Anyone watching him wouldn't have seen how nervous he was. Anyone watching—and actually someone was watching him quite closely—would have only seen a tall man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a dark suit and tie, with blond hair combed straight back from a high forehead and dark blue eyes.

Standing by the wall with his hands in his pockets, Simon Otto smiled and nodded amicably to passing curious, and admiring, looks. But his inner anxiety was betrayed by the constant turning and darting gaze towards the door behind him. So preoccupied was he, that he didn't notice the man standing ten feet away, half hidden in the doorway of the teacher's lounge.

Jason, dressed in jeans and a shirt with the sleeves rolled back to show a hand full of rings and leather bracelets, leaned against the door jamb. He watched, coffee cup in one hand, the other in the pocket of his jeans, as the blond man fidgeted. Around his neck, silver dog tags gleamed as brightly as his keen green eyes. He had come to watch for David, to make sure everything was all right, but had recognized the other man right away. There was no denying the resemblance in the same straight nose, the high cheekbones, and slightly pointed chin in the man before him. There was no doubt in his mind he was looking at David's older brother.

He sipped his coffee as the man checked his watch and then turned to look back at the door to the principal's office for the tenth time. As much as he wanted to go over and meet the man, he did not want to put David into the awkward position of explaining their relationship to him. He had a feeling the appearance of the other man would be complicated enough.

The door behind the man finally opened, and David stepped out.

Simon straightened up, his eyes brightening at the sight of the teenager, but doubt flickering behind his smile. "Everything's okay, right?" he asked, almost eagerly.

"Yeah," David said, his dark eyes slightly confused. "Everything's...fine."

"That's good news," Simon said, smiling. "Do you have some time?" he asked. "To talk, and catch up, and...stuff."

Dark eyes flicked pass Simon, glancing up and down the hall for the man he expected would be waiting for him. Jason pulled into the room and out of sight swiftly, then peeked out. David was shifting from one foot to the other.

"Yeah," David finally said, his low voice barely carrying to where Jason stood. "I have some time."

**

They sat opposite each other at the outdoor table of the café in silence. On the other side of the partition, pedestrian traffic was high, people with their dogs or on the phone on the wide sidewalk, with the occasional cyclist zooming past and annoying everyone. The scent of the flowers in the middle of the table mingled with the smells of coffee and food that came from inside. It was not very crowded, but still was not the kind of place David would ever choose.

"Is this okay?" Simon asked. "The reviews for this place said it was good."

"It's fine," David said, shifting in his chair towards his left. It was a warm day, the sun was hot on the half of him that was not covered by their table's umbrella, and he pulled away from it as much as he could.

Simon glanced up at the boy in front of him—for that is how he still saw him, as a boy, despite the bleached hair, black nails, and eyeliner. Simon still saw the eleven year old boy with the blond hair and dark eyes standing on the corner, growing smaller and smaller in his rearview mirror as he drove away for college. Now, David sat leaning towards the shade, his hands in his lap, gaze down. But his back was straight, his shoulders broader, and he gave off an air of capability. He's not a boy anymore, Simon thought, and it brought a smile to his face, albeit a sad one. He had missed when David had turned into one.

"What?" David asked, beginning to squirm under the other man's gaze.

"Nothing," Simon said. "Just, you're all grown up."

David looked at him, then looked away. He too was thinking that Simon had not been there to see it happen.

"I'm sorry," Simon continued, "for just showing up at your school. I went to the house, but they didn't know where you were, or how to reach you." A pause. "They said you moved out."

"I did," came the soft response. "Months ago."

Simon bit his lip. There was so much he wanted to say but didn't know where to start. "Where did you go?"

David hesitated. "With a friend."

Blue eyes sharpened. A part of him was relieved David was not alone, but another part of him rose up with protective concern. Especially after what Ms. Davis had told him. "You're living with someone?" he asked, as casually as he could.

"Yes."

"Who is it?"

"You don't know him." David shifted in his seat as Simon frowned. Before the other man could ask more questions, he asked one of his own. "Why were you looking for me?"

Simon licked dry lips. Where was the iced tea he'd ordered? He could sure use it. "Do I need a reason to want to see my little brother?" he said lightly, with a bright smile. But he drew back at David's sharp frown. "I wanted to see you. To know you were okay. It sounds—I know how it sounds, after all this time, but it's the truth."

Dark eyes looked at him, and into him, and he swallowed, allowing them their scrutiny.

"Okay," David said. "You've seen me."

Though his tone sounded as if he was about to get up and leave—and in fact Simon almost rose in anticipation of stopping him—David remained seated. He looked up at Simon steadily, almost expectantly. Simon had the distinct feeling he was being tested. And he knew he had better not fail.

"You look good," Simon said, smiling. It was not a lie; with his bleached hair in a half up style that showed his black roots, dressed in a black, long-sleeved, distressed sweater, and dark eyes lightly rimmed in blue eyeliner, he did look good. Simon thought it suited him. "All grown up," he said. Then he gave a breathy laugh. "I said that already, didn't I?"

David shifted in his seat, ostensibly to avoid the moving sunlight, but there was added color in his face, and his hands agitated against each other. Is he embarrassed? Simon thought. How cute! And then held back a grin. "I sent you something for your birthday," he said. "Did you get it?"

Dark eyes flickered. David nodded.

Simon smiled, relieved. He was afraid his parents would have simply thrown it away. "Did you like it?"

"Yes," came the softly spoken word.

Simon ducked his head as he smiled, his heartbeat quickening. Yes! he thought, his hand clenching into a fist under the table.

David shifted in his seat once more. "I have to go soon," he said. "I have extra credit classes, and then work."

"Ms. Davis said you were working hard towards graduation. She said you were applying to colleges, too," he said invitingly. But when David didn't volunteer any further information, he cleared his throat nervously. There was more along these lines he wanted to say and know, but held back. "Do you still babysit, then?"

"No."

"Oh. What do you do then?"

"I work at a diner out on the highway."

Simon hid his disapproval in a tight smile. He had passed the place on his way in—had passed it straight, even though he had been starving. "Can I give you a ride back to school?"

David looked up at him. It was literally a fifteen min walk back. "Sure," he said.

They both stood up to leave. The whole exchange had taken about five minutes. By the time their iced teas got to the table, they were gone. Simon's car was parked around the corner, a silver Mercedes that glinted gemstones in the afternoon sunlight. Inside smiled of pine and citrus air freshener and leather polish. Simon had said it was a company car but neglected to say what company. When David asked, Simon had to tamper down his excitement. It was the first time David had asked him a personal question.

"Thewlis and Issacs," he replied. "They recruited me right out of law school."

David stopped and looked at him over the roof of the car, squinting against the sheen. "Law? I thought you were studying medicine. Like they wanted."

"I haven't done anything they wanted for a long time."

The tone, the words, and the look on Simon's face all surprised David. Silently, he opened the door and slid into the leather seat, bucking his seatbelt. He chanced a glance at the other man in the driver's seat and found blue eyes already on him.

"I'm no longer under their thumb, David," Simon said, his voice low and deep with solemnity. "I haven't been for years. It took a while for me to find the strength to be my own person, and not what they wanted me to be. It took a lot longer for me; I was never as strong as you were—as you are," he corrected, smiling almost proudly, his eyes softening. "I wanted to come back for you sooner, but I had nothing to offer. No stability, no job, no place to live. That wouldn't have been any kind of life to give you."

David could not help the mirthless laugh that escaped him.

"What?" Simon asked, frowning.

"Nothing," David said, shaking his head. "It's just funny."

"Why is it funny?" Simon asked, frowning more deeply.

"Because that was my life," David said. "After I ran away. After they kicked me out."

"What?" Simon asked, his voice rising suddenly. "I didn't know any of that."

"How could you?"

The softly spoken words were like cold water on his temper, reminding him that he had not been there for David either. Impulsively, he reached out and took one of David's hands. David's instinct was to pull away, but Simon held on, turning in the seat towards him as his grip tightened on the cold, thin hand.

"I know I let you down, David," he said, meeting the startled gaze. "I know I made mistakes. I was finally able to tell them how I really felt last Christmas. I told them I was not their puppet and that they would no longer control me and decide what my future would be."

David paused. He had wondered why they'd reacted to him that night when usually they would have simply ignored him. Their favorite, and to their mind, only son, telling them he was no longer going to obey would have been more than enough to push them over the edge.

"I want to make it up to you, David," Simon continued, unaware of David's inner revelation. "I convinced Davis not to expel you. I want to help you graduate and get into college, and not have to live with strange men. I want—" Taking hold of David's hand with both of his, he squeezed. "I want you to come live with me. I want us to be brothers," he said. "Like we were never allowed to be."

**

It was almost three in the morning when Jason's alarm went off. Dozing on top of the covers of the bed, he rolled over and swung his legs to the floor, at the same time reaching for his phone to turn off the alarm. Getting to his feet, he headed for the front door. It was time to pick up David from the diner. He rarely worked the overnight shift during the week, but since Ernie was in the hospital for a hernia, Nancy needed the help. Jason had just slipped into his jacket and picked up his keys when keys jingled on the other side of the door. Reaching out, Jason unlocked and opened the door to see a slightly taken aback David standing in the hall.

"Hey," Jason said, surprised himself. "I was just about to come get you."

"I got off early."

"You should have called," Jason said, standing back to let David in.

"It's fine. I took the bus."

Jason frowned. It was not unlike David to want to save him the trouble of driving all the way out to the highway, but there was something in his face that made Jason uneasy. Shrugging out of his jacket, he followed David back into the apartment and began to lock up.

Going into the kitchen, David came back out with a glass of water. "Aren't you going to ask me?" he said, standing by the coffee table.

"Ask you what?"

"About Simon."

Jason, hand on the window latch, paused. David had called, the previous afternoon, to say his brother had suddenly shown up and wanted to talk. How he'd said it had made it seem as if he was asking if Jason thought it would be a good idea or not. Jason had been careful not to answer. "How was it?"

"He asked me to live with him."

Jason stopped. He figured it would be something like that. Without turning around to look at David, he moved to the other window. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him...I needed to think about it."

Jason nodded. There was silence, a heavy quiet that filled the air and thickened it to palpability.

"Say something," David said.

"Like what?"

"Anything."

Silence.

"I won't stop you," Jason finally said. "If you want to go." Still turned away, he did not see the look on David's face. "I know what he means to you. He's family, and he's looking for a way to connect with you, and I can't blame him for that." A pause. "I won't stand in your way."

The water glass in David's hand trembled. He had expected this response but had hoped for another. No, the other man would never want to stand in his way—but neither would he walk the same path with him. This was his proof. "Is this it, then?" he asked. "Are you done with me?"

"Are you done with me?"

The question caught him off guard, but it also confused him, and David opened his mouth, but closed it. "I don't know," he finally said, his eyes closing and brows contracting as he shook his head.

"Then do what you said you'd do. Think about it."

There was no response, except the sound of a heavily released breath.

Jason lingered over the locking up of the window, checking the latch, pulling the curtain along the rod, and adjusting the folds behind the chair. He heard the slight movement behind him, the tap of a glass on wood, muted footfalls, and the soft click of the bedroom door. He waited a bit, then followed. The room was dark, David already under the covers and turned away. He slipped in beside the silent figure and closed his eyes.

A few moments later there was movement on the bed. The covers rustled, and there was a touch on his arm. He lifted his arm and the figure nestled under, laying a head on his chest and a knee slightly bent over his leg. He draped his arm around slender shoulders, kissed the top of the head, and fell asleep with his nose in warm, dry hair smelling faintly of French fries.