Author's note~ I hope you enjoy.

"You can either come out and join me or piss off and walk away, but don't just stand there like a peeping tom. It's irritating as all hell."

Newt pushed past the greenery, instantly insulted. "I'm not a bleedin' peeping tom! What were you thinking, just taking off without telling anyone?!"

Adrian shrugged. "I left a message. After two full days in a metal box and another in a sick bed with a nasty, sweaty fever, I was in rather desperate need of a bath and a good scrub. Trust me, your nose will thank me for it."

"I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you! I can't bloody well do that if you just up and bugger off!"

Another shrug, an indulgent sigh. "Well, congratulations, you foiled my devious plot to slink away, relax and have a wash. Now that you've found me, you can keep an eye on me here." Looking at the frustrated, weary boy on the shore, Adrian waved a hand carelessly. "Might as well come in and join me. You look like you could use a nice relaxing swim yourself."

Newt started to snarl out a pithy response before suddenly stopping, taking a second to consider. He did enjoy the water, and maybe a nice afternoon swim would help clear his head. Giving in with an ill mannered shoulder jerk, he dropped the bundle of fresh clothes he still carried onto the small pebbled beach, efficiently stripping off his sweaty shirt, worn boots, and the rest of his garments. He stepped into the cool clear water and immersed himself fully in one slick movement. When he came up for air he wasn't able to stop a contented sigh of his own from leaving his lips as the water cradled him.

Surrendering to the soothing simplicity of it, Newt closed his eyes and just...floated. Neither speaking, both reveling in the silence, the boy and the man were in perfect harmony.

After nearly an hour of perfectly uncomplicated quiet, Newt made his way to where the man was still sitting, relaxing and soaking up the dappled light of the sun. When he was close enough to touch the rocky perch, Adrian surprised him by reaching out.

"Want a hand up?"

Newt took the offered appendage and the man lifted him from the water with ease, settling himself beside the man on the rock. The sun felt good on his cool wet skin, and he shook the tangled blonde hair out of his eyes, spraying Adrian with a rain of cold droplets. Adrian just lifted a brow at the spatter and, saying nothing, once again tilted his head back and closed his eyes, looking utterly content as he absorbed the sun's rays. Conscientious to not stare, Newt never the less took a good look at their newest glader; he'd yet to see the man in the full light of day. The dim light that filtered into the box, the murky gloom of the med hut, it was difficult to really see someone in those kind of conditions.

His hair was definitely on the red side of chestnut, Newt decided, and almost hit shoulder length in soft waves just this side of curly. He had high, sharp cheekbones, a square jaw showing a shadow of growing stubble, a thin nose, full lips. His dark eyebrows cut across his forehead with just a bit of a curve over deep set eyes, boasting a forest of lashes. The time in the sun was just starting to turn his skin a lightly golden color. He had a tattoo on his ribs; a plate size design of some foreign bird, done in black and reds and ending just above his right hip. There was something written at the bottom of the design, but Newt couldn't see it past Adrian's arm.

Some of the other boys were going to give this greenie a lot of attention.

Long arms, long legs, a long torso. The wound on his thigh was no longer an angrily inflamed gaping red horror; the skin surrounding the area was back to a normal color, and the wound itself had been carefully stitched into a relatively small line. The other wounds appeared to be clean and healing well, which pleased Newt. The greenie appeared to be on the mend.

Also showing clearly in the sun; a multitude of bruises across the man's torso and back, a plethora of scars along his sides and shoulders. Deep purple bruises, larger than an apple, covered most of his ribcage, and angry red scars, barely healed, cross hatched the back of both shoulders. Fainter shadows showed on his wrists, clear thin bands of bruising from some form of shackle or restraint. Shifting uncomfortably as he took in the injuries, new and older, Newt couldn't quite stop himself from breaking the silence.

"You...you said that you remember your time...before you were sent up, yeah?"

"Hmmmmmm." Sitting still as a stone, Adrian made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

"...what...happened to you?"

Adrian didn't move, but Newt could see the muscles in his shoulders tense at the hesitant question.

"I'm a researcher; it's my job to gather information and facts. Sometimes that means that I end up finding out about things that others would rather keep hidden." Adrian's tone was intentionally light and nonchalant, but his apparent bitterness still managed to creep in. "I poked my nose in the wrong place, too cocksure of myself to really believe that anything would happen to me - or others - because of it." A long, painful pause. Newt waited silently, considering the implication of Adrian's words. "I'm damn good at what I do; careful, thorough, discrete. And I still managed to piss off just the wrong kind of person and, apparently, win the grand prize of an all expense paid one way trip here."

"What did you find out? Who did you piss off? Do you know-"

Adrian turned his head and looked at Newt in a flash, his misty green eyes open and considering. "Quid pro quo, kid. You ask a question, you answer one."

"Yeah sure, fine. What do you want to know?" Newt asked impatiently.

"Just curious. What did you do, Sally, to land yourself on babysitting detail?"

All other questions evaporated out of Newt's head as he sputtered in outrage.

"SALLY?!"

"Well yeah," Adrian replied casually, a mischievously little grin on his face. "You don't actually expect me to call you Salamander, do you? Honestly, it's just a terrible name."

"Newt! My bloody name is Newt you twat!"

Adrian shrugged. "Salamander, Newt, they're both small slimy amphibious critters. I think I'll stick with Sally. Suits you better."

"I don't think it does. Mary." Newt spat with a healthy dose of vindictive pleasure.

"Again with the Mary is it?" Adrian murmured, his tone deadly calm. Quick as a whip, his arm flashed out and wrapped around Newt's neck, pulling him into a headlock. As the boy gasped and squirmed, Adrian leaned down and purred into his ear.

"Oh, I don't think so. Would 'Mary' be able to do this?"

His free hand slid down Newt's side, still damp from the pond.

Newt was gasping, struggling. He hadn't expected Adrian to lash out so easily; the man had started the whole argument, after all. He tried to wriggle free of the arm at his neck, but his left arm was trapped between them and his sweating hand couldn't find purchase on the man's arm. Blind terror spiked through him as he felt the hand skimming down his body, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get away. Pride often crumbles under extreme pressure, and he begged fervently, trembling and squirming violently.

"Please don't, please don't, please don't!"

The hand stopped, resting just under Newt's ribs.

"Oh I don't think so, Sally. Not until you cry uncle."

Quickly, mercilessly, Adrian wiggled his fingers into Newt's flesh.

A shocked, shaking, surprisingly high pitched giggle burst out of Newt's mouth before he could register what was happening. Freezing mid squirm, he turned his head and looked Adrian straight in the eye. "What the hell?"
Returning the look with a certain steely determination, Adrian repeated himself.

"I said, cry uncle."

Adrian ruthlessly tickled Newt again, pulling another begrudging (and less hysterical) giggle from the boy. "Are you out of your mi-"

More giggles, evolving to full out belly laughter. Newt was struggling again, breathless again, but without any of the earlier fear or panic. Mind blank with relief and the sheer foolishness of the moment, Newt flopped like a fish, gasping for air, tears starting to run down his face. The hand was removed from his side, and the knuckles of a loose fist was gently set on the crown of his head.

Followed by a firm and authoritative noogie.

"Ah! Hey!"

"Yield. Say uncle."

"I won't!"

"Say uncle."

"I won't!"

"Say it!"

Finally managing to slip his trapped arm free, Newt caught a stroke of good luck and landed a flailing elbow right in the man's healing ribs, knocking the breath out of him, causing him to release the boy in surprise and topple into the water.

"Shit!" Newt exclaimed, a little breathless from the laughter and the wrestling. "Adrian!"

Adrian's head popped out of the water like a cork; he coughed up a mouthful of water and laughed like a loon, shaking the wet hair out of his eyes. Newt grinned back, a young happy grin that he hadn't worn since...he couldn't remember when. He offered a hand to the man.

Adrian took it. "Well done kid. Newt it is." And promptly yanked on the boy's hand, unceremoniously pulling him head first into the pond with a huge splash. After all, turn around is fair play.

Newt came up, sputtering and coughing and laughing, all at the same time. They laughed at and with each other as they treaded water easily for a while before both turned and started stroking towards the shore. Newt cast a sideways glance at the man, catching the look of understanding and resignation on his face. The fun and games were over, for now. It was time to head back.

Author's note ~ Laughter makes the world go round.

~Ruby