Epilogue

Christmas

They didn't toothpaste a Christmas tree onto the wall. Leo got a real tree to go in the bedroom, and they decorated it with baubles and tinsel. Of course, Triton assumed the tree was a present for him and spent most of his day batting baubles, tangling himself up, then crying quite pathetically for help.

Leo had been home for ten months, and although living in the house with Stone, Robin and Mickey was an adjustment, he settled quickly and endured Stone's weekly health checks.

Riley had gifted Leo the watch on his release, and he still used the preset timers, not complaining when the beeping on his wrist demanded he go to the toilet, even if that meant he had to miss a few minutes of The Street.

Once Aaron put his and Leo's Cindy story online, it quickly became popular, and they decided to write their own original content with the fans they'd gathered.

When they published their first book only the month before, Newt had filled Mickey's bedroom with paperbacks up to the ceiling in revenge for the library stunt in Brixton.

Newt still worked as the face of Stud Muffins alongside Robin. Mickey and Stone ran the back-room business, and Jude was accepted back into the police without any issues.

"Hey…" Leo said from the doorway.

Newt looked up from where he sat on his bed, Christmas card in his hand. "Sorry… It's loud."

They had a full house with Luck, Hope, Aaron, Sophia, Bagel, Darren and Emma there for Christmas as well as his brothers and Robin.

Leo sat down on their bed and looked at the card Newt held. Scott had sent it and attached a polaroid of himself, Thomas, Shaw, Bull and Riley.

"A few more months and he's out," Leo said, pointing at Scott.

Newt added, "And Thomas too."

Newt grabbed the tube of toothpaste he kept by the bed and used it to stick the photograph to the wall.

Leo snorted. "We do have blue tack, you know."

"But this is authentic," Newt replied, taking a deep breath of mint.

Leo pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. They'd shared many, many kisses over the last ten months. Pecks, presses, lingering touches, tongue kisses, heated smooches that left Leo gasping and Newt feeling smug. Those were few, but they all had their place.

Newt went in for a second kiss, but Leo held him back.

"Your brother is acting weird."

Newt blinked. "Which one?"

Leo bit his lip. "Well…all of them, if I'm honest. Stone's fidgeting, Jude's acting slightly manic, and Mickey's quiet."

"That sounds…worrying."

Leo nodded. "Is this a normal Christmas thing?"

"No," Newt said, getting to his feet. He stretched, clicking out his back.

Leo knotted their fingers together and led Newt back to the living room. Stone was indeed fidgeting, and pacing. Jude darted around the room, collecting glasses to clean, only to place them down again in a different location, and Mickey stood in the corner, clutching his chin and avoiding all eye contact.

Robin, Luck and Aaron were all on high alert, exchanging looks, and the room would've descended into awkward silence, had it not been for Emma, Darren, Bagel, Sophia and Hope who were chatting away.

"What's going on?" Newt asked, forcing a silence on the room anyway.

Stone, Jude and Mickey all answered ‘nothing' at the exact same moment.

"I must wash these glasses. They're filthy," Jude said, darting in Newt's direction, but Newt blocked the door, or more actually, Leo blocked the doorway by standing behind Newt.

Leo had his arms loosely around Newt's middle, and his chin rested on the top of Newt's ginger hair.

Newt looked at each of his brothers. "Is it the same thing or different things that has you all acting weird?"

"We're not acting weird," Stone scoffed.

Robin's serious eyebrows flatlined. "Yes, you are."

"We're not," Mickey said, folding his arms.

Aaron evil-eyed him. "You definitely are."

"I really must wash these glasses," Jude said, taking a step towards Newt.

Newt didn't move, and neither did his bodyguard/boyfriend at his back.

"They're clean," Luck said, exasperated, taking the champagne flutes from Jude's hands.

Newt turned to Mickey. "You…"

Mickey squeaked. "Yeah?"

"You go first," Newt demanded, raising his eyebrow.

Mickey's face contorted, like he was about to protest, then he sighed. "I guess I am the least cowardly of the three of us."

"Hey," Stone and Jude both snapped.

"I… erm," Mickey scratched the back of his head. He looked at Aaron, nodding, then raised his gaze to Stone. "So…Aaron asked me a few weeks ago if…if I'd like to move in with him. I told him I needed to think about it, but that was a lie, I just didn't want to seem too keen, but yeah." He shot Aaron a smile. "I'd love to move in with you." He winced in Stone's direction. "If that's…"

"Are you asking my permission?" Stone asked, cocking his head.

"Not your permission as such, but…you brought us all back together." He glanced at the ceiling. "This is…home. You made it a home."

Stone took a step closer to Mickey. "It'll always be your home."

"Besides…" Newt whispered. He squeezed Leo's arm. "Home is where your heart is."

"Sappy bastard." Mickey snorted.

"Really?" Aaron gasped.

Mickey nodded. "Really. Although, there needs to be some negotiations over who gets the window side of the bed."

Aaron grinned. "That's my side."

"As I said, negotiations."

Aaron chuckled and pressed a kiss to Mickey's lips. Mickey wrapped him up in a hug and lifted him off the floor.

Newt sighed. Leo kissed the top of his hair.

One down.

"Your turn." Newt pointed a finger at Jude.

Jude jumped. "Me?"

"Yep. You're sweating, not as much as Stone, but you're sweating."

Jude wiped the back of his hand across his brow. "Okay." He slumped.

Luck pressed against his side, wide-eyed. "What is it, Cowlick?"

"I've…been thinking," Jude whispered.

"I bet that's taxing," Mickey mumbled.

Aaron lightly elbowed him in the side.

Jude took a deep breath, then looked at Stone. "I was wondering if…if I could…"

"Could what?" Stone asked, growing more alarmed by the second.

Mickey opened his mouth, about to interrupt again, but Jude forced his words out, and they hung between them.

"Go by our name again."

Mickey's mouth shut with a click of teeth just as Stone's dropped open.

"Briggs," Jude clarified. "It's not his name, it's yours. I want it because it's yours." He turned to Newt. "And yours." Then he looked at Mickey. "And begrudgingly, yours too."

"You…want to be Jude Briggs again?" Stone sounded breathless.

"Yeah. If that's…if that's okay with you."

"Jesus, Jude." Stone wiped his wet eyes. "Of course it's okay, it's more than okay."

He crossed the room, grabbed Jude by the shoulder and yanked him into a hug.

"What about your job?" Mickey asked.

Jude had his chin hooked on Stone's shoulder. "They already know I'm best friends with Hope Milligan and that Luck Milligan is my boyfriend after he marched into the station with a dozen red roses and asked for me…so what if they find out I'm actually a Briggs brother too?"

Luck folded his arms. "I would've preferred it changing to Milligan personally…"

Hope climbed up from the sofa to slap her brother's arm. "Behave."

"I don't think any of us could cope with a proposal tonight." Robin laughed.

Stone stiffened in his hug with Jude. He pulled away, red-faced and wide-eyed.

"Oh boy," Mickey muttered.

"What?" Robin asked.

Stone turned to face him, and although Newt couldn't see Stone's face from his position, he could see Robin growing redder by the second. His lips kept parting, then sealing again, until he blurted out, "What?"

"Erm." Stone cleared his throat. "Can we…talk in the kitchen for a minute?"

Newt side-stepped out of the doorway with Leo glued to his back. Stone took Robin by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen. The door latched.

Bagel broke the silence by growling at Mickey, who narrowed his eyes and dropped into a crouch. "Joke's on you, buddy. I'm not going to shit myself again."

"Language!" Aaron and Emma both yelled in Mickey's direction.

Stone and Robin returned a few minutes later, Stone beaming and Robin looking slightly dazed with kiss-swollen lips and a ring on his finger.

"He said yes," Stone told them.

Mickey snorted. "Good job too, or it would've been awkward as hell."

Newt smiled in relief, leaning back against Leo, who, in turn, leaned against the wall. Everyone congratulated Stone and Robin. Jude hurried to get more champagne flutes. Mickey squeezed Aaron in a hug and whispered what Newt assumed were dirty negotiations in his ear.

"Okay?" Leo asked.

Newt nodded and reached his hand towards Leo's neck. He ran his fingers along the chain that he knew would be there before tugging out the pendant and squeezing Neptune in his palm.

Leo kissed the top of Newt's head, and Newt shut his eyes.

"More than okay," he whispered. "It's home."

The end.