mostlyajerk | coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine

"They're still pretending to be okay with the gay thing when they're really, really not? Sounds fun."

Honestly, it sounds like hell on Earth but whatever. Axel leaned back, cleaning his nails slowly as he considered how lonely Hartley must be. He never seemed to have friends, he didn't get on with his family - besides his rats, who did he really have? "You should bring a boyfriend to dinner and scare them."

Heh. He smiled and looked back up at Hartley. "Bring me, if I ever get out of this shithole again."

"I'm not really the boyfriend type." Not that it wouldn't be fun in a very awful way to do that to his parents and force them to make small talk through it. "Last time I just started singing musical songs to make them uncomfortable, it really was fun. I guess you'd fit right in."

Obviously it wasn't something that could ever happened, but Hartley smiled anyway. It was hilarious just to imagine. "If only you weren't white, you'd combine everything they fear most."

"Damn it! So close. Dude, I can make up for it. I'll come in all leather and be so over the top gay, more gay than I am. Which you'd think is impossible but I've seen some things here." Got some new tips from a drag queen who got arrested for dealing drugs. And he always knew how to dial it up. Axel was not like Hartley, he could never pretend or fly under the radar.

He was gay, out loud and proud, anyone who looked at him knew. There was no way to cover it up or pretend otherwise so he'd just embraced it. Even if it had been rocky. "I'll flirt with your dad. Call him daddy."

Hartley shuddered just imagining that, although he didn't stop smirking either. "You know that I've never even called my father dad? It's either 'father' or his first name, so. I'd actually pay you to do that." Well. "I have roughly ten dollar to my name right now, but you could get two fifty." He needed some money to feed the rats, after all.

"You should just come in drag. I bet you could pull it off. You have the eyelashes for it."

"To scare a homophobia and pretend to date a handsome boy? I'd do that for free." That was all he was going to be thinking about for a long time now. Different ways to scare those assholes, pretending that he and Hartley were together, pretending to hold hands and kiss and -- Axel giggled and tried to push on with the talk and not think about what he'd never have.

"I would pull off drag. I used to dress as a girl when I was little. I went a few times and everyone called me young lady." So there. He had references. "You've got to let me do this some day. As payment, I get to hold the ratties!"

"Sure, I'll let you hold them. It's pretty rare to find men that aren't scared to hold them, actually." Made it sound as if he'd tried with more guys than he actually had, but that was just as well. He didn't have to come across as a pathetic hermit, even if he very clearly was one. "I guess showing pictures of my rat babies might not be the best way to find someone to go home with."

Shame. How else was he supposed to find his soulmate?

"But, see, knowing you, you'll already get yourself locked up before we have time to send an invite to my parents. Such a shame, otherwise I'd do it."

"Oh my God, you have rat baby pictures? Show me, show me, show me!"

Axel made an excited noise and almost climbed up the little ledge the tables had to get closer to the window to see the pictures Hartley didn't have out better. The guard yelled out his prisoner number and gestured for him to sit his ass back down. Which he did. Not before sticking his tongue out.

"Okay, here's my deal. You should me rat babies and when I next break out, we make dinner plans, we have dinner before I split. Oh. And I get to hold the rats. Deal?" Because he really, really wanted to hold some rats.

"Only if you kill no one, Axel. I mean it. No murder, that's the rule." Still, Hartley took out some of the Polaroid pictures he had in his jacket. Obviously he couldn't have his phone in here, but he had a Polaroid camera that he'd gotten somewhere for cheap and, well. Taking pictures of his rats was as good a way to decorate his place as any. He held the pictures up against the glass. "That's Echo. She's the smartest. She comes with me usually, but they'd not let her in here. And that's Rathaniel."

"Okay, no killing. For the rats."

He grinned excitedly as he leaned himself right up against the glass, staying as much in his seat as he could, pretending to pet the rats whenever a picture was held up. "Echo looks so smart, like a little genius. Speaking of genius, Rathaniel? Nice." Hartley had the best taste in naming. "He looks lazy."

"He really is. I don't even have pictures of the others, because they don't pose, but Rathaniel just takes a nap right where he is at any given moment, so he's easy to catch." Hartley smiled at the pictures briefly and then frowned as he put them away. "I can give them to the guards so you get them, the pictures. Not exactly the dick pic you'd really want, I guess, but hey. Rats."

Whose prison stay wouldn't be brightened by rats?

"That'd be awesome! I got like no pictures on my wall." It was for loved ones, partners or jacking off material and he had none of that. And if he put handsome boys up, he'd go back to being 'that faggot' and that was not a place he wanted to back to. He was very happy being ignored in his own little happy world, soon to have a cell with rats from his -- his-- his Hartley.

Ha. He had someone. "I can't wait. I'll show Allen, maybe he'll finally talk to me." Someone his age really should, he's bored out of his skull.

"Now you'll have rats." And nothing was better than rats. Hartley checked his watch quickly and smiled at Axel again. "I'll have to go soon. But I'll try to come by again next week." Was that weird? Whatever. Axel had no one. He had no one. If he had made Axel happy just by seeing him, that was more than most people felt about his presence, other than the lady who owned the Thai place near him. "If you want me to, anyway."

"Yes! Please, God, please come back." Axel didn't care if he looked desperate because he was lonely, bored and very happy to climb in closer again and hold up his hands, clasped together like he's begging. Which he kind of is. "I'm so bored, Hartley. So, so bored. Come back and I'll make it worth your time. I'll tell you a funny story, no murders involved at all. I'll tell you about my junior prom? It's a good one, I went to the wrong school by accident." Spoiler alert: he was high as fuck. "Still got voted as prom king."

"Now, that's a lie, Axel. You'd be prom queen, any day." Hartley shook his head a little, but his smile didn't falter. It was nice, really, someone being so eager to see specifically him. Obviously Axel just wasn't spoiled for choice, but still. He might be an out of his mind, dangerous criminal and convict, but he liked him for him. That was something. "Is there anything you want me to bring you? Within the realm of possible and legal."

"I wanted to be but that school was so hetero." Axel smirked and then waved his hand in dismissal cause whatever, he's a big boy now. He practically vibrated at the idea of being brought something from the outside world and so many ideas ran through his head, most of them not legal or possible. "Pop rocks?" He really, really missed pop rocks. "And maybe gum? I can't get gum at the prison store, it's so annoying. Not the good kind. It's all mint. Mint sucks."

"Pop rocks and gum. I'll see what I can find." At least that was within his budget and didn't interfere with his ethics. Hartley waved to Axel and then hung up the phone, just in time for when they were all supposed to leave. He got up and turned around and decided against looking back. Seemed cooler.

coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine

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