There is a cat sitting in my way and typing is hard. Don't get pets.
Don't hate me for what's about to happen in these next few chapters.
(Matthew's POV)
After a while, Gil stops moping. Or tries to. It was like a switch being turned off. One second he was leaning against me, throat sore from screaming, and eyes red(er) and puffy from crying. The next, we're laying in the grass, looking at the slowly darkening sky and we're just talking.
Not about Sky High or Gil's friends or my lack there of. We're not talking about anything at all. Just saying words that somehow keep us distracted and, I don't know, happy.
"But what about an elephant tattoo?" Gil says, his arms propping his head up, my head resting on his stomach. I absentmindedly wonder if we'd leave a giant T imprint in the grass.
I cock my head slightly, focusing on a cloud crawling lazily across the sky, "Do you mean an elephant that has a tattoo or a tattoo of an elephant?"
I feel Gil's stomach shift up and down as he chuckles, "A punk rock elephant. Just covered in tattoos."
"With pierced tusks."
"That writes elephant poetry."
"And wears a leather jacket."
Gil shakes his head, grinning like an idiot, "Could you imagine what the other elephants would say about that."
I chuckle muttering, "It's not a phase mom! It's who I am!"
"Dumbo didn't get this kind of shit!" Gil snorts.
I sit up, "He did though!"
"Only in the beginning." Gil rolls to his side; propping his head up with one hand, and making pointless gestures with the other hand. "In the end he could fly."
My teeth find my bottom lip, "Do you think he would've stopped flying? Like, if he didn't have a choice? Would he of just…stayed grounded?"
Gil frowns, "What?"
Of course I'm the one that has to ruin the relaxed moment. I'm the one that has to ruin everything. I squeeze my eyes shut, and shake my head, feeling my hair slap against my cheeks. "Nothing. Never mind. Just, like, hypothetically."
It's common knowledge that whenever someone says 'hypothetically' they mean, 'in all actuality; this might (have) happen(ed).' Hypothetically, if anyone says that word, just assume its true. Because who actually uses hypothetically hypothetically?
Either Gil didn't know this little fact, or knew it very well and was simply ignoring it completely.
"Sometimes Ludwig gets tired of flying, if that's what you mean. Like it takes a lot of concentration for him, so it tends to give him a headache." Gil's watching me closely. He tries to joke, saying, "Call me a copy cat, or just jealous of my little brother, but I've always wanted to get wing tattoos. On my back, and maybe they'd stretch down to my arms. I always thought wings were amazing. 'Course, Luddy doesn't have them. He just, like, hovers."
I roll my eyes, "You do not want wing tattoos."
"Why not?" Gil sits up, looking at the sky, "I think it'd be amazing, to just fly away. Maybe that's why I like Gilbird so much. He could go anywhere if he wanted."
The street lights turn on in sync, down the street. I watch as a old man walk past one of the lights. I blink and he's gone. Calmly turning to look at Gilbert I say, "It's getting late. I should walk you home."
He grins, with just the hint of a blush, "You're such a gentleman."
I roll my eyes as I help him up. "Escorting is in my nature." I say before I can stop it. We pick up our backpacks, that were quickly forgotten when we first arrived.
He laughs and runs a hand through my hair, "Alright then. Escort away." He holds out his arm and I blush, linking mine with his.
We walk slowly, in no rush to get where we're going. Wind gently picks up as we walk and I can't help but grip Gilbert tighter. He smiles down at me, "Cold?"
Before I can answer, my phone rings. We stop under a light post as I grab my cell. It's a text from Alfred.
"What's it say?" Gil asks, shifting closer to me to see the screen.
I'm distracted for a second by his proximity, and I have to force myself to focus. "Oh, uh, it's just homework help. Of course the only time the texts me is if he doesn't know something."
"Hey, we're in the same classes. What's he want? I might know." Gil looks kinda excited to show off his knowledge, so I smile and read the text.
It says; 'Hey Greek Geek, who was Megaera?'
"He just wants to know who Megaera was." I say, already typing a reply. "Do you guys have a mythology class?"
"Yeah, they were heroes and villains once too. But hey, I know that. Megaera was a furry!"
"Fury."
"Yeah. She had some sisters."
"Allecto the Endless and Tisiphone the Punishment."
He nods, "Right. I think that's it." He tries again, "They rewarded the good or something."
No. That's so wrong. But he looks so sure of himself and he's adorable when he nods to himself like that, so I send the message and lace my fingers with his, "Something like that."
We keep walking and he continues to share his, mostly wrong, knowledge of Greek Mythology. I nod along, amused at his "facts" and only correct him on his pronunciation. Gil stops at a black gate, a sign hangs on it, straight and perfect, that says, "Beware of Dogs." Gil tips the sign so its crooked.
At my expression he explains, "It bugs Luddy when it's slanted." Only then did I realize we were outside a fairly large house that must belong to the Beilschmidts. I glance at the address and see it's the same one that Gil told me earlier; 228 Madison Street.
He turns, invading my space completely, "Matthew." I find myself staring into his deep red eyes. His soft smile sends warmth straight through me. "I…" He glanced away for a second, thinking. With a sharp inhale, he stares into my eyes again, "I want to thank you. For everything."
I smile, looking away. My voice is quieter than normal, whispering a small, "Anytime."
"No." His hands cup my face gently, "Really. Thank you."
My fingers lace around his wrists, but they don't pull his hands away. My heart is pounding in my chest like a virgin pounds in a hooker; desperately, loudly, and completely out of rhythm.
I gulp and hold my breath, my mind both going crazy and being completely silent at once. Everything seems to move in slow motion, his slight tilt of my head, the hesitant way he moves in, my eyes closing on their own accord, my hands slipping down to his hips.
When our lips meet -his sliding between mine, cupping my lower lip- my world stops. Everything I'd ever worried about. Every tear I didn't cry. Every frustration I let boil up. Every time I felt abandoned. It all washed away. Noting mattered anymore. It was just me and him. This moment, pure and loving, lasts forever.
He pulls away first and I almost let myself follow after him, craving the peace he gave me. Our foreheads rest against each other, we're panting slightly. He's grinning wildly and I just want to devour that smile again.
"Thank you." He whispers again. He teases me with a peck on my nose. My face scrunches up slightly at the small connection. He giggles and says, looking into my eyes, "I'm so glad I met you."
He wraps his arms around me, holding me close. I hide my face in his shoulder, breathing in his sent. This. This is all I want in life. Him. Us. Together in this position, just together, until the end of time.
I don't know when, or who, but one of us steps back. Gil's kissing me again. My cheeks, my nose, my forehead, at one point he ventures down and kisses my neck. I giggle, my face burning red. "Gil, Gil." I say, reluctantly pushing him away, "I have to go home eventually."
I always thought that those tv shows and movies where the couple is talking on the phone and the girl goes, 'no you hang up first' were dumb and inaccurate. But right now, in this moment, I am that girl. And I don't want to hang up. So I start stalling.
I kiss him back. My lips wander his skin greedily. My hands stay firmly on his hips, pulling him closer to me. His hands are tangled in my hair, and I don't think he could get them out if he wanted.
We only separate an inch, just staring at each other. My body tingles everywhere Gil touched, my pores soaking in everything that my albino means; memorizing his touch.
Gil hesitantly steps back, breathing hard. His hands fall to my shoulders; my fingers are still hooked around his belt loops, refusing to let go.
He smiles, almost laughs as he asks, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"And every day after." I pull him into another kiss. This one is long and slow, sweet and sensual. Eventually the urge to breathe is more overpowering than the urge to kiss Gil.
He takes a step back, opening the gate to his yard, "Promise?" He asks quietly?
"Promise." I whisper. I watch him as he walks backwards up to his front steps. He waves, almost shyly as he turns and opens his door. I wave back, smiling to myself.
I watch as his door closes and his porch lights turn off.
When he's gone, the world comes to life again. Everything I didn't notice when my attention was focused on Gilbert is obvious now. Like the biting wind that howls as the sun sinks lower and lower in a quickening pace. I rub my hands against my arms, heading towards the bus stop. I think there's a bus that comes by this late, but if note, then I could always call a taxi.
Halfway to the bus stop, blocks away from Gil's house, crickets start chirping and I decide a taxi would probably be faster. I pull out my phone and as I'm typing in the number for the taxi dispatch station, I hear a twig snap.
As I turn around; someone kicks my feet out from under me. I crash to the ground, yelling out in shock and fear. Instantly there's someone sitting on my back, yanking my hands behind me. Their weight holds me down; I struggle to try to get control of my arms, but their too strong. Someone kneels behind me, and the second I try to turn my head to see who it is, I feel the sharp pressure of a gun begin jabbed into the back of my neck. I suck in a deep breath. Fear strikes through me, causing my mind to go blank.
'Come on, Matthew!' My mind screams, 'You're trained to get out of this!'
But before I can do anything someone, a voice I don't recognize, says, "Just shut up and sit tight, boy."
I lift my chest an inch up off the hard sidewalk, trying to get a glance at my attackers, but they push me back down and say "We got plans for you."
The gun is removed for a second, but just a second, before it's slammed down onto the back of my head and everything goes black.
I LOVE YOU ALL! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!
(Tell me what you think.)
