Barry entered the lunch room with Axel, joining the line and picking up two trays, offering one to a clearly fed up Axel who seemed just entirely done with Barry. It wasn't a shock. Barry was constantly making mistakes, being an idiot, getting himself in the firing line and Snart's protection only extended so far. Axel was pretty much keeping an eye on him and keeping him alive at this point. Also trying to make sure Snart didn't kick his ass for failing him.
Barry loaded up his tray with as much food as he could get, waiting politely for Axel to finish and gesturing for him to come with him. A dodgy move given Hartley was there but eh, he'd chance it.
The two sat down and Barry grinned. God, he grinned. It was painful. "Hey guys."
Hartley moved over more than he strictly needed to to make space for Barry and Axel, which meant he wasn't too close to him. So, yes, he was salty and he wouldn't just get over it, but whatever. They had had something and now they had nothing. He had nothing. He didn't want to pretend that it didn't bother him, he wasn't that good an actor. Looking at Barry he mostly just arched his eyebrows.
Mick grunted, Leonard had just a bit of a smile as he watched Barry grin. Ray of sunshine, this damn puppy couldn't be for real. "Hey. Sleep well?"
Yes, apparently he was going to make conversation with the kid.
"Mostly. I slept pretty solid until like two am or something when the guys next door to us started to fight. Then me and Axel just talked until I got tired." Judging from the look on Axel's face, no, he didn't want to talk and no, it had not been a fun experience. Mostly just talking about aliens, the potential existence of a yeti and, weirdly, if he knew where to get vertigo. The kid was a druggie. Made a lot of sense.
"Oh it was magical, like a sleepover." Axel rolled his eyes and shuffled closer to Hartley, grinning playfully. "Morning handsome. It's rude to give the cold shoulder to me. And Barry, he's new."
"Hey." Barry greeted, smiling at Hartley. "Nice to meet you."
"...morning." No, Hartley was not a morning person and the looming threat of having Axel all over him really wasn't helping matters. He took a sip from his coffee, while Leonard was watching. Mostly Barry, because he was fairly sure that there was something to him. Something interesting.
"What did you talk about? Maybe I need you around. I can never fall asleep." Leonard finally drank his tea and Mick snorted, clearly not anticipating an actual cellmate exchange. He might have said something, but he was busy eating.
"Oh. Well. I was just telling Axel about Allagash Waterway Abduction. It's fascinating. Have you ever heard of it? Basically these four guys are on a boat and--"
"They get their asses probed by aliens. End of story." Axel was not listening to this again. Instead, he slid away from Barry and closer to Hartley. Not touching, he just had to be away from crazy boy.
"Well, no, that's not really the ... okay, well, that's fine. Doesn't matter." Barry was a little dejected his story was interrupted but he supposed he could explain it later if Leonard was actually interested. He smiled at Leonard and shrugged his shoulders somewhat. "I don't like sleeping here much, the beds aren't very good and there's not much light, it's kind of creepy."
This kid just couldn't be for real. Telling conspiracy theory stories and honestly talking about what sleeping here was like. What was he expecting. "Don't say that around people, Barry, they'll offer you company."
Hartley pretended Axel wasn't there, because the alternative was either to storm off or to touch him and neither of those were good ideas. Better to just listen to Leonard actually showing interest in someone. It was fascinating in a very disturbing way.
"You're scared of the dark? Not much to do about that, I'm afraid." Not as if they could just get a nightlight.
"Yeah, I kind of figured. Three guys offered to cuddle me just this morning." They didn't offer to cuddle, that was just what Barry thought they offered and it was obvious by how Axel was barely fighting off laughter. What a dork. "It's not so bad though, I mean you expect this when you get sent to jail. I fucked up, now I get a crappy mattress and an itchy blanket. Don't know why it's even itchy, fabric softener isn't that expensive."
He thought that was a valid point. Barry took a drink from his coffee, pale and loaded with sugar, looking at Len with amusement. "I learned to cope. There's a certain age when having a super cool nightlight with stars becomes less badass and more dorky. I guess the little light that comes through the bars is okay."
God, was he talking about having a nightlight? This kid was a mess. Axel rolled his eyes and turned his head to Hartley, a mock pout on his face. "You never offer to cuddle me any more."
"Unless you want to get your ass probed, you probably shouldn't accept cuddle offers." This kid couldn't be for real. How did he even end up here? Actually, Leonard was beginning to wonder whether he didn't have some mental issues, because there was naivety and then there was whatever this was. "They don't want you to be comfortable. Punishment and all that. You're lucky you have a blanket, most guys like you would have to earn it. Axel's taking it easy on you. Good for him."
Leonard had stated he'd look out for this kid and he meant it. Meanwhile Hartley actually looked at Axel, expression unreadable. Whenever he actually said anything, Axel just made sure to mock him for caring at all, so what was he supposed to do?
"The guy who had your bed before made me earn mine. Three months and a lot of dick later, I got it. I didn't get the actual bed, I had to sleep on the floor." Axel was as blunt as he always was, his eyes still on Hartley. Oh Max, what a prick Max was. The one who wanted him to get rid of Hartley. Mission accomplished. "Well, I guess he wasn't the one who had your bed before technically. The one who had your bed before hung himself because he was gang raped in the work yard."
Barry looked at Axel in horror, his eyes wide because Christ, that was awful. How the hell did anyone get away with that? What the hell were the guards doing? Man. He needed names. That family deserved justice. "Someone died in our room?"
"Yeah but they scrubbed it over so it's all good and I got to keep all of his stuff." With a shrug, Axel reached out and put his hand on Hartley's arm. "Speaking of, we should trade some time, darling Hart. I have something you might like."
"It's what happens. Would have happened to me when I first got here, but I got the jump on the guy and he spent a lot of nights in the infirmary instead. Now I'm still stuck with my second cellmate." Leonard shrugged, obviously not minding that one too much, even if Mick was currently taking care of the majority of his breakfast. Whatever, he had snacks in his cell. "You should have at least read up some to prep yourself for this, Barry."
"Don't show anyone that you might be happy," Hartley recommended, "Just leads to them making sure you're not."
He held his breath when Axel touched him, turning to pull his hand away, but also to face him. "What?"
"How the hell should I know?" Axel dismissed, his focus on Hartley and Hartley alone. "I got something musical. And it's good. I could buy protection with it if I wanted but I thought I'd save it for you to have first dibs. So it's up to you if you want to trade or not."
Barry blinked. How could someone be so dismissive? A poor guy hung himself and he was attacked, people should care. There should be a case about it. Worrying his lower lip, Barry frowned and looked at Leonard. Sure, he did research but no one at the precinct told him about these politics they had here. How callous it was. "I'll try to be less happy then." He probably didn't need to start more trouble.
"I could tell you the name. But it's more curious that you're asking. Never a good idea to ask too much." So he had to give the puppy a crash course in prison etiquette. Not that shocking, but how had his life led him down that path? How did he end up here while being this naive? "We've leisure time coming up. I'll be in the library. What about you?"
While Leonard talked to Barry, Mick had finished eating what was there and leaned back, balancing his palms on the bench. He was watching, which he tended to do more than people thought. Hartley wasn't paying attention to him. He finished his coffee and shrugged. "Come see me in my cell then."
"I'm curious, I can't help it. I'm a scientist." Barry shrugged, better to say scientist than cop and he was hoping it'd explain away why he asked so many questions. He guessed he wasn't giving the right vibes as a criminal being so caring and thoughtful but surely good people got sent here all the time. Just look at his dad. He was a good man. "I can be in the library too. I could use a book, Axel says I should talk to him less."
"I didn't say less." Axel assured with a soft smile. "I said entirely but I will accept less." He would have spent more time knocking Barry back but oh man, how could he care right now, Hartley agreed to let him go to his cell. Amazing. Axel grinned and practically bounced in his seat. "It's a date."
"Then you'll just have to be more careful about what makes you curious." No, most people wouldn't have suspected anything but buffoonery or maybe brain damage, but Leonard wasn't most people. Which didn't mean that he just saw right through Barry, but there was a good reason he was warning him to shape up. Whatever he thought he was doing, Leonard was certain that there was more to it than met the eye. "But we'll find you a nice book, so Axel won't have to use duct tape on you."
"It's not," Hartley assured Axel, not caring if this would start another round of mockery for him. He had other things to worry about. "It's been real... special, gentleman, but I have work to do."
He got up at the words, making eye-contact with a guy across the room and heading out at the same time with him. Just one of the gang leaders that he was helping out with a thing or two. He knew how to use his skills to his advantage.
"He seems grumpy." Barry commented with a frown, tilting his head to the side as he watched Hartley walk away. He seemed to be well connected though, maybe he was one of the dealers. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
"He is grumpy." Axel took what remained on Hartley's tray and put half on his, tossing the rest to Mick because nothing was a better idea than keeping Mick happy so the more food he shared, the more likely it was that Mick wouldn't just stand there and laugh as he got his ass kicked. Might. "That's the normal default setting for hot guys in jail. I have no idea what the fuck you're doing."
Barry shrugged his shoulders and his eyes looked around the room, trying to find any of the people he memorised before he came here. "I should really head off but I'll see you in the library later?"
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Barry loaded up his tray with as much food as he could get, waiting politely for Axel to finish and gesturing for him to come with him. A dodgy move given Hartley was there but eh, he'd chance it.
The two sat down and Barry grinned. God, he grinned. It was painful. "Hey guys."
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Mick grunted, Leonard had just a bit of a smile as he watched Barry grin. Ray of sunshine, this damn puppy couldn't be for real. "Hey. Sleep well?"
Yes, apparently he was going to make conversation with the kid.
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"Oh it was magical, like a sleepover." Axel rolled his eyes and shuffled closer to Hartley, grinning playfully. "Morning handsome. It's rude to give the cold shoulder to me. And Barry, he's new."
"Hey." Barry greeted, smiling at Hartley. "Nice to meet you."
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"What did you talk about? Maybe I need you around. I can never fall asleep." Leonard finally drank his tea and Mick snorted, clearly not anticipating an actual cellmate exchange. He might have said something, but he was busy eating.
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"They get their asses probed by aliens. End of story." Axel was not listening to this again. Instead, he slid away from Barry and closer to Hartley. Not touching, he just had to be away from crazy boy.
"Well, no, that's not really the ... okay, well, that's fine. Doesn't matter." Barry was a little dejected his story was interrupted but he supposed he could explain it later if Leonard was actually interested. He smiled at Leonard and shrugged his shoulders somewhat. "I don't like sleeping here much, the beds aren't very good and there's not much light, it's kind of creepy."
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Hartley pretended Axel wasn't there, because the alternative was either to storm off or to touch him and neither of those were good ideas. Better to just listen to Leonard actually showing interest in someone. It was fascinating in a very disturbing way.
"You're scared of the dark? Not much to do about that, I'm afraid." Not as if they could just get a nightlight.
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He thought that was a valid point. Barry took a drink from his coffee, pale and loaded with sugar, looking at Len with amusement. "I learned to cope. There's a certain age when having a super cool nightlight with stars becomes less badass and more dorky. I guess the little light that comes through the bars is okay."
God, was he talking about having a nightlight? This kid was a mess. Axel rolled his eyes and turned his head to Hartley, a mock pout on his face. "You never offer to cuddle me any more."
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Leonard had stated he'd look out for this kid and he meant it. Meanwhile Hartley actually looked at Axel, expression unreadable. Whenever he actually said anything, Axel just made sure to mock him for caring at all, so what was he supposed to do?
"I'd rather cuddle myself."
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"The guy who had your bed before made me earn mine. Three months and a lot of dick later, I got it. I didn't get the actual bed, I had to sleep on the floor." Axel was as blunt as he always was, his eyes still on Hartley. Oh Max, what a prick Max was. The one who wanted him to get rid of Hartley. Mission accomplished. "Well, I guess he wasn't the one who had your bed before technically. The one who had your bed before hung himself because he was gang raped in the work yard."
Barry looked at Axel in horror, his eyes wide because Christ, that was awful. How the hell did anyone get away with that? What the hell were the guards doing? Man. He needed names. That family deserved justice. "Someone died in our room?"
"Yeah but they scrubbed it over so it's all good and I got to keep all of his stuff." With a shrug, Axel reached out and put his hand on Hartley's arm. "Speaking of, we should trade some time, darling Hart. I have something you might like."
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"Don't show anyone that you might be happy," Hartley recommended, "Just leads to them making sure you're not."
He held his breath when Axel touched him, turning to pull his hand away, but also to face him. "What?"
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"How the hell should I know?" Axel dismissed, his focus on Hartley and Hartley alone. "I got something musical. And it's good. I could buy protection with it if I wanted but I thought I'd save it for you to have first dibs. So it's up to you if you want to trade or not."
Barry blinked. How could someone be so dismissive? A poor guy hung himself and he was attacked, people should care. There should be a case about it. Worrying his lower lip, Barry frowned and looked at Leonard. Sure, he did research but no one at the precinct told him about these politics they had here. How callous it was. "I'll try to be less happy then." He probably didn't need to start more trouble.
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While Leonard talked to Barry, Mick had finished eating what was there and leaned back, balancing his palms on the bench. He was watching, which he tended to do more than people thought. Hartley wasn't paying attention to him. He finished his coffee and shrugged. "Come see me in my cell then."
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"I didn't say less." Axel assured with a soft smile. "I said entirely but I will accept less." He would have spent more time knocking Barry back but oh man, how could he care right now, Hartley agreed to let him go to his cell. Amazing. Axel grinned and practically bounced in his seat. "It's a date."
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"It's not," Hartley assured Axel, not caring if this would start another round of mockery for him. He had other things to worry about. "It's been real... special, gentleman, but I have work to do."
He got up at the words, making eye-contact with a guy across the room and heading out at the same time with him. Just one of the gang leaders that he was helping out with a thing or two. He knew how to use his skills to his advantage.
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"He is grumpy." Axel took what remained on Hartley's tray and put half on his, tossing the rest to Mick because nothing was a better idea than keeping Mick happy so the more food he shared, the more likely it was that Mick wouldn't just stand there and laugh as he got his ass kicked. Might. "That's the normal default setting for hot guys in jail. I have no idea what the fuck you're doing."
Barry shrugged his shoulders and his eyes looked around the room, trying to find any of the people he memorised before he came here. "I should really head off but I'll see you in the library later?"