Plot: A young man is arrested and convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. He’s thrown into a maximum-security prison…and his cellmate turns out to be one of the more notorious inmates in there.

The Toledo Maximum Security Prison was one of the most well-guarded prisons in the country, well-known for its cast of inmates who had committed heinous, terrible crimes. Many prisoners were transferred here, and then quickly transferred out...so, not many people stayed for long periods of time.

Viktor Skelter was one of the permanent inmates. A tall, muscular, brutal-looking man with an ever-constant smirk on his face, Viktor had single-handedly plotted and carried out an attack on his father's workplace, killing multitudes of male employees there. For some odd reason, the women were spared. He had a reputation for having a problem with authority, and a constant issue with violence...

Because of this, he was often kept alone in his cell, even though it was built for two. He had many friends, surprisingly, inside the walls here. He was a popular man, and a likable guy. He had a great influence on the prison's population...which was dangerous, especially when the police officers were outnumbered nearly two hundred to one.

((Viktor Skelter=clever (and also damn sexy)))

Transfer day. The day he'd been dreading, the day that he already knew was going to be the worst day of his life. And lately, that was certainly no mean feat; Will Redding still didn't know how to begin thinking about those people they were saying he killed. The trial had been a blur, the sentencing even quicker, and now, though he couldn't believe it even as it happened, he was setting foot in Toledo Maximum Security Prison. His mind and body had been numb with denial all morning, but now that he was here, moving from security procedure to security procedure, the reality of what was happening to him was finally beginning to sink in. He could see the prison guards giving him not-so-covert looks, analyzing his thin body and the sandy hair that framed small, sea-blue eyes, amusement and sometimes pity painted on their faces.

But that wasn't what was weighing on Will's mind. Not yet, anyway, that he would have to think about when it came. Now there was a more immediate horror awaiting him; he was told the name of his new cell mate, Viktor Skelter, the name he had seen splashed across TVs and magazines like some kind of celebrity.

He kept his head down as he was finally marched past the last security checkpoint and into the cells, where the cat-calling he had already grown numb to started up. The guards ignored it and moved him quickly through the laberynthine corridors of steel and concrete. And then, after so long and yet somehow so suddenly, he was being shoved inside one of the small spaces, the door clattering shut loudly behind him, and the guards were leaving.

Leaving them alone...or as alone as two people could be in this place. Will studied the cell block carefully, not daring to meet his new "roommate's" gaze.

((Everybody I show his picture to seems to think he's like...this incredibly sexy beast. XD))

Viktor had heard rumors that he'd be receiving a new cell-mate today. Cell-mates of his usually tried to do one of two things to him, sometimes even both at a time...get in his pants, due to his inexplicably good looks, or start fights with him. Viktor was a stubborn man, with solid beliefs and a lot of intolerance for most people. He had few close friends, though he had many admirers for the constant odd antics he got into around the prison...there was a reason for that.

It wasn't that he was impossible to get along with. He was a friendly guy, for the most part. There were certain things about people he just couldn't stand...the general population did not appeal to him.

He was sprawled out in the very back of the cell, in the bottom bunk, when Will was shoved into his personal space. There was a small, rickety ladder leading up to the top bunk. Viktor was too tall for the top bunk--he would sit up in the morning and clang his head against the ceiling. So, he stuck to the bottom bunk. He was paging through one of the books he'd snatched from the prison's library--a limited selection of books that inmates who demonstrated educational prowess could pick at, as long as they returned them.

He lowered his book from in front of his face to fix Will with a piercing stare. He always seemed to have a crooked smirk on his face, slightly lopsided and lazy. All in all, quite attractive.

((That's because he is and you know it! :D ))

Will swept his gaze over every inch of the cell, taking in every last detail until it became apparent that Viktor wasn't going to break the "silence". Oh God. Will was bad enough at introductions and small talk when he wasn't being crammed in a cell with a trigger-happy murderer who had shot up his own dad's business. His stomach was sinking, hardening as though he'd swallowed a ball of lead.

When he finally managed to raise his eyes to meet Viktor's gaze, he wasn't surprised to find the other man looking at him--but he was surprised by how attractive the man appeared, even here. Will had always assumed that the media had cleaned up pictures of the murderer in some sick attempt to sell more papers and get more viewers. He hadn't thought the man's beauty was so natural.

He didn't seem to be hostile at the moment, though--he was actually almost smiling, though Will didn't know if that was really any better a sign--but maybe if he kept his head low and didn't stir any waves he'd at least make it through the night.

His fear and exhaustion were probably clear in his eyes, but he tried to hide them nonetheless. And since he had no idea what he was supposed to do or say, all he could manage was, "Hi. I'm Will." And then, without really thinking, "Nice...uh...place."

Viktor snickered, almost choking on his own laugh, before marking his place in the book and shoving it under the bed. He sat up all the way--at full height, he was nearly six feet, three or four inches. "It isn't exactly my style. At least it's not pink..." he hummed, amused. "I'm Viktor. I suppose you already know that. Rumors spread rampant 'round here, like wildfire."

He cleared his throat, and then sat up a little straighter. "Top bunk is yours. You start a fight, I'll beat the piss outta you. Don't touch my stuff unless you ask first. You're interested in me, we can talk, but don't push it. That's all. Follow that, and we'll get along."

He had several other nit-picky rules...but those were the major ones. He didn't take any bullshit...a reason why he was quick to rear up and fight, rather than talk things out. A few missing teeth have much more impact fear-wise than a lecture does, after all.

Will listened to Viktor's rules, deathly silent. At first he wasn't sure if the other man was being serious ("start a fight"? Did Will really look that stupid?) but by the end he was fairly sure he believed everything Viktor said. And, honestly, a part of him relaxed a little, having the rules outlined so clearly so quickly. The day was still early, but so far his future wasn't completely desolate.

"I think I can handle that," he forced himself to reply, moving immediately to the ladder and climbing up onto his bunk. The cell didn't look much better from this perspective, but at least he had a small space to call his own, at least for now...and from here at least he could see almost everything in the cell, in case...well, in case. Now that he had his own little niche where he could hide, not bothering anyone, he didn't plan to leave it anytime soon.

What were the rest of his rules? "Don't touch my stuff unless you ask first"--well, what stuff? Will couldn't see many possessions in the tiny space. "You're interested in me, we can talk"? Well, the less he thought about that one the better. Will wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly very cold.

"They have any good books in here?" he queried uncertainly, wanting to see how far Viktor's amicable appearance went. Reading might prove to be a tenuous thread of comonality between them--Will doubted they read the same things, but he thought he was fairly well-read. At least it was something other to talk about than body counts.

"It's mostly law books. Big old law books, and mysteries and junk..." Viktor was currently paging through a big collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, it seemed. "Sometimes people will donate books, but it's not often. And they don't have many..."

He seemed like a friendly guy...on the outside, at least. He could be heard rummaging around in the cell. He had a lot of personal belongings. He'd gradually earned these things for his extreme interest in educating himself, and not for good behavior--he was a terrible inmate when it came to obedience. One of his more recent awards was an old MP3 player, that held quite a lot of songs. It was no fancy music player...but it worked for him. He had that hidden under his mattress, where it was safe.

A few more pages could be heard turning. "Dare I ask what you're in for?" Viktor quipped, suddenly, a curious tone to his voice.

"It's mostly law books. Big old law books, and mysteries and junk...Sometimes people will donate books, but it's not often. And they don't have many..."

That was a disappointment. Will hadn't exactly been expecting a massive library, but he'd thought that perhaps he'd found a way to pass the long hours. He stretched out on the thin mattress, not wanting to press Viktor too hard, though a little more of him relaxed when he heard the man's conversational tone. He thought that his cell mate had finished with him and was planning on ignoring him for the remainder of their time together, which wouldn't have been so bad, really, when he suddenly spoke again.

Will's heart was hammering in his chest again. He'd already been through this before; it was best not to come right out and say he was innocent. Some people respected a man more if they thought he'd killed someone. Or a few people. Especially in places like this.

"I was convicted of killing some people I used to know." It wasn't a lie; he had been convicted of the crime. "These four guys. We got in a fight."

But I wasn't even there when it happened! How could I have killed them?

He thought he was dull to all this, but tears of frustration were buidling behind his eyes. He was glad that Viktor was down below where he couldn't see him, though he turned to face the wall nevertheless.

"I guess I didn't get the same press coverage you did," he added, wincing, hoping Viktor's cool facade was more than just a facade.

"Fff...yeah, I got a lot of media attention. But that's because one of the male workers who died was my pop..." Viktor admitted, stretching his legs out. It wasn't something that people shown media coverage of his crimes caught onto...most, nearly all, male employees had been killed...Viktor's father, Betelgeuse, was among them.

He chuckled suddenly, as if he was remembering his massacre. "I had my reasons for storming the place. Notice that I didn't harm any of the girls...then again, no one wants to hear my side of the story...what led up to everything. Naturally, they point fingers at the one whose hands are bloodied..."

He seemed to sense some sort of tension in Will's voice. But, he didn't comment on how it almost sounded like he was crying. "So? You guilty?"

Will's heart beat a little faster as he listened. He was surprised Viktor was sharing so much; he had assumed that the man wouldn't want to talk about why he was in here. But the casual tone in his voice was chilling. He even chuckled, and Will had to suppress a shudder.

When he heard Viktor's question, he winced. He'd been hoping the man wouldn't ask him outright, though he hadn't been hoping very hard.

"No," he admitted, rolling onto his back again and staring up at the ceiling. He knew he wasn't a good enough liar to fool anyone. "I said I would kill one of them, but I was just really pissed off. And drunk." It certainly hadn't helped in the trial, either. What had he been thinking that night?

Will paused uncertainly before adding, "I did notice, that, actually...about the girls. Do you mind if I ask? Why did you let them live?"

"Ha...the law screws everyone over. It's why my dream home is somewhere in the city of Amsterdam..." Viktor shifted in his bunk, curling over onto his side to get more comfortable. It was around the time of day where he napped...about an hour or so before meal-time.

"Ah, the girls. See, I had nothing against them. I had something against nearly a hundred percent of the male work force there. It was a seedy little law firm my pop owned...most of them couldn't tell a law book apart from the ass of the intern a desk ahead of them...hated 'em."

Viktor shifted again--perhaps an uncomfortable topic was coming up? "My pop was a drunk, abusive little bitch who walked around like he was the greatest thing ever to step foot on this Earth. Hit me...hit my younger brother and sister. He only ever hit them...now me, he had something against. If you get my drift, he did more than just hit me."

Viktor allowed a few seconds of silence for that to register. "Heh, and it wasn't just him. Oftentimes he'd bring his buddies from work home with him to join in. There were maybe...two or three that always refused his offers? Those two or three guys are still alive..."

Jesus Christ.

Will had followed the news, not religiously, but with some interest when the media had started latching on to Viktor's case, and he'd read some articles about the incident as well. He'd never heard that part of the story, though. Had they kept it out, or was Viktor making all of this up for some reason? Or had Will just missed it? He seemed to be telling Will all of this awfully quickly...but if he was telling the truth, it would explain the lack of remorse. And at least it meant that the other man most likely wasn't a certifiable sociopath.

He stared up at the ceiling for a moment or two before replying. "That's sort of why I'm supposed to have killed those guys. Apparently they raped me and I came back for them for it." His hand tightened into a fist around the bed's stiff blanket. "They didn't, though. That part isn't true either."

Maybe it was a little insulting to compare their situations, but Will wasn't really sure what to say. Would Viktor want his sympathy or condolences?

"Are your brother and sister okay?"

"So you didn't have the motive. Quite different from my case..." Viktor smiled, even though Will couldn't see it from where he was. "I plead guilty. They still gave me life without parole. I'm proud of what I did...after eighteen years of torture, I finally sucked up the courage to defend myself. I'm nineteen, now...it's been nearly an entire year since I've been here."

Idly, he dug under his mattress for his MP3 player. "Damon and Eden are living with our cousin, who's my age. They're twins...sixteen. We don't have a mother. She died in childbirth, with Damon and Eden. I was about three...I fondly remember her, though...she was an angel."

"Kind of a steep price to pay," Will murmured, trying to picture Damon and Eden. He had a soft spot for kids. Only ten minutes ago he had been readily willing to write Viktor off as some kind of monster, but now trying to think about his story just made Will's stomach twist uncomfortably. How could anyone say what was right or wrong in that situation?

"Do you ever get to see them?" he asked. He was starting to wish he could see Viktor's face; he was worried he was going to start annoying his cell mate with all his questions. But talking like this seemed...somehow, almost normal. Just having a conversation, about anything at all, was helping his nerves slowly unwind, giving him a little more confidence that things might actually work out somehow.

"I didn't want to live in fear anymore," Viktor commented, silently, in response to Will's soft murmur. He had been miserable for so long. Frightened to return home after school as a child...but determined to, for fear that his father would take out his aggression on his younger siblings instead. It hadn't been a good life for him...and, strangely enough, life behind bars seemed much more tantalizing.

"Damon and Eden? Yeah. Our cousin Rand brings them here on visiting days, when he can. Rand lives nearby, so...it isn't much of a trip for him. He's been living on his own since he was their age...got legal independence from his parents. Hardcore Catholics..."

Viktor didn't seem annoyed, in the least. In fact, he seemed elated by the conversation.

Will stared up at the ceiling silently for a moment or two, relieved to know that at least someone had escaped that tragedy more or less alright. Then again, Viktor didn't seem to be doing so poorly himself, considering his situation. He didn't have the air of a man who thought he was in physical danger, anyway.

It was weird, though, realizing that Viktor Skelter was probably going to be having more visitations than he was.

"So you've been here for about a year?" Will clarified, rolling over and pushing himself up into a sitting position. He was still hesitant, but as long as he seemed to be on Viktor's good side he decided he might as well take advantage of it. "You got any advice?"

"For someone like you?" Viktor chuckled. "Good looks and small stature don't go over well in here. For now, I'd suggest you stay with me, wherever you go. Outside, in the showers...everywhere. Especially outside, where it's easy to get separated."

When he first arrived here, his good looks had earned him a lot of attention, both positive and negative. Since he was a beast of a man who loved to exercise in his spare time, however, there weren't many people who could take advantage of him very easily. His father had been one of these people--a tall, beefy, muscular man who could easily overpower him with enough effort. So, people tended to leave him alone unless they intended to be kind to him.

"Food here's decent. Not a meal fit for a king, but decent...you're allowed one round of seconds. Menu changes from day to day...week to week..." Viktor's brow furrowed, as he thought. He flipped through different songs through his MP3 player, and then suddenly chuckled, putting his speakers on so Will could hear the song he had chosen to listen to. Viktor had an eclectic taste in music...

"For someone like you? Good looks and small stature don't go over well in here. For now, I'd suggest you stay with me, wherever you go. Outside, in the showers...everywhere. Especially outside, where it's easy to get separated."

Will stared down at the bunk he was sitting on, as though peering through it at his cell mate. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Was Viktor really saying that he'd protect him, or at least...was he saying he would help him? Will's mind refused to accept it. They hadn't even known each other twenty minutes; what could Viktor possibly have to gain from looking out for him? He didn't even consider asking these questions aloud, though. He may have stumbled upon a miracle, and he wasn't going to do anything to ruin it.

Will was tangled in these thoughts when the sudden blast of music made him start. Well, perhaps "blast" was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was so unexpected that he actually jumped. And when his mind was finally able to make sense of what he was hearing, he couldn't believe that it was something Viktor would have chosen.

Puzzled, he moved to the foot of the bunk and climbed down the ladder, gazing curiously at the other man. Sure enough, he was holding something that looked like an mp3 player.

"Is that actually your music?" Will asked, unable to suppress a smile. "Where did you get that?"

Viktor held out the MP3 player, an older model that held a lot of music nonetheless. The music was still playing, at a fair volume. "This is my music, yeah. I got this for being 'dedicated to my own education.' They have some classes here, you see...if you want to take them, you can, to further your education and even learn a trade. I like to learn...as long as it's something I'm interested in. So, I take a bunch of classes. It's a nice reward...music kept me going at the worst of times."

Viktor had a soft look on his face. He was a likable man. Some inmates were turned off by the fact that he'd killed so many different people--some of these people were in just for minor traffic violations, or drunk driving. The ones that were joining him in life sentences were more appreciative of his crime...but, they weren't interested in casual friendship most of the time.

He shook the MP3 player, pleasantly. "You can borrow it while we're in here. I don't take it outside, or to the mess hall...'fraid it'll get snatched away."

Will could only meet Viktor's eyes for a second or two before dropping his gaze. He had a hard time making eye contact with most people, but Viktor's gaze somehow seemed unbearably piercing. He didn't know if that was true or just his imagination, though.

"So you're working on getting an education or something?" he asked, leaning back against the wall and studying the floor. "What sorts of classes do they have here?" He had never thought much about getting an education despite all the reading he did, but taking classes seemed like a surprisingly bearable way to spend the time. And he was also pretty curious to see what sorts of classes would "interest" someone like Viktor.

He found his eyes straying to the mp3 player in his cell mate's hand again as the music wore on. Viktor actually seemed like...a pretty nice guy, actually. He still made Will nervous, but there was something very attracting about his relaxed, straightforward manner.

"Eh...let's see. They have your traditional core subjects--math, different sciences, lots of history, foreign languages, advanced English classes...they've also got a tech department, and offer a few cooking classes, too..." Viktor was listing off what he could remember...there were much more, he knew. "I like history. I'm taking a lot of history-related stuff...and Latin, French, German, and a class on Auto Mechanics..."

He noticed that Will couldn't meet his eyes. Viktor liked to look people in the eye when he talked. For some reason, that seemed to intimidate a lot of people...he couldn't understand why. Perhaps his eyes were...scary?

Viktor turned up the MP3 player when the music stopped, and the beginnings of another song started.

Will couldn't help smiling again when "Brielle" started playing. He had never heard it before, but once again Viktor's taste in music surprised him.

"How many courses are you taking?" he asked. "That has to be at least five. Is that what you were reading for?" He nodded vaguely in Viktor's direction, unsure of where the book had been placed. "Are you trying to get some kind of degree or something?"

Will was interested in history too; or at least, he'd been able to stand history classes in high school. He wondered if Viktor would start getting pissed off if he started taking some of the same classes. They were already going to be stuck in this tiny cell together for god knew how long. But after his earlier warning, Will wasn't in the mood to take any risks.

"Eeehh...I take six classes. Two history classes, and the others I mentioned," Viktor quipped, pleasantly. He set the MP3 player to shuffle, and set it down on the bed next to him.

"The book's a Sherlock Holmes book...so, nah. It's just for pleasure," he chuckled, scooping it up to show him. "I don't really need a degree...I'm just taking stuff to have something to do, and to learn. Depending on what it is...I like to learn...hey..."

He perked up a bit. "You interested in taking any classes? I can put in a good word for you...they'd need to know you're serious beforehand, though. Or they won't let you take anything...

Will took the book in hands, partly because he was interested and partly to have something to hold and look at while they were talking. He was always better at talking when he had something to distract him. He'd never read any Sherlock Holmes novels before, and he flipped it open to graze the writing, which was as thick and dense as he'd suspected.

He had to fight the urge to step back when Viktor suddenly perked up, not because he was afraid this time but because the man's energy was so powerful. Partly it was his physical presence, but just as much of it was just his aura, the way he filled up the space around him.

"You'd do that?" Will asked, finally meeting his eyes again for a second or two before once again dropping his gaze. "That would be...Yeah, I'd like that, but I have to prove I'm serious about it? How do I do that?"