Steps

(Well, Jana gave up one chapter before taking Domino's story back...)

Jana-

The moment the car stopped for more than a minute, Jana was waking. He had always been extremely sensitive to movement, so it was no surprise to him when his eyes blinked open to find that the car had parked. He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness outside, along with the mixture of artificial light from the street lamps lining the sidewalk outside.

Outside. I don't want to go outside. He thought to himself. When his new voice didn't respond, he slowly sat up, nudging Tera aside until she awoke.

He could see Orion standing a few feet from the back of the car, watching him calmly with his hands in his pant's pockets. After taking a few deep breaths, Jana turned toward the large back door and gave a slow nod. Orion returned the gesture and calmly walked over. When Jana heard the click of the latch, then saw the back door begin to rise, he felt his heart stutter. Without thinking, he pressed his hand to the small injury on his forehead, sighing when the pain radiated through his skull. It didn't do much, though, and he found himself trying to tear at the bandage, needing more.

Domino...

The man had stayed out of his mind, for the most part, since he'd left the prison. It felt odd thinking about him, but as the image of his face took the center spot in Jana's mind, he found himself wanting something more than just the pain he needed to calm his nerves. What it was, though, he had no idea, and he wasn't one to delve into things he wasn't familiar with. Thus, he pushed aside the image of the man and steeled himself as the back door opened completely.

Orion was smiling, his posture relaxed as he took three steps back, giving Jana just enough space to not feel crowded. You can do this, Jana. His new voice said, making his eyes widen slightly, then a faint smirk lift his lips.

Considering the sleepiness he heard in the voice, it had to have not awoken with him. It was odd, as his other ones had always been up the moment he had, immediately back on task to torment him throughout his day.

I'm not like them, Jana. I'll keep proving that to you until you can believe me. It said, making him chuckle. He heard two other muffled voices try to speak to him, too, but after being unable to make out their words, he was able to push them aside without any extra stress.

"I'm hungry." He said after another minute of silence as he lowered his hand from his bandaged forehead.

His eyes were on Orion, so he saw the man glance toward the building beside where he parked, making Jana 's eyes follow. It looks like a restaurant... but there's a bouncer outside. So, a bar?

"It's a restaurant that stays open late and turns into a bit of a low key nightclub. The owner, Xena, is pretty cool once she meets someone."

Jana looked back to Orion, catching his phrasing with ease. Once she meets someone. So he had to get through the first meeting without causing a scene. His stomach twisted. If I don't do well, will I be homeless? The idea that he would live in a restaurant wasn't exactly what he'd been thinking about, but to live nowhere?

Nowhere.

Tilting his head, his eyes narrowed, though it was clear by the unfocused look in his eyes that he wasn't glaring at Orion.

I had a home before and it was terrible. Do I want a home? Is a restaurant a home? Am I living there?

"Jana?"

Blinking out of his thoughts, Jana refocused his attention on Orion.

"My good friend made dinner a bit ago. Would you like to go inside and eat?"

I'm hungry. His voice added.

With a slow nod, Jana finally grabbed his book, then slid from the back of the car, earning another nod from Orion as he stepped aside, reaching up to shut the back door after Jana stepped away and Tera hopped out. Seeing the door shut. Hearing the loud bang of it before Orion clicked the electronic lock, made Jana fidget. It felt like that was his chance to go back to the jail, to what he was used to. He was locked out of turning back.

It's time to go forward, Jana!

Shaking his head at the voice, Jana walked toward the front door, stopping only when the bouncer put out his arm, forcing him to meet the larger man's stern gaze.

"He's with me, George." Orion said, walking up to stop beside Jana. "And I thought Xena was closing early tonight?"

The man in front of him, George, didn't lower his arm. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stepped directly in front of him. Don't touch me. Jana thought as he felt his muscles tense slightly.

"There are a few stragglers, and I don't trust the way he's acting."

I'm acting odd? Jana thought.

"I'll be responsible for him, George. Please let us through." Orion said, setting a hand on Jana's shoulder, seemingly without realizing.

Jana realized it. He immediately tensed, eyes widening as his jaw clenched. He barely heard George telling him to back away, but he was too tightly wound to move. He didn't want to lash out. He could see George reaching toward him when he didn't respond. His muscles flexed, but before he could throw a punch, Orion stepped between them.

Take a deep breath, Jana. It's okay. You just worried him so he was being careful for the safety of those inside. You just need to try and calm down a little. Remember, Orion is here to help you. His voice said.

Blowing out a breath, Jana gripped Tera's scruff with his left fingers as she jumped up, paws on his hip. His right hand held his chemistry book tight, the feeling of its old cover bringing him back to the present and out of his looming venomous thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Jana. I didn't mean to touch you without your permission." Orion said with a small frown.

Swallowing back his worry, Jana met Orion's eyes and gave a faint shrug. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually shrugged. Had the ability to 'walk away' from his aggression and yet still interact with the person that caused it without a long wind-down period.

Orion didn't miss a beat, however, and gestured him inside. George had stepped aside, but it was clear that the man would be watching him. Jana forced himself to push the thought aside. Let him watch me. He thought, before his new voice added. That's right, Jana. Even if he tries to bother you, you have a friend now in Orion. You don't have to walk alone here.

Surprisingly reassured by the voice, Jana hurried to follow after Orion. The dim light in the room was easy to adjust to, as it was just a bit brighter than the outside lamps. Orion wasted no time heading toward where Jana assumed the kitchen was, but he didn't take any of the simpler routes that lead them closer to the last few patrons finishing up their drinks by the bar. A few people even called to him, but he waved them off with a smile, clearly showing that he couldn't talk at the moment.

Jana appreciated it. When they finally made it back into the kitchen, it was a relief. Only one man was there, and he was clearly busy washing the dishes. So much so, that he didn't even notice them until Orion walked over and scooped him into his arms, dirty dish gloves, plate, and all.

"Hello, Sweetheart. Doing dishes again? Tsk." He said as the man, whom Jana could only assume was a significant other, tossed the dish and gloves into the soapy water, then wrapped his arms around Orion's neck in a tight hug.

"Guilty", the smaller man said before giving Orion a peck on the cheek. "Our new dishwasher is amazing but he just had a baby. I couldn't hold him overtime when everyone else was being dismissed besides the bartender and George."

Orion gave the man a face, then kissed his forehead before setting him down and turning him to face Jana, hands firmly on his shoulders. "Jana, this is my boyfriend, Zachary. Zachary, this is Jana."

It seemed like Orion had previously discussed him, because Zachary didn't step forward or try to hug him, like he thought he might. Instead, Zachary held out his hand and offered an excited smile. He didn't want to touch him, however. He never wanted to touch people... but he could tell that his new voice actually did want to shake the man's hand.

Please, Jana? He seems so sweet! It begged, nudging at his mind.

He didn't want to. But I can't go backwards. I... I want to go forward.

Biting his lower lip hard, Jana toasted copper as he reached forward, gripping Zachary's hand. It was a very brief touch, but as he pulled his hand away, Jana felt accomplished. The idea that he was able to touch someone else without tensing up, made him quirk a small smile.

"David already put some food in a container for you, Jana. And I've got our portion in our room, Master." Zachary said as Orion wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. He was staring down at him like he was the only thing in his world. It was odd, along with the Master thing, but Jana wasn't going to comment on it.

"Alright. Can you grab Jana's portion and a fork, and set it in the spare room we made up for him?" Orion asked with a warm smile.

Zachary didn't hesitate to nod, then dart to the fridge before walking calmly past Jana. He watched the man disappear out of the double doors, then followed Orion through them after a moment of silence. He figured that he had waited so that Zachary could place the food in his room, but not be there when they arrived. For some reason, Jana found his brows furrowing in slight dislike at the thought.

Maybe... would you like to be friends with him? The new voice asked, a hint of eagerness to its tone that unsettled Jana's stomach.

Friends? He didn't know how to be a friend. Even when he wasn't in jail, he had always been troubled. He stayed away from people and threw himself into his studies. The closest thing he ever had to a friend, had to be Domino.

Shaking the idea from his head, Jana licked his stinging bottom lip and stepped through another door behind Orion. The room they walked into was clearly a bedroom. It immediately had him on high alert. He hadn't been in a bedroom he hadn't been attacked in.

The voices mumbled through his mind, pushing aside his new one, though he could sense it trying to fight them off. His vision tunneled, focusing on the large bed to his right. Even the nudge of Tera's wet nose against his fingers didn't pull him back.

"Hello, Jana."

Hearing a female's voice, Jana felt himself snap out of his daze and slowly turned his head until he saw the woman to his left. She must be Xena. He thought warily, unsure if he could control himself after his near-episode. It had drained him, and she seemed to be able to tell, because instead of beginning an interrogation, she shook her head slowly, then gave a quiet chuckle.

"Your room is right through there," she said, pointing to a door at the far end of the room.

"It's really just a store room, but I had my workers clean it out so that you could have a place to yourself." She said, offering him a small key on a ring. "You can lock the door to the bathroom and Orion's room, but just know that I do have a key for safety purposes. I will not open them without knocking, though."

Nodding, Jana took the key she offered, then watched as she left after telling them that she needed to rest for an early open the next day. When he was sure she was gone, he turned his attention to the far door. It had been opened, he noticed, likely by Orion. Instead of letting his eyes wander and risk having another setback, Jana hurried into the room.

It wasn't much. In fact, it was quite similar to his cell back at the jail. The floors were concrete. There were no windows. On the floor was a mattress and tan blanket, but he stayed as far away from it as he could.

Orion stood a few feet away, next to a small nightstand that looked like it had seen better days. Atop it sat Jana's dinner, a small electric clock, and two stacks of clothing.

"I'm going to leave you to yourself tonight. I'm sure you want some time to unwind and relax. If you need me, I'll be in the room right next door with Zachary."

Jana nodded, but then thought that the man deserved a little more, and replied with a quiet, "Okay."

Orion smiled at him, then walked out.

Almost immediately, Jana walked over and locked the door to the man's bedroom, then relieved himself in the bathroom and washed his hands before locking that door, too. Once done, he set the key and his book on the dilapidated nightstand. He then pulled the blanket from the bed and sat down in the far corner, letting Tera climb into his lap as he wrapped the blanket around himself. She set her head on his shoulder and while he normally didn't like her being annoyingly close, he allowed his arms to move around her body, hugging her to his chest.

He was hungry, as was his new voice, but he knew that he couldn't eat. He was overwhelmed and exhausted, even after having rested during the drive.

But you did so well. I'm proud of you, Jana. His new voice said, making him smile sleepily and nuzzle into Tera's fur. "I'm proud of me, too."