Someone Who Cares. [Owen]

[Mothtoto.]

Tomo gaped at Thom for a moment as he stared at the keys before shoving them quickly in his pocket. This man was strange, that was for sure. How could he be friends with someone like Owen? Owen seemed so normal. A bit eccentric at times, but nothing like Thom. Tomo may have found Thom strange with the whole key incident, but that was before he hugged him out of the blue. All he could do was stand there, speechless, and listen to the mumbled words. His mouth hung open as he watched Thom leave the room for a shower. Once he was gone he looked back to Owen. "What in the world...", was all he could mutter before shaking his head as if to clear away the strangeness of it all. He looked at Owen, confused. "What-... Oh right!" he exclaimed as he remembered their new house. "That would be cool, I have to admit. But this-this is way better!" he could hardly contain his renewed excitement. He took out the keys and tossed them to Owen, and then opened the door. "After you, my friend," he bowed and waited for the other man to walk past him.

Adrienne hurriedly picked up the phone when she heard a new voice on the other end. "Owen, is that you?" she noticed he sounded quite out of breath. "Have you been running, or something? You sound winded," she stated plainly. She sighed boredly when he stopped talking again. "Hey, what's going on at your place? It sounds like you have more than just one person over." Adrienne sat down on the sofa and waited for a peep from the other end. But when she finally heard something, it wasn't from the phone. It was from behind the couch. She pulled her legs under her and whirled her upper body around to face... Anthony. "Oh shit!" she cursed under her breath. She had forgotten he was here when she picked up the phone. She had just gotten back from the store, and Anty was still at her apartment since it was only 9:00 AM, and he usually slept pretty late. She put her hand over the speaker on the phone; she couldn't hang up now, it would cause more suspicion. "Anthony get out of here!" she yelled, maybe a little too loudly.

[Waddle]

"Um... Sure, Thom." Owen's eyes had drawn down in a concerned frown at Thomas's strange antics and even more strange departure. He made a mental note to make sure his friend was alright after a bit and pushed the troubled thoughts down as both Addy and Tomo began speaking at once. "Oh, um... Addy, yeah, no, I was laughing. Two, actually, Tomo and a friend, he just left the room. Tomo, wait! Wait, who- Who the hell is Anthony?" The name tickled in the back of his brain. Something from when Tomo was in the clinic... The Ikron brothers. Tomislav, Anthony and Evan. One beaten to a pulp, the other almost dead from a gun wound, the last with only broken knuckles. That had been a strange lot, but no questions had been asked.

"Ah, ermm, never mind, Addy, I've gotta go. Damn, how come every time we start talking, I always have to leave? Anyway, talk to ya later!" He slammed the phone down on the receiver a little harder than he'd meant to in his rush. "One second, Tomo..." Trailing off, he ran to the back and knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Thomas? I'll be back sometime soon, hopefully, Tomo's got something he just has to show me." He forced a very convincing laugh, even though he was worried about his friend. "Don't destroy anythin' if you can help it! Call Addy if you need somethin'." He ran out the door Tomo had open and slammed into the opposite wall, falling on his backside. "When did that get there?!" he demanded of no one as he rubbed his chest, where he'd taken most of the impact. He quickly yanked himself up. Why was he so jittery all of a sudden? He could feel it in his stomach and heart. Running into objects didn't make him jittery. Talking to Addy didn't make him jittery. Not even the mystery about Anthony would make him jittery. It was Thomas's odd actions. And... And the coffee that was starting to kick in again. And maybe the second hand on his watch as it ate away the minutes until he had to be back at work. "Ah, we gotta make this a quick one, Tomo."

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

Thom peeled off his clothes, and felt so unprotected and self-conscious in someone else's bathroom. He twisted the knobs till he got the water right. This always took him forever. If it was just a little too hot, it felt like fire raining down on him, and if it was too cold, it felt like shards of ice hit him at full force. He closed his eyes and let the water wash over him, wishing it could get the smell of Tomo off him. Ikron smelled like a real man, deep and musky. It made Thom's nose twitch. His skin was still crawling from where he touched Ikron. Thomas jumped when he heard Owen. His eyes snapped open and wildly searched the bathroom. He let out a sigh of relief. It had sounded like Owen was inside with him. Thom practically died when he heard Owen laugh. He didn't want to concern Owen or nothing, but the way Owen just laughed it off hurt. Thom tried to shrug it off. This was good. This is what he wanted. Thom finished showering fast. He smelled like Ikron though. He couldn't tell which was Owen's shampoo and which was Tomo's. Thom guessed, and he guessed wrong. He tried not to let it bother him. He'd take another shower when he got home.

Thomas slipped the towel around his waist, feeling vulnerable again. He picked up his clothes, but they were dirty. He stared blankly at them, wondering if he should just put them back on. On closer inspection, he saw goat hairs in it. "..Eww." There was no way Don't-touch-me Thom was gonna put on a goat hair covered shirt. He folded all his clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. Thom knew that Owen and Ikron weren't there, but it didn't help. He still felt so awkward, probably because he was pretty much naked in someone else's house. Thom walked into Owen's room. He was going to borrow some clothes, hopefully Owen wouldn't mind. There was no way he was going to wear Ikron's. They would be much to big, and the fabric would constantly rub against him. Thom needed clothes that were snug.

He flipped through Owen's clothes, and looked for clothes that would fit him. It took forever, but Thomas finally found clothes. They looked unused, and he hoped that meant Owen didn't like them. He felt so bad for borrowing them without permission. It was like stealing. He slipped them on, and they felt nice and unbaggy. Thomas walked around Owen's place, his curiosity was getting the best of him. He picked through everything, even Tomislav's stuff. Thomas got bored after awhile, and would have torn apart the house if Owen hadn't specifically told him not to. Thom picked up the phone, and redialed Addy's number. It was a miracle he happened to remember it. "Adrienne," Thomas liked the way her name sounded with his accent. The 'R' rolled very nicely, he said it again under his breath with a smile on his face, but then got very serious. He had actually called for a reason. "..I'm wearing Owen's clothes." His guilt made him explode. Thomas shouldn't be left alone. He got really lonely. He wanted Addy to make him feel better.

[Anty]

Anthony was at Adrienne's apartment. He wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten there, but somehow he had because that's where he woke up in the morning. He liked it here. It smelled like Adrienne, who smelled like water and a hospital. It was a clean smell. It reminded him of Adrienne (oh really?). He was pretending to look around the apartment because Adrienne had told him to get out, so he was attempting to do that. He was flipping through a magazine when he heard a strange noise. The strange noise was, of course, the phone.

The phone! That was off-limits. He was only allowed to use it in case of an emergency, and even then he was only allowed to call 911. Now why would she do that? He let her use his phone! It made him curious, and now he looked around the apartment for Adrienne. He didn't see her, nor did he hear her pick up the phone... He stepped around the foot rest in which he was standing in front of and picked up the phone, simultaneously looking around for Adrienne. Oh good. She must have been in the bathroom. Or maybe she was making him breakfast? Nah, probably not... Anthony looked back to the phone. The Caller ID said it was Owen... Owen?!

Anthony didn't understand. Adrienne was seeing him now, in a way. True, neither of them loved the other. Actually, he couldn't even think of a reason as to why they were together, except maybe when they were in bed... But Adrienne didn't think like that, did she? So who was this Owen person? Adrienne had always brushed it off as her boss, but why would her boss call her now? There was only one thing to do. Anthony accepted the call, putting the phone to his ear. "Thought it'd be nice to call your girlfriend, didn't you?" He asked out of plain curiosity. Little did he know that wasn't Owen on the other end, and if he had cared enough to listen, he might have found that out.

[Mothtoto.]

Tomo sighed impatiently as Owen was distracted by first Adrienne, his girl friend, and then Thom, his old pal. Didn't they understand it was his turn with Owen? This was urgent, dammit. He breathed deeply. He shouldn't let his anger get the best of him. That was exactly the opposite thing to do, he recalled. He was calm by the time Owen came back. "Owen, there-" but he was out of time. He was cut off by Owen running straight into the wall. "I tried to warn you..." he said apologetically. Tomislav did feel bad about the wall thing. After all, he knew what it felt like. His first squabble with The Janitor wasn't the last. Now it was an on-going, full out war. And there was a little battle every time he went to the clinic to check on his bullet wound, or even the occasional time where he went with Owen, since Owen hadn't trusted him home alone that day. And now, Owen had to go back into The Janitor's realm, the clinic. Which is why they had to make this quick. "Fine. Maybe I'll just show you another time," he told him. He was disappointed. One reason was the obvious, he wanted to show Owen the new home, but quick probably wouldn't cut it. The other wasn't really much, but... well, he didn't think he would have hurried with Adrienne or Thom. But that was probably just the trust issues speaking.

"Whatever you say Owen," Adrienne replied to his dismissal half-heatedly. Sometimes it felt like he never had time for her (well, neither of them had time, truthfully). And she thought, maybe he was seeing someone else. But that didn't seem like his style. Besides, if she could hold a grudge against him just for that, spotting Anthony leave the room. When he asked about Anthony, she said nothing though. Now wasn't the right time, if there was one. She hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen. All this guilt was making her thirsty. She poured herself a cool glass of milk and raised it to her lips. Just as she was about to take a sip, the phone rang out again. She groaned and walked back to the living room. "Anthony, what are you doing?" she asked suspiciously. The last she checked, he wasn't even allowed to use the phone, much less answer it. But knowing Anthony as the stubborn ass he was, he wasn't about to give it up readily, so she would have to be sneaky. She walked up to him and tickled his stomach, "Goochy goochy goo!" Adrienne kissed him full on the mouth, tongue and all, in high hopes to distract him.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

Thomas laughed into the phone. "Girlfriend? No. Addy is Owen's lover." He poked his chest, forgetting whoever on the other side of the line couldn't see him. "I am Thomas." It seemed odd to Thom that Adrienne would have a man in her house.. It donned on him that this might be Anthony. For some reason, Thom just assumed Anthony was Adrienne's dog. Something trivial came to Thomas at that moment. He use to have a rabbit; he named it Anthony. It died because Thom had eaten it's food. But that didn't matter at the moment. Anthony was a man, and that meant he was trouble, especially if he was in Adrienne's house. Thom was a little mixed. Should he be angry, or sad that Adrienne is cheating on Owen? He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak, maybe he was just misunderstanding. After all, Anthony could be Adrienne's cousin.. or brother.. or father, though he sounded too young. Thom decided on cousin, to justify Addy.. then he heard the odd slurping noises. He tried not to jump to a conclusion. Maybe Addy did have a dog. Maybe Anthony was the dog. Maybe the man on the phone wasn't even Anthony. Maybe Anthony the dog was licking the phone. And maybe he was a complete idiot. Thom dropped the phone in disgust. He had always been averted to signs of affection. It was terrible when he was a child, but as he grew older, he treated it as a part of life. Thomas never understood love really. As a child, he was a border-line hermit, more like a grumpy old man than a child. He still doesn't understand why someone would want to touch or be touched. He would probably still be the same grumpy old man-child if it weren't for people like Momo and Owen, good people. He picked up the phone and look at it sadly. Good people like Owen.. "Good people don't deserve this."

None of this really made sense to Thom. Addy loved Owen, yes? So why was she making odd noises with another man? Thomas decided that he wouldn't love, because love was too much trouble.. not like he hadn't already made that decision a thousand times before, but this incident convinced him more that he was the only sane one on the planet for not wanting to love. He was going to have to tell Owen. It would break both their heart. Thomas got this kind of love. Owen was a good person, almost impossible to hate. Heck, even filthy people like Tomo can't help but like him. Thom again promised that he wouldn't love. He could hardly stand loving Owen like a brother, and he couldn't even imagine truly loving someone. Suddenly, Thomas' lost his temper. He brought the phone to his ear and started shouting. Thomas wasn't sure what he said exactly. It was mostly about doing bad things to bad people, and how Addy could hurt someone as nice as Owen. Thomas wanted to beat her up, but he didn't know where she lived. "Y-You don't deserve him!" It was the truth. If it were up to Thom, no woman would be good enough for Owen. He didn't care if she couldn't hear him, or if she could and just chose not to listen; He let it all out. Her name didn't sound nice to him anymore. The rolling "R" didn't sound nice. It felt filthy on his tongue. Addy wasn't some nice woman. Thomas wouldn't love Thomas Jr. if he came from her womb. Not even if T.J. had the reddest hair, or the pointiest elbows, or the freckliest face. Thomas wouldn't love him, not even if he was Owen's child. He wanted to slam the phone, but couldn't move his arms. When Thomas was really mad, he didn't move, at all. His eyes didn't blink; he just stared angrily ahead. Other than Caryln, he had never disliked someone so violently.

[Waddle]

Owen's heart dropped as he saw the disappointment on Tomo's face and heard it in his voice. "No, no, no, mate!" he exclaimed quickly. He gestured dismissively. "Don't mind me, oh, come on!" He smiled encouragingly up at the tall Russian. He wondered, not for the first time, how the man had gotten so tall. He was a full foot taller than Owen. Owen had never thought of himself as 'short'. A lot of men he knew were his age, some even shorter. Still, it would have been nice if he was maybe a couple inches taller. He would never want to be as tall as Tomo, though. It seemed like a curse - towering over everyone else. Did Tomo ever get a crick in his neck from having to look down at everyone else? What about when he kissed a woman? Did he squat down or simply pick her up in his arms? He was certainly strong enough to do so. A woman, and a horse. Maybe an anvil at that, too. Then he started having a mental competition of how heavy a load Tomo could carry.

Owen put a hand on Tomo's shoulder and started to guide him toward the steps down into the lobby. "Please show me," he practically begged. "I wanna know!! Why were you so excited? Was it really a meth lab? What about a room full of disemboweled bodies?" He was almost skipping excitedly down the steps. "No, no, no, let me guess! It was a skeleton! It came to life and tap-danced for ya! Then it said to get a friend or two so it could preform for us! Or a green pony!" He chuckled a chuckle that was more of a giggle. But he didn't like to think of it as a giggle. It was just a high-pitched chuckle. "How'd it get green?" he asked when he stopped chuckling. "Can't've been painted, too easy. It... it ate butterflies and pooped out rainbows!!" He threw his head back and laughed.