It was odd for Ludwig to tell him to meet at their cell. Ever since that day, they were practically attached at the hip, to the point they even went to the bathroom at the same time. Regardless, Feliciano had already put his foot in his mouth enough for one day so he choice not to protest. Sure enough, after lunch they parted ways and the younger man returned to their cell. He hadn't really considered how different it would be with just him there but after just a minute or two, his mind was being invaded. This is the exact same as when the guard asked him to follow. And there it was. The pounding in his chest. The short breaths that are never enough. The sweat building under his golden brown locks.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there when a voice cut through the ringing that had taken over his hearing.

"Ready?" And suddenly, he was back on earth again. Ludwig was standing in the doorway and he was holding something behind his back. He must've noticed something was off with Feliciano as there was a look of concern on his face.

"You are feeling okay?" Pushing down whatever traces of anxiety was left, the younger man climbed out of bed. He gave a small, reassuring smile and nod. Ludwig hesitated, clearly seeing through Feliciano's ruse. After a moment, he came to a conclusion in his mind and returned the nod.

"Apologies, I needed something," that's when he moved the object to his front. It was a soccer ball. The younger man beamed at the sight, any negative feelings left were instantly washed away. Many of the stories he told were of his and Lovino's glory days on the field, they were all-stars in their high school. Lovino had continued to go down that path, playing for a well-respected college and Feliciano couldn't be more proud. As much as he loved the game, he decided not to follow his brother's footsteps, instead he found the most joy working in the cozy family restaurant. Even so, he could give Lovino a real run for his money. If he had any worries that his stories were going through one of Ludwig's ear and out the other, they were now completely dissolved.

After making their way out to the yard, they went over to a slightly less populated side. It was no where near as busy as it had been during summer, so it wasn't too difficult to find a spot near a wall that would serve as a makeshift goal post. Not to mention, whatever stragglers were left easily cleared away once they saw Ludwig. Once they had their own little nook, it was Feliciano's turn to stretch and as he did he asked,

"Are you prepared to get your butt handed to you on a silver platter?" To say he was fired up was an understatement. Ludwig gave him a look that, while lighthearted, definitely read 'you cannot be serious,' to which the little Italian laughed at.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you~" He followed up in a sing-song tone. "Now hurry up and get in goal." Ludwig rolled his eyes, but did as was told. Once they were in position, Feliciano took off gracefully dribbling the ball between his feet. Even if he was out of practice, the muscle memory was still there and this may had been the first moment after being locked up where he truly felt like himself. When he fired a shot, he was impressed with the other man's quick reflexes. Ludwig was large, but he was also surprisingly light on his feet and moved swiftly to block the shot. Still, it wasn't quite enough and there was a loud smack as the ball collided into the side of the building. Ludwig looked genuinely impressed at the young man's shot and received a cocky grin because of it.

"What? You didn't believe me?" He gave a quick wink before retrieving the ball and getting back into position. He sent out a few more shots, gaining more confidence in his footwork as the years of play flowed back into him. A few times the German got close, but he was unable to stop a single kick from the smaller man. Once Feliciano ceased the onslaught in order to catch his breath, they decided to switch positions. As they did, the Italian asked,

"Have you played much football?" The ball was resting at the German's feet and he softly started moving it around, nodding. Curious, Feliciano then asked while cocking his head to the side,

"Oh! For how long have you been playing?" This is the moment the younger man knew he had fucked up. Ludwig's movements got much more intricate and while Feliciano still had him beat with technical footwork, he was clearly no novice. The larger man pretending to think before answering,

"Hm… Since… Birth?" Now it was his turn to fire a shot. Feliciano gave no effort in trying to stop it, absolutely sure that the force sent through the ball would do some sort of damage to his internal organs. Instead, he stood fixed to his spot, mouth agape as he stared the other man down. The familiar sense of competition shook him but there was no way he could do anything against power like that. When the ball returned to Ludwig, sent back almost right to his feet from the force of it hitting the wall, Feliciano decided to switch things up. He sprang forwards, stealing the ball just as the German had begun to dribble.

"No fair! You just let me gloat like that?!" The younger man called behind his shoulder as he took off running with the ball. If he wasn't mistaken, he was sure he heard genuine laughter as he was being chased. Once he got close to the fence and his path was cut off, he spun on his heels and stared down the German who followed a couple paces behind. They locked eyes, both filled to the brim with determination and not willing to go easy on the other for a second. No matter how enchanting seeing the larger man's eyes glittering with excitement was, Feliciano was focused on winning. After staring each other down for a long while, the Italian made his move. He lunged forwards, effortlessly moving the ball between his feet but Ludwig was prepared. He was spread wide and ready to intercept any direction Feliciano thought about headed. The Italian faked once, then twice. The other man's defence was good, but he left a small opening which Feliciano took full advantage of. As he moved to get passed him, Ludwig quickly redirected his course to try and stop him. Unfortunately, the German was a few years out of practice and instead of stealing the ball back, he collided with the smaller man. The motion Feliciano was carrying with him meant that when they crashed they were both sent flying. Instinctively, Ludwig wrapped his arms around the little Italian and shielded him from impact so it was just the larger man hitting the ground. Dirt and pebbles flew as they landed, the pair both winded by the incident and were struggling to catch their breath. Feliciano spoke up, still secure in Ludwig's strong, protective arms.

"If you wanted to win that bad, ya coulda just told me." That's when the most beautiful sound the little Italian had ever heard rang out. It infiltrated every pore and the sweet sound radiated through him, making him feel as though he was in heaven. Ludwig was laughing. Not chuckling, not letting out some small noise of amusement, he was laughing. Feliciano squirmed so that Ludwig's grip would loosen, despite feeling the bass and movement in the German's chest, he had to see this for himself. Ludwig laid with his arms now stretched out on either side of him, eyes closed, bellowing out a hardy laugh. Feliciano couldn't move, totally captivated by the man laying beneath him. Eventually, the laughter died down and Ludwig opened his eyes, meeting Feliciano's own with a massive grin still spread over his lips. Once their eyes locked, it felt different than it ever had before. What was this electricity that was bouncing between them? It was hot, cold, sharp, soft, familiar and strange all rolled into one and breaking it seemed like an impossible option.

That's when the lunch bell rang out and suddenly, it was over. Feliciano realized, with much embarrassment, that he was still laying on top of his cellmate. Now scrambling, he got to his feet as quick as possible with a cherry red face. Shortly after, Ludwig followed, scooping up the ball before the pair headed inside.

After having their little soccer match, Feliciano was beat. Even before he came to prison, he was so filled with nerves and anxiety over his case that it was hard to focus on anything else so it had taken a backseat. There was a time where he could play all day, only coming inside when it was too dark to see his feet. Now he was exhausted after only a couple hours. For this reason, the pair decided is was best they rest up in the library the rest of the afternoon and they could skip Feliciano's stories from home. Although, Ludwig did decide it was enough of an occasion to whip out some more hot chocolate, to which the younger man was drinking with enthusiasm. He was curled up, snuggly in his favourite chair with the newest recommendation secured in his lap. The days events ran through his head, he wanted to keep every detail perfect in his memory. Originally he had expected not to want to hold onto anything from his time here, that once he was out he could chalk all the memories up to a bad dream. He never thought there would've been someone who could change that. Someone who…

He stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks. What was Ludwig to him? Certainly, he was fond of the man. He wasn't much of a conversationist, but to be honest Feliciano appreciated that about him. Although he typically got along with most people, the younger man had been told on numerous occasions that he talked far too much. Somehow, he didn't think that would ever be an issue for the German. He had been unsure if Ludwig had really been listening to anything he had told him or if he was letting Feliciano get whatever he needed out of his system. Honestly, he really wouldn't have minded if the latter was the case. Though, knowing that his words weren't falling on deaf ears was comforting and the thought sent soft fluttering through his chest. He caught himself smiling and took a quick sip of coco to hide it.

There was no way he could be feeling like this. It didn't make any sense. He would be lying to himself if he said that the only reason this was happening was because he felt safe when he was around the German and it was all due to the protection that had been provided. No, the strange reactions in his body upon simply seeing Ludwig started far before that. Of course he had crushes in the past, everyone did. Even had a couple girlfriends, back in high school. It's not that he had been avoiding a relationship after graduation but there was no one he really had a connection with. Hook-ups were easy enough for when his hand got boring and that was fine with him. He always just figured that when he met the right girl, he would just know. Then again… Would he? His previous girlfriends were always just childish fascinations. Sure, he would tell them that he loved them, he thought he did, but he was never really sure that he meant it. What he was feeling now…

He shook his head. No. Absolutely not. This was a man. A huge, hulking man who struck fear into those around him. Even when he got lost in a porn binge and watched things that he would never repeat to another human, it was never the guys he was there for. Not too mention… There was something about Ludwig that he chose to avoid thinking about whenever it came up in his mind. The reason that Ludwig was here in the first place. He killed someone. In front of the man's poor family. Just because Feliciano was on his good side, didn't mean there wasn't also a bad side to him, one darker than the younger man could've ever imagined. Then again, he had heard it from Alfred first and the German merely confirmed it. He hadn't actually heard Ludwig's side of what happened, but why would he confirm such a horrible story if it wasn't the truth? Still, he believed there was a stronger sense of justice in the man's heart than to do something so ruthless for no good reason.

This was getting him nowhere. Discarding his previous train of thought entirely, he finally cracked open the book on his lap, his coco long since gone cold.

Before he knew it, it was winter. The pair had gone out a few more times to kick the ball around, although it was nowhere near as eventful as the first time. Now it was getting to the point that Feliciano's fingers were stiff and his nose runny, even after trying to keep himself warm with movement. The snow would be arriving soon. And the holidays, possibly sooner. The prison had a few decorations already strewn about, but they did nothing to inspire holiday cheer. Especially compared to the winter wonderland his mama would transform the house into every year. The faster Christmas approached, the faster he would have to face the grim reality of spending it alone for the very first time. Normally, this was his favourite time of the year. The laughing, the drinking, the food, the friends, his family. A culmination of everything he missed about the outside world.

There was also a question that had been sticking out to him. The question of Ludwig's crime. He tried to go back to forgetting about it, but the seal was broken and he needed to know. It wasn't an easy topic to bring up, yet these feelings were as strong as ever and he knew that as long as he still had this question on his mind, he would never be able to figure them out.

He was sure Ludwig had noticed his dampened mood and hadn't said anything. His family caught onto it almost immediately during last visitation. The big day was now less than a week away and he would have to wait an extra week to see his family again, since the staff was low around the holidays they cut out that week's visitation day. He had his head buried in his arms, which rested on the table in front of him, and pouted. Honestly, he wanted to cry but didn't want to disturb his cellmate, who was quietly working at the library desk. It was afternoon and Feliciano had been unable to bring himself to go along with their usual routine. The closer he got to the day, the more tired he felt.

After the smaller man's 15th sigh of the day, Ludwig got up. Lost in his own world, Feliciano didn't even notice him leave and then come back. Not until the German was pulling up a seat next to him, did he notice. He turned his head to face him, lacking the energy to actually sit up.

"I am sorry that you cannot be with your family," the German said softly. Finally, Feliciano lifted himself from the table, feeling foolish. Ludwig was also here, without his family, and had been for much longer. He was about to reply when the larger man held out his hand. It was chocolate. It wasn't one of the cheap ones that you could get from commissary either, it was real, good, mouthwatering chocolate that even on the outside would be out of his price range. He gasped before asking,

"For me? How?" The larger man nodded and placed it on the table in front of the previously sulking Italian.

"There are ways," that was good enough for Feliciano, who immediately scooped up the bar and dove in happily.

"Funny," he said, making sure to savour every single bite, "I never would've taken you as having such a sweet tooth." Ludwig shrugged as he replied,

"I don't." Butterflies. Right on queue. The younger man stopped eating. The question, again pricking his mind. Although there was still no way he could ask, he figured now might be a good time to bring up another topic.

"Do you… Ever miss your family?" Feliciano wanted to look and see the other man's reaction but his eyes remained glued to the chocolate.

"Very much," the answer came much quicker than expected and caught him off guard. His head snapped towards Ludwig,

"But then wh-" He blurted out, managing to stop himself. The German stared off into the distance, traces of pain and longing lingered on his face.

"No, they do not visit." Even if the words got cut off, Ludwig answered the question. This time, Feliciano thought long and hard before he asked his next question,

"Why?" Ludwig was quiet. The younger man continued to watch him, hoping he could pick up on any hints that the other man's face may give. Yet, there was nothing. That was, until Ludwig finally turned to meet his eyes.

"It is only me now," he gave a small, reassuring smile. Feliciano saw right through it, to the heartache that Ludwig was trying to hide. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, wrapping his arms around the other man's broad shoulders, squeezing tight. It cut him deeply to see the pain in Ludwig's face and he knew it was nothing compared to the way that the other felt.

"No. I'm here too," his voice was muffled as he had his face buried in the embrace. He felt large arms gently return the hug.

"Yes. You are," Ludwig whispered, so quiet it was barely audible. They stayed like that for a long while, taking in each other's heat. Once Feliciano was satisfied, he pulled away and returned to his chair.

"Sorry… That I've been being a pouty brat," the little Italian said, beginning to fiddle with the chocolate wrapper, "I'm not the only one who is going through shit." He then felt a heavy pressure on the top of his head and turned back to face the smiling blond man. Ludwig had placed on of his massive paws on the other's head.

"There is no need to be sorry," he ruffled the curly, auburn locks before standing and removing hand. "Now finish your chocolate."