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.
"the, uh.. well, sir, um.." he stammered, unable to come up with an explanation. eddy radiated anger and authority as he stood with his arms crossed, not breaking eye contact with the officer in front of him.
"that's all you have for me? really? does anyone want to explain to me why three of my correctional officers stood here while this escalated the way it did!? jesus christ," he scoffed, shaking his head. the silence resumed.
"all five of you come with me," he said sternly. his eyes landed on brett for a little too long when he turned to exit the room and the smaller man shifted uncomfortably. his gaze was too intense for brett to handle.
laughter erupted from a few of the other inmates as soon as the warden was out of earshot. brett shook his head and wrapped his blanket around his shoulders, wondering what time it was. he prayed that it was nowhere near lunchtime.
eating in that place was another thing on the list of brett's dislikes. he sat by himself at a table in the corner of the room and ate very little, trying to avoid having to deal with the nauseating taste. no one talked to him and he didn't mind it, but it was a bit embarrassing to sit alone in a room full of prison cliques.
"yang," a deep voice came, startling brett out of his thoughts. he looked up to see an officer standing there with his arms crossed.
"uh, yeah?" he mumbled.
"the warden wants to see you."
brett's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.
"what?" he asked, convinced he'd heard the man wrong.
"are you deaf? i said the warden wants to see you, inmate. get up."
brett's cheeks reddened as he stood up and followed the officer out of the room, trying his hardest to ignore the judging looks he received from the rest of the inmates. he stared at his feet as he shuffled along in the hallway.
they reached eddy's office way too soon and brett was definitely not prepared. he could barely breathe as the officer knocked on the door.
"what?" eddy's voice came from behind the dark wood. he sounded annoyed.
"i've got brett yang here with me, sir. you said you wanted to see him."
"come in."
the door opened to reveal eddy sitting at his desk as he had been the previous day, when he and brett had met. he looked more riled up than he had then, though, and the sight of him made brett's stomach do somersaults.
"leave us alone, if you would," eddy said to the officer after the two of them had entered his office. brett's hands were shaking.
"yes, sir. i'll be right outside."
"that's not necessary. i'd say it's safe to assume you've more important things to do, correct?" eddy raised an eyebrow. he hadn't yet looked directly at brett.
"i do whatever you ask me to, sir."
"i'm asking you to get somewhere else," eddy replied. brett would've laughed if this conversation had taken place in any other situation.
"yes, sir."
the CO left the room and shut the door behind him, meaning that brett was alone with eddy in his office. the taller man sighed and ran his hands down his face.
"have a seat, brett," he said tiredly. brett nodded and sat down in one of the cushy chairs in front of his desk. he watched as eddy spun around in his chair, leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling. being in such close quarters with him made brett extremely nervous.
"do you know why you i called you in here?" eddy asked. brett shook his head.
"uh, no sir," he mumbled, bouncing his leg anxiously. he really had no idea and the suspense was killing him.
"see," eddy sighed, "im not sure i know either. i've been reading through your file."
brett frowned, but didn't say anything. speaking to the warden was not something he was ever going to be good at and the last thing he wanted was to anger the taller man, especially after seeing him so upset earlier.
"i don't understand why you're here, brett yang," eddy scoffed, throwing his hands up. he sifted through the piles of papers on his desk and shook his head. brett cleared his throat.
"drug use, sir," he said quietly. eddy stopped suddenly and raised his head to look brett in the eyes, his gaze piercing.
"i know that. but it just doesn't make any sense, does it? surely you've thought about this."
brett had no idea what to say. the idea of the warden calling him into his office and expressing that he thought he didn't belong in the prison caught him completely off guard. he took a deep breath.
"well, um, yeah, i've thought about it. but there's really nothing more i can do about it, um, sir," brett stammered. eddy waved his hand dismissively.
brett just stared at him.
"with all due respect, sir, why does it matter? i'm just another body in here. i don't quite understand why we're having this conversation, if i'm being honest. i'm stuck in here and that's that. you don't even know me, so why is it an issue?"
eddy looked at brett for a long time then, tapping his fingers against his lips. brett shifted uncomfortably in his chair and tried not to make it too obvious just how afraid of the other man he was. he feared that he'd said too much.
"it's an issue, brett, because i don't want someone to be stuck in here that doesn't need to be. it's safe to assume you're not very happy with your current situation, correct?" eddy asked. brett nodded.
"right. i want to let you know that you can come to me if you need anything."
brett scoffed and shook his head.
"what i don't need is to be treated like i'm special or something just because i didn't do shit to land myself in here. i'm already getting pushed around and made fun of because i'm so fucking short and apparently i look like a twelve year old. i don't think it would be a good idea for me to accept any sort of different treatment, um.. sir," he sighed.
the warden clasped his hands together on his desk and peered at brett for an uncomfortably long time yet again, making him more than a little uncomfortable.
"where do you want to work?" he asked finally, turning around in his chair to type something on his computer. brett blinked.
"what?"
"is there anywhere particular you want to be placed? come on, yang, it's the least i can do."
brett could hardly believe his ears. this man, who'd been so cold and authoritative the first time they met, was talking to him like they were friends or something similar. his kindness confused brett more than anything.
"i don't know," brett mumbled. eddy continued typing away at his keyboard.
"do you want to be in the library?" he asked after a few moments. brett shrugged.
"yeah, that'd be good. um... thank you," he stammered. eddy nodded and kept typing for a few seconds before turning back to face brett again.
"don't tell anyone about this, yang. i don't do this—ever. i'd like to keep my reputation as an asshole and i can't have you going around telling people i helped you out," he said, the sternness returning to his voice.
"why do you trust me?" brett asked. eddy's catlike eyes narrowed in response.
"i can't say that i do. but i'm going to take that risk. if word gets back to me that you let anyone know you weren't just randomly assigned to the best job in this place, i will make the rest of your sentence a living hell—more so than it's bound to be already. got it?"
brett gulped.
"yes, sir."
eddy nodded and gathered up the papers from brett's file, putting them back in a drawer.
"you're free to go. don't let me see you back in here unless i request you specifically."
"yes, sir."
brett stood up and exited eddy's office, feeling more confused than he ever had.