Chapter 15

"Does he always look that serious?" Leo asked close to Newt's ear as they stepped into the visiting room.

"It's the eyebrows," Newt replied.

Robin did indeed look serious with his straight black eyebrows. His brown eyes looked Newt over before he opened his arms for a hug.

Newt accepted, then got engulfed by Stone's arms in a bear hug. Stone didn't look as gaunt, and the bags beneath his eyes weren't as deep compared to the first few times he'd visited Newt in Brixton.

Leo took a seat at the table next to them. He shook hands with both Mickey and Aaron.

"How…how is it?" Robin asked. His eyes darted, and he gestured to the room.

"It's…" Newt frowned. "It's okay. I miss you guys, Triton, and the bakery, but I've been lucky." He thought of Leo. "So lucky."

Stone leaned over the table. "Don't let your guard down."

"I won't." Newt looked pointedly at Robin. "How's Stone been?"

Stone's brow folded. "I am sitting right here."

"But you'd tell me you've been fine, Robin will tell me the truth."

"Worried, as always," Robin said, matching Stone's glare with his own.

"I'm doing okay," Newt said. "I promise."

Robin scrunched his face. "I actually meant worried about Mickey currently."

Mickey's head swivelled in their direction. "I heard my name."

"Why's Stone worried about Mickey?" Newt asked.

"Again…" Stone raised a finger. "I am sitting right here."

Mickey outdid his brother and held up his hand. "I am also sitting here."

Robin ignored them. "Mickey's fight is next week," he replied. "He's on edge about it already."

Stone folded his arms. "Last time the building we were in exploded. I have a right to be ‘on edge'."

"You should see the first aid kit he carts around now…" Robin shook his head.

"You can never be too careful."

"The first aid kit, the weight and contents, are a health risk, Stone."

"It's fine."

"The fight is at Cayden's gym," Mickey said. "Only a small crowd."

Stone shot him a look. "Still worried."

Mickey hummed. "I'm going to get that put on your gravestone."

"Gravestone," Aaron gasped. He turned to Leo with wide eyes. "Did you watch the flash forward?"

Leo's eyes matched Aaron's. "Holy shit, who's in the body bag?"

"Who's getting married?" Aaron asked back.

"And Cindy."

"Not Cindy," Aaron replied in the same shocked tone Leo had used when the episode aired.

Newt laughed into the back of his hand. Leo leaned over to poke him in the ribs. Newt squirmed to get out of his reach. Stone watched the interaction with a strange frown.

"The Street is great," Aaron said. "And Cindy deserves a break."

"She's getting one." Mickey shrugged. "A break in her neck."

Aaron pursed his lips. "There's no way she's in that grave."

Leo crowded closer to Aaron. "I agree, but why is she faking her death, and who's in the body bag?"

Aaron scratched the top of his head. "I'm hoping it's Tony."

"I'll fucking cheer if it's Tony."

Mickey flung his head back and groaned to the ceiling. He raised his hand and asked the room, "Does anyone want to swap places?"

Everyone laughed, accept one prisoner in the corner of the room with his mum. Shaw glanced over, irritation apparent in his scowl. His jaw flexed, and he glared at the back of Stone's head, then Mickey's head, then his eyes met Newt's.

Shaw looked away.

"It's like sitting with a load of grandmas." Mickey huffed. "All you need is some knitting needles…and some sprigs of lavender on the side."

The rest of the visit, Stone and Robin filled Newt in on everything going on the outside while Aaron and Leo speculated over The Street and theories of what might happen to Cindy. They were animated and speaking in fast whispers.

Mickey had his head in his hands, sobbing that his boyfriend was a nerd.

He looked relieved when Jenkins announced it was time to go. Robin, Stone and Mickey hugged Newt goodbye. Aaron shook his hand with a small smile.

Then he and Leo were leaving one way, and his brothers were leaving the other. Shaw knocked his shoulder into Stone's as he passed and waited in the queue to go back onto the wing behind Newt.

Newt opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Shaw got their first.

"It's best to stay away from me right now."

It hurt. More than Newt had thought it would. He didn't hide it from his expression, but Shaw didn't react. He stared straight ahead as the door opened.

Back on the wing, Shaw went straight to his cell and slammed the door shut.

"What happened?" Riley asked as he came up behind Newt and Leo.

"He saw me with my brothers…messing around, having fun."

"Ah." Riley stood at Newt's side. "I'll go check?—"

"Riley," Jenkins snapped. "The governor wants to speak to you."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Shit," Riley hissed under his breath before joining Jenkins at the gate.

Newt took a step towards the stairs.

"Give him some space," Leo said softly.

"I didn't mean to…rub salt in a wound."

"You didn't, and he knows that. Come on." He gestured towards their usual table. Thomas and Scott were sat waiting. "Let's play a few games."

Thomas had his hand over a box of cards.

"Okay," Newt breathed.

When Newt first arrived at Brixton, his card game knowledge was limited to Snap. Six months on, he regularly played Rummy, Knock out Whist, Sevens, Spoons, and Bull's favourite?—"

"Bullshit!" Bull called out.

He'd pulled a chair up to their table and joined in after the first game of Knock out Whist, but he came alive when playing Bullshit, stamping his foot to the floor and jeering at the other players.

Shaw's door opened. Newt tried not to stare as he left his cell and trudged down the steps to the ground floor. He didn't look Newt's way, but he did pass by close enough to grip Newt's shoulder and give him a gentle squeeze.

The universe held its breath.

Which was implausible, but it still happened.

That one reassuring touch brought a sting to Newt's eyes.

It righted something that had been knocked out of alignment.

It said Shaw was dealing with some shit, but he didn't blame Newt. It let him know they were okay, and despite whatever emotions seeing Newt with his brothers had spawned, Shaw was still there for Newt.

And as Shaw went to join Riley at the gate, Newt realised something profound.

Something that warped the prison around him and flipped reality on its head.

He didn't have one family anymore; he had two.

Leo nudged his foot. "Your turn, Newt."

Bull, Scott and Thomas were all waiting on him.

He blinked back the tears in his eyes and looked at his cards.

* * *

It shouldn't have been a comfort to hear the key turn the lock in the door. But returning to the cell at night had a slither of the same feeling as going home and putting your feet up on the outside. Leo's bodyguard stance relaxed the second he heard it, and he quickly boiled the kettle to make tea before The Street started.

Newt slipped out of his trainers but doubled up on his socks. It didn't matter that it was late August and it was scorching hot outside, the floor of the cell was always icy. He clambered onto Leo's bed and threw Leo's duvet over his shoulders as he waited.

"What did you think of Aaron?" Newt asked.

Leo tapped the teaspoon on the side of his mug. "He had some good theories about Cindy."

Newt wiped his mouth to hide his smirk.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Saw that."

"You're obsessed with her."

As soon as the words left Newt's lips, he stiffened. Leo was obsessed with Cindy from The Street.

"I'm not obsessed with her," Leo scoffed. He passed Newt his mug. "I just…"

"Think she's sexy?"

It was so obvious, yet Newt hadn't realised, and Cindy was pretty with her long legs, heart-shaped face, long blonde hair and blue eyes. The other characters on the show all lusted after her, and Newt had even seen the actress's poster pinned to a cell wall he'd walked by.

Leo sat down beside Newt on the bed. He hadn't answered.

"Do you?" Newt asked.

Leo turned to him. "Do I what?"

"Think she's sexy?"

"She's an attractive woman."

Newt was attracted to Leo, but Leo was attracted to Cindy from The Street. He couldn't be more different from Cindy if he tried, but the main difference, Cindy was a woman, and Newt was not, and it was such an obvious thing Newt's mind had decided to skip and dance over.

Leo gestured to the off TV. "But she and the street she lives on are fictional."

"But the actress isn't." Newt cupped his mug in both hands. "Is she your…type?"

Newt had heard that sentence a lot on the dating and reality shows they watched when there was nothing else. He'd also learned the meaning of ‘ick', ‘shoot your shot', ‘pied' and ‘a sort'.

At that moment, Newt felt ‘chived' aka annoyed, not that he could justify why. It was his own fault for thinking sleeping on Leo's bed pressed against his chest meant something. It was stupid for him to crave small touches and like the weight of Leo's hand or arm on his body. He even cursed himself for counting the number of hugs they'd shared—three in total—because who the hell counted hugs.

Desperate, stupid people, who didn't understand attraction, or relationships, or anything, a tiny voice in Newt's head replied.

"I don't have a type," Leo said slowly.

"If I told you she killed puppies, would you still think she was attractive?"

"What?" Leo recoiled. "No. Of course not."

"Good."

"Who the hell would answer yes to that question?"

Newt shrugged. "I don't know. Not a nice person."

"Am I not a nice person?" Leo asked, knocking his shoulder into Newt's. Usually all the fizzly bits inside Newt exploded when they touched, but nothing happened.

"You are." He swallowed. "If I told you she adopts abandoned puppies, nurses them back to health and lets them all sleep on her bed, would you think she's more attractive?"

"I don't know." Leo laughed. "Probably."

"I see."

"Do you?" Leo asked. "Because I sure as hell don't."

Newt leaned forward to turn on the TV. The intro credits for The Street began to run. Newt tried his hardest not to snarl when Cindy appeared on screen, but his face must've twisted into something ugly because Leo stared at him with one of his eyebrows hiked up his forehead.

"What?" Newt asked.

"Want to tell me what's going on?"

"No."

"Newt…"

"I'm working stuff out," he said before slipping one hand under the neck of his T-shirt and finding his pendant. He squeezed it as he exhaled, and the anger dissipated completely until Cindy appeared on screen in black lacy lingerie and attempted to seduce Tony's twin brother, Dom.

Leo's watch buzzed after fifteen minutes, and he began to drink his tea. Newt couldn't stomach his. Cindy caught Dom around the neck with a feathered scarf she had seemingly pulled from her arse and yanked him into a wet smooch.

"Yes! Go Cindy," Leo cheered.

Dom's hands roamed and squeezed every bare bit of skin, then the end credits cut their rutting fest and rolled up the screen. Newt's cheeks burnt with embarrassment, both from what he'd witnessed on screen and from Leo's obvious enjoyment of it.

Andfrom humiliation too.

Just because his stomach had been tingling and his heart racing whenever Leo was near, which was a lot, didn't mean any feelings were mutual, and Scott had warned him.

Newt shot off the bed and emptied his mug in the sink. He reached back without looking for Leo's mug and he handed it over wordlessly.

"I was not expecting that," Leo said. "Cindy's a little minx."

Newt would never describe himself as a minx. More like a mouse. A ginger mouse.

Newt washed the mugs up in the sink multiple times. It was hard to avoid Leo when they'd been locked in a three-by-two-metre room.

He tensed at Leo's eyes on his back. "I think if you keep scrubbing, you'll discolour the plastic."

Newt moved on to drying the mugs.

Leo watched. "And if you rub them any harder, you might start a fire. Is…is something wrong?"

"Does marriage mean nothing to you?"

Newt had willed his brain to think of something to say to cover his stupidity and inwardly congratulated himself on the accusation he threw Leo's way.

Leo's eyebrows shot up his head. "Erm. Yeah?—"

"She just cheated on her husband…with his brother."

"Tony cheated on her multiple times?—"

"So that makes it all right then."

Leo laughed but soon stopped at Newt's glare. "Wait. Are you serious? Are we actually having an argument about this?"

"I think we are," Newt replied, aggressively putting the cups away on their desk.

Leo shook his head. "I'm so confused."

"I can't believe you think she's attractive."

"I said she was an attractive woman."

"You were practically salivating over her—" Newt bit down on his tongue, silencing himself. It was his fault he was upset, not Leo's or Cindy's but his, and whatever the hell he was experiencing for the first time.

"Look, I was happy that Cindy finally told Dom how she felt. They were childhood sweethearts, and her marrying Tony was all a misunderstanding after Dom got locked in the boot of a car after getting into debt with Warren. Cindy thought he'd run off with Debbie, her maid of honour at her previous wedding?—"

Newt whirled around to face him. "What?"

"The whole storyline started nine years ago?—"

"Well, nine years ago I was still locked up in some facility, so I didn't have a chance to watch Cindy, Tony or Dom."

It was a low blow. Newt knew it was, but it still came out. He spun away and gripped the side of the sink as he breathed.

"I don't support Cindy breaking her marriage vows, Newt. I don't think that's attractive, but she's a good person and Tony's put her through shit and she deserves a bit of happiness." Leo squeezed his temples. "I can't believe we're arguing about this."

"What do you find attractive?" Newt shifted until he could see Leo on the bottom bunk from the mirror. "In real life."

"I don't know. Not cheaters. I'm attracted to kind hearts, and when I dated, I was always searching for a feeling."

"A feeling? What kind of feeling?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know because I never found it. But I guess, a feeling that I'm supposed to be with a person, and they're supposed to be with me."

"Stone once said he knew Robin was the one after walking in on him straining on the toilet and still finding him attractive."

Leo's sudden bark of laughter made Newt jump.

"Stone said that?"

"He was rather drunk."

"I'll make sure to mention it when I next see him." Leo snorted. "When it comes to my exes, it was them doing the dumping. I didn't get far enough into the relationship to walk in on them using the bathroom."

"They dumped you?"

"Uh-huh, I'm not a good romantic prospect considering my condition, but that wasn't the only reason things didn't work out. Some said I was too boring."

"Boring?" Newt spun around. "You're not boring."

Leo smirked. "It's easy to say that when you're stuck in here with me, Newt, and there's nothing to do, but this"—he waved a hand towards the TV, then the kettle—"is me in a nutshell. A bore, and I've also been told I'm too vanilla."

"What's wrong with vanilla?"

Leo frowned. "A lot of women expect more than vanilla, and infrequent vanilla at that."

"Vanilla is my favourite flavour. Our Victoria sponge cupcake outsells every other cupcake. Sure, it's got jam and cream, but without the vanilla, it would be just jam and cream."

"I don't think we're talking about the same thing. The point is, I don't have a type because I'm not anyone else's type, not when they experience the real me for any length of time. Compatibility is the key to a relationship, and for that reason, I haven't dated in seven years." He gestured to the TV. "Cindy and Tony have never been compatible, but Cindy and Dom are. That's why I was happy for her. I don't like the idea of marriage vows being broken or wish I was in Dom's place, I'm just happy they got together, no matter how fleeting it'll be in soap land."

"You're on the side of compatibility? You find that attractive?"

"Yes, Newt, I guess so." Leo smiled. "This concludes one of the weirdest conversations of my life."

Newt rejoined him on the bed. He slumped. "Weirdest conversation of your life so far."