Chapter 29

Living with Alfred meant being woken up in many, often ungodly ways. On that particular morning, a high pitched scream shot from downstairs. Matthew's eyes cracked open, and he rasped, "What the Hell?"

His hand shot out, and patted his mattress, coming to with the realization that he was the only one still in it. It clicked that the scream and Ivan's absence may been unfortunately related. With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself onto his feet, snatched his glasses from his nightstand, and went for the door.

The possibility of the screaming coming out of Alfred was ruled out when he busted out of his room, also looking as if he just pulled himself out of bed. "You heard that screeching? Was that Dad?"

"Let's go!"

Alfred grabbed the railing, swinging down the last step, and into the kitchen while Matthew trudged a bit behind, fuming from being awoken so abruptly when he wanted to sleep in. They stopped before the doorway from the looming figure observing their father on the other side of the island counter, hands cupped over his mouth. Francis sounded like he was trying to say something, but his stance wobbled side-to-side. "Le Diable," he managed, and he hit the kitchen floor.

Alfred lunged past Ivan. "Dad!"

The demon snapped to stare, looking shocked as Matthew felt. "Oh, Matthew, I was just...uh... "

"Why are you not disguised?!" Matthew stomped after his brother without waiting for some cheap excuse. "Dad! Dad." He knelt down to tap Francis' cheeks, but Francis was unresponsive, eyes shut, and face pale. "At least there's no blood."

Alfred hoisted Francis from the floor, and Matthew leaped to his feet as Ivan just stood there. "Use that jewel-thing before he wakes up again!"

"Why?" Ivan meandered around the counter. "He already saw me."

Matthew gnashed his teeth together as Alfred shoved by the demon when he went to 'help.' "Who's fault was that? What were you thinking?!"

"Matthew!"

Matthew stomped after Alfred, hovering as he slowly lowered their Dad onto the living room couch. "Jeez," his brother aimlessly flourished his hands. "This is..." He shook his head and stalked back into the kitchen.

"I will think of something," Ivan said in order for them to sneak back into Hell while Francis was still home. A pang of fury washed red over Matthew's neck as he gazed at his unconscious parent. This is his 'something?!'

"Matthew," a little voice crooned. Matthew turned his glare to the figure in the doorway. "Oh, oh, no, Matthew, please don't look at me like that."

"Why did you do it?"

"Your father and I were talking about the future...our future, Matthew."

Matthew crossed his arms, trying to remain tough as Ivan hovered closer. "And? What did you say?"

"I had told him of my interests to take you to where I live, where we both know, but I did not tell him that I live in Hell. Well, uh, Francis kept going back to the subject that I persisted in avoiding. He has a way of prying information out of people, you see..." Matthew clenched and unclenched his jaw at his boyfriend's pout, "For an instant...just maybe...he would have been as accepting as you were of who I am...what I am. I have been with you for weeks now, and I have shared many fond conversations with the man. It is very sad to see him react in horror like that."

He can't do that. He can't...

"Oh, damn it," Matthew sighed and pressed against Ivan for a quick hug before glancing back to his father. "Okay, maybe...maybe we can talk to him about this."

Ivan squished closer and pressed his nose to the top of Matthew's head. "I am just a horrible creature, aren't I?"

"Stop that. Dad was a little taken back. That's all. Seriously, though," Matthew pulled back to give Ivan a mini-stare down, "You should've talked to me first before you planned something like this!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Alfred knocked on the living room doorway with an ice pack in hand. "For real?" He did not seem amused for once. "You guys did this neutralization thing so something like this wouldn't happen."

Ivan weaved side-to-side, glancing between the brothers with a low whine, "I know, I know. I-I think I should go before Francis wakes up and sees me again."

"What? No!" Matthew latched onto his arm before he could do anything. "Come on, please don't. I want you here."

Ivan cupped the back of Matthew's head and pressed their foreheads together. "I want to be here, too, Matthew, but what if your father-"

Francis twitched, surprising Alfred who had awkwardly pressed the ice wrap to his face, and shot to sit with his eyes going wide. "Dad!" He zoned on the pair, getting a good look at the demon again, and let out another unmanly shriek.

Ivan sighed to himself, "Before your father screams again."

Too late for that. Matthew rushed around the couch, "Dad, chill!"

Francis latched onto Matthew's wrist and ripped him away from Ivan. Alfred leaned back on the couch with his hands up. "Just what are you?! You stay away from my sons! They are good boys!"

"I know that!" Ivan began. He lifted out a palm and stepped toward them with a weak smile, "There is no reason to be alarmed-"

"Stay back!" Francis snapped, taking two steps for each one the demon took. "Stay over there, or else...I will call the police!"

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Dad, I don't think you should call the cops on a demon."

Ivan ducked his head, taking a big step back and almost sounded amused from the drama, "I will stay over here if it makes you feel better...not that I have intentions in bringing harm to you or your family-"

"Then, I will call an exorcist!"

"Stop," Matthew tried to pry his father's fingers from his shirt. "Just hear us out, okay?!"

"What?" Francis gasped, giving him a great look of horror. "Us? You're with him?" He whipped his head to glare at Alfred. "You are not freaking out either. Both of you know of this?!"

Alfred drew a breath between clenched teeth. "Fuck. Yeah."

Matthew snapped, yanking away from Francis, "I've been with him for how long now?! That's the same Ivan that has been here ever since you came home!"

"He is a demon creature!"

"Just demon is fine," Ivan said.

"I saw those...those things come out of him!"

"All I need is a trident now, yes?"

"Ivan, you are not helping matters. We're supposed to be getting my dad to breathe right again, not freak him out more!"

"How do I do that?!"

"Oh, mon Dieu," Francis stuck a hand to his forehead while the other reached for the couch. "I need to sit down."

"Yeah," Alfred guided him to the sofa, and shot Matthew a nasty look over his head.

Francis jabbed a finger at the demon. "You stay right there!" He spoke in a lesser tone to his sons, "I need a glass of water."

"I'll get you that," Matthew offered before his brother could budge. "Stay put...all of you." He quickly left for the kitchen, and rubbed his face in irritation, unable to get that judging stare from Alfred out of his head. When he returned with a cup of water, the room and its inhabitants were quiet. Francis shot daggers into Ivan, who stared at his feet, fumbling with his hands once more. Alfred looked like he was trying to not snicker out of habit, but something in his eyes said that he was worrying, too.

"Did you know?" Francis asked, taking the glass without thanks. "Did you know the whole time, that your...friend was...this?"

Matthew tried to keep his voice low and even against fury, "I've known since the moment I met him."

"Is this some kind of contract?" Francis vaguely guested to Ivan, "Are you going to take my boy's soul after a set amount of time?"

"Contract?" Ivan seemed offended. "Why would there be a contract? Matthew's life is his own, and I will stay by him no matter what he choses to do with it."

Francis weakly protested, "You are a demon!"

"Thank you for clarifying that."

"From Hell?! With the screaming and eternal torture by pitchforks and flames?!"

"Papa!" Matthew hushed Francis with a hand on his shoulder, "He doesn't like it when people say that."

Ivan announced, "Now I know where you got all those ideas from, Matthew!"

Francis turned and looked to Matthew, absolutely mind-broke, "You are all right with this?!"

"Since he has been here for at least several weeks, and I already know that he is a demon, I would say yes."

Francis drew in a shaky sigh as he cupped his face with a hand, "What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Matthew knelt beside Francis' legs to urge, "I'm not running around knocking up girls or getting arrested or doing drugs!"

Alfred goaded, "Neither am I!"

Francis picked up his teary face to glare at Alfred. "How long have you known about this?!"

Suddenly, Alfred was very quiet. "Um...a while."

Ivan drifted a little closer, "You have not done anything wrong, Mister Francis."

Francis wildly jabbed an arm, "I said to stay over there!"

"Oh!" Ivan scrambled backwards with his voice coming out more urgent, "Matthew is not in the wrong for showing me kindness, especially when that is hard to come by for someone like me. Just for being born the way I am does not justify the way your people and yourself scream in my true face."

Francis wheezed and sobbed, "Are you trying to make me feel bad?!"

"I could easily turn that question around and victimize myself, sir, but I will not because I try not to be a bad demon."

Matthew patted his father's knee. "Yeah, Dad."

Francis studied the carpet for a few self-soothing breaths. "So...you do not plan on eating my son, or consuming his soul?"

"That would most likely hurt my stomachs, so no, I will not eat your son." Ivan giggled at Francis' horror. "I mean, I am certain we would both be sad if I ate him!"

"Why are you here on Earth?"

"I was born from my mother's womb, just as you and your son were?" Ivan exchanged a strained glance with Matthew. "Before you start asking, no, there is no eternal damnation, humans cannot get to Hell without wings, and we actually have water below the surface, too."

Matthew shuddered, "Warm water, yuck."

Francis performed a double take. "You would know that?"

"Um...I been there before. I was curious..."

"What?!" Francis shot to his feet, water dribbling over the carpet as he shrieked at Ivan, "You took my baby to Hell?!"

"He is walking perfectly fine, is he not?"

"I'm not the baby," Matthew grumbled, also rising to stand. Alfred blew a raspberry.

"What if something ate him?!"

Ivan said, "I would not let that happen."

"What if it did?!" Francis expressed copious amounts of disgust and stammered, "I-I could just...I could just throw this water on you!"

Ivan seemed mildly impressed (or perhaps amused). "Okay!"

"Dad!" Matthew clamped a hand onto Francis' shoulder to yammer in his ear, "Didn't you say yourself that Ivan was protective? Not only would he make sure I would not get eaten, which I should tell you, I'm a little too big for creatures of Hell to swallow whole, I would make sure nothing would eat me, either."

"You said that about me? How kind!"

"That was before!"

"Before what?" Matthew seethed. "Before you found out Ivan was a demon? Because that suddenly changes everything you knew about him?!"

Ivan narrowed his eyes, and Francis turned away from him and shuddered. "His gaze makes my blood run cold."

"As if it didn't before?" Matthew asked, stepping in front of his father so he would have no choice but to look at him.

"I...this is a lot to take in," Francis admitted. He glanced back to Ivan studying the ceiling, "An actual demon?"

"They're a bit different than the myths...at least now, they are." Matthew did finger quotes in the air, "Well, I'm sure there are 'evil' ones out there, but it's the same with us. He's not the bad guy, Papa."

"I am not the bad guy, Matthew's papa," Ivan's voice was light behind the couch. Francis tensed and slowly turned around. Ivan smiled cheekily, "I try not to be, at least, although it can be a little fun!"

Francis opened his mouth, but nothing audible came out. He clamped his jaw, and cleared his throat before attempting something coherent again, "I suppose you do. And I suppose you will take my son somewhere I will not see anymore?"

"No, no. We can visit whenever Matthew wants."

"Okay," Francis meekly nodded, turning for the couch. "Need to sit," he said again, and shakily set his half glass of water on the coffee table.

Alfred held out the ice pack. "Do you still need this, Dad?"

"Ah, no, no, you can put that back into the freezer." Alfred left for the kitchen, and Francis took a deep, shaky breath. "It is only natural for children to go on with their own lives. Only a matter of time..." A gulp, almost to persuade himself, "It's inevitable..."

Matthew sighed and sank into the couch as his father rambled under his breath. A clawed hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed. He looked up, smiling as Ivan leaned down and nudged his cheek. "You're an utter dumbass."

"Oh, I know, Matthew. Be there to help me be a smart-ass instead?"

Francis picked his head up, looking a bit worse-from-wear than usual, and Matthew nodded to the both of them. "You know I already do."

"Matthieu, my boy, I-"

A snap of light erupted from the other side of the living room "Oi!" A new figure spat, giving Ivan a rude shove, but he did not budge. "You better have a good reason to why you are in your true form!"

Ivan stepped away from Arthur as if he had made things awkward. "You yell and manhandle me now, after how much time passed?"

"I-I was busy!" The angel's gaze flickered to the man on the couch, gawking with wide eyes and hands clamped against the sofa. He performed a double take. "Francis?!"

"Ah, let me guess...an angel?"

"Yes." Arthur curtly nodded. "How observant of you."

"Hah!" Francis tossed his hands in the air. "So, both of my boys are running around with strange creatures!"

Matthew grumbled, "Things were going fine."

Alfred squawked from the doorway, "Arthur?! What are you doing?"

"Demon business, again, of course!" Arthur turned to scowl at Francis. "Strange creatures?! How rude!"

Francis cupped his palms over his face, and fell against the couch, sobbing melancholy phrases in French. Matthew sighed and patted his head.

"Look!" Ivan gestured. "You made him cry!"

"If anything, it is the ungodly sight of you that causes tears," Arthur bit back. "What are you doing, showing yourself to humans who do not need to know of our existence?!"

"He is the boys' father. It would be rude to take in his sons without a word of our plans together."

Arthur glared at the demon for a tense moment, before resigning to a docile tone, "As much as it stings me to agree, I must. It would be rather awful to take Matthew away without warning. There would be police searches and everything."

"There is always visits available. I am certain Francis will like us to do that."

Matthew nodded to Alfred as he came over to investigate. "I think he should be all right."

"He could have taken it better!"

Matthew shrugged. He caught Alfred rolling his eyes as he turned away.

"Yes, and with that," Arthur said, "the twins would not be separated forever." The 'strange creatures' exchanged a mildly impressed look at their agreement. He quickly added, "That is something Alfred would claim, anyway."

"Huh?" Alfred grunted. "What?"

"What? Nothing!"

Matthew tried to console his father, "Papa, just think of it this way; I'm not going to be knocking up a random girl!"

Francis cried harder. "Get me some tissues!"

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

"Are you sure you want to go there? Why not go to the beach, or ski up in the mountains?!"

"Yes, we are both sure," Matthew said to Francis, snatching a few trinkets he forgotten, and stuffed them in his bag. "Dad, come on, I told you everything will be all right. Just think of it as an extended sleepover. I will be back before Spring Break ends."

"Other kids sneak off to bars and hotel rooms for their Spring Breaks!"

"Those are other kids," Matthew lightly tossed back, and roughly tugged on his book bag's zipper. Somebody had to break it to Francis of his and Ivan's 'vacation' plans sooner than later by the following weekend. That made up for a frigid conversation over dinner one night. "I am not sneaking away, anyway. You already know where I am going."

"Do I really know?"

"You have a basic idea where I will be going."

Francis moved to stand in the middle of the doorway before Matthew could leave the room. "I am uncomfortable knowing you will be staying in Hell, of all places, as if it were a normal sleepover! What is this Hell, anyway?!"

"I know it makes you uncomfortable. You said that four times now," Matthew sighed as Francis' eyes started to water. "Papa, don't keep me here."

"Do you want to leave so badly?"

"It is not forever."

"What if something happens that you never return?!"

"Dad, stop!" Matthew's voice grew sharp. Ivan already kind of ticked him off, lamenting how Francis bawled when he laid eyes on his 'true' form the first time. "You will only make matters worse saying those things and will give yourself an unnecessary headache. This is what I want. What both Ivan and I want. So please...let me pass."

"I have no choice in the end, oui?" Francis scoffed, disguising another melodramatic sob, "I knew it was only a matter of time before l'amour steals you away from me! Oh, it is just like in the movies!"

"Oh-kay," Matthew said, pushing by his father tossing an arm over his eyes. "I'm going now Dad. I will be back."

"Wait! Let me hug my baby before you go!"

Matthew tried not to groan, overwhelmed by the wet kisses his father plastered over his cheeks and sides of his head. "Yes, I love you, too. I'll see you later." He wiggled from the pats and embraces that threatened to never let him go, and streaked down the hall and stairs as fast as he could without slipping and falling.

Ivan waited on the porch steps, and exclaimed when the door opened, "Matthew!"

"Yeah, hi." They exchanged a quick kiss before Matthew glanced over his shoulder, to Francis putting a hand over his heart. "I'll see you later, Dad." He steadily stared until his father gave a little nod. "Come on. Let's go to Hell."

Blehps:

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Matthew knelt beside Francis' legs to urge, "I'm not running around knocking up girls, or getting arrested, or doing drugs!"

Alfred goaded, "Neither am I!"

Francis glared at him. "How long have you known about this?!"

Suddenly, Alfred was very quiet. "Um...since chapter 14."