start a fight [muke af]

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Michael would go through moods. Luke has been in the facility for a few months now, and he feels like he has seen almost all of the inmate.

He's seen him go from joking around to fighting. He's seem him go from fragile to tough. Sometimes, Luke would want to hold him and let him cry. Other times, Luke wants to get in his face and scream at him for hours.

He was a show-off. Michael liked to show off for the rest of the unit, that's how he got all the power he seems to hold. Luke still hasn't figured out why Michael has more power over the inmates than Luke.

Luke walks through the unit, his inmates sitting on benches and simply entertaining themselves before supper. He looks down at his clipboard, looking at the notes the nurse left him.

Luke's units was never really bad, especially compared to the other units. He's proud of his men, they haven't had much trouble in a while.

Calum was out for his wife's doctors appointment. Knowing Calum's luck, Luke was guessing baby number six was on the way.

He laughed to himself as he circled his unit, tapping his blue pen on the wood, looking up at the inmates.

"How you doin', Mama's Boy?" Michael asked as Luke walked past him.

"Come on, please stop," he begged. Luke stopped at the edge of Michael's cell. The door was open since they were just in waiting time. Michael was leaning against the frame as if he has been waiting for the officer to come back around.

"Stop what?"

"Just respect me already. I don't like you calling me that and you know it," he spoke kindly, hoping it'd make a difference. He tried to be as humane as possible with his unit, he understood that they, too, were humans.

He thinks a lot of the officers forget that.

"You're my little twink, I've gotta tease you."

Luke sighed loudly. He put down his clipboard and pen, placing it on an empty table. He took a step closer to Michael, biting his tongue as he thought through his words.

"Michael, I said stop."

It was like in elementary school when the teacher would scold a student, everything would pause and it felt as if the air in the room was sucked out. The inmates had their many sets of eyes on Michael and Luke, each man holding their breath.

"Come on, Lukey, I'm just teasing. Don't you like a lil' bit of teasing?" Michael batted his eyelashes at Luke, his green eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lights.

Luke took a deep breath, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"What're you gonna do? Clean out my bunk?" Mike uncrossed his legs, standing to his full height in front of Luke. "Come on, I knew you were gonna end up in my bed somehow."

The inmates watching started oo-ing in the background, they knew Michael was winning their dispute. That angered Luke. Luke wanted to be in charge, that's his job.

The embarrassment he felt turned to anger. He brought the bad feeling in his gut and took it out on Michael. He jumped forward, grabbing the collar of Michael's jumpsuit. He pushed him against the cement wall behind them.

Luke dug his elbows into Michael's ribs, stopping him from even trying to move. "I'm so sick of you!" Luke yelled in his face, spit fell from his mouth and landed on Mike's stubble. "You are under my control, you got that? Don't fucking try me!" He sounded like Ashton, and he didn't like that. He didn't want to be a bitter, middle-aged man.

He didn't want to be a tough guy, shoving his inmates against walls and degrading their existence. But everyone snaps, and it was Luke's turn.

Michael clenched his jaw, not saying anything.

"Did you hear me?!" Luke yelled once more, digging his elbows and knees harsher into Michael's skin.

"I fucking heard—."

"What was that?" Luke's blue eyes were turning a darker shade by the second. He was once a scared boy constantly on the verge of pissing his pants, but he's not anymore. He needs to prove that.

"Yes, Sir."

Luke dropped him, taking a step back. He took a full breath, his eyes still set on Michael. Luke turned around, grabbing his clipboard and walking out once more. His unit was quiet, and they stayed quiet. Not a single word was spoken.

It didn't matter that Luke's outburst lasted thirty seconds. No one ever thought Luke was going to yell, ever.