Visiting Hours (OITNB, Piper/Larry)

[Prongs]

A/N: This was an idea I've had for a while and I thought I'd post it just for fun. It's not accurate with the series, maybe season one if anything, but I definitely wrote it with the book's representation of their relationship in mind. Basically just mindless fluff. Enjoy!

 

Visiting Hours

Piper Chapman sat eagerly waiting in a hard, metal chair of the visiting room of Danbury Correctional Facility. She was looking forward to seeing her fiancé, Larry, because he was supposedly bringing more books for her to read, and quite frankly because she missed him. It was always hardest when there was nothing with which to occupy her time. She got stuck in her head, daydreaming of what her life would be like when she got out of prison - that's when she missed Larry the most. Which explains why she was thankful for the books.

 

Inmates dressed in the unflattering khaki uniforms sat at their own table, each one anxiously waiting for the clock to hit the beginning of visiting hours, and the guard to creak open the heavy, metal door weighed down by locks. Then each visitor would be thoroughly patted down, receive an oral inspection to prevent the smuggling of contraband, and be led to the table where the inmate they were visiting waited. It seemed a bit excessive to some, both inmates and visitors, but when you're locked up for months or years on end without a familiar face, or the loved one back home missing their daughter, mother, sister, or significant other, it's surprising how willing they are to go through the strict security checks so they can see them for just an hour.

 

Soon enough, the big hand on the small, white clock hanging over the door struck 12, and the guard wrestled with the locks on the door so that he could swing it open and allow visitors to come in. Piper was pulled from her thoughts as she looked up expectantly, and saw Larry in the doorway, first in line. He went through the pat-downs obediently, spotted Piper, and made his way to her table.

 

Upon closer inspection, it looked like Larry had been crying. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, the tip of his nose and rims of his nostrils were bright pink, and he had a tissue clutched in one hand. Piper wondered how that tissue made it through security; he could've smuggled drugs with that.

 

"Missed me so much you had to cry?" she teased as he approached the table.

 

"Ha ha, very fuddy. The polled coudt is up today," he said by way of explanation.

 

"Jesus, Larry. You sound like shit. And you look like shit," she observed bluntly, but with a sympathetic tone.

 

He blew his nose wetly into the tissue, too congested to care if people were staring at him. When he was finished, he pocketed the tissue and gave a few test sniffs, only to find he still couldn't breathe through his nose. He sighed, resorted to open-mouthed breathing, and sat down in the chair opposite Piper.

 

"Well I feel like shit too, so..." he confirmed, but he was grinning widely. He set both hands on the table, palms up, and took her hands in his. It was the only physical contact allowed until their goodbye kiss (just a peck) when the hour was over.

 

"So tell me, how's Polly? How's the baby? How's the business?" she bombarded him with questions, sounding hungry for any taste of what real life was like.

 

"Good, cute, and it's selling lots of products online. Polly's thinking of having them expand the advertising onlide-eh...heh..." he cut himself off with the apparent need to sneeze, head tilting back in anticipation.

 

He waited a moment. Nothing happened. He sighed and blinked a few times, wiping allergic tears from his eyes.

 

"That's been happening all day," he sighed, rubbing his nose on the sleeve of his wrist. 

 

"Did you take your meds?"

 

Larry shook his head. "Prescription ran out on Tuesday. Haven't got around to picking it up yet."

 

"And here I was thinking you could live without me," she teased, absentmindedly running her thumb over his.

 

"Maybe you should've thought of that before you became a hardened criminal," he gave it right back, smiling devilishly.

 

"Not fair!" she play-fought, withdrawing her hands indignantly and crossing her arms. "I hadn't met you yet," she reminded him, grinning.

 

Larry just rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, but reached for her hands again, and upon receiving them, gave them a gentle, affectionate squeeze.

 

"How's the paper? Are you keeping my website updated?" she pressed, changing the subject.

 

"It's alright, I think my editor liked the one on...onhh...codtroversial..." he shut his eyes, inhaling deeply. He withdrew his own hands to reach for the tissue in his pocket, but by the time he retrieved it, the sensation left him again. 

 

"Dabbit," he swore under his breath, raising the tissue to blow his nose into, if not to sneeze into. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of the feeling further. Piper looked on sympathetically. 

 

"Controversial conditions in minimum-security prisons," he finished, lamely.

 

"As he should. Have 'em save the big guns for the guys down the hill in max." Piper said loudly, not caring who heard. Most guards knew fully well that Larry's articles were right, but that didn't stop them from doing their job.

 

"Ah," Larry inhaled sharply, fumbling for the tissue. Piper watched as his brow furrowed in concentration, his chest rising and falling irregularly. He held the tissue with both hands in front of his face, and finally pitched forward with a:

 

"AIT'tshuuh!" 

 

Piper blessed her fiancé, who nodded his thanks and he blew his nose again. 

 

"Promise me you'll go pick up that prescription as soon as you leave this prison," she said in a no-nonsense tone. Larry looked up at her, still sniffing from behind the tissue, but the look told her that he understood.

 

"And my website?" Piper asked again, once Larry recovered.

 

He chuckled congestedly, which earned a concerned look from the blonde felon across the table.

 

"Your brother offered to take over, because I've been helpidg Polly and Pete so buch lately..." he started, waiting to see her reaction.

 

"No...please tell me..." Piper whispered, horrified, her mind jumping to the worst-case scenario of Cal posting the most embarrassing stories she's told him over the phone since she got there...

 

"But I didd't let hib." Larry finished, smiling, proud of himself for staying committed to his future wife's wishes.

 

"I love you," she breathed in admiration. All she wanted was to go home with him, to laugh in the car as they sang off-key to the radio with him, and to marry him like she'd promised months ago.

 

She was pulled from her thoughts as Larry quickly ducked into his elbow.

 

"Hei'ishhh! H'tsh, ih'tsh, hih'ngtchu!" 

 

He emerged from his shirt sleeve, dazed and with his nose pinker than before. He gave a hard sniff, in attempt to shake off the feeling.

 

"I love you too, Pipes."

 

"Bless you," she said, late.

 

"Thadks," he replied with a goofy, head over heels grin.

 

They continued to fill each other in on their respective weeks, Piper occasionally pausing in her stories to let Larry tend to his nose, and Larry pausing with a false start every few minutes.

 

"...so dad's car was id the shop a few days ago, so I let hib borrow bide, ahd...-" he trailed off ticklishly, waiting for the next fit to take him.

 

"Heeeh...'chu! T'chuuh! Ish'uhh! Heh'ngshaah!"

 

He sneezed helplessly into the overused tissue, steadily becoming more congested and unable to control the tickle in his nose. He was starting to attract attention from the other prisoners, which he didn't mind, but the other visitors who came to see an inmate gave him dirty looks, annoyed that he was distracting the prisoners from the one conversation they would have with them that week.

 

"Hah'kshu! Heh'ntchuu! HEP'shhh! Shit..."

 

When the sneezing died down, he was an allergic mess. He wiped the tears streaming from his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that most of the room had their eyes on him. Piper sensed his discomfort and tried to distract him. Visiting hours were coming to a close, so she asked:

 

"When can I see you again?"

 

"Uhb...whedever you want. I bead, withid the visitig hours od weekeds of course. I cad write onlide, so I dod't have to...to...hh...heh'ksh! Ugh..."

 

"Bless you," she smiled sadly, knowing there was nothing she could do but offer sympathy, and even so, only for a few more minutes.

 

"Thadk you...I'b sorry I haved't beed the best combpady today," he apologized stuffily. "You still wadda barry be?"

 

"Hm..." she tapped her chin thoughtfully, finally deciding on, "yes. IF..."

 

"If?" he prompted.

 

"If you promise to pick up that prescription as soon as you leave here. And if you promise to continue keeping Cal away from my website."

 

"Deal," he chuckled, coughing ticklishly.

 

The lights above the clock began to flash, and the warning alarm signaled that it was time to start saying goodbye. Out of sync, each prisoner sitting at a table would stand slowly, dreading the departure of their loved one. They would hug, and if it was their significant other visiting, they were allowed a short kiss. 

 

Piper stood, and Larry followed suit, albeit wearily. He embraced her, and she leaned into his familiar scent, touching his soft brown curls, feeling his back muscles tense as he stifled, "h'gxt!" into her shoulder, and feeling them relax as he sighed congestedly.

 

"Bless you," she whispered in his ear, pulling away reluctantly, but she was pulled right back by a sweet, lingering kiss.

 

As Larry and the other visitors made to leave, she mimed at him to go pick up the prescription. From across the room, in line for inspection again, Larry laughed quietly and made an OK gesture. Piper stood on her tiptoes to look out the window to watch Larry exit the prison and walk to his car, pitching forward with sneezes the second he breathed in the pollen-rich air. She smiled to herself as he got in the car and drove away.

[Watercolor Daydreams]

Ahhh this is adorable!!!! I love it