts in freezer aisles at the supermarket. That was when he heard his sister making plans with Alexander to go to some club. He would have let their conversation sink into the background noise, until he heard Alexander mention a "special outfit". He knew most clubs had some kind of dress code, but he couldn't think of one that required something special. His interest was piqued, especially when Sarah jumped into their conversation.

Damian nodded at Audrey's explanation. It filled in the immediate gaps, but actually left much bigger ones when the overly thoughtful teen mulled her words over. He didn't remember her frequenting a night club, and he's pretty sure their mother wouldn't allow something like that, even if Audrey was 30. That also had to be one hell of a club, he figured, if people were going to come from out of town just to stop there on a road trip. He narrowed his gaze at his sister, tempted to call bullshit on her statement, but decided that the grocery store wasn't the place for the scene he knew would ensue.

When he saw Alexander kiss his sister, even with it being such an innocent little peck, Damian's hands balled into fists at his side. It was involuntary, though Damian would have happily volunteer to lay his fists across Alexander's brow. Maybe also his groin. He ground his teeth for a second before he put on a weak little smile and let his hands relax. "Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow then. Enjoy your picnic." Damian told them as warmly as he could muster before he turned around started walking out of the ice cream aisle. He figured if Audrey scolded him for leaving he could use the excuse of cold legs, but he knew he couldn't remain with those two college kids and not erupt.
 
Damian headed up front and grabbed a basket from nearby the door, then he started towards the produce. The whole while he wondered about that stick up his ass, trying to further pin down why it was shoved so deep in there. While he examined some tomatoes he also examined himself as best he could. Yes hes was mad that he wasn't alone and in charge, but it had to be deeper than that. He moved from the tomatoes to bell peppers; he figured that the first thing that was bothering him was that this club and their odd behavior made it seem that there was some secret that everyone was in on but him. He was a very antisocial person, mostly just because other people either bored him or weirded him out; he never used to have friends while he was growing up, only recently has he gotten any and they're all the older kids that facilitate his drug habits. But he was always pretty close to Audrey. Their mom was an overbearing hen, and their dad was a workaholic, so the only person around Damian really had was his sister until he had to poke out of his shell a bit more. Now it felt like these new friends, who followed her here from school and call her in the early morning and even bump into at the market, had taken her away from him.

He walked away from the produce aisle with some lemons, tomatoes, onions, and red peppers, wrapped in thought, heading for the meat department. Look Audrey, I'm sorry for being such a jerk. I guess I'm just still a little upset that my plans got spoiled and I just couldn't express it right. Please forgive me, I'm done being an ass, I'll calm down. He rehearsed what he would say when he bumped into his sister again, going through different approaches, changing his wording, figuring how best to express himself without sounding like such a whiny kid, which is what he decided his behavior was amounting to. He did all this as he silently looked over stew meat, pork loins, chicken breast, and other meats he thought he could turn into delicious meals. I'm sorry about behaving like such a bratty kid, Audrey. he finally thought to himself, feeling as if he may have gotten the words down. I just didn't expect you to be here in the first place, and then last night I actually had a lot of fun with you. After that your friends from school show up out of the blue and talk about some secret night club with you, it just felt like it was a game I wasn't allowed to join. I realize now what I was feeling, and how ridiculous it is, and I promise I'll calm down and stop being suck a jackass. He nodded as he added a pork loin to his basket, turning to his left to go check out the seafood.

Just then he saw his sister heading towards him with the cart, and he steeled himself, reciting the words over and over again in his head. When she got close, before she was right on him he opened his mouth to talk before she could say anything. "Sorry about that, my legs were freezing. I had to get out of there." he chickened out at the last minute, his gaze sinking floorward. He just couldn't bring himself to confess how possessive he was feeling, it made him sound like a clingy child in his mind. When Audrey mentioned the alcohol, Damian's gaze readjusted itself and he cocked an eyebrow as he stared at his sister. He'd been drinking for a few years now, but he'd never even imagined himself knocking a couple back with his sister even when they were both legal, let alone right now. He also really liked drinking games, they were to most fun he'd ever had in a social setting, so she had really got him hooked. "Wow, that sounds, well that sounds fun. I sure as hell wouldn't tel mom, if you're sure about this?"
 
The boy beamed brightly down at his sister, though he felt like he was looking up to her, and nodded happily. "Yeah, I can come up with some games," he reported as he placed his basket in her cart. "That all sounds great, let's go." With that he walked next to his sister with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face on the way to registers, thinking about games like ring of fire and wondering if he should even suggest beer pong. The other drinking game he really played at parties was strip poker, and at the moment didn't even choose to entertain the thought, not wanting to feel awkward and ruin a good vibe. When they got to the lanes Damian began helping his sister unload, taking care of his basket contents so he could pull it out of the cart and place it below the conveyor.

He was humming softly and tunelessly to himself as he placed a divider behind their food. That's when he heard his sister remark about the Ben & Jerry's, particularly the part about being high; he stopped a moment and pondered the implications of that statement. It didn't necessarily mean that she smoked weed, she didn't come right out and say it; however, she did not say she would only like it if she was high, but rather when. Damian's heart beat a hair faster and he began to wonder if he should mention his intentions for later, if he should invite Audrey to smoke with him. He got lost in a momentary day dream, wondering about what it would be like to smoke with his big sister. Cracking jokes and listenin' to music, telling each other stories about what happened in the years they were apart. He stayed silent after her comment, making no response.

He pulled out some of the money their folks had left them, it was held by a silver clip, and he handed it Audrey. "What'm I gonna do?" he asked, his gaze wandering as he thought about smoking, and smoking with her, and then what it would be like for Audrey to meet his friends. He cracked a slight grin quickly before his gaze returned and the cashier was being handed the cash. "Oh, I was thinking about going out for a walk. But we'll see what happens." The boy loaded all the bagged groceries back into the cart and started off towards the car with his sister.
 
Damian assisted with loading the groceries and putting the cart back, then climbed silently into the car. His mind wandered while they headed home, thinking about smoking with Audrey and how that would work. He thought about bringing up the subject of cannabis-he felt like marijuana was a bad word-when he put away the ice cream, about how he would approach it. He figured he would ask her if she tried it, or how she felt about it in general. He didn't pin anything down before he thought about if they would smoke, where they would go; mostly he wondered if he could convince her to smoke in the house, he normally kept a supply of incense and for this vacation he bought a couple cans of Ozium. But before anything else, he decided, around the time they were halfway home, that he had to apologize for being such a brat all day. He heaved a sigh and questioned why he didn't do that earlier in the store. He figured he was just a pussy, which he didn't figure was wrong. Sis, he thought, once more going over the words he would use.I'm sorry I've been such a bratty little shit all day. I guess I got a stick shoved up my ass when mom told me you were coming over, and for some reason your friends' appearance rubbed me the wrong way. There was no reason for how I acted, and I just really needed to say sorry.

When the siblings pulled up into the driveway, Damian unbuckled his seatbelt and hurriedly went to the trunk. When Audrey opened it he made sure he got a hold of the bag with Ben & Jerry's. He gathered another bag or two and followed her inside, placing them on the table to separate them from what his sister brought in. He began putting away the produce and such when Audrey asked him about school. "Oh, yeah I'm science oriented." he said with a slight smile. "I really like biology. I took AP Biology my sophomore year, so next year I'm taking Marine Biology Honors. Also AP Psychology, AP English Literature, Theory of Knowledge Honors, Government Honors, and I've got Acting Honors for my elective." He found himself smiling proudly, liking the sound of his lineup, finishing with his only bag before the ice cream. He took a moment to wonder is his sister was proud of him, but a voice inside gnawed at him, saying no. No because of his godawful behavior at the market, and in the morning when he was first introduced to concept of Alexander. His eyes dropped to the floor a moment, and thought about how he had to apologize, for himself if anything, before he could bring up weed.

He coughed a moment and took the ice cream and place it on the table before turning away from it to face his sister. "Thanks for asking about school," he said sweetly. "And I want to hear about college. But before I ask about how classes went, I have to come clean. I, uh... I'm sorry for being such a brat today. I don't know what's gotten into me... I, well, I guess I'm still just mad at mom for not telling me you were coming. That's no excuse for how I behaved in the store earlier, especially around such good friends of yours. I'm really sorry, and I promise I'll be cool from now on." His gaze was fully on the floor by the time he finished his apology speech, he couldn't even bring himself to look Audrey in the eye. He often thought of himself as a canine, since he loved dogs so much, and when he felt particularly sad or ashamed, he said-usually to his journal only-afterwards that his tail was between his legs. He felt like that now, even though he knew it wouldn't change the drinking she had planned for tonight, he just couldn't help it.
 
The boy was happy to hear that his sister seemed proud of him, though he couldn't say anything in response to her school questions til he saw her feet step up to him. He raised his head a bit to half-smile down at his sister as she hugged him, and he was glad for her forgiveness. His smile bloomed fully when she kissed him on the nose and chuckled slightly to himself; the gesture was not so much annoying, like it used to be, but rather reassuring at the moment, but the fact that she now had to go on tippytoe to reach him was just... Well, cute. She mussed up his hair and he playfully made to "fix" it, when he noticed Audrey putting away the ice cream. That was his segue to talk about trees, how was he ever gonna ask her now!? He paused a moment before answering her about his walk. He shrugged his shoulders in response and ran a hand through his hair, turning his gaze away, wondering if he should just ask her straight up to smoke with him.

But he was a pussy on the inside, and at the moment couldn't quite bring himself to it. That didn't mean he couldn't be direct, but he figured he would take some time to regain confidence, let his tail rise a bit. "I don't know if I'm going yet," he answered looking back to her. "I've got to check on something first... I'll let you know what's up in a bit, 'kay?" With that he slipped out of the kitchen and headed down to his room; he figured he would roll his blunt first, have something to show Audrey before asking her to partake. He was really just taking a moment to consider Audrey's words: "if you have any problems in the future just tell me." Well, his problem was really current, but he figured her sentiment wouldn't change due to tense. He opened his bedroom door and stepped in, locking it behind him before heading to the closet. Inside he pulled out a metal cashbox, shut with a combination lock. He quickly dialed in the correct combination and popped it open, shedding light on his naughtier treasures; he had some condoms, a folded pair of baby blue lace panties, a few mushroom stems, a metal grinder, a folded news clipping from The Onion, a corncob pipe that looked barely used, a pack of Game cigarillos, and a small jar filled with lime green buds, each one covered in fuzzy red hairs and a light sprinkling of crystals. He pulled out the weed, the blunts, and the grinder before locking the stash once more and tossing it on his bed. It was about time for him to get lost in ritual, and he eagerly gathered his other items: his MP3 player and headphones, and his lunch tray the he stole from school.

He sat down on his bed, pulling his headphones over his ears before turning his player on and selecting Chocolate Supa Highway by Spearhead, letting himself get lost on the mellow and groovy sounds. He placed the tray on his lap, dumped some pretty nugs onto it, and scooped them into his grinder, processing them for maximum roll-ability. He mouthed along to song, putting the grinder down and ripping open his foil cigar package to grab a cigar, gut it and remove the adhesive strip. He left the guts in a pile on the corner of his tray, swaying along with the song. He licked his blunt, cracked open his grinder, poured the broken-up weed into the 'gar, and picked up. He rolled it fat, he rolled it straight, and he rolled it quick; he timed himself when he began rolling, it was a small point of pride being as quick as he was. He took the tray off his lap and rose, placing it on the bed in his place. He pulled a gray Bic lighter from one of his pockets and dried the blunt as the song finished. He put the lighter back in his pocket and turned his player off, placing the device in a different pocket while leaving the headphones around his neck.

Damian exited his bedroom, smiling brightly, with his hands clasped behind his back and his illicit treat resting gently inside his right. He was practically skipping on his way to the living room where he was sure his sister would be, and stopped with a hop right behind the couch, his kilt fluttering about with all the commotion. "Hey, sis," he asked with a Cheshire grin. "I have been having a big problem since you arrived. But maybe you can actually help me with it. What do you say, Audrey?"
 
'Eat shit'. Huh, that's pretty good, he thought to himself, having to stop from bursting out into a giggling fit. He was happy to smoke, but was much more elated to bring his habit to light with his sister. He couldn't explain why that was, since he wasn't counting on Audrey to smoke with him, but he was just eager to get this secret of his off of his chest, and even if she didn't want to join him he trusted her to keep it. He trusted her, but he was still a paranoid dork, so he refrained from sitting down next to Audrey, wanting the option to bolt out the front door if for some reason things went awfully wrong. He just grinned wider and started rocking on his heels, relishing the secretness of his smoking habit for the few moments it would remain a secret.

"Because this cat has had the key to the canary's cage," Damian answered cheerily. "But he was afraid to go for it while the watchdog was about." He giggled stupidly at his own joke before continuing. "Y'know, I changed a lot while you were away at school. I picked up a new hobby, some of my new friends turned me onto it, and I've been dying to jump right into it since mom left. Now, please, promise me you'll keep this a secret?"

He paused for a moment, his energy levels dying down briefly as he stared at his sister, searching for some confirmation that she wouldn't go tell his secret to their mother. When he was satisfied he smiled again and took a step closer to the couch. He stretched out his right hand and opened it up, revealing a green-leaf blunt resting softly on his palm. "I started smoking," he confessed softly, still smiling. "Getting high, particularly, so you don't have to worry about me smoking cigarettes or anything. It's helped me relax, and become more sociable; not to mention it's been the biggest comfort around here with you gone and mom being... Well, mom. Before you arrived I had planned to smoke this guy to kick off my vacation, but then you showed up and I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. That's partly what the stick up my ass was about. I was gonna go walk down to the park and smoke it there in secret, but then you had to go and be the cool big sister and buy us booze and forgive me for being a snot. So, I was wondering if you'd like to smoke it with me instead? You could even do my hair with that fish tail braid you were talking about while we're stoned! I totally understand if you'd rather sit here and read though, I can still just head down to the park."
 
He held his breath when he finished his quiet speech, waiting for his sister's response. He could see on her face that what he said bothered her, and the muscles in his legs tightened in anticipation of bursting out the door. But a deluge of calm washed over the boy when he saw Audrey's smile and heard her give him the okay for the weed. He took a deep breath and smiled back in return, his eyes twinkling with joy. His energy levels soared once more, counter productive to the task at hand but it's how the boy worked. He started chuckling joyfully, mostly as a cover to mask the fact that he was actually shaking with excitement. When he finished he placed the blunt down on the table next to the couch and flashed his sister a thumbs up before running off to his bedroom.

He could have gone to the bathroom for the brush, but he also needed to grab a few extra things other things. In his room he ran about like a whirlwind, grabbing some incense and a spare burner, a can of Ozium, and a black plastic ashtray he stole from a sports bar downtown before he grabbed a silver hairbrush from the top of his dresser. He wondered with a smile what fun would ensue when he turned it up with Audrey. They were about to get stoned, and already planned on drinking later; this day had the makings of a personal party! Damian snickered at the idea of partying with just him and his sister and the dog. He could picture it now: Music blasted throughout the house, coming from unseen speakers; Sheela was acting bartender and filled Damian's cup with something that would burn pleasantly on the way down; all while the siblings danced in the living room. Then the boy's daydream turned down the lane that any normal party would take; as the music slowed he drew in closer to Audrey, their heads fuzzy and their hearts beating fast, and he kissed her deeply as blood rushed somewhere other than his cheeks...

He shook his head violently to snap out of it, his hair whipping to and fro. This had been the second time he imagined something so vivid, and all the boy could do was stand there and let his system reboot. He blushed, his stomach sank, and he had to lift up his kilt to make sure no unwanted surprises would greet his sister. Damian swallowed, still stunned by himself and wondered what was wrong with him. This can't be normal. he thought to himself, his inner voice whispering. The idea of normal never bothered Damian before, who seemed to pride himself on abnormality, and the devil's-advocate voice in the back of his head reminded him about that. He shook his head again, screwing his face up into a disgusted expression directed at himself. He was about to begin arguing internally when he heard Audrey choking through his open door.

Damian jogged to the living room with wide eyes. "Audrey? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. He stepped over to her, letting his various items fall from his arms onto the couch-side table. "What happened? Can I help?"
 
The boy scanned over his sister his second, on the off hand she was lying about needing his held, before he heaved a small sigh of relief and shook his head. "Don't do that to me," he said lightly, patting her gently on the head to mess with her. He smiled softly and plopped down on the couch next to his sister. He set the ashtray down on the coffee table in front of them, then set the cheap bamboo incense burner next to it with a stick of jasmine incense poking out of it. He lit the incense and blew the flame out once he was sure the stick was burning. He chuckled heartily as he listened to her story, trying to picture someone playing with four Wii controllers. Weed was a great instigator for dumb moments, which would become great stories down the line. He couldn't wait to make such stories with Audrey; Yeah, you also can't wait to make stories not even penthouse forum would accept. He frowned and shook those thoughts out of his head as he handed Audrey the hairbrush.

For a brief second he thought about backing out, about not smoking with Audrey. He worried about what he might try to do to her; actually, he was too much of a pussy to try anything, he was really more worried about what he would think. He already got Audrey's forgiveness once for acting like a jerk, he didn't know if he could get it again. Thinking such... strange thoughts made him behave even more oddly than normal, and he already promised he'd be cool. He shut his eyes, took a deep breath in, held it a moment, then exhaled slowly as his sister ran the brush through his hair. Be cool. Be cool. Be cool. he repeated mentally, opening his eyes again. Just be cool, Damian. You got this. Be cool. Cooooool...

Damian grabbed the blunt off the table and lit it before taking a good drag off it. He held the smoke in his lungs a bit before exhaling, coughing madly as he did so. Yeah, that was the good stuff. A smile crept it's way across his face as he could feel the mellow settle into his soul. He took another puff and ashed it before passing the blunt back to Audrey. "Thanks for all this," he said while holding his hit in. He breathed out a small cloud, and coughed again lightly. "For braiding my hair, and just being so cool in general. Y'know, I think you being here is actually making my vacation better." With that he reached for TV clicker and turned turned the TV on, automatically bringing up the local news channel. "Anything you want to watch? Or maybe you want to listen to music instead?"
 
Damian relished the feeling of the brush running through his hair, even though it was mildly painful; he relished the feeling because he knew there was a beautiful girl doing it. He caught himself a moment his eyes widening as he realized the implications behind his thought. He couldn't shake his head, so instead he just took a deep breath and mentally shrugged his shoulders. Fathers all over the world called their daughters beautiful and didn't think nasty things... Okay, well maybe some of them, but it was okay to call a family member beautiful, right? Now sexy would be a different story...

His mental ramblings were interrupted when Audrey passed him the blunt before her head nestled into the small of his back. He chuckled softly to himself before taking a drag, poor Audrey... He thought about asking her to move so he could go get her some water when she apologized to him. This stopped him up entirely for a moment. His eyes glossed over a moment and small frown settled in on his face as he stared forwards into nothing at all, really. He sat in silence for a while before he spoke. "Don't be sorry," he said softly, practically whispering, all the joviality gone from his tone. "You didn't do anything wrong... It's not like I came to the dorms or wrote you letters, I didn't keep in touch either. And if I was lonely, well... It was my own fault... Yeah, you were my only friend back then, but that was my fault. I could have made friends if I was lonely, and eventually I did... Please don't be sorry."

He thought back to his first year of highschool, the first year he spent without his sister, and how miserable he was. He was in honors and the like since he started, and his classmates hated him for it. He took AP courses as a freshman where his whole class was older kids, and they all resented Damian for being there with them. His mother barely let him out her sight, let alone out of the house; she would often say things like "Oh, I can't believe my baby's all grown up and gone away! I can't let that happen to you, Damian, you're gonna stay my baby forever, right?" All the boy could do to respond to such states was smile weakly and agree, because he knew he would break the woman's heart if he did anything else. On top of classmates that shunned him and mother hen that was nearly suffocating him, Damian didn't even have his best friend, their old Scottie Watson, around either. He took his sister's leaving pretty hard for a while, but in retrospect he knew he was just being a pussy and any pain he felt was self-inflected, or at least allowed.

Damian puffed his blunt, no more coughs escaping from his chest this time. He gulped down the earthy smoke, hoping to choke out his bad memories; he wanted his eyes so red, so dry, that he couldn't imagine tearing up. The boy was not one for crying, he despised the action since it left him physically vulnerable and feeling weak; at the moment, however, it was all he could do to keep a tear from sliding down his cheek. So he puffed away like a steam engine and let his memories die away as he turned the TV to his favorite channel, National Geographic. World's Weirdest was on, and it looked like they were doing a segment on the cookie cutter shark, which he happily let occupy the whole of his attention. He hogged the blunt to himself while Audrey braided away, taking only small puffs; he didn't want to interrupt her work, but mostly he didn't want her coughing a lung up onto the floor. So when he got about halfway through he scraped the cherry off the blunt against the side of the ashtray and placed the smokable down on the table, deciding he would light it again after she finished the braid and he could go get her some water. Shortly after extinguishing the blunt he felt his sister's arms and legs wrap around him, and he felt her sniffing his neck. He blushed fiercely at her comment, but couldn't keep his lips from twisting into a slight grin. The strangest thing about the scene, though, was that Damian loved it. He loved the warmth of Audrey pressed against him, the comfort of his limbs wrapped gently around him, and the feel of her breath on his neck. It felt... right.

"Uh, thanks..." he said softly, praying that his sister couldn't see his fact. "I think it's the soap I use. I always get a bar of sandalwood soap from the crazy looking old man at the farmer's market." With that Damian drifted off into silence, though he couldn't tell if it was awkward or not. He was quite vexed, and for the moment seemed content to stew in his vexation. Part of him wanted to peel Audrey off of him and run away; but that was only a small part of him. A different part of him wanted to just sit like that forever, to let time die around them and just stay locked together like that, until existence itself packed it's bags and hit the road. The biggest part of him, though, was hard to hold back; that part wanted to rip his sister off his back, toss her to the couch, tear her clothes off, and...

The boy choked on nothing at all and began coughing, the smoke from earlier making things worse. By the time he was done coughing he was sure that someone could boil water on his face he was blushing so hard. "Hey, do you want some water?" he asked meekly, trying to come up with some kind of excuse to get away from Audrey at the moment.
 
((I'm so sorry for the delay, I've been really busy. Suffice to say work's being mean to me right now XP))

Damian weakly but quickly nodded in response to his sister's request and slipped into the kitchen. He was grateful she asked for tea, since it left him time to himself, away from her. He had no idea why he was having such horrid thoughts, and determined to figure it out before he returned to Audrey. So, despite the fact that their mother kept a box of chamomile and a box of Lipton black tea bags, he turned the stove on and headed to the fridge. Damian had loved tea for years, ever since Audrey ordered a cup from the little Barnie's coffee shop in the local mall and she let him try it. Try it, he drank the whole thing, much to his sister's annoyance. Since that day he had steadily accumulated various loose-leaf teas and a few accessories, like his cast iron kettle and porcelain tea set that he kept in his room. So he stood on his tiptoes and rifled through the cabinet above the fridge, which his mom had allowed him to use for his teas and things. He decided on jasmine oolong, his favorite, and grabbed his daily-use kettle as well. He filled the thing with water and set it on the stove top before slumping into a chair and resting his head on the table.

He pondered the odd feelings he was having for his sister. He wasn't just thinking deplorable things, he was feeling them, which he believed made the situation even worse. The boy figured a lot of this just stemmed from puberty; that must be the reason he never had such feelings before, right? That made no sense to him, though. He didn't want to tear the clothes off every pretty woman he saw, though to be fair he did think that about a good few of them. No, this was... different. It wasn't just sexual urges he was feeling, there was something else that was hard to define wriggling deep down inside him. He couldn't name that feeling, he never felt it before. That bothered him deeply. It wasn't the anticipation of scoring, like he felt when the drunk girls stumbled into him and listlessly ran their hands up and down his arms at parties. It wasn't fear, wasn't the butterflies in his stomach he felt when he heard sirens with a blunt between his lips. It wasn't quite happiness either, at least not the kind he usually felt when he cuddled with Sheela or when he got new comics and had the day off to get high and read them. This feeling was a really weird combination of all those, with sprinklings of other emotions he couldn't nail down; trace emotions. Could it be... love?

He scoffed aloud at that idea and raised his head, though his gaze remained fixed on the wood grain of the tabletop. Yeah, it's love alright, he thought sarcastically. I don't even know what love is. Not that kind. I love my dog, I love my comic shop, I love weed, I love my family, I love... Audrey... Well, yeah I guess I do, but as a sister... Right? He had no romantic experience, not even a crush at school to pine over; he felt like most of the girls there were too snobby or too unintelligent to ever be compatible with him. But Audrey, well she was his best (human) friend for years, even though they still had their issues as siblings. They were certainly compatible, the proof being that she could fall asleep on top of him after being gone for 3 years.

That was it! Damian's eyes widened as the kettle whistled sharply, drawing the dog's attention. That's why he was feeling these weird things, because she was his best friend! or at least used to be. He got up and pulled the tea pot off the burner and grabbed the jasmine oolong, which he dumped into mesh strainer which he in turn dumped into the pot. He imagined that boys who grew up with girls as their best friends all felt this way at some point. It was just his hormones over exaggerating his bond with Audrey, it had to be! He smiled with relief and set the kitchen timer for 2 minutes, somewhere between Asian and Western steep times for oolong. He chuckled lightly to himself as he squatted and scratched Sheela on the head. "It's just my crazy teenaged hormones, right girl?" he cooed to the canine who licked his face happily. He was away from his best friend for years, in which puberty happened, so of course her return would do something weird. Damian repeated similar dumb sentiments to himself mentally to regain his cool as he loved on his dog while he waited for the tea.

He also figured he wasn't high enough, which was something he was eager to remedy as the timer buzzed, startling the boy into falling on his ass. He scrambled up onto his feet and shut the annoying thing off before he went to the cup cabinet. He pulled out two big, thick mugs and filled them with tea before he grabbed the little honey-bear from atop the stove and carried them out to his sister. He was smiling cheerily with the dog at his heels, feeling like he had a good grip on his crazy thoughts/emotions. "I hope you like jasmine," he said as he handed her a mug. "It's one of my favorite flavors." He sat back down on the couch and sipped his tea a few times before he grabbed the blunt off the table and re-lit it. Ah, there we go...
 
As Damian smoked he tried to let his thoughts dissipate into the high and the National Geographic; if he didn't think at all, he couldn't think dirty things. This felt like it was going to work, until his sister rose from the couch to go get a spoon. He slapped his forehead with his free hand when she disappeared, You dumbass! I bet Alexander doesn't forget the spoon! Slowly he dragged his hand across his face from his forehead to cover his mouth, which fell open when the realization of what he said sank in. His eyes were wide, staring off into space, looking guilty and shocked, like he'd just run over the neighbor's dog pulling out of the driveway. What the hell kind of thought was that? He was lost in thought, pondering why such a thing would even come to mind, when Audrey returned and threw herself onto the couch once more. Damian couldn't even look at her, he just let his hand drop and turned his gaze back to the TV, although he couldn't register anything that came on screen.

Damian thought about Alexander and Audrey together, thought about how familiar Alexander was with her at the store, and couldn't help but hate him a little. The boy finally accepted that he felt like he was in competition with Alexander for his sister's affections, though he couldn't articulate why. He knew Audrey wasn't a virgin, at least he assumed so. He wasn't a virgin himself, and from what the boy observed it was a lot easier to lose if you were a girl, so he had just figured Audrey was sexually active. But he had never prepared himself for meeting a boyfriend, or whatever the hell Alexander was to her. Something about witnessing it made him mad; like how dare another male be more familiar with his Audrey than himself!? That was another thing, why did still think of her as "his Audrey"? Maybe that kind of thinking was cute when he was 6, but he was 16 now and he had to grow up a little, let go of his sister. It was hard, though, considering how tight they used to be and just how frickin' cool she has become. He wanted them to be friends, and that meant not acting like a creep, so he was gonna have to get a grip. It was just that every time he felt like he had a grip something would happen to make him lose it. He wondered if he should just let go. He wondered if he should confess this stuff to Audrey, just get it off his chest. Maybe she could help him get a firm grip on this...

That's when Audrey just reached over and plucked the blunt from his grasp, and he turned his head slowly to watch her smoke. If it had been anyone else that did that, he would have smacked them on the back of the head and told them where to go. However, as he watched his sister something seemed wrong with her. She eased up a lot as she smoked, but she looked... uncomfortable was probably the best word. She was quiet and looked like she was lost in her head, which Damian could empathize with but still wondered about. He wondered if he was the cause of this mood of hers and his heart sank, because he was sure that was the case. He didn't want to be a bother to her or hurt her at all, and felt like his soul was being slowly flattened by steamroller. He was about to ask what was wrong when she passed him the blunt back and asked about the evenings entertainment.

"Well," he back with a small cough, passing his sister the blunt. "I've only played a few drinking games at parties. I've only ever played, like, 'ring of fire' or 'never have I ever', other wise it was just beer pong. I mean, I guess I also played strip poker as a drinking game once or twice... But that's neither here nor there. Actually, I've mostly been thinking about how to turn truth or dare into a drinking game; that was a pretty cool idea, right there. I was thinking every time you choose truth you have to drink; if you choose dare but can't do it you have to drink something really strong, but if you do do it then the person who made the dare has to drink. What about you, anything you wanna play?" He started to fear what he might do when they started drinking, and buried his face in his mug of tea to try and drown those thoughts out.
 
Damian smiled and nodded at Audrey as she passed him the blunt. Truth or dare was good. Actually, he hoped on some level, buried deep down within himself, that he could use that game as an excuse to get these thoughts off his chest. These thoughts, these feelings were eating him up inside and he could no longer deny it. He accepted the blunt back from Audrey and took the last few puffs off of it before putting it out. He would save the roach for later, for another blunt he could roll after dinner was eaten; after all, he had lost time to make up for, right? While he zoned out, high and lost in his head, he imagined confessing his fucked up feelings to Audrey. He figured he could blame it all on the intoxicants, in case she reacted like society said she should, which is why he was going to wait until they were drinking to bring it up.

Damian was a pussy, a pansy, truly; but while he thought to himself, blazed on the couch, he realized he couldn't live another three weeks with these feelings. It hadn't even been two days and he was already making an ass of himself. He pictured himself foaming at the mouth, with eyes rolled back into his head, and a throbbing boner which would take nearly all of his blood; this was him a week into the vacation. If anything, the boy thought to himself as he stared into the far wall. I can blame it on the drugs and spend a few days with my boys. I think... He didn't feel comfortable sitting in silence with his sister, not with what scattered, taboo thoughts ran across his mindscape. So he was about to get up and head into his room, using a non-existent English project as an excuse when she asked him about dinner. He beamed, subconsciously, at his sister and hopped up. "I got you," was all he said.

With that he pushed himself up and literally skipped into the kitchen and turned the oven and stove on. He figured they bought enough salmon to last at least two meals, so for the moment he would bake the fish instead of preparing the small, charcoal Coleman grill his father kept on the patio. He set the oven at 375 degrees and threw open the refrigerator doors, eager to impress his sister with his blooming culinary skills. This was one thing he was sure-at least, at the moment-that he could do better than Alexander. His father was a workaholic, and with Audrey gone dinner time usually meant just Damian and his mother. So, over the last few years, he strived to become someone capable in the kitchen if only to show his mother he was capable of independence. She didn't really grant him any additional freedoms, but he learned to love to cook. So he washed his hands eagerly and slapped two salmon fillets on a cookie sheet, seasoning them with Adobo ((OOC: Sorry, I'm from Florida, this is our go-to seasoning)) and pepper and lemon juice and oregano before shoving them it the oven. He set the timer for 27 minutes and turned the stove to mid-high heat,

This was exactly what he needed, something to focus on to keep his mind from wandering to places that would make Maury Povich blush. He set a pot of water, with a slice of butter, onto the hot burner. His plan was to cook some salmon with a garlic & lemon cream sauce, served over a jasmine rice pilaf. In the back of his mind he knew he discussed pasta with Audrey, but he was stoned and decided to saved the pasta for another night. He was trying to impress at the moment, and pasta was easy but rice was hard. At least, good rice. So, while he set the oven timer for 27 minutes and awaited the pot on the stove to boil, he pulled out his MP3 player from his pocket. He grabbed some cheep earbuds from his back pocket and selected "Light Skinned Beauty" by Theo Croker, letting himself get washed away in the jazz as he gathered the rest of his ingredients.

Damian loved the culinary arts, much like he loved the written word; mostly because you really had to royally fuck up to ruin the art. So he grabbed the package of jasmine rice his family kept in the pantry of which he poured a cup and two thirds into the pot on the stove, and also a peach from the fridge. He cut a section of the peach off, dicing it, which he kept off to the side to sprinkle onto the fish. He added Adobo to the rice, as it boiled, as well as some frozen peas he grabbed from the freezer and some onion powder. He also added some of the peach to the rice, which was getting close to being ready; the rest he sprinkled over the fish as it reached the last 15 minutes of it's cook time.

He was quite excited to cook for his sister, to really show her some tangible proof he'd grown since she left. Hell, he remembered a few years before she left for college he was still asking her to make him his sandwiches; he smirked as he thought about how far he'd come and how Audrey would react. He wanted nothing more than to blow his sister away with his cooking, so he happily diced some onions and added it to his rice. His smile could have cut scars in his cheeks as he stirred the bubbling rice pot as the time for the fish ticked down. "You mind feeding the dog?" he called, his voice a little too loud to compensate for his music. "Her food's in the cabinet closest to the back door. Just give her two scoops and set the dish outside; our dinner'll be done soon."
 
He hadn't heard his sister's words about cooking together, but as he gathered the things he would need for his sauce he couldn't help but remember that they'd agreed to work together earlier. At the moment, though, he couldn't do that. He needed this time away from his sister, to clear his head, and the cooking kept him focused on something other than his feelings. Every time he thought about his disgusting feelings he would come to some bullshit little conclusion that would satisfy him temporarily, but always he would wind up thinking naughty things about his sister. Dwelling on his situation like that did him no good. He needed to get it all off his chest, he was certain that was the only way to deal with his problem once and for all. His stomach was filled with legions of butterflies which felt like they were flitting about in a tornado; he was terrified of confessing to Audrey. But it had to be done. He knew he was acting strange, he could see it very easily, and he was sure it was bothering Audrey, but he couldn't help it. Internally he was a mess, a surging storm of vexation: he wanted to be a around Audrey, she made him happy; but she also made him a bit too happy, so he didn't want to be around her; she also made him mad for making him feel so confused, as well as for making him feel like he'd been replaced with Alexander (whom he still refused to call Alex); and he, not Audrey, was making himself depressed and disgusted. The anticipation of relieving this raging storm, of spewing out his confession to his big sister, was gnawing at him and all he wanted to do was crack open the alcohol and get it over with.

That's why he was working hard on dinner, turning another burner on and grabbing a small pot for his sauce. He wanted not only to impress Audrey, but also to apologize in advance for what he had to do. It was silly, Damian knew that, but he still figured that a spectacular meal might soften the blow he was about to deliver. He poured some unsweetened almond milk into the pot, the substitute for actual cream which the lemon would curdle. He chopped some more lemons, which he squeezed into the sauce, also adding some of the fruit-flesh. He added salt, thyme, oregano, onion powder, and cilantro and stirred them in before popping open a jar of minced garlic. He added the garlic, then cut up the rest of the peach which he also added in. As he stirred his pot his knees trembled, and he was grateful that Audrey decided to join Sheela outside.

That's when he truly realized he was alone in the kitchen. He smiled softly to himself and turned off the oven timer seconds before it went off, not wanting to alert his sister. Damian turned the oven off and opened is a crack then removed the rice from the burner and turned his sauce's heat down, to allow it to simmer a while. He quietly went over to the sink and washed his hands again before he put away his mess. He decided he was going to give Audrey a great presentation for what he prayed she would feel was a great meal. So he went over to the family's dining room, which was really only used for holidays, and grabbed some of their fine china and gold-plated silverware to set the kitchen table with. He also grabbed the single tall candlestick from the dining room table which had a barely used blood-red candle resting in it. He set the precious dinnerware down on the kitchen table, feeling like he forgot something. He realized he was missing a table cloth, and his eyes lit up before he disappeared, heading to his bedroom. He returned to the kitchen with a large black cloth that felt like silk (but was really some special polyester blend) which he draped over the table. Since his sister left he'd been dabbling with paganism on his own, originally because it was a weird spiritual choice few people made, he later found out that the pagan-types were the few kinds of people he enjoyed being around. That's why he had the cloth, which normally sat folded under his head to be pulled out only a few times a year to adorn the makeshift rubble he would use as his alter. As he set the table he was glad that Sheela wasn't a greedy eater; no, she normally nibbled at her bowel a bit before she decided to wander around the yard for a while before returning to finish the meal. He could just imagine what his sister would say if she saw him preparing... A romantic dinner for two... He thought, stopping right before he was about to light the candle. That's what you're doing, isn't it? I don't think you can really deny that, Damian old boy... Well, maybe she'll get the message and figure you out, you little pervert. That would save you from ratting yourself out...

He heaved a heavy sigh and shrugged his shoulders, figuring he'd already come too far to go back. So he lit the candle and took the plates over to the oven, where he adorned them each with small mound of rice, on top of which he laid the fish fillets. He drizzled some sauce over the salmon and turned the stove off completely, setting the delicious looking food down on the table before he flipped the light switch off. He took a deep breath, steeled himself as best he could, and knocked at the back door to let Audrey know dinner was served. As soon as his knuckle made contact with the door he jumped over to the table, looking rather graceful with his braid trailing behind him and his kilt fluttering from the sudden motion. He stood poised behind a chair at the end of the table, trying to play the perfect gentleman by pulling his sister's chair out for her.
 
Damian nodded in acknowledgment when his sister went to wash her hands. While he stood behind her chair it was all he could do to keep his knees from shaking, so he was quite grateful when she sat down. He headed over to the other end of the table and sat down, eager to begin eating both because he had the munchies and because he wanted the food as an excuse to not talk. When Audrey asked him about the set up he looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, and his heart began to beat so fast inside his chest he was afraid she could hear it's rhythm. He swallowed hard and stared at her in the candlelight, wanting nothing more than to answer her by leaning forward and kissing her luscious lips. "I, uh..." he stammered nervously. "I-it is a special occasion, silly. It's the first day I've spent with my big sis in years, and it's been a big surprise how much fun I've had. This is kinda my way of saying thanks for smoking with me, and for deciding to drink with me tonight. Now dig in before it goes cold, you probably have the munchies too."

He was about to take his first bite of salmon when Audrey praised him for it. He smiled widely and warmly over at her, a fuzzing feeling creeping it's way through him at her compliment. "Aww, thanks," he cooed. "I'm glad you like it, I was worried for a bit there that this dish was maybe a little too crazy. If you love this then..." You'll love it when I tell you how attracted I am to you. If that all goes well, then I could cook for you like this every night of you life, if you'll have me. His eyes darted about, as if looking for something to save him from having to finish his statement; alas, there was nothing. "Then you're in luck," he said a little too late after opening his mouth the first time. "Since we're stuck together for a few more weeks." He quickly stuffed a forkful of salmon into his mouth to avoid saying anything else stupid or incriminating. He ate in silence, not bothered at all by the fact that Audrey also seemed to not want to talk. A few times he caught himself staring at her from across the table, lost in how beautiful she looked in the light of the little flame that danced atop the candle. After a while he lowered his head, staring only at his food lest he become lost in the radiance of his sister. There was something truly wrong with him, that he could stare and think such things about her; actually, he couldn't help but stare and think these awful things. He pondered asking Audrey to take him to an asylum after he said what he knew he would have to, all the while his leg jittering restlessly in anticipation.
 
As Damian sat and ate he couldn't help but feel sorry for putting Audrey in such an awkward situation. I mean she was eating what, if they were anyone else, would be a romantic meal, in silence, with her brother, that was probably putting a strain on her too. He knew the situation was awkward, but the writhing perversion inside him kept him tense and silent, unable to make any sort of light conversation. So he felt sorry for her, for the burden he was being on her, and dreaded even more his future confession. Damian, despite being a bit smarter than most and also fairly attractive, had a major inferiority complex. Everything was his fault, and unless someone did something to prove their general stupidity, he felt like he was beneath the rest of the world. He figured part of it was getting picked on as a kid, part of it was his overbearing mother, and most of it was just there for no knowable reason. So, a good part of his fear of telling Audrey what he felt went beyond the disgusting and taboo factor, part of it was that he felt like he wasn't good enough for her. When she asked him why he was staring all he could do was nod and watch her wipe imaginary food from her face before hanging his head once more, this time gluing his eyes to his nearly empty plate. He felt guilty about his feelings, so much so that the butterflies in his stomach disagreed with the food and made him question if he could keep his dinner down.

He finished his food shortly before Audrey and just stared at his empty plate and wondered about what she would do when he said his piece. Would she slap him for being a degenerate pervert? Would she break down and cry at her moral failure of a brother? Would she call an exorcist to try and purge the wickedness from him? Or would she heave a sigh and tell him it was okay, that she felt the same way? He blushed profusely and was glad for the dimness as he let a small light of hope shine inside him. He snapped his head back up from his plate to stare at her when she finally spoke again. "That sounds great," he replied, pushing his chair away from the table to rise. He was about to thank her for doing the dirty work as she collected his plate and kissed him on the cheek. It was quick and light, totally innocent seeming. But it made the boy's eyes shoot wide and his heart race, the way it pounded in his chest he was afraid it would break his sternum, and with all the extra blood pumping he could feel a stirring below the waist. His eyes looked even more wide, like his eyelids were threatening to retreat back into his skull, and he quickly rose, turning away from his sister. He held his hands in front of his crotch, trying to make the gesture look innocent, and raced out into the living room without a word. He must have looked like a jackass, not even saying "your welcome" to her, but he was terrified of pitching a tent for her. There was no real way to hide it in a kilt and he began to wonder why he chose to wear it that day.

His face was burning bright red as he took deep breaths in the middle of the living room, greedily sucking the air down in an attempt to calm himself down, hands still held over his kilt. Calm down, dude, just calm down... he mentally whispered to himself. He decided to try and name all the corvid species he could think of in North America to quell his excitement, much like 'real men' would think about baseball, or some other such thing. It worked, and it helped him calm down as he began to ready their playing space. Green jay, common raven, Stellar's jay... He listed off the birds in his head as he cleared all the things off the coffee table, including his ashtray and incense burner and roach. He set them all in a mostly empty drawer in the entertainment center that supported the TV and picked up coffee table, which he carried into the dining room and propped up against the wall, to give them more space. He pushed the couches back a bit, further increasing their floor space, and even went to the garage where he grabbed a medium-sized Coleman cooler for the booze. Florida scrub jay, yellow-billed magpie, American crow, fish crow, Clark's nutcracker... Okay, I think I'm good... He nodded solemnly to himself and entered the kitchen with the cooler to grab the drinks.

"Sorry about that, I really had to go to the bathroom," he lied to Audrey when he stepped into the kitchen. He first grabbed the liquor off the counter and set them gently into the cooler he carried under one arm. Then he walked to the fridge and threw open the freezer, where he kept a few frozen gel packs he used to keep his lunch cool when he went to school. He tossed them into the Coleman before he opened the fridge proper and added the beers. He poked his head out and turned to face his sister, "While I'm in here, is there anything you want as a chaser or mixer? Or are you the kid of drinker with brass balls who takes everything straight up?"
 
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