Behind Bars

[dragonko]

CW: Mention of rape

This is a new story I decided to get started on today. It's just the beginning so it's fairly short, but I hope to continue it.

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Chad had been a ward of the Kentucky State Corrections System for 6 years, 4 months, and 8 days following a failed bank robbery outside Louisville. He had lost his job and fell on hard times when he started to get desperate. He had gotten away with a few small bank robberies just to stay afloat, but had grown more bold by his success. That boldness got him landed in prison, serving a 15 year sentence. He had gotten by with the help of his cell mate, Jason, who had taken Chad under his wing early in his sentence. Jason, however, had gotten out yesterday, which meant that Chad was due to have a new cell mate. He sat on his cot, brooding. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy for Jason, he was, but he wasn’t looking forward to having to adjust to change after 6 years of things being the same. But that’s prison.

 

Chad was broken from his daze by the sound of keys unlocking his cell door, he looked up to see CO Miller open the door and step aside. That’s when he entered, the most beautiful man that Chad had ever seen in his life. He stood about 6’, strong jaw line, dirty blond short hair, blue eyes, and a body that even looks good in prison orange.

 

“Robbins,” barked Miller, calling Chad by his last name, “meet your new roommate.” He then closed the cell door, leaving the two prisoners starting at each other.

 

“So, you’re the new guy. Welcome to the country club,” joked Chad, trying to gauge if this guy was going to be cool.

 

The man chuckled softly, “Thanks … uh, I’m Greg. I, uh, guess we’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other for a bit.” He grinned, sending a pang of attraction rippling through Chad. Chad had never been gay on the outside, but 6 years in a men’s prison can change a person’s outlook. It wasn’t rapey and violent like people think, but men get lonely and they get horny and sometimes you just gotta take what you can get. Chad wasn’t about to complain about bunking with              a man who could have been a model.

 

“Mmm, well it’s nice to meet you Greg, I’m Chad. Might as well make yourself comfortable, you’re gonna be spending a lot of time in here. You’ll get used to it. Have you been inside before?” Chad wanted to gage what this man was probably going through.

 

“Uh, no, first time. I’m trying to play it cool, but I’m totally freaking out.” Greg said as he sat down on the other cot. His face was stoic, but his eyes were filled with fear. He could probably cry, and probably really wanted to. Chad remembered that feeling when he was the new one sitting across from Jason.

 

“Alright, well, you’re in luck. When I first got in here, my cell mate was a mentor to me and helped me adjust and avoid problems. I owe it to him to return that favor to you. And, if you want to cry, do it, it helps. We all do at one point or another. Just, ya know, be quiet about it so that no one but me hears. Now, this is a minimum security prison, so we get a bit more leeway around here and most of the guys are pretty tame. But still, you’re going to want to be care-“ he was cut off by Greg’s sudden intake of air, taking a good look at Greg just as ‘ASHOO, HUH-ASHOO’ he doubled over with two quick and powerful sneezes. He sniffed and looked toward Chad, “sorry, ugh, my allergies really kick my ass this time of year. I guess prison probably isn’t going to be doing my nose any favors.” He gave his nose another scrub and looked back up to Chad, “what were you saying?”

 

Chad just chuckled and continued on filling in Greg on everything he needs to know as a first-day prisoner, but not so much as to overwhelm him. There was plenty of time for that.

[deere]

This is a really interesting idea...slightly different take on the old trope of college roommates.

[sweetnerd32]

cant wait to see what you do with this fic 🤤

[dragonko]

So, after many years I finally wrote a follow-up chapter for this story. It's not much and it's kinda just a nice little sneezy fluff piece, but I had fun writing it.

 

 

‘ASHOO, ASHUH, HEH-HUH-ASHOO’

 

A little over 3 years after Greg first walked into his cell, Chad had gotten used to the other man’s regular sneezing each spring and fall. It was early April now, so it had been about a week now that his roomie had begun reacting to the pollen that was infiltrating the air all through the facility. The prison did, of course, provide some antihistamines, but they were a very low dose and, while they did seem to help some of Greg’s worst symptoms, they seemed to have no affect on the constant sneezing.

 

He looks over in Greg’s direction to see him sitting on his cot, looking slightly upward toward the ceiling, nostrils still quivering under the allergic tingle that was clearly plaguing his nose, there was at least one more sneeze still coming, but it was going to toy with him a bit. Chad had grown to know everything about Greg, and Greg everything about him. They had become fast friends when Greg first came in, but in time their friendship grew to become more than just a friendship. While yes, the old prison stereotype was in fact true, men get lonely and even men who would otherwise only seek the company of women will give into urges given the right circumstances, the chemistry between Chad and Greg was different.

 

It took them a while to acknowledge it, but a little over a year into Greg’s incarceration they got to talking one night. Chad talked about how he wasn’t gay coming into the prison, and wasn’t really sure that he’d call himself gay or even bisexual now, but that being in a place with only other men had changed the way that he saw companionship and sexuality. He had told Greg that getting close with him over that first year had made him feel the way he had felt when dating women in the past and that maybe it was something he was more open to than he realized. Greg had opened up to Chad about his own bisexuality, which he said he had always been open with on the outside, but was worried about disclosing in prison. He had reciprocated Chad’s feelings and the two of them had been a couple ever since. It could probably be a Hallmark movie if they weren’t in fucking prison.

 

‘HUASHOO … snfff ugh, fucking finally,” Greg groaned from his bunk “I thought that sneeze was never going to come out.” The sneeze and Greg’s voice snapped Chad out of his thoughts as he saw the other man wiping his nose and sniffing back some congestion. “Bless you,” he offered even though he knew Greg thought it was silly he always blessed him, no matter how many sneezing fits he had in a day, even that one time last fall when the ragweed pollen was so bad that Greg could barely make it more than ten minutes without launching into another powerful fit of sneezes.

 

“Thanks,” Greg replied softly, he was never in a very good mood during allergy season. It was hard to blame him with how much it disrupted his life for the couple of weeks each spring and fall that it would hit him hard. He was a trooper, though, and would still try to get his daily exercise, hang out in the yard, get all of his work done, and get a few hours of reading in between all the sneezing.

 

“Doors should be opening soon, should we get out to the yard first and start the day with some fresh air?” Chad looked up at Greg hearing the question, “are you sure? You’ve already been sneezing a lot this morning, do you really want to start the day going outside?” He knew it probably wouldn’t make a difference and the other man was going to go outside no matter what anyway, but he felt the need to express his concern.

 

“Yeah, it’ll be fine, I just got to swing by the doc’s window first to pic up my pill for the day, it’ll be fine.” Greg was always trying to reassure Chad who, despite being a bit of a harder criminal than Greg – who was in for financial mail fraud – had a penchant for worrying about those he cares about. Chad knew the pills wouldn’t stop the sneezing, but regardless responded with “kay, if you’re sure.”

 

Greg leaned over to plant a soft kiss on Chad’s cheek, “I’m sure, love.”

 

Once the door opened, the two men made their way to the doctor’s window to grab Greg’s pill, the one Greg swore was going to make going outside totally fine, and then made their way toward the yard. They had a routine, they’d go out and walk a few laps around the track before taking up a spot on a bench toward the edge of the yard. People wouldn’t bother them and they kept a low profile, the guards liked them well enough because they didn’t cause problems and never really complained. Even though they were openly affectionate with each other, the rest of the men knew how strong they both were and didn’t want to take chances. It was as good an existence as a guy could have in prison, honestly.

 

About half way through their second lap around the track, Chad started to notice that Greg was stubbornly trying fight against an itch that was building in his nose. The wild flowers that had recently gone into full bloom were likely producing their fullest amount of pollen at this point and they surrounded the prison up and down the valley in all directions. Basically, Greg was doomed from the start.

 

“Heh-“ Greg’s breath caught suddenly and he brough a hand up to his nose, holding it there as he stopped and stood still. Chad couldn’t say why, but he always thought Greg looked exceptionally attractive when he was like that: fingers curled into a loose fist pushed under his widely flaring nostrils, the bulb of his nose turning a light shade of pink, his blue eyes fluttering lightly, and his mouth hanging lightly open making him pant. It wasn’t about the sneeze, but rather watching his man try to fight an inevitably losing battle, one that he would lose over and over again but chose to fight nevertheless.

 

“Just sneeze baby, there’s no point in trying to hold it off, it’s just us and you know it’s going to happen eventually anyway.”

 

“N-no … I-I can f-fight … heh-HEH-“ he clamped his nose quick, focusing until the itch diminished again, “I can fight it th-this time.” Chad rolled his eyes knowing it was only a matter of time, but just said “okay, if you say so,” and kept walking.

 

After about ten more seconds Chad heard Greg’s breath catch again and turned just in time to see the other man fold into an uncharacteristically rapid fit, “ASH, ASHUH, ASHUH, ASH, ASH, HUH-ASH, HUH-ASH, HEH-HEH-HUH-ASHOOO.” Greg stood there still panting, another sneeze clearly toying with him as his breath hitched for what felt like ages, Chad could have sworn the man almost looked like he wanted to cry his nose itched so bad.

 

Without hardly even thinking, Chad bent down and picked a piece of grass and approached Greg. As Greg tipped his head back, still hitching and trying to get out the sneeze, Chad took his opportunity and stuck the freshly picked end of grass up Greg’s nose. One quick gasp and the payoff was nearly instant, “HUAHSHOOO, HAHSHOOO, ASHOO,” Greg let loose with three gargantuan sneezes that seemed to finally quell the itch, at least for now.

 

“Jeez, bless you.”

 

“Thanks, and uh … thank you … uh, for the help,” Greg said before sweeping Chad in for a daring kiss, not caring if the guards wanted to yell at him.