Hollywood Undead One Shots Book 2

by AiriaMurillo

A collection of one shots for Hollywood Undead. I accept requests for a lot of pairings so leave a comment or pm me to send one in. Most are Danny x - as that is who I write the most but I do accept the other pairings too. WARNING RATED M FOR A REASON. I do a lot of types of one shots so there will be a few angsty ones mixed in with happy ones.

17. Inmates or Lovers? DM X J3T CS X JD

Inmates or lovers? DM x J3T JD x CS

Prison AU –

George p.o.v

"So, when is your new cell mate arriving?" Jordon asks me, we're sitting in the day room playing cards as usual. Jordon, Jorel, and I have been in prison for the last two years on a handful of charges including robbery, and possession of various drugs. We all met on the inside, although we had seen each other in passing on the outside a handful of times. Now we have become really good friends, although the two other boys have taken it one step further. They've been boyfriends for the last year. "Sometime today or tomorrow, he's still in intake from what the officer told me," I reply. I haven't had a cell mate the whole time I have been here this time. It wasn't because I didn't want one, there just hasn't been one.

Jorel checks to make sure the guard is not looking before he sneaks a kiss on Jordon's cheek. Dating is strictly forbidden in prison usually, but it never stops men from forming relationships with each other. I think the officers don't want to deal with more messy break ups then they already do when people leave each other on the outside. A lot of men come here, some have women over in the women's prison and they either find out they have been cheated on or that they have cheated on the woman, and they break up and it gets so messy. The amount of fights that have broken out because of a partner have been ridiculous lately. You'd think it would make the officers crack down on it more, but they never bother.

"You're not going to be lonely anymore, I bet under all of those nerves you're excited," Jorel says, as he flicks a card down onto the table. Jordon cusses as I am guessing it just ruined whatever Uno move, he had planned since his last turn. "Who said I ever felt lonely? I've had you guys for the last year. I don't think I was ever against having a bunk mate either. I just sometimes prefer the peace and quiet of being on my own at night with all of the ruckus some of the other people make," I tell them. Jordon plays a +2 with a little victorious grin on his face as he thinks he's going to cause me misery. I look to Jorel with a grin on my face. He is about to have that grin wiped off his face. "Fairs," Jorel says.

I play a +2 which stacks and it now makes it a +4 heading Jorel's way. "Aw I knew you loved us really," Jordon says, unaware Jorel stuck a +4 on the pile making it a +8 heading Jordon's way now. I laugh as the realization that he probably now has to pick up 8 cards hits Jordon. He usually plays his +2 when he has no other cards to play, and he never has a spare for moments such as this. "Dang it," he says, reaching over to the draw pile to pick up his eight cards. Jorel had to hide his laughter as his boyfriend pouts at him. Jordon wasn't above giving his partner the silent treatment for the rest of the day if he thought he was being made fun of for whatever reason. It was usually how Uno ended for us; Jordon would always get caught in our stacks of + cards.

Then we would have to stop playing because he would start getting frustrated and then the guard would tell us to either calm it down or stop and we just feel like it is better to stop because Jordon would get wound up again if we carried on. While we were playing our cards, we hear whispers of the fresh meat entering. I don't think the new one is here yet, but everyone is aware of his imminent arrival because they will want to rip him into shreds regardless of his crime. We don't get new inmates on this unit very often so there is always a buzz about the place when there is. They are like a bunch of toddlers with a new toy, they get over excited and then after a day or two it dies down and they leave him alone.

To be fair the new inmate could arrive at any point during the day. I arrived at almost 3 am, Jorel and Jordon were already here, and they said they came in at like 10 or 11 pm. It all depends on when you are registered through the system and when they transfer you from the county jail once your charges become sentences. I don't care honestly, he's gonna need time to adjust and time to settle in so I am still gonna get my peace while he does that. Unless he's one of those overly social types where they're in your face the whole time I think there is no reason why we wouldn't get along with each other. I am here to do my time, he's here to do his time and we both know we don't want extra time on our sentences.

The new one arrives in the middle of the gap between lunch and dinner. He had feet chains, but no handcuffs and it was soon clear to see why. The dude had a whole plaster cast on his left arm. Then I look up and I am taken by surprise. He's quite the handsome dude, he has tattoos on his arm, and you could see one torso one through the prison uniform. He has brown eyes, blond hair, and a little bit of stubble. There are definitely worse people I could be bunked with for sure. I might have to help him a little bit considering the whole broken arm thing, but it isn't angering me like I thought it would have. "It's nice to see a refreshing face for once. The last dude was ugly as hell," Jorel says, as he has a nosey at my new cell mate.

Aron Erlichman was the last inmate who arrived onto the unit before this new guy. I knew him from the streets, didn't really like him much. He says he runs with the Nine Lives gang and that was something I never wanted to be a part of. The dude has a face like a horse, not that anyone would actually say that to his face. I think plenty of people would love to tell him straight but we're not sure how many of his gang members are inside with him. I sit on my bottom bunk as the new inmate manages to organize what little belongings were allowed to have. "George Ragan meet Daniel Murillo your new cell mate," one of the guards says, once he remembers to remove the chains from Daniel's legs.

"Nice to meet you, George. You don't have to call me Daniel, most people I know just call me Danny," Danny says. Makes sense to me, the guards are usually quite strict on what names they use for the inmates. A lot of the time were called by either our surnames or the offender number we have been assigned. It's only other inmates who spend 24/7 with you that will call you by your first name or whatever nickname they assign to you. "Nice to meet you, Danny. Ever been in prison before this?" I ask, I can't really think of anything else to break the ice with honestly. Obviously, he's done some time in the county jail but that's different to the prison. "I was in and out of juvie as a teenager for petty stuff. First time in adult prison though," he replied.

"Kind of like me, Jordon, and Jorel then. The only difference is I've been here a couple of times now," I tell him. I am really curious to find out how he managed to break his arm and if it was while he's been on the inside or out. Then again, he's a bit of a celebrity being so new that he is going to be asked that question a lot as other inmates get to know him. He will be tired of it by the end of the week, then it will get quiet again until the next fresh meat enters the unit. I've seen it too many times. "Cool I bet that makes you a bit of an expert by now then," Danny says. I shrug my shoulders, every experience I have had here has been different. I have not been in the same housing unit as I was the last time I was here. "I'd say I'm experience but by no means an expert. I'd save that title for those doing life," I tell him, and he nods.

The first thing I have learned is Danny is incredibly stubborn and independent. With his left arm in a cast up to his armpit he can't exactly hoist himself up onto the bunk with ease and he was not about to ask anyone for help. I would have given him a boost with my hands, but he eventually manages it himself and was laying there quite clearly out of breath from the effort involved with his struggle. "Can I ask you how you broke your arm?" I ask after I give him chance to catch his breath. I can't see his face from my position, but it would have been interesting I imagine. He probably has been prepared for this since the day of his arrest because I have a sneaking suspicion it was done around that time frame.

"Oh, I fell off a wall trying to escape the cops. It wasn't my proudest moment I'll be honest with you but one of the officers thought I was a flight risk and I decided to test their training," he replies, nonchalantly and I chuckled. Wow this kid is even better than I imagined. I bet if he didn't fall off the wall, he would have gotten away with whatever crime they were trying to arrest him for. "There's worse ways you could have broken your arm. It just happens to be a pretty cool story. The cops in Los Angeles always think they are tougher than they really are," I tell him. It's true though, a lot of the cops I have seen around especially the ones fresh out of the academy think they are the hot shit when they are just shit.

They are really hard when they take you down to arrest you too, regardless of the crime you have committed. They think they're doing the lords work when they aren't really helping with the real crime rate in Los Angeles just by picking up petty criminals on the street. They aren't helping the lack of respect for cops either with how brutal they are with the take downs; I had a massive purple almost black bruise on my shoulder from when I was body slammed to the ground. "Yeah, they have gotten a lot worse. I got a speeding ticket like three months before my arrest and this one rookie pulled his gun on me like dude, I hate you already you don't need to make it worse," Danny says. It makes sense honestly.

I have heard horror stories about people either almost dying or actually dying because of cops. You kinda feel more nervous about that sometimes when you are being arrested which is a horrific thing to think about. "God yeah, the time I got arrested for what I am doing time for I got a massive bruise on my shoulder from the cop," I tell him. I could imagine his eyes widening with the horror and slight fear. I will ask him how he feels about telling other people his story and we might come up with a change. No one has to know that he fell off a wall if he doesn't want them to. I was surprised that he felt so comfortable telling me to begin with. "Ouch, that sounds like hell honestly. When I did get to jail, they did think I had my arm broken by the cops and I ran with it until the corrections officer decided to ruin it by telling them what really happened," Danny says.

"Well, the officers on this unit are pretty chill compared with most so I think you will have a better chance at getting away with it if you do want to try again. I know I won't tell anyone," I tell him. It is true for the most part. The officers who are on this unit are a little more relaxed than other units I have been to in the past. The rookies can be a bit hit or miss but it depends on if they come in with the super cop attitude or not. Danny thinks about it a little bit, it is up to him at the end of the day. I am pretty chill, and I think that so far, my friendship with Danny is going to be as chill. I saw his feet swing off the edge of the bunk as he considers his options. Whatever he goes for should ultimately be up to him.

"I'll think about it, I'm not going to tell anyone unless they ask me. There's no real need to make a big song and dance about it," Danny says. That is fair enough, it is fairly difficult to live in a place like this where you are living with strangers for months or even years at a time and they want to know everything about you. "Fair enough Danny. I'll probably introduce you to my friends Jordon and Jorel in a while. They are quite good with stuff like that, and they might also be a couple," I tell him. I might as well drop the bombshell now then him discover it by watching them kiss or something. He wasn't disgusted by it, I made sure to watch his face when I told him about my friends. That's another good thing for me.

Although with that thought there is absolutely nothing I could do if it turned out Danny was homophobic, I can't request for either him or myself to be moved to another housing unit because the prison is already full enough as it is. I like Danny anyway; he is a nice dude and someone who would definitely fit in with the little group we have set up. Danny was still swinging his feet when we were about to go out for our hour of yard. "Want some help down?" I ask him. I know he is a stubborn character so he might say no, but I am here to offer any help that he feels like he can ask for. I will give him time to think about it and see what he wants to do first. "Yes please, I didn't think this through," Danny replies.

I carefully help Danny down from his bunk just as we get called for yard. There isn't a whole lot of Danny can do himself during yard, but some gentle jogging won't do him any harm. As we walk out, I see Jorel and Jordon looking at me curiously. Jordon was the first one to make his way over because his confidence knows no bounds. "Danny meet Jordon, the friend I was telling you about," I tell him, as he awkwardly shakes his hand. I didn't feel the need to give Danny all of Jordon's personal details, because then they can get to know each other. It doesn't take long before curiosity got the better of Jorel and he walked over too. Danny fits right in perfectly, he's easily getting along with Jordon already.

"Jorel, meet Danny," I tell them. They start getting to know each other and Danny decided to tell them the same story he told me about his arm. It was more of a whispered story this time because he knew some people were trying to get the juicy gossip on the fresh meat of the unit. The other inmates can be like dogs sometimes desperately wanting to get at anything that is new. Aron was particularly interested in Danny. Aron's been trying to assert dominance over the unit, and he was not getting very far. Fresh meat are usually bottom of the social standing between inmates and are often used for basic tasks in order to get commissary especially if their families can't afford to send them money for it yet.

Danny is well grounded in the fact that he has been in the prison system for years, albeit in the juvenile system. He is also going to be sticking with Jorel, Jordon, and I, so he has nothing to worry about. Nobody will be bossing him around as long as we are around. To me he is my friend and I treat all of my friends as equals no matter how long I have known them for. He looks a little overwhelmed, but I am right beside him as Jorel and Jordon decide to have a mini competition on who can do the most pull ups in 60 seconds. "I think they want you to be the judge of this one," I tell him, as we watch on. I am normally the judge, but they often have a fight over if I have chosen a favorite between them or not.

"Me? I don't think I could do that honestly. I barely know a thing about their athletic ability, I only just met them," Danny tells me. I am not sure how we are even going to count the 60 seconds, we aren't allowed watches, phones, or anything like that. I think he will do great; he just needs a little bit of confidence that's all. "You will be fine Dan. All you have to do is tell them both they're great. It is what I usually do to stop the arguments that will be bound to follow," I tell him. The less serious I seem to take it, the better it seems to go for everyone involved. When I took it more seriously it ended with Jorel over doing it and ending up in hospital for almost two weeks because he needed surgery for a torn ligament.

"Oh, that is not so bad then, I thought they wanted me to be super serious," Danny says. I could understand why he thought that. If you were new and didn't get their level of humor or sarcasm, they'd sound like they were being serious. "Yeah, they like to think they are stronger than each other but they are about equal honestly," I tell him. After a couple of minutes roughly they come running up to us eagerly awaiting Danny's first decision. He tells them that it was a draw, and they were pretty happy with that. They declare that the next set of workouts they do is not going to be a competition. I think Danny is pretty happy with that. I know I am, because we'd never hear the end of it if one of them won.

"Why don't you join them?" he asks me after a minute. I think about it, I am fairly well built myself to the extent some newbies have found me intimidating before. I normally would have joined them at this point of their daily workout. "I don't really want to today. Also don't want to leave you completely on your own. You're more than welcome to meet the rest of the people in the unit though," I tell him. I don't want to be possessive over my friend, and we have a few friends outside of the close little group we have formed. Danny is his own person and should be allowed to do what he sees as what he wants to do. "Fair enough, I don't really know what I want to do just yet. It's a bit overwhelming," he tells me.

That is also fair, it's still a big adjustment from any time he might have spent in juvie halls before now. You wouldn't usually have as many people crammed into a cell block/unit as we do here. The prison is very quickly reaching its capacity as more and more people are arrested for crimes most people wouldn't consider to be high level now like drugs. "So, what brought you into jail this time?" Danny asks, after a while. We had been walking around the yard just to get some mild exercise in before we go back to the unit. I figured this question was bound to come at some point today, it is not something I am gonna hide. "Oh, just some armed robbery and drug possession," I tell him, and he chuckles at how nonchalantly I told him. Naturally I gesture for him to tell me what landed him in adult jail for the first time.

I know all about the arrest story obviously. "Arson and drug possession," he tells me. He definitely gives off the pyromaniac vibe to me. The little firecracker personality is starting to show, once he is more confident and settled it will show more and more. "I can see that, probably got caught running from a fire?" I ask, and he nods before chuckling. I think I have seen him on the streets before, they called him the Golden Beast. He would go and sell drugs and if you didn't pay him, he'd go in his golden mask with his hood up and torch one of your belongings. "It wasn't the worst fire I'd done either, I even lost my mask trying to blend in and it didn't work. I was such an idiot," he told me. I don't doubt him for one second apart from the whole idiot thing.

"Danny, I don't think you're an idiot honestly. We all make mistakes sometimes; it makes us human. It's how most of us end up in this place," I tell him. It is true when you think about it, all of us end up in prison because we make a mistake when committing our crimes and we get caught by the police. That has how it has always gone down. I have watched enough true crime documentaries in my free time to know that the criminal always gets caught by making one tiny little mistake. I made a mistake by allowing myself to fall for the sting operation that I had been hearing about. I didn't realize that people were being genuine about police going around pretending to be interested in buying drugs until it was too late.

"I suppose you're right. I think I am more annoyed with myself for allowing myself to be caught like that. You think you're outsmarting the cops then bang they get you." He tells me. I don't think any of us could have acted differently to avoid ending up in the crappy situations we did which resulted in our arrests. "Yeah, but nobody can outsmart the cops forever. They say hindsight is a wonderful thing, yet no one is allowed to possess it. You couldn't have known about them that day as much as I thought I was getting a genuine phone call for a deal which turned out to be a sting operation," I tell him. I think I am starting to see why people call me wise now. I am not any wiser than most people. I just pass on the rules I live my life by.

You can't play the game and get upset when you lose. Crime is a risky game, and those risks can be anything from gaining big bucks, to losing your life to a jail cell or a coffin buried six feet below. I started writing a song about it kind of. I should show it to Danny one day, he strikes me as a musical sort of guy. Not musical as in Hairspray or Grease, like he knows his way around a guitar or a piano kind. I will wait and find out though, they tend to do things to encourage creativity in a nondestructive way around here. There are quite a few wanna be rappers in here and some of them I'd happily support on the outside, others not so much but then again, we don't exactly have music teachers in here.

Soon enough yard time was over, and I could tell that Danny was showing in his face how overwhelmed he was becoming. We have some time after dinner where we can relax before lights out since we don't have visitation or any evening programs to attend at the moment. Then Danny can have some time to himself to help cope with this. "Almost done with the main socializing bit, when we get back to the unit, we will be having dinner and we can go back to our cells until lights out," I tell him. Any programs we do are usually based on what our convictions are and what they need us to do in order to be released. We will all probably end up doing some form of drugs course, though I don't know what they'd do for arson.

"Thanks George, I hadn't realized it had become so obvious," he tells me quietly. I don't think anyone is paying too much attention to him now. They got bored quite quickly during yard after the story spread of him breaking his arm due to the cops. I am kind of glad that he went with our little idea after all. The officers in charge aren't really saying anything either, they aren't denying it or proving it but then again no one has asked them. "Only to me, I have gotten quite used to reading faces. Being in here for long periods of time gets you good at people watching," I tell him. He looked quite relieved at that. Part of you does get quite conscious of giving people ways of teasing you and things like that but apart from Aron I don't see anyone else really caring that much.

I noticed towards the end of yard as more people felt confident enough to approach Danny and ask if his story was true that Aron was sulking in the corner. He really is a diva, and I don't deal well with divas, he wants all the attention on him all the time and he can't have that in prison. People come and go all the time. Yesterday for example we had a really nice leaving party as Frank who was this nice elderly gentleman had finally come to the end of his sentence and was being released without parole that day. Aron sulked the whole time and gave Frank the cold shoulder even though he was being nice to everyone like he normally does. It almost put a downer on the whole day if Frank wasn't his usual cheery self.

"Yeah, you don't really get to people watch as much in Juvie, your schedules are so busy and you usually try and avoid most of the other people around you because they are too quick to want to start fights with you," Danny replied. I could imagine it although I have never been to juvenile detention myself. A bunch of 10-to-18-year old's in for various crimes from very petty things to pretty major things all in one shared space sounds like a nightmare to me. I honestly don't know how Danny has managed to cope but from the sounds of it he wasn't a very frequent visitor. Speaking of the young blond, I went to give him his dinner tray and he was just lying there flat out on the floor. The cell is not the biggest so ideally, he can't stay there forever.

"Want some help onto your bunk?" I ask him. I put our trays down on my bunk for now as they will stay warm for a little while. He just sticks his arm out and nods. I gently help him to his feet, let him gain his balance before helping him onto his bunk. I am glad he is with me, but they really should have put him with someone who isn't already used to sleeping on the bottom bunk themselves. It would make it a lot easier. Though thinking about it they are both the same so actually if he wanted to, I wouldn't be against swapping with him. I was never against having a roommate to begin with and I know I am only spending a maximum of two more years here, same as my three buddies so I am really not that fussed on which bunk I am going to be spending most of my time on.

I will bring this up with Danny later, I think he is too hungry and tired to focus on that decision right now. He might also be anxious because another thing I have noticed about him so far is that he doesn't really want to rock the boat too much. He is seeing Jorel, Jordon and I's established friendship and has tried not to make too many decisions in what goes on. Like in yard time he was very unsure about the challenge they wanted him to be the judge for. I pass Danny his tray once he has settled himself on his bunk, making sure he wasn't going to struggle too much to eat the "food" we get served. It's not really the best but you can't complain when you are being provided three meals a day and a roof over your head as well as clothes.

"I can't believe this next sentence is going to come out of my mouth, but this is better than juvie food, heck it was even better than the county jail food," Danny says. Well, I am glad he likes it because there are a lot more meals like this for the next two years that is for sure. I don't even think he is the first person in this unit to have said that either. I think Jordon had a pretty similar reaction, but it has been a year since then at least so I am not one hundred percent certain. "I can't remember county jail grub, but I don't doubt you. I suppose you can't be too picky when you are in prison," I tell him. I am not going to bash him for his opinion, he is entitled to it just as much as someone who is against eating prison food. You aren't even forced to eat it if you have enough money to make meals just on commissary.

I have never really had an interest in commissary personally. Obviously, people in here know my real name but I make a big effort not to reveal any personal information outside of that that would lead to people finding me when I get outside. I keep my criminal life and my personal private life very separate which is a very hard thing to do but I manage it just fine. I think Danny does the same because I have recognized him from somewhere. I know for a fact that Jorel and Jordon do, it was one of the first things we bonded over. I do keep in touch with my family, but they don't know I am in jail though they could look it up as it is technically public record. No one in my family has ever confronted me on it so long may it continue, I guess.

After we had finished dinner Danny rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a very inelegant thump. "Ow I regret doing that," he says, as I take his tray from him and hand it to the person who was collecting them. "I have an idea, why don't we swap sheets and bunks so whilst you're one limb down for the next few weeks you can be your independent self without causing more damage?" I suggest. He looks at me and I swear I could almost visualize a lightbulb going off above his head. I care about him a lot even though we haven't known each other for long. "That is the more logical way to go about things, I promise when this stupid ass cast is off, I will be straight back on that top bunk," he says.

I chuckle at how even though I was the one to suggest the swap in the first place he was still not wanting to rock the boat too much. "Don't worry about it. How is the pain doing?" I ask him. I know that breaking your arm is painful enough without bashing it on the cold concrete floor. Danny makes an ehh sound and rolls over, so he is looking at me. "On a scale from one to ten it is about a seven and a half, but I know how difficult it is to get pain medication in prison, so I'll toughen it out," Danny replies. I could tell about halfway through his response he wanted to say it was more than a 7 and a ½. I do believe him though, if they get an opinion of inmates based on the actions of one druggie then they will have it for all of them.

"It might be different here. If it gets any worse it might be worth asking the guard if they can get medical to come look at you and get you some Tylenol or something," I tell him. I don't fancy the idea of him being in an immense amount of pain and then not being able to do something about it. I do think the guards will take him more seriously here, they aren't as close knit to the officers we'd see out and about on the streets so they would not have the same bias as the ones in county jail usually do. You tend to find the ones who go out doing the arrests are usually friends with the ones that deal with you when you get inside so that means if the arresting officer doesn't like you chances are the inside officers won't like you either.

That means whatever opinion one officer has most of them do without actually meeting you. Usually, it affects things like medication which is most likely why Danny is so hesitant to ask the guards for pain medication even though I can clearly see the pain in his face. He shouldn't need to feel that way ever. I quickly swap the blankets and stuff between the two bunks before helping Danny up off the floor onto the bunk. I was very gentle and made sure I took most of his weight especially from the broken arm. Even despite that I could tell movement had made the pain slightly worse. I just hope we hadn't made the break itself worse. It must have been a quick court date for once if he had his arm broken on the day he was arrested, and he's come into prison with the cast on.

I watch as Danny painfully rolls over so that he is on his right side facing the wall. I use this to my advantage even though there is a potential that he might not like me for this, but I think the help will outweigh the minor annoyance. I know a couple of guards who are very respectful and nice, and they would be willing to help. It's not like they don't know of Danny's situation, they would have all be briefed on it. I managed to flag down a guard and they came up to my cell door. "What's going on?" The guard asks me. I explain to him what happened to Danny this evening when he fell from the top bunk. I made sure to mention how much pain he was in and how he has been trying to hide it from other people.

The guard went off I am guessing to get his superior and see what they think should happen with the information I have given them. I suppose one of the main worries would be what would have happened to his arm and if he managed to somehow make the break even worse because I don't think I've ever seen a man in this much pain before. "With the fact that he fell we are going to take him to the medical wing and get him assessed there. If they think he can manage on pain medication he'll come back. If not, he might spend the night in the hospital," the guard says when he comes back. He then gets a very reluctant Danny out of his bunk and then out of the cell. I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be okay Danny. They are going to look after you here I promise," I tell him and the guard nods. The officer that broke Danny's arm has definitely done a number on Danny's confidence in the prison system. I also have no idea how they treated him in the county jail either but judging by his reluctance to ask for help it wasn't very good. Now to wait for him to come back. I hope he comes back and is okay afterwards. We have no clocks to see what time it was, but it must have been at least a couple of hours before Danny came back. He looked in brighter spirits and I didn't see any pain in his eyes. I was sitting on the bottom bunk out of habit when he came back, and he sat next to me. I wasn't expecting the little awkward side hug I got from him.

"Thank you for getting me help George. It's not any more damaged than it was but I have been put on pain medicine to take if I feel like I need to," he tells me. I put my arm around his shoulders, ignoring the spark that shot through me with the contact. "You're welcome, Danny. You're one of the group now and we look after each other," I tell him. I felt confident in telling Danny that he had been adopted into our little friendship circle. Jorel and Jordon wouldn't complain, they would be happy there is someone else around. Even though you are around several other men on a twenty-four seven basis you can feel very lonely if there isn't anyone to talk to. You tend to keep to yourself to do your time and stay out of trouble.

There is just something about Danny that I can't get my head around. I climb up to my top bunk to allow him some time to wind down before we both end up falling asleep. The spark I felt running through my body is unlike anything I have ever felt before in my life. I feel more protective over him than I do with Jorel or Jordon. It is not to suggest that Danny is weak in anyway because I know he is not, he is strong and independent. He is confident and knows what he wants to do, and I respect that a lot. I never thought of myself as anything in terms of my sexuality, I always thought I liked women and that was that. Danny is starting to prove me wrong here. I think I am falling for him, but only time will tell.

I bet Jorel and Jordon can see it, they just don't want to tease me about it in front of Danny because we have no idea what side he is on. He might be disgusted by the thought of dating a man or inmates dating each other. This is not the same as any juvenile unit he has probably been too. It is typically the wake-up call many repeat offenders need. They would hate it so much that they would never want to come back. Well, that is the theory the officers keep going by and it doesn't always work for them. Some find it better than being out on the streets, you have a bed guaranteed every day and three meals a day. You wouldn't complain really, it was ten times better than being homeless in Los Angeles.

I think a lot of the prison's problems with overcrowding would be solved if they stopped putting the druggies or those that turn to unusual methods of making money especially to buy said drugs into prison. That would instantly remove a lot of the general population of most housing units in prison therefore allowing more space for the ones who are in jail for more serious offences like murder or assaults or things of a violent nature. Well, that has always been my opinion on the matter. If they are going to keep going the way they want to with arresting people for doing drugs then they will have to either make the prisons and county jails larger, but we all know that is never going to happen under any circumstances.

I am one of those dudes who keep a journal. It is only to keep a record of my experience of the jail/prison system so if I had a little gang of my own or whatever I could keep an accurate record of the tips and tricks I had learned to make my sentence pass as quickly as possible without too much stress. These are all future possibilities it doesn't necessarily mean that when I leave prison in a couple of years' time that I am going to start a gang. There will be quite a bit of heat on my ass being fresh out of jail anyways so I would want to lay low and keep a low profile if that was how I was going to conduct my business.

Being in here for the next two years leaves a lot of time for thinking about the future and what comes next. That is one good thing about being here I suppose. You have a lot of time to yourself to think ahead about your future and what you want to do when you leave prison. Except if you are serving a life sentence you have a slim to nothing chance of getting out alive, so you're stuck here. I don't think I like the idea of staying here the rest of my life. This past year has already been enough for me to know to be more careful next time. I suspect the same will be true for Jorel and Jordon and even Danny. It seems like his jail stint has been enough to convince him that maybe jail and prison life isn't so good.

Its not the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life, however if I had a choice or say in the matter, I know that I would choose anything other than this. The only good thing that has come of this is that I now have a good solid friendship with Jorel, Jordon and Danny and I know that will continue on the outside. I hope to grow that with a couple more people, have a little clan of my own but I have not found the right people yet. I have plenty of time for that I guess, and they have to be happy to be involved as well. I just want a nice friendship group, no pressure for any crimes or anything like that.

Just when you think you have gotten used to live inside of a prison, something or someone comes along to change things up. Today that was a person, a person named Danny Murillo. The guards have assigned him to be my cell mate and I didn't mind at all. I have been feeling a little bit lonely at night even though I guess people assume me to be the type of person who prefers peace and quiet away from the noise of the housing unit we're spending the next twelve months or so in. I have never met someone quite like Danny before. He's strong, stubborn, and independent, but not afraid to ask for help when he needs it. He has a cast on his arm all the way up to his armpit. When I asked him, he said it was a cop being too harsh when he was being arrested.

I have written about my arrest experiences before, and they are getting increasingly harsher. They are hiring more and more people who just want the job to go on a power trip and don't actually care about how they can actually reduce the crime rate in the area. "Oh, I fell off a wall trying to escape the cops. It wasn't my proudest moment I'll be honest with you but one of the officers thought I was a flight risk and I decided to test their training." That was what Danny told me had happened. He further elaborated by saying the cop had grabbed his ankle as he was climbing over the wall which caused him to fall and land of his left arm. Nothing will happen to the cop involved, the county jail system here is becoming increasingly corrupt.

They will protect their own no matter the cost to the people involved. That means that if that cop has something against you then he will make sure that you are treated poorly by everyone he is buddies with. That was clear when Danny fell off the top bunk tonight and hurt his arm and how reluctant he was to get help until I called for one of the guards, I know that would take care of him and took him to medical where he got some pain medication and came back happier. He even hugged me which sent sparks shooting up my arms. I didn't really put an identity on my sexuality, I have always considered myself to be happy to have someone who I cared about care about me as well. I had a girlfriend when I was living outside.

We broke up when she found out about the drug dealing, she didn't want to deal with me. I don't know what these feelings about Danny are, but I am sure we will find out. I get on with him really well, he is here for Arson and drug possession and his personality definitely has a little firecracker spice to it. We are now a group of 4 and we are getting on really well. I always thought we were fine as the trio we have been for the longest time but now as a squad I feel a lot happier. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that Jordon and Jorel have been in love and dating each other for a while. It makes me feel like some weird third wheel. Like I am the single friend just going along with it because I have nothing better to do.

To be honest I don't have anything better to do. I know that I have to spend the next year or so in this prison so really all we have to do is spend our days and nights here. We have been told we need to complete programs in order to meet the conditions for release, but they have been dragging their feet on it claiming that they don't have spaces for it. I don't believe them, but they are the ones keeping us here longer and overcrowding the already stressed system. If they do finally get their act together then we might actually be able to leave on time when our sentences end. Danny has been in the juvenile system, so he knows all about this. Nothing about what he has experienced so far has surprised him.

Jesus Christ, I think I might be falling in love with Danny, a man I just met. I hope this goes well, I don't think it would be nice to tell him about my feelings for him to reject me and then have to spend the rest of our sentences together.

~ 11 months later ~ Danny p.o.v

If you would have told me 11 months ago, I would be in Prison with a healing broken arm and then meeting the love of my life I would have told you that you were outright insane. Now we only have one month left of our sentence and I could not be happier. I know I have met some great people and even my now partner George Ragan here but the sooner I get away from some of these other people the better. About 6 months after I first arrived here, I was cast free, and we had some fresh meat in the forms of Dylan Alvarez and Matthew Busek. Naturally being the one who had joined this housing unit before them I decided to go and befriend them before Aron Erlichman gets his grubby hands on them.

Aron is head of the gang Nine Lives, he used to be friends with Jordon, Jorel and George but they fell out because they were tired of his antics. He has been trying to start a war with them the entire time we have been in this housing unit, and he has failed every time. We would ignore him and then the guards would make him stop. It gets tiring after a while, but you become very good at hiding it from people. We were good at ignoring Aron by now. It is like he is not even there half the time. Matt and Dylan adapted to the group pretty well and have also become good at ignoring him. They haven't started dating like George and I or Jordon and Jorel, but it is up to them what they do, and no one is going to force them.

"Morning Danny," George says, standing up from his bunk to stretch and to do his morning routine. I was on the bottom bunk for the first 6 weeks but like I promised I went back to the top bunk as soon as the cast came off. It felt weird at first, I had become used to having one arm immobile, but I was happier now that the cast had come off. We had to wash my arm before I left the hospital because my god did it stink where the cast had been for like two and a half months. I had been unable to shower properly until then. The guards had to put a plastic bag on it and make sure it was watertight. "Morning George," I tell him, smiling at him. I am so glad I get to wake up to his face every morning, it never gets boring.

We get our breakfast trays and I join him on the bottom bunk. They have been trying to crack down on displays of affections within the prison, but they can't stop us forever. We have been acting like best friends in front of a lot of new guards who have been brought in to try and break up relationships which have turned ugly mainly between men and women who would communicate with each other in the county jail and then split when one got moved. We have been lucky that no one has tried to split us up yet, but I have a feeling that Aron will try his best in the next month. There is no point though, George is going to be moving in with me when we leave this place, and we will stay in touch with our little Undead gang we have made.

I know the whole point of being here is to learn from the crime that put you here and to never to it again, but when it is all, you have ever known then there is not much else you can do really apart from go back to it every single time. I just know to be more careful next time and to not try and test a county jail's cops training when they do sly things like grabbing your ankle when you try and climb over the wall. I probably would have been able to get away with it and not have ended up here if that hadn't have happened. Then again, I would not have met George, Jorel, Jordon, Matt, or Dylan if I had escaped. Next time fate decides to intervene in my life I wish they would be a lot gentler about it.

I am all for fate and accepting whatever happens to me but what I experienced during my time in county jail is not something I would ever want to experience again in my life. There was definitely a level of abuse caused by the corruption of the cop that grabbed me and the people who were buddies with him inside the jail. When they handed me my one-year sentence and told me I was going to serve it in prison I was so happy because I knew I was getting away from there. I am going to do everything in my power to not get there again because I know it would be just as bad if not worse. I know that I wouldn't die during my stay, but it would feel shitty until I left to state prison. I made a promise to George I would try and avoid jail again.

I like the idea of living a happy life with him in the outside world. A world free of Aron and his constant attempts to make whoever he wanted to make his bitch this week. He got angry when George would tell him to leave me alone, he has something against me, so he really wanted to be dominant. He is jealous that I have the attention of the people he used to be friends with. He is jealous that we get on with pretty much everyone else in this housing unit apart from him and his little gang. We had gone from a small group who didn't really socialize with the other prisoners to the most popular prisoners in the unit with everyone wanting to talk to us about anything we feel like we could give advice on really.

"One more month and we're out of here," George tells me. Our sentences do not line up exactly, but they all end within two weeks of each other. Dylan and Matthew however will be here for a bit longer, but they don't seem to mind all that much. They know we will keep in touch with them while we are on the outside and be there when they are released. Who knows maybe they will fall in love with each other and not feel like the most awkward third wheel. I think it took three months of awkwardly getting to know each other before I finally asked George out. "I know, it doesn't feel real yet. I know that it has been eleven months, but it feels like longer. Time is really messed up in this place," I tell him.

After breakfast we have our daily game of destroy Jordon at Uno. When I first got introduced to this ritual it was me who was getting my ass kicked because I didn't know the tips and tricks they did. I soon learned with a big of encouragement from George. I don't know why Jordon agrees to this, though to be fair sometimes he isn't last place, and it is Matt, Dylan, Jorel, George, or I. I suppose it is down to the luck of a very well shuffled deck. Jorel is the shuffle king, and I can't even imagine trying to do some of the things he can. This I am going to miss every day though; I don't see everyone getting up early just to meet up in one place to play Uno with each other. "May the luckiest man win," Jorel says.

Instantly I see that I have a +4 and a green +2 so I have a little sneaky plan forming in my head. I start by organizing my hand into colors followed by any wild cards I had. I also know we sometimes do a thing where we draw a card from the start and whatever number we have in total we get to draw to start with which has led to pretty hilarious results. There was one where we drew 3 cards, and you would think that would lead to a quick game but it didn't we played for over half an hour because someone would call Uno and then someone would place a card down which would then mean that when it got back around to that person they would have to draw another card and then maybe have another Uno a minute or two later.

Today is not going to be that kind of game. It is just going to be a very normal and chaotic game of Uno. It wasn't long before the first +2 was played, the look on Matt's face as he placed it was hilarious. He looked around the room to all our faces and I think he saw the mischievous grin on both Jorel and George's faces as they are experts on this now. It got to me and there was I think +6 stacked up and I knew Matt used all of his as he hasn't learned the trick yet. I put my plus 2 down, I want to save my plus 4 for another time where it will have maximum effect. I know George is likely to do the same and he played another plus two. By the time it got back to Matt he had +10 stacked against him and the look on his face let me know he had no get out of this card.

"Well, that should have been a lesson to me but knowing me I will make this mistake again," Matt tells us, as he reaches out and takes the ten cards, he has now given himself. George chuckles and I know that he is very much enjoying this. I am not letting much show, I have a good poker face, so I have been told. I suppose time will tell with this Uno game. "How on earth are you three so good at this?" Dylan asks, as we complete another round of cards. I don't want to use my plus four still, so I drew a card and played it. "Practice, there isn't a lot you can do when you spent two years here without a program to do so Uno it is," George says. It's true but we have passed our court mandated program now so its back to the same old same old.

Jorel ended up winning the first game. It took a while, but it was something that we could use to take our mind off the fact that Aron was once again trying to start a riot by accusing someone of hitting him when they never did. I think he got more annoyed by the fact that everyone was ignoring his dramatics like usual. This happens at least once a day if he doesn't manipulate a newer inmate to do his bidding. If that failed, he'd turn on his own gang members and they'd usually oblige so that they didn't get his screams down their ears until they gave in. "How do you not pay attention to him?" Dylan asks me, as Aron was kicking off in true Deuce bag style with kicking and screaming to boot. How he is not in an isolation pod by now is beyond me.

"We know he does this for attention and eventually the guards intervene, and he stops. You learn to tune it out eventually too," I tell him, somewhat casually. I was used to people like him because of my time in Juvie. There were a lot of kids there who wanted attention and didn't get it in their home lives for whatever reason decided to turn to a life of crime. They act out a lot in desperation and the need for attention. They are getting attention for the crimes they have committed, and it means that they do not care whether it is a positive or negative attention as long as they get that attention, they are happy. If they felt like the people running the juvie hall weren't giving them enough attention, they would start a fight just to receive something.

"I take it you have seen this kind of behavior before then?" Dylan asks, as we hand out our cards back to Jorel to reshuffle. I haven't really felt too comfortable to speak openly about my experience during my childhood ending up in Juvie Hall a couple of times. George knows a little bit, but with being his boyfriend I thought I ought to be more honest with him. "Yeah, I might have been in Juvie a couple of times through my teens, so I have met plenty of Aron's. It's a shame they don't really grow up," I tell him. I had to be careful with my volume because with Aron on the warpath he would use that as me starting shit with him and then a fight would surely break out which would lead to something a lot bigger because there is no way that George would let Aron touch even a hair on my head.

"Yeah, but it's not like they could have a separate pod for the men who haven't really grown up or that would be just as overcrowded as general population," George says. That is a fair point, there are a lot of childish men around and it wouldn't end well if you tried to put them all together. It was also hard to differentiate between them because one guard might think you are childish, but another might not. "You'll learn to ignore it eventually though and soon enough your sentence will be over, and you will never have to deal with them again," I tell Dylan. It does feel a little bit unfair that we are leaving them behind, but we have no say over their prison sentences. We didn't know them before they joined us here.

"Well, if have managed to do it so successfully then I suppose you are right," Dylan says. Jorel suggests that now we are more comfortable with each other and Uno that we could reintroduce the rule about drawing the cards to get a new number of cards instead of the usual 7 although getting the 7 was still a possibility. I drew a 4, George a 3, Jorel a block, Jordon a reverse, Matt a 2, and Dylan a block. If I did the maths right since three of those cards do not count towards the total we are going to draw 9 cards for this second match. They feel more like matches than rounds honestly because they take a while and can get extremely competitive. "Nine cards right Danny?" he asks me, and I nod. I double checked the maths with my fingers 3+2=5 and 4+5=9 so therefore it meant the total was nine.

It is only two more than we would normally have so it wasn't that bad. I remember having 18 one time and that was quite chaotic. I could barely hold them in both my hands and my usual plan of sorting them by color, number and special card went out of the window until I had a more manageable hand. This one is much easier to manage than an 18 card hand for sure. I quickly had it sorted out because I coincidentally had a lot of the same colors. I did have a couple of +2 so those will certainly come in handy. With Dylan and Matt feeling a little bit more confidence now this is going to be quite the epic match I think. It tends to take a match or two to warm up and get used to it. We do enjoy playing Uno though, it is not something we see ruining our friendship.

There isn't really anything else we could do to pass the time or a game to play. They might have let us play Monopoly but according to George that it ruined one too many friendships and or acquaintances between inmates and they thought it was better if it was kept for the outside life. I don't think I would want to play monopoly anyway, too much thinking involved and too much potential for fighting over properties and such. That is just my opinion on the matter anyway, I feel like some days I struggle enough trying to play Uno with 5 other people. I think most days I would much rather read a book in my cell with George. It is a nice calm way of passing the time. I get overwhelmed when there are too many people around me.

It has been that way since day one and George always knew when it was getting too much for me and would find a way to get me out of the situation. I think yard is usually the roughest time, I'd do my workout but the noise would get too much and I'd get a pass to go back to my cell maybe about five minutes before everyone else just to decompress a little. This place is enough to drive anyone insane, you are crammed into a small housing pod/unit with no concept of the outside world other than this one hour in a big pen every day. The window was not very large and they often put a film over it so it wasn't very clear. I hated every part of it, but it was part of prison life and it is something you just get used to. It was pretty much the same back when I was a teenager but there was more of a focus on education than physical fitness.

To my surprise I managed to win that match. It shocked me, but I knew that George would have been cheering me on and might have even helped me to make sure that for once I won even though I never want him to do that for me. I don't mind losing, it was never something that ever bothered me. I have always been a team player and not really a sore loser. I was quite happy for anyone in the little gang we have formed to win. I even played badly to make sure that Matt and Dylan had a better chance of winning. It wasn't something I deliberately did too often because we do have a fair chance. We are all naturally smart and it was easy to learn the tips and tricks just by observing our friends. Jordon still hadn't learned about the stacking of the plus 2 and 4 cards but he was getting there.

"I think I will sit out for this one, you play on without me and I will just watch," I tell them, scooting closer to George. George and Jorel looked a little concerned but were happy to let it continue and I rest my head on my boyfriends shoulder. He took my hint and with his new hand of cards in one hand his other drawing little random patterns in my arm. As much as I was trying to ignore what Aron was trying to do, the shouting was starting to affect me and I just wanted to retreat. Usually places I go to aren't this noisy and I am much more of a bubbly personality. "It is almost lunch time," Dylan says, and I smile. He likes his food, but he was also doing it to let me know that it was almost over and I could retreat for a bit.

I like watching them play Uno more than I like playing alongside them. I can watch their faces more closely and see what they are playing and how they strategize. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy playing as well, but sometimes I like to take a step down and to people watch. "Are you sure you are okay Danny?" George asks me. I told them I was fine when they questioned me about sitting out. I could see that Aron had calmed down and was watching us intensely. He hates the fact that I have gotten close to people who used to be close to him. He thinks that I am going to turn everyone in this housing pod against him when I am not. "I am okay, I promise," I tell him, trying to give him my best reassuring smile.

To everyone's surprise Jordon won this last match of Uno. He was so overjoyed and happy about it. I think I might have distracted Jorel and George but I was doing okay now that I had some time to calm down and focus on myself rather than the overwhelming noise around me. There is someone leaving the pod today so there is a lot of noise and extra excitement which doesn't usually happen on a daily basis. "Good job Jordon, you finally got a hang of the plus two and four cards," Jorel says, and I was watching Jordon do his little victory dance. He had I was watching him when the plus 2 cards starting being played that he hesitated and only put one down and then when Dylan was about to hand him a +10 he played a +4 meaning Matt had to draw 14 cards.

"Thanks I have three great teachers, it only took me like two years but hey I got there in the end," Jordon says, and we all laugh. To me it doesn't matter how long it took for someone to learn about the game as long as they get it in their own time. It didn't matter that Jordon had been here for about a year and 11 months and George 2 years and 11 months but people learn in their own time and I was proud of Jordon. "You're welcome Jordon," I tell him. We could hear the guards preparing to hand out the lunch trays for everyone. For lunch we could eat in the main sort of communal space we had spent the morning playing Uno in but I could already feel that I needed a bit of time where it was a little bit quieter.

"I bet you can't wait to be at home where it is a lot quieter," Jorel asks, we are walking back to the cells so we could have our lunch. I didn't mind having a couple of people around when I was eating to be honest. "Definitely, I thought Juvie was loud but these eleven months have proven that this is way louder," I tell him. I keep finding more and more ways to compare my experience with Juvenile detention and adult prison life. I am just hoping the rest of today goes better for me. I don't know why I have woken up today and everything has just been a struggle. Jorel had gone to spend time with his boyfriend, leaving George and I alone. "I am sorry today is being hard for you Dan," George tells me.

"Its not your fault George, it is just one of those days," I tell him. Normally my days go a lot better than this, but there have been moments where like today I just struggle more. I know that George will do everything in his power to make my day even that little bit brighter. I hope it works because man I hate this feeling more than anything. George comes up behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders and starts giving me a very gentle shoulder massage. It felt so nice, and I could feel myself starting to relax a little bit. "This should help even if it is a little bit," George tells me, and I just stood there enjoying it. We had to be careful in case the guards walked past and decided they didn't like it. "Thanks George.

The rest of the day went better. I went into Yard feeling a lot more relaxed and able to focus on my friends instead of the ruckus going on around me. Aron was in lock down again because he decided to punch one of his own gang members in the face for not listening to his plans to start a fight with the whole housing pod. It won't last long, he will be back to his usual tricks before too long. It gave us more time to socialize and say goodbye to the people who were leaving today and actually enjoy the rest of the day. By the time it was lights out at the end of the day I was feeling much better and ready to refocus on the countdown to the end of my sentence and freedom. I know George is leaving about a week or two before me, but that is fine. I trust him with my home and my life.

~ a month later ~ Danny p.o.v

I am leaving this place finally. Jorel, Jordon and George left about two weeks ago. It wasn't too bad since I had Matthew and Dylan with me. Now I am leaving them behind whilst they wait out the end of their sentences. Aron wasn't quite finished with us and now that Jorel, Jordon, and George had gone he had been relentlessly harassing us and trying to get us down because he knew that the older men were not going to be around to protect us. It ended today though with a big fight and I was sporting a couple of bruises. George is not going to be happy when he picks me up in a few minutes but Aron is getting what he deserves and isn't getting out for many years to come. I hug Matthew and Dylan goodbye.

They're not happy to have me leaving, but they know now that Aron and Nine Lives are going to leave them alone. Aron's little gang members never wanted to participate in half the shit Aron tried to make them do, so they will be leaving people alone from now on. Nine Lives is crumbling as we speak and everyone is happy about it. "Going to miss you Danny boy," Dylan says, as I have my bag of belongings at my side and we just had our last hug for a little while. "You too guys, but I will phone everyday with George and then we will be here to pick you up when it is your time to leave this place," I tell him. We had shared phone calls in the past or it would be one day Jorel and Jordon would talk to us from their house and the next day it would be George.

I finally get to wear the clothes I was arrested in, other than my t-shirt which had been cut off when I was taken to hospital to have my arm put into the cast. They gave me a plain grey t-shirt which was a little on the baggier side but I didn't mind. I was going back to my house which I had let George live in for the last couple of weeks and decorate certain parts I was already starting to remodel before I was arrested. I know that I will be with George for many years to come so that meant I wanted him to feel like my home was also his home and we can live together happily. "I mean this in the nicest way possible Murillo. I don't want to see you back here," the officer says as I hand in all of my uniform to her.

"I won't be back, I promise," I tell her. I have no intention of being caught and arrested again. I think my fires will be a little bit low key from now on. Maybe just bonfires and barbeques. I will see how it goes but right now I am more focused on seeing my boyfriend and enjoying some private couple time for once. During our whole relationship so far we have not had any time to ourselves, we've always been watch by others and we haven't even had the chance to properly cuddle and kiss each other. Tonight is going to be so weird, it will be the first night I will be sleeping in my own bed, with nobody shouting around me and my partner by my side instead of below me. It's going to be the best night's sleep I've had in such a long time.

George was sitting on the hood of my old pick up when I came out of the doors. I never felt happier to see him in my life. He clocked me straight away and jumped off the hood to come running over to hug me. He picked me up and held me tightly as I wrapped my arms around him and just enjoyed the moment. "Oh Danny, what happened?" he asks, he put me down on the ground so he could have both hands on my cheeks to kiss me and he could see the bruises on my face and I might have winced when he picked me up. "Aron's leaving present. Don't worry he's getting extra time in prison because of the fight he caused today," I tell him. Quickly reassuring him that everything is okay and that I am okay just a little bit sore.

"Aron will get what is coming to him eventually," George says, as we walk towards the truck. We aren't saying that as a threat, we know the officers would not hesitate to put us right back into jail if they thought that we were going to threaten Aron or his life in anyway. We don't want to waste anymore time or energy into thinking about that man. I kiss George on the lips and we take a minute or two to enjoy that moment. Normally it was a brief peck on the lips so we wouldn't get into trouble with the guards even though some of the more friendlier guards who didn't give a shit about it, we still didn't want to risk it. Now we get more time to do whatever we want without people watching over us all day.

"I'm so glad that I am free and about to spend the first day of my freedom with you," I tell him. I am so excited to be going home, my mom has been so supportive of me during this time and has been looking after my dog. George knows about this and tomorrow or the day after I am going to pick my pup up and bring him home. In a way it will be like our little family. "I am glad I get to spend the first of many days of your freedom with you Danny," George says. That makes me feel happy inside. I know some of the older inmates were trying to tell me that it is never going to last and that he was using me but I don't see that. I see genuine love and care in his eyes for me and I feel the same way back.

We don't need to prove anything to anyone. "Quick question, can we stop at maccies on the way home? I'm dying for decent junk food," I ask George. He chuckles, he told me on the phone that Jordon made Jorel get Taco Bell on their first night home. I don't mind Taco Bell, but I think my bathroom might have to disagree with me on that one. I don't even want to think about the torture I have put the toilet through. "Yes of course we can. Whatever you want to eat is what we eat today. I know how good outside food is compared to jail food," he tells me. I didn't mind the food so much because I knew that I had worse before.

I just want to be in some comfy clothes and cuddled up on the couch watching whatever I want or George wants and just enjoying the fact that it is finally going to be a lot quieter around me. I get in the passenger seat, I had put George on my insurance when he left so he had something to drive. He was going to drive and I was just going to relax for a bit. He asks what I want on the way to McDonalds and I tell him my usual order and offered to pay for it, as they had given me my wallet and I had to sign to get $15 back which I was surprised to have gotten back I thought they would have taken it because of my charges. I'm not complaining though, I will put that money to good use. "Lunch is on me Dan, after all the times you bailed me out for commissary," he tells me.

I told him at the time he never had to worry about paying me back. I guess part of him feels like he needs to repay me and to spoil me because the first sort of 7 months basically our entire relationship has been spent in prison and that's not normal conditions for most relationships to start. "I told you I never wanted you to pay me back for that but if you insist then I am not going to stop you," I tell him. I know if he has his mind on buying me food then I am not going to stop him. I will get him things too once I have settled back into life. I am so excited to be able to take a nice hot shower and not have to rush it. It is weird the things that you miss and then prioritize as your first tasks when you come back.

We get home and we snuggle up on the couch to eat lunch. George decided to feed me a couple of fries and I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. I didn't think I would have been into the sort of cliches you would associate with couples. "I'm gonna have a shower after this and it is going to feel so good," I tell him. It feels weird to be wanting a shower more than anything else right now, but I feel like it would be much better when I don't smell like prison. I feel like I would smell gross right now but George doesn't seem to mind. "Okay, feel free to take as much time as you want. I will be right here when you're done. That first shower after you get released is the best," he tells me. I will take his word for it.

I wonder how our relationship is going to be now that we were out of prison. I don't see it being that different if I am being honest. Might be a bit more intimate now nobody is watching our every move. I am not going to pressure him though, he told me this is his first romantic relationship with a man. I have known I have been bisexual for a while so I am used to this. I know to take things nice and slow. I will go with what he wants in terms of intimate contact and things like that. He didn't mind the kiss but we have been together for over 6 months so that's different to making love in the bedroom. I am enjoying the cuddles on the couch while I eat my lunch though. "I feel so gross to be honest," I tell him.

"I bet, those prison showers are the worst," George replies. He gives me another fry but this time it was one of his. I didn't mind because even after finishing my meal I was still a little bit hungry. If this is how things are going to be I am definitely enjoying it. The silence is deafening though, it is weird to get used to. I am half expecting a riot to start or some kind of fight where the screaming and shouting just doubles. "It's weird, how quiet it is now right? All you can hear is just us eating our food in peace and quiet at last," George says, interrupting my thoughts and making me jump. He kisses me on the cheek and whispers sorry in my ear. "It is so quiet, I am liking it better I just have to get used to it," I tell him.

Once the food was all finished I get up to put it in my trash can. George left pretty much everything where I had left it. He moved his own things in so there are some new things around but I was more than happy to let him make this place HIS home as well. I walk back through and give George a kiss on my way towards the bathroom. I keep calling it a house but in reality it is a two bedroom apartment in an apartment complex but hey living in Los Angeles is expensive especially when you spend twelve months in prison/jail. I am not worried about losing this place, I have plenty of money to keep myself going while I find my feet again. George has been contributing to the bills as well which is always useful.

I had my phone with me in the bathroom and I load up Spotify. I find my favorite playlist and put it on loud enough so I could hear it with the running water of the shower. George has never heard me sing before, so this might be a good time now that I am more relaxed and comfortable around him. It was just a random assortment of hits, so it could be something emo rock one song and then Britney Spears or Beyonce the next. I was just enjoying belting out any song that I could whilst the hot water ran down me. I already felt a lot cleaner than I was not even half an hour ago. George was enjoying it, I think I heard him joining in at some points and he sounded really good. Maybe instead of a gang we should form a band instead.

I think we should all enjoy some music one night when everyone is out of prison and then we can see how it goes from there. I know how to play the guitar and piano so we are halfway there. I think Matt said he could play the drums. We could probably make a good band if we work together on it. It would be a lot better than going back to prison that is for sure. Once I finished my shower I got out and got half dressed and George walked into our bedroom. The spare bedroom had my office in it and basic streaming equipment. "You're a good little singer there Danny," he tells me, and wraps his arms around me. We missed each other a lot and we have more freedom of touch now so I enjoy the hug.

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. I was thinking when Matt and Dylan get out maybe we can all play music and see how turning Undead into a band," I tell him. I honestly don't mind if he turned around and told me that wasn't such a good idea. It was literally just a shower thought, so I am not expecting anything to come of it. I could hear George making some noises while he contemplated it. "Actually you might be onto something there. I do want to step away from the crimes that I have relied on in the past," he tells me. That is another thing, although I have managed to get away with Aron and the drugs I had sold in the past, being in jail means they are more on to me now than they were.

It would be really nice to rely on another way of making an income that is less reliant on the chance of spending time in Jail and Prison again. "We will have to see what happens when we get to talk about it with everyone else," I tell him. I move away from the hug, I need to finish getting ready and to dry my hair. I spray deodorant under my armpits and put my t-shirt on. Man it feels good to be in all of my own clothes again. The prison jumpsuits we were issued weren't the best but they were not the worst either. They were reliably terrible, and you could tell if it wasn't yours because it would smell horrible and be so itchy. It only happened once but boy I never wanted to experience that ever again.

"Sure, it gives us time to work on the details of it too. To start I wouldn't want to call it Undead, but that could be a good song title. Maybe we could call it Hollywood Undead instead, it has a better ring to it," he tells me. That does sound like a much better name to be honest. Then again he called us the Undead Gang in prison with Jorel's help so we would need everyone to agree on it before we make the change permanent. I hope this dream of ours can come true and we can work on it and make it reality. I am sure I have a notebook somewhere we can keep these ideas in until we are ready. I just need to find it in my office somewhere. I have all the time in the world for that though, no need to rush things because I am back home for the first time in a year.

"Sounds good to me, we have time to work on it though," I tell him. Right now I want to work on nothing. I want to relax and get myself ready to reunite with my pup tomorrow. I am happy that George is happy with it, he had kept all of the dog stuff I had and even chucked out the old rotting food and replaced it with fresh. "That we do, but right now I think we should go back to the couch and watch something or just relax in each other's company. I have missed you even though it has only been two weeks since we last hugged each other before today," he tells me. It was quite sweet to know that I was missed just as much as I missed him. Relaxing and watching whatever we want on TV sounds ideal.

"I missed you too, even with Matthew and Dylan there for the last two weeks I felt very lonely in the cell by myself," I tell him. The bruising was starting to hurt again, so I go into the kitchen to grab some pain medication from my cupboard and take two with some water. George follows me and sits down at the breakfast bar. "Yeah this apartment felt lonely until today even with Jorel and Jordon coming over. I don't think I would have liked to have been at the prison today otherwise I would have earnt myself more time inside. I would have pummeled Aron for what he did to you," he tells me. I know he would have as well, from my first day he has always had this protectiveness of me that he never wanted Aron to get too close to me.

"I would have been more angry that you would have been moved to a different pod than you hurting Aron. He will get what is coming to him for sure, it is only a matter of time now. Almost everyone hates him there even his own gang was starting to turn on him," I tell him. It had been a long time coming honestly, we had started to create a bit of peace in the pod where everyone helped each other and we all got along with the common goal of finishing our sentences without any further repercussions because of reckless behavior. "Yeah I always had a bit of respect and time for the minions he had under him. They didn't deserve half the shit they got," George says, as we walk back into the living room.

I let George get comfortable on the couch because there was something I was desperate to do if he would let me. It wasn't going to be much different from how we ended up on the couch while we were eating lunch not too long ago. It was a level of comfort with each other that we never got whilst on the inside because even though it was never explicitly said we never displayed affecting in the shared communal areas. I sit next to George and cuddle up to him as much as he would naturally allow me to. It was quite comfortable actually and I felt nice and warm as George turned on the TV and found a show that we were both interested in. Now this is how I pictured my relationship unfolding outside of prison.

We cuddle for a good couple of hours before either of us need the bathroom. I was really enjoying it, I was even almost asleep at some points before a gentle nudge from George wakes me up. "Do you want to go lay down for a bit?" George asks after he came back from the bathroom and got us both fresh coffees. I shake my head and take my coffee from him. "Thanks for the coffee, I will be okay though. I think I need to stay up until at least nine or ten so I can get into a new routine," I tell him. I know I will still be on prison time, but I can work on transitioning myself off that and back onto normal time. If I fall asleep now as much as I want to I am just going to end up messing my sleep schedule up.

That is the last thing I want after twelve plus months being on Los Angeles County Jail/Men's prison timetables. It is like when we go on an international flight and we end up with jetlag whilst our bodies are adjusting to the new time zone. "Fair enough Dan, if you change your mind just let me know," he says. He has just been through the same thing I am going through so he will know a lot of good coping methods and strategies. I am not one hundred percent against having a nap ever, just don't think I need one today. I have missed George a lot and just want to spend time being in his company again while I am awake. I don't think I need to protect myself and be on edge whilst George is around me.

George is in charge of dinner as well. He asked me if I wanted him to cook some pasta or something and I said sure. I have never had someone else cook for me since I was living at home with my mom. I know I didn't cook the meals in prison but that was different we had no choice on what we ate there. He told me to stay on the couch and relax whilst he cooked. I could hear him singing along to whatever he wanted whilst he cooked and it made me smile. For someone who was in his first relationship with a man he knew exactly what he was doing and was doing really well. I bet he had a lot of tips from Jorel and Jordon. It was like they knew before we both even fully knew ourselves and had been very supportive.

They had even started a little bet on when we were going to be getting together, whether it be whilst we were in prison or whilst we were out. I don't think they would have let us get past the time we did get together. They would have forced us to kiss in our cell I am sure. Whatever George is cooking smells so good. Once I am back into the swing of things I am going to be sharing the responsibilities of cooking and cleaning and things like that. Right now I am just going to listen and follow what George wants. After a while he brings out one of the best looking pasta dishes I think I have ever seen in my life. "Wow this looks incredible thanks George," I tell him. I take both plates so he can sit down next to me.

We enjoy dinner and I make sure that I wash the dishes afterwards so I am not being totally lazy. I even put a load of washing on, mainly my clothes I had been wearing before my shower and then my towel. Being able to snuggle up to George in bed was the best feeling ever. This was just the best day ever. Well apart from being beaten up but the rest of it was the best day I have ever had in years. I was too tired to even properly say goodnight to George as I just ended up falling asleep in his arms for the first time since we had started dating each other. Now this was worth waiting for, this was worth going to jail for. I have become a better man and I have the best person by my side for the rest of my life.

Thank you for getting this far. I know this is a massive one shot compared with what I normally do but I know it has been a while and I missed writing. Hope you enjoyed and see you next time.

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