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Chapter 7
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Matthew, much to both Alfred and Ivan's pleasure, appears to be just the sort of person capable in living in the middle of such an odd situation. Not only is he well aware of Alfred's ability and has no qualm over Ivan's presence, he is completely indifferent towards anything the two may do as long he doesn't become tangled in anything not concerning himself.
All in all, other than the likelihood of a pair of overbearing parental figures calling on them more than a few times per week, the cousins are able to live side by side peacefully, and all fears of otherwise are diminished after a few weeks or so of a calmly run household.
"I am quite happy with everything as they are now," Ivan comments one evening in the kitchen
Alfred hums in agreement while sitting on top of a counter, munching on a pre-dinner snack and kicking his legs back and forth. Ivan takes a moment to place both of his hands on the each one of the other's knees, ceasing Alfred's movements for a short time. He immediately takes advantage of the situation and nudges Alfred's legs further apart so he may slip in between and wrap his arms around his waist.
Alfred quickly swallows the food in his mouth and tips his head down to capture Ivan's lips in a chaste kiss. Before he pulls away, Ivan tightens his hold on Alfred and keeps their lips locked. Alfred smiles into the action and wraps his own arms around Ivan's body, anticipating where all this will lead to.
Regrettably, their little affair is interrupted with Matthew walking into the room, feeling a bit famished and in need of food. The other male instantly pauses at the sight of his cousin sitting on one of the counters, his legs spread slightly and his lips puckered.
"Are you having a gay moment with your ghost?" he asks. "'Cause I can come back."
Alfred's eyes snap to Matthew while he bats Ivan away so he is able to climb down from the countertop. Once his feet the floor, he straightens himself out and gives his cousin a sheepish smile and laugh, both of which are only shrugged off as Matthew moves for the refrigerator.
"Don't stop on my account," Matthew continues while rummaging through the appliance. "I mean, I'd appreciate you guys not doing anything on the counter since I make my food on there, but other than that, go crazy."
"It's a little weird hearing my cousin tell me that," says Alfred.
"It's a little weird walking in on my cousin make out with a ghost."
Alfred laughs boisterously and falls back against Ivan, who in turn catches him and presses his hands against the other's hips. Matthew finishes with his food search in time to be a witness to half of this.
"Y'know when my dad told me that you were gonna be with someone by the time I moved in with you," he begins, "I didn't really expect something like this."
"Uncle Frannie knows about this?"
Matthew gives him a simple shrug before elaborating into a greater explanation. "I'm pretty sure he saw that you'd be with someone, but I don't think he thought it was gonna be a ghost either."
"That explains all that stuff he was asking me about when you moved in…" Alfred muses on the thought for a short while, or at least until he spots the items Matthew carries to a countertop opposite of the one he had sat upon. "You making dinner?"
"I refuse to eat anything you make," comes the reply, to which Alfred mocks hurt.
"Say whatever you want, but my pizza sandwiches are bomb."
"I'm sure that's how everyone treats them," Matthew teases and continues his dinner preparations. "Have you eaten?"
"I've been snacking."
"Guess I'll make extra."
"Aw, Mattie, love you too." It was meant to be sincere, but with the way Ivan's fingers trek along his hip bone, he ends the statement with a curt laugh brought on by being tickled through thin flannel bottoms. Because of this, Matthew took it to be a sarcastic little comment.
"You're such a jerk," Matthew mutters.
"I mean it!"
"If you really meant it, you'd let me fall asleep first at night." Matthew turns to face him and asks quite seriously, "I mean, exactly how far can you get with a ghost?"
Color instantly rises high onto Alfred's cheeks as he snaps his head in another direction indignantly. "I refuse to answer that."
"That far, huh?"
"Shut up."
The subject closes with Matthew laughing at Alfred's clear embarrassment, and is forced to dodge practically every food item he's dragged out from the fridge for doing so.
The entirety of the Spring season passes in the same manner for Alfred. Each day is filled with a lazy sort of sequence of going back and forth from classes and work, ending with returning home, and occasionally going out for a night with friends. Because of the reputation both Alfred and Ivan have given the house, no one other than Arthur and Francis bothers to visit, though after Matthew's initial move in, those steadily decline to every other week or so.
Which doesn't seem to bother either cousin, as now Matthew is given more free time to perfect his studies and Alfred is given more leisurely time to lounge about with Ivan.
It's not even until July approaches, as well as their nineteenth birthdays, that there's any change to this routine.
With Matthew's birthday only three days before Alfred's, the two find no reason to have a combined celebration, twice. Matthew's birthday will be a celebration for the two with family, and Alfred's birthday will be a celebration with friends. Seems logical enough and neither one has any complaints. Other than the small idiotic ones that take forever to settle, like as to where the best purchase for a cake can be made.
"I passed by this new bakery on my way to work," Matthew tells his cousin. "We should give a try. They probably make those kind of cakes you like to watch the Food Network for."
The two discuss this issue in the living room, with Matthew sitting on the arm chair with his dog in his lap and Alfred taking up the entire sofa by lounging across it with Ivan sitting behind him, acting as a cushion between his head and the arm rest.
"But you have to go through that whole ordering thing," Alfred replies. "Isn't it just easier to get a cake from the store?"
"You still have to order what you want on it anyway."
"Not if you just get one that already says 'Happy Birthday!'."
"And miss having your name written out in food colored piping?"
Alfred's eyes widen slightly at the missed notion. "That's right, I forgot about my name on the cake."
"We won," Matthew tells a large white dog sitting on his lap. The animal peers up at Matthew in return and keeps a steady stare on him until Matthew sighs and pets his head. "I'm Matthew, I'm the one that can talk to you."
"I still think it's so weird that you can do that," Alfred comments.
"I don't see Arthur making out with his faeries."
"Well, you wouldn't, he's more proper than me."
Matthew breaks out into a fit of laughter, soon joined by Alfred and from then on they go on to discussing the final touches of what their cake should look like to the filling and everything in between. Matthew's the one that goes about doing the ordering and even goes all the way as to be the one to pick it up the day of their familial celebration, leaving Alfred to await Francis' and Arthur's arrival.
Which is announced clearly by Arthur's raised voice.
"This sounds as though it should be fun," Ivan says to Alfred before he makes his way to interfere in whatever petty argument they've caught themselves into now.
"Fun for you," Alfred retorts and crosses for the front door. "You can get away with just standing there looking gorgeous, I have to deal with them fighting all day."
Ivan catches Alfred's free hand as he passes him by and pulls him close to himself. He quickly wraps his other arm around Alfred's waist to keep him in place and lowers his head down to nuzzle at Alfred's neck.
"You are looking quite ravishing yourself," he mutters against Alfred's skin. He smiles at the small shudder that passes through Alfred's frame and goes on to say, "Take a small bit of pleasure in knowing that."
Alfred pushes away from him, flushed and feeling completely overly sensitive. Ivan only laughs at the half-hearted glare Alfred shoots at him while he tries to compose himself before answering the door. Once he's certain he looks normal, he opens the door to greet the arguing twosome with one of his trademark grins.
Unfortunately, Alfred isn't as collected as he figured himself to be, as the color still ever so present is what causes the heated argument between the two older men to come to an end.
"Alfred, are you well?" Arthur asks. "You look a bit feverish."
Alfred falters right away at the question and flushes an even deeper red. He makes the regrettable mistake of taking a glance in Francis' direction, and upon seeing an all-knowing smug of a smile directed straight at him, stutters some excuse or other before allowing them entrance. Luckily for Alfred, Matthew returns not ten minutes later.
It appears as though with the casual conversation that goes on after the short bit of celebratory congratulations the day would progress in a pleasant manner. At least until Alfred shoves a portion of his cake slice into Matthew's face which causes a small food fight between them that both Arthur and Francis need to take under control. Even though in the end, Francis "accidentally" smashes a bit of frosting into Arthur's eyebrows, and when that occurs, all hell breaks loose.
After the fiasco is broken apart by the youngest pair and everything is cleaned and put back in proper order, Arthur hands over two wrapped up boxes that he had put the side after first coming into the home. Alfred immediately tears into the gift, lifts the top of the box off, and furrows his brow in confusion as he unfolds a large quilt.
"You bought us blankets?" he asks.
"It's a quilt," Arthur corrects. "Forgive me for being kind enough to give a homemade gift."
"You started to make quilts?" Alfred continues to question. "What, did you turn into an old lady when I left? Did you get a cat? 'Cause that's not fair."
"How is that not fair?" Matthew asks him while unwrapping his own gift at a more respectable pace.
"'Cause I went years with wanting a cat and he kept saying no."
"I'll have you all know that quilting is an excellent form of relaxation," Arthur says. "And the byproduct of such an activity leaves a very practical article."
Alfred gives him a few short blinks before plainly stating, "You need to get out more."
Francis cannot hold back a slip of laughter from escaping the back of his throat while he even goes as far as to applaud Alfred's proclamation.
"You've taken the words right from my mouth," he tells the teen. "Really, Arthur, if I may offer some advice-"
"You can take your advice and shove-"
"I think they're wonderful!" Matthew interrupts happily, instantly cutting off a soon to be verbal turned physical dispute. "Thank you, Arthur."
The compliment settles Arthur's tantrum a great deal, though a frown is still plastered across his face as he says, "Your quite welcome, Matthew. I'm glad to see at least one of you grew up to be appreciative."
"You're the one raised Alfred," Francis points out.
"I'm not being ungrateful or anything," Alfred cuts in before some kind of rebuttal could be made on Arthur's part. "I was just wondering, why a blanket, but yeah, it's cool. Thanks, Artie. Can I just ask why it looks all patched up though?"
True to his word, both his and Matthew's quilts looked to be made up from random scraps of fabrics with frayed edging and distinct colored thread contrasting against the main color scheme. They look to be nothing close to the sort of perfected pieces that are standard to Arthur's sewing abilities.
"Life is a patchwork of love," Arthur quotes. "They're both symbolic."
Again, Alfred fixes his former guardian with a steady stare, blinking several times before saying, "Seriously, you need to get out more."
The visit comes to an end after a dinner prepared by Francis as a gift. Already being late into the evening, both Alfred and Matthew come to an agreement of leaving the clean up for the next day and retire into their separate bedrooms, each taking up their birthday gifts from Arthur. When Alfred reaches his bedroom, he's greeted with the sight of Ivan lounging on the bed, lost in day dreams and smiling ever so slightly.
"Do I even wanna know what you're thinking of?" he asks after closing the door behind him.
Ivan only tilts his head and hums. "Maybe," he eventually says.
Alfred crosses to the bed and waves at him to make room. He flops down onto the mattress and promptly curls up against Ivan.
"When did you leave?" he asks. "You were there one second and then you weren't."
"Some time during the food fight between your cousin and yourself," Ivan answers. "It seemed to be that your other uncle was searching out for me, I thought it would be better to keep away while he stayed."
"You don't have to worry about him," Alfred assures. "I think he knows though. Y'know that I uh, kiss you and stuff."
"And stuff?" Ivan questions amusedly.
"So look at what Arthur made me," Alfred says, sitting up and drastically changing the subject while unfurling his birthday quilt.
"It looks to be made crudely," Ivan comments.
"I know, I thought it was weird too 'cause he's all perfect about all this sewing stuff, but he says it's supposed to look this way."
"I know this cloth," Ivan says, placing his hand over a striped piece of fabric. "This was part of what you wore the first day you arrived for care."
Alfred nudges Ivan's hand a tad away to get a better look. He raises his eyebrows after realizing that Ivan is right, this piece of fabric is from the shirt he wore on his first day in the house.
"How'd you remember that?" Alfred asks him.
"I believe to have told you before that our meeting is the sole highlight of my current existence. How would I not remember?"
"I never realized how creepy that could sound to someone," Alfred laughs and leans back against Ivan's figure. "Y'know, the whole knowing me since I was a kid thing. I don't really care though."
"If only I felt the same on the subject."
"You shouldn't care either. I don't mind you being pedo as long as it's only for me."
"Alfred."
Alfred laughs again before leaning over to give Ivan's lips a quick peck. He lays back down next to the other, curls into his previous position and cuddles close to the other.
"Really though," he goes on, "if you really think about it, age isn't the weirdest part of all this."
Ivan pulls the quilt up over Alfred's body and gives the top of his head a kiss while Alfred sets his glasses aside.
"I suppose not," he agrees and feels Alfred hum his own concurrence.
"Hey," Alfred calls out after a few moments of silence transpire between them. "You didn't get me anything for my birthday."
The statement causes Ivan to laugh lightly. "What could I possibly give you?"
"I'll take anything," he says with a tone underlined with suggestion. "As long as it's from you."
Ivan moves in closer to Alfred, wrapping an arm around the arm and pulling his body close, much like a scene that occurred earlier in the day, before hovering his lips over Alfred's free ear and whispers, "It is not your birthday just yet though."
The glare Alfred fixes him after pushing away so that Ivan may have the full brunt of the expression causes the other to laugh heartily. He quickly avoids any petty consequence that may have come about from his harmless taunt by bringing their lips together in a languid kiss. While it may not have been the type of indulgence Alfred anticipated, he's more than content in being given just that and falling asleep in Ivan's arms.
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-Don't believe Arthur, kids, quilting's a pain in the ass. -in the middle of making a russiamerica mochi quilt-
-Okay, so fic is still going not as planned. Everyone that I told there was only two chapters left, yeah, I lied. There's three. Well, two now, fer sure... I hope.
-In all honesty though, this chapter was supposed to have something that happens that leads to the end, and I was gonna write it but when I got to it, I couldn't do it! They were being all cute and happy and I couldn't do it, I couldn't write it! Weak author is weak! And redundant! -sniffle- I couldn't write the actual ending to this chapter, so I cut it off with the fluffy part, I'm sorry.
-Really though, there's some kinks I gotta work out with the whole.. thing. Something just seems a bit wierd with the whole situation and a certain character is so hard to work with 'cause she just keeps crying. So yeah, that'll be my new excuse with why this is taking so long to end. (Other than being very counter productive the last two weeks. Kids, I am the last person any of you should role model after.)
-If it's anything though, it's not all filler... I'm pretty sure... -crawls in corner and starts growing mushrooms-
-Oh, btw, pizza sandwiches sound bomb, but that's about as awesome as that theory goes.
