The Discovery: Prison Inmates Ch. 05

Disclaimer:

The story is a complete work of fiction and story contains erotic situations between consenting adults, sometimes of the same gender. If it is illegal for you to read this please leave now. Any resemblance between the characters and any real life person is completely coincidental.

Please do not copy or distribute the story without the author's permission.

Copyright – Poshbillionaire 2010

A huge heart shaped thank you to Roughboy18 for editing and putting up with my endless delays, you're fab!

Here we go...

CHAPTER FIVE

They were halfway down the corridor, chatting excitedly to the interested glances of the prisoners who could see them from their cells when Jamie suddenly realised what had been nagging at the back of his mind despite his excitement at seeing his best friend.

Rhys.

Rhys' face when he saw Richard.

"We need to go back." He muttered, scratching the back of his head a bit sheepishly.

"What? Why?" Richard queried, smile freezing for a minute.

"I need to introduce you to someone first." It wasn't a lie, he really wanted to make things clear to Rhys who Richard was just as much as he wanted to introduce them. He couldn't have him thinking something untoward was going on.

He didn't think about why he wanted to do this, he just knew he needed to. Now.

"Who is it that I need to meet so badly –?" Richie sighed as his friend simply grabbed him by the hand and pivoted in the direction they were coming from.

Rhys was lying flat on the cold floor and looking straight up at nothing. His eyes were a blank stare. Jamie didn't like it.

"Rhys?"

No response.

"Rhys, are you okay?"

The big man still didn't budge; all Jamie got was a blink. One frigging blink.

Well Richard had had enough. He straightened up and went into 'prison officer' mode. "Can you stand up plea – oomph! What?"

Richard glared at Jamie as he rubbed his side, which Jamie had just punched.

Jamie looked at Richard sternly, and then at the set of keys hanging on his waist belt. "You can open the door right?"

"Of course I can. Jamie, what's this all about?" He stopped when Jamie made a fist to remind him. He shook his head in amusement. "Fine."

"Open the door."

"What do you want Jamie?" Rhys spoke at last, his deep voice rumbling over their argument.

Jamie turned to him in relief, small hands gripping the bars so tight his knuckles went white.

"Rhys." He said again in a low, soft voice. He was asking the big man to look at him. Something.

Rhys took a deep breath and turned his head. His face remained blank, expressionless. But his eyes were filled with turmoil. Jamie's heart wrenched painfully.

"I want you to meet someone."

No movement.

"Please?"

Richard looked between his friend and the dangerous looking giant in the cell, wondering what the hell was going on. He looked again at the big man... "Why do you seem familiar? Do we know him from home?"

The two men ignored him, but Rhys now pulled himself upright, eyes glued on Jamie who was doing the same. He came to the cell door, fingers slowly circling and gripping the bars over Jamie's fingers, enveloping them completely. It was like electricity was crackling in the air. Jamie gulped at this show of territory, loving but hating the wash of delight he felt at what Rhys was doing.

His.

Blushing harshly, he finally found his voice, "Rhys, this is Richie – Richard, my best friend since childhood."

Rhys' eyes widened slightly then went back to blank. He was obviously fighting his reaction. "Best friend."

"Yeah. He just transferred from Feather. I had no idea he was doing that... coming over here I mean. He's been in the prison service since we left uni." He rambled on, trying to explain, to get some understanding from the big man.

"Oh." Was all he got back.

Jamie sighed. "Richie, this is Rhys."

Richie raised an eyebrow at the lack of qualification of the relationship. As far as he knew, his friend was straight but this all looked... somewhat intimate. Intense. The big man looked contained, like he was holding himself back. Jealousy. Definitely jealousy.

Suddenly it clicked.

"Rhys Foxton? Rhys Foxton!" Richie gasped in growing recognition of the fact that this was the famous actor as well as the person he had heard was involved in a great deal of drama with Jamie in here. "The actor?"

"Yeah, the actor." Jamie moaned in mock exasperation. Rhys' lips twitched. Just a little. Jamie saw it and beamed wide.

"What? Can't I be surprised to see a famous actor? Just because he's your friend doesn't change the fact that he is famous." Richard spouted indignantly. He turned to Rhys, hand held out for a handshake.

Rhys looked at him and then his hand, reluctant to let go of Jamie. He heard a long drawn out sigh from Jamie and shook his head in amusement, pulling his hand away to shake Richard's.

"Any friend of Jamie's is a friend of mine." Richard continued agreeably.

"Same here," Rhys rumbled. "Nice to meet you."

"How polite," Jamie added with a smirk. He stifled a giggle when Rhys' hand squeezed his and he let go of Richie's hand to grab Jamie's other hand as well. He tugged at the hands until Jamie was facing him directly. Then he leaned in close, voice dropping. "You want me to be rude to your best friend?"

The small man swallowed visibly, very obviously hypnotised by Rhys' stare. Goosebumps dominoed up his arms and down his back. "I didn't say that." Staring. Hard. "Rhy... stop. I've got to go."

Rhys let go immediately and the swiftness of it made Jamie's chest constrict. He had no idea why. He was beginning to regret asking to be taken back to his cell. He really did want to stay with Rhys. He wanted to curl up in those large arms and chat. And make out. And make love. But his courage was somewhat clogged in his throat. The appearance of his best friend, howbeit a good thing, didn't help matters.

Rhys walked backward with his hands raised, his face blank again. Jamie made to speak but Rhys' look stopped him.

"Go," the big man said before turning away from them. "Nice to meet you Richard."

Richie had to practically peel his friend off the bars and drag him away. He definitely had to have his questions answered, now more than ever.

* * * *

They spent hours in the interview room by the wing office catching up on things. Richard really wanted to know all about Rhys and Jamie kept trying to avoid the subject.

"So you're..."

"Don't you dare say what I think you're going to say. I'm not whatever you think."

Richie stared at him and he looked away in embarrassment. "So there's nothing going on with you and that scary giant?"

Jamie couldn't help himself. "He's not scary!"

Richie laughed. His friend chose the wrong bit to defend. "Really? He's akin to an extra terrestrial at least. He is built like one, I'll tell you that. Even beside me, much less you. Jesus, the guy is like seven feet tall!"

"Yeah, rub it in will you?" Jamie muttered.

"Not like that stopped you-" Richie teased, getting a punch for his trouble. "What?"

He straightened up as a thought struck him. "Your vehement denial is... Are you sure – " he frowned in contemplation, "should I be insulted by this?"

Jamie frowned, drawing invisible circles on the table. "No. Of course not. It's nothing to do with you or the way you are. Honest. It's me. I'm not gay. Simple as. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with gay people, its just not me."

Richard's eyes widened as a memory crawled back to him. He kept it to himself. "I don't believe that for even a second. This sounds like some warped sense of 'I've always been the one protecting the gay guy so I can't possibly be gay myself'."

Jamie buried his face in his hands with a weak, "No."

"Or maybe it's a 'It's my best friend that's the gay one, not me. Never me', huh?"

"No Richie. Stop okay?"

"Jamie. Remember your own words? "Being gay is not the end of the world. There's nothing wrong with liking or loving a man." Remember?" he got a nod. "Maybe you should think about taking your own advice sometime."

"This is completely different, Richie."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I'm not gay."

Luckily for Jamie, the call came for lights out lockdown and Richard had to leave so he escaped further interrogation from his friend. It was temporary relief though, he knew that but he was glad for it because he had no idea why his situation was any different.

He just couldn't deal with this. He honestly didn't know how, other than to run. And he had nowhere to run to, not with Richard one way and Rhys the other.

* * * *

Richard couldn't get his mind off Jamie and his thing with the actor prisoner. His friend was obviously caught up in it but in denial at the same time. He thought about the words Jamie had used. "I'm not gay..." They had jarred him.

Jamie didn't know this, but when he had been attacked that terrible day in the school garden, and Richard had found him and called an ambulance, all he had been saying as he flowed in and out of a consciousness, was, "I'm not gay, I'm not gay."

They were about 16 at the time and Richard had just come out as gay in school against Jamie's advice. He regretted it profusely now, for Jamie had begged him to keep quiet about it. They had had many arguments about it that their parents had begun to worry. At the time no one knew but Jamie and he had kept that secret for about 3 years. They were about to graduate and Jamie had hoped to do so in peace. He feared the repercussions of letting people know in their small conservative town, but Richard was not having it. Richard had known he was gay since before he even hit puberty and had just about waited long enough to let it out. He realised how selfish he had been about the situation now but it had been all he could think about.

Surprisingly, there hadn't been such a bad reaction to Richard's coming out. Things had happily gone back to normal until five months later when Jamie was cornered at the back of the school by their homophobic football team and mistaken for Richard.

It seems he kept trying to tell the guys they had the wrong person and he was not gay but the boys didn't give a shit. They beat Jamie up within an inch of his life.

He suffered many injuries; a fractured right femur and right foot, four broken ribs, a dislocated jaw and significant internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen. Not to mention the massive bruises and wounds all across his back from the hard kicks and blows. All for something he was not.

Jamie had managed to crawl through the school door and if it was not for Richard, impatient about getting him so they could go see the latest slash movie, rushing from the home economics class and then to the art class and then to the garden to find his friend all but a bleeding pulp.

He had called an ambulance and tried to get Jamie to tell him who had attacked him. All the small broken boy could say was, on repeat, "I'm not gay." On and on and on.

Jamie never remembered those words when he came to. Even though he had kept saying them through the months he was in and out of the coma.

But Richard could never forget.

It seemed this could be the root of Jamie's denial of what was happening with Rhys. He was saying those words again. His terror was rearing its ugly head, subconsciously it seemed.

Richard could never forgive himself for what had happened to his friend because of his selfishness and stupidity. He had sworn to protect him from then on.

That was why he had been trying to transfer to HMP Markham since Jamie had been incarcerated. It had been very difficult and he had had to take a demotion in order to do so. His governor at HMP Feather had thought he was completely crazy. He hadn't bothered to tell Jamie about his plans to transfer because he knew his friend would have tried to stop him.

He didn't care. He was going to be there for Jamie for as long as he was able.

Now coming here and hearing all the crazy stories, about the warden, about the actor, about the crazy Ace, he knew he had done the right thing.

* * * *

2 weeks later

The library was another improvement to the prison. It was in the same building it had always been in but had now been vastly enlarged, with the activity rooms on either side of it moved and designated elsewhere to allow for expansion. It was pretty impressive.

All the makeshift shelves were gone, replaced with proper shelving and even the odd glass drawers. Very posh. More books had been provided and they filled the shelves nicely, giving more authenticity to the place.

It was also very quiet and tranquil, absolute heaven for Rhys.

This was why he joined Old Cole working there as soon as there was an opening. As soon as the old man had told him of the plans to expand, he had jumped at the chance to escape the world of the prison as often as he could.

Old Cole was grateful for the company. It had been just him in there for too damned long. Now he was sick of it. He was happy to just chat now... and watch Rhys stack the books onto the new stands. The big man loved the place, God knows he was tall enough to do the work without a ladder.

He had a couple of others helping as well though. He had made sure to choose quiet, well-behaved prisoners. The library was not a place for drama; for those who wanted to lay low and serve their time, yes, but never for drama.

He watched the new officer approach them, gave him a nod, and excused himself. Jamie's officer friend would obviously have more to say to Rhys than to him. He liked to watch it all. It made good entertainment in his old age.

"So you and Jamie..." Richard leaned against the wall right by where Rhys was stacking books. All the other prisoners had inched away to give them space.

Rhys raised an eyebrow, slowing his pace but not stopping. "Me and Jamie...?"

"Yeah."

Rhys turned to him, leaning over slightly against the bookshelf but still way too tall and imposing.Jesus, Richard thought.

"I don't understand. Did you just ask a question?"

"Are you fucking my friend?" Richie asked bluntly.

The huge man's nose flared. He had touched a nerve there. Good.

"That,sir, is none of your fucking business." Rhys turned and continued to stack the books as if to tell Richard he was done talking. Well, Richard sure wasn't done.

"He's my best friend."

"Then maybe you should direct that question to him and not me. Wouldn't that be much more appropriate?"

"I have. He says there's nothing going on."

"So you don't trust your best friend then." It was not a question.

"It's not that," Richard stated. "It's the way you act around him. The way he acts around you."

"You really need to speak to Jamie." Rhys stopped stacking, looked down, and sighed. "I can't help you. Sorry."

"He's never been gay. Are you sure this is not because of you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. My colleagues - I heard you were forced to spend the night together in solitary - and you made it so good that the warden hates you for it."

"Look, we got into this with the warden and it was either that or die. I did my best in the situation, considering that neither of us wanted to go through with it in the first place. Now you're saying I should've made it bad? You're seriously saying I should have hurt Jamie???" Rhys spat angrily.

Richard raised his hands. "Hold up a minute, I'm not saying that at all. It's just... he's had so many opportunities to come out as gay and he has never had or shown any such inclinations. I'm his best friend..." Rhys made a face at that. Richard ignored it. "I've been gay since we were teenagers and he's been there all through! So being gay would not have been an issue for him!"

Even as Richard said this, he knew he should have been having this argument with Jamie. But for some reason the small man could not understand or explain... anything. He was at a loss, hence Rhys.

"Maybe he's just met the right person..." this was more of a mutter but Richard caught it.

"You flatter yourself!"

"Do I?" the huge man growled. "I've fallen for him. Gay or not. It's not unthinkable that he should love me back!"

Rhys was fuming; this so-calledbestfriend of Jamie's really had some nerve. "Its not like I was gay before I met him either. I'm sure you read the tabloids. You know who I am. It goes without saying."

"No need to blow your own trumpet." Richard stared at Rhys.Wow, Richard thought, the huge man did not even realise he had said 'love'.

"I'm not. You asked for it."

Richard watched him for a moment, deciding to let him know the reality of things.

"Something happened to Jamie when we were younger..." He caught the flash of interest in Rhys' eyes, of an almost desperate nature. The giant had it bad. Good thing that, seeing as Jamie was more or less whipped, whether he admitted it or not.

Over an hour later, Rhys sat quietly for a good while after Richie had left him. He felt a lot lighter with the knowledge that Jamie's denial was possibly more a mental issue caused by his bad experience rather than plain old rejection.

He had told Richard that Jamie needed to know about it. He needed to face what happened and maybe it would help him come to terms with his feelings for Rhys.

Thinking of what happened to the little man filled Rhys with rage. He wished he had been there to keep those bastards from touching him.

* * * *

Taking Rhys' advice, Richard told Jamie everything.

After hearing what his friend had to say, Jamie was strangely elated. It kind of made sense now.

He had been right to think Richard had become overly protective, long after he had recovered from the attack. Now he understood why. There had been no lasting physical damage and he had made a full recovery. Richard must've felt he was traumatised mentally.

He now felt guilty for not agreeing to see the psychiatrist like his parents and Richard had been pushing for then. He recalled their fights and arguments about it, the frustration and anger Richard had expressed over him not wanting to get better with therapy. This must have been why Richie had been so upset at the time.

Through the times he had been having the nightmares and everyone had been told by his would be therapist to let him get over it with the passage of time and make no reference to it unless it came from him.

Apparently he needed to want the help to be able to benefit from it.

Jamie had felt there was nothing wrong with him so he had not bothered with any more doctors or therapists. Served him right for being so stubborn and proud he guessed.

Now he could see why he was constantly thinking 'I'm not gay' in his mind without any rationale behind it. It was his mind playing tricks on him after all.

If he hadn't been so fucking stubborn, he would've been fine now.

Maybe.

Oh well, it couldn't be helped. He refused to worry about yet another thing. This was good news. He could sort himself out now. He had no interest in speaking to the prison-designated counsellor though, no one ever did. Who knew what was passed on to the warden? First thing when he got out of here, he would get a psychiatrist or a counsellor to help him deal with things.

Definitely.

He wondered what the big man would think about all this. For some reason, Jamie couldn't wait to tell him. Maybe... maybe he would understand now.

* * * *

It was a Saturday. The gym was mostly empty except for Ace and his men. They were all there, using weights of different sizes. When they crowded like this, not a lot of people hung around. Which worked for Ace considering what he had in mind today.

"When does Rhys do the library?" he grunted thoughtfully.

The boys perked up, always happier when they smelt the promise of trouble. It was in their blood.