Chapter Text
"I was helping people--hey, Jesus I can walk--" I growled as the two guards pushed me forward, one grabbing my arm to drag me down the hall roughly when I stopped to speak.
"Oh, the judge didn't believe you? I'm shocked, Fischbach. Here's your cell for the next year." One guard said, unlocking a thick door. It slid open heavily, before they both pushed me inside.
"Meet McLoughlin, your new cellmate."
And with that, they closed the door. Turning to the bunk beds, I spotted a younger man, lounging casually on the bottom bunk. He had a little smirk, probably from hearing me from down the hall.
"Fischbach, eh?" He spoke then, eyeing me and the extra prisoners uniform I held.
"Uh yeah, Mark Fischbach. " I set my clothes on the top bunk, as I silently claimed it.
"An' I'm Jack, Jack McLoughlin. But a little tip, we go by last names 'ere. No one cares about first names." I noticed the Irish accent he sported, making his sentence sound rougher then he probably meant it it be.
Though, I was in prison. He probably wants to scare me.
"Anyway, what are yeh in for?" He asked, filling the silence I gave him while lost in temporary thought.
"Stealing from the rich, giving back to the poor. And I got thrown in jail for it."
Jack just laughed lightly. "Yeh, the government doesn't act kindly to Robin Hood."
On the opposite wall to the bunks, was a small table and a shelf, along with an uncomfortable looking metal chair. I pulled it out and took a seat. "What about you, Jack?"
"I said we go by last names. It's McLoughlin. Let's see, a little bit of stealing, drug dealing, murder--" he then looked over to me, seeing my face pale. "--for self defense, I swear. But like the law cares."
I gulped thickly, nodding. "If you say so. " I tapped my foot nervously for a moment, before continuing. "So uh, drug dealing? How'd you get into that?"
Jack just adjusted, scooting back more, his shirt riding up just a little bit. "A friend was hardcore into makin' meth. I let him do his own thing, last thing I need is all that toxic shit explodin' in me face. Then he came to me with a new drug, he was all 'evil scientist' like that. He called it Septic. Asked if I'll be his runner, you know, go sell at parties and shit. Before I knew it I was runnin' the business."
"Hm. Was the drug lethal or something?" I asked.
"No idea. I never saw anyone take it, when it came to that I was jus' there to hand over a bag o' Septic and get cash back. All I know is people went crazy over it."
As he spoke, the door slid open, hitting the wall harshly.
"Free period fellas, let's go." Jack stood, nodding his head for me to follow. I did, passing the guard as he clicked at both of us, a counter in his hand. I stayed silent, waiting for everyone to be released. I couldn't help noticing how only a handful of people were wearing orange with me. We were vibrant against the grey that everyone else wore.
A bell went off, ringing through the metal walls. Jack gave me a push in my side, making me move forward as we all started filing down and out the door at the bottom level. I just followed the flow of prisoners, glancing back at Jack to make sure I didn't stray. If I was going to survive this place, I needed friends. Jack was as dangerous as any.
Though, he was smaller then me, and a lot of these guys were much bigger then me. And, along with size, a lot more threatening.
Everyone dispersed into groups, as I low key noticed most separated by color of skin. The handful of new inmates congregated together. I, on the other hand, let Jack lead me to a lone table.
"You don't have a group?"
Jack shook his head. "Don't need one." I watched as he sat, facing the workout equipment. I also noticed how most who snagged weights were giving him a dirty look.
"Sit. Please." He ordered, tacking on a please. "You stand out enough as it is."
I didn't feel like sitting. It felt too.. Submissive. Instead I leaned on the table, crossing my arms. He just rolled his eyes.
I quickly realized I should have complied.
A guy from in front of us, setting down the weight he had before strutting over.
"Heh, look, fresh meat, a stray from the herd," he chuckled, his friend who followed laughing too.
"Lay off, Smithfield." Jack said, not looking at him or me.
"And what are you gunna do?" Smithfield asked, waving him off with his words.
"Talking about, New Meat, what are you in for? Because I'm in for bad things." He then crept closer to me, speaking in my face. "Like murder of pretty boys like you." My face paled. I could tell in the look in his eyes, he didn't regret it one bit. At least Jack tried covering himself.
"Scared pretty boy?" He prodded my shoulder with a thick finger.
"I said lay off," Jack said, louder and with more threat in his tone.
"What are you going to do, McLoughlin?" He repeated, turning to him.
"I don't want to have to kick yer arse again over a newbie," Jack replied, now looking at the Boulder of a man.
"Right, he's just fresh meat. What do you care?" Smithfield then chuckled and looked at me again. "You've already claimed him as your bitch?"
I blinked, processing what he said. "Wait-what?"
Jack stood, no where close to matching his height. "Go back to liftin' your dumbbells, meathead." Jack spat, keeping his eyes trained on Smithfield.
"Because you know, I'd take him off your hands, McLoughlin. My last bitch was getting worn out anyway."
His goon snatched me, just as Jack swung and got a good hit in. As I watched Smithfield recoil, blood dropped from his nose. Not just bleeding, but the bridge was broken open.
I took the now full blown fight everyone took and used it to my advantage, swinging at the guy who grabbed me. It definitely wasn't a hit like Jack's, but it toppled the smaller guy easy. I looked back to Jack, to just see a flurry of bodies. The people who came to watch were now in the middle of a full out brawl, and Jack was somewhere in the center.
The guards payed little attention to me as they ran to break the fights up. One though barked an order to go back to my cell, thinking I was an innocent bystander.
But was Jack okay?
With a few others, I was led towards the door, as they started shoving the fighters to the door. Still brawling, I saw the guy I socked come up to me and shove me against the metal wall by the door.
"You got a lucky punch in, pretty boy." He then drew his arm back and started beating in my face, as I frantically tried prying his other arm from my shoulder. I took a month of martial arts in fourth grade, and now it decided to kick in. I blindly twisted his wrist and squeezed my foot between us, before shoving him away. My glasses were broken, blood dripped from my face, as I was left blind and unable to make my way through the angry crowd to the safety of my cell. I could barely see blurry figures, as I scooted away from the door to a less crowded spot. I didn't realize I wasn't breathing till I took a deep breath and my head started to throb in pain.
As the blurry mass of people got smaller, a dark figure walked up. A guard, who bent and asked if I was able to walk. Explaining my glasses, she started to lead me inside and down away from the cells, to what I guess was the hospital wing. She sat me down on a bed, and a woman in a lighter uniform walked over. Her dark hair pulled into a bun, she started asking me questions as she took my glasses from my hand.
"It's not too bad, Fischbach. A few cuts, a black eye--"
"But I'm blind."
"Till.. We get your replacements from your insurance, yes." I could tell even blurry, she frowned. Might as well leave me to the dogs at this point. I really was fresh meat. Helpless, defenseless, fresh meat.
I sat still long enough for her to bandage me up. Getting the blood from my eyes did help my vision, but I still couldn't see a foot in front of my face.
"I'll have a guard assigned to you till next week, alright Fischbach?" She said, finishing up bandaging me.
"Jack--" I cleared my throat, and corrected myself. "--McLoughlin, I mean.. He's alright, right?"
"Why?"
"I'm uh, the reason the fight broke out. He protected me from this asshole, Smithfield I think."
"Let's see, McLoughlin is the little Irish guy right? Wow. Usually it's Smithfield putting people in here, not the opposite."
"So he's okay?"
"Well, no. He came in before you, he's being taken care of though. Don't worry, he'll be fine. What are you, sweet for him or something?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I feel at fault, is all. I share a cell with him, last thing I need is him beating on me thinking I put him here."
I watched her nods before she walked out of my vision. All I could tell was that there was a number of beds with people on them, getting treated and patched up. I assumed I was free to go, when a man stopped me.
"Sorry man, you have to say here till we get somebody to get you back to your cell without you getting jumped." He was in my bubble of vision. He was big, a little on the chubby side, with a blonde streak in his brown hair, matching the nurse.
I let out a sigh, before taking a step back. Though before I could really mope a familiar shape of a man rounded the corner, slipping by the guard. "Jesus Mark, I thought yeh got out of the brawl."
It was Jack, and he had just came into my vision. He had to be worse off than me.
First thing I noticed, he was shirtless. Out of detail, but a eye sat on both of his hips, looking inward towards his happy trail. I also noticed the blob of a bandage at his chest.
His face was realistically fine. Flushed red from adrenaline, but fine. No blood, no black eyes as far as I could tell, just his chest.
"I'm fine, I can barely feel it-- what the hell happened to you?"
"The guy fookin' shanked me. He was stupid too, sliced me chest open instead of just actually shankin' me. Idiot." He grumbled. I just gave him a worried look, my face white from today's events. My first fucking day.
Before I could properly reply, the first nurse who bandaged me up called out to everyone.
"If you're not being worked on and you can walk, back to your cells. Warden's orders," she called, louder than I thought she could be. People started shuffling out, as Jack motioned for me to follow him.
"I uh, Jack?"
He looked back. "What?"
"I'm technically blind here. My glasses got smashed when that guy's goon jumped me."
He let out a sigh. "Dicks. Alright, stay close. I'll lead us back to the cell."
And he did, I followed closely as he led me through the inmates going to the hospital or their cells. Some were still fighting. I ended up setting a hand on his shoulder, making sure we didn't get separated.
I easily noticed how people just move out of Jack's way. He did just take up the biggest guy in the prison. Though, the few who sauntered into my clearer vision gave me dirty looks as I hid behind Jack.
There wasn't much I could do, being as close as I could get to blind. I just followed Jack, upstairs and down to our cell.