It was Steel's fault that Lee felt this way--felt at all? The knowledge of that dropped like a weight onto his shoulders. He bit his lip as his hand dropped back into his lap where he caught himself twisting them together. "Why me? How can I have so completely destroyed your defenses?" he asked quietly. He was just a somebody that no one really liked even when he was young as far as he remembered. Even if Lee was his closest friend, why did he have to hurt so much over Steel?

A humorless laugh bubbled up. Who was Steel kidding? When he came to this prison and even before, he had been ready to die for a country he didn't give a shit about. It had nothing to do with wanting to fight and all with not caring about himself and others. Now? He caught himself longing to see Lee. He told himself it was for important reasons, but really he just wanted to see the other man. Lee was digging at his wall with a pickaxe and it wouldn't be long before he was in the same position of feeling too much. He finally turned his head to stare dejectedly at the ground. "Why are we so important to each other?" He had to know even if knowing might kill him and knock down his defensive wall entirely.