Chapter 24. Home and Safe.
Ivan didn't like waiting. After everything had calmed down, naturally, their group was yelled at by the more experienced Hunters. They could have gotten killed, they should have waited for someone more experienced to help them, they should have done it when it was approved, etc. Ivan ignored them easily. What they had done 'wrong' was outweighed by the fact that they had survived. And were hardly injured in the process.
While Elizabeta was busy, another doctor came by the check them over. She wanted to look into Ivan's already broken arm, but he insisted he was fine. It didn't hurt much anyway. He had a few scrapes and his ankles were slightly weak, most likely from his fall, but other than that he should be fine. Maybe a concussion. The half-demons were healing quite well from their battles and Ludwig and Feliciano had hardly been touched.
Most of the weapons they'd stolen had been confiscated and Ivan was happy that they had used all of their 'grenades' to get away. He didn't want to be yelled at for another good idea.
After that, Feliciano and Lovino decided to go home. Ludwig had suggested that as well, but Matthew insisted he wasn't going anywhere and Gilbert didn't seem quite willing to leave his partner alone. So Ludwig stayed as well. They sat outside of the infirmary and Ivan had actually managed to fall asleep, lulled by the small-talk of Gilbert and Matthew and by the warmth of his scarf back around his neck.
By the time he woke up, it was quiet in the hallway. He looked to the other side of the door, where Gilbert and Matthew were sitting. They had fallen asleep, Matthew leaning on Gilbert's shoulder. Ivan looked across the hall, where Ludwig was standing when Ivan had fallen asleep. But Ludwig was on the ground, asleep as well. Ivan smiled, shaking his head. They were all tired, weren't they? He yawned, glancing at the door. He wondered if Elizabeta was finished yet with her work.
He stood up slowly, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. It must have been late in the night, considering just how empty the hallways were. When he tried the knob on the door, it opened easily for him. He blinked in surprise and looked inside. Alfred was resting on the same bed peacefully, but his bones were set properly this time. He looked…normal again. Like he was actually sleeping.
"You're awake," Elizabeta hummed from her desk, where she was typing into her computer furiously, a mug of steaming coffee beside her.
"Why didn't you tell me you were finished?" Ivan asked, shutting the door behind him.
"You were asleep," Elizabeta shrugged. She yawned, taking a sip of coffee. Her hair seemed to be more of a mess and she'd pulled it back into a bun to help her focus even more. How long had she been working today? "You've been through enough today. You could sleep on a bed here if you want a good rest."
"No, I'm…fine," Ivan shook his head. "What are you working on so late?"
"Just…stuff," Elizabeta shrugged. "I finished with Alfred maybe two hours ago and I had to write down what happened. Naturally, I'm curious about him, considering just how much of him is demon. And it's good to know his healing rate and to take note of what's happened to him. For…research purposes, I guess? If another case like this pops up, I don't want anyone to be left in the dark. I should ask you about how that little invention of ours worked? Judging by your clothes, it seems to have worked well."
"I don't enjoy being doused in blood," Ivan chuckled slightly. "But, yes, it worked like we expected on the demons. We don't have any left, we used almost all of them to get away."
"Good to hear," Elizabeta nodded and yawned once again, shaking her head as she took another sip of coffee. Ivan looked back at Alfred. He seemed less tired by now, which was a good thing… Ivan sighed, looking at the mark clearly visible on Alfred's arm. Why a sunflower? That seemed almost as random as the snowflake. But he couldn't quite find it in him to dislike it. He liked sunflowers. And now that he had a bond with Alfred again…
"You know that they're going to want to prod," Elizabeta said and Ivan looked back to her with a questioning look. "He's proven he's every bit as strong as a humanoid demon. They're going to want to see what he can do. Can he control lower level demons? Can he manipulate more than just his blood? How much fire can he use?"
"We can decide what to do when that happens," Ivan sighed. "It's up to him to decide. He is still partly human, despite what the other Hunters seem to think. If he doesn't want them to prod, then I won't let them."
"And not a lot of people are going to trust him," Elizabeta sighed. "You know that. He was already on shaky ground to begin with, but now?"
"That is not his fault," Ivan shook his head. "That is their problem if they can't look past what his father did. He is not dangerous." He yawned and sighed, moving to sit down on a chair close to Alfred. The half-demon didn't so much as move. He was still on the IV drip, most likely to keep him sleeping for as long as possible. "I'll take him home tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Elizabeta asked. "There's no telling what state of mind he's going to be in when he wakes up, if he'll be like he was before, if he'll still not know who you are. If you need help, we can always stay here."
"He remembers me," Ivan shook his head. They'd shared eye contact before Alfred fainted. He recognized Ivan. Regardless of if Alfred would still act like he did before, Ivan was going to be there for him. And waking up at a place that he hopefully considered home would be good for him. No matter Alfred's state of mind, Ivan was going to be there for him. To help him.
"I'm not going to stop you," Elizabeta shrugged. "Physically, he's fine now. I've managed to reset all of the bones I could get to. He needs to eat and drink when he wakes up, but not too much. And make sure he doesn't move around a lot. His body can't really handle that yet."
"Right," Ivan nodded. Alfred looked so peaceful like this, resting like nothing was wrong with the world around him. His tranquil face left no indicator of the turmoil that seemed to constantly boil under the surface. Ivan hoped that Alfred was having peaceful dreams…
Ivan didn't even notice when he fell asleep beside Alfred's bed. All he knew was that he was woken up by the sounds of a crowd outside of the door. He blearily blinked, looking towards the door, which was still closed. It must have been morning, then, people coming in for work and school. Ivan yawned, sitting upright and sighing as his back cracked. Not his most comfortable night of sleep…But when he looked at Alfred's still peaceful, sleeping face, he smiled.
He blinked in surprise when he noticed that Matthew had moved inside, sitting on the ground beside Ivan, leaning against the bed Alfred slept in. Ivan looked around the room to see that Gilbert and Ludwig were sleeping beside each other next to the door. When had they moved? Elizabeta wasn't anywhere to be seen and Ivan yawned as he looked around to see if he could find any clues as to where she had gone.
"They're so loud," Matthew mumbled from where he sat. Ivan laughed slightly. It was a relief to have everything slowly returning to normal. He looked at Alfred again. He was back. But there was no telling what he would act like when he woke up. Whether he was still angry, felt horrible for everything he did, or maybe even didn't remember. Ivan had to be prepared to deal with that.
"Someone should tell them to shut the fuck up," Gilbert groaned. "What time is it?"
Ivan glanced at the clock on the wall. "Class starts in 20 minutes."
"We should leave soon, then," Ludwig sighed, slowly opening his eyes. Gilbert groaned again, throwing his head back.
"Don't you at least deserve a tiny break?" Gilbert tried.
"We learn something important every day," Ludwig said gruffly, slowly standing up and stretching. "It's not wise to miss a single day."
"Yeah, of course," Gilbert snorted. "You just fought two fucking humanoid demons, but no, you still have so much to learn."
"We should be thankful we weren't expelled," Ludwig nodded. "I don't regret what we did, but I should still be there to explain myself. You shouldn't complain. You can sleep again during class."
"How come we don't get to learn shit, anyway?" Gilbert sighed, slowly forcing himself to stand. Ivan noticed Matthew staring at the ground with a small frown. "I think we should be learning shit, too. We're the ones getting up close and personal, right?"
"That is not something I have a say in," Ludwig shook his head. "Matthew, I understand if you want to stay here with Alfred."
Matthew looked up before looking to Ivan. "That all depends on what Ivan wants to do. Elizabeta said last night that he could be moved, right? I think…he should wake up somewhere he feels at home, don't you? He shouldn't have to wake up here where everyone's waiting to ask him questions."
"Do you not want to be there when he does wake up?" Ivan asked.
"This isn't the kind of thing he'd talk to me about," Matthew smiled sadly, slowly standing up and stretching his arms over his head. "In this situation, I think you should be the one to be there for him."
"Thank you for putting your trust in me," Ivan nodded with a small smile. Matthew nodded back to him before walking up to the brothers.
"Should we get going?" Matthew yawned.
"You know, you're fucking cute when you're tired," Gilbert smirked, throwing an arm around Matthew's shoulders as they walked towards the door.
"You don't have to say that every time I yawn," Matthew shook his head with a small smile.
Ivan smiled to himself as the three left, closing the door behind them. He sighed, looking back at Alfred, who had barely even stirred. Maybe Elizabeta had gone home to sleep…She had said that Ivan could move Alfred whenever he wanted to. She had taken out anything connected to Alfred, so he was free to move around…
Ivan drummed his fingers on the bed. He did want to take Alfred home, that would be best. Any reaction he had to what happened to him should happen in privacy. But the Hunters would obviously want to investigate him. The only reason Ivan had brought him to the facility was because the only person with medical expertise to help Alfred he knew was Elizabeta.
Ivan sighed, standing up. There was a large enough crowd outside for him to possibly make it out just fine. After some careful maneuvering to get Alfred onto his back, Ivan walked to the door and carefully opened it. He walked as casually as he could with Alfred on his back, ignoring the confused stares of the people that didn't know what was going on. As he got closer to the doors to the outside, he walked a little faster. The crowd was thinning and he didn't exactly want to get caught and be forced to run. That might just wake Alfred up from his peaceful sleep. Then again, if the noise of this crowd wasn't waking him up, Ivan wondered just what would. Usually he was a light sleeper…maybe he just really needed this rest and trusted the people around him to take proper care of him.
Ivan managed to get outside without a hitch and joined the crowd on the streets. He flinched anytime a car honked, but Alfred just stirred slightly on his back and returned to sleep, his head resting on Ivan's shoulder. It was almost cute…Ivan shook his head, looking forward. Now was not the time to think about such things.
Eventually, Ivan walked into the apartment complex. At this time of day, hardly anyone was home, so he walked in content silence to his building, up the stairs. After some shuffling, he pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He sighed when he looked inside, remembering the small demons that had plagued them the last night they'd spent together.
They had managed to wreck some of the furniture, shards of glass from the mirror in the bathroom scattered on the ground. Ivan closed the door with his foot, taking stock of the apartment. Dishes were broken on the ground, pots scattered all the way to the living room. Two of the chairs in the dining room were broken. Ivan didn't even bother looking into his bedroom, going straight to Alfred's. The door hung open, the handle fallen off completely. Bits of the comforter were shredded and clothes were scattered and torn across the room.
On the bright side, it looked like the demons were gone.
Ivan sighed, carefully juggling Alfred on his back as he moved the comforter to the side. It was only lightly torn, it could easily give proper warmth. He set Alfred down, the half-demon still sound asleep, and covered him with the comforter. Ivan smiled. There. He was home. He straightened up, and looked to the door. He really should take the time to see everything that was broken so that the facility could repay him…but he didn't want to leave Alfred alone.
He didn't want him to wake up alone…
Regardless, Ivan slowly left the room, but he kept the door open, not like it would stay closed anyway. Looking into the bathroom, he could see shampoo bottles and all of the other objects held in the cabinets strewn across the floor. When he checked his room, he found it in a similar state to Alfred's. The door knob was still intact, but the bottom of the door, sadly, was not. This was quite a lot to fix, wasn't it? Luckily, he was able to find a quick change of clothes to at least get out of the clothes covered in blood.
He returned to the kitchen to notice that the pantry was flown open, no food left on the shelves. There were some crumbs scattered here and there, but mostly the food was just…gone. He sighed heavily. Alfred would need food when he woke up… But Ivan was very hesitant to leave the apartment itself.
He returned to Alfred's room. He looked far away from waking up… Ivan worried his lip, looking back to the front door. If he was fast and just bought a few things…there shouldn't be a problem.
"I will be right back," Ivan nodded before darting out of the apartment.
He returned not even 20 minutes later, sighing with relief when he found Alfred was still asleep, though he'd moved to his side, facing the door. Ivan smiled slightly to himself before placing items in the pantry. He recovered a mostly intact glass and filled it with water, placing it on Alfred's bedside table.
Now he would just have to wait for him to wake up…
Ivan set to quietly cleaning the apartment, listening carefully for any signs of Alfred waking up. He'd managed to clean up the floor across the apartment, filling up a few garbage bags that he set beside the door. He could deal with taking that out later. He would also have to call the facility to get someone to fix and replace what the demons had destroyed.
After the floor was cleaned and Ivan disposed of anything that had been torn and rendered unusable, he returned to Alfred's side, looking him over carefully. With him sleeping like that, it was almost like nothing was wrong…Ivan was used to seeing Alfred sleep with nightmares and his face was usually far from peaceful.
Well, if Alfred was still asleep, Ivan would just have to continue to keep himself busy. It had been maybe a few hours now. Close to noon. Maybe he should make himself some lunch…
As he turned to leave, however, he felt a tug on his scarf. When he looked back, he could see Alfred's hand holding onto it tightly, his eyes just beginning to open.
Aaaand another cliffhanger. I'm getting good at these, heh. What happens next is way too long for the rest of this chapter, trust me. Next chapter will be full of all of the emotional goodies that come with what happened. What's Alfred's current state of mind? Who knows! So we can look forward to that as well next time!
Anyway, that's it for now. So I'll see you next time.