A dark-haired boy, no older than seventeen, glanced down at his tattoo. Two interlocked Mars symbols- the brand that degraded him to a second-class citizen. Sure, he was allowed to kiss boys, have a boyfriend, but at the price of his dignity and his freedom. The same held true for anyone who chose to engage in homosexual activities- whether they were gay, bisexual, or whatever, they were branded with the same mark. The Council said it was to keep the population "pure" and "ensure the continued growth of Lima," but Blaine never believed their bullshit. Not after he was caught kissing Kurt behind the bleachers at McKinley High. All the Council is is a bunch of corrupted, homophobic control-freaks with a mission to make life as difficult as possible for anyone who dares to kiss the same sex. And most of Lima knows it. The city is at war, Council versus Rebels, and Blaine was dragged into the middle by who he chose to kiss.

Blaine heard a knock at his door. It was soft, uncertain, and very distinctly Kurt. "Come in."

At the door stood the most gorgeous boy Blaine had ever seen. His skin was porcelain, marred only by the tattoo matching Blaine's. His eyes changed color in the light, and were currently an icy blue. Auburn hair was coiffed to perfection, carefully chosen clothes were free of any wrinkles or stains. But beyond the perfect surface lay a boy of seventeen, terrified into submission by authorities and peers alike. All he wanted was someone to love without being hated, but in this world, that would never happen. Not until the Council was overturned and the Rebels were in power.

Golden eyes met glasz, and they started towards each other, embracing tightly the moment they were in arm's reach. Blaine pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's lips, and grinned. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Kurt could feel Blaine all around him, smell his unique, slightly musky scent, and let himself melt into the strong arms. "I've missed you. So much."

"I missed you too. I love you. I don't care if it's not allowed, we are going to run away one day and get out of this hellhole."

"Blaine, we can't just leave everyone else behind! What about Brittany and Santana? Brittany needs us, and if the Council finds out we're gone, then Rachel will get the full force of their torment and think of what that'll do to Quinn, and she's the only one of us without a tattoo so she provides the majority of our luxuries and if something happens to Rachel, she'll be broken and won't be able to help us out. Gays can't survive in this town but I refuse to leave our friends behind to fend for themselves."

"Wait, what happened to Mercedes? Wouldn't she be able to help us out?"

"Apparently they caught her sneaking us some food and took her to Reform for 'preventative measures.'"

Blaine's eyes widened in shock. He knew the Council didn't approve of straight people helping those with tattoos, but he had never heard of them sending anyone to Reform. It was reserved only for those who dared refuse the tattoo, and was the cruelest place in the entire city. No one had left Reform without some form of severe mental scarring.

"I know, Blaine. I'm so terrified for her. She's my best friend, and... if something happened to her I don't know what I'd do."

"Well, what can we do?"

"You think Puck might help us out? Usually I can't stand to be around him, but he helped us live better than most when Quinn was so upset about being bi that she refused to come out of her house for a week."

"I think that'll work. So... let's give him a call, see what he can do about Mercedes?"

"Sounds good."


A/N: So... what'd you think about it? I'll write the first real chapter ASAP, but I have a ton of schoolwork so I might not get it posted until next week. I WILL try to get it done by next week, though.