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E very day he waited for another visiting form from Teddy, and every day he shook his head, exasperated when there wasn’t one.

“Are my bills disappointing you?” Sebastian asked.

Ollie jumped, knocking his elbow against the wall. “No,” he blurted, rubbing his arm.

Sebastian held out his hand, and Ollie gave him the letters.

“What is it you’re waiting for?” Sebastian asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re not a good liar.” Sebastian sighed. “But I won’t push.”

“Thanks,” Ollie whispered, lowering his gaze.

“Wrap up,” Sebastian said. “It’s going to be a cold day.”

Ollie zipped up his jacket and left the house. Christmas was over six weeks away, but his boss insisted on everyone wearing an elf hat and drawing red circles on their cheeks. Ollie looked like the world’s most conflicted elf, frowning to himself while thinking about Teddy.

Teddy had admitted he hadn’t started the fire, but he was to blame for what happened.

Maybe Gary had hurt him, and someone else had taken offence to that.

Someone else had set out to punish Gary, maybe not fully understanding what they were doing.

“His sister,” Ollie whispered.

“Excuse me?”

Ollie startled at the customer in front of him. He could zone out while passing items over the scanner. It was mind-numbing work, but every so often a customer spoke to him, jarring him from his thoughts.

“I said…are they for your sister?”

The woman peering up at him nodded, shoving the festive pyjamas into her bag. “As it happens, they are.”

“They’re nice.” Ollie smiled. He reached up to scratch his head, only to make the hat on his head jingle.

“Have a good Christmas.” Ollie smiled before starting on the next lot of items.

Sister.

She was younger than Teddy; Ollie knew that much, and it was clear Teddy had adored her.

If he was going to take the blame for anyone, he’d take it for her.

Ollie bit his lip. Teddy had panicked at the idea of Ollie asking Rory for help.

Whoever he was covering for, whether it was his sister or not, he didn’t want them to be found out. He wanted to keep protecting them for the rest of his life.

“Excuse me!”

Ollie jumped in his seat. He blinked at the debit card being waved in his face.

“Sorry,” he said, passing over the reader.

The customer held their card to the device.

“Have a good Christmas,” Ollie called after them.

He didn’t get a response.

Ollie sighed, starting on the next conveyor belt full of shopping.

It was a long eight hours.

He started to drift off during the taxi ride back to Rory and Sebastian’s place. Sebastian’s car was on the driveway, but Rory’s car wasn’t. Ollie couldn’t complain about his long hours, not when he’d seen Rory, part zombie from lack of sleep, stumbling around the day before. Even on his off days, he had paperwork to do and often got called in to cover sickness or holidays. Ollie had heard him and Sebastian arguing about Rory’s workload.

Rory had replied it was nearing Christmas and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Love the hat.” Sebastian smirked when Ollie stepped into the kitchen.

Ollie groaned, snatching it off his head. “I forgot I was wearing it.”

“How can you forget when it makes a sound every step you take?”

Ollie looked past Sebastian to the pot on the stove. He pointed to it. “And that is?”

“Stew.”

“It has an interesting aroma.”

“I was hoping to have a nutritious dish ready for Rory when he got back, but it’s inedible.”

“Surely it’s not that bad?”

Sebastian lifted the lid.

“The hell?” Ollie squawked, covering his nose.

Sebastian lowered the lid.

The front door slammed. Rory appeared in the doorway but had to lean against the frame to stay on his feet. He gave them both a tired smile.

“It was a long day.” His nose twitched. “Please say there’s some left.”

“Plenty,” Ollie said, holding his hand out towards the pot.

Sebastian blocked Rory’s path and grabbed his shoulders. “We’re going to get takeout.”

“It’s close to midnight.” Rory shook his head. “Nowhere is open. It’s okay. I’ll just have toast—”

“McDonald’s is open,” Ollie blurted. “On the A502. I walked past the service station several times when I was litter-picking. I know the sign says twenty-four hours.”

“Sorted,” Sebastian said.

“But—”

Sebastian kissed away Rory’s protest.

“Take a nap on the sofa,” Sebastian murmured. “Me and Ollie will get the food.”

“Are you sure?” Rory asked.

“You look like you’re only partially with it,” Ollie said. He snapped his fingers in front of Rory’s eyes, and Rory was slow to blink.

“I’m exhausted,” Rory admitted.

“Well then,” Sebastian said. “Let me tuck you in on the sofa.”

Sebastian helped Rory struggle out of his jacket. Rory handed it to Ollie.

Ollie gasped. “Am I allowed to borrow the sacred jacket?”

He slipped it on, sighing at the warmth. It had a faux fur lining that went into the hood.

“Enjoy.” Rory smiled, but it was dopey, barely conscious.

“Come on, you,” Sebastian murmured, lifting Rory’s arm over his shoulders. “Let’s get you settled.”

Ollie buttoned up the jacket and lifted the hood over his head. He waited in the hallway for Sebastian.

“He looks beat.”

“He is.” Sebastian sighed. “Tomorrow, I’m hiding his phone. He needs a day off; someone else can cover for a change.”

He unhooked his car keys from the wall and stepped outside. Ollie followed, immediately slipping on a section of ice on the driveway. Sebastian gripped Ollie’s elbow to steady him.

“Apparently I missed a spot,” Sebastian said.

“You might not have if you just admitted you need glasses.”

Sebastian released him. “Get in the car, Ollie.”

Ollie snorted, tugging on the passenger door.

Sebastian climbed inside and glanced up at the house before starting the engine and reversing out of the space. “The A502…” He shook his head. “Thirty minutes there, thirty minutes back, the food will be cold.”

“Even cold it will taste better than whatever you attempted to cook on the stove.”

“Point taken. And it was mutton and liver, in case you were wondering.”

“Christ.” Ollie scrunched his face. “I’d take a cold burger over that any day, no offence.”

“None taken.”

“And at least Rory will get some sleep.”

Sebastian nodded. “That’s true.”

They drove in silence. Ollie was happy with that, but from the way Sebastian kept opening his mouth but saying nothing, it was clear he wasn’t.

“Spit it out,” Ollie mumbled.

“Spit what out?”

“Whatever you keep trying to say to me.”

Sebastian drummed his fingers against the wheel. “I know I said I won’t push it, and I won’t. But if you did want to talk about whatever it is that leaves you looking like a beaten puppy whenever the post arrives—”

“I don’t look like a beaten puppy.”

“Well, not this morning. This morning, you looked like a beaten elf.”

“I was waiting…” Ollie sighed, shaking his head. “I visited him.”

“Teddy? When?”

“Three days ago.”

Sebastian glanced his way. “You didn’t tell us.”

Ollie shrugged. “I made some big scene about burning his letters, and I kind of felt stupid for jumping at the chance to see him after I’d decided it was time to move on.”

“And how was it?”

“Confusing.” Ollie clutched his head. “Can I ask you something?”

Sebastian’s jaw stiffened. “You can.”

Ollie eyed him. “Teddy was there nearly your whole sentence.”

“He was.”

“And?”

Sebastian turned to him. “And?”

“What was he like?”

“He was always protective over his cellmates. Not all of them appreciated his protection.”

“What does that mean?”

“Some got transferred to other wings. They were scared of him, found it hard to talk to him, I guess. But I never once saw him be mean, or intimidate, or coerce. He wanted company, and maybe he came on too strong, I don’t know.”

“You knew Ryan?”

Sebastian nodded. “I did.”

“What did he look like?”

“Black hair, bushy eyebrows, he had a mole on his chin. Teddy would throw a punch at anyone who dared tease him about it.” Sebastian chuckled.

“And that scared Ryan?”

“Hell no, Ryan wasn’t afraid of him. Ryan would point to his chin to get someone to mention it so Teddy pummelled them.”

Ollie picked his nails. “I heard Teddy propositioned Ryan. He wanted…he wanted sex.”

Sebastian blew out a breath. “He’s in there for life. It’s not deep, Ollie, and him and Ryan got on. But Ryan wasn’t interested in Teddy like that. He had a girlfriend on the outside. Ryan even joked about it.”

“He joked about Teddy?”

“No, Teddy was there when he did. Ryan said he resisted the temptation of going gay for the stay. Teddy laughed; Ryan laughed. There was no bad blood between them. They were friends, and I know the rumours after he died. I know what was spread from wing to wing. But I’ve always known Teddy was not responsible for what happened to Ryan. Even if he never defended himself or denied it was his doing.”

Ollie bit his lip. “Were you?”

Sebastian’s eyebrows jumped up his head. “Was I responsible? Of course not. Ryan never came to me for drugs, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t go to someone. Other people had their own way of getting drugs. I don’t know who, why or when. But Teddy…he was devastated. We heard him. The sound he made that morning.” He shuddered. “And afterwards they locked him in the seg unit while Ryan’s death was investigated. He smashed the back of his head repeatedly into the concrete wall until he had to be tied down and sedated.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah, it was bad. For almost a year, he was this empty shell on the wing, a ghost who kept to himself and whose only interaction with people was to fight them. Then you walked in. I was outside my cell that day watching from the landing, mainly Rory, but I caught sight of Teddy after you’d been shown into your cell.”

“And what did he look like?”

“Terrified. He looked completely terrified of you.” Sebastian snorted. “That’s why I noticed. There’s Teddy, this wild, scrappy man who knew how to fight, terrified of this scared-shitless blond kid stepping into his cell.” He shrugged. “He’s a complicated guy.”

“That’s an understatement.”

McDonald’s ordered and paid for, Ollie and Sebastian hurried back to Rory.

Every time the speedometer went above sixty, Ollie tutted.

“I’m doing it for Rory.” Sebastian snorted. “To stop his food from getting too cold. If you took that jacket off and wrapped it around the bag, I wouldn’t have to drive this fast.”

“This jacket is too comfortable to even think about removing it. I may even sleep in it tonight, and Rory will not care if it’s cold as long as he doesn’t have to eat mutton and liver.”

Sebastian frowned, peering through the windscreen. “What is that?”

“What?” Ollie asked. He had his gaze fixed to the drinks balancing on his knees.

“Fire,” Sebastian whispered. “There’s a fire.”

Ollie lifted his head. He didn’t tut when Sebastian put his foot down. He willed him to go faster. They sped towards the orange glow in the sky in silence, but the unease in the car grew and grew.

The drinks slipped off Ollie’s knees when he saw the house. Rory and Sebastian’s house. The front of it was covered in flames. Ollie dropped everything else into the footwell when Sebastian slammed on the brake.

Sebastian was out of the car, running towards the inferno before Ollie had even unclipped his belt. A small crowd stood in front of the house, gasping and clutching their heads.

“Rory!” Sebastian yelled.

Everyone turned to look at him, but Rory didn’t announce himself. He didn’t slam into Sebastian like Ollie knew he would if he heard his name shouted like that.

It was pure panic, and coming from Sebastian, it was even more terrifying.

Ollie had just caught up with Sebastian when he rushed away again, slamming into the gate that led to the garden. It didn’t buckle, and he cursed, stabbing in the combination. Ollie couldn’t face the flames head-on, the heat was too intense, and he used his arm to try to block some of it. It crackled, and spat, and embers drifted into the night sky like fireflies.

Ollie turned back to Sebastian, but he had gone, rushing around the side of the house to get to the back door. Fierce flames didn’t cover the back of the house, but the window had been stained black from the inside.

Sebastian cursed, grabbing a plant pot. He threw it at the backdoor, smashing the glass. Ollie heard the gasps from everyone in front of the house as the fire roared, surging higher.

“Don’t follow me inside,” Sebastian shouted. He grabbed Ollie’s shoulders and shook him. “Don’t!”

Before Ollie could say anything, Sebastian had opened the door and disappeared into the house. Ollie dropped to his knees, clawing at the grass. The flames flickered at the top of the house, three stories high, and Ollie could see them from where he’d dropped to the ground. Rory was inside that. No one could be inside that. Not anymore.

The kitchen began to glow orange, faint at first, but it grew brighter, uglier, then a silhouette blocked it from him, and Sebastian stumbled out of the back door, spluttering into his shoulder.

He had Rory in his arms, an unmoving Rory whose pale, lax complexion reminded Ollie of a corpse.

Ollie rushed to them and helped Sebastian lower Rory to the ground.

“Hey,” Ollie said, tapping Rory’s shoulders. “I think that’s enough of a nap, don’t you?”

Rory didn’t respond.

“Don’t you even think about doing this to me,” Sebastian growled. He leaned down, hovering the side of his face above Rory’s. Ollie held his breath, his eyes widening as he waited for the verdict.

“He’s breathing,” Sebastian said, shutting his eyes. “He’s breathing.”

He pressed a messy kiss to Rory’s forehead. “Help me roll him into the recovery position.”

Blue flashing lights joined the orange in the sky. “Scratch that,” Sebastian panted, hooking his arms beneath Rory again. He picked him off the ground and carried him. Ollie sprinted ahead to hold the gate open.

“I need some help over here,” Sebastian yelled, adjusting Rory in his arms.

The paramedics rushed to him.

“He’s breathing, but it’s faint.” Sebastian lowered Rory onto a stretcher and stroked back his hair. “Don’t even think about it,” Sebastian warned. “You don’t do that to me, understand?”

A paramedic pressed a mask over Rory’s lips.

He hadn’t moved, not even a twitch.

A fire truck arrived on the scene. The crew jumped out and began to unfurl the hose. Ollie frowned when he thought back to the stove and whether it had been turned off when they’d left, but the flames had come from the front, not the kitchen.

“Ollie,” Sebastian said sharply. “I’m going with Rory in the ambulance. They said there’s not enough room for two—”

“I can get a taxi.”

“We’re going now,” a paramedic called.

Sebastian squeezed Ollie’s shoulder, then rushed to be by Rory’s side. He took hold of Rory’s hand inside the ambulance.

Ollie tugged his phone from his jeans as soon as the ambulance started moving. He glanced back at the flames before distancing himself to make the call. Captain’s name flashed on the screen. He answered immediately.

“There’s a fire,” Ollie blurted.

“What?”

“Sebastian and Rory’s place. Sebastian managed to get Rory out, but he…he didn’t move. He looked dead.” He scrunched his eyes shut, reminding himself that Sebastian had felt, and heard, Rory breathing. He’d called it faint, though. Faint . “Sebastian went with him in the ambulance. I was about to call a tax—”

“Listen to me,” Captain interrupted. “We’re on our way to get you now.”

“We?”

“Are there people with you?” Captain asked.

Ollie glanced over his shoulder. People were still stood watching the house burn, and the fire crew were dousing the flames.

“Yeah, there’s people nearby.”

“Stay with them, Ollie, stay where you can be seen. We’re ten minutes away. You’re going to stay on the line with me the whole time, understand?”

“What if he dies?” Ollie blurted. “He can’t die.”

“You said Rory’s in the ambulance. They’re taking him to hospital. He’s getting the best care he can. He’ll be okay, I’m sure of it, but you’re my priority right now.”

“Me?” He shook his head. “I’m fine. I wasn’t inside the house.”

Ollie watched the flames. Every window at the front of the house had broken.

“We think you’re in danger.”

“What?”

Ollie gasped at the pain in his neck. He stiffened, heart in his throat. There was something in his neck; something had slid straight into his skin, stinging as it went.

A hand squeezed over his hand, and he let it take the phone, brushing it against his ear. Ollie stared straight ahead, too afraid to move. His breath hitched when his phone clattered to the ground. Warm breath brushed his ear. “You’re wearing his jacket.”

Ollie frowned, trying to place the voice, but he didn’t recognise it.

“You’re wearing Rory’s jacket,” the voice clarified.

He wanted to call out, but the thing in his neck was still there. “Yes, he…he gave it to me.”

“We’re going to take this nice and slow, okay, Ollie?”

The person, whoever it was, knew him.

Ollie didn’t reply. He couldn’t see who stood behind him. He didn’t recognise the whispered voice.

“Start walking.”

Ollie took a step. He hissed at the scratch to his skin.

“No, no, no,” the voice whispered. “Not that way. We’re walking away from the fire, not towards it.”

Feet shifted behind Ollie, and an arm slid around his stomach. He was turned away from the fire, away from help.

“There we go… Now start walking.”

“Where…” Ollie paused. When he spoke, he felt the sting in his neck. “Where am I going?”

The arm around him lifted, and a gloved finger pointed at the apartment block still under construction. “That looks like a good place for a chat.” Ollie gasped at the sharp pain at his neck. “Get moving.”