Second Try

Jade-

It would take hell and high water to keep Jade from being early for the meeting Tommy had texted him about. Granted, it was raining hard enough that he could barely see out of his windshield and the wind was just as terrible, but he wouldn't be deterred.

Jade managed to get within a block of the apartment before he knew that his car wouldn't be able to make it any further safely. There were too many dips in the road that could get his wheels stuck. On foot, then.

He looked out at the sidewalk and sighed with relief. It was flooded, but not nearly bad enough to prevent him from using it. After U-turning and moving his car a bit higher up the small hill, he parked it with the emergency break on, just in case, then reached into the backseat for his umbrella.

Of course I forgot to put it back in my car.

He'd used it a few days ago, but his mind just hadn't been on the ball lately. Wonder whose fault that is. He knew that it was his own, but he couldn't stop himself. For some reason beyond his surprisingly strict control, Jake has wiggled his way into his thoughts and refused to leave.

Shaking his head, he slid out of his expensive jacket and undid the buttons on his shirt. Folding both items on the passenger's side seat, Jade looked down at his nice work pants and shoes. They wouldn't technically be ruined... but the shoes would definitely take days to dry and the pants would have to likely be sent out.

A glance toward the car's dashboard clock told him that he was running low on decision time. Blowing out a frustrated breath, he checked for oncoming traffic, then shoved open his door and began to run. He had hoped to arrive early, dressed well, and ready to handle any situation necessary. Instead, Jade ended up banging on the door about five minutes later, completely soaked to the bone, and half dressed with a short mop of dripping hair.

Needless to say, he wasn't surprised in the least when Domino opened the door and began laughing his ass off at him right then and there. Sparing the man a sharp glare, he shoved past him and headed straight for the shower. While he was warming up, he heard the door open and close, but when no one said anything, he glanced out of the shower to see that Domino had left him a change of clothes.

Gratefully, he finished up his shower and dried off. Jade then slipped into the pair of black sweatpants, but ignored the shirt for the moment. He'd gotten plenty hot enough under the scalding water and just decided to sling the it over his shoulder to put on once he cooled off in a few minutes.

Jana was sitting on the sofa when he walked into the living room. The man was visibly relaxed, but Jade could see his muscles tensing every few moments just enough to be noticeable to those who knew what to look for. He's nervous. Jade didn't blame him. He had mental issues that were hard for him to control during certain situations. One of said situations was being around a man he hadn't even known was alive. His brother.

He had an inkling in his mind to offer the man some sort of comfort, but Jana was someone he would not get involved with personally. He didn't like aggressive subs, and quite frankly, even if he wasn't unintentionally crushing on the man's younger brother, he wouldn't go for him. Jana wouldn't accept rules, and even if he did, Jade couldn't tell if the guy was a dominant or submissive. He sure as hell could handle Domino, and he didn't doubt that he was the top in most, if not all, of the two's sexual interactions, but he still couldn't tell.

The man on the outside is definitely dominant, but it almost feels like I'm looking at someone more vulnerable than Jake when I meet his eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door before Jade had even found a place to sit. He looked toward it as Domino came out of his bedroom. They both knew who it was likely to be. It was a bit surprising, however, when Domino opened the door to reveal just Tommy and Jake.

Where's Adam?

Jake held the door as Tommy wheeled himself in. He was back in a wheelchair, as he'd mentioned, but he did look better than the last time Jade had seen him. He'd had to have climbed the stairs on his own while Jake brought up his chair, too, so he wasn't too bad off. He ended up stopping next to where Jade stood. When he was offered Tommy' s hand, Jade took it with a nod.

"Thanks for coming, Jade."

"Of course." He replied as his eyes wandered, on their own accord, to Jake.

The moment the younger man was within reach, Jade's fingers itched to touch him. He knew that he was being ridiculous by practically chasing the poor guy after causing such shit with his rules, yet he couldn't help himself. He'd never been addicted to something in his entire life, except maybe coffee on extremely busy weeks, but he couldn't seem to get Jake out of his head.

"Good evening, Jade." Jake said as he came to a stop beside him.

He had a cautious smile on his face and his attention was mainly focused on Jana, who had become just-barely more tense with his brother's approach. Two foldout chairs had been placed a few feet away from where Jana sat, so Jade decided to direct Jake to take a seat, then took the one beside him after tugging on the shirt he'd been allowed to use.

Domino dropped down beside Jana, his hand immediately going to the man's leg and squeezing. Jade knew that it was a comfort gesture, as he'd used it several times on some of his subs that enjoyed a little pain. He could tell, however, that Jana had no technical enjoyment in it, but it clearly did do something for him. His body slowly relaxed and his breathing evened out after a silent minute.

"So, Jana, how have you been?" Jake said with a small smile.

His brother watched him like a wolf might watch it's next kill. The air was tense, but at the same time, Jake remained calm and seemed to be doing his best to defuse anything before it could even start. He was clearly choosing his words carefully. Taking his time to think over what to say, and how he needed to say it.

Smart kid.

Jade was proud of him, too. Jake knew that he was in a situation where what he said, or didn't say, could cause further stress between him and his brother. They all waited patiently for Jana to respond. From what Jade could tell by his expression, the man was having some sort of internal struggle with what he wanted to say.

When he did finally decide on a response, it was to simply lift his head a fraction, purse his lips, and shrug as he sank back into he sofa a little bit.

He's reacting like a confused child.

It was hard to believe that a grown man didn't know how to make basic conversation, but Jade couldn't hold it against him. From what he'd been told, Jana had had a pretty terrible start in life, and prison hadn't made things any easier.

He was just about to try and step into the conversation, though he'd hoped that it would just be between Jake and Jana, when Jana's dog, Terra, suddenly appeared with a tennis ball in her mouth. She walked right up to him, tail wagging with excitement. Jana tried to refocus after nudging her away, but the dog was quite persistent and didn't take no for an answer.

Not wanting the meeting to be a waste, Jade tried calling the dog to him quietly, intent on throwing the ball for her a few times while Jana and Jake spoke, but again, the dog didn't care. It didn't even act like it had heard him at all.

Domino was watching the dog, but he didn't try to shoo it away or take the ball. Jade didn't want Jana to get frustrated and the whole situation get ruined before it started, but he also didn't want to reach toward the man to try and move the dog, either.

Tense seconds passed with all eyes on Terra and Jana. He tried to nudge it away several more times, but the dog was determined. When it finally looked like he was getting truly angry, Jana snatched the ball from the dog and pegged it toward the hallway. Jade could hear it bounce multiple times against the walls as Terra darted after it.

"That dog is so annoying." Jana grumbled, his eyes narrowing on the hall. "Watch, she'll be right back to bug me as soon as she finds the dumb ball."

Needless to say, he was right. The dog came bounding back into the room, tail going at twice the speed it had been previously. The normal thing would be to ask where he'd gotten the dog to try and continue the conversation, but Jade had been warned about that question before coming. Tommy had told him that it had come from Christopher's deceased brother, and that the topic had to be avoided.

"What kind of dog is she? She looks like a retriever of some sort." Jake said suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to him as he slid from his chair to sit on the floor.

Seeming to finally notice that there was another person vying for her attention, Terra dropped her ball near Jana's feet, turned, and walked over to sit in front of Jake. She sat just close enough to be able to pet, but far enough away to show that she wasn't too comfortable with Jake yet.

He offered his hand out to her to sniff when Jana didn't respond, but Terra just eyed it with her ears tilted back a little. When Jake glanced up at Jana, Terra did the same, lifting her ears slightly. Jana raised an eyebrow at both of them and crossed his arms over his chest. "What?"

Jake licked his lips nervously but spoke with a decent tone. "Can I pet your dog, please?"

Jana tilted his head, eyes narrowing on Jake.

"Can you?"

Leaning over slightly, Jade reached down and gently brushed Jake's shoulder. It was just the faintest touch, but he meant it as encouragement without taking Jake's attention away from the situation at hand. Jade felt him lean back into the touch for just a moment before reaching forward and touching Terra's nose with his pointer finger. "Poke."

The dog almost looked indignant at the gesture. Her ears went back and she tilted her head forward with widened eyes. Jade held his breath as Terra responded by reaching up with her right paw and swatting at Jake's cheek with a grunt of a growl.

"Can't we be friends?" Jake asked, a sheepish look on his face.

Terra grunted again, then looked back at Jana.

"I don't care, dog. We aren't friends anyways, so why do you keep looking back at me?" He stated with a roll of his eyes.

Terra returned her attention to Jake with a determined look on her face that Jade wasn't sure how to interpret. Why does she look like she's about to deal with this entire situation on her own? Jade wondered right as Terra stomped forward and plopped herself down right in Jake's lap, then rolled over for a belly rub.

The dog was a little big for Jake, but she managed to find a comfortable position that Jake could still rub her belly in. She was very picky about how he did it, too, and smacked him a few extra times when he did it too hard or accidentally scratched her with a nail.

After a minute Jade noticed another hand join Jake's, and looked up, catching his breath. His muscles tensed as he realized that Jana had joined Jake on the floor, but the man seemed to be keeping control of himself decently. He could tell that Jana was arguing with himself, or telling himself something, because his lips were moving feverishly but he wasn't actually speaking loud enough to be heard. He also appeared to be focusing much harder than would be necessary to rub the belly of a dog, but Jade didn't comment, just watched carefully.

"You're doing it wrong." Jana said after a minute.

He pulled Terra right out of Jake's lap and into his own. Jade was surprised that the dog didn't growl or try to bite at Jana, but then he remembered that the animal was trained specifically for him. To think that a dog could help someone so much. I bet Jana doesn't even realize that he's so close to his brother right now.

He was a bit worried that Jana might snap out of his current focus and realize that, though. As if he'd summoned the altercation, Jake reached too quickly to pet the dog while Jana's attention wasn't completely focused on him. In the blink of an eye Jana had his right hand around Jake's neck, but what surprised Jade, and apparently everyone else who had been in the middle of reacting, was Terra's response.

Her teeth were locked onto Jana's wrist. She was beginning to draw blood, but it was clear that she was holding back doing more damage. Her attention was solely focused on Jana, and what he was or wasn't doing to Jake. Jade was already on his knees right next to them, hands partially raised to respond. Jake wasn't being hurt yet, but Jana wasn't letting him go, either.

Just calm down, Jana. You don't want to hurt him.

Jade stole a quick glance at Jana's eyes and swallowed. The man was definitely not all there right then. His eyes were clouded over somewhat and his breathing had hastened.

Terra's growl stole Jade's attention back a second later, then he looked past her to where Jana's hand was still firmly locked around Jake's neck. Jade noticed his hand hand beginning to tighten and lifted his own to stop him when he heard Terra growl again. Jana's hand relaxed a bit as a line of blood ran from the bite wound.

Is she adding pressure when he is?

He didn't think that the dog could be that smart, but each time Jana tried to choke Jake, the dog definitely did respond. And, after nearly five minutes, Jana finally released him and allowed his hand to drop away. Terra backed away and tucked her tail, licking blood from her lips.

"Good dog." Jana said surprisingly. His voice was rough and his eyes still not quite focused, but he had the hint of a smile on his face as he pulled his injured wrist into his chest and began rubbing his thumb over the small bite marks.

The atmosphere in the room slowly began to return to normal and Jade returned to his seat, as did Domino. Jake sat a little straighter but didn't go back to his chair. When Jana finally looked up at Domino, the larger man offered him a soft smile and stood. He disappeared into the hall for a moment, then returned with a small first aid kit.

It looked like he was going to kneel down and help tend Jana's injury, but at the last second he handed the case to Jake and nodded before returning to his seat. Jana sent an unreadable look to Domino before turning his attention Jake. He didn't offer his hand right away. In fact, his expression changed to one of hesitance. Not even Terra curling up against his left leg could bring him to allow Jake to treat his wrist.

"I..." He whispered with his head down, eyes on his injury. He looked back up after a moment, then reached out with his uninjured arm. "I'll hurt you, if you touch me right now."

Jake seemed disappointed for a moment, but then nodded and gave Jana a full smile. "I understand. It's about time for dinner, so we probably should get going anyways." He said as he handed Jana the kit, being careful not to touch him.

Adam does want him home for dinner, but that's not for another thirty minutes.

Jade wasn't going to argue that, though. The meeting had gone much better than the first time they realized that they were brothers. "Right, Adam does want you home on time for that. Shall we?"

Jake nodded and stood. Jana followed him to his feet, holding the case in his uninjured hand. He looked like he wanted to say something, but when he just remained silent, Jake took over. "Thank you for letting me come by. I hope we'll be able to hang out again some time."

Jade wouldn't have called that anything close to hanging out, but he understood why Jake had said it. It was a noncommittal statement. They didn't have to go out or dwell on the fact that they have such issues between them. Just existing in the same space better than they had the previous time was a plus.

"If it's alright, I'll give him a ride home, Tommy?" Jade asked as they headed for the door after Domino handed him his wet clothing in a plastic bag. Domino followed them right up to the door, but Jana remained in the living room, watching them silently with Terra by his side. Tommy agreed after they'd help him down the stairs and into a cab. That left just him and Jake.

Determined not to make an idiot or ass out of himself again, Jade turned to Jake with a smile, but when noticed the young man looking stressed, he reached out and took his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, a frown finding its way onto his face.

Jake took  a moment to collect himself before forcing a smile up at Jake. "Just a little stressed. It's fine, the meeting went much better than I thought it would." There was upset in his voice, but also longing.

He wants to be able to spend time with his big brother like normal siblings.

"It'll all work out in the end, hun. He just needs time."

Jake nodded and began stepping into him for a hug, but stopped abruptly and took a step back instead. "Yeah. I know, you're right. I just, I guess I'm being really impatient." He mumbled, looking a little embarrassed.

Jade offered him a small chuckle and pulled him into his chest for a tight hug. "It's alright. I would be too if I found out that I had a sibling I'd never met, and they suddenly appeared right in front of me. Just you wait, you two will be best friends one day. He wants you in his life, Jacob. He's trying very hard to make sure that happens."

Jake nodded against Jade's chest but didn't return the hug. Jade had a feeling that it was his fault, like usual, but he didn't comment that Jake should hug him back. He didn't want to send more mixed signals about his rules.

"Let's get you home for dinner, okay? You can tell Adam what happened, too." He said as he tugged Jake's hand toward his car parked up the hill.

"Okay... and thank you, Jade. For coming to the meeting."

Giving Jake's hand a squeeze, Jade nodded and smiled. "Of course. Whatever you need, just ask."