The Inmate's Play Thing

Eight

Without Jason the cell was deathly quiet. I was nearly scratching at the walls every day to get out. I could only hear my soft breath and drips from the ceilings that the prison's poor budget ignored.
"Ay, kid."
My head snapped up and I saw Henry grinning at me through the bars.
"Its's moving day." He smirked, that same lazy look on his face.
My heart jumped and I shuffled over to the doors, the teddy bear I'd gotten from Santiago stuffed under my shirt and the note he'd written me tucked in my back pocket.
Other than that I didn't have any belongings to my name.
Henry fumbled with the keys around his belt loop and took a small key with my cell number engraved in it off the loop, inserting it into the lock and unlocking the doors. He slid the cell door open and motioned for me to turn around.
"You know the drill," He smiled sadly. "I know you're a good kid but it's in the employee handbook."
He pulled out a pair of cuffs and secured them loosely around my wrists. My hands were tiny enough that I could nearly skip them through the cuffs but I knew Henry had no reason to worry about me.
As we walked through the row of cells the hair on the back of my back stood up as inmates crowded to the doors of their cells, grumbling and catcalling at me.
One voice in particular caught me of guard and I shuffled closer to Henry when I heard the raspy voice of Jonas tucker cussing me out and calling me every dirty word under the sun he could think of.
Henry quickened his lazy pace and turned another hallway, taking me quite a ways away from my old cell. I relaxed when I saw Santiago, sitting up in bed reading from an old hardcover book. A grin broke out on my face and his as well when he looked up and noticed us.
Henry pretended to keep an eye on me as he let go of the cuffs and unlocked Santiago's cell, letting me inside and freeing me from the handcuffs. Once I was free I ran into Santiago's arms and nuzzled my face into his broad chest, smiling. I still wasn't entirely sure if I could trust him. It had only been a couple days since we met and he was close to a stranger to me. Although, he was the only love and protection in this hell hole that I'd ever had so I wasn't willing to give that away. I trusted Jason when he told me Santiago was a good man and from what I've seen of him he is.
I felt his chest rumble and his melodic chuckle blessed my ears.
"What's this~?" He gently poked at the bear I'd concealed in the front of my shirt. It puffed out of my jacket kind of like when a kid stuffs their clothes with pillows as muscles.
I blushed and gently pulled the teddy bear out of my shirt, showing him.
"T-thank you so much.." I felt heat rise in my cheeks that I hadn't thanked him for it earlier.
I felt his hands run through my hair and his soft lips met my forehead.
"No need to thank me, mi amor." I felt him smile against my forehead and my face got even warmer.