Something cold and oddly refreshing slipped down my throat. When I came to, the first thing my hazy mind registered was that I was back in my cell, lying in my bunk. The lights were dimmed in the cell, and the most prominent source of light was coming from the catwalks outside. The second thing that occurred to me was that it was probably bedtime in the prison, the place being strangely quiet and all. And the last and most important thing was that I was being straddled by none other than Schneizel, the feared King of the Prison from Hell.

Frozen from shock, I had no choice but to lay very still and listen to the rush of blood in my ears and the deafening alarms sounding in my head. I didn’t even dare to so much as breathe under the infamous King’s scrutiny.

Why in the name of all that was holy was Schneizel on top of me?!

The King’s face was expressionless, not a sign of any emotion in sight, but his piercing obsidian eyes bore into my own with an intensity that left me utterly speechless, piercing through the layers of flesh, bone and meat and peeking right into my heart, or so it felt. His far greater weight pushed me down into the bunk, and I realized I had no hope of escaping by throwing him off so long as he was straddling my hips. And it seemed that, for added measure, he had both his hands on either side of my head. He didn’t want me going anywhere, it appeared.

Wait a minute- OH MY GOD I’M ENTIRELY NAKED!

The only barrier between my naked flesh and Schneizel’s body was the flimsy blanket that luckily concealed me up to my shoulders. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why I was in this position. I recalled the fight that ensued in the cafeteria between that bastard Raven and Schneider, but everything after that was strangely hazy and trying to delve through that layer fog made my head pound.

Who won the fight? I prayed nothing untoward happened to Schneider.

So how did I get here? Did Schneizel—

My heart stuttered, and then began pounding even harder. The possibility that... that... Schneizel molested me while I slept....

Why else would I be lying under him naked?!

As if reading my mind, Schneizel said, “Don’t be so hasty to jump to such conclusion, Aiden. Raven fractured your arm. I’m simply nursing you back to health. Nothing more, nothing less.” How could someone have such a rich, deep, enthralling voice? And the way he said my name...

Wait, my arm is fractured?

Everything came back to me in an instant. That scumbag Raven. The stupid fight in the cafeteria. Everything. When I attempted to raise my left arm, blinding pain shot up my arm in the speed of lightning and I winced, biting the inside of my cheeks to keep from crying out till the pain subsided.

When my tongue finally unknotted and I summoned enough courage to actually attempt speech, I cautiously mumbled, “Umm...Why am I n-naked? And why do you have to be on top of me in order to n-nurse me back to h-health?”

It was simply inconceivable; being nursed back to health by a murderer.

Just then, I noticed something I hadn’t paid attention to before; my left arm was bandaged. I could feel the bandages wrapped around my arm all the way to my shoulder even though I couldn’t see them. Did someone like him even know how to apply a bandage? After all, he was someone who from what I’d seen so far only inflicted pain and spread fear.

Schneizel noticed me staring down at shoulder in awe, and he pulled down the blanket all the way to my torso to reveal my bandaged arm. The white gauze bandages were nicely-wrapped and tied from what I could see.

Who would’ve thought Schneizel, King Satan, had experience in bandaging and nursing of all things?

“Why didn’t you just take me to the infirmary?” It was the logical thing to do, right? Instead of bothering with me, he could’ve reported my case or something and had me taken to the infirmary. Heck, why would someone like him at the very top of the hierarchy care about little ol’ me?

“And risk having you molested again? I think not. No inmate in his right mind here goes to the infirmary. Unless they want to be molested.”

I just stared at the King like an idiot. There was nothing to say back to that, really.

“So... You have any idea how long I need to keep the bandages on?” I genuinely wanted to know. My heartbeat started slowly going back to normal as we conversed.

Schneizel thought for a few seconds, looked at the calendar hanging on the wall and then replied, “About three weeks, just to be safe.”

“That’s good. Last time it took a whole month until the bandages were removed.”

An awkward, heavy silence stretched between us.

“I’ve fractured this arm before… which is probably why it was so easy to fracture this time…”

He said nothing.

Biting my lip, I looked away. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this self-conscious.

I wanted to ask him to get off of me but I was afraid that would tick him off; the last thing I wanted to do in my current state was piss off a murderer.

“Are you thirsty?” Asked Schneizel, breaking the deafening silence as he reached for a glass cup sitting on the cell’s floor right next to the double bunk. The glass was filled ice cubes for some reason.

“Uh... sure.” I was feeling a little parched, my throat dry.

I watched as the King fished out an ice cube from the glass cup and then placed the glass back on the floor again.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded, holding the ice cube right in front of my mouth.

My brows furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

“Open your mouth,” he repeated, his tone brooking no argument.

I wasn’t about to argue with Schneizel.

Hesitantly, I parted my lips. Schneizel held the ice cube to my mouth.

“Suck.”

I proceeded to suck on it, my face a crimson red. This was by far the weirdest thing I had ever done with anybody, let alone a man. The cube didn’t take long to completely melt in my mouth, water dribbling down the corners. Schneizel slowly raised the fingers that had held the ice cube and licked the melted water droplets away.

Strangely entranced, I watched his tongue dart out and lick his long fingers one by one, and then my eyes followed his hand as it fished another ice cube out of the glass. It was like I had entered a trance of sorts. This time, when he brought the ice cube to my mouth, I wasn’t so hesitant. I sucked the cube with the vigor of a dehydrated man. As I sucked, my eyes fluttered closed on their own accord. I was becoming strangely lightheaded.

Tha-dump. Tha-dump.

Was it just my imagination or was my heart beating faster?

When the last ice cube dissolved entirely in my mouth, Schneizel’s index finger slipped into my mouth unexpectedly. After the many ice cubes, it seemed that my mind had been programmed because I automatically started sucking on his cold fingers.

Realizing too late, I abruptly stopped sucking, horrified and embarrassed.

Schneizel pulled his finger out of my mouth and, little by little, started leaning toward me. I watched his face get closer and closer to my own, my eyes transfixed on his lips for some reason beyond my understanding.

Was he going to kiss me?

Five inches away.

He couldn’t be about to kiss me…!

Three inches away.

He was going to kiss me!

Half an inch...!

"Hey, Boss!"

The King’s head banged into the upper bunk and I was jolted out of the trance I was in. My eyes flew to the cell’s door to see an inmate standing there.

“What do you want?" Schneizel growled, sounding extremely irritated. He slowly slid off me like a jaguar slipping down a tree and headed to the cell door.

“T-The new s-shipment just arrived.”

I slowly sat upright, careful not to hurt my left arm. Schneizel waved at the camera and the cell’s metal door slip open. I expected him to just walk out of the cell without a word, but he stopped, turned around and said, “Aiden, from now on, you’re under my protection, got that?”

He left before I could even reply.