~*~ The events of this story will incorporate external added elements from the author's imagination into the already rich and exhilarating canon narrative of the HBO original series, Oz. For the most part, the canon of the series will remain intact to preserve a sense of realism to the plot, while also being sensitive of the time flow of events occurring within Oz.

~*~ Although the characters to be featured are prominently factual in their given genre, they are the sole property of Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, and are copyrighted to Rysher Entertainment and HBO. All original characters are of the author's creation and belong to him alone and, as with the rest of the story, may not be replicated or redistributed in any way without formal consent from said author.

~*~ Underage reading or any other illegalities is neither encouraged nor condoned in any way by the author. He also will not tolerate any form of plagiarism towards any of the words to come, as they are his and his alone. The principal objective is that of enjoyment and entertainment to you, the reader.

~*~ Address any type of question and/or feedback to jc71883@hotmail.com, making sure to add a relation to the story on the subject line of the e-mail to guarantee its reception.

 

 

A few days had passed since he had allowed Dr. Nathan to take his blood to be tested for any type of disease. O'Reily was paranoid for nothing, but he understood why it had become important because they were in prison. And, even though both men were positive that the other had never engaged in any sexual activity with any other inmate, it still was the right step to get tested to be absolutely sure. Alvarez knew that using condoms was out of the question, so making sure they were both clean was the next best thing.

It was late evening in Em City and the Latino was on his bed and staring up at the bottom of the bed that was on top of his and was ready for sleep. Today in the infirmary had been particularly busy because Dr. Nathan and the entire medical program was under performance review so state medical board had practically spent the entire day making sure everything was up to their standards. Alvarez had never seen Dr. Nathan or the nurses so stressed out. He and O'Reily did the best they could to stay out of her way and give her whatever help she had needed.

He desperately wanted someone to massage the tight bunch of muscles of his shoulders and neck. Lights out was going to be called soon because most of the inmates were already in their pods for the night. Hating himself for not brushing his teeth earlier before getting into bed, Alvarez stood up and went to the sink to get the task done. Running water touched one of his fingers while his other hand gripped the toothbrush and moved it back and forth inside his mouth. The cold water caused his skin to hiss.

Back in bed after the self-imposed interruption, he thought about it again. He thought about a particular part of a conversation he and O'Reily had a few days ago. Alvarez did not know why he had offered himself to get fucked because that had never been something worthy of his thoughts because it was never a possibility. Then again, he imagined that the Irishman had the same adamant feelings about it never happening to him either. He was so hard towards himself for it ever getting to that level in the first place.

O'Reily just seemed so disgusted and hateful of himself because he had allowed something like that to happen to him. Everyone in Oz knew he was no faggot because he made sure they all knew that something like that would be never an option to him. The Latino was not sure if he was serious about his own proposal. He had just wanted O'Reily to stop being so hard on himself about it. They had already gone so far with one another so this last step did not seem as impossible as it once had been. The most important parameter set for the partnership from the very beginning was broken. Air subtraction sucked into his ears as the pod door was pulled open.

"Guess who's back?" Torquemada proudly announced himself into the pod. "Aww. Are you thinking about me, sugar?"

"Throw yourself a parade to announce it to the rest of the world. I don't care," he replied and did not bother to look at the man.

"What's wrong, Miguelito? Are you unhappy to see me?"

"Don't fucking call me that!" Alvarez finally turned to him and strongly said. "Or any of that other bullshit you call me. You got it?"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not. I'm just not dealing with your goddamn shit anymore."

"What shit?" the predatory queen asked and he went to splash water over his face.

"Playing dumb isn't your thing, chica. Most of us can already see through it---see past you."

"Is that supposed to mean something? A hint of some sort?"

"It can mean whatever the fuck you want it to mean. That don't concern me," the Latino said and the conversation was already dragging on longer that he wanted it to.

"I understand the hole must have been so unpleasant for you. Believe me; I know how it is to be isolated away without any sense of time or direction. It was no fun."

"You don't understand dick. Don't assume you know shit about me because, you know, you don't. Leave me alone."

"I can't leave you alone, Miguel. I need your help. You are the only one I can trust in the entire prison. Don't turn your back on me, Miguel. Miguel?"

The queen had some nerve saying all the shit he was. There was never trust between them. The only thing that was between them was D-tabs, and now that Alvarez was sure he was never going back to the drug, there was nothing else left there. Torquemada had to be delusional if he thought that everything would remain the same once he came out of the hole. O'Reily made sure that so much changed in Torquemada's role in Em City while the queen was away. He had to stop himself from bursting out with laughter.

"Lights out!" Murphy yelled and essentially shut down Em City. "Night, fellas."

"You left that little brain of yours in the hole if you think I'm helping you with anything," Alvarez said when his insides were contained from laughing.

"My plan still remains to control all of Em City. This little time out was only a small setback for us. I thought you were on my side about wanting to gain control in here?"

"Well, you thought wrong. There is no us. I'm by myself. Always have been---always will be. Don't want anything to do with you or anyone else in here."

"This truly is disappointing," Torquemada said as he got prepared for bed. "You're not thinking clearly. Destiny will put you back on track. A shipment will be delivered the day after tomorrow and then you'll come back to your senses."

Alvarez shot up from his bed to meet the man's face and said, "You think I'm fucking kidding? You think this is a goddamn joke? Keep thinking that and see what happens."

"Your chest looks so puffed out and strong when you're angry," he said as he slightly looked down at the other man's naked chest almost pressing into his clothed one. "Your naked body was all I thought about while strapped to that chair."

"You're a sick bastard. All that shit stops here," the Latino stepped back and said. "Go after Em City yourself and leave me the hell out of your plans. We ain't nothing more than podmates. Me, my body, every fucking thing about me is off limits to you. That clear?"

"You'll change your mind once I get D-tabs back in circulation inside Em City."

"Don't hold your breath, chica. Better yet---do."

"Charming."

Alvarez headed back to bed and only wanted to ignore the other man for the rest of their time being podmates. Maybe he could ask McManus to trade with someone else because this conversation severely opened his eyes. He realized that O'Reily was right when he said that Torquemada had used Destiny to control him. His mind had been too gone on the drug to notice the truth. The Latino felt sick inside when he mind ran across all the touching and pleasuring he had done to himself for the queen's viewing pleasure.

Torquemada looked down as he stood in front of the beds and said, "Where did this change of attitude come from? What happened when you came out of the hole?"

"Not a damn thing. You want shit done, do it without me. Told you---we nothing but podmates now."

"I see. The first step I took back into Em City, I noticed a change in the---atmosphere. What do you make of that, Miguel? What do your instincts say?"

"It's all in your head. And that I don't care either way what you notice," the Latino dismissively said.

"Now even you don't believe that with those legendary instincts of yours."

"Don't matter what I believe. We're done talking."

"What a shame. I was so looking forward to one of your shows tonight. It was all I thought about while I was away."

He turned on his side so that he was facing away from Torquemada and tried to get some sleep. The man was in for a rude awakening tomorrow when he had to deal with Pancamo and saw that Calderón and the newly revitalized El Norte had risen and was no longer under his control. Alvarez was disgusted with himself for ever allowing the man to get so close and sexually touch him. His skin crawled at the possibilities of what had happened that he knew nothing about because Destiny had invaded his mind for all those nights.

The Irishman was right all along about Torquemada using his D-tabs to control him. Alvarez hated himself for not being able to see it and put a stop to it before he had been set up to land in the hole. He closed his eyes and imagined being on a beach with the sun's rays touching his naked chest and his toes digging into silky white sand. All the time he had spent with the queen had to be wiped from his brain because he had allowed himself to be controlled and used. Destiny still posed a powerful threat to Oz.

Regardless of what he personally felt towards the man, Torquemada was right in that the atmosphere had changed inside Em City. The following days had proved as much with the tensions boiling to an all-time high amongst the groups fighting for dominance. No one had made any moves yet, but it looked like that was not going to be the case much longer. Alvarez did not directly want to be a part of any of it. They were all eventually going to take each other out.

And, through all the turmoil, he and O'Reily would emerge alive because of all the strings they pulled behind the scenes. Throwing around power the way Calderón, Torquemada, and Redding did was going to get them nothing but killed. Since their partnership, Alvarez saw his power increase tremendously and he was never going to brag about it. That would only be a way of getting killed like so many of the fallen leaders of the past.

He sat at an empty table in the edge of the quad and was flipping through playing cards as he thought about the changing tone inside Oz. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Torquemada and Pancamo talking upstairs in the classroom. Alvarez remembered the many times he had sat in on those conversations and even had contributed in the plotting. Destiny had fucked with his mind beyond belief while he had been engulfed within its grasp.

Since he had been going to Sister Pete's sessions, he eyes had been widely opened to as to how D-tabs had made him say or do things he never would have done sober. They had to be scrambling to get the synthetic drug back in circulation. From what Torquemada said to him on his first night back from the hole, the shipment was supposed to be coming in today. Alvarez suspected that was what the meeting in the classroom was about. Calderón slipped through the quad and sat opposite him at the table.

"So you partner's finally out of the hole," the man said with a severe face. "What's his plan?"

"He's not my partner. If you want to know what he's up to, talk to him. Not me."

"You share the same pod. You talk."

"What's your deal, Calderón?" Alvarez said and was angry that his alone time was disrupted.

"I took El Norte from right under his grip. I expected the man to have a few words to say to me. There's been nothing since he came out a couple days ago."

"This concerns me how?"

"You're not stupid, Miguel. Pretending to be doesn't suit you," El Cartel said as if he demanded answers.

"Don't know what you mean. We're podmates. That's it."

"I see. Then, what about Vieyra?"

"What about him?" the Latino asked with a sudden spark in the conversation.

"It would be a shame if he met with some unfortunate accident. All because you still refuse to join a gang that would make use of all your talents. Joining your brothers."

"Leave him out of this. He's got nothing to do with me or El Norte."

"Yet you protect him. What do you get from that arrangement? It can't be easy babysitting someone who is so unaware of the real world around him."

"The satisfaction of knowing that you won't be able to touch him. Now get the fuck out of my face before I make you."

El Cartel gave a sour look but honored the request and left him alone at the table. The man was determined to get Alvarez under his control before anything went down with Torquemada. Threatening Vieyra's life was another ploy meant to spur him into action but the Latino was not going to be forced to make a move that way. With him and O'Reily on the lookout, the kid was going to be safe from any accidents. He gathered up the cards and left the table because he was no longer in the mood to be playing with them.

After the conversation happened between him and Calderón in the quad, Alvarez had caught the eyes of Torquemada and Pancamo from the classroom. Both men had unreadable expressions tattooed on their faces, but he knew what had to be going on in their minds. He would deal with them later, but he was sure that Torquemada would approach him sooner rather than later asking questions.

During lunch, Alvarez sat at the edge of a partially occupied table and bit into an apple. He did not feel like having anything else because his appetite was shot. He was becoming too involved even though he was trying to stay away from everyone but his secret partnership. El Cartel was still hounding him and Torquemada would eventually want answers as to why he was no longer on Destiny. The Latino saw Vieyra passing him by and stopped him with a simple request.

"Ay, kid. Sit with me," he said and ushered to the seat across from him with his head.

"Gio. I'll keep drilling it into your head until you get it," the young Latino sat down and laughed a little.

"You do that."

"Hey, I didn't mean---"

"Relax. I'll work on it," Alvarez said during the awkward moment and cracked a small smile.

"Okay. What's up?"

"I need you to stay out of the way for a while. Stay low."

"Like in my pod and stuff?" Vieyra asked as his brain started thinking of the possible reasons. "Why?"

"The details aren't important. Just do it."

"Miguel, what's going on? What happened?"

"Look, kid---Gio. Don't worry about anything. Just listen to me and keep your head down," Alvarez said because he wanted to keep the conversation short.

The kid nodded at the instructions and Alvarez got up and left because lunch was over and he had to get to work. He did not need to worry Vieyra by saying anything because he was positive that Calderón was just using the kid to get to him. Though, the precaution had to be taken because the warlord would never think twice about taking another life, even someone of his own skin. Urbano's death was proof of the type of malevolence El Cartel was capable of.

He walked into the infirmary and noticed a few more beds were occupied than over the past couple of days. Most of the patients were there because of wounds sustained from fighting or self-inflicted. Alvarez made his way to the back room to find that the Irishman was not there either. The list found its way under his fingers as he got to work, but was stopped when Dr. Nathan stood at the doorway and asked to speak to him in her office.

"I got back the results from your blood screening," Dr. Nathan said after she closed her office door. "Your results came back negative. The HIV test results should be in sometime next week."

"Damn. That's a relief. I thought I caught something down in the hole."

"Not at all. You're clean. I'm sure the HIV test will come back the same as well."

"Yeah," the Latino said.

"Hey, have you seen Ryan today? He's late for work."

"Speak of the devil. There he is," Alvarez said as he just noticed O'Reily walking into the hospital.

The Irishman knocked on the office door and waited for confirmation before he entered and said, "Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in a situation."

"That's all right. We're finished, Miguel. You'll know the rest as soon as I do."

"Okay. Thanks."

Both men left the office and Dr. Nathan followed a short while after to check on some of the patients, especially the few suicidal ones. The hours passed by with each of them keeping busy with work. An inmate had come in with a stab wound so Dr. Nathan and the nurses had been busy tending to him because it was so close to his heart. Alvarez was in the back room making a list of items that needed to be ordered when O'Reily came in and began washing his hands.

"You got the test results back?" he asked as he was drying his hands.

"Negative. I'll get the HIV results for you next week. You happy now?"

"Alvarez, you're still upset about having to do this?"

"No," the Latino responded. "No. Not about that."

"What happened?"

"Calderón's trying to shake me by threatening the kid."

"We have to come up with a way to get him and Torquemada to take each other out before that happens. Or before one of them gets control of Oz," O'Reily said as he leaned against the countertop and watched the other man work.

"That's damn near impossible. They won't kill themselves when they got men to do it for them."

"Not for you and me."

"You got something in mind?" Alvarez asked and looked at him.

"Not yet. Redding doesn't look like he's giving up on the telemarketing bullshit. Of all the shit Querns could've cut, I thought that would've been first on the list. But, of course, the warden's a dumbfuck."

"We have to keep our eye on Vieyra."

"Dammit, loco. I don't know why I let you talk me into this," O'Reily said with a hint of aggravation and annoyance in his voice. "The kid's more trouble than he's worth."

Alvarez put down the clipboard, pulled the other man into a secluded corner, and quickly planted a kiss on his lips to silence him. They were not going to have the same argument about protecting Gio Vieyra again. As quickly as their lips were pressed together, they became undone and eyes looked into one another's. He managed to take O'Reily off guard and his instincts again pushed him forward so that another kiss started.

"Get off. Not here," the Irishman quickly pushed him off and said as he got away from the corner.

"Had to shut you up somehow."

"Don't get cocky with me, Alvarez. He's trouble. We have to focus on Calderón and Torquemada and not running after some fucking kid."

"You want me to kiss you again?" Alvarez moved closer and smiled as he asked.

"Stop playing around goddammit! This is serious."

"Relax, Irish. Those two fucks can't touch us. I told you that. I just don't want to argue about us protecting him again."

O'Reily sulked his way completely away from the corner and left the back room. The Latino had to smile to himself because the man looked cute when he pouted because he did not get his way. As much as he protested looking out for Vieyra, Alvarez knew that he could and did trust the man to keep an eye on the kid. He retrieved the clipboard and got back to work before anyone could notice anything suspicious. The taste of Ryan O'Reily's lips was smeared against his own.

 

Weeks had floated by without much interactions or actions from either side. Destiny had slowly been reintroduced to the prison population, but it had not been as abundantly overpowering as it once was. Torquemada was still a prominent figure within Em City, but his drugs had lost some of its luster. Calderón had mostly been wrapped up in El Norte, but constantly had his eyes open in case he had needed to make a surprise move. The anticipation and tension of an obviously looming war hung in the stagnant air of the entire prison.

O'Reily did not know what to think because neither side was making a move against the other. He thought that things would explode once the queen had gotten back from the hole, but everything since then had been rather tame. The Irishman paced inside his pod thinking and strategizing as a pair of eyes followed him back and forth. Liam Meaney sat on his bed and fiddled with a pencil in between his fingers.

"Torquemada's bringing Destiny back up," the grunt said.

"Not a chance. Even he knows his shit is losing steam in here. The inmates are getting past it."

"But for how long? You know that can change in a second."

"Fuck. That can't happen," O'Reily said as he stopped pacing and looked outside to the quad. "His days are numbered in here."

"You got a plan?"

"Don't I always?"

It was not exactly true. O'Reily did not want himself or Alvarez to get directly involved in the feud because it would be too dangerous and could risk exposing the partnership. Redding was supposed to be his alternate option, but the man still refused to rally the homeboys to start slinging tits again. Redding would have made sure that D-tabs did not spread any further. He grew increasingly frustrated with the old fuck, but could not push any more without hints of his true intentions being revealed.

A few hours had passed and the Irishman had disappeared for a while because he needed to get away. It was riskier now because he knew both Calderón and Torquemada had their eyes on him, and especially Alvarez. The Latino had seemingly become the center of attraction for those two swirling vultures. Neither of them was going to have him, though. And, they were definitely not going to have him the way O'Reily had him. The partnership was going to remain intact.

He waited in one of the few closets that had become their spots for Alvarez to disappear and join him there. Working together in the infirmary was great, but there were still eyes there so it was hard to pass too much information or produce plans without drawing any attention. As far as the entirety Oz knew, the two of them did nothing more than work together in the hospital. The doorknob wiggled and quickly opened and closed shut as Alvarez made his disappearance known.

"What's up, Irish?" he said in that sultry way he probably was unaware he was doing because it all was so natural to him.

"Things are going to shit, loco. Fucking Redding's not doing what I want him to. It's only time before El Cartel and Torquemada make moves. We have to be prepared."

"Calm down. Calm down, papa. You'll get worry lines and not be so cute anymore," the Latino said and laughed.

"You got fucking jokes, Alvarez. We'll see how funny you are when we're stuck in the middle of the goddamn war that's coming," O'Reily said and slid down and sat against the wall.

"Okay, relax. We'll survive. We always do, víbora."

"We have to figure out a way to get the warden to shut down the telemarketing operation. Without the niggers backing him, Torquemada will be an easy target for El Cartel to take out."

"Don't underestimate him. He may hang out with the fags, but he's one of us. He's a fighter just like you and me," Alvarez said and easily sat next to him on the floor.

"When did you become a fan of his?"

"What? I'm not. I'm just saying that underestimating him is a mistake we don't have to make. And, we don't need to stroke the flames of this war."

"Why not? We have to get that bastard and his synthetic shit out of here."

"Come on, Ryan," Alvarez said as he looked at the floor in front of them. "Isn't there enough blood on our consciences?"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"How many deaths have you and I been responsible for since we've been in here? Whether directly or indirectly?"

O'Reily did not know where the conversation was headed but it sounded like Alvarez did not want Torquemada to be taken out. A spark of jealously inflamed his insides but he remained in control because he had to hear the reasoning behind his partner's thought process. If something else was going on, he was going to get to the bottom of it because that queen was not going to drive them apart again. He did not have the power to anymore.

"You don't want him to be taken out," he made the true observation.

"If it could be prevented, then no," the Latino made part of his thoughts known.

"Why not? I thought you hated him as much as I do."

"I don't hate him. I just want us to stay away from him."

"And you think he'll stay away from us? From you?" O'Reily asked and was surprised and angry by the conversation's turn. "The fuck wants you under his control. He won't stop until he gets Destiny inside you again."

"He knows that's not going to happen. I spoke to him and made it clear that all that shit was over with."

"Because he listened to you the first time around, right?"

"What do you want me to say, O'Reily?"

"That we're on the fucking same page about that cocksucker. He's dangerous and has to be airholed before he gets any more power and influence inside here," the Irishman said and was getting ready to stand up but was stopped by Alvarez pulling his hand back down.

"Don't."

"Let me go, Alvarez. I can't believe I'm hearing this bullshit from you. The man wants to control you, and you want to let him live?"

"Sit," he said, but not in a demanding way. "I told you, you don't have to be jealous of him. Nothing's going on between me and him."

"I told you I wasn't fucking jealous! Stop saying that shit! And I don't give a damn who you fuck with," O'Reily said and jerked his hand away.

Alvarez immediately sprung to his feet and held the other man from leaving by placing both his hands on his waist. Compassionate brown eyes mingled with burning green ones and no words were said as lips moved closer to be caught in a kiss. Bodies seamlessly pressed together and lips and tongues danced around one another's for attention and denied satisfaction. O'Reily broke away before he fell too deeply in and turned away because his anger was still real.

"Don't use that to get out of this. I want an explanation."

"You know I'm not fucking with him. You're the only one I do that with," the Latino said. "I'm sick of all the killing---all the blood and bodies around here."

"This cumhole is hell, Miguel. It's killed or be killed. You know that."

"We do what we have to for survival in here. Yeah---I hear you. It's always the same."

"This is serious. We have to handle him or make a way so that El Cartel does it for us," O'Reily turned back around and said. "You can't lose your drive to survive now, loco."

"I'll never lose that. I'm just tired of all the shit."

"Me too. But this is our life inside here. We can't be off our game for one second. Trust me, Miguel. We have to come up with a plan to keep our asses safe. And the only way that can happen is by getting rid of Torquemada and El Cartel."

"Something has to happen to the telemarketing business to get the warden to shut it down. Like sabotage or something, you know?" Alvarez snapped himself out of his past mindset and focused on the future. "That'll force Redding to get back in the game."

"But what?"

"Don't know. But, if something happened to the program, I know the warden wouldn't reinstate it. He wants all us animals locked in our cages as much as possible."

"Yeah. Maybe we should have the room trashed. Destroy the phones and all that," the Irishman uncharacteristically thought aloud. "We could set that up, and then Redding will fall right into his spot in the plan."

"He would. Power would be distributed more evenly among those three fucks. Keeping balance is key."

O'Reily knew he was making sense and his mind was already churning ideas on how to destroy the telemarketing room and subsequently force Redding's position in the overall plan. His body tensed up when he felt Alvarez's hand on his crotch and squeezing his manhood. No matter how many times they had messed around in the past, a part of the Irishman always became on edge when he felt his dick being touched by another man.

Maybe because it was never supposed to happen or even be a possibility in here. His brain knew that he was practically only surrounded by men so sexual touches were supposed to be out of the question. But, it felt too good to refuse so his hand reached out and touched Alvarez's dick through his pants. The Latino had gotten the negative results of his HIV test over a week ago, so they were both clean from everything. O'Reily closed his eyes and let the sexual desire and satisfaction inside him take over because his mind needed the distraction.

But, they had not done anything since then because they barely had any time alone. Eluding the hacks was becoming more and more of a challenge and their bribe prices were becoming higher. Compounded with both Calderón and Torquemada watching Alvarez's every move and O'Reily trying to start the war, there was barely any time to be alone to plot or talk or just enjoy each other's company. That had come to be an important part of the partnership that neither was willing to give up now.

A part of him still did not want to enjoy being so close to another man, but O'Reily realized long ago that he had been spending too much energy and thoughts denying that it felt good to sexually touch someone inside the wasteland they had all been condemned to spend their lives in. Alvarez turned out to be his best and most productive partnership inside Oz. That was what it all boiled down to and, the rest of the stuff between them was just a personalized benefits package created from the partnership.

"I don't want to talk about Calderón or Torquemada or Redding anymore," Alvarez said in between small kisses. "We can deal with them later."

"What do you want to talk about, then?" the Irishman asked in an almost breathless way.

"Not them."

Lips formed together and he felt a hand slip under his shirt and rub on the skin of his stomach and chest. Again, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the attention that was supposed to be forbidden to them in this place. Alvarez's soul-stealing kisses left him breathless and wanting so much more, but he was never going to beg for it. O'Reily felt a hand slip past the waistband of his pants and straight into his boxers to cup his dick.

He groaned at the sensation and followed the lead as Alvarez walked them backwards while their lips were still connected. His back hit one of the four walls of the room and his instincts told him that he was trapped, but there was no need for alarm or retaliation. O'Reily sucked air into his lungs when the kiss fell apart and watched as the Latino went down in front of him. Their eyes met for a brief second before he went back to work and to where he wanted to end up.

Alvarez lifted up a portion of his shirt and sucked on the skin of his lower abs as his fingers worked in unison to bring the other man's pants down to his ankles. Only his boxers remained and O'Reily pressed his back against the wall for desperate support as Alvarez gently bit and nibbled on his manhood through the cloth fabric of his boxers. The Irishman bit back a moan, but there was something just too erotic and gratifying about the combination of his warm mouth and the barely dampness of his boxers rubbing against hard dick.

"Looks like you missed this more than you let on," the Latino said as he looked up and smirked that wicked grin of his.

"Shut up!" he snapped and was slightly embarrassed.

"Do you really want to be talking like that to someone who has their hands and teeth so close to your manhood, Irish? You could end up with a headless dick or only one ball left."

"Don't you even dare. If I feel any teeth, I'll fucking kill you."

"Guess you need to loosen up more," Alvarez said and laughed. "You carry around too much tension inside you."

"We're in goddamn prison. Tension is up the fucking walls."

"Not for you and me. We got a way to release all that. I'm not down here like this because I'm praying to God, you know. Haven't been on my knees since my mom dragged me to church as a kid and made me pray."

"What an appropriate time to bring up God. That isn't awkward at all," O'Reily dryly said.

"Got the hint."

His mouth went back and engulfed O'Reily's length through his boxers again. His tongue licked and teased the sensitive head without the barrier of clothing being a problem. The Irishman grew to hate the teasing though and pulled his boxers down to expose his already throbbing dick. Alvarez looked up at him and gave a quick smile before he kissed his lower stomach once more and then went down to where his mouth's attention was demanded.

The Latino maneuvered his mouth and tongue to accommodate the invading member and sucked on it as if he thought he knew what he was doing. Both men had been able to practice throughout the course of the partnership and he had to be doing something right because O'Reily's hands rested on his head and his body all but begged for more. Any pleasure that could be derived from inside these walls was welcomed from the general deprivation of touch and human affection.

He cupped O'Reily's balls and played with them between his fingers as he continued to slide his dick deeper into his mouth. Alvarez gently bobbed his head back and forth and created small sound vibrations from deep within his throat to cause even more stimulation to the sensitive head. His throat muscles were still not comfortable taking O'Reily dick all the way down for an extended amount of time. He was only able to suck all of him for a few seconds before he would start to feel his gag reflex kick in.

Alvarez lips vacuumed around his dickhead and his cheeks created a suction motion while he jacked off the base and continued playing with his balls. O'Reily was beginning to feel weak in the knees because his body was going into overdrive from all the attention his dick was receiving. The Latino stopped his suctioning and used his tongue to lap at the underside of his head to illicit a moan or grunt he know O'Reily was trying hard to repress and keep to himself.

"Damn---I feel you pulsing in my mouth. You close?" Alvarez said after he freed his mouth.

"Don't stop!" he barked out. "Keep going. More."

"Tell me what you want."

"No. You know what I want."

"I know I want to hear the words," the Latino said in between his tongue wickedly slashing across the head of O'Reily's dick repeatedly to try to entice the words out of him. "Say the words and it'll happen."

"Alvarez, stop it! I'm not going to fucking beg you to suck my dick!" O'Reily snapped and said.

"Not talking about begging, papa. Your hands on my head and your body already say it. You just need to."

"No."

Alvarez shot up from his knees to smear their lips together before he broke apart and said, "Say it. Tell me what you want from me."

"No. Stop teasing me," the Irishman said and it was obvious that he was hot and bothered.

"No. Come on. It's not that hard," he said and grinned.

"Speak for yourself."

"That's what you get, then. Say it."

"Christ, Alvarez! Suck my dick! Suck my dick until I fucking explode! Happy?" he angrily screamed out.

"All you had to do was say it. Don't close your eyes," Alvarez said and he kissed him. "Look at me."

"What?"

"Don't close your eyes. Look at me while I'm sucking you."

"Uh---okay," O'Reily replied and was confused.

He did not know what had suddenly come over him but he wanted O'Reily's eyes on him while he was on his knees in front of him. His ego was being stroked at the thought of pleasuring the man that so many inmates wanted to touch this way. After so many times saying he was no fag, only to be secretly locked away in a closet and feeling that human contact again. Alvarez was rock hard thinking about it and having his ego stroked in such an erotic way.

"Keep your eyes on mine," the Latino reminded him.

"Heard you the first time. I got it."

O'Reily looked down into those vivid brown eyes and almost came when he saw and felt Alvarez's lips slide past his dickhead and slowly down his rigid shaft. It was one of the most intense feelings, sexual or otherwise, he had ever experienced and his body wanted more. Alvarez took a little more than half his dick inside his mouth and sucked it as he struggled to get his own dick free to pleasure himself.

"Oh God, Alvarez! Don't fucking stop. Uh-huh---fuck!"

He was sure that he was not going to last much longer because his body was screaming for release. The Latino stared into his green eyes while he sucked and licked on his dick to override all his senses. O'Reily felt some strange semblance of power in the situation they were in. Alvarez was on his knees in front of him and willing to pleasure him to the best of his abilities. He was in control and the gratification to his ego just about matched the gratification his body was receiving.

Their fixation with each other's eyes did not waver and he resumed his hands on top of Alvarez's head and easily rocked his hips back and forth to invade his mouth even more. O'Reily gently grabbed either side of his head and guided his dick in and out of his mouth. He was throbbing at the warmth and hotness of Alvarez's mouth, but also felt lost in his own emotions of lust and desire. O'Reily sped up with his motions and never broke the look with the Latino. He looked so good down there.

"Oh, fuck! I'm cumming! Uhh---" O'Reily spat out.

Alvarez immediately shook his head free and removed his mouth as he jacked O'Reily into that ecstatic moment of pure and unfiltered bliss. Their eyes were no longer connected because the Irishman had closed his eyes to come to terms with the amount of lustful gratification that was coursing through his more than pleasured body. Cum spurted out and landed on the floor close to him as Alvarez continued to pump and look up at him to see his eyes still closed.

His body shook and, for a brief moment, his mind was clear and had nothing to worry about. For a moment, he was not confined to Oz and had the world at his fingertips. Alvarez gave him that clarity that he needed to reorient himself and get his mind and body in sync again. O'Reily had been under so much tension and stress, especially since Torquemada had come out of the hole. Being there like that with the Latino was just what his body needed to let go of some of that pressure so that he could return to the top of his game.

He needed to recover, but still felt Alvarez's hand stroking his softening dick. O'Reily wanted the fantasy of his escape and rejoining the real world to last longer so he kept his eyes closed and got lost in his thoughts about the outside. Sucking in the sweet air of freedom and indulging in food that had been denied to him for so long. But, as quickly as the fantasy world had made itself known, it was beginning to crumble around his very thoughts.

The Latino stepped up from his knees and pressed their bodies together as he watched O'Reily and his still closed eyes. He wanted returned pleasure but the other man looked so peaceful as he was coming down from his natural high. Alvarez did not want to ruin that, but his dick pleaded with him for attention and ultimately, release. He closed their faces in and kissed the Irishman to get him to open his eyes. He knew his passionate kiss would eventually get the man's attention.

"That feel good?" Alvarez asked after a few kisses.

"Uh-huh."

"Good."

"Shit! Shit," he said aloud as if something was wrong. "We have to get out of here. We've been missing for too long."

"Really? Now?" the Latino asked and was disappointed because of the situation he found himself in. "Right now?"

"Yes," O'Reily replied and went to pull up his boxers and pants. "We have to go before someone catches us. It'll be an automatic trip to the hole for the both of us."

"Hey! What about me?" Alvarez pouted like a cute little boy because his body wanted the attention now.

"Maybe next time, loco."

"No maybe about it. You owe me, Irish."

"We'll see," he said and smiled. "See you at work later."

"Wouldn't miss it."

O'Reily finished adjusting himself and slipped away from the storage room in a hurry because he had to be found already. The more time they spent disappeared together, the easier it would have become to place them together, and that was never going to happen. He rushed down the hallway and towards the cafeteria because his instincts told him that lunch was about to begin. A part of him felt bad for leaving Alvarez the way he did. There was no other choice though, so it had to be left that way for right now.

Most of the afternoon had gone by with uneventful happenings as both their shifts were winding down in the hospital. They had about another hour left on duty before they had to be at dinner and then back to Em City. The routine ingrained into their heads was becoming far too claustrophobic and second nature for any of them to feel comfortable with. O'Reily denied his mind access to certain thoughts about Alvarez. If it was not for the Latino and every aspect of their partnership, good and bad, the dreadful routine would have engulfed and drown him long ago.

He had to face the harsh fact to no part of his mind was off limits to Miguel Alvarez. He was more honest with the man than he had been with his own brother Cyril. He shared all his plans and the intricacies of them with him. No matter how hard he tried to shake them, O'Reily was never able to get rid of those thoughts. And now, he was not sure that he wanted to anymore because they broke up the monotony of the merging days he spent inside the prison.

The Irishman sat on the counter of the back room and stared at the wall on the other side of him as he thought about it all. It was unnerving but comforting---deceptive but truthful. Both of them had come so far from what they had been as solo survivors in the past. There was no doubt that together, he and Alvarez had the most power inside the walls of Oz. O'Reily gleamed at the idea, but it had never been about absolute power to him. It had always been, and would always be, about survival.

"No slacking off, Irish," Alvarez entered the room and said after he noticed him.

"Hey, I'm doing my job."

"Staring off into space isn't doing your job, you know."

"Well, you're not the boss," O'Reily snapped and said.

He moved a little closer and said, "If I were then you definitely wouldn't have left me the way you did earlier."

"Get over that, Alvarez."

"Hey, you two, get back to work," a new hack neither of them knew tapped on the door with his baton and said.

"Yes, sir, officer," the Irishman produced a sarcastic salute and said.

He hopped off the counter and exchanged a quick look with Alvarez before he left past the guard and out of the back room. It was suddenly too crowded in there with the new hack rearing his ugly head into their conversation. O'Reily began checking on the patients in the infirmary and got them whatever they requested. Dr. Nathan and the two nurses on shift were having a conversation in her office. The hack past him by and went back to his post at the entrance of the hospital ward.

The shift today was long and he only wanted to take a shower and drop into his bunk and fall asleep. Alvarez was right about him storing too much tension and pressure within himself. Despite the sexual bodily relief and the dangerous overstimulation his ego received earlier, he was still tied up in his own plans and webs of secret plotting and deceit. The Latino passed him by and went to strip the bed of an inmate that Dr. Nathan had only recently discharged. The man really was the best partner he had ever had---both inside and outside of Oz.

Before his accident, he and Cyril had made a dynamic duo, but the partnership with Alvarez had even surpassed that. The sheer amount of actions and deaths that secretly had their hands on them was astounding. Whatever either of them wanted to happen, did. O'Reily stole looks of him from time to time as they both worked on what felt like opposite ends of the infirmary. Their partnership formed into something more than plotting behind the scenes and getting plans done in Oz and had come to mean something to him.

O'Reily walked into the back room when a ruckus outburst shook the hospital. Three hacks rushed in with a man on a stretcher as Dr. Nathan and a nurse quickly made it over to him to begin to assess the situation. Alvarez watched and his lips frowned when he noticed who it was. The Irishman heard raised voices and Dr. Nathan giving orders so he returned outside to see what was happening. Alvarez mainly stayed out of their way and watched as O'Reily came in and saw his father lifelessly lying on the stretcher bed.

"Oh, fuck! Dad! Dad!" he rushed over to Seamus O'Reily's side and called out. "Can you hear me? Dad!"

"Back off! Let them work," the same hack from before came and restrained him back with his baton.

"Officers, help me transfer him to the bed," Dr. Nathan commanded in a firm and controlled tone. "Nurse, get an IV running and ready the kit to take a blood sample."

"Save him, Gloria! Fucking save his life!"

"I'm going to try, Ryan. Please stay calm. Let him go, officer," she easily demanded. "This is his father."

O'Reily watched the hacks transfer his father to a hospital bed and went by it and said, "Dad---dad? What happened? Can you hear me?"

"Nurse---nurse, where is the IV?"

"I'm coming, doctor," she said.

"Miguel, can you help her with that?"

"Yeah---yeah," the Latino said and went to retrieve the stand and hooked up the IV pack to it.

"What's wrong with him, Gloria?"

Seamus O'Reily's eyes were closed and his chest was not moving as Dr. Nathan's gloved hands examined him. She spoke to him to try to solicit a response as her fingers explored his chest and neck but nothing came. She flashed a small amount of light into each of his eyes but there was no stimulation from his pupils. O'Reily tightly held on to his father's hand as he noticed his pale skin, tousled hair, and lifeless animation to his face. It was as if all the life was drained out of him and he knew what that meant but did not want to accept it.

"Why isn't he breathing? Save him, Gloria!" O'Reily said with charged emotion.

"I feel a faint pulse but it's weakening. I don't feel a heartbeat. I don't feel a heartbeat."

"Fight, dad! You hear me. Dammit! Fight."

The nurse rushed the cart past the crowd of people and Dr. Nathan demanded that everyone back away and give them space to work. O'Reily tried to stay but she told him it was going to be okay, so he stepped back and let her work. The machine started to work and the nurse applied the conductive gel onto each surface and quickly handed it off to Dr. Nathan. She rubbed them together and pressed it into Seamus O'Reily's chest to revive stimulation to his heart via humane shockwaves. It happened again and she announced that she still did not feel a response.

"Increase the intensity," she ordered. "Let's go! Come on! Come on."

O'Reily stood there and was at a complete loss of words as he watched his father lying there with his life essence seeping out of him and evaporating into the very air around them. Dr. Nathan and both nurses continued their efforts as the rest of them looked on. O'Reily felt like a zombie and could not remember the last time he blinked or took a real breath. This was the real reality in his world right now. In the moment, everything else seemed either so insignificant or just not worth it. Alvarez maneuvered through the small crowd, stood next to him, and secretly held their hands together under the cloak of their bodies as they both looked on.