Otis pushed his long, straught white hair back and scowled at Alice as she stood there doubled over laughing hysterically.

"Stop laughing mama, it's not fucking funny" Otis growled. Alice tried to control her laughing and raised her head but the sight of a lobster red Otis caused her to start up again.

"I'm sorrry Otis...I...I can't help it hahaha" She said trying to catch her breath inbetween giggles.

"Mama I'm serious, fucking stop" Otis said his temper rising, Alice instantly pulled herself together. She didn't think for one moment that Otis would hurt her, he had an unbreakable desire to protect his family and no matter how much he and Alice disagreed he saw her as family, but he was unpredictable and scary when he was angry.

"I'm sorry Otis you just look so damn hallarious" She giggled, but coughed and straightened her face as his forehead creased into a frown.

Alice's eyes scanned him and tried not to start her laughing again. Otis's knees were sunburnt because of the holes in each jean leg and all his arms and chest that wasn't covered by vest was also an angry red.

"I'd have thought being albino you'd be aware of proper sun protection" She said deadpanned.

"Fuck you" Otis hissed back, giving her the middle finger "First you destroy my sideburns, now this"

"How was that any of my fault?" Alice laughed at the stupidity of him blaming her. "Those red eyes stop you from being able to read aswell as looking creepy?" That wasn't entially true, she thought his unique coloured eyes were beautiful, but he was being an arsehole so she could be an arsehole back. Otis glared at her and stormed past her, she knew she had hurt his feelings, she tried to tell herself that she didnt care, that she had tried too many times to be nice to him but he had always dismissed it.

Alice sat nursing a drink on the kitchen table that Eve had made her as she prepared lunch. Everyone else in the Firefly household she had got close to, there were like the loving family she had never had, all except Otis. The picture of Otis with no sideburns (previously burnt off by him mistaking her hair removal cream for shampoo) and his skin burnt like a crispy peice of bacon popped into her head again and she had to control a giggle from escaping. But the image of Otis's expression on his face before he stormed out followed, she could have sworn she had seen hurt in those ruby coloured eyes and it made her gut churn.

Eve had told her he had come from an abused family nothing else, no other details. Alice knew he didn't need anymore hurt in his life, he had experienced enough and now she had just added to it.

"I just need to take Otis his dinner" Eve said picking up the plate.

"I'll do it" Alice said jumping to her feet, realising that she really did need to apologise to Otis.

"Thank you darlin' that's so helpful" Alice took the plate and went up the stairs to Otis's room.

Alice knocked on his bedroom door.

"Working" An angry voice snapped.

"Otis I've brought you your food" She yelled through the door.

"Not hungry I'm busy" He yelled back, Alice sighed with frustration and opened the door. Otis was sat in his leather spinning chair working on his art.

"What part of I'm fucking working don't you understand!" Otis growled spinning round in his chair to face her as he heard a sound at the door. Alice didn't realise she had made a noice 'he must have senses like a bat' She thought to herself.

"No matter how busy you are you need to find time to eat" Alice said softly.

"What do you care?" Otis growled spinning his chair back round quickly, causing his sunburnt knee to graze the wooden table leg, his winced and cursed in pain.

Slowly and causiously she walked up to his art desk and placed the food in front of him.

"I do care Otis but you've been shrugging me off for weeks" She could see him wince as his sunburnt arms rubbed against the art desk as he drew.

"That looks pretty sore Otis, I've got some lotion that'll help?" Alice offered kindly.

"I've been sunburnt before dammit, I've suffered worse" Otis grumbled.

"You don't need to suffer Otis just because you've had worse, how about I get it for you?" She took his silence as his way of agreeing and she went to fetch the bottle.

Otis held up his long white hair out of the way of the back of his neck. He hissed at both the stinging of the sunburn and the freezing sensation of the lotion, he flinched as she touched him.

"Sorry if I hurt you" She apologised.

"S'alright, ain't nothin' but nothin'" He grumbled, he'd let her think she had hurt him he wouldn't let her know the real reason he flinched.

It hurt to begin with but the lotion instantly cooled and soothed his burning skin, soon it started to feel good as she rubbed it into his neck and top of his back. He gave a deep growl in his throat causing Alice to smile, he had been unaware he had made the sound. He loved the feeling of her delicate fingers gently massage him careful not to hurt him. That in itself was a bizzar scenario for him, having hands touch him without deliberatly hurting him. It made him wonder whether he could actually let her get close to him.

Otis's relaxed closed eyes instantly snapped open as he felt things awaken and grown inbetween his legs. Otis suddenly lept to his feet and walked out carefully hiding his erection before she noticed it, leaving Alice puzzled and confused. With a sigh she went back to her room, leaving the lotion on his desk for him to use on himself when he returned. Alice really hoped that he would let her know what was going on inside that head of his.