To say the very least, Bro was anxious. It was Dave's first day in public middle school, he was entering the sixth grade, and Bro was all by himself in their apartment. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He couldn't remember the last time he was home for so long without Dave there. He kept thinking back to the first time he tried sending Dave to school, how nervous the little man had been, and how rude that women had become. Unlike before, Bro didn't get any snippy phone calls. He didn't get any phone calls at all. After Dave had left the house around eight, all had remained silent and it was somehow putting Bro on edge. Grumbling to himself and wondering aloud how other parents did this, Bro sat on the couch and pushed his laptop open. He'd edit some submissions and fill some orders to keep his mind off of things.

As he tweaked smut stories he found himself continually glancing at the phone. "Boring," He muttered, scrolling through one about some desperate school girl crush gone wrong. He deleted it entirely, feeling particularly harsh. Frowning, he scanned the remaining titles in his inbox until one caught his eye, a submission from an anonymous sender. Domed By Daddy.Frown dissolved, Bro blinked at his screen, rereading the title again to make sure he had it right. There was no mistake. Feeling mildly guilty for being so interested, Bro hesitated, but then reasoned that he was running a damn porn site. If he was going to feel guilty about something he should have done it ages ago.

Jaw set, he clicked the link and skimmed through the first paragraph. He intended just to scan for typo's and make minor changes, but he found himself slowing down, even going back to the beginning to read it more thoroughly. He was engrossed, his face felt hot, and he found himself continually clenching his fists. The characters involved were so similar to him and Dave it was scary. The sub's cute little attitude was exactly like Dave's, and it was hard not to think about him while he read on. The more he read the warmer it seemed to get, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he was aching for relief. Shaking his head, he got up and left the room, trying very hard to focus on other things. He showered, he cleaned his room, he even organized the kitchen a bit, but it wasn't too long before he was back in front of his laptop, reading again. He was hard just a few pages in, straining against his tight jeans. Unable to help himself he placed a hand over the bulge in his pants, rubbing slow, hard circles as he read farther into the story. He wanted to groan, it felt so good after so many years of neglect it was like he was feeling pleasure for the first time. Eager to continue he started to undo his belt, but a shrill ringing had him nearly jumping out of his skin, breathing hard as he glanced frantically around the apartment. "Just the phone…" He muttered, rubbing his face as he got up, stretched, and went to retrieve it. "Hello?"

"Bro!"

"Oh, hey Dave," Bro said, clearing his throat. Hearing the kid's voice was making him a little crazy at the moment. He tried to push the thought out of his head. "You alright there, lil man?"

"Yeah, everything's cool," Dave said smoothly, failing to hide, at least from Bro, the excitement in his tone. "I'm on my way home now."

"Bout damn time," Bro grunted. It was finally two o'clock. "Got your key?"

"Yes, Bro," Dave sighed, exasperated. Bro had made sure Dave hadn't forgotten it.

"Good. See you soon, kid."

"I love you!"

Bro smiled. "I love you too."

When Dave hung up, Bro let out a long breath, taking of his hat to run a nervous hand through his hair. Dave was going to be home soon. He didn't want the kid walking in when he had such an unmistakable boner, so he decided that it was about time for another shower. He stripped quickly, stepping into the still damp stall and turning on the water nice and hot. Cold water probably could have gotten rid of his problem faster, but Bro decided against it. It had been too long since his last release and he wanted to handle it the traditional way.

Leaning back against the cool shower tiles, Bro put his hands to work, taking deep breaths as he did, keeping relaxed. He thought about the way that story was written, recalling the vivid mental picture he had painted of a cute little sub in nothing but a red collar enthusiastically sucking his dom's cock. He gave a muffled groan, pumping his own shaft faster, imagining a mouth instead of his hand, and a pair of bright red eyes looking up at him.

Release found him. His come splattered against the opposite wall, and then was rinsed away by the ever falling water. He was breathing heavily, eyes shut. "Fuck," He muttered, feeling both relieved, and sickened by his actions. He had been picturing Dave the whole time. His little man, his biological son for Christ's sake, had him more turned on than he's been in years. "Fucking Christ almighty…"

He frowned as he got out and got dressed, but he didn't have too much time to brood, because just as he was about to button up his shirt, Dave burst excitedly through the door, looking around for him. Bro held up his hand and nodded Dave's way, face void of emotion as usual. "Over here, punk," He said, casually buttoning up his shirt. He may have imagined it, he told himself over and over that he imagined it, but for a second he thought that he saw Dave eyeing his bare chest. Ridiculous, he thought. "How was your first day?"

"It was really cool," Dave enthused, face bright with happiness. He chuckled; Dave was awful at keeping neutral around him. "A lot of the kids were pretty stupid, but it was still really fun."

Bro laughed. "What do you mean they were stupid?"

"I dunno," Dave shrugged. "A lot of the stuff they said told me we were gonna learn, I already know."

"That's because I'm the best damn teacher ever."

"Yeah, whatever Bro," Dave said sarcastically.

"Who was your favorite teacher?" Bro asked, making his way to the couch.

Dave followed, dropping his bags and sitting so close that their legs touched. Bro willed his heart not to beat any faster. Dave put his head on his shoulder while he thought. "Probably Mr. Egbert," Dave decided. "That's John's dad."

"I thought John lived in Washington," Bro mused, brow raised. Dave had this look on his face, and Bro just knew he was hiding something.

"He did," Dave said. "But his dad got a job here, isn't that cool? He's my creative writing teacher."

Bro looked down at Dave, thoughtful. His mind wandered to the submission he read, and the moment he had in the shower. His eyes landed on Dave's full red lips and he had to look away, suddenly fuming mad at himself. He was being sick, that was his kid there! "Didn't know you took that class," He muttered distantly.

"It's really fun," Dave giggled, hand on Bro's chest. He was definitely up to something; he had that knowing tone in his voice. "Mr. Egbert is a really big help."

The heat of Dave's palm soaked straight through Bro's thin shirt and finally he couldn't take it; he had to jerk away. "Dave, what are you trying to pull?" He demanded, voice coming out harsher than he intended. "What aren't you telling me, huh? Am I supposed to guess?"

Drawing back, Dave bit his lip and looked away, seeming more disappointed than hurt. Still, Bro felt immediately terrible. "It's nothing," Dave mumbled sadly. He got up off of the couch and retreated to his room, but before he did, Bro could have sworn he saw Dave glance at his computer screen, which was still running his porn site.

Soon Dave's first day of public school was in the past, as was his first week, and soon, his first month was coming to a close. Bro knew Dave was up to something. Whatever it was, Dave hadn't given it up. Though Bro tried fruitlessly to convince himself otherwise, Dave's actions were coming across as flirtatious, coy, and sometimes even a little seductive. "It's got to be my imagination," Bro was saying, repeating the words over and over as he got ready for bed. "It's got to be my imagination, it's got to be my imagination…"

In just his boxers and a tight white tee shirt, Bro slipped into bed and tugged the covers up to his neck. Dave was not flirting with him. Dave was not trying to seduce him. The notion was ridiculous, the kid wasn't even twelve, he wasn't about to seduce someone, was he? And definitely not the man who raised him. "It's got to be my imagination," Bro repeated, closing his eyes and setting his shades aside. "My sick, twisted imagination."

Before he could drift of, he heard the tell tale shuffle of feet on the carpet and the creak of his bedroom door being pushed open from the outside. He cracked an eye open, seeing Dave sneak in. The teen clearly was not expecting to be seen. Bro chuckled and Dave turned around, eyes seeming so huge without the shades to veil them. "Bro," He said, voice at a whisper despite how the only two people in the apartment, them, were clearly wide awake. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," Bro said, lifting the edge of his blanket up, inviting Dave in. "Were you?"

"Not really," Dave admitted as he climbed onto the bed, snuggling into the warm cocoon of blankets. "Couldn't sleep."

"S'not even storming," Bro commented. "What's up?"

Dave's eyes flicked around the room as if by some reflex, and his cheeks flushed a light pink. "Nothing."

Bro shrugged, pulling his kid close. Did he really need an excuse to come into Bro's bed? The man always slept so much better when Dave joined him anyway, but as he started to doze something had him alert, hypersensitive all over.

Careful not to open his eyes, Bro took in a deep breath and tried to evaluate the situation. Dave was cuddled at his side, face buried in his neck, with his hand resting on his stomach. When Dave's hand first slipped under his shirt Bro had written it off as an innocent quest for warmth, but he could feel Dave fingering the contours of his abs, playing with his chest hair, and tracing intricate patterns into his skin. He clenched his jaw, feeling his muscles go taut against his will. The touches made him crazy, but he couldn't react. No matter how it felt to him, he had to tell himself that whatever Dave was up to, it wasn't seduction. Bro knew that if he were ever to convince himself that Dave wanted the same dark, twisted things that he kept dreaming of, he'd be unable to hold himself back. The touches didn't stop, but after a while Bro was able to take them and be calm, feel comfort instead of tension, and eventually fall asleep. When he woke, Dave was snoozing on top of him, breathing slow and deep. The weight of the kid on his chest made him melt into putty, and though he hated to wake him, Bro had to nudge Dave awake so he could get ready for school. "Hey buddy," Bro whispered. "Wake up lil man, it's morning."

Dave mumbled something under his breath and curled up into an even tighter ball, running his fingers through Bro's chest hair. Bro chuckled, feeling his heart rate quicken. "Alright you punk, get off."

When Dave ignored him, he shoved the kid off with a light hearted smile. He tried not to think about what he would give to draw him nearer instead.

"Asshole," Dave yawned, stretching his skinny little arms.

"We haven't been brawling enough lately," Bro noted with light disapproval. "Look at your noodle arms, what do they have you doing in public gym class nowadays?"

"We play weird made up sports and shit," Dave said, shrugging. "Not everyone can have bulging biceps like you, Bro."

Grinning, he flexed a bit and Dave rolled his eyes. "Oh get over yourself," Dave laughed, rolling out of bed. "I'm going to get in the shower."

When Dave was out of sight, Bro flopped onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. Without his shades, everything was so much brighter. He glanced at the door, still ajar from Dave's departure, and shook his head. He quickly shoved his shades over his eyes and hauled himself out of bed.

Not bothering to put on any pants, Bro headed for the living room and went to his computer. He needed a distraction from Dave, something to keep him from reliving how Dave had toyed with his chest hair. At least work will be a distraction, He thought, logging onto his email. He had been picking up a few extra shifts at the club. With Dave in public school, Bro had a little too much time on his hands. Still, the club was all but dead during the day, so he still had nothing to work on but his website, and that wasn't exactly good for distracting him from his overactive imagination. Every time he went to manage his site or even fill a smuppet order, there was a new story waiting for him with the same two characters that had him all wound up in the first place. He couldn't just ignore them, they were too good not to edit and post, but every time he read one he just ended up in the shower or in his room, relieving the tension with Dave's name on his breath. "This has to stop," He was muttering to himself as he rinsed away the most recent evidence. He knew the way he was thinking was wrong, very wrong, the kid slept in his bed for crying out loud, he couldn't keep feeling that way.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, making him freeze. "Dave?"

"I'm home," Dave called. "What's for dinner? I'm hungry."

"Order whatever you want," Bro said, toweling himself dry and opening the door. "I've got to work early tonight."

Dave's eyes flicked from where Bro's towel was wrapped around his waist and back up again. "You're leaving?"

"Gotta bring home the bacon, kid," He said, casually mussing up Dave's hair. "You'll see me in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah yeah," Dave said, dragging his backpack to the living room.

After a brief goodbye, Bro went into his room to get dressed. He blow dried his hair and slapped on his hat, then grabbed his bag, his keys, and jogged out the door.

At the club things were pretty dead. Bro's coworker Drake was working the Dj booth, but hardly. Drake was practically asleep, the music playing lamely on its own, and the only one on the dance floor was the janitor. The club always looked that way while the sun was up. All the action at that time was around the bar, where a few regular's buzzed about every now and again. He punched in and dropped his bag off in back. Since there was no one there, Bro took his spot behind the bar and started wiping down the counter, prepping his station for when the night rush did come. It was Friday after all, and Fridays were one of their best nights. "Oi, boss," Bro called when he saw the manager of the place, a sweaty guy with shoulder length black hair and cracked glasses, walked passed with a box of metal scraps.

"Yes?" The man rattled.

"How's the schedule looking tonight?"

"You are bartending from eight to midnight."

"Aw, boss, but all the fun people come in after midnight."

Equius lifted a few sheets of paper from his clip board, reading thoughtfully. "You have a son to return home to, do you not, Strider?"

"Brother," Bro said smoothly, insides twisting a bit.

"And he is not in need of attending to?"

"I was hoping to pick up a few extra shifts. We need the extra cash." The last part was a fib. The brothers were fine on money, really, the site was booming, but Bro needed a distraction.

"Very well," Equius said, scribbling something down.

Just as the man was about to leave, Bro looked up from the glass he was cleaning and tipped his hat. "Your lady coming in tonight?"

"I know not of what you speak."

"Ah, come on," Bro teased. Equius always had this tiny little women following him around.

Equius opened his mouth to speak, but before he could the doors of the club opened up wide, a short woman with huge green eyes and a plush tail attached to her pants came bounding in. Equius mumbled something about not having been expecting her, the left, flustered as he went to go great her. Bro chuckled and got back to work cleaning up the bar area.

After another twenty minutes or so of watching the woman, Equius called her Nepeta, frolic alone on the dance floor, the sky finally began to darken, and people finally started coming in. Bro pushed up his shades, repositioned his hat and turned on the charm, leaning on the bar to talk to customers in between bursts of stunt filled drink mixing. People oo'ed and ahh'ed at him as he shook up specialty alcohols, plenty of the mixtures of his own invention. Bar tending was far from a bad gig, the people were great, especially once they had a little juice in them. It wasn't long, however, until his mind started to wonder back home to Dave. He thought about how Dave had looked sprawled out on his bed, his cute little ass playing peek-a-boo from under his boxer shorts. Shaking his head, Bro turned his back to the bar and took a deep breath. Was there no distraction?

Usually, he didn't break the rules at work, he rather liked his job, but he found himself sneaking a drink here and there as the night progressed. The buzz helped him avoid thinking about his brother and focus more on his job. He went back to flashing charismatic smiles at the ladies who perched on the bar stools, and throwing vulgar jokes at the drunk men trying to court them. He was very well liked and knew a lot of the customers by name. Most who knew him, though enjoyed his bar tending, preferred him at another station. "Are you working the booth tonight, Bro?" One of the guys asked.

Bro glanced at the dance floor. Drake was still working the DJ booth, but there were only half the people dancing that should have been. "I think I will."

Buzzing with excitement, and a bit of alcohol, Bro called Drake over and persuaded him to switch spots. Drake agreed no problem, he liked bartending better anyway, and Bro hopped over the counter and back behind the turn tables. Grinning, Bro pulled the mic up to his level. "Alright, alright, alright, time to kick it up a notch!"

He had no trouble at all getting the crowd's attention, and soon the energy level was through the roof as only he could get it. The night went on at a constant high, and by the end of it, he was more than a little bit buzzed. It was around two fifteen in the morning when they had finally urged the last stragglers out of the club. "Dude, I don't think I can drive," Bro was chuckling as he and Drake started cleaning up.

"Drinking on the job, Strider?"

"Just this once," Bro said with a wink. "Don't you snitch on me, either."

"I won't, I won't," Drake laughed. "Just as long as you promise me one thing, okay?"

"Sure, what?"

"Get a fucking cab."

Bro promised, and they laughed through the rest of their cleaning. Bro didn't have to be told twice. Anything past one drink, he had exactly zero trust in himself behind the wheel, so after they had finished their work, Bro quickly called a cab and was on his way home. When he got there, it was dark save from one light glowing in the living room. The yawning and tipsy, Bro curiously wandered over to find Dave curled up, out cold, in a pile of creative writing homework. Chuckling, Bro knelt down for a closer look. He smiled. Dave was so precious to him. He reached out to gently stroke Dave's cheek, feeling the kid's soft skin before leaning down to press a kiss to his nose. Bro lingered a bit, and before he pulled back, Dave murmured something in his sleep and shifted slightly, just enough to cause their lips to brush past each other's. Sparks flew and Bro's heart spasmed. He longed to drag Dave closer, crush him in a kiss, but he just couldn't. He forced himself back; cheeks flushed red, and shuffled into the kitchen for a beer.

He pulled a cold bottle from the fridge, after shoving some swords aside, popped the cap off with his teeth, and drank it down quickly. The cool liquid felt wonderful in his parched mouth and the alcohol added pleasantly to the buzz he already felt. He squeezed his eyes shut as he gulped, but then he felt a touch, the lightest of touches, really, on his bicep and he choked mid swallow, coughing and spitting beer everywhere trying to catch a breath.

He turned, hearing a familiar laugh behind him. "Light weight," Dave sniggered, withdrawing his hand. Without his shades on, Dave's eyes were bright red, mesmerizing in the dim light.

"What could you possibly know about alcohol?" Bro muttered, wiping his mouth. "You're eleven."

Smirking, Bro snatched the beer bottle from Bro's hand, polished it off, and turned casually on his heel, heading towards his bedroom.

"You had better not take one sniff of booze without me there, Dave!" Bro shouted after him, shaking his head. "I mean it!"

He didn't mind if Dave fancied a drink every now and again, but never away from home, and never without Bro there. Eyes rolling a bit, Bro watched Dave open his bedroom door. "Night, punk," Bro called.

Dave turned around, smiling. "I love you."