Chapter 9

Matthew swallowed his shame as he visited with Abel that evening. Though he knew he had done the right thing, seeing how Cain looked at him made it all feel wrong. Still, he was glad to see they were both fine. Bruised and bloody, but not unconscious and dying. That was a start.
Since Cain hadn't returned yet, Matthew sat by Abel in the medic room. The teen's face looked badly beaten, but better than it had. "How're you feeling?"

Abel was sitting up in bed, attempting to read a novel, but it was a bit hard with his cheek all swollen and throbbing. The clerics were able to dull most of the pain, but it would take awhile longer for the subcutaneous bruises to heal. He glanced up as Matthew arrived, and managed a small smile. Even with swollen cheeks, he still had a deep dimple. "I've seen better days," he admitted, putting the book down. "I'll be alright. I can take a hit or two, you know."

Matthew managed a small smile as well, though his was a bit more forced. "Yeah, well, it looked like a lot more than one or two hits." His attempt at a joke. "I was pretty worried. Those guys could have easily done something much worse to you two. Sorry today turned out to be such a bust."

Abel waved it off, and his gentle smile became a bit more genuine; he appreciated Matthew trying to cheer him up. "We'll both be alright. I heal quickly, and as for Cain... Well, I think his pride is more wounded than his body." The smile slowly started to fade from his face. Cain was known to be hot headed, but to snap at the commander of the knights... This was something more. A situation like this was all too familiar, though the last one had had a much more tragic ending… The calm expression on his face faltered for just a moment.

Matthew frowned as well when Cain was mentioned; he still couldn't get the image of the redhead glaring at him out of his head. It only made him feel worse. "Yeah, I guess so..." It wasn't really a secret that Matthew was the lowest of his class. It wasn't something he liked to admit, but he knew it was true. "I'm not... The best at being in any type of fight. The only thing I could think to do was run and get help."

"Well... Take it from me, I'm glad you did." Abel smiled at Matthew. "I know Cain is too, though he'd never admit it. " He went quiet, and rubbed at a sore spot on his cheek. "I hope he comes back soon, that stubborn oaf..." His soft expression contradicted his scolding words; clearly he was more worried than annoyed. He sighed, then lifted his green gaze to look back at Matthew. "... Did Cain ever tell you why we joined the knights?"

Matthew could only slowly nod at Cain's words, falling silent as well for a time. He remembered what Oswin had said. He'll come back half frozen to death, but he'll come back. There wasn't much someone like Matthew could do except wait, so for now, he put his trust in the redhead. He blinked when Abel asked a question. "Hm...? No, no he didn't."

Abel didn't answer right away; he was still trying to decide whether or not it was his place to tell. For as close as they had gotten, Matthew had a right to know, and he doubted that Cain would ever explain it on his own. "Back in Altea, when we were younger, we were close with another kid- Cain especially so. One winter, we were attacked by a couple of thieves... and our friend was killed." Abel looked away as he recalled the memory. "Cain's always blamed himself for not being strong enough to save him. It hit him hard, and he swore that day to never stop training until he could protect those he loved without fail. Years and years later... Well, you know Cain." Abel managed a small smile. "He never breaks a promise."

Matthew frowned as he quietly listened to Abel's story. "Oh... I see. I'm... sorry to hear that." He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to it; how could you comfort someone who lost a close friend? Still, he was glad Abel told him. It made sense why Cain reacted the way he did, and he could only imagine how much it hurt for the redhead to almost go through that a second time. "I hope he comes back soon..."

"Yes... What happened today was eerily similar. I think it re-opened an old wound." Abel shook his head. "Then with Oswin showing up, our instructor got to see his star pupils getting beat up... Cain hates feeling vulnerable. I'll admit, it didn't sit well with me either, but... I'll take a bit of embarrassment over getting beaten to death any day." He sighed and leaned back against the headrest, still gently rubbing his cheek. As Matthew spoke quietly, a small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. "He won't last long out there without a jacket. If I had to make a guess, he probably came back a while ago... Have you checked the weight room?"

"The... weight room?" Matthew echoed back, a bit dumbfounded. No, if course he hadn't checked the weight room, it was probably the last place he would have checked to find someone who didn't want to be found. Then again... Cain might have been fighting his worries away against some opponent. "To be honest, the first thing I thought he'd do when he came back was check on you," he said with a soft sigh, though he got out of his seat. "But... I'll go look for him," he gave a small smile to Abel as if to say 'thank you' before he got up to leave.

Matthew wasn't the best at comforting people, especially when the other could still be a bit upset that he had gotten Oswin, but he opted to try. He grabbed a glass of cold water before he made his way over to the weight room; it was at least a start. Sure enough, as if Abel predicted it, the redhead was in there, taking out his frustrations on the poor sandbag. He took a small breath before be moved closer, gently tapping his hand on the wall in a knocking motion so the redhead knew he was there. Matthew offered a smile. "Hey."

"Augh!" Cain yelled in frustration as he beat the shit out of a punching bag that would probably never recover from this 'training' session. Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow; if only he'd been able to do this to their attackers earlier, instead of being caught off guard... "Ugh!" The thought made him throw another punch that sent the sandbag twirling violently in the air. He was so angry at himself... The sound of someone knocking didn't even phase him; whoever it was would have to wait their damn turn for the weight room. Once he heard the voice, however, he realized who it was that had joined him. He still didn't turn around, and had his back to the door. "Why did you run away?" He accused. " Why did you bring Oswin!?"

Matthew was a bit thrown off guard by how Cain snapped at him almost immediately; he had only said one word. It wasn't quite the reaction he was hoping for, but he sighed out softly. "Cain, you knew I'd be of absolutely no help in an actual battle. I wanted to help, so I fetched someone that could." He muttered out quietly as he made his way into the weight room. He set the glass of water down on a table. "I brought you a drink."

"I could have handled it," Cain said defensively, spinning on his heels to look at Matthew. His red eyes were a bit glassy, as if he'd been crying a little. He knew the words were a lie, and they left a bad taste in his mouth. He hated that Matthew was completely right. "I... I'm sorry. I know you're right. If you hadn't gotten Oswin..." He pulled out a chair to sit at the table Matthew had set the drink on, but didn't touch it; instead, he hid his face in his hands. "I couldn't save him. I couldn't save Marth." It was clear then that Abel had been right about the real issue; Cain was still beating himself up over the loss of his dear friend.

The teen heaved out a sigh as the other murmured out his last comment. He only looked at the other sadly for a moment, quietly, as all words left his mind until finally he moved over to place a hand on Cain's shoulder. "I know whatever I say you've probably heard before, but... It wasn't your fault, you know. Today, that day... It didn't happen solely because of you." He slowly massaged Cain's shoulder in an attempt to calm the other as he spoke. "I can't erase what happened; nobody can. But... you don't have to take on the burden alone. You have teammates, people to fight next to to help you get stronger, if you'd just let them."

Cain shifted slightly as he felt Matthew's hand on his shoulder, but he didn't pull away. "Abel told you, huh?" His voice was calmer, and he sighed. Even just Matthew's presence was enough to help calm him down, but the comforting words seemed to be slowly sinking in too. "I... I just... I hate asking for help," he finally admitted, lowering his hands so he could look at the other teen. Cain was extremely prideful, and it shamed him when he couldn't handle something on his own. "I know you did the right thing, so... thank you."

Matthew finally managed a smile; this time, it was genuine. "To be fair, I gave you help even when you didn't ask for it," he said lightly in an attempt to cheer the other up. "But, don't worry about it. Above everything else, we're close friends. That's what they do for each other." He bent down a bit so he was eye-level with the sitting redhead.

It seemed like Matthew's smile was contagious; the ghost of a smile pulled at the corner of Cain's lips, and when the other teen knelt down to be eye-level, he leaned in for a quick kiss. "Thanks, snowbunny." His heart still ached from old wounds, but with Matthew there, the pain was dulled. He started to stand up, and then suddenly his eyes widened and he made a face, as though he'd just remembered something important. "Oh, Gods... I should probably go apologize to Oswin before he makes me runs laps until I drop."

Matthew laughed at Cain's remark. "While you're at it, you should stop and see Abel as well. We were both worried about you, you know. It was his idea for me to come look for you here." After all that had happened, it really was a relief to see Cain feeling a bit better emotionally.

"Heh... Abel, that old cat. He's tougher than he looks." Cain smiled, but he'd definitely be by to check on the green-haired teen later. He seemed a bit embarrassed when Matthew said he was worried, and Cain rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, well... I'm glad he did." The redhead reached out and pulled Matthew into a tight hug.

Matthew smiled softly. "I'm glad he did too," the teen said in a quiet manner as he returned Cain's tight embrace. Once the other pulled away, the teen made an over exaggerated face. "Before you do, though... you should clean up a bit."