TK woke up disoriented for the second time that day. It was getting kind of worrying and he hoped it wasn't the start of a trend. Knowing what was going on with his body, even while in slumber, was important. It had been out of his control for so long that now that it wasn't, he was determined to keep it that way.

He was laying on his side with his backpack nestled against his chest. There was also a blanket draped on top of him that he didn't remember being there before. TK didn't remember falling asleep at all, but the emotions and stress of the past few days were bound to catch up with him. And he did feel a little better, now that he wasn't completely exhausted. There was still the bone deep tiredness that never seemed to go away, but he was used to it.

TK sat up, quickly checking to see if his clothes were still in the same position on his body. They were, to his relief. In normal circumstances, he would wake up if anyone did anything, but he had slept through the blanket being put on him. There were probably a lot of drugs tucked away in the ambulance downstairs that could keep him from fighting back, but he shook that thought out of his mind. He'd be happy to never again see so much as a fleck of dust from the bottom of a bottle of aspirin.

The blinds were drawn over the window in the room, but TK could tell that it had gotten a bit darker outside. A few hours had to have passed since he fell asleep. It was weird that no one kicked him out for being in the way. Even if his dad and brother were happy to see him, the other people who worked here probably didn't appreciate having a random person in their space. TK climbed off the bed, straightening out the blankets so they looked identical to the others in the room. It was always better to erase the evidence of his presence wherever he went.

"You're awake." TK jolted at the sound of a person's voice, relaxing only slightly when he saw Judd standing in the doorway. He knew he didn't trust his brother quite yet, but his older sibling used to be his most favorite person in the world. Judd was who everyone wanted in a big brother. He always had time for TK and never treated him like a bother, like you would see on television. But that was then and TK couldn't count on the same being true now.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. And if I took someone's spot," TK said quietly, smoothing down the last corner. "I can wash these, if you want. My clothes are kind of dirty, so I probably should." TK was wearing his last clean set of clothes, saved specifically for this meeting. But they were still not even close to fitting in with what Judd was wearing. He'd changed out of his work clothes and was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, but there were no stains or holes in them. They'd probably been bought new from a department store, with their perfect fit. All of TK's clothes were worn until they fell apart, then replaced by anything he could find for cheap.

"Don't worry about any of that," Judd insisted, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. "Seemed like you needed the sleep." TK wasn't going to admit he needed anything, even something as basic as sleep. A need was just something someone could exploit.

"So, what now?" TK wondered. He'd told his dad that he would give them a chance, but he still didn't know what that entailed.

"I can go get dad for you. He's just in his office," Judd offered. TK got the feeling that Judd was eager to get away from him. Was it because he preferred to be the only son now? Judd was pretty emotional before and looked almost as nervous as TK felt. He couldn't get a read on his brother and that was making TK even more uneasy.

"Okay," TK agreed. His dad was the easier one to talk to at this point. And he was the one who would inevitably be in charge. If TK got in good with Owen, things would probably go a lot better for him.

"He'll be here in a sec," Judd nodded, giving him one last look before turning and walking away. TK still didn't know what to make of him and he let out a sigh of relief when he couldn't hear Judd's footsteps anymore. His dad was a couple inches taller than him, but Judd was practically a giant. If he decided that he didn't want TK around, it wouldn't be hard for him to let him know that violently. Michelle might've vouched for him, but people knew how to wear masks. And TK had the unfortunate ability to cause them to slip.

"TK?" Owen said with a smile as he stepped into the room. "Did you get some good rest?"

"Yes, thank you," TK replied, twisting his hands around the straps of his bag. "I don't remember falling asleep, but I'm sorry if I was rude."

"Oh, believe me. That's not the first time someone's fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation with me. Once I get on a tangent about skin care or preservatives, people tend to zone out," Owen laughed, waving off his concerns. A vague memory of TK listening to his dad's voice as he read him a story before bed flashed through his mind, but he wasn't sure if it was real. TK would fantasize about having what he thought was his perfect family back, but then reality would crash back down on him again. He learned to stop hoping for something that would never happen. "Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"It's about dinner time. And it's been a long day. We should grab some food from somewhere."

"I'm fine, thank you." TK was actually starving and he could feel his stomach churning at the thought of food. If his dad couldn't hear it growling from where he stood, he'd be surprised.

"TK-"

"I don't have any money! And I can't pay you back," TK blurted out. Sleeping in an unoccupied bed for a couple of hours was one thing, but this would put him in an inarguable debt to Owen. And TK was so tired of the ways people decided to make him repay.

"TK, I meant what I said about taking care of you. That includes food in your stomach and a roof over your head. You'll never have to pay me back for anything," Owen insisted.

"But that's not how things work. People don't just do things for other people," TK argued. He couldn't think of a single person who'd done anything for him out of the goodness of their heart. Everyone expected compensation. That was life and he'd already learned that lesson the hard way.

"The only thing I want from you is to be a part of your life and get to know you. How about this? Every time you feel like you owe me, you can pay me back by telling me something about yourself. It doesn't have to be anything big. Your favorite food or color. What kind of music you like. Even something as innocuous as your favorite breed of dog. Anything you want to tell me will be more than I even let myself hope for in years," Owen said earnestly. TK felt himself being swayed again. There was something about him that made TK want to believe him. Maybe it was biology, since he never stopped holding out hope for his mom to change. And his dad was taking a chance by letting him come back. For all they knew, this was a scam. Or TK was a violent criminal waiting for his chance to strike. Maybe they both had something to lose and something to gain.

"Yellow."

"What was that?"

"My favorite color is yellow."

"You're gonna love this place. They have the best gluten free, vegan wraps you've ever had," Owen said excitedly as they walked down the street. TK was still trying to get his bearings back, after having ridden in the car with his dad. Part of him wanted to walk alongside it, as ridiculous as it sounded. But he forced himself inside and even put on his seatbelt, even though being strapped down made him break out into a cold sweat. He would never forget what could happen if you weren't wearing one during an accident. His dad had done his best to keep his hands on the wheel at all times and didn't try to force him to talk. It wasn't as bad as it could've been.

"Great," TK mumbled, forcing a small smile on his face. None of what his dad said sounded appealing, but anything was probably better than the frozen meals he was used to.

"Not really your style, is it?" Owen asked, giving him a knowing look.

"No, it's fine," TK insisted quickly. "Anything you want to get is fine." He didn't have the luxury of being picky or demanding. That was the easiest way for his dad to get frustrated with him and realize he was wasting his time.

"Believe me, I get it. I haven't been able to get Judd to go out to eat with me in ages," Owen laughed, steering them away from the vegan restaurant toward somewhere further down the street.

"Is that why he didn't come with us?" TK wondered softly. He hadn't seen Judd again after he went to get their dad. TK had been relieved to not have both of them to deal with at the same time, but not knowing what Judd was thinking still made him nervous. If he decided that Owen needed to choose between the two of them, TK knew he would lose.

"Judd struggled a lot after you were gone. It was like he completely shut down. To this day, he hasn't really talked to me about it."

"Oh."

"Don't think it's your fault, because it's not. And Judd's a lot better now," Owen assured him. "He just needs time to process and he does that best with his wife, Grace. Believe me, you being here makes him happier than you can even imagine. And once he sorts out his emotions, you're gonna have the best big brother you could ask for." The idea of that was amazing. TK wasn't used to someone taking the time to calm down and adjust in the face of stressful situations. Usually the way to handle it was marking TK's body with bruises.

They kept walking until they got to a little diner that wasn't too crowded. It wasn't bright and overwhelming like the kind you would see on TV. Just a quiet place that didn't rely on a theme to draw people in. They were seated in a booth by the door, but still far enough away from people so they could talk without being overheard. TK really hoped his dad wouldn't try to talk about emotional things and have them both sobbing in the middle of the restaurant.

"What looks good here?" Owen murmured as he flipped through the plastic menu. TK picked up his own, searching for the cheapest thing he could find. A side dish would be the safest bet and he forced his eyes to not linger for too long on the pictures of burgers that looked so tempting.

"I'll just take an order of fries and water, if that's okay," TK said, sliding his menu away so all the delicious pictures were out of his sight. It was bad enough to be around all the smells. His stomach felt like he hadn't eaten in years instead of days.

"That's it? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," TK confirmed, taking a long sip of water. He could fill up on that and be fine. It was already a lot better than the questionable water he got from the tap back home.

"Well, I'm starving. And since I don't usually let myself eat stuff like this, I'm gonna go all out," Owen declared, waving over a waitress. "Could I get two double cheeseburger meals? One with fries and one with onion rings. I'll also get a chocolate milkshake and a vanilla milkshake. Extra whipped cream. And another side order of fries. Thank you."

"Coming right up," the waitress said politely, darting off to put in the order. TK couldn't help raising his eyebrows at the thought of all that food. A convenience store hot dog that had been drying out all day had been a treat for him, but this was another level. It niggled something in the back of his brain, but he wasn't sure if it was real or not.

"Did we used to go out to eat after my little league games?" TK asked hesitantly. Owen's face brightened immediately.

"We did! You remember that?"

"Kind of, but not really," TK admitted. Over the years, his mom tried to systematically rip away every good memory he had of them. It was easy when he was young for her to manipulate him. By the time he was older and could see what was happening, the memories were so muddled by her words that he couldn't trust what he thought he knew.

"We went after every game, whether your team won or lost. It didn't matter, as long as you tried hard and had fun. You always chose this little pizza place by our apartment. And you and Judd shared a-"

"Pepperoni with extra cheese," TK finished for him, picturing it in his mind. "And Judd always let me have the slices with the bubbles."

"That's right," Owen said with a smile. "He loved the bubbles too, but he always said that he got ten years of having all the bubble slices to himself and now it was your turn."

"Oh," TK murmured, running his fingers along the condensation on his glass. It was such a little thing in the long run, but he wasn't used to being considered in any situation. Taking what he could get was what he was used to and it was typically the scraps. Someone taking something they wanted and giving it to him for nothing in return was unfathomable.

"Here we are!" the waitress said, setting all the dishes down on their table. It was a lot and some of Owen's ended up on TK's side. The smell of the burgers made his mouth water and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab one, but he forced his hands under the table. It wasn't his. The last time Enzo caught TK taking food that he bought, he got a broken finger for his troubles. And that was one of the better punishments.

"This looks amazing," Owen laughed, running his eyes over the spread.

"Yeah," TK agreed, watching as Owen moved things around and set the side of fries in front of him. They would be enough. More than he ever could've hoped for back home.

"You know, I think my eyes were too big for my stomach. I'm never gonna be able to eat all of this," Owen sighed, shaking his head at all the food. "I'd hate for it to go to waste. Say TK, do you think you could help me out with some of this?"

"Really?" TK asked, hoping he didn't sound too desperate. His pride was screaming at him to turn it down, but his resolve was crumbling at the thought of being full for the first time in ages. His dad just wordlessly set one of the burgers in front of him and started digging into his own. TK didn't hesitate this time, picking up the burger and taking the biggest bite he could. His eyes almost rolled into the back of his skull at the taste.

"Good?" Owen asked, wiping his face with a napkin.

"Mhm," TK mumbled around his mouthful of food.

"Chocolate or vanilla?" Owen offered, tilting his head at the two milkshakes. TK bit his lip, flicking his eyes between the two. A meal was one thing, but a milkshake was extra. He didn't want to seem greedy. But his dad must've noticed his eyes lingering on the chocolate shake a little longer than the vanilla, since he slid it over without question.

"I like action movies," TK said softly, gnawing on the end of a fry. "More of the adventure type instead of the violent ones."

"Me too," Owen grinned. They made it through the rest of the meal without talking, since TK was too preoccupied with eating. Every bite was better than the last and he was desperate for the meal to never end. No one was demanding anything from him and there were no expectations for him to do or say something he didn't want to. There was no danger for him to worry about. The uncertainty of what was to come was still there, but the fullness of his stomach made it feel a little less scary. In this moment, giving things in Austin a chance didn't seem so bad.