Work Text:
There were a lot of things you noticed during your short stay in prison, and most of those things were about none other than than the king of the prison himself, Yancy.
The first thing you took note of was the way he held himself, and the way he moved. He seemed to ooze confidence with every step he took, and his smile held a glint of malice.
He would have been intimidating, had you not met his eye. Yancy might be tall, and muscular, with a way of curling up his lip and showing his teeth that made your stomach crawl, but his doe brown eyes told a different story.
There was a softness in them, something that seemed to say that for all of his tough looks and rough attitude, Yancy wasn’t as much of a bully as he may appear at first.
His gaze had lingered on you, longer than it seemed to on anyone else. You wondered if his gaze would linger on Mark that long, if Mark hadn’t been punched through a goddamn wall.
When Yancy suddenly launched into a musical number, the other inmates pushing you around the prison grounds after him, you could have almost laughed. It seemed so comical, such a rough and tough prison king dancing around and smiling, yet it seemed so him .
You couldn’t help but smile too as you watched, seeing how at home he seemed throughout the performance. When it abruptly ended, you hated having to turn down his offer. Prison life didn’t seem as bad as it had at first.
That was the next thing you noticed. Yancy wasn’t angry with you for turning him down; not really, anyway. His eyes betrayed his true emotions once again, a deep sadness running through them anytime his gaze met yours.
You really didn’t know how Yancy had ended up in prison. He’d killed his parents, yes, but how? From what you could tell, he had a big heart. How he’d risen to the top of the prison, you’d never know.
You also noticed the way the other prisoners acted around him. They weren’t scared of him, exactly, but they didn’t seem entirely comfortable around him, either.
It really made you wonder if Yancy had a darker side to him. He’d stayed in prison this long, anyway, and he must have done something to make sure of that.
It did make you a little scared of him, but you still felt fairly at ease around him. He didn’t seem the type to kill you in your sleep, you thought, that first and only night you’d spend in the prison cell you’d been given.
Another observation you made; the cells. Yours was nice, you guessed, but you’d passed Yancy’s cell earlier, and it was far more lavish. It was clear the Warden had favourites… or Yancy just happened to have contacts from the outside world.
Whatever the case, you knew you were stuck with a mattress that barely had any give to it and made it felt like you were sleeping on a rock, a pillow with barely any stuffing left, and a blanket so itchy that after five minutes, you discarded it. You’d rather be cold than uncomfortable.
You barely managed to doze off when you were being lifted forcefully from your bunk. You blinked, hazily, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and you felt your back slam into one of the cell walls.
Soft, perfect lips pressed to yours, and for a moment, you forgot where you were. Then they pulled back, and a rough hand rested on your jawline, the tenderest touch.
You could barely suppress a smile. Yancy.
After a few seconds, he stepped back, and you could hear his footsteps as he left the cell. You had stayed where you were, though, not game enough to chase him, but not ready to move.
A few minutes later, you heard the cell door creak. Heavy footsteps followed as Yancy entered the cell.
“Youse in here?”
You remember his exact tone, the exact way he’d spoken those few words. The way they’d seemed a little hesitant, as if he feared you knew what he’d done, moments earlier. Maybe you should have followed him when he left your cell, but it was too late for that now.
Instead you’d let him know that yes, you were here, and had obeyed with his every instruction, following him blindly through the prison. You kept your eyes closed, as he’d asked, against everything your better judgment was telling you.
And then you were out. He’d kept his word, snuck you out of the prison. You were free.
You remembered how sad Yancy seemed to be leaving you. You also remembered that when you looked up to see him gone, you desperately wanted him back.
You longed to hear just one more word fall from his lips, or to see that mischievous, malicious smile of his. But you couldn’t.
You glanced down at the skeleton key, rolling it between your forefinger and thumb. Well, you couldn’t yet .
*_*_*_*_*
It had been months upon months since you’d last seen Yancy, since you’d left the prison. Nearly a year, in fact.
You stepped out of your car, closing the door behind you and shielding the sun from your eyes with a hand. Gazing upon the prison, you wondered if he’d even want to see you again.
You slid your hand into the pocket of your pants, gripping the skeleton key so hard that it dug into your palm. You just had to hope he’d come with you.
Sneaking into the prison with the skeleton key proved far easier than sneaking out without it, even if you had had the best guide. Quietly unlocking doors and gently shutting them behind you was far easier than remembering to duck when Yancy told you too, as you stumbled blindly after him.
Sneaking through the prison was a little difficult, since the inmates were everywhere. It took you a fair amount of time to reach Yancy’s cell, and by a stroke of luck, he was in it.
You glanced around quickly before slipping into his cell. Yancy didn’t even look up; he was probably asleep, you figured.
“Yancy,” you hissed, trying to keep your voice as low as possible. His head jerked up, eyes glazed with sleep. He blinked a couple of times before his gaze settled on you, and the smile he shot in your direction was shaky at best.
“It’s youse,” he said quietly, sounding as if he barely believed it. You nodded, with a smile, holding up the skeleton key.
“So that’s how’s youse got in ‘here,” Yancy said, eyes falling on it. “I’s shoulda known you’ds ave some tricks up youse sleeves. But, uh, what is youse doing here, huh?”
You frantically explained that you were here for him. That you wanted him to come with you, to be free. You made sure to add that he didn’t have to, of course.
Yancy stared at you for a long moment. Silence hung between you both, thick and heavy, like a fog. Finally, Yancy’s gaze dropped from yours.
“‘Is been my ‘ome for years,” he said quietly. “But, I don’t thinks it is anymore.”
You let yourself smile, and held out your hand. Hesitantly, Yancy took it.
“Let’s go,” he said softly, and you gave his hand a brief, reassuring squeeze. You tugged him towards his cell door; Yancy seemed to hesitate for a second before following you out.
Gripping the skeleton key tightly, you led the way, being careful to make sure neither of you were spotted. It took longer to sneak out than it had for you to sneak in, but you had the added stress of not letting Yancy be seen.
Eventually, you reached the final door. Holding the skeleton key, you shot a questioning glance at Yancy. The prisoner didn’t speak, but he didn’t hesitate this time before nodding.
You slid the key into the lock, turned it. The door creaked open, and then the two of you took your first steps into freedom, together.
Yancy glanced back at the prison, looking almost sad. You reached over, pulled him down and briefly pressed your lips to his.
“Ay, whad youse do that for?”
You smiled, and simply told him it was a thank you, for everything. Particularly the night he helped you escape.
You saw his eyes widen; he knew that you knew that he had kissed you that night. Your smile simply widened, and you retook his hand in yours. Together, the two of you left the prison behind you, ready to begin your life of freedom.