At half nine that night, the prisoners were all escorted back to their cells, and for Blaine that time could not have come sooner. That day had been the worst of his life, and all he wanted to do was curl up into his lumpy, uncomfortable bed and escape into the temporary relief of sleep. It wasn't just the constant fear that someone who didn't like the look of him was going to jump him when his back was turned, or even the legend about prison showers which made that day so awful, but the crushing, eternal loneliness, with only his thoughts for company (as it turns out, when you're in jail and your only thoughts are 'I'm going to die that guy looked at me he's going to kill me I hate it here I hate it I want to go home but I can't twelve years guilty guilty guilty' then they aren't the best company).

Blaine removed his jump suit and climbed into bed in his boxers and tank top, covering himself with the weak blanket. He laid there, unmoving for several minutes, listening to the gentle hum of the prisoner's voices.

"Hey." Said a voice from behind him, who Blaine recognized as Kurt.

"… Hey." Blaine replied, without turning to face him. He heard Kurt sigh,

"Listen Blaine… I'm sorry. I really should have expl—"

"Explained? Oh, I get it…" Blaine snapped, "I get it, I'm the new guy, I've been in here two seconds and I've already fucked up. And if you'd rather hang out with your boyfriend, then who am I to-"

"Boyfriend?" Kurt was laughing. Confused, Blaine sat up and turned to him, finding him shaking his head, "That guy was not my boyfriend. In the real world I would not be seen dead with him."

"B-but…"

Kurt sighed and sat on Blaine's bed, Blaine noticed how he was so light the springs didn't make a sound, "Look… look at me, Blaine. I'm skinny, I'm small, and I'm just… weedy. I'm the kind of guy who'd get eaten alive in here, and I need protection. So… I'm a toy."

Blaine blinked, "huh?"

"The guy I was with, that's Sebastian. He's the top dog. The whole prison is afraid of him, even the guards let him get away with things that'd send normal prisoners to solitude. During my first week, I was in the showers. This guy… this huge Neanderthal snuck up behind me and… and pinned me to the wall…"

Blaine listened silently with wide eyes, his heart giving a lurch as he knew what was coming next.

"I knew what was about to happen, I'd been expecting it ever since I was given my sentence. But… this guy suddenly froze and backed off from me. I turned around and there was Sebastian, yelling at this guy who was twice his size. The guy ran off, he looked terrified. Before I could thank him… he grabbed me… and he… well…" he didn't have to say anything else, Blaine knew. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder or something, but he was scared to, like he'd break if he did. What could he say? Kurt took a deep breath and continued,

"The next day Sebastian came up to me, trapping me against the wall. He said… he said that people would continue to take advantage of me; he said that there was nothing I could do to stop them. But… Sebastian said that if I became his pet, and obeyed him, was loyal to him and let him have sex with me… then he'd make sure nobody in the prison would ever touch me again. So, I had a choice… let one guy have sex with me and be able to walk around prison with confidence that I'd never be attacked again, or… take my chances. I just… I had to trust him." Blaine watched him, noticing how small he suddenly was. His first impression of Kurt was a man who wasn't afraid, who was experienced and calm, independent and sophisticated. Now… he saw another side to him. He was just like Blaine. He was scared, he was completely alone, a lost little boy in a world of men. Blaine didn't judge him for allowing Sebastian to use him like this; he would have done the same. Kurt was silent, staring at the floor, clearly ashamed of himself. Blaine kept watching him, noticing everything. How soft his eyes were, despite their icy blue colour. His skin was smooth, in the moonlight it looked like silk. Blaine had to resist the urge to run his fingers along his arm, his cheek, the gentle crook of his neck. His lips… they were perfect. Just the right amount of thickness, the right size, and God did they look soft. They were pale, like the rest of his skin, and the moonlight made them look like soft, white rose petals. Blaine wanted to kiss them… he wanted to press his own chapped, rough lips against Kurt's, he wanted to hold Kurt by his slender waist and feel his long lashes against his cheek as he kissed his oh-so-soft-lips. Blaine wanted it so badly, more then his freedom. But he knew… he knew it, Kurt knew it… Kurt was forbidden. As far as the prison was concerned, Kurt belonged to Sebastian; only Sebastian could do things to Kurt that Blaine could only dream of. It made him angry, a white hot rage bubbled within him. How could this man, this awful, horrible rapist who thinks he can own a human being be allowed to touch and kiss someone as beautiful, soft and perfect as Kurt. It wasn't fair… it was wrong, it was disgusting. Blaine wanted to gather Kurt up in his arms, let him cry till the pain went away, and kiss his eyes when he was done. Then they'd lie down together on Blaine's bed, and for the next nine hours nothing would exist but them, holding each other in an embrace as the prison slept. But then the morning would come, it was inevitable. He wanted to take Kurt's hand and leap into the unknown sky, but eventually they would have to hit the earth. Blaine didn't voice any of this, he just stayed quiet, and he too dropped his gaze to the floor. He remembered the gash on Kurt's forehead… the screaming from last night…

"Kurt?" he whispered?

"Mhm?"

"… Who did you share a cell with before me?"

"… Sebastian."

"Did he hit you?"

Kurt sighed deeply, "yes. He was angry, the Warden had turned down his appeal, and he was furious. He took it out on me. As soon as we were locked in our cells, he grabbed me and… we had sex. It was angry and… and painful… just horrible. He… came too early and was furious with himself. He grabbed the crow bar from under his bed, I screamed and he hit me with it, hard, and the guards came running. They took me to the first aid room and stitched me up, then took me here; telling me this will be my cell from now on. I was expecting Sebastian to be furious with me, but he was mad at the guards. I couldn't understand it… I had screamed. I had broken one of his rules and they made me change cells. But he was calm; it didn't seam to have affected him at all."

Blaine had been listening in silence, but this didn't make sense, "He… wasn't angry?"

"I'm sure he is… this is the calm before the storm." He sighed, "An angry Sebastian is one thing… but a calm Sebastian, especially when he should be angry, is very, very dangerous."

They fell silent again, neither spoke, their gazes rested upon the cold floor. Nothing more needed to be said, but somehow they knew the conversation still wasn't over. Blaine realized something; Kurt just really wanted somebody to listen, somebody to confide in. Kurt may have Sebastian but that just made him lonelier, Blaine knew this feeling all too well. His presence was enough for Kurt, and Kurt's presence was enough for Blaine. Eventually, without another word, Kurt stood and moved to his bed, laying down in it and covering himself up. Blaine didn't feel tired, his mind was buzzing, his heart was aching and his blood was boiling. He hated this Sebastian guy, he hated him so much… Kurt was going to continue to be hurt, abused and raped by him, and there was nothing Blaine could do. Blaine watched over Kurt's sleeping form, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He was no longer concerned for his own safety, but for Kurt's. Kurt was so defenceless, and the thing that was supposed to protect him was the thing that was terrorizing him. Blaine continued to watch over him, scared for him, feeling like Sebastian or someone would come into the cell at any moment and get him. Maybe during the day there was nothing Blaine could do for him, but at night Blaine would make it his mission to protect him.

He had found a rose amongst a field of wild cattle, he refused to allow it to be