Newt charged up the stairs of The Dog flying up them two steps at a time, why couldn't Lauren just get off his back? She was always interfering but this time she'd gone too far, she was supposed to be his friend, and he thought she was, so what's with all these interrogations? She even said– no, threatened -she'd speak to Jack. He'd told her firmly (very firmly) to mind her own business and leave him alone if she wasn't going to be any help. She'd started to reply angrily but Newt just turned on his heel and sped off towards The Dog, leaving her to rattle on by herself in the middle of the village. She won't follow him, she shouldn't follow him. Eli had always said she was one of them, and Newt guessed he was right all along. Eli was right about most things. Newt made a mental note to listen to him more (though sometimes it seemed Eli influenced his every move). Newt didn't stop running until he reached his room passing Darren on the way, knocking his handfuls of mail flying,

'Oi! Watch where you're going!' Darren yelled after him, but Newt disappeared behind his door leaving a cloud of fluttering paper behind him. 'Little weirdo.' Darren muttered under his breath, bending to pick up the scattered letters littering the floor.

Newt slammed his door shut and skidded to a halt within the safety of his own room, he thudded down onto his bed burying his head in his hands, his elbows resting heavily on his thighs. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think, his breathing shallow and quick after his sprint from the centre of the village. Was everyone against him? Well, he knew Jack and Frankie wanted the best for him, but he could swear they exchanged certain…obscure glances when they thought he wasn't looking. Eli had always warned him about them, and Eli was right about most things, but not this, surely not Jack and Frankie…? But what if he was right…what if they were plotting against him…Lauren too…?

'Alright Newtos?' Newt jumped at the sudden sound of Eli's voice, jerking his head up to see where he was, he hadn't noticed him when he came in. Eli was slouched in the little office chair in front of the TV. He spun the chair with his feet to fully face Newt,

'Why are you so jumpy?' He didn't wait for an answer, 'and where've you been all morning anyway, we're meant to be planning what we're gonna do about Warren?' Eli continued, getting to his feet and leaning against the wall directly in front of Newt, his arms folded across his chest. Newt followed Eli with his eyes before returning his face to his hands,

'I went into the village-' Newt began, but Eli cut his answer short,

'What, to see Lauren?' He interrupted almost mockingly,

'Yeah,'

Eli sighed angrily, looking to the ceiling in despair, 'what've I told you about her, Newtos? She's bad news!'

'I know-'

'No you don't know! That's why you keep running on back to her,' Eli threw his arms out of their folded form,

'She's supposed to be my friend,' Newt said pitifully, not risking a look up at Eli,

'Friend? She was never you're friend, Newtos. She's just trying to set you up, get you into trouble and blame everything on you. She even works at Warrens salon, she's one of them, and she's turning you into one of them too-'

'No she's not!' Newt stared up at Eli with an almost disgusted frown on his face,

'Yes she is, Newt!' Eli replied angrily, his voice rising, 'and she's doing a good job of it too-'

'Keep your voice down!' Newt interrupted, jumping to his feet, 'Darren's just outside!' He said unnecessarily quietly, heading for his CD player and turning it up unnecessarily loud. When he turned around he was confronted by Eli standing alarmingly close to him, making him jump for the second time within the last 5 minutes.

'Someone really is jumpy today.' He smirked, but Newt didn't return it. Instead he pushed past him, muttering angrily to himself as he went, just loud enough for Eli to hear:

'I'm not turning into one of them-'

'Of course you are! Look at you! Hanging around with salon-workers, who make a living promoting looks as the only option with their superficial attitudes, they're all slaves to the media and to beauty, they all strive for beauty when really they're the ugliest people around!' Newt could tell from Eli's voice that he was getting more & more irritated, but he kept his back to him.

'Lauren's just as bad as them, Newt. If not, worse. She's pretending not to be to get to you, so she can set you up and turn everyone against you!' Newt could sense that Eli was close behind him, but he didn't turn round. Eli scared him sometimes. Though he was sure Eli would never really do anything to hurt him, he could still intimidate him whenever he liked. Newt continued staring straight ahead. He wanted to turn and confront Eli and tell him that he was wrong, that Lauren wasn't like that, but he remembered his promise to himself earlier on. Eli was right about most things, he should listen to him more. So he did.

'Frankie's just as bad, she works at that salon too, along side all those brain dead clones-'

'But-!' Newt attempted to contradict Eli, Frankie wasn't like that, she'd taken him in, she'd let him stay, she was always so nice to him. But he was barely able to voice the first word of his sentence,

'But nothing, Newtos. Stop trying to protect them. They've done nothing to deserve it. All these people are such blatant fakes and your too blind to see it. You're lucky you've got me to make you see sense.' Eli was now so close Newt could feel his breath ruffle the hair on the back of his head slightly with each word.

Newt glared at the window in front of him, his breath quickening. He muttered something Eli couldn't quite make out over the loud music still filling the room.

'What was that, Newtos?" Eli growled from behind him.

'I said,' Newt began, trying to force confidence into his voice, 'I don't need you.' He hadn't meant it. He knew he shouldn't have said it. He didn't even know why he said it, but it was too late now. For a second or two there was nothing but the blaring music in his ears. Then suddenly he felt a hand seize his forearm so tight he could feel Eli's nails dig into his skin through his clothes. Suddenly the room span around him and he was turned violently to face Eli at such a speed that he very nearly lost his balance, now both his arms were being clamped in Eli's fists. Newt stared up at him, his eyes wide with shock, Eli's own green eyes glowered back at him. Eli pulled him forward before ramming him up against the wall to his right, causing Newt to whimper in his grasp. He held him there for a few seconds, neither one of them moving, not even to blink. Eli was stood so close to Newt, all his strength pinning him to the wall behind him, their breath heavy. Newt opened his mouth to speak, even though he had to words to say Eli was quick to silence him,

'You do need me, Newtos.' Eli said darkly, not breaking their locking eyes, his gaze so strong it could've been solid. Newt still couldn't find any words. Eli was of course right; they both knew that, Newt needed him. So why was he being so stubborn? Eli seemed livid, Newt always knew he was easily wound up and was used to him being angry and irritable, but it never made it any less scary. Eli was so unpredictable.

'Say it, Newt.' Newt looked up at him blankly, he could feel himself trembling slightly,

'Wh-what?' He managed to force his voice to say. Eli pulled him forwards a little then brought him slamming back against the wall in an instant, Newts entire body embracing a flash of pain on impact, causing him to gasp Eli's name.

'Say it.' Eli spat through gritted teeth, his eyes bearing into Newts. Newt could do nothing but stare back up at him, his mind racing, though he felt like his thoughts had never paced so slowly. Say what? Eli was so close to him, their noses were only a few centimetres apart.

'I-I…I need you, Eli…' Newt said quietly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't draw his eyes away from Eli's, which continued to watch him. A few more seconds passed, the loud music pounding around them. Eli's expression remained a hard as stone. But his lips began to curve into a smile, then he laughed. A low, insincere dark laugh, his eyelids closing momentarily. Newt didn't join in the brief laughter. He seemed almost paralysed.

Eli's laughter stopped as quickly as it had started though the smile remained on his face. Before he knew what was happening Newt felt Eli's lips force themselves against his, pressing his lip ring against his teeth. Eli's grip around his arms was still as tight as before, if not tighter. Newt could feel Eli's stubble against his chin and lip, scratching his skin, though it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. Newt was suddenly conscious of Eli's body being so close to his, pushing him to the wall even more, so close he could feel Eli's heartbeat, quick and regular. Still he didn't move.

Eli drew back a centimetre of so from the unresponsive Newt,

'You'd better kiss me back, Newtos.' He said defiantly, but only just loud enough to be heard. Newt's eyes remained open but Eli was so close he couldn't make anything out, it all just blurred into one, so he let his eyelids drop shut. Eli closed the gap between them again, just as hard as before, and this time he was welcomed by Newt's receptive lips, pressing back against his. Newt could feel Eli smile against him, he didn't know whether it was a satisfied smile, or a cruel mocking smile, or a genuinely happy smile, but it was a smile all the same.

Despite the underlying fright that coursed through Newt (and that had been since their conversation had begun) he found himself willing Eli not to pull away, he wanted Eli to kiss him and not to stop. Eli parted his lips a little, and Newt's copied. Their tongues met tentatively in the middle, before pushing against each other to gain dominance, which of course Eli won. Their mouths moved perfectly in time with each other, though Eli remained firmly in control, coordinating the kiss into a slow but passionate one. Somehow Newt managed to slide a hand between their chests and around Eli's neck, his fingertips brushing the curls at the very tip of his spine, his thumb stroking against Eli's earlobe. Eli responded by releasing his grasp on one of Newt's arms, instead he ran his hand over Newt's shoulder and through his hair, holding him closer, (whether it was possible to be any closer or not). Newt's now freed hand wound around Eli's waist and clung to the material of his shirt. He kissed Eli back as deeply as he'd let him, softly tracing his unshaven jaw with his thumb. Their tongues entwined again, Newt's fingers sliding through Eli's curls round to the back of his head, pulling him down into an even more heated kiss.

Eli suddenly pulled away from Newt, but continued to hold him against the wall. Newt's eyes opened to look up at him, Eli was smirking again. The let out a small laugh, the same laugh as before, the one that always unsettled Newt.

'I knew you needed me, Newtos.' He said through a snigger. He pushed himself away and turned his back, walking casually towards the small office chair in front of the TV, leaving a bewildered and rather gormless looking Newt still standing against the wall. I knew you needed me. Eli was right about most things, and this was definitely one could be certain of.