Thread: The War Zone [Assficianado & YellowSmoke]

After she had settled down on his bed, Tom returned to his magazine, but after reading the same passage four or five times, he gave it up and settled for looking at the pictures scattered throughout the magazine. Glancing at her, he saw Lara look at him for a moment before turning her attention to his wallto his blank, painted wall. Surreptitiously watching as she drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, Tom thought she resembled a cocoon. From the corner of his eye, all he could see was her light colored blouseand her hair. As the lamp was on her side, the light illuminated her golden blonde hair and made it glow, each strand resembling the little hairs that one saw in a cocoonand Tom thought his vision wholly appropriate. Tom knew Lara was trying, just as he was trying, to reach out to their father, to help support him so he could remain the bedrock on which their family rested, but it wasnt workingthe bedrock was crumbling, undermined by an insidious flow of whiskey. Instead of reaching out for his children, he had resorted to reaching for the bottle, and try as they might, Tom and Lara couldnt quite do it by themselves. They werent exactly children, but they werent adults, either, even though Tom fancied himself a fully grown manand physically, he almost was. At 63 and 215, he was solid muscle, but he was on the thin side. His body had been shaped by countless hours in the pool, so even though his muscles corded and flexed whenever he exerted himself, he usually looked like any other boyif that boy had a broad, muscular chest, narrow hips, and a tight butt. He also had quite a large penis, although he never really compared it to any of the other guys. It was very thick, and when it got hard it was almost seven inches long. To Toms chagrin, this happened quite often, and usually there was no warning, but it, like everything else, was something he was learning to deal with. With his short, sandy blonde hair, bluish-green eyes, and pale skin flecked with faint freckles, people often told him that he looked just like his sister. Lord, no. Shes beautiful, and Im just a lunk! hed laughingly say when told this, but he sort of believed it. He knew he wasnt unattractive , but he saw so much beauty in Lara that it found it laughable when people compared thembut in truth, they looked very much like one another, and they were both very attractive but this isnt fair. Tom loved his father. He had always loved his father, and he loved him now...but he was becoming angry with him, too. Tom fancied himself a man, but he knew his father was the man of the family, and rightly sobut Tom felt that he was ignoring his responsibilities. He felt sad for his father, just as he felt sad for Lara, but he also felt that his father needed to rise above his pain and take care of his remaining children. Not meI can fend for myself, but Lara. It hurts her to see Dad drunk every night, and it scares her to see him raging and cryingand it shouldnt be this way. Mom is almost goneand grandma is goneand my little brother is gone. But Lara is still here, and so am I. She needs her daddy, not some drunken sot who frightens her every night. Yes,Tom loved his father, and even through his own grief he had the capacity to ache for his fathers lossbut his anger was growing day by day. He loved his father, but he loved Lara far more. Their fathers drunkenness was only adding to the grief that Lara already carried on her small shoulders, and it hurt Tom to see his sister taking care of their fathertheir drunken father who was slipping into abusive behavior. Tom could handle the rants and curses, but seeing the look in Lara's eyes when their father cursed at her was breaking his heart. He should be tucking her in at night and telling her that all will be well. Well, if he wont, I will. The thought of Lara putting a blanket over their father before coming in to see him for some quiet solace made his anger flare, and he tossed the magazine onto the floor. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, Tom pulled her over until her head rested on his bare chest. He wrapped his other arm around her and, with his face buried in her flowing hair, said Its not okay, Lara. I know its notbut it will be. Trust meit will be. I promise you. Tom kissed her head and leaned back against the pillows as held her tight. In his young mind he thought he was comforting his sister, but the truth was that merely holding her and smelling her scent reassured him that things really would be okay againsometime.