There is No Fork in This Road

(Because nothing's cuter than clouded leopard cubs! Can't wait till I get to see them in person :3)

Domino-

The past several days were both amazing and terrifying. And of course, both emotions stemmed from interacting with Jana. For some reason Emmet's brother had been trying to get Jana to talk to him nearly every day, and Jana never came back from the conversations sane. granted, that gave Domino the opportunity to touch him. To hurt him. Yet, each time Jana spoke with Christopher, he was coming back needing more and more pain to keep from really hurting himself. The one time Jana had returned and Domino had been getting lunch, the guy had to go to the infirmary for scratching his left arm open pretty badly.

Leaning his head back against the concrete wall, Domino sighed quietly and added a little more pressure to Jana's right knee. It was very clear that all the stress was taking its toll on the man, because for once, his dark blue eyes had black marks beneath them. He was also much less distant, but only in terms of letting him get closer. Right then, Jana was actually leaning right up against him, resting his head on Domino's shoulder.

"Is he asleep?"

Hearing Tommy's question, Domino gently leaned closer to Jana until he could nuzzle his soft red hair. When he got no response and the man's breathing remained steady, he nodded and looked up at the guard.

"It doesn't look like he's holding up well with all of the questions Christopher's been throwing at him." He said, really just stating the obvious.

Domino rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, turning his attention to the opposite one. "Yeah. He's been terrible and it's getting worse every day. The guy needs to back off, because one of these days I won't be here and Jana's probably going to kill himself."

He thought he could say the words without feeling much, as they really didn't have any kind of relationship besides cellmates and masochist and sadist, to a point, but the idea of Jana killing himself didn't sit well with him.

Turning his head to look back down at Jana, Domino frowned. He knew it would happen, unfortunately. He couldn't remember ever hearing about people visiting him. No one but Emmet had really put forth a lot of effort to show that they cared. Sure, Tommy was observant and tried to keep Jana calm, but he never really verbally sparred back and forth with the guy like Emmet had. Jana also never seemed to be too interested in the man, so any attention would have likely been brushed aside. He had no one to really care if he were gone.

"I'm not really supposed to say this, as they want it to be a shock to him to hopefully get him to say more than what he has. But I think that it's not fair to him. So, I want to give you the information, and you can do with it as you choose." Tommy said, making Domino lift his eyes to meet his.

"The hearing that he's been scheduled for... I'm sure he told you or it slipped at one point?"

When Domino nodded, Tommy licked his lips and looked away, leaning sideways against the bars. "It's a parole hearing."

Parole? Jana?

The thought was both shocking and, honestly, very worrisome. Not that he didn't think Jana deserved to have a chance to live outside of the prison, but the man was so volatile. If something happened, he'd be put away for life, sentenced to death, or kill himself.

Why is there no way to save him from his past? Domino asked himself as he looked up at the ceiling, suddenly exhausted.

"I don't think it's a good idea right now. He deserves a chance to be free, but I don't know if he could handle it." Tommy said, voicing some of the words that ran through Domino's head.

"What was his sentence?" Domino asked after a moment of silence.

Tommy seemed to need to think for a moment, but then answered. "Ten years, then possibility of parole. This is his first shot."

Ten years was extremely light for someone who killed two people, though the circumstances had likely played a large role in the sentencing.

"There was no way to put all of the blame on Jana, as he was clearly emotionally disturbed. That's why he's not serving life. The sentence was supposed to be a lot higher, too, but the court-appointed attorney was very good, even though Jana wasn't fit to stand trial."

Domino could understand that. Jana got lucky, but at the same time, he landed in prison. Hell, that too, might have been luck. Considering how he reacts to certain situations, he's probably safer behind bars.

"The hearing is tomorrow. I've already gotten permission for you to sit in on it, just in case he needs to be calmed down." Tommy said, getting a slight nod from Domino. He would gladly sit in, because he really did have a feeling that he'd be needed.

The sound of Tommy's feet backing away from the cell sounded, drawing Domino's attention back to him. "I have one last thing to say before I have to go. Christopher is one of the people on the parole council because of his previous experience. He will be one of the ones who get to decide... and it's an 'all or nothing' vote."

"Of course it is," Domino said, sighing as he gently rested his cheek atop Jana's head. "We'll figure it out. Thanks for the information."

Tommy nodded and walked away, leaving Domino to his thoughts. He, himself, wasn't going to be in for long. He had an aggravated battery charge, but considering the population of the prison, his spot would be needed for a more serious offender soon, which was why he only got a few months, if that, on his sentence.

I can't believe he's been in here for ten years. He thought. The idea of being behind bars with not a damn soul to care about him was hard to deal with. Sure, he wasn't a good guy, he knew that, but his family still called him once in a while. He hung out with a few guys he knew every few weeks.

What does Jana have? A cell and a bed. Food that tastes like cardboard. And now, a doctor that wants to get under his skin until he commits suicide.

Leaning his head back against the wall, Domino heaved a frustrated sigh and ground his teeth together.

"You're stressed."

That's an understatement. Domino noted in his head as he gave Jana a forced smile. The guy still looked really tired, but at least he wasn't getting up and walking away like he usually did after they were close for any period of time. He actually just stretched his arms and legs out in front of him, then bent his legs back and snuggled in again.

"I'll manage. You can keep sleeping if you'd like." He said, making Jana's dark blue eyes return to meet his again.

The man was silent for several minutes, but that, too, was something Domino had grown accustom to. Jana didn't always talk, even though they were more used to each other now. Their gazes held for about two minutes before Domino let his fall, knowing that Jana reacted like most animals when their wasn't a clear dominant and submissive. It fucking sucked to be forced into the submissive category when their eyes locked for an extended period of time, but it was that or risk Jana becoming aggressive.

"Don't worry."

Domino looked back up at Jana, raising a brow in the process. "About?" He asked, not sure what Jana was telling him not to worry about. There was plenty he was dealing with.

When Jana didn't answer but began to shift himself, Domino figured that their conversation was over. When he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, however, something extremely awkward and confusing happened. He felt something touch his left leg. The pressure was barely enough to register, and when it did, Domino had to fight himself not to open his eyes and look. When something slid around his leg from one side, then the other, Domino felt his breathing hitch.

What could only be Jana's arms wrapped hesitantly around his leg. The actual action took at least a full minute, but Domino couldn't blame him for going so slow. When he finally felt the man's head press against his leg, he carefully peeked open one eye, then the other.

"If I wanted to kill myself, you wouldn't be able to stop me. So don't worry about that. I'll do it one day, but for some reason, I want to be here for a little bit longer." Jana finally replied, chilling Domino's skin, making him shiver.

He had no idea what was keeping Jana alive, but he hoped that it stayed. Domino also had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to stop the guy. He was just a placebo of sorts. He treated the very basics. He could provide the medicine, in pain, but he couldn't ever cure a real disease.

I wish I could do more than just push your demons back behind a door that continues to swing open.

Without thinking, Domino lifted his left hand and gently set it on top of Jana's soft hair. The reaction was immediate, but not what he'd expected when he realized what he'd done. Jana's whole body visibly stiffened, but when he refused to move his hand, instead of attacking, Jana actually began to slowly relax. It almost looked like his body was unwinding muscle by muscle. After several long minutes Jana sighed, making Domino do the same.

He hadn't been able to touch Jana normally, without causing pain, before. It had always ended in the man either getting up and walking away abruptly, or throwing a punch.

"Hey Jana?"

When there was no response, Domino figured he could just continue.

"Do you ever want to leave this place? To be let out?" He asked, watching as Tera, who had been sleeping a few feet away, stood up and sauntered over. She settled right up against where Jana lay, making sure that she was touching him as much as possible before letting her head rest on the hard floor.

Jana shook his head after a moment, the action moving Domino's fingers through Jana's hair a little bit. The man tensed again, but he was much quicker to relax, likely because he was the one who had caused the action to occur.

"I'm not stupid. I won't get out... and I don't know what I would do once out of here, anyways. I have no one. Nothing to call my own. Not to mention that I'm dangerous." He added at the end as his eyes closed.

Domino agreed with the man, technically. If he got out first, or they got out around the same time, he would try to help the guy out. It would be tough, because Jana was definitely right about him being dangerous. His parents had crafted his responses to certain situations. Built them up until they were all aggressive and unpredictable. If someone said something wrong, he'd attack. If someone touched him wrong, he'd attack. Unless a person already knew him and knew how to act, Jana was extremely dangerous.

"What if you were given the chance to get out, what would you want out of that opportunity?" He asked, wanting to gauge his reaction.

There was silence for awhile. Domino could feel Jana's arms tightening around his leg, then loosening, then tightening again. When he finally relaxed again, he replied quietly. "I have a hearing tomorrow."

Domino pursed his lips nervously. "Yes, you do."

"I..."

Jana paused, unable to finish what he was thinking, or at least put it into words.

"The easy answer would be that I don't want to get out. I never really lived. Not like normal people. It was always; Go to school. Fake that I'm okay. Go home. Watch mom get shit-faced. Get fucked. Repeat." Jana said, his voice a whisper.

Domino was shocked about what Jana had just said. Not because of the terrible part. He already knew what had happened in general, but Jana had actually said something about his previous life, too. That he'd pretend to be okay. That he did actually go to school, not just skip all of his classes. He had tried to be normal. He had wanted to be like any other kid. Even when he was being broken apart by his parents every day.

Swallowing down the lump forming in his throat, Domino let his fingers move ever-so-slightly along Jana's bangs. "What would the hard answer be, Jana?"

He expected to feel the man's body tense again, whether from the gesture or question, but Jana actually took a shaky breath and turned his face into Domino's leg, hiding it from view against his pants.

"To try again."