Shades of Innocence (A GerIta FanFic)

Chapter 8

"Sì...but I'm scared of most things." Feliciano admitted softly with a bashful smile. "But I mean you're not the scariest looking guy in here." he said pointedly, scanning the vast open space he indicated the many examples of this, the large, grizzly inmates glaring over at them. "You're not the tallest or the biggest."

The German followed his gaze, and when their eyes met again he smirked. "Looks can be deceiving." he said simply, running a hand through the short hair at the back of his neck. "Nein, I think stories about my crime have been greatly exaggerated around here, und that's why everyone steps round me like I'm some kind of diseased pigeon." he muttered with a shrug of the shoulders.

"In what way are they exaggerated?" the Italian asked, crossing his legs he shuffled back against the tree so his bottom was just sitting on the tiny patch of grass that burst through the tarmac. "I mean other people in here must be...murderers, too."

The Italian winced slightly, hoping he hadn't offended the German. Thankfully Ludwig appeared unaffected by the 'M' word. "I have doubts whether there are many in here." he alleged.

"You do?"

"Ja...you know I'm actually rather fortunate in that this was the prison I ended up in." the German nodded up towards the large, towering prison confines that loomed over them from a distance. "It's not a maximum security prison, those are the ones where you're most likely to get killed."

The Italian blinked slowly. "Really?"

Ludwig nodded. "I only ended up being sent here because every other prison for miles was so over crowded that there was no room for me in any of them." he said with almost an air of relief. "Those places are the ones where guys like me usually end up, it's there where you find all the drugs, rape und abuse, und at least one inmate is killed every day in those kind of prisons."

"...and that stuff doesn't go on around here?" Feliciano asked with a slight note of confusion, thinking back to the sex auction on his second day with a shudder.

"Oh there are rape und drugs sure." Ludwig said casually and Feliciano cringed slightly. "But murder is rare...most of the guys in here are total pussies anyway, total pussies with ridiculous tattoos und no hair...they think they're so hard just because they committed petty crimes but they'd probably wilt if I so much as looked at them." he said with slight sneer in his voice.

Feliciano smiled slightly. "So that's why you're the toughest guy in here?"

Ludwig glanced at the Italian, he almost look flattered. "Pretty much, although if it were any other prison I'd probably be in trouble." he said softly, biting the inside of his cheek. "...killing one man is nothing compared to what some guys in places like that have done, as far as prison goes though this place is alright." he muttered, nodding again to the building ahead of them. "There's more freedom here then in a lot of other prisons."

Feliciano stared at him, momentarily at a slight loss for words. "...that's a strange word to use to describe a prison." he murmured softly, shivering slightly as the wind picked up suddenly in the courtyard and breezed across them, chilling him through his thin clothing.

Ludwig's eyebrow ascended slightly at the involuntary tremor. "Well a newbie like you just hasn't gotten used to the confinements of prison life." he explained briefly, and Feliciano could have sworn the German had just inched closer to him, as he could now feel Ludwig's broad shoulder just grazing against his own. "It could be a hell of a lot worse." the blond continued. "How long are you in here for anyway?" he asked.

Feliciano leant into the warmth now pressing against him. "Two years." he said with a soft sigh.

"What did you do?" the German asked interestedly.