"Matthew, mon cher, je suis désolé, vraiment désolé," Francis pleaded dreadfully, letting his native tongue slip.

"Non! I can't do this. I can't keep letting myself get hurt repeatedly. I want to heal. I want to stop the cutting and this is the only way I can think of," Matthew answered with confidence.

There was another period of stillness between the two that seemed to last an eternity. The only sound you could hear in the room was Francis training his mind to tame to frantic breath, to give himself something to do to numb the heartache. It had a small effect, considering just how much concentration it took to even out the heavy breathing. The too tranquil tension in the air bothered Matthew immensely. Long periods of silence reminded him of all the times he himself spent in isolation, away from everyone else. That was before the light shone in his world; before Francis came into his life. Matthew realized that without him, he'd probably be in an even worse situation then they were. Or if things were really bad, he might not have actually been alive. Just the thought brought forth a sudden wave of great terror. Despite all he had done to emotionally torture him, Francis was held preciously to much gratitude in Matthew's eyes.

"Francis, you know I love you, but I'm having trouble knowing the same from you," Matthew stated with a "matter of fact" sort of fashion.

"I understand that, but- ," Francis interrupted.

"You didn't let me finish," Matthew paused.

"Though this might leave me regretting things in the end, I am willing to give you one more chance. My faith in you has been weakened over time, but I am ready to reinvest that trust and rebuild this relationship. That is, if you can prove yourself to be worthy of another go," he challenged.

Francis, blinded by the joy of an additional chance, hurriedly agreed, shaking his head.

"Oui, Matthew! I will, I will! Thank you so much. I love you. Je t'aime, mon amour, je t'aime," Francis proclaimed his love again, turning over to place multiple chaste kisses to Matthew's cheeks, forehead, and lips.

"I better not want to go back on my word, Francis. I really am hoping this works out. Remember, this is your last chance. This means no other guys, no other girls, no other flirtatious words for another person besides me, got it?", Matthew confirmed, letting his hidden possessiveness leak into his tone and words.

"Yes, I get it,"

"Good…,"Matthew trailed off, yawning from exhaustion.

"Get some sleep, it's been a long day. You can wait until tomorrow to wash up and take a shower. Good night…Oh, and Matthew?"

There was a lazy hum in reply.

"I love you," Francis waited for even the slightest response, and when it didn't come, he was honestly a bit hurt. Until he heard soft, tired snores coming from Matthew. It was enough to make him smile.

As much as he pushed himself to, Francis could not find sleep. His thoughts ran through his mind, distracting it from finding a dream world to fall into. It abruptly occurred to him that not even an hour ago, he could've lost the love of his life. Matthew, his own sweet, adorable boyfriend could've been gone from him forever. He could've been in the arms of another. Perhaps Gilbert, he's had his eyes on him for a while, and the two were already really close friends. He continued to dwell on the 'what if's for a while longer until sleep eventually took him, lulling him into a dream where his boyfriend really was gone and with his best friend Gilbert.

XXX

Francis woke up with a start, covered in cold sweat. Beside him was Matthew, looking as perfect as ever, with an expression of apprehension adorning his angel-like face.

"Francis, are you okay? By the time I awoke, you were tossing and turning, sweating buckets, and screaming my name,"

The older man wore a helpless look before throwing himself onto the other.

"Matthew, mon Dieu, I thought I lost you!", he buried his head into said male's shoulder as he clung to him with a grip so strong, Matthew had to pound on his shoulder to release him before he ran out of breath.

"Francis, Francis! Calm down, I'm right here. Now will you tell me what happened, please?"

Francis took a minute to regain his breath, its pace quickened from the terror of a life without Matthew. Once he was able to do so, he explained, "Well, after you fell asleep last night, I began to ponder how different life would be if you hadn't given me a second chance and really left. Since I went to bed with that thought, I dreamt a dream where that was reality.

I was brought back to when I asked you out. Only, in the dream you rejected me. I was heartbroken, but I was able to ask why. You said that you'd rather go out with Gilbert, and that I was just a pedophilic rapist," Francis stopped after his voice cracked. That was one of the biggest and only things Francis really took to heart. He hated it when people called him that, just because Matthew was a few years younger than himself.

"I was forced out of your life after that, despite all the years we'd spent as friends. As much as it hurt me, I followed you and Gil everywhere just to see you again. Without you guys knowing, I came along on your trip to Disney World and rode every ride you guys did, always staying out of sight. I felt like a hardcore stalker, but at least it gave me the chance to see you without getting yelled at or something," Francis gave a dry laugh, as if to mock his pathetic dream self's actions.

"It continued like that for a long while, me going where you guys did, just in the shadows. I never got noticed, not once. But there was one time, you were sitting at home reading your novel on the sofa, curled up in a blanket just like usual. Gil was drinking beer in the kitchen, seemingly really angry from whatever shit happened at work. I watched afar from the window, just enjoying your changing expressions as you read on. But suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from where Gilbert was. Sharp shards of a broken beer mug flew. You twisted around, to check up on him, only to be pulled up by the hair by an enraged Gilbert.

My eyes widened in shock as I let a gasp slip from my mouth. I had to be a bystander and just witness what abuse your drunk off his ass boyfriend laid on you. He threw punches and landed kicks on your fragile body and I just watched it happen. I could hear insults I knew struck you hard from the open window and I did absolutely nothing. It was one of the most difficult choices to make, but I was able to build up my valor and burst through the door to come to your rescue.

I was all ready to fight Gilbert back, even with our friendship at risk. However, me showing up did nothing to help. Instead, it made things even worse when he accused you of being a dirty, cheating slut. I saw the tears well up in your eyes as you shouted at him to stop. But, I once again just stood there, frozen in fear. He threw you to the ground, knocking you out cold, He didn't stop there though. Nope, he kept up the cruelty. Gilbert climbed on you and straddled your hips, punching at your face, still blinded by fury. I think that was when I started screaming your name. I was completely terrified," Francis concluded, the smallest of tears slipping off his face.

Matthew was shocked at the degree of fear Francis was struck with from the nightmare, and could only bring himself to hug him, even if their relationship wasn't in the best condition. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'This reaction should only mean he cares about me more than I'd assumed. Maybe there still is some hope for us left,'

And in that moment, both men felt safe for once in each other's arms.

XXX

AH! I'm finally done! I did it. I'm pretty proud. I was able to write 1,397 words in about five hours. It's a new accomplishment for me! I hope you enjoyed this one. I haven't edited it, so there might be some mistakes. If there are just review or PM or something. Thanks for reading!

Translations:

Matthew, mon cher, je suis désolé, vraiment désolé. = Matthew, my dear, I'm sorry, so very sorry.

Non! = No!

Oui, Matthew! = Yes, Matthew!

Je t'aime, mon amour, je t'aime. = I love you, my love, I love you.

Mon Dieu. = My God.

I think that's it. Thanks again!