When Feliciano woke, it was well before lights on. As easy as it was to fall asleep, staying asleep was a much different issue. His dreams were plagued with memories of the previous days events and the deep blackness of the cell sometimes made it hard to tell if he was awake or not. The betrayal almost hurt just as much as the physical pain. Same with the hate he was feeling for himself. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Alfred wasn't giving him the time of day for a piece of stale bread. Every conversation they had had was just a way for Alfred to break down Feliciano's defences so that he was ripe for picking. Somewhere deep down, he knew things were off but he pushed that feeling back, into the furthest depths of his mind. All because he wanted so desperately to have someone to rely on. Now he was truly on his own and belonged to a horrible man that even had guards at his disposal. He shuddered. There was no way to think about Boris without the horrible memories invading his mind. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Ludwig, wondering if any of the things Alfred had said about him were true. Ludwig was terrifying when he first arrived, the slightest movement would have Feliciano on high alert. He supposed the German just used his natural intimidation to scare others away but there were plenty of scary people in here and they didn't seem to have nearly as big of an impact. He curled further into the sheets, their comforting scent enveloping him and helping him drift off for just a while longer.

The breakfast bell came far too early. Even with a night's rest, his muscles still ached and the scratches seared from underneath their bandages. Using the frame of the bed to steady himself, he got to his feet while Ludwig's protective gaze followed his movements. They quietly made their way to the cafeteria, an unspoken agreement having been formed between them. If anyone wanted to try something they would have to get through the angry, hulking German first. Last night he may have been too dazed to notice, but this morning it was impossible to ignore the stares that came from every direction. When they had entered the cafeteria, the usually loud and roaring room died down for a moment before resuming its normal amount of intensity. Choosing to keep his eyes glued to Ludwig's massive back, they made their way and got settled with their food at the German's usual table. Despite wanting to ask his cellmate a million questions, he decided that he would wait until they had their privacy so they ate in silence. Eventually the other inmates got bored of staring and went back to their own conversations. That was, expect for a few. Alfred had not looked away since the pair had entered and Feliciano had missed it until now. When their eyes met for a brief second, the Italian knew the jig was up. Alfred was furious.

Once they had eaten, they wordless walked to the next destination, neither finding it necessary to vocalize where they were headed. The library was by far Feliciano's favourite place to be. During the last few months, he had thought about it often and a couple times had come close to popping in just one more time. How he wish he ignored Alfred's wishes and had been spending his days in a comfortable chair with a book in his hands. They settled into the same chairs as yesterday and although there were many things Feliciano wanted to ask, he found himself freezing up now that he had his moment.

"What did he tell you about me?" To his surprise, it was Ludwig who spoke up first. He was fiddling with a thread on his uniform while thinking, but he raised his head to meet the other man's gaze then held it for a long moment. He no longer had any allegiance to Alfred and was fine divulging anything the man had said to him, yet he still hesitated to open up to Ludwig. It was difficult to get a proper read on the German which made Feliciano nervous to tell him the full truth.

"It's… Nothing good," he finally answered, testing the waters to see how the other would react. Ludwig simply nodded, waiting for him to continue. Well, here went nothing.

"He said that… I don't know." He squirmed in his seat, turning away from his cellmate and angry at himself for losing his courage so quickly. He had been getting used to the silence that came with Ludwig but right now it was deafening. The German continued to watch him, waiting patiently. Eventually, the smaller man gave it another shot.

"He mentioned that um… none of your other cellmates make it passed three months," Feliciano finally managed to utter.

"Hm," Ludwig finally spoke up again, "Anything else?" The younger man took a deep breath.

"And that you um… k-killed someone? In front of their family?" The long silence returned and there was no way Feliciano bring himself to look up, into Ludwig's icy cold eyes. He was afraid they would have the same fury in them that he had when they first met.

"Is it… true?" He finally asked, desperate to bring an end to the uncomfortable quiet. Ludwig sighed.

"Yes." How could one simple word elicit such a reaction from his body? The pit in his stomach was as heavy as ever, the quiet replaced with the frantic pounding of his heart.

"Then why?!" The words were pouring out now, whether he liked it or not. "Why bother even helping me? Why not beat my head in and throw me to the wolves? I don't know what you want from me, I don't have anything to give you. If you're just doing this to fuck me over, tell me now. It's not like I could do anything to stop you. I couldn't even stop-"

"I was mistaken." Ludwig's words made Feliciano stop his emotional rambling and finally noticed the tears that had started to fall. He wiped them away quickly, not that he thought the other man didn't already notice. Ludwig continued, thinking carefully about each word,

"About you." At this, the young man's head snapped up and was met with a new sight. As Ludwig stared off in the distance, Feliciano could clearly see pain spread across his face.

"Many people wish to cause me harm. I had thought you had been sent by one of these people," Ludwig said, fixing his gaze back on a confused Feliciano.

"Me?" The German nodded.

"Perhaps a way to get my guard down. I admit, I am overcautious. And… I am sorry for this," The younger man could do nothing other than stare. It did explain the gradual change of heart Ludwig had had, as well as why he went through so many cellmates.

"I am especially sorry for not warning you about…" The rage flooded into his eyes, making the Italian tense up, "That man." Obviously, him and Alfred had some sort of history and although Feliciano was curious, there was no way he was he was going to ask. He pulled his legs to his chest, resting his head on his knees before letting out his next question,

"Why though? So, I'm not a threat. That doesn't explain why you're suddenly my unofficial bodyguard." Again, Ludwig considered his words carefully before he responded,

"You do not belong here," Without knowing why, hearing this sent waves of relief throughout his entire body. Tears pricked his eyes once again as he fought desperately to keep them at bay. There was no need for Ludwig to explain further. Feliciano thought their conversation had reached the end, his mind swimming with the new information. Instead the German asked him something that he wasn't expecting.

"Who led you to…" Ludwig motioned to the younger man's wrists. Feliciano didn't know how to respond. Not that he didn't understand the question, it was that he had been donating a significant amount of brain power to keeping anything relating to Boris out of his mind. Clearly, the larger man was aware of Alfred's betrayal and with this question he let Feliciano know he was also aware of what happened yesterday. He retreated further into himself before finally blurting out the name that would be forever burned into him.

"Boris."

The name hung heavy in the air. It was hard to decipher the look that spread across Ludwig's face, but whatever he was feeling had him lost in thought. Eventually, he could tell the German reached some sort of internal conclusion, giving a small nod to himself. With that, he rose to his feet to head back to his regular position at the chunky library desk but not before laying a book down on the table Feliciano was sat at.

Change was something Feliciano was far too familiar with. Over the passed year, he had been experiencing it at a rapid pace. Yet, out of all the changes, there were only two that had really taken him by surprise. First, was when the 'guilty' verdict rang out in court. The second, the unlikely relationship he found between him and Ludwig. Friendship didn't seem to accurately describe the bond that the pair now shared. It was a quiet understanding and although Feliciano was no longer afraid to speak to the man, it still felt strange to disturb the comfortable silence between them.

Days passed like this, then weeks. Feliciano kept on high alert, even with the protection Ludwig provided he knew he was still vulnerable and that both Alfred and Boris could strike at any time. However, he was slowly starting to doubt that the large German meant any ill will towards him. That didn't mean he fully had his guard down around the man, but it was definitely lower when it was just the two of them, reading in their shared silence. That was another change for him, the quiet. His family was loud and most dinners were a battle of talking over each other. When his parents or brother came to visit, he found himself unable to hold back the torrential downpour of words that he was unaware had been gathering. Of course, he avoided speaking about any of the touchier subject and was thankful his family didn't ask. They did, however, scold him for not talking to them on the phone. Since he started spending his time with Ludwig, he felt guilty to drag the man to the common room and force him to listen to his rampant speaking in his native tongue. Although, it did make him wonder. Not once had he ever seen the German go for visitation or have any interest using the phones. Even before they began spending time with one another, he had never seen him in either room. In fact, there were many things that were still a complete mystery about Ludwig. He understood why the other inmates didn't mess with them, but what about the guards? Surely they had power in numbers, not to mention the defence weapons that were always attached to their uniforms.

Slowly, his curiosity was starting to overtake his hesitation. Still not totally brave enough to ask directly, he had a plan. Many of the books he had caught Ludwig reading were titles he recognized but weren't exactly something he would be interested in reading himself. Maybe if he could get the man talking about books, he could get him to open up about other things? It was well into fall when he decided to put his plan into action. He was sitting in his usual seat, the crewneck sweater that each inmate received to help fight off the cold that had begun creeping into the prison, draped across him as a blanket. Closing the book he was currently working through, he rubbed his eyes. They had been working overtime so he had started taking more breaks in order for them to rest up. Ludwig was somewhere between the shelves, doing some restocking. Although no one visited the library, there were actually some other staff. Ludwig would load up a cart with requests from other inmates and leave it just outside the door, the staff would distribute the books and return the cart later with what needed to be restocked.

Feliciano got up from his seat and figured while his eyes rested, he would stretch his muscles a bit. Wandering over to the front desk while moving his arms in circles, he took a peak at what Ludwig has lined up next for them. At some point, he mentioned off hand that he tended to read old favourites instead of new titles since he was picky and it was difficult for summaries to peak his interest. Since then, Ludwig would silently lay down a new book whenever Feliciano was getting near the end of whatever current story. Somehow, every recommendation had been exactly up the younger man's alley. Ludwig would pull a few titles aside for them to be sure that they wouldn't be checked out and leave them on the desk.

"You need?" The strong voice asked from he behind, making him jump. He turned and saw the large man, eyes as piercing and face as blank as ever. Feliciano felt his heart quicken its pace, something he had gotten used to over the passed few weeks. It's not that he was afraid of Ludwig anymore but something about him certainly filled his body with nerves. The younger man chalked it up to the powerful and authoritative aura that followed the German wherever he went.

"Not yet, just checking out what's up next." Normally this is where their conversation would end, yet this time Feliciano was determined. "How do you always know what to give me? The genre's are all over the place and it's been fun checking out horror and junk, I never would've thought about it on the outside. My brother would always try and get me to read creepy stuff, even when we were kids. I hated it and papa had to get him to stop because one of the stories he read to me made me too scared to get in the bath and the only way I would get clean was to use the hose outside." Dammit. Heat was filling his body and he figured that his face was as red as a tomato right now. The word vomit had spilled out and now he was left to deal with the hot twinge of embarrassment that was currently cycling through his bloodstream. Ludwig, yet again, unexpectedly came to his rescue.

He chuckled. Feliciano wasn't actually sure if you could call it a chuckle. More of a puff of amusement. In fact, if it wasn't for the hint of a smile on the other man's face, Feliciano would've missed it completely. The embarrassment faded quickly, leaving behind a small knot in his chest on its way out.

"Was it not cold?" Ludwig asked, his cool blue eyes softly glittering in the warm library lights. They sent a shiver down the younger man's spine.

"Was it ever. Mama finally forced me to start showering again after I came in with blue lips. At least after, Lovino promised he would only scare me during summertime," Feliciano smiled when he remembered his brother getting chewed out, only to come up with that compromise. Back when those stories were the scariest thing in life and when they got too much, Lovino was always there to begrudgingly open his bed for the younger twin. Again, the corner of Ludwig's lip twitched upwards. He pulled a chair up to the front of his desk before moving to the other side and settling in to his regular spot. Feliciano took the hint and sat across the desk from the German.

"My eyes are tired," Ludwig said, stretching out his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Tell me more." The young Italian beamed. He had spent so many months keeping to himself and only talking when it was absolutely necessary, the idea of being able to tell someone about his family, who he loved and missed dearly, was all too exciting for him. They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting. Well, Feliciano did almost all the talking while Ludwig interjected with a nod or a question every now and again, hanging on to every word.

Things changed that day. Ludwig had mentioned to the younger man that he had broken his glasses a while ago so reading for long stints was beginning to agitate his eyes. Having Feliciano tell him about his past life worked well for them both since they now had a break from reading in the afternoons. The younger man's master plan had failed spectacularly but he wasn't upset at the outcome. Ludwig still only spoke in short sentences, commenting or asking questions about whatever tale Feliciano was currently telling. Yet, he was beginning to seem like less of a mystery. Feliciano had thought that the German's face almost never moved, but that wasn't the case. If you paid attention, the man was quite expressive in his own way and Feliciano was was quickly becoming an expert. Like when the Italian came bouncing out of the visitation room, over to where Ludwig was waiting for him, and told him that his appeal had been approved to go to court. To anyone else, it would've looked like Ludwig could not care less about what came out of the smaller man's mouth, but now Feliciano could spot it. The light in his eyes, his brow and lips just barely twitching upwards, his nostrils lightly flaring. That was the Ludwig equivalent of jumping up and down for joy.

As the autumn days got shorter and the cool nights got longer, Feliciano was feeling more content than ever inside the imposing concrete walls. There was always the underlaying fear which was amplified whenever paths were crossed with Alfred, Boris or even anyone from the group he used to sit still hadn't bothered him since his new protector was appointed and all the Italian could do was pray that it stayed like that. Although, there was one thing that found purchase in the very back of his mind and with each day it was wiggling further and further to the front.

Ludwig hadn't been in the yard since the two paired up. Feliciano knew why and every time he thought about it, he was hit with a wave of guilt. The man had been doing so much for him, the last thing he wanted to do was be any sort of hinderance. In fact, the more he thought about it, the most selfish he felt. Months ago, he would see Ludwig working out every day in the yard, there was no way that he didn't miss it. He wondered if the German would resent him for it. The thoughts continued to swirl as he watched his cellmate do his daily morning stretches. He wasn't planning on vocalizing anything, not right now at least, but he quickly changed his tune when Ludwig winced as he brought one of his arms back. Before the Italian had a moment to think of something a bit more tactful to say, he was on his feet and speaking.

"Why haven't you been working out?!" Feliciano stared, his brow furrowed. Maybe that's not exactly what he wanted to say but it was too late now and he was sticking to his guns. Ludwig stared back, a much less determined and more amused look on his face. He cocked an eyebrow as he spoke,

"To spend time with you," The tips of the Italian's ears gleaned red, yet he persisted.

"Well… I don't want to hold you back. You should do what you want," Ludwig nodded, fixing his uniform after the stretching had ruffled it.

"Will you join me?" Feliciano froze. Yeah, he really hadn't thought this far ahead.

"Isn't getting cold out?"

"Not when moving." Damn. He really backed himself into the corner. "After breakfast, we meet here." The German said, giving one last nod of confirmation.