TW: Gore, Harm, intensity
***

Tom slunk out of the cafeteria area and whistled quietly as he made his way back towards his cellblock.

However, before he could do so, he felt a hand slap down on his left shoulder and another hand come down on his right, causing him to slow down and stiffen up.

"Relax, snakey, it's only us." Terrance chuckled.

This didn't make Tom feel better, "Us?"

"Mhm, me too!" Valery chirped.

"Oh- hey.." Tom nodded awkwardly.

"Hey to you too, now, let's cut right to the chase because I don't like to dawdle." Terrance grinned.

"It's true, he doesn't." Valery nodded.

"Right, yeah- what do you mean?" Tom frowned.

"We want to know all about you." Terrace nodded.

"Yep!" Valery nodded too.

"Oh...uh, sure- like what?" Tom had to admit, he did love talking about himself.

"For starters, what's your deal?" Terrance cocked an eyebrow.

"My deal...?" Tom questioned.

"Yeah, how'd you get here?" Valery asked.

Tom thought about this. Lea was the only other one he had ever told this story to- and that was because he trusted him, and there was no way in theatre hell that he trusted these too...perhaps then...he could fudge the truth just a little bit- after all, he was an actor, and nobody else could defy him- except maybe Brian since he had his files- but Brian knew it was important that Tom gain the trust of his peers so he could help. So fudge the truth he would.

"Well, you see, I was charged with man-slaughter." Tom began.

"Eh," Terrance shrugged.

"It's not fun if it's on accident." Valery sighed.

"N-no, no! It was on purpose- I lied my way out of actually getting charged for murder." Tom quickly added.

"Mm, go on?"

"Well you see...there was this guy..." Tom thought quickly, "Rowan!"

"Rowan?" Terrence frowned.

"Cool." Valery commented and Terrence suddenly nodded in agreement.

"And he was just this egotistical jerk, who at first we were buds, you know?" Tom looked between the two who gave him sinister smiles, urging him to go on.

"I get that." Valery nodded.

"Mhm." Terrance nodding with her.

"Well...I..." Tom's mindset twisted, "I liked him, like, a lot- but there was this other guy...Virgo! And well, he was just an ass, he knew I liked him..." Tom frowned slightly, "But...he went for Rowan anyway- but it wasn't just that that made him an ass, it's that he did it because he wanted to make me jealous..."

"What?" Terrance scoffed in disbelief.

"Yeah, um, yeah, he had liked me in the past..."

"Really!" Terrance grinned.

"Must have been before your face got all-"

"Yeah, anyway, so...Virgo...liked me, he used to at least...so, naturally, he got the role of Rowan's lover...and knew that I liked Rowan- so, being the magnificent actor he was..." Tom felt his head begin to spin, "He pretended to love Rowan.."

"Love drama, yuck." Terrence rolled his eyes.

"I think it's intriguing- more so than most of the stories told here." Valery added and Terrance finally came to agree.

"He pretended to love Rowan to make me jealous- because he still had feelings for me."

"You don't say."

"How tragic."

"Mm..." Tom simply nodded, "It...it was a horrible mistake...he didn't realize the pain he was causing until later- much later I'd say," Tom scratched his arm in..guilt, "But...after awhile, it became more than that, his hatred against me had built up so much that...he lost control."

"How so?"

"What'd he do?"

"Despite my efforts...I couldn't change the fact that, I liked Rowan...I chose Rowan, no matter how much Virgo had pined for me and given his all- I knew...I knew he was toxic...he just didn't see it himself-" Tom was squinting now in confusion and consideration, "Rowan was driving me to Virgo's party and- we had our disagreements and I ran off...little did I know that Virgo was waiting for me."

"Oh dear."

"Oh dear and dead."

"And the next thing I knew- pain was shooting through my leg- like- like splinters! And- and...Virgo...he looked at me with such hate...but...I had no idea it was killing him inside...but, he was too far gone." Tom was staring at the ground now.

"A shame."

"Not in this case."

"But- I- okay, so I found out in the hospital that Virgo was planning on hurting Rowan- and I couldn't let it happen." Tom clenched a shaking hand, "Virgo...the monster had Rowan on the floor when I got there... and..." Tom switched gears, "I ran at him and began to swing some blows- I was pissed...pissed he'd taken my lover, pissed he'd dragged me through hell, pissed his friend took his goddamn glasses off and did this to my face just because I loved Virgo!" Tom shouted suddenly.

Both Valery and Terrance quickly detached themselves from either side of Tom and looked at him with shock at he sudden mood change.

"I...thought it was Rowan that you liked...?" Valery murmured.

Tom realized he had fucked up- but it was too late to change his story, "I- uh- no...no, not exactly- I mean, Virgo and I used to...be a thing, obviously, I'm long past that now..." Tom decided to finally tell the truth, though it killed him, "I liked Virgo...but...I hurt him and he hurt me."

"So you murdered him?"

Tom thought about the loom on Virgil's face when Roman was on the verge of death, "I did."

"Ah, that's nothing."

"Terrance!" Valery hissed.

"What? Val, I stole my dad's gun collection and booked it-"

"Yeah, because you were trying to dispose of them." Valery corrected.

"He didn't need that many, I wasn't going to allow him to contribute to gun violence," he looked around cautiously, leaning to whisper to Tom, "I shot my chasers with a toy gun- didn't even shoot, the driver was dramatic enough to stop the vehicle when he got hit with a water gun, claimed it was a bullet but all in all, it was fine."

"Mhm, and Terrance here dragged me along for the ride." Valery chuckled.

"Why?" Tom asked.

"My speciality is poisonous works-"

"She made lipstick that she's immune to and when she kisses her victims, they die." Terrance snorted in amusement.

"Why'd you two go on a gun distraction and poison splurge?"

"With the lipstick, Val here took out Lin Manuel and Anthony Ramos- we wanted to chill with them but they just had to call the cops when they woke up- and here I thought Lin would enjoy our attempts to squash violence with water guns-"

"You two stole Lams?" Tom's eyes widened.

"Lambwhatnow?" Terrance cackled.

"You know, the ship between John Lauren's and Hami-"

"It's still not as bad as what Lea did." Valery commented, instantly getting Tom's attention.

"What'd he do?" Tom was excited and scared at the fact that he'd finally get to know.

"Nobody knows." Terrance whispered.

"Then how-" Tom was cut off.

"I'm talking about what he did before you showed up." Valery winked.

"And...that was?"

Valery stopped and stood in front of Tom, looking around before whispering, "He used to always sit alone...isolated...no cell mates...nothing- nobody wanted to be his cell mates..."

"Rumor has it, he had one- and one day- they just vanished." Terrance murmured in a mysterious tone which made Tom get chills.

"But one day...some newbie was trying to make himself known and decided to mess with Lea...called him some weird name and Lea attacked him!" Valery's eyes sparkled.

Tom knew what the name was and this made his blood run cold, "A-attacked? Like...punched?"

Terrance laughed, "I wouldn't have to need a therapist for what I saw him do if it was just a punch!"

Tom shifted uneasily.

"He bit the guy's earlobe clean off!" Valery shrieked and Tom wanted to pass out, "And then he dug into the guy's neck with his teeth and ripped it out!" Her eyes widened.

Tom really wanted to disappear right now, "Y-you don't say?"

"After that- they put him in the therapy  tank for three months." Terrance nodded.

"The- the therapy tank...?" Tom frowned.

"Mhm, it's where they put all the psychos that can't control themselves- it's said to be a completed white room, they put you in a straitjacket and it's all cushiony...completely alone- no inside openings- just a gap for food...when he came out...he wasn't as quiet anymore...but was even more isolated...he didn't speak unless spoken too- and when someone messed with him, he just looked at them and that was enough to send them running."

"It wasn't until you came along that he actually started talking..." Terrance squinted in suspicion as he now stood beside Valery, in front of Tom.

"Yeah, how'd you get him to talk to you anyway?" Valery cocked an eyebrow.

Tom was too shocked to think right away before blinking, "He um- he just kind of treats me more like a scrub than anything to be honest..."

"Makes sense."

"Looks like you'll be our errand boy then."

"Well,"

"We'd better go."

"See you when we need you!"

Tom watched the two wave before slithering away, turning a corner with smirks before leaving Tom alone.

He stood there, dumbstruck, before heading back towards his own cell.

Tom stood in front of his cellblock door. Lea was in there...

Surely he couldn't have...he wouldn't-

Tom sighed and slowly opened the door, wincing before looking up.
He glanced towards the bed and spotted Lea on Tom's bed, hugging Tom's pillow to his chest, sunglasses strewn lazily over his forehead and eyes squeezed shut.

Tom smiled slightly as the cellblock door shut behind him and felt his heart rate pick up as he slowly advanced forward and climbed up to sit down on the edge of the bed, looking at Lea's sleeping figure.
He concluded that Terrance and Valery must have just been overreacting...they had to be...
How could someone like Lea do something like that?

***

////wOw sOrry for the lack of updates!!! I've wanted to write about Lea and Tom for awhile and this was a lack thereof chapter so I wasn't motivated but I finally bit the bullet and we're coming to the end...
One more chapter left...

-Jay 🌟