Chapter 25

Matthew had fallen asleep, sitting upright on his bed. He scrunched his face, peeling his back from the bedframe, and squinted at familiar shapes in his bedroom. The room was dark, almost nighttime, but quiet. "Ivan?"

A groan came from a great lump at the other side of the bed. Matthew gasped excitedly and shambled over blankets and legs, "H-hey!"

Ivan's eyes snapped open, and he shot to sit with a crackled growl.

"Hey! Hey," Matthew held up a hand, caught just as he tented over Ivan's legs. "It's just me! I-I was going to wake you up much more gently this time, I swear!"

"Oh," Ivan wobbled a little, but managed to stay upright. He stared for a while, blinked, then slowly panned the room. "Oh? Oh."

"Um..."

"It's different." A sniff. "Nothing. No angels, yes? Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Exactly."

A silly smile crept on Matthew as he scooted forward to wrap his arms around Ivan's shoulders. "Look at you. You're okay. Handsome. Well, you were handsome before, but I mean...I just wanted you to know that you look good as a human, too!"

"Oh," Ivan repeated, his arms still lamely drooped to his sides.

He's not...? Matthew jerked back with a gasp, maybe a bit too loudly, "Are you okay?! I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Ivan furrowed his eyebrows, still not doing much, "I am not hurting? This is very weird."

"I'm sorry! I, uh..." Matthew started to wiggle off of the guy, but strong hands gripped his forearms. "Ivan?"

"No, no, Matthew. You stay."

"Is that all right?"

"Why would it not be?"

"I...um..." Matthew glanced down to their fingers intertwining, not able to keep his eyes on Ivan's steady gaze. "I just thought that maybe...well, you thought you were going to die, and wanted some company, so..."

A little terse, "So?"

That only made Matthew's cheeks grow hot. "I didn't know if you still wanted to be...close."

After too long of a too quiet moment, Ivan let go of his hands and beckoned greatly with his arms and a loud laugh, "Why would you say that? That's silly! Come here and kiss me like a human already!"

Matthew cackled in delight as he fell against Ivan's chest and started to attack his face with a bunch of smooches. "You're all right!"

"I am much more than 'all right!' Thank you, thank you."

"And this?" Matthew tapped that weird jewel-thing through Ivan's shirt. "Do you feel that? Does it bother you?"

"Hm, no," Ivan seemed too occupied in pecking Matthew's cheek. "Not really."

"Wow, that's awesome. I mean," Matthew rolled his eyes, grinning as his partner squeezed him closer. "Yep, awesome. What else can I say?"

"Awesome."

A little snicker from lips against his jaw, "After all of that, I think we deserve a nice, big meal."

"I think I deserve a nap."

"Agh, you just woke up, dummy!" Matthew made a move to pull away, trying to entice in a sweet tone, "Come on. I'll make you pancakes!"

"Pancakes," with a hard fix in his eyes, Ivan immediately let himself be led off the bed. They stepped out into the hallway, and he took a lame sniff, "It's quiet. Is Alfredo here?"

"No," Matthew tried to keep his voice light, "he's gone back to Arthur's motel after everyone left. I should get used to it, huh?" The grip on his hand tightened. "With your sisters, they know where you are going, and who you are with. You can go back and forth between here and Hell, but with Alfred...who knows what he is planning to do?"

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs when Ivan stepped in front of him. "Matthew, your brother wants to follow the angel around so badly, then so be it. Do not blame yourself for his choices. I would not wish Irunya or Natalia to curse themselves for me looking for happiness."

"I...oh." Matthew did not know what else to say, "I'm sorry-"

"There is no reason to apologize."

"I guess you're right. Alfred acts like idiot, but...he always makes sure he knows what he's doing."

Ivan pressed their foreheads together, grinning like there was no tomorrow (even though there was, now). "We are alone, Matthew. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah! We can have some chocolate chips with the pancakes without Alfred eating them all!"

"O-oh, yes! The...yes, we can! Ha-ha, yes, the pancakes, of course..."

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

"Special delivery!" Matthew whirled a plate topped with an ungodly large stack of hotcakes around the island counter, to his guest, "Made with love!"

Ivan smiled like a dope as Matthew set the plate down and pressed a long kiss to the side of his face. "Ah, beautiful. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, sir!" Matthew flounced back to the stove with a little giggle, enjoying the obvious eyes on his back.

Once he set down a plate for himself, Ivan clamped a hand onto his leg. "You should sit on my lap, Matthew."

"What?" Matthew laughed against a chunk of pancake, "I think those angels did something to your brain." At the barely disguised distraught, he pulled his chocolate-covered fork out of his mouth and teased, "You should come sit on mine, instead."

Ivan stared for a hot moment, before lunging forward.

"Wait, wait, whoa!" Matthew stopped him just as he slung a leg over his stool, "Jeez! I was kidding! These little things can't hold that much weight! Sit down and eat your pancakes!"

"Matthew. That is not very nice." Like scolding a child, "Breaking my heart like that!"

"Oh, stop it, you-" Matthew yelped as his phone angrily vibrated in his jean's pocket. "Hold on, who's calling me?"

Ivan shot the device an icy glare and slithered back onto his stool, not saying anything in favor of popping a piece of pancake in his mouth.

"Hello?"

"Matthieu!" Matthew tensed, gripping the counter edge at the voice on the other end, "Why do I keep getting phone calls from the school telling me you are absent all the time?!"

"Papa! Is that why you called?"

"Is that...why, of course that is the reason! I can get fined if you keep missing days!" There was a moment of silence besides the sharp breath Matthew took. "Why aren't you going to school? You only have three months left-"

"Something came up." Matthew quickly said, "I'll go tomorrow." He glanced at Ivan for a silent plea of help. Ivan speared a piece of pancake off of Matthew's plate instead.

Francis echoed, "Something...came up?"

"Yep, that's what I said."

"Tell me."

Matthew coughed on a morsel, "Um...Alfred...was sick." Ivan lifted his eyebrows.

"Alfred was sick?"

"Uh-huh."

"Alfred hardly ever gets sick."

"I know," Matthew straightened on the stool. "That's why I took off, too. I was worried."

A moment of silence. Oh no. Oh no. Dad's going to flip like a pancake-

"Why did you not say so! You had my heart stopping there for a moment! Is he better now? No high fevers or blood or-"

"None of that!" Matthew breathed a silent sigh of relief. "He's fine, but he's sleeping right now, so he can't talk. We'll be back to school tomorrow."

"You make me worry, Matthieu."

"Is that all?"

"Are you so eager to get rid of your poor old father? Do you not want to know what it is like in England?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Did you get the Plague?"

"No, but I have caught something else."

"And what would that be?" Matthew should have not asked, already running through the possibilities from his father's low chuckling.

"The eyes of a beauty on the other side of the bar. They are golden honey-"

"Oh, no, Papa, my phone is almost dead. Looks like it didn't charge last night."

"Ah! What did I tell you about technology? Never mind that, we both have to do some charging tonight-"

"Ugh!" Matthew ripped the phone from his ear and jammed the end button.

Another chunk of pancake disappeared from his plate. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just my dad being weird as always. Hold on, I have to call Alfred."

Ivan started to dissent, but the phone was already ringing in call. He clamped his mouth shut.

"Bro, seriously?" Alfred unusually scathed, "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

"Hush up, Al. Dad called me. Apparently, the school is not happy with us being absent all the time, and neither is he."

A long moment of silence. Very unusual. "So what?"

"Well, if you don't want Dad to get fined to Hell and back, and possibly take it out of our allowances, then I suggest we go to school tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Either a llama was being slaughtered on the other line, or Alfred was very upset. Much more tolerable, he asked, "How can we go from watching a bunch of angels doing their stuff, to the calculus teacher's butt jiggling two desks over?"

"I don't know, Al." Matthew weakly offered, "At least we can look forward to coming home after a long day?"

"That doesn't make me feel better," Alfred grumbled. Something thumped on his side, and he squawked, "Dude, watch it!"

"Huh?"

"Nothin'...just talking to Arthur."

"Oh. I told Dad you were sick."

No reply.

A little sharply, "Al."

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"You said something?"

Matthew pulled the phone from his face to shake his head. "Uh, yeah! I said I told Dad that you were sick, and that's why we stayed home."

Alfred broke into a big yawn. "So, that's the story. Okay?"

"Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Mmph, bro, I wasn't really planning on it."

"Oh." Obligatory eye-roll. "I guess I'm sitting by myself tomorrow at lunch."

Alfred whined, "Not cool dude." He was getting on Matthew's nerves by the second.

"Neither is skipping school, hooky player!"

"Ugh! You suck, dude!"

"You ass," Matthew bit back. He made a move to spear some pancake, but there was nothing left on his plate. His eyes jumped to Ivan waving the last morsel on a fork. "You ass!"

Alfred groaned, "Okay! I get it!"

"No, not you!" Matthew leaped forward, trying to grab at his beloved remainder of a pancake, but Ivan popped it in his mouth. He slammed a hand on the counter, "That was my entire pancake you just fucking stole!"

"I think I'm going to let you go now..."

"Yeah!" Matthew barked into the phone, "Goodbye!" He slammed it onto the counter before leaping to his feet and throwing his arms around Ivan's neck for a mock-chokehold. "Bastard! I was planning on eating that!"

"Oh, Matthew, I almost love your pancakes as much as your warm embrace!"

Matthew squished his face to the top of Ivan's hair and gave him a good shake, "Don't flatter me after you just ate almost my entire supper!"

"You must excuse me. It is in my stomachs. I think neither of us would want it to come back out now."

"You still have your infamous appetite?"

Ivan clutched onto his gut. "I am not certain."

Matthew leaned away. "If you are going to puke, do it that way!"

"I will make sure my stomachs know that!"

"Ugh! You!" Matthew kissed his cheek before grabbing the syrup-drowned plates. The growth of dishes (and possibly other stuff) in the sink was becoming unsanitary, so he decided to tackle the mess.

"I been thinking about trying vanilla ice cream topped with maple syrup," Matthew began. "Do you think that would be good?" He set the last spoon on the dish rack and glanced behind himself. "Ivan? Oh no, what are you up to now?"

Ivan had migrated to the living room, to point and shake something at the TV screen. He aimed the object at himself and asked aloud, "Is this not how it works?" He pressed a button, and the device made a short beep, startling him. He brought it closer to his face, squinting at the numbers on the key pad. "Oh, I think this is one of those telephones."

"The remotes are right here on the coffee table, honey."

Ivan twisted around on the couch, giggling, "The phone was amongst the remotes!"

"Was it?" Matthew took the device and set it back on its receiver on the end table. "Did you want to watch something on TV?"

"That is what I was hoping for."

"Anything in particular?"

"Something with a lot of bright colors and good things."

"Okay, no murdering and blood."

Ivan whipped his head side-to-side as Matthew settled against him. "No, not now."

Matthew hesitated, contemplating what would be suitable to his requests on modern TV. He checked the time in the upper left corner of the screen - just in time for the nightly anime to start. With an excited wiggle, he pressed against Ivan's arm as they settled against the back of the couch. "How's this one?"

Of course the episode showing was one where the characters abandoned the plot to go to the beach. Just when a busty girl served a volley ball, Matthew tried the other channel. Ivan stared at him, concerned from the corner of his eye. "I do not think women work that way-"

"I know. Yikes!" Matthew squeaked from a shower scene, and landed on an antique auction show before either of them could grow uncomfortable. "Good one, Matthew."

"What is that thing?"

"Boring," Matthew said, beaming when he found the perfect solution. A re-run of his low-key favorite show was just starting. A montage of fuzzy kittens and bumbling puppies drifted across the screen, and the narrator began doting on the episode's stars.

"Oh? Oh!" Ivan gasped, cupping his hands over his face. A tiny kit waddled on stubby legs with its tail stuck straight up, earning a low squeal, as if he were in pain from the cuteness. "Something like that should not exist!" A moment of glaring at the next litter of puppies, his resolve crumbled. "I want those."

"I know, right?"

"Can I-?"

"Just watch the show, Ivan."

~.~

~Heehee~

~.~

Matthew sucked in a sharp breath, coming to when he did not realize he had dozed off again. He was still on the sofa, based on the wall of cushion on one side, and the living room was completely dark, sometime at night, or perhaps early morning, and the television was turned off. He reached up to his face, rubbing his eyes against the darkness. His glasses ran away somewhere, and he really did not want to start a search party at that moment.

A light sigh sounded out, causing Matthew to tense beneath the head snuggling against his chest. His hand patted around, landing amongst soft hair, and he relaxed, resting his neck against the couch's arm. I could get used to this. He eased his other hand into his hoodie's pocket for his phone, and the light attacked his eyes, causing him to grunt and grumble quietly. The numbers on the screen told him he had an hour to spend before he had to get up for school.

School. Ugh. After everything, the abnormal slipped away from Matthew's grasp. He did not want it to go. His fingers twitched, exploring the head of hair splayed on his chest. Nothing demonic poking out. Yet, in a few hours, he would have to feel a bunch of teenagers stomping carelessly on his sneakers. How torturous it will be sitting in a hard, plastic seat after what he had witnessed!

Just as Matthew squeezed his eyes shut, flopping his head against the couch cushion in defiance, a low whine escaped the body upon him. He did not react, until another, louder noise made him pick up his head. "Ivan?" He softly called out. His companion shifted, his long legs drawing upwards to a fetal position. "Hey," he set a light hand on his shoulder, and Ivan immediately snapped up with panicked gasp.

"Whoa, hey! It's just me!" Matthew coaxed in a quieter, less panicked tone, "It's just me."

Ivan tossed his head side-to-side, as if something would lash at him through the darkness. "Matthew?"

"Who else?"

"There are no angels?!"

"No! It's just us!" Matthew touched Ivan's cheek, only to find it damp. "Hey!"

Ivan jerked his head away with a little, "No."

"I'm sorry-"

"No, Matthew, I just..." A long intake of air, and Ivan let it out in an equally long sigh. He leaned forward, and nestled his head to the crook of Matthew's neck. Matthew lifted his arms and slowly wound around his back, coaxing a murmur, "I am sorry. I am trying not to, but..."

"Bad dream?"

"I keep seeing the angels. Then their light comes. I haven't been waking up after it digs into me ever since."

"Yes, you have. You're awake now."

"Am I?"

"Yes!" Matthew clasped his hands onto Ivan's cheeks. "How can you say that? Don't you feel it right now, being awake?!"

Ivan let out a pathetic sputter, not quiet laughing, "I did not want to tell you because I did not want to worry you."

"Don't you think I get worried when you cry out in your sleep like that, anyway? Or when you wake up like something is coming after you?"

Nothing.

"There's not. Nothing is coming for you. Not now."

"Sometimes I still feel like something will, despite me knowing that."

"No, I hate it!" Matthew squished their foreheads together. "Nothing's going to come after you as long as I have something to say about it. Not the angels, nothing. That's why we went through with everything we did."

"Oh, Matthew..."

Matthew sighed and leaned back to lay down again. It was way too early for emotions. The morning came on too quickly, "I'm going to have to get ready for school soon."

"School?" Ivan made a noise of disgust against his chest, "Do you have to?"

"How many times I asked myself that? Yeah, I have to go, unless I want to be fined."

"You are already fine, though." The room went silent for a few moments. "That meant something else entirely, did it not?"

"Yes, yes it did." Matthew shook with laughter as he patted Ivan's head. "When you are fined, you are charged for doing something wrong, like trespassing, or littering. It's a punishment, like going to jail, but you have to pay money."

"That does not sound fine."

"No, it's not."

"I do not want to be fined!"

"Hush! You won't be. You don't have to go to school with me, but Ivan, please don't burn down the house or anything when I'm gone."

"I can handle being alone...for a little while..."

"We'll see."

I wish that you didn't have to in the first place.