Ricky's POV

Chris's trial is today. I'm not supposed to go, but I am anyway. Andy said I'm too out of it but I managed to convince him to take me with them. 

I haven't been able to see Chris. Andy said he's been in and out of solitary. 

It's been three months. They said his trial would be in two weeks when he was arrested. But it's been so much longer. 

I hope I get to talk to him for at least a few minutes. I miss him so much. 

I got myself dressed. I decided to wear black jeans, my boots, and I took one of Chris's black button up shirts. I searched his closet for a jacket that I liked, finally settling on the black and gold one. I looked good. 

I headed downstairs but was stopped by Ryan Ashley. 

I looked at her but didn't say anything. "You're sure he's good to go, Andy? He's fucked."

"I promised him he could come."

She sighed and unbuttoned my shirt, rebuttoning it a few minutes later. "He can't even button his shirt. And he's supposed to testify?"

"No. I'm taking his place. He's not saying shit. I already told him that."

"I'm...fine." I mumbled, pulling away from her. 

I walked out to the car and got in the back. We were all going I think. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When we got to the court house, there was a big armoured truck outside. The doors were open and there were police officers standing around the back. We all got out of the car and began walking towards the entrance. 

The officers were saying something but I couldn't hear them. 

"Chris is in there." Andy said. He spoke quietly. I think he thought I didn't hear him. 

I slowed down, hanging towards the back of the group. Once they were all in front of me, I started walking towards the officers. 

I stopped a couple feet away and watched the doors of the truck. One of them climbed inside and I heard the sound of chains rattling. 

"Is this really necessary?" 

Chris jumped down from the truck and stretched his arms above his head. 

I stared at him. He's really here. I didn't even know if I could speak. I was just so happy to see him. 

He looked different though. The dark circles under his eyes are worse, and he cut all of his hair off. He looked like he lost some weight too. 

He looked around for a moment before his eyes met mine. 

The officers all turned to see what he was looking at. I didn't move from where I was. "Hi." I spoke, not knowing what else to say. 

"Can we help you?" One asked.

"I-...I just wanted to u-uh see him."

"Go inside, babe. I'll see if they'll let me see you for a few." Chris called, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Huh? Oh...o-okay."

I turned around and headed towards the doors. I stumbled a little going up the steps, but made it inside. TJ grabbed me as soon as I made it through the door. "Where were you?"

"Chris." I muttered.

He sighed and pushed me down in a seat. "You can't see Chris."

"I wanna."

"They won't let you." Andy said. 

"That's not fair."

~~~~~~

Chris's POV

My lawyer was sitting at the table already when I got inside. I sat next to him. Before he could say anything, I leaned in. "I need two things. 10 minutes."

He raised an eyebrow. 

"5 minutes with the judge, 5 minutes with Ricky."

He sighed. "Ricky, I can probably make happen. The judge, you don't have a chance."

"Tell him I want a plea bargain. Just get me 5 minutes. That's all I need."

"To do what, Chris?"

"That for me to know, and you wonder." I said. 

"You're not gonna kill him, are you?"

I shook my head.

"Threaten him?"

I shook my head again. 

"I'll see what I can do." He said. He stood up and went over to the man guarding the door. I could hear him speaking. "My client wants to speak with his boyfriend before the trial starts. Is that possible?"

I glanced over my shoulder, watching the guard nod. "He's out there?"

"Yes. His name is Ricky."

The guard left the room and my lawyer came back over to me. He sat down. "You'll get your time with Ricky. While you're with him, I'll see if I can convince the judge to speak with you."

I nodded. I heard the door open again. I looked over. The guard was leading Ricky over to me. When I saw him outside, I could already tell that something was off. Now that he's close to me, I can tell that he's high off his fucking ass. As soon as the guard turned his back, I grabed Ricky and looked into his eyes.

"How fucking high are you?"

He stared at me for a moment, confused. "Hi?"

I pulled up his sleeve and ran my thumb over the tracks. "Ricky..."

His mind seemed to clear for a moment because he jumped and hugged me. 

I kissed the top of his head. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at me. "I guess.

"You stole my clothes?" I asked, giving him a soft smile. 

He nodded. "I like them."

I smiled and kissed him. "Good. Can you do me a favor, Ricky?"

"Mhm." He said, staring at the wall. 

"I want you to get clean, okay?"

He nodded. 

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

"Mhm."

I just sighed. I knew he wasn't listening. He was off in another drug induced world. 

"Please don't go away..." He mumbled.

I sighed. "I'm trying. I'm doing everything I can."

My lawyer came back into the room. I glanced at him and he nodded. This is good. This is great. I need to talk to the judge. If I can talk to him, I can pay him off. I can get the shortest possible sentence. 

I looked at Ricky. "Hey, I gotta go do something, okay? I don't know if I'll get to speak to you again. Please, just try to get clean, for me."

He nodded and stood up. 

"Ricky..."

He looked at me. 

"I love you too."

I walked away from him, not looking back. If I did, I'd risk getting emotional. I can't do that. I have to play this off like it's nothing. Because if I show any emotion, they'll use it against me.

I was brought into the judge's office. I sat down and he turned to look at me. 

"Mr. Cerulli." He said. 

"Your Honor."

"What can I do for you?"

I leaned forward in my chair. "I have a...proposition."

He narrowed his eyes. "You can't pay me off, Mr. Cerulli. I can't guarantee that you'll be found not guilty."

"No, no. I'm not asking you to let me go free completely. I'm just saying, if you say, reduce my sentence to ten years, you may find a couple million in cash on your doorstep."

His eyes widened. "Million?"

"Oh yes, Your Honor. A couple million. All you have to do is take my death penalty, and make it ten years."

He sighed. "I could lose my job."

"Does it matter though? You'll have enough money to live your life in luxury." 

He was silent for a few minutes. "You got yourself a deal."

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oof

comment what you think is gonna happen

~xxLux