A/N: Okay, I have absolutely no excuse for taking this long, I'm so sorry! *hides in corner*
I would like to give a big thank you to Hetastic Bro! You must all thank this amazing person for this chapter, because it was pretty much entirely their idea. (I kinda had terrible writer's block, but Hetastic Bro PMed me, and totally helped me figure out how to continue with the story!) I feel as though this chapter is more of a collaboration than solely my chapter, so lets just call it that! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU YOU ROCK! I don't know how else to express your awesomeness than through writing in caps lock.
Matthew lay on the couch in a state of unease. He found himself unable to fall asleep, despite the early hours of the mourning and the need to be prepared for tomorrow. If the amount of beer Gilbert consumed was any indication, Matthew would need to be mentally prepared for tomorrow. However, it unsettled him to be sleeping so close to a potential murderer.
Matthew had come much closer to dangerous people before, people with weapons that the police were actually sure had committed the crime they were accused of, but there was something eery about how serene Gilbert looked in his sleep. There was no cocky smirk on his face, and no giant smile or flickering expression of unease, that Matthew had seen only once, could be found. There was just calm and peace on those smooth features.
There was moonlight filtering through the window behind Matthew, and in the soft light Gilbert's pale skin seemed to glow faintly. Of course this was just a trick of the light, but it was strangely beautiful. Matthew shook his head, trying to rid it of these sorts of thoughts. He had known Gilbert for only two days, and furthermore he was investigating him. But two days is long enough to find someone attractive, a part of Matthew's brain argued. Though this may be true, Matthew couldn't let himself act on those feelings of attraction. Matthew was also smart enough to know that attraction and lust was different from love.
To distract himself, Matthew turned his thoughts to his investigation. He reviewed what he knew already, and sighed quietly when he realized that he had nothing more than assumptions. He had a hunch that Gilbert was, or at least used to be, part of a larger organization, but he really had no proof of that. He didn't know what part Gilbert's friends played in this, or Gilbert's real story for that matter, and he had a list of unanswered questions that was destined only to grow.
Matthew scanned the living room for any abnormalities. It seemed like a normal living room: television, couches, cheap but suitable rug. There was a shelf with some books and nicknacks on the wall next to the window, but Matthew couldn't quite make out what was on it. He hadn't noticed before, but the bottom part of the shelf was actually a small cupboard. It had a keyhole.
Matthew slowly got off the couch, being careful not to make any noise, and starting making his way over to the shelf. He stopped and looked back at Gilbert after a few steps, and he was relieved to see that the man remained undisturbed. Matthew continued his way across the room, making sure to watch for any loose floor boards. The floor was not very well made, but being that the apartment was in a fairly poor neighborhood that was not surprising.
Matthew's eyes scanned the shelves first, and he saw things such as photographs, books, and little glass statues of different animals. Matthew thought this was strange at first, but then he remembered that one of his cousins used to collect those sorts of glass figures. There were two little birds, one yellow and one grayish-white, a turtle, a fence with roses climbing up it, and a tomato. He wondered briefly who's they were, but he could not arrive at a conclusion with certainty. Matthew then crouched down to look at the cupboard underneath the shelves. He took a deep breath before reaching out to open the doors, his hands moving slowly. He paused when his fingers came to rest on the knobs. Matthew didn't know if the cabinet would be locked, but more importantly he didn't know what that would signify. If there was a locked cabinet would that mean that there was necessarily something suspicious in it, or could it be simply a personal item that the residents of the house didn't want to be made public.
Matthew decided to do it quickly, and yanked the door knobs hard. They didn't budge. The cabinet was locked.
"Doing something, Birdie?" Matthew jumped at the sudden voice behind him
"U-um, no, y-yes. No. G-G-Gilbert! I... I-" Matthew sputtered helplessly.
To Matthew's surprise Gilbert started laughing. It wasn't the laugh Matthew was used to hearing from Gilbert, however. It was quieter and less conceited. After a few seconds Gilbert started to sway, and Matthew sighed.
"Oh, that's right. You're drunk," Matthew said under his breath. Gilbert didn't seem to hear him though, and Matthew froze when he was asked a question.
"So, what were you doing, Mattie? Sneaking around while everyone was asleep?" Gilbert laughed again.
Matthew's brain raced to think of an acceptable answer, but none came to mind. In desperation he blurted out, "I couldn't sleep!" Matthew raised his hands up over his head as though he were blocking a punch, and he shrunk in on himself timidly.
Gilbert stared at him for a second, tilting his head to the side in confusion, seemingly deciding whether he believed Matthew or not. "You couldn't sleep?" Gilbert repeated.
Matthew nodded his head frantically, lowering his arms slightly. Gilbert considered Matthew for a moment before shaking his head. "You aren't a very good lier, are you?" Matthew froze, and his eyes widened behind his cheap glasses. Matthew averted his eyes from Gilbert's red one's quickly. That was exactly what he was afraid of, not being a good enough lier and failing his mission. He hoped that this little mistake wouldn't matter much now, but in the long run he knew it could cause Gilbert to get suspicious. Plus, there was nothing stopping him from telling his friends that Matthew had been sneaking around, and since they weren't drunk they would actually take it seriously.
Gilbert shook his head again, and his words slurred slightly. "You'll have to do better than that if you want me to believe you." Matthew's eyes slowly traveled back to Gilbert's. Was Gilbert actually giving him another chance?
"Fine, you caught me," Matthew said quietly and slowly lowered his arms the rest of the way. He looked off to the side, avoiding Gilbert's crimson gaze. "I was looking around to see if I could find anything suspicious."
Gilbert started walking closer, taking slow, careful steps towards Matthew. Matthew wasn't sure whether they were meant to be intimidating or just because the alcohol was throwing Gilbert off balance, but whatever the reason Matthew's nerves shook more with each step. When Gilbert was right in front of Matthew he knelt down, crouching so that their eyes were at the same level.
"And why exactly," Gilbert said slowly, "did you think you would find anything suspicious."
Matthew took a slow, deep breath. Gilbert was so close to him Matthew could feel his breath tickle his cheeks. He felt heat rising to his face against his will, and any attempts he made to control it were in vain. Matthew moved his head back slightly with a small squeak. The feeling of air from Gilbert's quiet laugh only made Matthew's cheeks grow redder.
"I'm waiting, Birdie." Gilbert breathed.
Matthew moved back a little more. He started sputtering, as per usual when his heart was racing. "It's just, I don't exactly f-feel comfortable being in your house. I-I mean I.. y-you did save me but we only just met, a-and I don't trust strangers easily, and I thought maybe if I looked around I could assure myself that it w... w-was..." Matthew trailed off when Gilbert leaned closer, closing the space that Matthew had made earlier.
"You're cute," Gilbert's breath skimmed across Matthew's lips, making him shiver. "I'll make you a deal."
Matthew gulped. "A d-deal?" He whispered, finding it increasingly difficult to form sentences.
"If you sleep with me on the couch, I won't tell Francis and Antonio that you were sneaking around." Matthew only gaped in response.
Matthew's heart skipped a beat when Gilbert licked his lips quickly. He knew that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, Francis was already wary of him, but Matthew was scared to take Gilbert up on his offer. If Gilbert was attracted to him, it would only make Matthew's job harder when Gilbert found out who he really was. If Gilbert was just playing with him, and didn't really like him at all, then Matthew knew he would be giving Gilbert an edge by agreeing to his strange request. It would show the possible criminal that he was in control, when it was crucial to Matthew's case to be the one with the upper hand.
"I guess not," Gilbert pulled back a few inches, finally giving Matthew room to breath. "I thought you would be smart enough to take the opportunity."
"No, wait!" Matthew moved back close to Gilbert, his face burning again. "I'll do it." He said quietly. Gilbert laughed again, and stood up. He swayed at the sudden change in position, and he grabbed onto Matthew's shoulder when he stood up soon after. Matthew put out his arms to steady him, and a small smirk crept onto his face at Gilbert's clumsiness.
They made their way over to the couch, Matthew's heart beating painfully with fear and discomfort in his chest, and Gilbert plopped onto it. He looked up at Matthew expectantly, though Matthew refused to meet his eyes in favor of staring at the wall in embarrassment. Gilbert spread his arms, looking similar to a child asking for a hug, and Matthew sighed.
Matthew sat down on the edge of the couch, ending up next to Gilbert's stomach, setting himself down overly cautiously. He lowered himself down halfway on one arm, and then he flopped down awkwardly next to Gilbert. Gilbert snickered.
Matthew was laying quite close to the edge of the couch when he finally laid down. He wanted to put as much space between him and Gilbert as possible on the narrow couch. Its just for your job. Its just for your job. Matthew repeated to himself like a mantra. There's no way you agreed to this because you wanted to, right, Matthew? Matthew addressed himself sternly. In truth, regardless of whether or not Matthew liked Gilbert, which was up for debating in his mind, Matthew did not want to sleep on the couch with Gilbert. It was entirely outside of his comfort zone, as his red cheeks and fast heart beat expressed.
Matthew felt Gilbert shift slightly, and his arms tensed out of reflex. " If you lay on the edge like that you'll fall off," Gilbert laughed quietly. "I can't have you hurting yourself." There was a smirk in Gilbert's voice that made Matthew fear the worst.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Matthew's waist. Matthew jumped, and he would have fallen from the couch had the arm not pulled Matthew close. Matthew stopped breathing when he felt a chest pressed against his back. Gilbert had pulled Matthew flush against his body, leaving no space between them.
Matthew wanted to squirm out of Gilbert's arms, but if he did that he would break the deal. He didn't know what would happen if Gilbert told on him for snooping, but he knew it would have consequences. This is what I get for being caught.
Gilbert took Matthew's temporary stillness, caused by him getting lost in thought, as a sign that he was becoming more comfortable with the situation. Gilbert nuzzled the back of Matthew's neck, chuckling softly. Matthew shivered as the air from Gilbert's laughter tickled his neck.
Gilbert lifted his head up and laughed harder. "Your face!" Gilbert's laughter was interrupted by a hiccup. This didn't deter him, however, and he said, "Your face is so red!"
Matthew groaned in embarrassment and turned his face to hide it in the couch cushions. "If you want me to sleep with you, the least you could do is let me actually sleep," Matthew grumbled into the couch.
Gilbert laughed again, but this time it was more measured and Matthew could imagine a smirk on Gilbert's pale face. "No, if you want me to keep quiet the least you could do is stay awake a little longer." Matthew's eyes widened. It's already past midnight. How long does he mean to keep me up?
Matthew turned from the couch to face Gilbert, rolling onto his back and crossing his arms. He got an inexplicable surge of courage. "Our deal was that I would sleep with you on the couch. So I'm sleeping."
Gilbert stared at him for a moment before his face broke out into a large grin. "Getting brave, Birdie?" He chuckled and pulled Matthew back against his chest so that they were spooning. "Fine we'll sleep." Gilbert put his mouth close to Matthew's ear. "Maybe next time I can keep you up all night." Matthew squeaked embarrassingly again, his face returning to a deep red color. He expected another comment from Gilbert, but true to his word he went silent. Matthew shifted in Gilbert's arms. He couldn't believe he had let himself get into this position. In theory, Gilbert could injure Matthew while he was in this vulnerable state. Matthew decided it wasn't worth it to get paranoid. He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind resolutely. It wasn't long before he drifted off into sleep, feeling unsettlingly safe in Gilbert's arms, with only one thought in his mind. What was Gilbert's motivation for making him do this?
A/N: Thank you all you people who are still following this story, I really appreciate it! Since this is my first fanfic, if you have any advice for me to improve my writing that would be great!
