And You Are?

Domino-

Domino really, really wanted to beat the shit out of Jana... and whoever the hell mini-Jana was. Seriously, who the hell is this guy? He wondered to himself as Christopher drove them back to Xena's to pick up what little Jana had to his name. They would then be dropped off at his place, but he had a feeling that he was suddenly going to have two people to look after instead of one.

Feeling eyes on him, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see the guy duck his head back against Jana's side. Domino was seriously baffled by the situation the two seemed to have. He knew Jana hated physical contact, and it was clear that he was uncomfortable with the other guy plastered to his right side and Tera against his left, yet he wasn't doing a single thing about it.

He couldn't do much about either of them while in the car, and in the front seat, so Domino bit his tongue on all of the questions he wanted to ask. Instead, he waited until they got to Xena's establishment and went inside to retrieve Jana's things. He wasn't surprised that he was the only one who did so. It was probably a good thing, because he had someone he had to talk to before he could leave, and he didn't need Jana 1, 2, or Christopher there to mess with him about it afterward.

Once he got everything Jana owned into a large bag, he made his way to the kitchen with Orion, Xena, and George hot on his tail. He had told them what he intended to do, but clearly they didn't trust him. Not surprised.

Pushing through the double doors to the kitchen, Domino suddenly felt awkward. David was there, sure. He was cooking like always. The smell of fresh salmon and butter sizzling in several pans, along with french fries in the fryers, made Domino's stomach rumble loudly. One thing he could never deny about the guy. He was a godly cook.

"Domino?" David asked as he looked up, a worried look on his face.

Pursing his lips, Domino shoved aside all of his frustration and flat-out assholery and hurriedly spat out the words he needed to say. "I'm sorry I was an ass to you." Before anyone could respond, he stalked out of the kitchen, then out of the building. Sure, he owed Orion a thank you for calling Christopher when Jana had run off, and he owed Christopher a thank you for getting him out a day early, but he could only be so nice so many times a day.

Sliding back into the car, he actually got in the back instead of taking the front seat again. He tossed Jana's bag of things on the floor, then removed the leech, whose name he still didn't know, from Jana's side, and tossed him onto the seat beside Tera. Taking his spot, he quickly buckled in, then shut the door.

Domino wrapped his left arm around Jana's shoulders and hugged him to his side. It irked him to feel the man tense, but after a minute, he thankfully relaxed with a quiet sigh. Once he was sure Jana was comfortable, Domino turned his attention to his mini version as Christopher started driving.

The smaller man was trying to be discrete, but it was clear that he was glancing at him and Jana nearly every other second.

"Put your seat belt on." Domino said, making the guy jump. He surprised Domino in return, by scrambling to do as told.

At least he listened, but damn, he's so skinny that Tera can curl up right next to him and they still don't fill up that seat.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked, wanting to at least be able to call him something besides kid or Mini Jana.

The way the guy perked up, just like a puppy whose name had just been yelled, made Domino feel awkward. "My name is A.J., Sir." He eagerly said.

Narrowing his eyes, Domino looked A.J. up and down, noting how damn similar he was to Jana physically. Yet, he was so opposite him in the spectrum of attention, that they were on two different planets. Domino didn't need to look any further than A.J.'s body language and his expression to know that he was dying for attention. He was actually curious what the guy's story was, but he wasn't sure asking was such a good idea.

It's like he's waiting to be trained. Like just talking to him is a treat and will reinforce whatever he's done so far. Which would be more talking, if Domino read the guy right.

"Okay, A.J., my name is Domino. Where can we drop you off at?"

A.J.'s face immediately paled at Domino's question. He just began trying to withdraw into the corner where the seat met the door, clearly trying to make himself smaller. Do you think that I won't drop you somewhere if you try and hide behind Jana? Domino thought, furrowing his brow with annoyance. A.J. flinched in response and tugged Tera into his lap, hiding his face in her fur.

This is ridiculous. Grow a backbone, kid!

The only thing that kept him from actually voicing his thoughts, though, was Jana. Domino nearly had a heart attack when his antisocial, anti-everything, Jana, turned in his seat and leaned over. His fingers gently began running through A.J.'s damp hair, not stopping until the guy was leaning against his shoulder.

"Domino. Are you okay with bringing him to your home?" Christopher asked as he got the car parked outside of Domino's apartment.

He really didn't want another guy anywhere near him, or Jana. But A.J. is already glued to Jana, and damn it if Jana wasn't somehow taking a liking to him, too.

"Fuck it. Fine. As long as he behaves, I don't care if he stays for a short time." He said as he got out, grabbing Jana's bag of things before he began stomping up the stairs to his place. He could hear Jana following him, but didn't hear A.J. or Tera until Christopher bid them goodbye and told him that he'd check up on them, and A.J., soon.

In all honestly, Domino was surprised that Christopher didn't insist on taking A.J. to a hospital, considering his starved appearance, but the guy had nearly jumped off a bridge, so perhaps he was hoping that Jana could calm him down a bit before he decided how to handle A.J.'s malnourished state.

That's hilarious. Jana, calming someone down? Domino couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he set Jana's things down in the spare bedroom, then made his way to the kitchen. His parents had thankfully taken care of his place, as they always did. Sometimes he felt like he didn't deserve them. They kept out of his life, except during holidays, but would come help him out at the drop of a hat if he asked. Definitely don't deserve them. He thought as he began getting ingredients out of his fridge that his parents must have stocked.

His cooking skills were nothing compared to David's, but he could manage simple recipes decently well. He got a simple dinner of spaghetti going on the stove, then headed back into the rest of the apartment to find Jana. He knew that A.J. would be following him around like a puppy, and he wasn't mistaken. Jana was in the bathroom. The shower was on, warming up, and he had already removed his pants.

What bugged him about the scene, was that A.J. was right there beside him, both of them in just boxers. The only thing that kept him from losing his temper, was the fact that A.J. was clearly averting his eyes from Jana. He was also shifting from foot to foot, his bony shoulders shrugging with nerves every few seconds.

"What's going on here?" Domino asked instead, looking to Jana for the answer, since he didn't thing A.J. was capable of it at that moment. Jana was the one to respond, like Domino figured he would. "I told him to get undressed. He's dirty and needs to shower."

Once he finished speaking, Jana turned and tossed his boxers, giving Domino a good look at his backside before he disappeared behind the shower curtain. He was about to follow, but when he stepped forward, A.J. flinched, making Domino blow out a frustrated breath and turn his attention to the young man.

"How old are you?" He asked after a moment of glaring.

A.J. sneaked just one glance up before replying in a breathless tone. "Nineteen, Sir."

"Well, A.J., I didn't plan on having an extra person here, so you best not cause any problems. Do I make myself clear?" Domino said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared the man down.

Wisely, A.J. nodded, then added, "Yes Sir".

"Good. Now go use my shower. I want you out in five minutes. You can borrow a pair of my drawstring shorts and a T-shirt. Now go."

The guy was out the door the second Domino finished speaking. He could have sworn he heard another 'yes Sir', too, but his attention was on the shower curtain in front of him the second A.J. was out of his line of sight. Whatever. Domino thought as he walked up to the curtain and yanked the back part to the side.

Kicking off his shoes, he carefully climbed into the shower, fully clothed. He tugged the curtain back in place in order to keep the floor from getting more water on it, then looked up. It wasn't a surprise seeing Jana watching him from beneath the spray.

"Hey you. I still haven't finished kicking your ass for trying to off yourself." Domino growled as he took a step forward, shedding his shirt in the process.

As he let his shirt drop to the floor of the shower, Jana tilted his head, a slow smirk spreading across his lips. He looked like a tiger ready to maul. There's no pouncing with Jana. He always has his claws out. Domino knew that they'd cut him, too, if he wasn't careful.

"Come here." Domino said, his voice rough. When Jana's eyes narrowed slightly, he hurried to add, "Please."

To his surprise, Jana only hesitated a moment before walking right up to him. Even when Domino opened his arms and tightly wrapped them around Jana, the man didn't back away or fidget. Sighing out all of the stress of the day, Domino buried his face in Jana's neck and just focused on calming himself down.

"I'm so fucking mad at you." He mumbled after a moment, not even trying to hug Jana gently. He knew he was causing pain, but Jana wasn't complaining. "I swear I'm gonna go buy a damn shock collar and set it to fry your ass every time you go further than ten feet from me."

Feeling Jana chuckle, Domino growled. The sound only made Jana's laugh become audible, making Domino lean back with a scowl. "You're so sweet." Jana said.

He was about to respond when he heard a knock on his front door. No. Go the fuck away! Unfortunately, he knew who it was. Jade. Of course. The man always knocked a specific way... then let himself in. Should have never given him that key.

Even thinking what he was, Domino couldn't help but shake his head and climb out of the shower after giving Jana a peck on the forehead. He knew that the man had kissed him on the bridge, but he wasn't ready to push his luck yet. He'd just had him naked in his arms and gotten a real kiss earlier. He'd take one victory at a time.

After drying off quickly, he tossed his pants on the floor, then ran into his room and tugged on a pair of shorts before heading toward the living room. He tossed his towel in the laundry room on the way, then stopped in the doorway as he saw his old friend.

The man was tall, wearing a comfortable black suit with a light grey shirt and a blood red striped tie. He had dark brown, nearly black, hair. His eyes were a soft jade color, giving him the nickname he eventually decided to use as his real one. Domino would be hard pressed to actually remember the man's real name. It had been that long since he'd heard it. What surprised him, though, was the situation he had walked in on.

A.J. stood over by the sofa, the towel he'd used to dry off held tightly in his arms with the shirt he had yet to put on like a security blanket and a large pair of shorts hugging his slim waist. Tera was sitting at his feet, eying Jade warily. Jade, in turn, looked to be sizing up A.J. The man was a dominant, and a strict one at that. If people thought he was bad with his rules, Jade was a dictator. The reason they got along so well was partially their way of handling submissives, though Jade wasn't nearly as aggressive with the pain, but the man was a no-nonsense type of guy. Domino had needed him to tell him how stupid he was being several times in his life, and even if he tended to show up out of blue half the time, Domino couldn't help but give him a smile as he walked into the room, breaking the tension with an invitation to stay for dinner.