Word Count: 735

Listening To: Sweater Weather- The Neighborhood

Mathew felt like it was a competition. A swirling, horrid, never ending game played between him and his boyfriend's addiction.

He had grown used to it by now; waiting on the couch until some ungodly hour of the morning, clutching the phone between shaking hands. Then the front door would be thrown open, revealing Gilbert in his drunken state.

Mathew would then help him to the bedroom, demanding to know why he hadn't kept his promise from the day before.

Now, he sat huddled up on the sofa, a blanket wrapped tightly around his slender frame. The TV was turned on to some old late night game show, but Mathew couldn't bring himself to care. He checked the time on his phone, glaring at the white numbers on the top. 2:47

He wanted to scream, punch something, claim how it all wasn't fair. How the boy he had fallen in love with a century ago was not the same man today.

Mathew sniffed, pulling the blanket closer around him. Using the corner, he wiped under his eyes. He cursed himself when he pulled the fabric away and found it slightly damp. Gilbert wasn't worth his tears.

Around three, light filled the front window. It got closer, and he saw the outline of a truck coming up the driveway. Even from hear, Mathew could hear the beat of some song being blasted inside it.

A few shouts were exchanged in a foreign language, before the vehicle peeled away, leaving the house in darkness once more.

The front door clicked open. Mathew shrank under the blanket, waiting to see what kind of mess Gilbert had made of himself this time.

Heavy footsteps sounded through the house as Gilbert's boots pounded on the wooden floor. He rounded the corner slowly, using the edge of the wall to steady himself before flopping down in the chair opposite of Mathew.

"Hej." The albino slurred, his heavy German accent making his English harder to understand.

"You were supposed to be back by eleven."

Gilbert shrugged before responding. "Got distracted I guess."

Mathew resisted the urge to lash out against his boyfriend, his fingernails digging into his palm. He wanted to ask how some God damn club whose name blurred with the faceless occupants, was more important than him; than the constant in his life. More important than the person who loved him.

Mathew untangled himself from the warm blanket, flustered. He was sick of staying up worrying about Gilbert every night. His fingers dug deeper into his palm. "I'm tired of this, Gil. I think we should take a break. You need to get this… this habit of yours under control."

Gilbert just stared, his mouth forming a small o.

"I want you out of here by tomorrow night. I'm going to my brother's for the night." Mathew practically choked on the words. He refused to back down though, and he quickly scrambled to his room to pack a few things.

On a whim, Mathew grabbed the few hundred dollars he kept hidden in the corner of his dresser. He hated himself for it, but he didn't want to take chances.

Mathew paused when an old picture caught his eye. It was a few years old, and was set in a time before Gilbert had started this whole insane game.

He had taken Gilbert ice skating for the first time in his life. Mathew's arm was slung around Gilbert shoulder, preventing the other from falling on the ice. Gilbert had been pouting at having to be helped and Mathew was just laughing at his boyfriend's expression. He tore his eyes away, forcing himself back to reality.

Mathew swung the small duffel bag around his shoulders, shuffling out of his room.

He walked wordlessly in front of Gilbert, refusing to look at the albino. Mathew walked curtly down the short hallway before opening the front door and stepping outside into the snow. Mathew resisted the urge to slam the door, closing it behind him with a final click instead.

AN: This was so painful to write. I have little personal experience on how someone acts when they're drunk, so I went with what I read off of various websites. I hoped it went ok. Oh, and I apologize for all the angst lately. The next chapter should be really fluffy and sweet :D