𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐘

.four.

characters : dominic, amasa [ belongs to hxnahakii  ]
ages : 15, 14

-x-

dominic hadn't gotten any softer, even after he had become an older brother to another boy. family was important to him. he'd protect anyone he considered family with his life, but that didn't mean that he'd stop killing, nor did it mean that he'd force himself to change his ways.

"dom, where's the milk?" amasa had woken up a few minutes ago and was searching for a carton of milk in the fridge. the younger boy's eyes lit up when he spotted a carton and pulled it out, though it disappeared when it seemed to be empty. he shook it a few times and sighed in obvious frustration. he was hungry, okay?

dominic was on the couch, his arm draped over the armrest. he was there every morning, either polishing his daggers or staring at the wall. he didn't have much to do, as he wasn't alone and on the run anymore. "looks like you've found it." he commented, glancing back at amasa. he noticed that it was finished and sighed, getting off the couch. "let's go to the store and buy another one."

amasa was the only boy dominic was kind to. he was family, and family came before anything. amasa nodded and placed the empty carton on the marble countertop in the kitchen, grabbing a ten dollar bill afterwards. the store wasn't too far, it was about a mile away. besides, amasa was safe with dominic around.

after amasa had told his parents, who dominic still refused to talk to, they had started off in the direction of the store. amasa had a grin on his face, probably from the thought of finally having breakfast once their little shopping trip was over. and as always, dominic held his usual blank, emotionless expression.

they were walking on the sidewalk of a busy street. the roads were shaped oddly in this area. each road had a large height difference in between them, causing one road to be at least ten feet above the other, separated by cascading land and railings. dominic knew that amasa had a fear of heights, so he always stood on the side that would block the view from his stepbrother.

amasa had decided to start a conversation, but dominic was focused on something else. amasa's chattering became a soft murmur in the background as dominic zeroed in on footsteps that seemed to have been coming from behind them. dominic sharply turned around to look, but no one was there.

"masa," dominic cut his sibling off, glancing back at him as he spoke, "stay here. i'll be right back." he stepped away from his brother and turned around to face the opposite direction, his dark green eyes flitting from one person to the next. someone had been following them, and he wanted to know who. he froze when he heard a familiar voice shriek in surprise. he whirled around to see a boy who was probably sixteen years old, holding amasa by the collar of his shirt and tilting him over so that he could fall onto the road if the boy let go.

amasa's eyes were wide and fearful. his hands were trying to hold his collar down so that he didn't choke. the worst thing was that no one tried to help him. suddenly, the grip on amasa's collar had loosened and he stumbled backwards, regaining his balance only to turn around and face another horrible sight. the street was too crowded for anyone to notice the man soaked in blood, a dagger embedded deep into the side of his head. the worst part to amasa was that dominic stood over him, head hung low.

was it shame? amasa hoped it was. he hoped that dominic would change for the greater good. his hope dissipated when dominic lifted his head to showcase a maniac-like grin with blood splattered across the side of his face. his dark green eyes seemed more venomous, murderous even. amasa watched in horror as dominic ripped the dagger out of the man's head and ran his finger down blade, coating his hand in dark red colored blood.

"what's wrong, masa?" dominic asked his stepbrother, though his voice seemed to have dropped an octave. he didn't sound like a fifteen year-old boy anymore. "why do you look so afraid?" he brought his hand to his face, dragging a finger down his cheek, leaving a trail of blood on his pale skin. his dark locks of hair had draped over one of his eyes, only making him look more dangerous than before.

amasa shuddered at dominic's actions. he had lived with dominic for four years already, and he had gotten used to this. but it didn't mean that he wasn't afraid. death scared him, and ironically, dominic loved it. "stop. please." he whispered, wrapping his arms around himself and looking away from the injured man.

dominic seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in when amasa looked away. he didn't regret what he did at all, but he hated it when amasa was scared. he hated when his stepbrother was anything but happy. he simply picked up the fallen ten dollar bill and slipped his bloodied dagger back into his pocket again. amasa turned back and sighed in obvious relief when dominic stepped away from the nearly dead man, heading back in the direction of the store, but he was still shaken from the experience.

"let's go buy some milk."