Shut In

And Mark Arrives

Dameon P.O.V.

“Joshua…” I hug him from behind, “Thanks.”

He just finished with my cabinets and cupboards, and now my closest bud was off to get Mark. I wish Mark would get a taxi… “Joshua…” I hug him closer, “What if he got a taxi?”

Joshua P.O.V.

“Depends on reasoning,” I tease Dameon lightly.

“I don’t wanna be alone right now,” Dameon buries his face in my back more so.

“Don’t you have Marabel?”

“She’s sleeping and I can’t attack her.”

“Attack?”

“How you and I play fight?” his tone is skeptical and innocent now.

I face-palm, I totally thought he was confessing his love for me. Dammit. “I think I’d attack you.”

“Really? Why?” Dameon wasn’t catching any of it.

“Cause, I’m bigger,” I laugh and turn so I can hug him back, “So I’d attack you first.”

“But I’m stronger, I can fight better,” Dameon blinks. “I don’t feel pain like you either, so I won’t tire out as quickly either. Pain does wear out a person.”

I chuckle, “But I have the advantage.”

“You do?” Dameon stares at me. He’s only this childish around me, I love it.

“It’ll bruise you, but I know ‘pain’ feels like a light touch,” I smirk and Dameon pales. He lets me go, “I’ll be back later.” I slip out the door.

As I arrive at the train station, it’s already eleven at night. Dammit…

A kid stares around nervously… he’s all alone in the middle of cream marble flooring and brown-almost-black tiled walls. He’s got a scar on his let cheek like Yoshida from Aitsu no Daihome… his hair is even unkempt… his eyes are quite sketchy looking too…

“Uh… Mark…?” I call awkwardly.

“I’m Mark,” a quiet and unconfident voice answers.

Jesus Christ… Dameon is going to have a field day… Mark looks about two hundred pounds overweight… poor kid. Dameon is going to make him work…

“I’m Joshua,” I smile kindly at the scared teen. “Dameon sent me to get you, come with me.”

Mark nods and waddles over to me, “Th…ks…” he say ‘thanks’? He’s so mousy…. A fat mouse Yoshida….

“I’mma warn you,” I eye Mark, “Dameon is going to be hard on you. Talk like a man.”

Mark had a terrified set of eyes and a feminine man’s voice, “What?”

“Dameon believe in strength, and he totally believes people like himself must be strong and fit. No exceptions.”

“Isn’t he a video game tester?” Mark was confused.

“Not as a full time job. He rents tons of houses out too,” I walk alongside a waddling Mark. He’s so slow… Dameon always runs or jogs everywhere… well not really… he just has really long strides, and I do the same.

“Oh…” disappointment? Damn. He was lied to.

“What were you told?” I get in my mustang and wait for him to get in. He was panting from walking?

“That I could play all the games I wanted, and that I would always eat good food,” Mark wipes away sweat… God… he smells… I roll down the windows.

“You’ve been had, Yoshida,” I roll my eyes and lean toward the window… shit! My mustang is practically riding the ground!!!

Dameon P.O.V.

When they arrive, I notice Mark looks worse than before… is that even possible? Did he hide a kid in his shirt? Or is that all his own personal, tub of lard? Thank God Marabel is asleep. No needto scare her with a pig on two legs. I say ‘pig’ because he obviously must smell bad. Joshua is pale. He hates body odor. Dude… he looks like Yoshida from Aitsu no Daihome.

But with his build… melt off that fat and he could be a chick magnet when he’s older…Hmm…Yoshida (Mark) won’t be too bad once I’ve put him through hell. He’ll hate me at first, but this will be how I help him most. One day, he’ll thank me.

I open the door and Yoshida squeezes through… I think Joshua pushed him.

“I’m…. M….k….” Yoshida looks freaked out and scared.

Knowing I need to instill fear quickly, “Speak up. You’re a man aren’t you?”

Joshua shoots me a ‘what the hell?’ look, but I know what I’m doing. Did Joshua already forget the reason why I’m always active? Or did I never tell him? Either reason is likely. Yoshida has wide eyes as though he realized he really was lied to and someone’s warning was correct.

“I’m Mark,” Yoshida answers, but his voice is quivering, “You’re Dameon?”

“The one and only,” I stare him down. He looks away from me and I stare whenever he’s looking, “Something on my wall? I thought I was talking to you.”

Joshua looks at me sternly, “Dameon isn’t that enough?”

I shake my head, “This is how I learned to be confident and successful. He will too.”

“Since when?” Joshua stares, “You had the perfect childhood until the fire.”

Wait… I really never told him? He never caught on? Has he never seen my scars? Or any of the bruises when I was younger? I mean… why do I feel as though my world just bottomed out? I’m okay with sister never knowing… but I feel as though Joshua has to know…