1 | Almost Happy ▷ Sam Wilson | ✓

9 - HEY BROTHER

IN THE GREATER SCHEME OF THINGS, NICKY SHOULD HAVE VISITED PRISONS MUCH MORE THAN HE ACTUALLY DID. He was a clinical psychologist, but with his degree he could have easily gone and worked at prisons rather than start up his own practice, or could have become a forensic psychologist and testify in court, or so many other branches of work that would have forced him into a chair opposite a murderer or other person convicted of some crime or another.

Of course, that was just pertaining to his work, not even grazing the fact that his biological father had served life in prison for the murder of his next door neighbors, or that his step-father committed seven armed robberies outside of New York City before getting caught.

He sighed heavily as he signed in and walked towards the metal detector, pulling out all the items in his pockets, tossing them inside and holding his arms out as he was checked to make sure he wasn't bringing anything in.

He wasn't sure if it was his natural openness to listening which naturally drew people to talk to him or because he looked utterly miserable, but the guard actually spoke to him as he was being led to the area where he could talk to his step-brother.

"Who're you coming to see?" the guard asked, "'Cause you look like you're about to get your leg sawed off."

Nicky laughed shortly, unsure of this was even allowed. "I'm coming to see my step-brother, Phineas Mason. My mom's upset that I didn't tell her that he had gotten arrested and that I didn't go to visit him until now."

The guard frowned. "Wasn't he part of the Toomes gang?"

"That what we're calling them?" Nicky asked, raising an eyebrow, "I guess he was then, I don't know. He was always smart, but he was also an idiot. Gotta go hear him out, at least, or let him talk."

"We have people for that," the guard pointed out, pushing open the door for him.

"I'm a clinical psychologist, I could have been one of your people. I feel like he'd be more open to someone he knows, he tends to try and win over strangers." With that, he stepped inside and walked towards the seat he was directed to.

Leaning back, he watched with an unamused expression as his brother was led to the seat across from him. Leaning forward, Nicky grabbed the phone on the side and brought it up to his ear, bracing his elbows against the small table in front of him.

"You're the smartest dumbass I've ever met, you know that?"

Mason flinched at his words and Nicky instantly felt guilty. Glancing down, he mumbled into the phone again, "Sorry, that was mean. But I did warn you."

"I just wanted to take care of my family," Mason pressed, leaned forward as well, "Toomes explained that to you—"

"We don't talk about that," Nicky snapped, trying not to look towards the security or the cameras that were watching them, as well as the devices no doubt recording their conversation, "I didn't agree to it then, I don't agree with it now. I don't do that kind of thing."

Mason opened his mouth to argue, but Nicky silenced him with a sharp look, one he had only used when he was young. "Did you tell anyone else? Besides your group."

The man shook his head quickly. "No, everyone else was either our competition or our consumer, we didn't want to lose any money."

Nicky sighed with relief, swallowing thickly as he nodded. "Okay. Good. God, Phin, what you were thinking, look at you. You had a wife and a kid on the way, now you're stuck in here and she's back living with her mother."

Mason groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen, I just—"

"Well, we don't just weigh everything on intention, Phin. The good has to outweigh the bad for it to work too, and it didn't, okay? Illegal alien tech. You could have done so much better. You ruined lives, Phin, lots of lives, including your own and your boss'," he sighed, pressing his hand against the glass.