they meet for the first time in prison au
Could be them both young at Young Offenders or Older!Ruben/Young!Niall at Big Boy Prison™ play your way
Lori is a social worker and knows that sometimes, the only way for people to learn is to face the consequences of their actions. So when the young Niall gets picked up for possession and public indecency yet again, the courts do not show him mercy and send him away for a mandatory sentence. Niall blames all of his troubles on his dad dying, he blames it on his bullies, blames it on the crowded voices in his head, everything but blaming his present circumstances on his own actions.
Niall was scared and his skin was itchy when he was being processed into the facility, everything was overwhelming and too fast for his brain to stick to. He just let it all happen to him. Until it all stopped, and the clock started clicking slower to his new life, and he was left alone in his too-small bunk room, single window, too high to look through. The young boy had never spent more than a night away from home, now this was his life—
with his new roommate, seasoned violent prisoner Ruben.
