Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Alright, recruits! It's time to get into the bus!"

The head of the young man straightened as the harsh voice of the woman reached his ears. His eyes fixated on her figure as she slowly walked by the rows of men and women standing there, backs straight, saluting in front of her. "You are the twirps that chosen to be the next security staff!" she yelled and stopped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I must say I am surprised! I have seen much better candidates for the job than all of you!"

His lips twitched as the words left her mouth, but the brown-haired man forced himself to stay quiet. 'Control yourself.' he thought and took a deep breath through his nose. 'She's only trying to get to me.'

"Appearance, however, can cloud the judgment. I've been in this business for many years, and I know what I'm talking about!" the general growled and continued to walk. "Your worth will be proven when you arrive at one of the, if not the, strictest prison on this entire planet. The Wall!" The word echoed through the air, and he could see that some of his colleagues shuddered. "The discipline you have encountered until now is like a child's birthday party compared to what will await you there! There is no speaking out of turn for twirps like you! Now is your last chance to run with your tail between your legs! As soon as you enter the bus, there is no escape!"

Her voice got darker in the end, and she eyed some of them, especially Grigori. "I guarantee you, some of you won't even last one week." The eyes of the dark-haired man narrowed as she said that, but he stayed silent. He knew that she wanted him to speak out of turn, that he gave her a to turn him down, but he did not. Since he has been here, they've had problems, and she always searched for mistakes in his work, but never found them.

As much as she hated to admit it, Grigori Olyat was one of the best candidates those idiots ever had to offer. He was keen to please his superiors, he always listened to every command and never asked any questions, he was one of the few to use his head before he used his muscles, he was almost perfect, and that made her blood boil.

She waited for him to step back, to run with his tail between his legs, but he remained standing, and soon made his way to the bus that will bring him to his new working place. The probably strictest and most secured prison on this planet.

The drive was tense. The young man was sure he could cut the air with a butter knife if he had one in his pockets. The people were silent, some of them were shaking, probably regretting their choice to get in. He swallowed thickly, leaning back in his seat, turning his head to the window to look at the outside. He watched as they drove up on a small mountain, having trouble with the storm that blew against them. He heard the driver curse in Spanish under his breath before he increased the speed. Finally, the vehicle let them continue their journey. 

They nearly were thrown out of their seat by the force of the push. Grigori growled as he just prevented his face from being slammed onto the cold, hard ground of the gigantic bus, sighing in relief when he leaned back in his seat again. That was close.

Others, however, were not as lucky as he was. He saw how many men and women forced themselves back up, rubbing the aching spots on their bodies with a pained expression on their faces. He had to hold back a grin that was slowly spreading on his face and cleared his throat while turned his head back to the window, but this time, he saw nothing but white.

Damn storm.

He sighed softly and shook his head, closing his eyes, trying his best to relax and fall asleep, knowing that this drive would be longer than expected.

---

Grigori grunted as the bus violently stopped and almost threw him out of his seat again. He rubbed his eyes before he glared at the bus driver, who merely scoffed at him, opening the door so everyone could leave. He stood up and stretched himself a little bit to get the sleep out of his system, grabbing his back before throwing it over his shoulder.

He stepped out of the bus, walking behind the others who were already forming a row. He pulled his thick coat tighter around his muscular body, shivering softly as the cold air hit his skin. Damn, he knew it was chilly up here, but it was way worse than he had expected. Maybe it was a mistake to wear a simple, thin shirt underneath. Suddenly, a loud whistle echoed through the air, and all of the soldiers straightened their backs, including him. He lifted his head to look at the highest balcony, where a few prison-guards stood, weapons tightly in their hands, facing them with the sternest expression he had ever seen on anyone, even his trainer.

Most of them shut up, only a few mumbled to one another as the door leading to the outside slowly opened, a tall, muscular man stepping out. He wore a grey uniform that was mostly hidden behind a thick winter coat, but the black tie had such a strong contrast that it shone through. His skin was much paler than he deemed possible, probably a consequence of being up here, hidden from the sun’s rays.

He also wore a black cap that was hiding his black hair, ending barely above his eyes, hiding them behind the shadows. His visible flesh was covered with thick scars, and his stern face twisted into a slightly annoyed expression. Slowly, he lowered his head, exposing sharp, golden orbs which seemed to glow brightly in the dimly lit area. He cleared his throat before he began to speak in a heavily accented voice, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

"Hello, dear newcomers! My name is Dmitri Johannes Petrov, and I am the warden of "The Wall”.  I have been in charge for the last twenty years. Since the day I took over, there has been no serious incident or outbreak, and since we are keeping some of the most cunning and notorious criminals here, I only accept the best out of the best.", the man, Dmitri Petrov as Grigori now knew, mentioned with his gloved hand to the hole in the middle of the area where those special cases were probably locked up. "Be sure to encounter discipline you have never felt before! This place is a prison complex and not a playground for you. I will have you under my watch! All of you, and if you make any mistakes, be assured that I will know of it! I wish you all good luck in your first week. You will need it."

Slowly, he turned around, throwing one last look at them, his eyes meeting Grigori's for the split of a second, who had listened exactly to those stern words before, he disappeared out of everyone's sight.

---

A week has passed, and Grigori was one of the few who were doing well so far. Being assigned to an area almost right next to Dmitri's office was hard, but thanks to his training, he managed to keep everything under his control.

The warden kept his promise to keep an eye on them. He saw him at least two or three times a day. He always walked past him, his sharp eyes looking directly at his work to control it before he turned around and left with a "Keep it up". Grigori had to admit that this was kind of creepy, and every time he approached, he got goosebumps.

Just like right now.

He heard the heavy steps of the man behind him and turned around to face him. He wore his usual grey uniform with black gloves and tie, but this time, he had his hair open, and brunette noticed they were just long enough to tie them back into a small ponytail.

"Hello, sir.", he greeted him with a nod and fixated the inmate who decided to cause trouble. "Hello, Grigori. Working as always, I see." The warden sounded pleased, and the younger male felt warmth in his stomach as he heard the tune in his voice. "Yes, of course, sir. What else would I do? You gave me an order, and I complied. Those are the rules of "The Wall" after all." "Yes, they are.", the oldest male spoke and grinned at the inmate, who scowled at him. "I see that everything is alright here. Continue this kind of behavior, Grigori, and I assure you, it won't be long until a big promotion." The young man nodded and just wanted to bring the prisoner to where he belonged, but he oversaw that he somehow managed to get one hand free and got punched straight into his face.

With a grunt, the brown-haired man collided with the floor, one of his hands covering up his now bleeding nose. He opened his eyes, which he had closed as the pain shot through his body, and saw how the man, too, punched Dmitri in his face and shoved him violently against the wall, hard enough to break his skin but not strong enough to send him into unconsciousness. The new prison-guard reacted quickly and swallowed any kind of pain before he jumped his feet and took after him.

As he realized that there was no way that he would manage to catch up with him, Grigori reached into his pockets and pulled out his gun, shooting into the inmate's leg. The man collided on the floor, crying out in agony while the young prison-guard called for help, immediately running over to Dmitri, who was bleeding violently from the back of his skull.

"Is Grigori! I need two first-aid attendants, quick. An inmate and the warden are injured!" He waited until he got a "Roger" in return before he kneeled next to the older man. "Sir, are you alright?" he asked urgently and helped him to his feet, cringing slightly as the other’s nails dug into his skin. "Yeah.", Dmitri forced out of his throat as he leaned against him. "Just...my head hurts. I think I have a concussion." With Grigori's help, he managed to remain standing when the first-aid attendants arrived and helped him. "What happened?" the young woman asked as she carefully covered up the wound on the warden's head.

"An inmate attempted to escape. He punched me in the face and slammed our boss against the wall.", was his short answer, which caused her to turn her head to him, cringing as she saw his nose. "That looks broken.", she told him and finished patching her boss up before she walked over to him. "I need to get both of you to the medical station. I don't like how your nose looks." The young prison-guard huffed but nodded and helped her to support his boss with walking.

One day passed, and Grigori was back in duty.

The inmate who had tried to escape had been punished and now sat in a cell with maximum security. The warden's guess was correct, and he now laid in the medical station with a severe concussion. With his absence, the tension in the prison's halls disappeared, and the guards who had been silent began to talk with one another, a fact that let his blood boil in anger. How could those morons be so calm and happy when their boss was in the medical station, suffering from constant headaches and nausea? Many told him that they were glad that they wouldn't have to encounter him for a little while, that they could finally relax and don't have to fear his sudden appearance.

"Grigori!"

The young prison-guard flinched violently as the sudden voice echoed through the air, ripping him away from his thoughts, and he turned his head towards the woman that was walking towards him. "Yes?" "The warden requires your presence in the medical station.", she told him and pushed him into the direction they needed to go. Knowing he would get in trouble for not listening to her command, he went with her and soon was lead to the door that was hiding a whole area of professional healer and punch of injured prison-guards. The woman nodded at him one last time before she continued to walk down the hall, leaving him standing.

He sighed and shook his head before he entered, walking straight for the chief doctor, who immediately recognized him. "There you are.", he spoke as Grigori stopped right in front of him. "He's already waiting for you. You either did something really dumb or something incredible."

Confused by those words, the young prison-guard asked what he meant as he was shown to the door his boss was behind. "He never would let anyone that is not a nurse or a doctor come near him when he is so vulnerable unless it's something that cannot wait until his recovery, and you can say that you’re the first man that is not from the medical staff to see our warden injured, ever. You can be proud or disappointed in yourself." Grigori merely hummed before he pushed the door open, entering the room as quietly as he could. He immediately spotted the older man lying in his bed, a book in his lab, his sharp eyes already fixated on him.

"I thought you would never come.", Dmitri grunted as he forced himself to sit up, holding his aching forehead while doing so. "I'm sorry but had to be lead here. I don’t know these walls very well yet.", the younger male apologized and waited for permission to take a seat, which he got with a short nod. "You surely remembered what happened yesterday.", his boss asked and scowled, showing his teeth.

"This incident is not only embarrassing for myself, but also a shame to the "Wall". But I have to admit your performance was exceptional. Your quick reaction was one of the reasons why the inmate was caught so quickly, and I have to say, I'm impressed. You did well, and I want to give you a promotion.” Grigori blinked, his eyes widening in surprise as the words echoed through his head. “A-a promotion?”, he asked, making sure he hadn’t misheard the words that just left his boss’s lips. “Yes, a promotion. You might only work here for a week, but you’ve already proven your worth more than many others in years. You are not only talented, but also smart and you know what to say and what to do if there is an emergency.” The older man began to grin. “Continue like this, and you certainly will become my right hand man.”

Shock was the only emotion the young man felt right now. His eyes were almost popping out of his skull and he would have remained sitting there for hours if it wouldn’t have been for the “Back to work now.”. Grigori nodded his head and stood up with a small “Thank you, sir” before he left the room, feeling so much pride bloom his chest that he could burst right here and now.

---

“The new recruits have arrived.”

Dmitri looked up from his computer as the voice of his right hand man echoed through the room and scowled as he realized what just had been said. Grigori was leaning against the wall, wearing a black coat over his grey uniform and a hat on his head to protect him from the cold wind outside. His right arm was in a cast, still freshly broken from the accident caused by a fleeing inmate. “Great. A new bunch of juveniles that have no idea how to behave.”, the warden growled, showing his teeth…at least those who remained after that girl hit him with a stop sign, which also resulted in a concussion, almost like all those years ago.

“Maybe they won’t be so bad. I was once one of them too, you know.”, he huffed and walked up to him, leaning over the table. “I know, but you’re a piece of gold in a mountain made of dirt. I may remind you that you are one of eight that remained here.”, he growled and rolled his eyes, forcing himself out of his chair.

“Five, three of them died in the escape incident.”, the younger man corrected him, earning a sharp glare. “Fine then, five. Makes it even worse.”, he hissed at him and stood up, stretching his back. “Well, better than no one at all, right?”, he asked softly and walked up to him, pulling him down for a short peck on his lips. At this, the old man smiled, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Yes, you’re right.”, he muttered and pressed his lips against his. The kiss lingered for quite a while, and the younger man panted heavily as he pulled back, his healthy arm wrapped tightly around Dmitri’s shoulder. He leaned against him, trying to catch his breath while a smile spread on his face as he felt his lover relax a little bit. He looked so much more handsome if his face was not twisted into this almost evil expression he always had.

“Now, grab your coat. I think that they’re already waiting for you. The faster you introduce yourself, the sooner we get back, and the sooner, we can spend time together.”, Grigori whispered and stole one last kiss before he turned around, giving his lover a smug grin and a wiggle with his eyebrows before he disappeared out of the door. The warden could not help but grin at those words. Grabbing his coat almost too fast for the eye to see, he followed the around twenty years younger man out, realizing that he was right.