Exile

The Beginning

"Alright kid there's plenty of people here that would y'know...make you their bitch." Matthew sits down at a round steel table with a tray of hardly edible food. Iris sits next to him.
The small room was packed with inmates. All of them had their own story and Matthew knew almost all of them.
"When you're in here for as long as I am you learn all the newbies stories, and even some of the seniors stories."
Matthew had told him a little bit about each inmate during lunch. "The only ones that get a lot of trouble are usually the rapist or repeated child sex offenders." he slightly pointed up to a scrawny bald-headed guy.
"8 years is his sentence; only been in here for two. Has a hell of a time in here with guys in here for simple charges like drugs."
The guys in here don't take rapist too lightly, mainly because they have children or younger siblings of their own. The drug addicts get laughed at, and the repeated thieves get ignored.
After their meal they go outside to shoot hoops or something else that wastes time.
"Y' see princess; the thing about prison is there's gangs and groups. One step outta line and you're toast, the top of their hit list. Luckily they never mess with guys that are in here for murder, they think we're nuts." Matthew lights up a cigarette and inhales then exhales the smoke.
"oh yeah kid by the way you may say you 'didn't do it' but don't tell them that, you'll become an easy target quicker than you can say I didn't do it."
Iris nods. He didn't want to become an easy target. "Hey kid watch yourself." Iris' vision went black for a moment and when he came to he was sitting on the blacktop, a basketball rolling away from him. His head was throbbing.
"This isn't high school y'know twinkle-toes now go fetch it or you'll wish you did" A big muscular man picks him up by the front of his shirt pulling him up to eye-level with him. His breath was rancid.
"Hey Tiny put the princess down. I'm here on 4 life sentences and I wouldn't mind adding to it," Matthew calmly walks over a smirk on his face. He drops the cigarette and crushes it with the heel of his shoe.
The guy sets him down and looks at Matthew, unblinking. In return Matthew gave him a lazy half smile. This only fueled the fire. Matthew was tall but this guy towered over him.
"Y'know what I hate more than rapist?" Tiny spat. "Serial killers. How can someone go around and ruthlessly kill people and not even think twice? It's disgusting." Matthew never broke eye contact with him.
"So what you're trying to tell me is that what you did was better yeah? Running away from the law, tail tucked between your legs like a dog. Like a coward. At least I made myself clear of my motive and made sure they knew I was there and not running. I didn't care if I got caught I just wanted to make sure I like plenty of people before I did."
Tiny was seething with anger at this point, his face turning red. He drew back his fist and punched him square in the nose. Blood trickled down his chin and dripped onto the asphalt.
The guards on watch started yelling and ran over to pull them apart. Tiny was drug away in handcuffs by a guard.
"Matthew you're bleeding pretty bad." Iris looks over at him and watches blood trickled down his face. Matthew wiped blood off with the back of his hand. "Well you got quit the goose egg on your head princess" he says then adds. "Poor guy couldn't handle the truth." A guard come over and pulls him away to the infirmary before anymore words could be said.
Iris didn't see Matthew again until the next day. He was taking a nap and was woken up by the door opening. Iris opened his eyes and looked up at him, he had a dark purple bruise on his cheek but an undying smirk on his face.
Matthew stayed quiet and paced back and forth for awhile then stopped.
"Iris I have a plan but you have to trust me." Iris opened his eyes again not realizing he had fallen asleep again.
He sat up and looked up at him rubbing his eyes and blinking a few times.
"Uh....okay?" Matthew walks towards him and grabs either side of his face and kisses him gently on the forehead. Iris' eyes go wide.
"Wah! What the hell man!" His face was flushed red.
"Thanks it wouldn't have worked if you didn't trust me." he smiles softly then climbs up on his bunk and goes quiet again. Iris lays on his back utterly confused by what had happened. Questions went through his mind mainly why the hell would he ask him to trust him then kiss him? He shook his head and hummed himself to sleep.