Chapter Two

When the alarm call went off at six, Brendan's eyes were already open. He felt stiff lying on the hard bed all night.

He saw Ray rise from his bed and walk towards the tiny desk they had in the cell. He combed through his brown hair, snagging it on some of the knots. Brendan hadn't noticed last night but it was quite long; it touched the nape of his neck in curls. It wasn't feminine though. Ray was nothing but masculine. His muscles on his arms were well defined, as though he pumped a lot of iron. He had a few tattoos; mostly in hieroglyphics.

Ray glanced up at Brendan and Brendan hastily looked away. He thought he heard Ray sigh.

"You coming to the showers, Brendan?"

Brendan hesitated a moment. If he said no that would look suspicious. "Ye, alright" he said tightly, climbing down from the bed with a soft thud. Ray looked him up and down, his eyes resting on Brendan's face.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I just assumed…"

"It's fine" Brendan waved a hand dismissively. "Shall we go?"

"Sure" Ray nodded. He had a kind of quiet confidence; as though nothing fazed him. When the cell door opened, he led the way to the showers, Brendan by his side.

It was quite clear as they walked that Ray hadn't been kidding about being the boss. A lot of the inmates nodded to him in respect, sometimes with their eyes averted as though in fear. Brendan found himself oddly impressed by it all.

They arrived at the showers, passing several guards. Brendan looked behind to stare them out a little and when he turned around again he was confronted by a room full of naked men.

Brendan hastily looked up at the ceiling, his cheeks reddening. He would not look. He refused to look.

"Brendan, are you coming in?" He heard Ray ask. "He's with me, fellas" he told the other men who glanced at Brendan questioningly. Brendan tried to only look up towards their faces but it was proving rather difficult. He turned to face the wall, running his hand along a crack in the wall.

"Brendan" Ray said quietly, directing his attention back to him. "You gonna get undressed?"

Brendan glanced at Ray warily, before stripping out of his prison clothes. He looked around the room uneasily. Thankfully most of the men had their backs towards him.

"It's okay" Ray said, touching his arm briefly.

Brendan shrugged him off. "I'm fine" he said gruffly, grabbing some soap.

Ray turned away and continued washing himself. Brendan found his eyes drifting down like they had a mind of their own. His eyes took in the fine form of Ray's rear, appreciating its fullness. Stephen had a small arse; pert and smooth. Brendan didn't know why he was thinking of Stephen in a place like this. It was unfathomable. He supposed it was a pleasant memory, Stephen lying beneath him, his arse cheeks pressed between Brendan's cock, his arms wrapped around Brendan's back, urging him closer….

"Um, Brendan?" Ray whispered to him urgently.

"What?" Brendan replied, annoyed that he had been interrupted in his reminiscing.

"You might want to, ah, calm down a bit before you step out…"

"What are ye talking about?" Brendan asked shortly. He was alarmed to see Ray's eyes drift down towards his cock. "What ye looking there for?" Brendan asked menacingly, his voice a quiet hum of rage.

"Brendan" Ray said again, looking down pointedly. Brendan followed his gaze and started.

"Shit!" He was fully erect. This was the worst thing to happen in a communal shower full of other men.

"Calm down, its fine" Ray said quietly, reaching over to grab a towel. Brendan felt him brush against him; it didn't help his erection much. "Here" Ray said, passing him the towel.

"Thanks" Brendan said, looking at the floor. He hastily made to move out of the shower but Ray grabbed his arm.

"We have to all leave together" He said somewhat apologetically.

"Right" Brendan said, still staring at the floor. He never wanted to shower here again.

XXX

Eventually they were able to leave. Brendan was sufficiently calmed down by this point after all of the panic of his situation. Ray didn't say anything to him as they walked back to their cell. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence though; Ray seemed perfectly at ease. When the cell door locked behind them, he turned to face Brendan, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I think we need a little talk"

"Do we now?" Brendan asked, moving to sit down. "About what?"

"You can't do that in the shower. The other guys are fine with me but if they realise you're-"

"What? That I'm what?" Brendan asked angrily, standing up and getting into Ray's face.

Ray stared him down calmly. "You're gay"

Brendan clenched his fists, fully prepared to strike.

"You won't hit me. I'm the only friend you've got in here. You need to calm the fuck down. What the hell does it matter if you're gay? I'm gay! Everyone in here knows it"

Brendan unclenched his fists slightly. "They do? And they don't care?" He sounded sceptical.

"Of course not" Ray said, stepping away from Brendan. "No one messes with me, they know better"

"But if you're…"

"Say the word" Ray commanded, his expression blank.

"Why?"

"Because you have to learn"

"Fine" Brendan bit out. "Gay"

"Better" Ray said, uncrossing his arms. "I can read you like a book, Brendan. You're a closest homosexual, aren't ya? Beat up anyone who accuses you of it, or looks at you the wrong way"

"Get outta my head" Brendan growled.

"No. Because I know your type. Hell, I was your type. It took me years to accept who I was. First time I came in here, I got a lot of stick for it. People called me butt boy, I was only twenty-one"

Brendan remained silent, listening.

"But I caught on quickly. You have to demand respect, no matter what people think. You don't think people still despise me for what I am in here?"

Brendan said nothing.

"Well they do. And you know what I say if they start on me with it? I tell them to fuck off, or I'll fuck 'em good and proper myself. I won't of course, have you seen the men in here?"

"What? They not pretty enough for ye?" Brendan said sarcastically, glancing at Ray's picture on the wall.

Ray followed his gaze. He bent down to pick up the picture. "This is Donny" he said quietly.

"Yer ex" Brendan concluded for him.

"Yeah" Ray said softly. He looked up at Brendan. "You got a boy?"

Brendan straightened his back. He said nothing. Ray rolled his eyes and moved to Brendan's bunk, pulling his pillow away before Brendan could stop him. The picture of Stephen fluttered to the ground. Brendan made a grab for it but Ray got there first. He picked it up curiously, his head tilted to the side.

"He's lovely" He commented, looking closely at the photograph. "What's his name?"

Brendan gritted his teeth.

"Fine, you don't want to say" Ray continued to look at the picture. "He's beautiful though, those eyelashes, that skin…"

Brendan felt his blood boiling. "Put it down" he growled. Ray looked up at him in mild astonishment.

"You feel very strongly for him, don't you?" He said mildly, still looking at the picture.

"I said: put it down"

Ray laughed a little, putting the picture back underneath Brendan's pillow.

"You do have it bad, don't cha? I know that feeling, I love Donny too" Ray said wistfully.

Brendan's rage broke. He charged at Ray and slammed him against the wall, his eyes wild and crazed. He didn't need this guy who he barely knew telling him how he felt about Stephen. He didn't need him looking at his picture, the picture of his Stephen.

Ray laughed in his face. "I like you, Brendan. You're a wild one"

"I don't like ye" Brendan said, seething.

"Yes you do. You have me pinned against the wall, don't cha?" Ray smiled at him pleasantly. It made Brendan even angrier.

"Do ye not understand the meaning of threats?" Brendan said, drawing out each word.

Ray chuckled lightly. "This isn't a threat. You're upset, you're inside, I presume for the first time. You miss your family, you miss this lad…don't deny it"

Brendan hesitated a moment. "Yer wrong" he finally bit out.

"I'm really not" Ray said, pushing Brendan away from him easily. Brendan staggered backwards slightly at the force of it. The guy had strong arms. "I get it, people get too heavy with you and you lash out. You need to stop that"

Brendan's breath came out in short puffs. "Do I now?"

"Yes, you do. Do you really think you'll win him back if you act like this?"

"Who says I've lost him?"

"I can see it in your eyes, the pain of losing him" Ray said quietly. "It's in mine every day, every time I look in the mirror. I can help you, Brendan"

"I don't want ye help"

Ray sighed, looking at Brendan as though trying to work him out. "Not yet, no. You will though. I'm patient. I'll wait"

"Ye will be waiting a long time then"

"I think you're worth waiting for" Ray said suggestively, smirking.

Brendan didn't quite know how to respond to that.