Antonio was waiting for him when he finally made it back to his cell. He had been lying on his cot with his head resting on his forearms, busy reading something, but when Alfred settled on his own bunk with a dull thud, the man looked up to smile at him.

"The guards must like you to let you stay in the shower for an extra five minutes," he commented, turning a page in his book. "I hope they don't like you too much. I don't like sharing."

Alfred shook his head. When the state had sentenced his boyfriend to the same prison as him, most people might have thought that they would have been constantly at each other's throats. After all, Antonio was the reason why Alfred had been imprisoned in the first place. If he hadn't had introduced him to the world of intoxication and ultimate highs, Alfred would have been finishing up college.

The thing was, it was exceedingly difficult to remain angry with Antonio for long. His big smile and laid back manner made you want to sleep at his side, not stab him in the back. The fact that he was wonderful in bed was just a nice bonus to a perfectly friendly personality. Alfred secretly suspected that the man didn't know how to handle anything but a cheerful mood, which was why he probably got into the drug dealing business in the first place.

He wasn't boyfriend material, though, which was the reason why Alfred had broken up with him just before the police had raided his room. Antonio wasn't very big on exclusive relationships and didn't last long, being tied down to one person at a time. However much he enjoyed fooling around, he disliked the thought of his various partners being with anyone else.

Freeing Antonio from their relationship was freeing himself to pursue a more healthy one, or so Alfred had thought. Somehow he found himself returning to the man's bed time after time, be it from loneliness to a need to release some of his built up frustration from the trial. Antonio never said no when Alfred dropped in and demanded he hold him. In return, Alfred never said a word when he saw his ex flirting with girls half his age.

No strings attached. Or so they liked to think.

"Nah, they'd never give me an extra second even if they were fucking me on the side. I was just...talking."

Antonio would have most likely gone back to his book if not for the false pitch in Alfred's voice. He turned his head to fully look across the room at his cellmate, cocking his head to the side. "Just talking?" he repeated.

Alfred ran his fingers through his wet hair, combing the darkened strands distractedly. "Well, yeah. What are you, the inquisition?"

The other man lifted himself up into a sitting position, looking amused. "Luckily for you, it's my day off. Still," his tone turned serious, "something is bothering you, querido. What happened to that pretty smile you had on earlier today?"

Alfred's fingers stilled. "Remember that guy who cheated on me?" he said slowly, training his voice to remain as stoic as possible. "Y'know, the one who smoked a lot?"

"Arthur, right?" Antonio nodded, knowing better than to ask what he had to do with Alfred's vanished smile. "The bastard you kept mentioning."

"Yeah, him. Well, apparently he's also here and kind of well known."

Antonio's brows were raised impossibly high in an almost comical manner. "Wait, Arthur as in Arthur Kirkland? That scary guy with his henchmen following him around? You used to be together?"

Alfred nodded. Antonio looked scandalized.

"But how?"

"He used to be different," Alfred shrugged, looking absently at the other inmates passing by the cell bars. "Anyway, I ran into him just now. It wasn't pretty."

Antonio let out a low whistle. "I can imagine. What did he do when he saw you?"

"He didn't recognize me at first, actually, but when he did he kind of looked surprised and let me go. His man would have beat me up otherwise."

They sat in a contemplative silence for a bit, Antonio breaking it with an inquisitive look. "Now that he knows you're here, what do you think he'll do?"

Alfred was wondering the same thing. "I dunno. I'm gonna try avoiding him if I can. Don't want to start up with him again, to be honest. He hurt me real bad."

It was Antonio's turn to nod. "Keeping a low profile is probably the best thing to do," he agreed. His lips curved into a soft smile as he patted the space on his cot next to him, inviting Alfred to join him. "That wasn't very pleasant for you, was it?"

"No," Alfred replied, easily falling into routine as he settled down next to the other man and had an arm draped around his shoulders, pulling him close. He closed his eyes as he felt a pair of lips press against the crown of his head comfortingly.

"It wasn't."

.x.

It seemed that now that Alfred had finally encountered Arthur, their paths had inconveniently intersected. Be it the dining hall or the rec room, Arthur was always there, talking in low tones with his companions and every now and then sneaking a glance at Alfred when he thought that he wasn't looking.

But he was.

Alfred wasn't the only one who had noticed the change. Antonio had developed a habit of walking around with him more than usual, sticking to his side more often than not. He was always there to crack a joke when Alfred's smile wavered or to run a hand suggestively down his back when Alfred's attention shifted to the other overwhelming presence in the room.

He wasn't sure if he felt grateful to Antonio for being there for him or if his attention was border lining on overbearing, but he was thankful that he hadn't have to face Arthur again or one of his cronies alone.

Antonio couldn't always be with him, however, and fate had it that when the man decided to spend some time with the Italian he had introduced to Alfred earlier, Arthur managed to corner him alone.

The courtyard was relatively empty when the man sought him out and those who had decided to seek the sunlight turned a blind eye to the intimidating man and his followers. Alfred frowned when Arthur sat down next to him on the step but didn't dare to get up and walk away- he could see Ivan in the distance keeping a watchful eye on him.

"The sunshine is a wonderful change from the downpour we've had this week," Arthur struck up conversation, most likely doing his best to keep it casual. Weather was a safe enough topic, Alfred supposed, and he replied with a noncommittal shrug.

Arthur took his silence in stride.

"I know that being cooped up inside for a long period of time makes you agitated, which was why I got you this," he dug his hand into his pocket and took out a small bar of Hershey's. "You still like this brand, don't you?"

Alfred eyed the chocolate bar in shock, raising his gaze to look at the other man questioningly.

"Why are you giving me this?" he asked, frowning. There was no such thing as a free gift in prison.

Arthur gave him a small smile. "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot the other day in the showers. Consider this a peace offering."

Alfred glanced back down at the chocolate silently. It had been an awfully long time since he had eaten a chocolate bar of any sort, much the less his favorite brand. The fact that Arthur remembered his preferences was surprising. He didn't know what to make out of it.

Where had he gotten it, anyway? The commissary hadn't stocked up on Hershey's in months.

"Go on, take it," Arthur prompted, handing it to him with a glint of mirth in his eyes. "I promise you it isn't poisoned."

Alfred was tempted, and would probably have taken it from Arthur's hand if it weren't for a familiar voice calling out to him and snapping him out of his chocolate craving. He stood up and waited for Antonio to reach him, making no comment as the other wrapped a hand around his waist protectively.

"Is everything alright here?" Antonio asked him, though looked straight at Arthur. "Do you want to go?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes and stood up as well, setting the chocolate down on the step. His eyes flickered to Antonio's hand on Alfred's waist before meeting his gaze squarely. "There's no need," he said crisply, shaking his head at Ivan, who had started to make his way towards the small group. "We were just leaving."

As Arthur turned to leave, Alfred couldn't help but look down at the chocolate.

"What about the Hershey's?" he blurted, oblivious to Antonio's tightening grip. "Aren't you going to take it with you?"

Arthur paused and looked at him blankly. "No, I have no need for such rubbish. Feel free to take it, if you like." He waited for a moment before curling his lips into a grim smile. "Only you know how long it's been since you've had some sort of pleasure. Certainly not at his hands," he nodded at Antonio.

"Good day."

Alfred knew his companion was gritting his teeth as they watched Arthur walk away, joining Ivan as they reentered the building. After a few moments of silence Antonio let go of him and Alfred thought he could hear him swearing in Spanish under his breath. As he began to head back toward the building as well and noticed that Alfred wasn't following him, Antonio stopped and turned his head back.

"Well, aren't you coming?"

Alfred shook his head, shooting the man a smile. "Nah, I think I'll stay here for a while longer. You can go back in, though."

Antonio shrugged and turned, leaving him behind. Once he was sure that the other wasn't about to return, Alfred sat back down on the step and looked at the chocolate bar quietly.

Arthur had obviously procured it for him from wherever it was he had gotten it, as he didn't take it back for himself. It would go to waste if it were left to melt in the sun.

Looking about him, Alfred supposed that there wouldn't be great harm in tasting it. After all, it had been meant for him, and it had been so long since he'd had a proper treat.

Just a bite...

Just a bit more...

Alfred was left holding the empty foil in his hands.

Damn.