Reckless

Sitting Next To You

Jana-

Slipping into the kitchen, Jana felt his stomach twist further into knots. He had fought with his new voice for nearly an hour before he'd managed to get himself up from the corner where he slept. He'd done as Domino had asked and ate, but did so rarely. Even in prison, he barely ate, so eating David's large portions normally filled him up for the entire day, and then some.

His stomach growled quietly but no one was around to hear it. When he glanced over at the clock hanging above the refrigerator, Jana knew why the place was deserted. Four A.M. The cook would be up in an hour or two to start prepping, but it was a relief to know that no one should bother him for a bit. He was also glad that Orion and Zachary slept really deeply.

With a slight hop to his step, Jana made his way over to the fridge and opened the door. There wasn't much, but that was no surprise. That giant ape-man eats a ton. He thought as he leaned in and began rummaging around the leftover containers.

"You should eat the chocolate mousse cake just to spite George and Xena."

Jumping abruptly from surprise, Jana smacked his head against the ceiling of the fridge, then staggered back as his hands went to rub at the throbbing spot beneath his hair. Anger boiled up as he tried to fight back tears. He'd never hit his head so hard from just being startled.

Zachary didn't mean to frighten you. Please don't be mad at him!

Blinking back unshed tears, Jana looked up to see Zachary only a foot or so away, his hands held up as if he wanted to comfort him, but was afraid to. He's afraid of me. Jana thought, frustrated with that information for some reason. At the prison, he wanted everyone to fear him. He didn't want to interact with a damn person if he didn't have to. But Zachary...

I still want to be his friend, but how do I even do that? He wondered as he watched the young man, who just stared right back at him with a faint smile on his face.

"Um... I'm really sorry, Jana. I didn't mean to startle you." Zachary finally said.

Jana wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond. Anytime he got hurt in prison, he'd just attack the closest thing, or hurt himself. He had a feeling that grabbing one of the kitchen knives and shredding his arm wouldn't help him get Zachary as a friend, though.

Exactly. We need to be nice and just act normally. The voice added, making him scowl. He didn't want its input.

Zachary took a slow step back as his expression softened further, making Jana realize that the man likely thought that he was scowling at him.

"I'm just mad at my voice." He said hurriedly, stepping forward as he lifted his hands in a wait a moment gesture.

The other man's eyes widened and Jana fidgeted, stepping back and reaching up to rub at the bump on his head with worry. He pressed a little hard, trying to make the pain return and give him some courage.

You don't need the pain, Jana. We can do this!

Growling, Jana swung around to face the sink and shook his head furiously, hands gripping the metal rim tightly. "Stop talking to me! I don't need your damn help!"

His body vibrated with anger, but he tried so hard to fight it. He didn't want to nee help. For one damn minute of his life he wanted to handle things completely alone.

"Hey Jana...?"

Hearing Zachary's cautious whisper caught his attention, but he didn't trust himself to turn and face the man yet. Hell, he didn't trust himself to be in the same room with him anymore. He was just about to dart out of the room, if Zachary wasn't already doing that, when he felt a gentle touch on his right pinky where it gripped the rim of the sink.