incarcerated

2.

brett was 99% sure that his first day in prison was the worst day of his life.

being small had never been so awful. he was constantly getting stepped on and pushed around by people who were nearly a foot taller than him. one particular man, covered in tattoos, had pushed him so hard against the wall that the wind was knocked out of him. everyone in the room had erupted in laughter.

it was all he could do to hold back his tears until he was able to go to bed. fortunately, he had no one else in his cubicle, so he spent his time before sleeping crying silently and clutching his thin blanket in his hands.

the only thought on his mind was that he was never going to be able to make it six months in that place. the food was disgusting. the housing area was one large, open room with small, cube-shaped areas for the prisoners to sleep and store their few belongings. there was nothing for brett to do besides sit and stare at the wall until he got his work assignment, but he was less excited about getting that than he was about sitting and doing nothing. he just knew that his days at work would consist of people making fun of his height and his glasses and whatever else they could think of. people were just so mean to him, even though he hadn't said a word to anyone since he'd gotten there.

as he laid in bed, the warden crossed his mind for the hundredth time that day. he'd been so... captivating. everything about him tempted brett to stare. he silently wished that he'd be able to see his handsome face more often so that something in that godforsaken place would bring him entertainment. but it seemed to brett that warden chen liked to stay in his office. and who could blame him?

the state of the prison disgusted brett. he'd never thought of himself as particularly picky when it came to living arrangements, but the conditions they were in were outrageous. especially since he hadn't even done anything.

that was probably the worst part for brett; the fact that he didn't deserve to be there. he had been shocked when the judge had uttered those damning words and sentenced him to six months in that place. remembering it now, he hadn't even been sure he'd heard him correctly.

"at least it's just six months," everyone had said. but six months could feel like forever.

brett fell asleep that night with a million things on his mind and tears streaming down his face.

—

the next morning was not much better.

brett was woken by a chorus of shouts and loud noises. the other prisoners seemed to be arguing about something, but he was unable to make out what. he sat up confusedly and rubbed his eyes, beginning the daily search for his glasses.

once he found them, it was clear that a fight had erupted. and it was a big one. brett watched an inmate that had been in the van with him yesterday get his head slammed against the wall. the man doing the slamming was at least a foot taller than everyone else in the room and looked absolutely furious.

three COs were attempting to pry the two inmates apart, but it was not going well. brett cringed as the taller man grabbed one of them by his shirt and tossed him to the floor.

the door to the unit opened with a bang and eddy stormed into the room. brett perked up immediately and watched his long legs as he walked straight into the heat of the fight. his muscular arms were nearly bursting out of his tight jacket as he wrapped his fingers around the inmates' shirt collars and yanked them apart with one swift motion. the room was silent.

"why the fuck did this go uninterrupted for so long!?" eddy shouted, his deep voice echoing throughout the large room. the CO that had been thrown to the floor stood up and cleared his throat.