30. ♞ A MAZE ON HIS SKIN

LATER IN THEIR CELL, Michael was brushing his teeth, Haywire sitting on the top bunk, and Phoebe was sitting on her bunk with a notebook in hand, scribbling random doodles in it while she thought to herself about what Grant had said to her earlier.

"You know what, Haywire?" Michael suddenly asked, his back facing them. Phoebe stopped scribbling, freezing in place, and turning to face Michael with furrowed brows. "I don't think we're gonna work out." He said, standing straight and then turning on his heels, looking over at Phoebe with a small grin and then looking up at Haywire. "And since Phoebe and I were here first, I think you should go." There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Haywire spoke up.

"I crapped myself once in junior high." Haywire said. Phoebe couldn't help but slap a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Sure, she was a fully grown woman, a mature one, but she couldn't help that deep down she was childish, and these things made her laugh. She tried to keep as quiet as possible as Michael discretely gave her a look to keep quiet. "During PE, we were playing badminton, and I knew I was gonna have to walk past a bunch of the other students to, you know, get back to the locker room." Haywire was recalling.

Phoebe listened, but she was paying more attention to Michael's actions. He was reaching over to the small table beside him, where Haywire's things were neatly placed, slowly reaching over and grabbing a tube of toothpaste. Phoebe furrowed her brows in confusion, unsure of what he was trying to do.

"And so, I just started walking." Haywire continued, as Michael turned his back to them again. Phoebe could see him messing around with the toothpaste, but had no clue as to what he was actually doing. "And I tried to make fun of it, you know, before anyone else did. So I turned around behind me and I said, look I have a tail." He said with a small chuckle, as Michael seemed to be emptying out the toothpaste into the toilet, and then flushed it, shoving the empty tube in his pocket. Haywire then leaned over on the bed, getting closer to Michael. "I just shared a secret with you guys." Haywire whispered. "Now it's your turn."

"You wanna know what the tattoos mean?" Michael asked. It then clicked in Phoebe's head, and she shook her head to herself. How could Haywire think that his story and the meaning of their tattoos was the same? She chuckled to herself.

"Yeah!" Haywire whispered ecstatically.

"Nothing." Michael whispered back, walking towards the cell door with a sigh. Phoebe sighed as well, standing up and walking towards Michael to talk to him, only to be interrupted by Abruzzi walking up to their cell.

"Hey, fishes." Abruzzi called out quietly. "Making any progress?" He asked, giving them both a once over.

"With Sleeping Beauty back there? Or with the digging?" Michael asked sarcastically, making Phoebe smile to herself as she turned away slightly. She didn't know why she was so smiley and bubbly lately.

"Either." Abruzzi said.

"No." Michael responded honestly. "But I know what to do." Abruzzi hummed, and Phoebe furrowed her brows, tilting her head at Michael.

"Oh yeah?" Abruzzi questioned, then took a deep breath in. "The problem is... you don't got the stugots to do it." He said quietly, as Michael was leaning against the cold concrete wall, facing said wall. Phoebe clenched her jaw.

"Watch him." Phoebe retorted, the sudden confidence to speak up to Abruzzi like that coming from nowhere. Abruzzi turned to face her, surprised she'd spoken, and smirked at her, almost impressed.

"Abruzzi, let's go." An officer called out to him. Abruzzi nodded to himself, turning to face the duo.

"See ya." Abruzzi mumbled, walking away from their cell. Michael turned to face Phoebe with a small grin.

"Watch him, huh?" Michael asked her with a smirk, shoving his hands in his pockets. Phoebe chuckled to herself.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. He pissed me off." She said with another small chuckle. Michael took a step closer to her, towering over her easily. Phoebe blushed slightly, looking down with a nervous chuckle.

"That was good." He said with a smile, reaching over to push a strand of hair behind Phoebe's ear, making her look up at him with a smile. The two just stared at each other, smiling, Phoebe taking a step closer to him. Behind them, Haywire was standing at the table, moving his things around.

"Thanks." Phoebe whispered with a smile, putting her hands in her pockets. Michael nodded slowly, grinning at her. Phoebe then cleared her throat and took a step back, realizing she was staring too much and probably making Michael uncomfortable. "So... what's the plan." She whispered, motioning back to Haywire. Michael sighed.

"I'll explain tomorrow. When he's not close." Michael whispered, putting a hand on Phoebe's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Phoebe nodded and smiled.

"Hey, have you seen my toothpaste?" Haywire suddenly asked them, his back facing them. Michael and Phoebe gave each other a look, and Michael shook his head at Phoebe, knowing she'd seen him take it earlier.

"Nope." Phoebe responded, Haywire's back still facing them.

"It was right here." Haywire added frantically.

"Haven't seen it." Michael deadpanned, looking out into the cell block. Haywire shook his head.

"I always put it in the same place." Haywire added, still in the same frantic tone. Michael grinned as he looked down at Phoebe.

"I'm sure it'll turn up." Michael said. Haywire groaned to himself, staring at his wonky reflection in their fake mirror.

"Lights out in ten minutes!" An officer shouted from down the cell block. Phoebe sighed and turned to her bed, starting to pull up the covers as Haywire murmured inaudibly to himself, climbing onto the top bunk.

"Mind if I just pull the mattress out real quick?" Michael asked Phoebe, pointing at the mattress that was under the bunk beds. Phoebe nodded and stepped aside, before she paused and stared at Michael, an idea coming into mind. Michael cocked a brow as he noticed her staring. "What?" He asked. Phoebe tilted her head.

"I... uh... do you... maybe... wanna..." Phoebe struggled to find the right words, and Michael smiled, staring at her. Phoebe chuckled nervously. "You know. You don't have to sleep on the mattress on the floor." She said. Michael chuckled.

"Oh, are you gonna trade spots with me? How kind of you." Michael joked and chuckled. Phoebe rolled her eyes and laughed.

"It's not like we've never shared a bed before." Phoebe pointed out. Michael chuckled.

"When we were kids." He remembered. Phoebe smiled and nodded.

"Yeah... I mean, if you don't mind, of course." She said. Michael smiled.

"Are you sure?" He asked, taking a step closer. Phoebe nodded.

"I'm sure." She said with another nod, climbing into the bunk, getting close to the wall as she patted the spot beside her. Michael chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed, his back facing her as he slipped his shoes off. He then slowly slipped under the sheets, gulping. Phoebe smiled at him awkwardly. "I'll face the wall." She said, lying down and facing the wall. Michael nodded to himself.

       "I'll face... the other wall." He said, lying down and facing the other wall, his back and Phoebe's backs almost touching as they laid sideways. The lights were then shut off, the cell block dimly lit, and everything went silent. Neither one would ever admit it, but they liked this arrangement.

       As a few hours passed, Phoebe was quick to fall asleep, suddenly turning to face Michael, sound asleep. Michael had been lying on his back, also sound asleep. Unconsciously, Michael felt Phoebe face him, and he scooted closer slightly in his sleepy state. Phoebe did as well, cuddling into his chest. Neither of them knew they were like this, cuddling together. Michael then in his sleeping state turned to fully face Phoebe, hugging her close, her face in his chest. The duo slept comfortably for a while, hugging each other close, until Michael suddenly felt slight tugging on the back of his sweatshirt. Phoebe, still asleep, rolled away from Michael, facing the wall again, just in time before Michael jumped up in bed and turned to face the culprit tugging on his sweatshirt, waking Phoebe in the process and causing her to also sit up quickly and face the culprit; which was obviously none other than Haywire.

       "The tattoos, there's a maze." Haywire said. Phoebe was wide eyed, confused and unsure of what had happened.

       "What?" Phoebe questioned, still half asleep as she looked over at Michael, who had a look of horror and anger on his face.

       "Get away from me." Michael sneered at Haywire. Phoebe's eyes fluttered open and close as she tried to wake herself fully, finally noticing that the back of Michael's sweatshirt was torn. She furrowed her brows.

       "I need to see them. I just... You gotta show them to me." Haywire insisted, reaching for Michael. Phoebe pushed herself up against the wall, grabbing onto Michael's shoulders as if to pull him closer to her and farther from Haywire. "It's pulling me in." He said.

       "I said, get away from me." Michael spat angrily, glaring at Haywire as he scooted further back and into Phoebe. Haywire pulled back slightly.

       "Okay... He's a got a maze on his skin." Haywire said, seemingly to himself, with a chuckle. "The man's got a maze on his skin." He repeated, standing up, and standing in front of the cell door, looking out into the cell block. Michael turned to face Phoebe.

       "You okay?" Phoebe asked him quietly. Michael nodded.

       "He ripped my shirt." He whispered in return. "He was looking at my tattoos." Phoebe furrowed her brows, her hands still on his shoulders, both of them turning to look at Haywire as he continued speaking.

       "Why? Why would he do that? Why?" Haywire asked himself. "Why would he put a maze on his skin?" He whispered, Michael huffing angrily and anxiously. "Oh... I don't know..." Michael turned back to face Phoebe with a glare.

       "We have to get rid of him. Now." Michael said.

[ DEDICATED TO aguacate_en_tanga & Cloudlover4lyfe ]