Author Note: Rewritten.
Matt awoke to a knocking noise. His eyes fluttered open slowly. In a daze he gazed around the room. The room that he didn't recognize. For a minute he almost had a panic attack. However, it dawned on him that he had actually fallen asleep at Siofra's. He glanced around the room until his eyes fell onto the little panda clock near her bed. It read seven and his eyes shot to the window. It was true. The sun had already gave away to night. He pulled off his goggles as he rubbed his eyes. The knocking persisted as he finally let out a sigh.
"Yeah?" He cast his gaze towards the door.
"Will you stay for dinner, Matt?" Mrs. Mallon's voice was soft and gentle.
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, he felt nervous. He pulled his goggles back down over his eyes.
"Yeah." He choked out. And he found his voice was quivering slightly.
She sounded relieved. "Good! Then dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I'll bring it up to you, okay?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Mallon." He called so abruptly that it startled him.
He heard a soft giggle from the woman and then her faint footsteps as she moved away from the door. Matt let out a sigh as he turned his attention towards the girl beside him. She stared directly at him and he almost made him scream. What had gotten into him?
She gave a drowsy smile, stretching her arms out. "Good morning."
"Morning?" He scoffed. "It's passed night." He motioned towards the window.
She shrugged as she sat up. "But it was a good nap, ya' know."
He nodded with a half grin. "I guess. Your mom's bringing our dinner up soon."
She shot up with a excited grin. "Oh yeah! You'll get to eat some traditional Irish food."
This made him nervous.
A knock at the door caused Siofra to fling herself out of bed and swing the door open. Mrs. Mallon stood with a smile and a bowl in each hand.
"Careful, dear. It's hot." She murmured as Siofra took one of the bowls and shuffled over to Matt. She held it out to him with a proud grin. It was as if she was begging to be praised about her land's cuisine. He took it with a thankful nod. Mrs. Mallon handed the second bowl to her enthusiastic daughter.
"Did you both sleep well?" Mrs. Mallon asked, and Matt swallowed hard.
She knew that he slept in the same bed with her daughter. He could see his life flash before his eyes.
"Yeah." Siofra answered, and didn't seem fazed by the question.
"I'm glad. I would have woke you up, but you two looked so peaceful, that I didn't have the heart to do it." She smiled.
"I would have been a monster if you had." Siofra pouted.
Her mother laughed, and motioned to the food. "Enjoy, you two."
With a bright smile, she closed the door.
"So… What is this?" Matt quirked a brow as he stared at the bowl of odd soup. He could identify the potato bits and carrots, but the type of meat eluded him.
The grin looked permanent on her face. "Irish Stew." He fought the urge to roll his eyes. She pointed with her spoon. "The meat is lamb. There you have carrots, potatoes, onions, and parsley."
Matt furrowed his brows, "Lamb, huh…"
"Just try it. If you don't like it then I can get dad to whip you up a Japanese dish. He'd be happy to." She spoke as she took a spoonful of soup and popped it into her mouth. The gesture was followed with a 'mmm' noise.
He took a deep breath and scooped some of the odd soup up. Slowly, he slid the spoon into his mouth. Abruptly, his brows rose in surprise. "It's good." He said through a mouthful. "Really, really good."
It was like a pat on the head to her. She gleamed with pure delight. "I'm so glad." She grinned. A small knock on the door caused them to look up from their bowls.
"I've brought you some drinks." Mrs. Mallon purred.
Siofra sprung off the bed and hurried towards the door. Matt had to hold onto both the bowls in order to avoid spilling the warm liquid onto the bed. She eagerly swung open the door. "He said he likes it!"
Mrs. Mallon raised her brows. "Oh really?" She directed her gaze to Matt.
"Yeah. It's really good, Mrs. Mallon." A grin fell onto his lips.
"Good." She chimed before handing her daughter a tray with two mugs on it.
Siofra quirked a brow.
"Your farther said it'd be impolite not to have something Japanese for him. This is the only thing I had on hand. I know you enjoy a swig of it now and then. I hope you don't mind, Matt." She glanced passed her daughter to the man sitting cross-legged on the bed.
He shook his head. "Anything's fine."
"Amazake?" Siofra furrowed her brows. "But this has alcohol in it."
"It's low in alcohol. Don't worry, dear. You handled it well and I'm sure Matt can too." She smiled before abruptly closing the door. Siofra placed the tray in between them on the bed.
She climbed back into her spot. "Do you like Amazake?"
He nodded. "I've tried it once or twice. It's all right."
Taking the mug into her hands, she took a slow sip. "Thanks for coming today." Her voice was quiet. She peered from behind the mug. "I had a lot of fun." It was a side he hadn't seen yet. An introverted part of her.
It was cute.
"I'm glad we decided to stay in instead of going to Shibuya." He admitted.
There was a silence as the two finished their dinner. Once complete, Siofra gathered the dishes onto the tray and headed for the door. Pursing his lips, Matt hopped off the bed and snatched the tray from his little companion.
"I'll do it." He tossed a grin over his shoulder. "I need to thank your mom properly." He spoke as he held the tray in his right hand, and opened the door with his left.
However, Mrs. Mallon stood patiently on the other side of the door, startling them both. She took the tray from Matt with a giggle and disappeared down the stairs. Matt and Siofra exchanged a glance that told them both they were thinking the same thing; was she eavesdropping? Shrugging his shoulders, Matt shut the door and plopped back down on the bed. Siofra crawled over next to him and sprawled out.
"I'm full." She rubbed her stomach in an exaggerated gesture. Matt's lips curved into a crooked grin as he reclined beside her.
"Hey, Matt?" She sat up with a questioning look present in her eyes.
He raised a curious brow. "Yeah?"
"I know it's a fashion statement. But do you ever take off your goggles?" She reached out and poked one of the lenses.
He gave a shrug and moved to prop himself up with his elbows. "You can take them off, if you want." Another shrug.
She seemed reluctant at first, but very gently removed the goggles to hang down around his neck. It was the first time she could gather a clear look at his entire face. The girl was stunned silent by the color of his eyes. They were such an amazing color of blue and captivated her attention. As he tilted his head, his bangs fell into his line of vision. He gave her an inquiring look.
The quick beating of her heart. She could hear it in her ears. It pulsed violently. She felt her face growing warmer. His intense gaze had her frozen in place. This feeling that began to swirl in the pit of her stomach, it was overwhelming. Her mouth spoke before her mind could stop it.
"We'll always be friends, right?"
There was something in his eyes. Something that flashed when she uttered the question. Like a little spark of light. But it vanished. He reached for his goggles before answering. Her hand shot out, stopping his. She needed to see his eyes. Needed to know he wasn't lying. His lips formed a firm thin line. She waited and watched. Watched his eyes with amazing concentration.
"Yes." And his eyes didn't lie.
But underneath it, in the very core of his blue eyes, she saw something else. Was it sadness? Was it regret? It seemed to fall into those desperate categories. Siofra released his hand and allowed him to place his goggles back on once more.
He moved to sit straight up. "Don't worry about it." He looked passed her, looked at something else.
"All right." The word left her lips with a sigh.
His half-grin returned to his lips as he ruffled up her hair and climbed off the bed. "I better head back," He cast a look over her shoulder. She slid off the bed and accompanied him downstairs. Her parents seemed to be absent from the scene.
"I had fun. Shall we meet again tomorrow?" He inquired.
She gave a silent nod before very softly punching him in the arm.
He rubbed the spot as a pout played on his lips. "What was that for?"
"I didn't know if I should hug you or not." Her voice was amazingly honest.
He furrowed his brows, "That's a weird thing to say."
She tilted her head as he reached out towards her, curving his index finger and thumb to create an 'o', and then abruptly flicked her in the middle of the forehead. She let out a gasp of surprise before attempting to retaliate with a kick to the shin.
But Matt was already out the door with a cheeky grin.
