You know those things that come into your mind, and you know that until you get it out of your system, it will seep into everything you do? This was one of those things. I got the idea from who-knows-where, and it wouldn't leave. Strangely enough I only wrote this when I was extremely sleepy.

Anyways, I was sleepy when I wrote like, all of this. So when some things don't make sense, please don't hate me for it. Or do hate me. I can't tell you what to do. But anyways, read, and review.

!All characters unless stated otherwise are creations of my imagination, and resemblance to anything or anyone is pure coincidence. Plotline of the story and events are also my ideas, resemblances are coincidence. © - I think that's usable, right?! Read, Review, do what you will with this story, just don't steal it.

{The Warren}

I hate free people.

They live their lives completely oblivious to what other people have to do. Unless it's their problem, it never concerns them. They don't give two shits about anyone but themselves. They complain when their water is too cold, or if the fan isn't spinning fast enough. They complain when there's not enough food, or if they don't like what they have. It pisses me off.

I shoved a gear into place and turned the knob, letting the sweltering steam hit me in the face. I walked over to the next step of the process, getting hit a few times by stray pieces of metal. Years of labor like this had hardened my skin and numbed my nerves, so what would burn a normal man was just a warm bath to me.

I worked in a slave house. At least, that's what it felt like. I, along with a great deal of other people, were kidnapped and brought here for various reasons. But we were brought here to do one thing: Slave our asses off making weapons for a slowly progressing war. From what I know, there are hundreds of buildings like ours, all dedicated to using humans to build stuff to kill more humans. But when I say building, I mean like SM Megamall building. These factories were huge, capable of housing hundreds if not thousands of people. Our building was specialized in making rifles. Some other building was great for making tank parts, and others were wonderful at fabricating bullets.

All's fair in love and war, eh? Still bullshit. Still, this place was basically our home now. Though these places had no official name, the inhabitants tended to call it something, if only to give them a sense of... comfort? Our place was called The Warren, one of many weapons-manufacturing buildings for the Imperial Army.

I passed by a few people who looked just as depressed as I was. "Uriel! Come over here and grab these. They're getting shipped off tonight." My course changed to follow the commands of our facilitator. No one liked him, just cause he loafed around without doing any work. All he did was supervise. Being the Commissar's bitch has its perks. When I failed to retrieve the guns he had instructed me to pick up, he shouted, "Hurry up! The war won't supply itself!"

I gritted my teeth and grabbed as many weapons as I could. Another, much friendlier voice said, "Uri, you can't carry all of those. Lemme help with that." I turned to face the voice, smiling at the sight.

The only other teenager in the Warren was Kylie. She was also the only person to call me 'Uri' instead of 'Uriel'. Three years my senior, we quickly became friends. It was a symbiotic relationship, really. My larger-than-normal bulky build protected her from the pedophiles (of which there are many), and her attractive figure earned her some lenience, which extended to me as well. "Be my guest." I let her pick up the remainder of the bullet-launching machines and I led the way, muscling through groups of overworked people. "So, Kylie. How's it been going for you?"

She shrugged as best she could with the guns weighing her arms down. "Been fine. My arms are sorer than usual, and my fingers feel strained."

I looked at her small frame. It was a pity that she was as roughed up as I was. In a peaceful society, she would have been the girl that guys fought each other for. However, years of working in the Warren had not been kind to her. Kylie's once soft and supple skin was now as hard as wood, unyielding to the forces at hand. Around her neck was a necklace, tarnished from years of wear. It was gift from me to her, celebrating... I forgot. But she wore it every day as a reminder of me. We rounded a corner to the depository, where they would be picked up and sent somewhere I didn't care about. "Heard anything interesting lately? The week's been a bore for me."

Kylie's eyes lit up a bit. "I heard we were gonna get some new people coming in." I chuckled, and she joined. "What's funny?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Just curious to see how these guys'll stand. The last batch sent in was weak, didn't even last a month."

"Uri, don't be so mean. I think this group will be different." She nudged my side with calloused fingers. "Maybe they'll have a girl your age."

I picked her up and hefted her over my shoulder. Ignoring her squeals and protests, I said, "You're three years older than me, Kylie. It's not that big of a difference." Her laughs made my existence seem a little bit more tolerable. After a quick scolding by the facilitator, I set her down, and we got back to work. Although we were assigned different positions in the Warren to work, we went out of our way to work near each other. We got more done together than we could alone. Over the years, we had worked pretty much every corner of the Warren.

Goes to show how long we've actually been here. I said, "Since you're here, you can help me sort through the junk pile and see what we can salvage." I sat on the ground and pulled up a massive box of loose parts.

She sat on my lap and leaned on me. "Uri, I really don't feel like working."

"Neither do I, but we still have to do it."

She turned her head and looked at me. "Do we? I'm sure that, between your strength and my body, we could find a way out of here. Get free. Live somewhere else together."

I smiled slightly. "You know full well that we'd have nowhere to run. Even if we could break out, we'd probably die. Or more probably, get caught. Again." I handed her a thin sheet of metal. "Put this over there and stop dreaming about things that'll never work."

Her face became solemn and she stood. A wall of tension was quickly erected between us, and she said, "I'll be getting back to work. See you tonight, Uri."

She walked away quickly, leaving me to sort through the debris. Guess the Warren isn't such a bright place after all.

{The Warren}

Dinner wasn't much dinner as much as it was a meal to keep us alive. Instead of the usual 24-hour cycle most people are permitted, we work 8 hours, 30 minutes eat a meal, work 8 hours, 30 minutes to eat a meal, and sleep for 7. Except for sleep, the only time we didn't have to work was eating. I caught up with Kylie after getting my meal of half potato and ground meat. "Hey." She nodded her head to acknowledge my existence. She still kept walking towards our shared room. I sighed. "Listen, I didn't mean what I said back there. Well, I mean, I meant it, but didn't mean it to come out like that. Sorry."

Her frown quickly reversed, also resulting in my potato being bitten into. "Apology accepted. So, I got word on the new guys. Turns out they're coming tonight, in pairs."

"Why pairs?"

"To keep them from being noticed? I dunno. Not my problem." She kept walking. We got to the room and simultaneously crashed into our respective beds. A long period of silence filled the space between us, before she mentioned, "Oh, some people are also gonna be teaching the new guys."

"What?"

She chuckled and repeated herself. "So just keep your head low until they've got it all sorted out, kay?"

I smiled. "Course. Now get some sleep. It's all we've got to rest."

"Geez, fine dad."

"I prefer the rank 'older brother'." I found it to be more accurate. Our relationship was akin to that of siblings; unconditional love for each other, but no romance involved. I shut my eyes and allowed sleep to take over, reveling in the comfort that unconsciousness gave me.

{The Warren}

That night, I was plagued with nightmares. Flickers of horrible images tore through my mind, leaving me in a state of constant unrest. I saw myself being a soldier, feeling bullets tear through my skin and impaling the person behind me. I saw Kylie forced to procreate with old men against her will, while I was unable to do anything. I saw life as an executioner, pulling the trigger that ended innocent lives.

I saw myself getting exiled from the Warren, shunned by everyone I knew and forced to find my own way to survive.

I woke up with my heart beating too fast to be healthy. Breathing heavily, I got up and checked to make sure Kylie was still asleep, and untouched. When I saw she was peacefully sleeping (and still clothed), I attempted going back to sleep. No such luck.

I started work early that day, since sleep would have never come back. Aside from a few of the ancient guys, it was just me and the guards. The guards wore something like an extermination suit, but their clothing was much sturdier and emblazoned with the Imperial logo. Two of them were chatting when one of them noticed me. Usually, they would take this chance to fuck with someone, or at least rough them up. Instead, one of them said, "Hey kid, aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

I shook my head. "Can't sleep. Figured I'd start working now."

"You know you aren't gonna get any extra rest time, right?"

"I don't give a fuck anymore. The more guns pumped out of here the faster you can kill the other side. The faster we can end this war..."

There was a long pause as I waited for the barrel of the gun to finish cooling. Eventually, the one that hadn't spoken yet said, "Well, since you're up, help us bring in the new guys. Since we're feeling so nice, we'll let you pick who you have to teach." He chuckled grimly.

I scoffed. "I don't teach people. They'd die before they can get useful."

"Deal with it, we're getting more manpower, and you're gonna be the guy to teach one. Got it? Now hurry your ass over here."

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I followed the two guards outside, to a pair of medium sized trucks. As I waited for further instruction, I breathed in the outside air. Compared to the sweaty, raunchy, smoke-filled air of the Warren, the pollution of the outside air was nothing. I took in a deep breath, getting as much of it in as I could. It was still dark outside, with the sun just barely beginning to peek over the fogged up horizon. "Kid, help these geezers out."

I looked back to the truck. The guards had removed the back wall of the trucks and revealed a massive assortment of people. I started helping them out, trying to look as kind as possible to them. Older men, mothers, 9 year old children. All of them looked equally terrified to be here. I didn't blame them. I said things like, "It's alright guys, you'll be fine." and "Things aren't as bad as it looks.", but I think my tone may have been less than convincing. As the group inside one truck began to thin out, I noticed a small girl, huddled in the corner. Her knees were held tight to her chest, and her brown eyes were wide with terror. Her auburn hair stuck out at odd angles. I inched closer to her. "Hey, come on out." She looked at my large figure, and tried smashing herself closer to the wall. "No no no, it's okay. I'm here to help you."

I extended a hand to help her up, but instead she looked at it and shook her head violently. She squeaked something unintelligible. "Come on, you need to get out of here. My name is Uriel. What's yours?" She didn't answer. "Okay, you can tell me later. But please, for now, just come with me."

I extended the same hand again. Her hand reached out as well. She hesitated for a moment before gingerly grasping my three middle fingers. I slowly led her out of the truck, making sure she felt as little trouble as possible. The girl was visibly shaking, and felt like any scare would break her into pieces. I told the guard, "I'm picking her."

They nodded, and escorted the rest of the new workers back to the Warren. "Take your time with her." The guards laughed. My face remained stoic.

The girl was still terrified. She refused to move from her spot, and she kept holding my fingers in a death grip. We remained like that for a very long time. I finally asked, "Are you ready to walk now?" Her head nodded ever so slightly. "Alright." I moved my left foot forward. She took two steps to catch up to me. Alright, slow and steady it is. I moved my right foot up, and she followed suit. We continued this pattern all the way to the Warren. I entered the Warren and was greeted by a lungful of rancid air. I found it to be disgusting, but the girl found it worse. She literally threw up all over the floor. I wondered how she managed to throw anything up, considering how empty she looked. I held her up as she tried to recompose herself. I led her to my room, where there would be less noise to intimidate her. I placed her on my bed (Kylie was already awake by now, probably worried about where I was) gently and tucked her in. she was like a porcelain doll; any wrong movement would result in disaster. "I'm going to have to leave you now, okay?" She tightened her grip on my hand, almost painfully. "Easy, easy... I'll be back soon, okay? I'll bring you back some food later." I slowly removed her fingers, setting them in her lap. "You get some rest. Go ahead and sleep, but stay covered."

The girl nodded. I turned around and began walking, when she said, "T-thank you."

I was caught off guard by her voice. It never occurred to me that she would talk to anyone so soon. "No problem." I replied, then left to continue working.

{The Warren}

I went back to making gun barrels, all with the exact same length and rifling. Had I not been so preoccupied thinking about the new girl, I might have noticed Kylie walk up to me angrily. "You!" She punched me in the back with a butt stock. "Where the hell were you!? Do you know what the fuck I was thinking when you weren't in the room? You had me fucking worried, Uri!"

She tried hitting me again, this time getting blocked by an unfinished barrel. The metal rod bent, forcing me to have to redo that one. "Be careful with that, now I have to remake this barrel."

I threw the barrel into a melting pot of more metal, where they would all melt down into liquid capable of being formed into rifle parts. "I don't give a fuck! Now explain to me where you were!" A couple of the new guys snickered at the sight of the small Kylie getting infuriated at the very large Uriel. Kylie glared at the newbies. "What the fuck are you two laughing at? Actually, who the FUCK are you?"

I grasped her shoulder tightly. "Kylie, you're cursing a lot again."

"No shit-" she stopped herself. "Right. Right." She thought out her next sentence carefully. "Okay. Tell me where you were." She picked up a pair of red-hot barrels and dunked them into a tub of water, cooling the metal and hardening it. I told her about my nightmares (omitting the one about her getting raped), my early working, and bringing in the new guys. I decided to postpone telling her about the girl that was hiding in our room. "So. You were out helping the guards bring in the new guys."

We had gotten through a considerable amount of gun barrels, and moved onto the next portion of the rifle-making. "Mhm."

"Anything else I should know about?"

I bit my lip. "Well, there's a girl..."

"Aaaand...?" Kylie stopped attaching barrels to stocks for a moment.

"Well, she's shy. And terrified." She waited for me to continue. "Aaaand she's also in our room."

{The Warren}

If you happen to have never been forced into chasing down an agitated girl looking for another girl who's currently residing in your room, consider yourself lucky. I am not so lucky. When I told Kylie where the girl was, she dropped the gun stock she was holding and stomped across the Warren to our room. I chased her down, trying to convince her to stop. "Kylie! Wait! You can't just barge in there! She'll get scared!"

I made a grab for her and missed. The girl was sitting down on the bed when Kylie flung the door open. The girl's massive brown eyes widened further at the sight of Kylie, who stared at her in equal parts rage and curiosity, and dare I say, a tinge of jealousy. Kylie was breathing heavily, almost fuming with anger. "And who the fuck do you think you are?!" Kylie spat. Her words dripped with an acidic flavor, cutting through the girl's paper-thin exterior.

The girl moved backward, coming to a stop at the wall behind her. Kylie advanced, and the girl opened her mouth to scream. From the doorway, I bellowed, "WAIT!" Both females stopped what they were doing; Kylie stopped starting to kill the girl, and the girl stopped starting to cry. "Both of you, calm the fuck down." I got in-between the women. "Kylie, calm down." She continued fuming. "Kylie." Eventually she nodded, relaxing into a more neutral stance, if not more reserved. I turned to the girl. "And you?" Her reaction was to pull the blanket over her. "Good enough for me. Now you two are gonna get along just fine, right?" Kylie mumbled something and stomped away, waving her hands dismissively. "Whatever." I asked the new girl if she was okay, and she nodded just barely enough for me to see. "I'll be back."

I shut the door and left her in the room again.

{The Warren}

Kylie had avoided me the entire day up until our first meal. I was already eating my meal (water-soup and something intended to be meat) when she walked into the room. The new girl shrank and hid behind me, eating small pieces of meat very slowly. I said, "Hey Kylie."

"Uriel." She looked at the new girl, smiling just a little bit. "Does she have anything on her? Meat? Muscle?"

I smiled once I knew that she would be okay with the new girl. She took a seat in front of me and asked, "So. Kid. What's your name?" Instead of an answer, the girl grasped my shirt and hid behind me more. "Yeesh, shy much?"

"Very much so." I turned my head to try and face the girl. "Care to tell us your name?" Her mouth opened to say something, but closed incredibly quickly. "Ah well, some other time then."

Kylie and I were midway through a conversation when she said, "Ch-Christina." Kylie and I both stopped what we were doing. "But I like to be called Chrissy."

Her voice was... neutral. It was just a voice. Like the average pubescent girl voice. Pleasing to hear, but indifferent otherwise. Kylie broke the silence first. "Uh. Well. Hi. Chrissy."

Chrissy giggled, immediately lightening the mood. I said, "Chrissy, eh? I'll have to get used to that."

Kylie asked her directly, "So what're you doing here?" Though she meant well, the words came out harsher than she intended.

"Kylie."

"Sorry! Sorry. Uh, what brings you here. In our room, I mean."

Chrissy didn't say anything. I knew that Kylie would keep asking until she got to work. "I'm supposed to be the one to show her how to work things."

"Ah..." Kylie nodded her head, but started to look worried or angry again.

I handed Chrissy whatever was leftover from my bowl and got up to continue work. "Stay here for now Chrissy. You can join us working tomorrow. But for now, build up your strength."

She reluctantly let go of my clothing, but nodded. She still eyed Kylie curiously though, like she was still unsure if she could trust her. Kylie and I walked back to work, and when we were out of earshot Kylie said, "She's cute."

"You know, I read somewhere that if a girl says another girl is cute, and it's aimed at a guy, that usually means she's jealous."

She pretended not to care. "Pffft. Me? Jealous of her? She's not nearly sexy enough to make me feel jealous."

"She has more tits than you do. And a nicer ass."

"You bitch!" She laughed and punched my ribs.

"Easy easy... I was serious about the tits though." I placed a hand on her lower back and said, "But worry not, prize for most magnificent ass still goes to you."

Kylie blushed, thoroughly accepting that she was still something special to me.

God that sounded awkward.

She removed my hand and said, "Thanks Uriel." Then she jumped up and pecked me on the cheek. "See you tonight~"

Long after I had finished working, it occurred to me that I have never done my slave work as wholeheartedly as that day. Kylie should kiss me more often.

{The Warren}

"So, Kid."

"Chrissy..."

"Right, Chrissy. How old are you?" Chrissy thought for a moment before telling us her age. "16 eh? Uri, aren't you that old too?"

"I'll be turning 16 in a few months, yes."

Chrissy choked on her meal (frozen coleslaw) while Kylie erupted in a laughing fit. The latter said, "Wait, you're still fifteen!?"

I nodded. "Yes. And?"

Chrissy timidly said, "That means we're both older than you." She smirked slightly, attempting to suppress a chuckle.

When Kylie calmed down, she shoved some more green stuff into her mouth and attempted to chew. Seeing an opportunity to get back at her, I took advantage of her already happy mood. While she was chewing, I said in the most sultry voice I could manage, "Titty sprinkles."

The reaction was immediate. Whatever she had in her mouth flew out, covering Chrissy and I in half-chewed vegetable. Chrissy yelped in surprise, but seemed to enjoy the reaction as much as I did. In between gasps for air, Kylie insulted me in ways I thought unimaginable. At the end of her tantrum, she was exhausted, breathing heavily and lying on her back. "Thanks. I can't eat anymore. Another bite of coleslaw and I'll start laughi..." her voice trailed off as she erupted in a fit of giggles.

Chrissy asked, "Is she always like this?"

"Only on her good days." Chrissy smiled, feeling comfortable in the light of knowing that she would be happy here, working in the Warren.

Although the situation wasn't funny in itself, the sight of two women laughing was wonderful. Your best friend hurting her ribs from laughing too much and a very pretty girl clinging to your back was a situation that wasn't particularly unenjoyable.

Aside from the 8 hours Kylie and I had to work, life was good. That night, none of the three of us could sleep very well. We were up talking and having fun, pissing off the guards and other workers in the process. Eventually, a guard told us to pipe down or we'd get shot.

So we piped down.

Kylie was more tired than she anticipated, and without any stimuli to keep her from sleeping, dozed right off. I adjusted her body into a more comfortable position, covering her with most of the blanket. I sat down next to Chrissy, about 3 inches of space between us. She asked, "How long have you two known each other?"

"As far back as I can remember. I think we've been together ever since we were brought to the Warren."

"Oh, I didn't know you two were..." She put her fingers together in the shape of a heart.

"Oh! No! No no no!" I covered my embarrassment with a soft chuckle. "We're not together like that. We're good friends is all. We kinda have to be, being the youngest people here."

"Then what's the necklace? Isn't that your gift to her?"

"Well, yeah. But that was just cause we were celebrating something."

"Then how come she was so mad when she found out about me?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. As close as we are, she still finds ways to confuse me. I'll ask her about it some other time."

I could see Chrissy was envious of our relationship. "Must be nice to have someone you can trust so much."

"Don't you have any friends? A best friend or a boyfriend or something?"

She shook her head. "I never got to know people much anymore. Not after the first time I was moved..."

"First? How many times were you moved around?"

"Too many times. I think this makes the fifth."

My eyes softened a bit. "Must be hard moving so much. What happened to the guys you knew before you moved?

"I..." She looked lost, wanting an answer but knowing that it's so far from her. "I don't know. I don't want to know..."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

She smiled away a secret she didn't want to tell. "Nothing, it's not important. It's in the past anyways."

I closed the few inches of space between us, pressing her thigh against mine. I wrapped an arm around her in a caring embrace and said, "Well, if it means anything to you, you can join our little bundle." She smiled and leaned her head onto my chest. "Welcome to the club Chrissy."

"Thanks Uriel."

We stayed up almost the entire night talking to each other, getting to know each other more intimately. Part of me knew that I shouldn't be talking to her like this, that it would only spell trouble for me later. That part of me knew that I would end up hurting Kylie, Chrissy, and myself. But another part of me didn't care. Another part of me just wanted to keep talking to Chrissy. Keep talking and laughing and touching and smiling and being near her and...

Fuck. This shouldn't be happening.

{The Warren}

A few weeks later, and things were going great. The three of us got along well together like a set of friends; none of us could be separated from each other. Chrissy had opened up to us and felt comfortable around Kylie. There wasn't a day when we didn't work together, pissing off the facilitator and his guards.

One of these days was extremely happy. The entire Warren was experiencing problems, so it was basically a holiday for its inhabitants. We chilled in our room, feasting on stolen rations from the kitchen. "I told you that that door was open." Kylie shoved a can of soda in my face.

I took the drink and downed half of it in one go, releasing an orangey burp into Chrissy's face. "Good, and now I'm glad I was wrong."

"Well I'm not!" Chrissy took the soda from me and tried drinking the same amount I did, only to end up choking on the drink. She coughed up a bunch of orange liquid, spilling it all over herself. "Damnit Uriel! You got it all over my shirt!"

I noticed. Her shirt was worn thin, so the drink passed right through her clothing. Thank god her bra didn't get soaked through. I blushed and averted my eyes (despite my want to continue looking). Kylie laughed and pointed out the obvious. "Your shirt is soaked!"

"No shit!" Chrissy wiped her shirt with her hands, succeeding in nothing. "Agh! This was my only shirt! I can't go around with my tits showing everywhere!"

Kylie continued laughing ferociously while I stiffened at the thought. "Don't worry, I'll go nab you another one." Kylie downed the remainder of the soda which caused this mess and left to go steal Chrissy a shirt. She came back and asked for her bra size.

I forced her to go leave and not come back until she got a shirt. Without Kylie, the essentially half naked Chrissy and the awkwarded Uriel shared a long quiet spell. I faced towards her, but kept my eyes anywhere but on her body. Suddenly, she stood up and began taking off her shirt. "W-What the hell are you doing!?"

She looked at me with a desperate look in her eyes. "Uriel, this shirt is getting really, really annoying. So help me I am taking it off and not putting it on again." She finished removing her top and threw it into a corner. She rubbed her belly and complained, "Agh, my stomach is all sticky."

Her stomach was incredibly flat, like a swimmer's stomach. To say it looked amazing was an understatement. "Uhm, yeah." I coughed. "It is."

Tiny drops of soda remained on her skin. It was teasing me to no end. And she knew it too. She intentionally rubbed her hand over her stomach teasingly. "Hand me a water bottle, I'm washin-"

"No, no no no no. N. O."

I felt my cheeks fill with blood. Chrissy picked up on what she didn't know she was doing to me, and covered herself up as best she could. "Oh... err..." She blushed too. "I'm uh... sorry... didn't realize how awkward this would be for you." I just nodded. For a moment, I thought she was done teasing me. Kylie would come back, see Chrissy half naked, laugh, and we'd all start enjoying the day again. But Chrissy said it. "... Can I get that water bottle?"

I threw the bottle at her. "I hate you so much."

"Turn around if you don't want to see!"

Before I could stop myself, my mouth blurted out, "But I do want to see!" Both ours jaws dropped at what was just said. "Okay. Before I say anything else, I am sorry, I didn't mean to say tha... why are you laughing?"

To my surprise, the short minx crawled over to me and said, "Uncap the bottle."

"Can't you-"

"Do it!" I uncapped the bottle. "Good." She turned her back to me and moved her hair out of the way. "Now pour it on my back."

"No! This is insan-"

She turned her head around and stared me in the eyes. "Do. It." I was like putty in her hands. I let the water cascade down her back, starting from the base of her neck going downwards. "Now scrub my back."

"With what?"

"Your hands, dumbass."

"I hate you. So much."

I shifted my growing erection to better hide itself then commenced the... massage. Her skin was still soft, unhardened by the work of the Warren. My hands traveled her back, applying pressure and rubbing where needed. More than one time she moaned in pleasure. "God Uriel... you're really... really good at this..."

"Err... thanks..."

"Uriel?"

"What?"

"I'm going to ask you to do something, please don't freak out?"

I will die by the hand of Christina. "I really don't think I should be doing this, but fine."

"Wash my tummy."

About a million phrases went through my head that I could've replied with. 'What? No! That's wrong and only for lovers to do!' Or, 'Oh fuck yeah, lemme take of my shirt first.' Or even, 'Can I wash your boobs too?'. But no. Of all things I could say, I choose, "Okay."

Chrissy leaned back, allowing me full view of her breasts and stomach. I allowed some water to fall on her stomach, then repeated the process of massaging. At this distance, I could smell her. I don't mean getting a whiff of someone, like you would on the streets, but I mean actually smell her. Every breath I took, a little bit of Chrissy was inhaled, lighting up the pleasure centers in my brain. I continued kneading her stomach, alternating between long rubs and quick pressure. She giggled every once in a while, making me feel incredibly self conscious. Her eyes were closed tight and her mouth just barely open.

"Uriel." She opened her eyes slightly. "Close your eyes."

"Will I regret this?"

She smiled in a way that I would never forget in my life. "No you will not." She got off of me and shut my eyes for me.

I sat there with my eyes closed for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, I felt her lips on mine. My eyes flew open, making sure that it was indeed Chrissy who had just kissed me. She withdrew for a moment, catching her breath.

Then we kissed more.

I would love to say that we kept kissing, touched each other, had sex and made a baby, all in the time before Kylie had come back. But no. The law of 'I am kissing a girl while my friend is out somewhere' dictates that Kylie would walk into the room in the middle of Chrissy kissing me again. Kylie's smile froze on her face, and her entire body stiffened. "I see." She started shaking. She threw Chrissy's new shirt at us. "Be safe guys."

Kylie stormed away.

{The Warren}

A lot of time passed from then. Maybe a month and a half. Chrissy and I got really close, while Kylie became more secluded. She was harsher and meaner to people now, but was still a good friend. At least, that's what I like to think. She stopped sleeping with me and Chrissy, instead disappearing somewhere for her breaks.

Chrissy and I had spent another night talking with each other, and neither of us got much sleep. I got two hours of sleep, and since Chrissy refused to wake up, me and Kylie were together today. She commented on my eyes. "Nice eyes. Been asleep for too long?"

I barely smiled. With a yawn, I said, "Not long enough."

"Up talking to Chrissy?"

"Now did you know that?"

My words came out dryer than I intended. Kylie looked surprised at my answer and said, "Well with the fun you two are having it wasn't hard to tell."

Her tone was equally as sharp. Being as sleepy as I was, I shot a reply right back. "Least we actually hang out together, unlike some people."

"At least I get my sleep! Look at you, looking like shit because of her!"

"Don't bring her into this!"

"She's already part of it!" She was practically screaming now, drawing attention to ourselves. A guard came to stop us, but changed his mind after deciding it would be more fun watching us argue.

"What the hell is your problem with her, Kylie!?"

"I don't have a problem!"

"Then why are you so jealous of her!?"

"BECAUSE YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME WITH HER!"

I slammed my hand on the wall and bellowed, "BECAUSE SHE'S SO MUCH BETTER TO BE AROUND THAN YOU!" Kylie shut up, a look of utter shock on her face. No, not shock. Hurt. She was wounded. By my words. I had gravely injured Kylie, my best friend, no, my sister, for nearly 5 years. I immediately tried taking back what I had just said. "Oh my god, please, Kylie I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

She stepped away from me, tears welling in her eyes. "Get away from me!" She continued backing away, knocking over a pile of scraps. "I don't need you. I never needed you!" Her pain was masked by a veil of fury. "GET THIS OFF OF ME!" She yanked the necklace I gave her off, cutting a gash into the back of her neck. She threw the silver at me, landing pathetically at my feet.

"Wait-" I scooped up the trinket and put it in my pocket.

"NO!" She turned and ran, pushing people out of her way as best she could. She grazed her arm on a piece of hot metal, tearing off scorched flesh in the process. I heard her cry out. I wasn't sure if it was from cutting her arm or because of me.

A large group of workers congregated around the scene, and now they were all looking at me. Some were amused, enjoying the show. Others were angered and frustrated, putting me at fault for this. A few felt pity, pity for a young boy who had just fucked up everything he ever had. I didn't care about any of them. I rushed forward, trying to chase after Kylie, but a trio of guards pinned me down. I struggled against their grip, using the years of physical labor to my advantage. I managed to remove the guard on my left from my arm, but another guard rushed in and jumped on my exposed limb. I felt something tear and I flailed about in agony. All three guards were shaken off, but not without casualties. Something in my left arm was torn, and my lower leg was bleeding. I collapsed, catching myself before hitting my face on the cement floor. My face hit the floor shortly afterwards, falling due to blunt force to the back of my skull.

{The Warren}

My entire left side was burning. Something felt loose, and another felt out of place. I could feel a large lump on the back of my head throbbing. I looked around, finding myself somewhere unfamiliar. I tried sitting up only to be met with extreme amounts of pain. I opted to look around instead. It was somewhere absolutely new. Had I not known better, I would've sworn I was... "Outside." Someone's voice said. "You're outside, you stupid twit."

"W-what?"

I turned my head toward the voice. "Open your eyes more and look up, not at me. Can't you see the stars?"

I looked up like the voice told me to. "I can't see anything. Who are you?"

The voice sighed. "Figures. You haven't said much to me in a month, and last time we talked, you shot me in the heart."

Oh. Shit. My voice hitched in my throat. "Oh. Kylie."

"Uriel." Kylie stepped out from the shadows and into a tiny sliver of light. From my point of view, I could barely make out her face. It looked like she had been crying recently.

The space between us went silent. What would I say to her? Should I say something? "Kylie, I can't tell you just how sorry I am. What happened that day, it was an accident, I honestly did not mean for it to happen-"

"Stuff it. I don't want to hear it." Her face contorted into a grimace. "I can't forgive you for that."

"Why not?"

I tried sitting up, but stopped again. Kylie said, "Quit it. I saved you once, I'm not doing it again."

"Why'd you save me in the first place?"

She paused. "Good question. Why did I save you. I should just kill you now. You broke my heart already, and no one but that little bitch is going to miss you." I didn't know what to say. "How's she been anyways? Strip for you lately?"

"Kylie-"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Yes you do. If you really didn't want to hear it, you would've killed me already. Or never have saved me at all. But you did. What was it?"

Kylie's voice shook. "Because I still have feelings for you."

Another long pause between us. "How long? Have you... yeah."

"For too long." I heard her swallow down something. "Okay. I'll hear your story. But make it good. I'm not hearing it again."

So I told her. I told her what happened that night, and what happened the subsequent nights. How I spent every day wishing that she would come back, and how Chrissy felt sorry that she came between us. How I kept her necklace with me, wishing that it were her. And she didn't say a single word throughout.

When I finished my story, I awaited her response. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I finally said something. "Kylie...? You still there?"

"Yeah. Yeah." I didn't rush her. I stared into the night sky, trying to hold down my emotions. What we didn't need was an unstable tank raging everywhere. "Orange soda, eh?" She asked.

"Orange soda." I confirmed.

I heard her sniffle. Twice. "I hate you."

"I genuinely, whole heartedly, fully and totally hope you don't mean that."

I heard her laugh - something I haven't heard in a while. "No. I mean it." But I knew she meant otherwise.

My hand reached out for her, coming into contact with nothing. "Come over here Kylie, I'm going to hug you."

"You say that so awkwardly." She maneuvered herself closer to me, allowing me to hug her as best I could with my left arm malfunctioning.

"What's up with my arm anyways?"

She poked my tricep and said, "Muscles over contracted, tearing something. Won't be able to do pushups very well for the time being."

I chuckled and sat up. "Since when were you a doctor?"

I saw Kylie shrug in the darkness. "You've been gone for a while." My smile disappeared. There was no way I would ever forgive myself for ever letting Kylie go. She saw the look on my face and leaned in.

Then socked me in the eye. I reeled back in pain and shut my eye. "THE FUCK!?"

"Don't you dare get sentimental with me. Now if you wanna cry, go ahead and do it now. Cause tomorrow, we're going to talk with Chrissy."

While rubbing my eye and complaining about how much it hurt, I asked her, "Talk about...?"

"You'll see." She tossed me a drink and opened one of her own. I was about to ask her how she got more sodas when she said, "Learned how to pick locks."

"I see." I rolled the can around to see what flavor it was. Orange soda. I threw my head back and laughed. "Well played. Well played."

{The Warren}

It was occurred to me that I have fallen in love with these characters, as well as the situation I have put them in. I also fear that I will have to write another story in the same universe as this one.