Axel knew he was being petty but he hadn't really been hurt like that since he first got here and the shock was making him feel a little less than he was. It didn't help that no one would touch him and the only guys who wanted him were fucked up psychos who wanted to fuck his ass. He heard someone call his name from behind and turned his head, there was the guy from the other day. The one he called a cunt. "Your ass is mine, Walker!" He was smirking in his direction because he knew, he just knew that Axel's last ditch attempt had failed and he was getting desperate.
"Screw this, screw you guys." Axel huffed and got to his feet, moving from the table and to the next to try and negotiate something while Barry stared in disbelief at Leonard.
"What the hell? Do you see how much trouble he's in? That guy back there keeps attacking him!"
"Yes, I know. He gets himself into trouble. It's a circle. He repeats it every few weeks. I'm not getting tangled up in that." Leonard looked up to catch Barry's eyes and he shrugged. "I can't take care of everyone. Especially not someone so intent on self-destruction."
"Though that was a very nice lady on the picture, Snart." Mick was amused, throwing in his own two cent. Leonard having to justify himself, that definitely made for a fun show.
Meanwhile Hartley had gotten up without another word. He had to think of something. Obviously he'd missed his chance of Axel accepting his protection.
"So you don't even want to try and help him? I know he's a dick, I'm not stupid, I live with him but he's scared and he needed someone and maybe he'd be trapped in less of a circle if someone actually tried to help." Barry had studied this, he knew the cycles and patterns, he knew that Axel was admittedly stuck in one and made no move to help himself but he also knew that last night Axel came back limping and on the verge of tears. He couldn't stand to see that.
"If you're not going to help him, I'll help him." Yes, Barry Allen, the person who could barely help himself. "Even if I have to get my ass kicked. That's what friends do." Clearly he was also deluded, under the impression Axel had friends.
He watched from the table as Axel tried to get his money back from a guy who he'd presented it to and pocketed it without making ant real offer. The guy had Axel by the shirt and Barry was already making a move to go over.
"Stay down, Barry. Axel has someone. He's just stuck in too much of a circle to take advantage, but look."
Look at Hartley walking up to the guy that held Axel and exchanging some words in a language that most definitely wasn't English. Whatever he said seemed to be working, since the man's eyes narrowed, but he let go of Axel, shoving him in Hartley's direction.
Barry watched as the issue resolved, dropping down into his seat and watching, clearly unsure what to make of it given that Axel just turned Hartley down and even now he'd saved him, Axel was shoving Hartley off. "Hartley? I thought he hated Axel."
"I'm not yours." Axel snapped as he jerked away from Hartley, not a lot poorer and still getting absolutely nowhere. People didn't like to touch him, they knew what a trainwreck he was and only the worst would want him at this point. "You made that clear so why don't you just stop trying to win points? I don't need you to go all bleeding heart on me."
"No. Hartley really liked Axel, Axel screwed him over. He still really likes him. But apparently he finally managed to get him back, because now suddenly Axel acts like he has pride." Leonard shrugged, looking at Mick, who chipped in. "Probably hurt his feelings. But keep watching, kid, this is prison entertainment at its finest."
"Yeah? I thought all you needed from me was me being a bleeding heart you can play." Hartley was so sick of this. He kept it to a hiss, but everyone was only paying attention to them now anyway. "I don't care what you say. I'm saying that anyone that touches you has to deal with me."
There were a couple of mutters, some guys straightening when they realised that Hartley might now have the strength to reinforce that claim, but he had clot. He had them. He was right to be confident.
"And what if I don't want you? Maybe I want someone who appreciates my ass, even they don't appreciate anything else about me?" Yes, he was getting petty over it but at least with those guys, the only thing that could hurt is his body. Hartley already hurt him once, he didn't want to keep feeling like that.
"Walker?" One of the guys asked, on his feet now, eyes on what was supposed to be his win by the end of this week and now somehow seemed to be slipping away. He and Axel had already gotten 'intimate' and he seemed to like what he experience. Axel didn't. Axel hated him, he was going to break him for fun and he could already tell. "Come here."
Shit.
So that was it was it? Go with him or go with Hartley. Any other day before Hartley hit a low blow, he would have hid behind him but he was still hurt and he hesitated. "He's going to want to fight over this." Axel supplied helpfully to Hartley, not looking him in the eye. "And I'm so very low down on your list. Sure you want to risk it for someone you hate as much as me?"
"I wish I hated you." That said Hartley turned around and looked at the asshole, arching his eyebrows in a challenging way. He couldn't take things back now, so he might as well. "I'll teach you all about regret." Whether he was talking to the guy or Axel was up to interpretation.
"You do hate me, you just want to be a better person so you don't think you do." Axel sighed and, with great reluctance, he moved behind Hartley and crossed his arms. Yes, he picked a side. What else was he going to do? Get fucked by that psycho? He needed a break from that kind of shit. "I'm sure I'll regret everything later."
"I'm not a good person and if you think I've any issue hating people, you don't know me at all." Just like he was angry. So very angry. But when the guy attacked, Hartley didn't actually do much. He made sure he'd fall over, he got punched a couple of times and then, very subtly, with a hand by his ear, he did just the right thing while they were close enough. The guy was unconscious and Hartley could kick him in the balls, which he gladly did. "He's mine."
Well, at least Hartley could fight, that was something. Even if he was trusting himself to a heard, at least the nerd knew how to kick someones ass. Axel wasn't weak, he could fight for the most part but pulling moves like that? No fucking chance. With great reluctance, Axel looked at Hartley and raised an eyebrow. "So I'm yours now. Good. Don't worry, I'll find someone else who'll take me soon enough."
Hartley resisted the urge to keep a hand by his ear. Fuck, it hurt, he must have messed with something he didn't mean to. He put his hand into his pocket instead, hoping that he didn't look as pained as he was. "Just tell me when someone bothers you."
Great. Great, his life sucked completely. Hartley felt his ear getting worse, he had to get this sorted and he couldn't be weak in front of people, so he turned to walk out slowly, glad that lunch time was officially over. He needed to get back to his cell immediately.
As much as Axel wanted to lash out and be cruel, take more blows at Hartley as revenge for the pain he was feeling, he didn't. He knew most people wouldn't see it but he did. Hartley was in pain and technically he was his bitch, it didn't pay for him to be hurt. He walked beside him, keeping a distance.
"You're hurt. You idiot, why did you get yourself hurt for me?"
"I wasn't exactly planning on it." Which was another infuriating thing. Hartley swallowed as if that could alleviate the pressure that was building. Scar tissue, some barely healed, too sensitive ears and at the same time that reminder of needing fixing. His parents had pulled a number on him, he knew that, even years later, but that didn't entirely feel how he'd always feel in his heart of hearts. "Anyway, I can handle it."
"Yeah, well, you just pissed off a lot of people and you want me to be left alone here. Screw that, I'm coming with you." Axel kept moving beside him because he knew that he was going to get his ass kicked, whether or not Hartley staked his claim. The trouble was that it was a new claim and people would still challenge. It was wise to stay with Hartley. "Where did he hit you?"
"I don't know. Worst places, he has terrible aim. Maybe you should have given him a go, odds are he'd not even have found your asshole." Hartley accepted that there was no getting rid of him, so he didn't try. Instead he moved into his cell, glancing up and down the hallway. He had a cell for himself, he had a lot of stashes. For now the only think he accessed was one tiny pocked inside his mattress and the tools he'd hidden there. He put them down on the mattress and knelt down by the bed, reaching for his ear.
"I have nowhere else to go. I'll keep a look out." Axel leaned on the edge of his cell, not entering because what was the point? He had no idea where this was going but judging from Hartley's personal feelings about him, it was entirely unlikely that he was going to stick around to hang out and cuddle. "... You better know what you're doing, I have no idea how to help."
Why the fuck was he putting that in his ear? Ew. That wasn't good.
"I always know what I'm doing. Except for when it comes to you, because when I'm in love I have to lose my brain apparently." Hartley wasn't thinking much, because he was scared. Scared this wouldn't work, scared of the pain. He gritted his teeth and pulled his hearing aid out, ear piece, connected to the implants, except for now. he could see what he had broken and he couldn't hear a thing right now, his ear throbbing in pain.
Hartley worked on fixing the issue as quickly as he could. Not perfect, but it should do for now.
"You love me? ... Are you completely dumb?" Seemed like a fair response to that. What sort of an idiot loved him? He was a trainwreck, no one wanted to get involved in his life, he was that much of a mess. Hell, why else did Hartley think no one else would take him? Snart had the right idea shutting him down, he didn't even blame him for that.
He frowned and tried to pull himself out of his shock, moving in a little closer to look at whatever that thing was. "Was that in your ear? What the fuck." Maybe that thing about aliens putting implants in people was right and Barry wasn't totally crazy.
Hartley couldn't hear the questions, not that he'd have known what to reply anyway. He was focused on working this out and then he finally put it back, only able to relax when he was sure it had slotted in right. The pain would last for a while longer, he knew that, but at least it'd stop getting worse. He leaned his forehead against the mattress and took a steadying breath. "I was born almost deaf. My parents had me fixed, the implants are expensive. I've to improvise to keep them going."
"Oh." Ah, that explained it. Not an alien implant. "I'm sorry... I think. I don;t know. Is that the right thing to say to someone who was born deaf? It doesn't seem all that bad." Look, he had no idea, he was never in situations like this. He was born healthy with no issues, never had any, not even braces. "How pricey are we talking? Like selling drugs pricey or playing the stock market pricey? Because I'm sure you can raise funds here easy if you got some dealers and kept a cut."
"Not a chance, Ax. To fix them properly I'd need to have surgery and someone who could actually build them at that level and we're talking stock market pricey. My parents were willing to cash out a lot to make sure their heir wouldn't be a failure." Hartley turned around to lean back against the mattress, looking up at Axel. "It's not bad. It's just part of me and usually people have no idea. I don't mind it."
"Being deaf wouldn't make you a failure. I'm a failure and I can hear fine." Axel shrugged but he stayed in the doorway, looking around the hall and enjoying the temporary peace. The rec rooms were opening, the work shifts were starting, most people would be busy. Technically Axel was supposed to be doing clean up duty but fuck that, like he ever did. "I'm going to hang out here for a while until people stop wanting to kick my ass. Feel free to ignore me."
"I know that. That's just how my parents viewed it. I was defect, so they had it fixed." Hartley finally pulled himself up onto the bed, not too worried about work times. He worked when no one else did, because the guards were actually using him to fix up stuff for them. Meant he had a lot of freedom otherwise. Looking at Axel he gestured for him to come inside. "Can I hold you?"
"I thought your standards were too high for a guy like me." Axel shrugged, not looking too fond of the idea. Hartley just told him he loved him and that was just as terrifying as the horrible things he said and together, there were just too many emotions. He was confused and it gave him a headache. "I don't blame you, I'm hardly a prize. I'm just a dick who's been fucked more times than most whores. I wouldn't be into me either."
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"Screw this, screw you guys." Axel huffed and got to his feet, moving from the table and to the next to try and negotiate something while Barry stared in disbelief at Leonard.
"What the hell? Do you see how much trouble he's in? That guy back there keeps attacking him!"
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"Though that was a very nice lady on the picture, Snart." Mick was amused, throwing in his own two cent. Leonard having to justify himself, that definitely made for a fun show.
Meanwhile Hartley had gotten up without another word. He had to think of something. Obviously he'd missed his chance of Axel accepting his protection.
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"If you're not going to help him, I'll help him." Yes, Barry Allen, the person who could barely help himself. "Even if I have to get my ass kicked. That's what friends do." Clearly he was also deluded, under the impression Axel had friends.
He watched from the table as Axel tried to get his money back from a guy who he'd presented it to and pocketed it without making ant real offer. The guy had Axel by the shirt and Barry was already making a move to go over.
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Look at Hartley walking up to the guy that held Axel and exchanging some words in a language that most definitely wasn't English. Whatever he said seemed to be working, since the man's eyes narrowed, but he let go of Axel, shoving him in Hartley's direction.
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"I'm not yours." Axel snapped as he jerked away from Hartley, not a lot poorer and still getting absolutely nowhere. People didn't like to touch him, they knew what a trainwreck he was and only the worst would want him at this point. "You made that clear so why don't you just stop trying to win points? I don't need you to go all bleeding heart on me."
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"Yeah? I thought all you needed from me was me being a bleeding heart you can play." Hartley was so sick of this. He kept it to a hiss, but everyone was only paying attention to them now anyway. "I don't care what you say. I'm saying that anyone that touches you has to deal with me."
There were a couple of mutters, some guys straightening when they realised that Hartley might now have the strength to reinforce that claim, but he had clot. He had them. He was right to be confident.
"Prime time entertainment."
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"Walker?" One of the guys asked, on his feet now, eyes on what was supposed to be his win by the end of this week and now somehow seemed to be slipping away. He and Axel had already gotten 'intimate' and he seemed to like what he experience. Axel didn't. Axel hated him, he was going to break him for fun and he could already tell. "Come here."
Shit.
So that was it was it? Go with him or go with Hartley. Any other day before Hartley hit a low blow, he would have hid behind him but he was still hurt and he hesitated. "He's going to want to fight over this." Axel supplied helpfully to Hartley, not looking him in the eye. "And I'm so very low down on your list. Sure you want to risk it for someone you hate as much as me?"
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Just reiterating that.
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Great. Great, his life sucked completely. Hartley felt his ear getting worse, he had to get this sorted and he couldn't be weak in front of people, so he turned to walk out slowly, glad that lunch time was officially over. He needed to get back to his cell immediately.
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"You're hurt. You idiot, why did you get yourself hurt for me?"
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"...you really don't have to watch this."
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Why the fuck was he putting that in his ear? Ew. That wasn't good.
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Hartley worked on fixing the issue as quickly as he could. Not perfect, but it should do for now.
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He frowned and tried to pull himself out of his shock, moving in a little closer to look at whatever that thing was. "Was that in your ear? What the fuck." Maybe that thing about aliens putting implants in people was right and Barry wasn't totally crazy.
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