Davyn wasn't sure why, but his interaction with Millie in the library was followed by another night of mostly restful sleep. It was already the second time that being around her, kissing her, improved his chances of getting some damn rest.

As weird as it was, he looked forward to seeing her again. The thought of her gave him a silver lining he hadn't had before. Even as he munched on a piece of toast at the breakfast table, he could ignore the bleak atmosphere for once.

"I swear to God that if you don't behave, I'll start coming to school and figure out just where you're getting your drugs," Freider said to Ron over the kitchen table.

He looked harassed and exhausted, as if working from home for one day had unsettled him. Ron didn't answer, just stabbed his waffle with his fork, swinging his feet under the table. His clothes looked baggier than usual, which in turn made him seem even smaller.

In normal circumstances, Davyn would've probably had something of his own to say, but right now, he'd rather keep his good mood. There was just one thing he wanted to make sure of.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "Not feeling sick or weak?"

"I'm fine," Ron grumbled. "Can't wait to get out of this damn house, though."

"Then why don't you go off and live on your own, dumbass?"

"Freider," Davyn said, putting the right amount of warning in his voice.

"Seriously now? Why don't you get out of the house as well?" Freider snapped, turning to him.

Davyn raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you're back to normal now?"

Freider didn't make a smartass remark. Instead, he looked a little confused. Then, he let out a long breath and massaged his forehead.

"Go get your crap," he said to Ron.

He obeyed, abandoning his half-eaten food and stomping up the stairs. The moment his door slammed shut, Freider turned to Davyn, a frown on his face.

"I'm only going to say this once. I don't like this. It feels like hell."

"Which part exactly?" So much had gone to shit lately, he really needed to be more specific.

Freider gritted his teeth. "Looking after Ron. I don't have kids of my own because I don't feel ready to take care of them."

"You don't have kids of your own because you don't have a wife or girlfriend, Freider."

"I don't want to have a wife! I don't want to have responsibilities! I just want to work. I'm at the point in my life where I'm building my career. And Ron is a handful. I never thought I'd say this, but you're easy!"

"I'm also not your responsibility," Davyn pointed out.

"Precisely. If you end up dead in a ditch, no one is going to ask me a thing about it. And it appears you're actually handling it. Him on the other hand..."

Davyn tried to wrap his head around what he was hearing. Even if couldn't say he liked Freider either, they were still brothers, it would hurt if he died. Maybe.

"He's your brother, you insensitive asshole. I'm your brother, too."

Freider huffed and it made Davyn want to punch him in the face. "Look, I'm not saying I don't care."

"That's exactly what you're saying."

"It's easy for you to say! You don't have to look after anyone but yourself."

"So what? You actually got to grow up without a care! Can't you let me have this?"

The sound of a crash had them both jumping and turning towards the door. Ron was in the doorway and had just dropped his schoolbag on the floor. The snarl on his face eliminated and chance of him not having heard them yelling at each other.

Freider heaved a sigh. "Ron, look. I'm going to be honest with you. This isn't ideal..."

"Save it," Ron growled. "I wish I didn't have to live here either or by anywhere around you." His disgusted gaze turned to Davyn. "Are you gonna take me to school or do I need to figure that out on my own, too?"

Davyn threw Freider an ugly look and followed Ron down the hall to the garage. Once they were inside the car and he pulled out into the road, Ron let out a mumbled curse.

"Look, Freider is and asshole, but don't let him get to you."

"Shut up, Davyn. You're no better."

"Excuse you, I don't have to be better."

"And aren't you so fucking relieved about that?"

"Watch your mouth, kid. And I'm just five years older than you and hardly have any idea what I'm doing with my life. You can't expect me to raise you."

"Raise me," Ron said with a huff, turning toward the window. "I don't need anybody to raise me."

"All I want is for you to be smart and take care of yourself. Don't count on Freider, don't count on me. Count on yourself."

"Not everyone is as high above the rest of the world," Ron said. "Some of us can be touched."

"I can be touched, too. And I care about you. You know I'm here if you need me. But I'm not going to shove myself down your throat and I'm definitely not going to stand by and let you be an idiot."

"Yeah, whatever."

Davyn tightened his hold on the wheel, doing his best to focus on the fact that Ron was a kid. A grieving kid who was doing a piss-poor job at coping. This wasn't his fault. It wasn't Davyn's fault either.

"Look. I know this sucks. But you have to accept the fact that this is it. It's not limbo. Things are not going to go back to the way they were. Ever. Even if it's terrible, it is what it is. And we need to learn to live with it. It's your life. Don't fuck it up out of spite."

Ron didn't answer, but Davyn didn't need him to. He just hoped the kid got it and took better care of himself. When they reached the school parking lot, Ron practically threw himself out of the car and headed for the middle school building. Davyn heaved a sigh and headed for his own classes. That morning had totaled his mood. So much so that he couldn't care less about his classes or anything else.

By the time he got to the library, he still felt about ready to breathe fire. Why did Freider and Ron have to ruin everything when he was just starting to feel a tiny bit better?

The sight of Millie, sitting at the same table as last time, managed to thankfully distract him. It wasn't necessarily her, but the shock of how she looked that day. Gone were the French braids, her hair loose and falling in delicate waves over her shoulders. She didn't have her overalls either, but rather a pair of black jeans and a colorful sweater which was a lot less bulky than usual. She actually looked... nice.

Her forehead was resting in her left had while her right hand held a pencil she was tapping against her notebook, a frown on her face, as if whatever was written there was troubling her.

He spent another few moments just watching her, a bit unsettled by how his body relaxed and the last tendrils of anger faded away. Was she doing this to him or had it just been long enough for him to calm down on his own? But that line of thought was quickly extinguished when his mind started pondering on the best way to make his entrance. Part of him just wanted to lean over her from behind, kiss her behind the ear, run his hands through her hair... Why?

This was taking too long. He just strode to her and dropped his backpack on the seat next to hers. As expected, she jumped and looked back at him, but it only lasted a second before she returned her attention to the notebook. What the hell was so fascinating about it? One glance showed it was the exercise he'd finished for her the other day.

"Aren't you done with that?"

His tone came out huffy enough for her to throw him a wary glance. "I'm just trying to figure out how you did it."

He frowned. "Did what?"

"Just threw this mess a glance and came up with the answer." She lowered her pencil and leaned back in her seat. "I know it's the right one. I even solved it on my own, but I was barely halfway in when you just..."

"Do you want me to explain how I do math inside my head?" The idea shocked him because he'd never expected to end up tutoring her. Did he even want to?

No, he didn't. All he wanted from her was her presence and to kiss her. Though tutoring did create some interesting scenarios inside his head which were maybe worth the hassle. He could already picture him spreading her over the table and kissing more than just her mouth.

"Davyn?"

Her worried tone indicated that he'd zoned out and missed her answer to his question. The look on her face confirmed it as she now looked concerned.

"What happened? You look upset."

Upset was putting it mildly. "Just an off day."

"Do you want to talk about it?" her voice was still guarded and he could tell their safe word was on the tip of her tongue.

For a moment, he entertained the option of telling her everything. About Ron and what he'd done, how Freider was dodging responsibility and how he really didn't want to be involved in this. But maybe she'd think Ron deserved to be taken care of no matter what. He knew that, but it didn't mean he wanted to do it. For some odd reason, he didn't want her to think less of him because of it.

So, instead, he decided it was much better to just toss that into the trashcan of his mind and put a lid on it by returning to his favorite cat and mouse game.

"I actual wanted to talk about your outfit."

She instantly blushed and looked down at herself, smoothing the sweater over her stomach. It was now obvious it was flat, which was a first.

"Why is it so important?" she asked, entering the game like a pro.

"Because it's a change." He squinted at her, trying to hold back a grin. "Are you starting to care about what I say?"

"I'm just not painting today."

"Nice save." Though this opened another door which he'd been curious to knock on. "What do you paint?"

The color in her cheeks went from rosy to crimson and she looked away, her fists bunched in her lap. "Oh, just random things."

"Is that a keyword for nudes?"

He didn't think her shade could become any darker, but it did, as she gawked at him, her mouth hanging open.

"No, of course not!"

The strength of her denial made him burst out laughing. She was so much fun. She just looked away, looking mortified, but she wasn't using the safe word.

"So it's flowers and stuff?" he prodded.

"Some flowers, yes. And abstracts. And sometimes, people. But not naked people. Just... parts of people."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Parts of people."

"Yes. Things I find interesting about them."

It was oddly fascinating, even if there was a big chance that everything was a mess. Art was very subjective, after all. Her vision could mean nothing to him. And yet...

"Can you show me?"

Her eyes widened again. "I'm not sure I want you to belittle my artistic vision."

"You can always use the safe word."

"That won't make you like it."

Good point. "Why does it matter if I like it?"

She seemed to be asking herself the same question, but she dropped the subject and returned to the notebook, tapping the pencil against it. He took the opportunity to just watch her. They've been talking for a few minutes already and it felt odd that he hadn't touched her yet. He wanted to. But they were engaged in a game of who would break first. It wouldn't end if they just kept their distance, so he made the first move and leaned in closer to her.

He could feel her body giving a tiny shudder and it made him want to slide her hands up her thighs. How badly would she shudder then?

"I'm not dumb, you know," she said, her voice a little breathy. "I actually love numbers, even if I'm taking more art classes. It's a sort of backup I guess. But now I realize I'm nowhere near you."

"We're actually quite close, I'd say."

"Not what I mean." She raised her eyes and stared straight at him. "It's not just about making basic logical connections. You're really smart!"

Her affirmation took him by surprise. It was true and he knew he was smart, but it was odd to hear someone who had no idea about his academic prowess saying it. "You gathered that from one mathematical exercise."

"Not exactly. I gathered it from how quickly you were able to logic your way around it. And your history knowledge, the organic chemistry thing, the way you speak when you're upset."

"How do I speak when I'm upset?" This was new to him.

"You get all pedantic as if you're quoting Shakespeare or something."

Huh, he really hadn't noticed that about himself. Was it even true?

"There is so much about you. You're so..."

She was lost for words and he took this opportunity to lean even closer and break her. She didn't bite, just continued to watch him, her eyes like sapphires, twinkling with wonder and a form of admiration he hadn't seen before.

Yes, he'd been with a lot of girls, and he knew they lusted after his body. It was the reason he got into flings with them in the first place. But he didn't think he'd ever seen someone looking at him like that because of his mind. It caused a warmth in his chest which he was unfamiliar with.

"I'm so what?" he whispered.

This time, she leaned closer as well, and another shiver shook her. They were a breath apart, fighting for a victory which wouldn't be easy for either of them.

"Fascinating," she whispered back. "So much more than this hard shell you let the world see."

"Are you insinuating I have a soft inside?"

"I sort of wish you did." She placed a trembling hand on his cheek, touching him first. "I want to be the one to dig in deep and discover it."

He huffed, though it was half-hearted. "That's a rescuer's fantasy, darling. Validation by saving someone else."

"I want to save you." Her voice was so dreamy and she was so close. "From yourself and from the world."

He would've laughed. If she hadn't been so close, he would have laughed at her silly schoolgirl fantasy. But he couldn't. Not when she was giving him her teenage dreams. He'd never had this before, someone opening up to him like that. With a will of its own, his hand cupped her cheek. Their noses brushed together.

"Oh," she whispered, as if them being in that position was an interesting fact.

"You gotta do better than that," he whispered back.

The hand on his cheek moved into his hair, and she started running her fingers through it. Her other hand rested on his knee under the table. She was so close, he could practically feel her heart beating erratically. For whatever reason, he had the feeling that she was afraid. It triggered something in him, a foreign feeling that he couldn't identify. He was distracted once the hand on his knee was removed and Millie chose to take his free hand instead. Innocent and lovely, but a bad move. Until she led his hand and placed it on her thigh.

Her innocence, the fact that she'd had the nerve to do this, it made it impossible not to lean over the missing breath and kiss her. It was no longer a gentle brush of lips on lips, but going all the way in, as if they'd done their foreplay and now it was time for more.

She gasped and her body instantly molded against his, her arms wrapping around his waist to hold him there. He had no idea why it had ever sounded like a good idea to deprive himself of this. Damn all the games in the world, he needed this. Her abandonment and even her dumb desire to save him from whatever she thought was a danger to him.

When she pulled back, there was a satisfied smile on her face. "I win."

"What?" His mind still spinning from kissing her, it took him a moment to compute her words. "No, you didn't." Her grin proved that she did. "You did all that on purpose?"

"I'm a worthy adversary Mr... Um, I don't even know your last name or I would have used it."

"You're not getting it now, Miss Tanner."

Her jaw dropped. "How do you know my last name?"

He leaned in close again. "I know everything."

"I hate you!"

"Good." And he kissed her again. It felt even better when she was putting anger into it and, for once, he didn't really care that he'd lost to her. His pride could take the blow if it meant he could continue to do this.

She shuddered and pulled away, her gaze hazy and her lips swollen. "You know what?" she whispered. "I think you're now starting to intrude on my homework."

"I can actually control myself."

She raised her eyebrows. "Can you now?"

"Quite successfully, yes." And to prove it to her, he sat back in his chair and took out his notebooks. "See? I can start my own homework and maybe help you with yours if you need it. Easy peasy."

She shook her head. "It's so weird to hear you saying easy peasy after you've just used quite successfully. But okay, let's see how it goes."

It didn't go very well. He was too tempted to tease her by tangling their legs under the table, or putting his hand on her knee. Seeing her gasp or shiver made it very hard not to start kissing her again.

And for the first time since they'd started this game, he had to admit that maybe he wanted a tiny bit more.

If she could answer his kisses so well, who knew what else she could do? But her innocence was part of the draw, so he wasn't about to push. He could do something for her that he'd never done for any other girl before.

Be patient.

♣♣♣

Things are getting heated up. From all sides, really. Family and relationship. The cat and mouse game is definitely working.

Poor Ron, though. A spiteful teenager is always a powder keg ready to explode.

I'm sure nothing will go wrong... But before that, more fun with your favorite people.

I'm also out of backlog (oops!). So here's to hoping I actually get more writing done or my update streak will suddenly take a hit.