Chapter 26

Damn school. Damn early mornings. And damn...just damn it all!

Why did Matthew have to trudge into the icy-rain before the Sun came around, when he could just stay home and cuddle with a demon and drink hot cocoa? He drew a sleeve over his glasses, but that smeared all those little droplets and hindered his vision even more.

Someone groaned from down the street, "Mattie!"

That someone could only be Alfred, on his own way to Hell - oops, school. He stopped across the road, glancing both ways for once, before running to meet up with Matthew.

"Hey," Matthew gawked at the bags under his brother's eyes. He did not sleep again. Of course he did not. "What's up?"

Alfred smiled and nodded.

"Wow, okay."

They kept waking with their heads down to the rain.

"Did you stop by earlier to take a shower?"

"Yeah. Did I wake you up?"

"Not really." Matthew smiled as they bumped arms, "I can't believe we're walking to school together."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Mattie, we always walk to school."

"Oh. I mean..." Matthew scrunched his face at Alfred's lack of...well, anything. "You're always out the door before I even get a chance to get pants on. Besides, Arthur's been sticking around a lot lately, and we haven't been to school for like, a week. So, yeah, it's been a while with the two of us."

"Oh." Before Matthew could ask where Arthur was, Alfred let out a long and loud yawn, bringing out the true pits of himself. "Yeah! You're right. It's good that it's just the two of us!"

"Y-you think so?"

Alfred kept his eyes forward.

Weirdo.

Finally out of the cold rain and inside the main hall, the other students immediately lost their ability to walk with effort, and their soles squeaked like faulty windshield wipers all around him, grating Matthew's nerves when they were little furious nubs as is. He ducked into the library to escape, and the strange yet comforting scent of books welcomed him.

"It smells in here."

Matthew glanced behind himself. "Why'd you follow me?" Usually, by then, Alfred would have streaked down the hall, weaving through all the slow-walkers to disappear to who-knows-where to bother who-knows-who. "Are you...are you getting a pass to come here during study hall?"

Alfred busted into laughter, right in the middle of the library, "What?! No way! I was just going wherever you're going..."

Matthew raised his eyebrows, thinking he had more to say, but apparently not. "Well...if you picked one up, you would know that's what a book smells like."

"Pfft, all right, Mattie." At least Alfred was sounding like his usual self now. "See you at lunch?"

Matthew smiled to himself. "See you at lunch."

Alfred hurried out of the library like a demon out of a church. One of the librarian's rushed over to take his place with her hands making a sweeping movement. "If you have somewhere to be, do not linger by the doors!"

"I need a pass-"

"Get passes over there!" She jabbed a wretched finger to the front desk. Matthew ducked his head and hustled over to the other, more tolerable librarian, scorning under his breath, "I met an angel with a sharper tongue than you."

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

Matthew knew the school day was going to be dull and slow, but this was just ridiculous. He hurried to the lunchroom, only halfway through the day, as if walking fast would urge the time to go quickly, too. His usual table was empty, and he glanced around the room in confusion. Usually, Alfred was there first, flapping his arm off as if he would not notice him.

It felt unnatural to set his books on the empty table, but he settled down anyway to stare out the window. His brother was right; there was no sane way they could have gone back to normal after what they done and seen over their extended weekend.

I want to go home so bad, Matthew was tempted to dash out of the lunchroom. The rear doors were right around the corner. He wondered if he would make it.

The table shook when someone carelessly dropped their lunch tray onto it and noisily clunked against the bench. Matthew snapped his head to face the intruder, but it was only his brother. "Hey."

Alfred only nodded at him, and went to work on turning over the circles of carrots on his tray, then back again.

"Um, hey, Al? What's up?"

"Huh?" Alfred glanced up for a short moment. "Nothing much."

"What, literally nothing happened from the last time I saw you, or yesterday?"

Alfred shook his head.

Matthew rolled his eyes. So, it's going to be this kind of day. "How's Arthur doing?"

Alfred almost looked scared. "He's fine."

"Yeah?" No response. "Ivan slept so much after what happened. I'm sure it took out so much from everybody." Matthew hoped the guy was content at the Bonnefoy house, watching those puppies and kittens on screen and not burning the place down, unlike a certain person from Heaven. "I'm glad that the angels didn't..."

Whatever Ivan saw when he snapped awake, gasping and panting for breath when nightmares gripped his lungs...

"They helped us."

"Yeah," Alfred snoozed. "It was awesome."

"It sure was."

"Yeah."

Matthew slouched his head to the side. "Did you talk to your friends?"

Alfred gnashed on his food in an odd, almost robotic fashion. "Uh-huh. Lots of them." His eyes went anywhere around the table, but to his brother.

"Did they ask why we were gone for so long?"

"Yep."

"Ugh! Well?! What'd they say?"

"I told them I didn't feel good! Like what you told Dad. Jeez."

"All you all right?"

"Dude!" Alfred snapped, "Yeah!"

Matthew held his hands up, "Okay, okay!" He eased against his chair, staring at Alfred prodding at some tater tots. He busted out the Bonnefoy charm by mocking the face that their father used to sneak information from people. "Something's obviously distracting you. You're only making a mess out of your food without eating it, and that's very strange."

"Ha! Now that's strange!"

Matthew wagged his head side-to-side, to shake off the façade. "Did I do good?"

"Sure, you weirdo. Just like Dad."

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Aw, come on!"

Matthew relayed in the same tone, "Come on!"

"Bro!"

"What, Al? You've been acting not yourself all day!"

Alfred shrugged.

Matthew could not keep the snippiness down, "Can you at least tell me why you won't tell me?"

"Uh..." Alfred glanced around, literally anywhere else, "too weird."

"Too weird? Sure, like you never told me so many weird things over the years. What happened?" Matthew raised his eyebrows as Alfred shook his head and mashed his vegetables with a fork instead of answering. "Is it weirder than that one time you ate your lasagna off the floor a few years back?"

"Nah, that wasn't too weird. Lasagna takes forever to make. I didn't want to waste it."

Alfred had done a lot of things that would fit into the vague criteria of 'weird,' so Matthew had to dig. "What about when you ran around town in your underwear and a blanket tied around your neck?"

"Dude, I was four."

"I'm going to be guessing all period!"

"I'll tell you later."

"Al-"

Alfred banged his hands on the table and hollered, "I'll tell you later!"

Matthew ducked his head as other students nearby turned and stared. "Okay! Sheesh, I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, yeah! I just got a lot on my plate right now. First day back, you know?"

Matthew tossed his eyes. "Yeah. Sure."

Alfred pushed his half-eaten plop of destroyed lunch away and swiped his hands together, as if to look casual. "What are you going to do?"

"Later? Not sure. I don't work. Did you want to play some games later?"

"Ha! I mean with your life! Since your demon pal-buddy got that thing in his chest, does that mean he's just going stay here and you two are going to chill long-time at our place?"

"Oh," Matthew fiddled with his glasses as Alfred now steadily stared. "We did that so he could be around on the surface without the angels getting ticked off. That doesn't mean I plan on 'chilling.' I may go somewhere more warmer, if you catch my drift."

"Living a normal life doesn't sound so bad."

"No, just boring. You aren't the only one that doesn't want to live a normal life, Al. A nine-to-five job. Marrying some girl. Having lots of kids. Stressing out over bills." Alfred's eyes went wide, like he was seeing it all. "It's not for us. Not anymore. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah," Alfred murmured. "I hope so."

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

Forty minutes. Matthew stared at the wad of old, flattened gum on the ground next to his desk. Gross. He swore his fingers just brushed another one on the underside of his table. Double gross! Thirty eight minutes. The teacher rambled about the third or forth French Revolution, or the fifth, if there was such a thing. He did not know; he had a three day absence to catch up to, and was not making an effort to do anything about it.

Thirty six minutes. He could handle these two minute incremented glances back to the clock above the door. The teacher caught him looking, and gave him a sour grimace, but kept doting on lines to the guillotine. Matthew tried to shrink into his thick jacket, wondering why the air conditioning ran during the end of winter! There was still snow on the ground. Another shiver. Thirty two minutes.

His eyes closed once the teacher turned off the lights to show pictures on the overhead projector, and they did not open until the series of dings from the loudspeakers signaled the end of the last period. Matthew stood up, stretching his arms. The girl that sat in the desk next to him offered a shy smile, but he quickly pulled his jacket down, scooped up his binder and breezed out of the room without a glance back.

Home! Home! His thoughts cheered, always louder than his voice. Someone stood right by the corner, only noticeable when he turned, but it was too late. His larger size barreled into the younger teen, and he grabbed her arms so she would not fall, never to get up beneath the dismissed crowd. "Whoa! Sorry!"

The girl ripped her arm away, patting her hair and tugging on her shirt. With a glare, she returned to her stupid spot. Matthew snorted and hurried away. Becoming bold, he pushed by the intersection, where kids rammed one another in all different directions, but soon found themselves overpowered by the senior. He smiled, reaching the outer throngs of the crowd.

Home! Pancakes! Warm blankets! ...Ivan.

...If he didn't burn down my house.

Matthew giggled, drowned out by the surrounding chaos, and he did not mind for once. A looming figure stood in the doorway of one of the exits, and he stared at it, disapproving but silent, as the crowd had to move to the other openings. Upon drawing closer, he realized it was none other than his brother straightening against the support beam and flapping his arm.

"Mattie! Mattie!"

Matthew sighed in relief. "We're out."

Alfred elbowed him in the ribs, "That bad?"

"Sitting in a chair harder than"-Matthew glanced around-"most things I would like to sit on, yes."

"And watching Mr. Onion Butt bending over everyone's desks?" Alfred put in, grinning ear to ear. He seemed to have bounced back to a happier mood. Good.

"Ugh! No thanks!"

They crossed the main road, and Alfred shivered, too. "Fuck! It's too cold! Is it Spring yet?"

"Dude," Matthew laughed, "you still have a while to go yet."

Alfred whined, "Aw, come on!"

Matthew looked around, spotting their house down the street, and glanced back to his brother. "Hey, what's up? Aren't you staying at Arthur's place? Why are you walking with me?"

"Excuse me!" Alfred dragged out the words in a sassy manner, "It's my house, too, Mattie!"

"But I thought you and Arthur..."

"What? It can't be just us walking back home? I thought you liked it this way!"

"Huh? I-I do! I do! Um...yeah..."

Alfred snickered, leaving Matthew dumbfounded and in the dust as he bounded across the front yard.

Matthew wanted to be the first one inside. "Al, wait-"

However, Alfred already swung open the door, and stepped into the hallway. He beckoned in a sweet song, "Yoohoo!"

"Al," Matthew growled, slammed the door shut and dropped his book bag on the hall floor. "What are you doing?"

"I'm seeing how fast-" A thump. A door bounced off a wall from upstairs. The brothers flinched.

Something chirped from the top of the steps.

Alfred cackled, "See? I knew he'd-"

"Oh, no!" Ivan powerhoused down the stairs with long awkward legs. They took a collective step back as he hovered between them, "I can't tell you two apart! It looks like I'll have to take you both!"

"Ivan-"

"What?!" Alfred screeched as Ivan grabbed the both of them and crushed them to his chest. "No! No!"

Matthew busted in laughter, slinging an arm behind his brother's back to trap him into the madness. "Ivan!"

"I missed you, Matthew. It was too lonely and cold without you." Matthew closed his eyes, grinning to keep the sweet words going, "I am very glad you're finally here!"

"Me too. I missed you."

Alfred made a gagging sound. "You're such a sap!"

Matthew stuck his tongue out, but Ivan coaxed his brother with a nice shoulder-rub, "You want some love, too, Alfredo? There's plenty to go around!"

"Ew!" Alfred wreathed, planting his palms against Ivan's chest and shoved, but it did not seem to do much, or he was not doing much, "Not from a demon!" He ducked, managing to slip away with an indignant squawk, "You'd bite my legs when I'm sleeping!"

"My midnight snack doesn't like me anymore?"

"Hmph!" Matthew took the opportunity to pepper Ivan's cheek with kisses, "More for me, then!"

"Oh, yes, please."

"Guys," Alfred had that wanna-be-scolding-Dad voice. Nothing a little hugging and overly-friendly squeezing could not ignore. Then, the whining, "I'm hungry, Mattie! You should make something to eat!"

Piercing the middle of their moment, Matthew pulled his face away from Ivan's, and snapped, "Seriously? Go make something yourself, then!"

"But it's always better when you make it!" Alfred still stood there, staring with wide eyes. "Brother's love?!"

"You're so gay, Al." Matthew rolled his eyes as Ivan giggled, a dumbass antagonizing another dumbass. He guessed he had to separate himself from the warm body he missed so much. "Fine! What do you want?!"

The Bastard Brother did a fist-pump, roaring, "Yeah! Grilled cheese!"

"Grilled cheese?!" You're bothering me for a grilled cheese?! "For real?!"

"Come on! Grilled cheese!"

Looks like there was no getting out of it.