The following morning came and Elian was sleeping on the blanket Alessio had brought for him the night before.
Even though it was just a thin prison-issue blanket that smelled faintly of industrial detergent, but after two nights on the hard floor, it felt like luxury. Elian had curled up on it the moment Alessio had turned off the lights, and exhaustion had pulled him under within minutes.
Now, something jolted him awake.
A sharp kick landed against his shin.
Elian gasped, his eyes flying open. Pain shot up his leg and he jerked his legs back instinctively, his brain scrambling to figure out what was happening.
Alessio stood over him, fully dressed in his prison uniform. Somehow, on him, the standard-issue clothing looked tailored. The shirt fit perfectly across his shoulders. The pants hung just right on his hips. Even his hair was neatly pushed back from his forehead.
He looked down at Elian with that familiar smirk playing on his lips.
"Good morning, *tesoro*," he said, his voice deceptively pleasant. "Sleep well?"
Elian blinked up at him, still half-asleep. His mouth felt dry. His body ached from sleeping on the floor despite the blanket. "What..."
"Get up. We have a busy day ahead." Alessio nudged Elian's leg again with his foot, lighter this time but still dismissive.
Elian pushed himself up on his elbows, squinting against the harsh light. The small clock on the desk read 6:15 AM.
"What are you talking about?" Elian's voice came out rough with sleep.
Alessio walked over to his bed and sat down, crossing one leg over the other, looking completely relaxed, like he had all the time in the world.
"Here is how today is going to work," he said, examining his nails casually. "You have five minutes to clean this room and the bathroom. Make sure everything is spotless."
He looked up, his eyes meeting Elian's. "Then you're going to follow me outside and do every single task that is required of me today."
Elian's stomach dropped. He sat up fully now, the blanket falling away. "Why?" Elian demanded sharply but Alessio's smile only widened.
"I've decided that since you enjoy being so defiant, you need more... structure. More work to keep you occupied. Maybe then you'd be too tired to be defiant."
Elian's jaw clenched. He could see exactly what this was- Alessio piling on more and more work, more exhaustion, more humiliation, until Elian had no choice but to break down and submit.
Trying to bury him under labor until he begged for mercy.
But Elian had been through worse. He had survived five different foster homes, each one finding new ways to make him feel small and worthless. He'd survived working three part-time jobs while going to school. He'd survived donating his kidney and the brutal recovery. He'd survived watching the man he loved fuck someone else.
He could survive this too.
He told him inwardly. Then, instead of protesting or showing fear, Elian sat up fully and stretched his arms above his head. He rolled his shoulders, working out the stiffness from sleeping on the floor. Then he allowed a sharp, defiant smile to spread on his face.
"Actually," he said, his voice gaining strength, "I was getting pretty bored sitting around in here anyway."
He lowered his arms and looked directly at Alessio. "Real work sounds good. Much better than sitting on my ass all day watching other people do everything while I do nothing."
He paused, letting that sink in. "You know, like some people."
The jab landed. Elian saw it in the way Alessio's fingers twitched against his knee. In the way his smile froze on his face for just a second. In the way his eyes went from amused to dangerously dark.
For a moment, the room was completely silent.
Then Alessio laughed. It was a dry, humorless sound that sent a shiver down Elian's spine.
"Oh, *tesoro*." Alessio stood up slowly, uncrossing his legs and rising to his full height. "I really do love a challenge."
He walked over to where Elian sat on the floor. Each step was deliberate, predatory. When he reached Elian, he crouched down so they were at eye level.
This close, Elian could see the flecks of gold in Alessio's dark eyes and he could smell his scent- like cinnamon mixed with sandalwood.
"Since you've decided to be so stubborn, I'm going to make you bleed."" Alessio said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Elian's breath caught.
"Mentally," Alessio added with a cold smile. "I'm going to break you down piece by piece until there's nothing left of that defiant little attitude."
He reached out and patted Elian's cheek-gentle, almost affectionate, but somehow more threatening than a slap would have been.
Then he stood up and walked back to his bed. "Now get up and clean. You're down to three minutes."
Elian's hands clenched into fists, but he got to his feet.
~~~~~~~~~
Twenty-three minutes later- Alessio had given Elian extra time when he had complained that five minutes wasn't enough to clean properly, though Alessio had made him pay for it by redoing the bathroom twice, Elian found himself walking through the prison corridors.
Three steps behind Alessio.
Alessio had made that very clear before they'd left the cell. "You walk behind me. Not beside me. Three steps back. Understand?"
Elian had wanted to argue, but the look in Alessio's eyes had stopped him.
So now he walked three steps behind, watching Alessio's back.
Alessio's hands were tucked casually into his pockets. His posture was perfect- shoulders back, spine straight, head held high. He didn't walk fast or slow, just a measured, confident stride that seemed completely out of place in a prison.
He moved like he was strolling through an art gallery, not a concrete building full of criminals.
The corridor they walked through was already busy despite the early hour. Other inmates were scattered around- some mopping floors, some carrying clean linens, some pushing carts loaded with cleaning supplies.
What happened next wasn't anything Elian ever imagined...