Hey guys! I have been working on this story for absolutely forever and I have finally finished it and I can't wait for you all to read it. I hope you love it and enjoy. :D

Kurt held his breath as he tiptoed across the back garden. Casting a quick glance at the house to his left, he stilled when he thought he saw movement at one of the windows but when it turned out to be nothing he continued creeping through the shadows.

He hated that he had been reduced to this. Creeping through gardens and picking pockets at the local market was not was he had imagined his life to be. He had always dreamed of marrying into the higher society, of wearing expensive outfits and going to all the social events, he knew it was impossible but as a young boy he couldn't help but dream.

It had all gone wrong when his mother had died. His father had tried so hard to keep up appearances while struggling with the strains of working and caring for a child. Eventually the authorities had caught onto Kurt's dishevelled state and he had been taken away from his father and placed in an orphanage.

Although it was not ideal, the orphanage was practically cosy compared to what happened when Kurt, and in turn the owners of the orphanage, discovered he was gay. He had always known he was different, and when he reached thirteen and found that he was not attracted to girls like the boys he dormed with, he was initially confused. Then he kissed the boy in the next bed over and his world fell apart. The owners of the orphanage kicked him out on to the street and he quickly learned that, in this world, gay was not okay.

Now he spent his time scavenging through the bins of the houses he wished he lived in and picking the pockets of jackets he wished he could wear. It was not a life he'd ever wanted but he'd quickly come to accept that there was nothing he could do to change his situation now.

He reached the base of the large building quickly, lifting the lid of the bin he began prodding through the contents. He grinned into the darkness. Tonight he was lucky, there were several decent scraps of meat and a few half rotten vegetables that he knew were still just about good enough to eat. Gathering them into his arms, he replaced the lid of the bin and picked his way back through the darkness, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared.

Blaine watched the figure fade into the dark. He had almost been caught watching and spooked the thin pale boy away, but had pulled back in the nick of time. It was the fourth time he had seen the same boy sneaking through his garden. The first time he had almost asked his butler Wes to shoo him away, but something in the pale boys eyes stopped him, instead he had watched the boy rummage through his bins, his heart breaking a little as he realised there would be nothing to find. He was amazed however, when the boy pulled back grinning, holding a hunk of meat that had been deemed unfit for consumption by his staff, before picking his way back through the garden.

He had found since then that his appetite had decreased. He no longer finished his meals and was becoming increasingly fussy with the food he was served. He tried to tell himself that he was simply going through a phase, but he couldn't ignore the fact that every time he sat down to eat, that same pale figure that stalked through his garden would stalk through his mind.

He was called back to the present by the voice of his wife, a woman he had been betrothed to since he was seven.

"Blaine dear, what are you looking at?"

He turned away from the window, sighing as he let go of the image of the pale figure in the dark. His wife was a beautiful woman, he knew that, but he had never found himself attracted to her. They had known each other all their lives, been best friends as children. Then, when their fathers had become business partners, they had accepted that they would one day be husband and wife. Blaine had always known that was his destiny, but somehow it didn't seem to fit him right.

"I was just admiring the stars, Beth."

Beth chuckled and returned to her knitting. She had long since accepted her husband was different. He took pleasure in the smallest things, and was almost overly the gentleman when it came to their sexual relationship. They had been married for three years but had only had coitus twice, and he had seemed distant both times. She loved him, but sometimes she wished she could see the lust burn in his eyes when he looked at her or when she offered herself to him.

She had once entertained the thought that maybe she was not his type, as in, maybe he preferred the company of other men. But had pushed her qualms aside, assuring herself that Blaine loved her, and was merely shy and respectful.

"I think I'll turn in." Beth spoke softly as she packed away her yarn and needles, standing as Blaine sat. Moving gently around the room, she dimmed the lights and pecked Blaine on the head as she passed.

"I'll be up shortly." He murmured, eyes tracking the motion of the flames in the grate.

"Well don't stay up too late." She paused at the door to look back. "I love you."

Blaine looked up, face softening into a small smile. "I love you too Beth. Goodnight."

She left and Blaine returned his gaze to the flames dancing in the fireplace.

What was it about this boy that so absorbed his attention? Somehow he knew he was feeling more than just pity but he couldn't identify the other emotions that swirled round his chest whenever he thought of the pale figure. His insides would tense up and his heart would race and he knew this wasn't the natural response one should have to street urchins digging through your rubbish.

As he watched the flames dance he let his mind wander, exploring all the possibilities, and was hit by an idea. Was what he felt attraction? He recalled a time when he had once felt similarly to his current situation, though not as strongly.

A few months before his wedding he had met a boy who worked at the shop local to his parents house. He had found himself daydreaming about various aspects of the boys appearance and imagining them together in amorous situations. He had snapped himself out of those silly fantasies before he did something stupid and had buried those types of attractions. In his world it was simply unacceptable to have sexual relations with another man.

So had it come back to haunt him? Thinking of the boy now he knew it was helpless. He was already in too far, already making subconscious plans to approach the boy, earn his trust and better his life. He knew getting involved would destroy the fragile foundations he was building in the business world, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to care as much as he knew he should. His heart and his mind were at war, and he was stuck in the middle, clueless as to which side was the right one.

As the fire burned lower he made a plan and solidified his resolve. He couldn't get involved with the boy himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't help. Tomorrow he would ask David, the most trust-worthy among his kitchen staff, to save a portion of the evening meal and leave it on the back steps. No more would the pretty boy who stalked his property and his mind have to scrounge in the rubbish for a decent meal.