Ivan sorely needed rest and unless woken, probably would not wake on his own for several days. He was still asleep when morning rolled around, still snuggled up to Matthew, his arms still wrapped around the boy, a content smile on his face as he slept.
The first one up was Arthur who awoke not long after sunrise. He got some things ready to make himself a fire as he waited for the others but Arthur was in for an uneventful day. Alfred only awoke long enough to eat... which wasn't that long. Much to Arthur's annoyance, he was left to play watchdog until nightfall. He would have to wait and see if France would be awake by then or not.
Francis woke when night fell, greeting Arthur with a yawn. "Have you been the only one up so far?" He asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Yes, gluttony here was awake long enough to take half of my food before passing out." He grumbled.
Francis laughed softly. "And how are the others doing?" He asks, turning to look at them, a smile appearing on his face as he did so. "Cute." He comments, looking at how Matthew and Ivan were more or less curled up around each other in their sleep. "I wonder if that's just because Ivan's low on blood or if they've slept in each other's arms before." He muses aloud.
"What...?" Arthur looks over at Matthew and one would guess Ivan. "You mean he's not just covering him with his wing?!" He spoke loudly and with great irritation, making Al stir in his sleep and Matthew's wings curl in a little more. He had never thought that they were sleeping in each other's arms.
"Shhh." Francis shushes; coming over, ready to cover Arthur's mouth with his hand if he had to. "Do not get so worked up Arthur, it is for warmth I assume. Ivan does not have a lot of blood in his body right now, it would be hard for him to keep warm on his own."
Arthur pulls away from the other man with a scowl. "Then what was with the remarks?" Arthur hissed lowly.
"Because I have seen how they interact with each other more than you have. I've watched their friendship grow. I do not think they have passed friendship, but they are definitely close friends." Francis replies, looking back at the two he spoke of with a soft smile. "As far as my latter comment goes, Ivan had mentioned Matthew nearly freezing in Solstice. I was merely wondering if perhaps they did this back then to keep Matthew warm."
"What do you mean, don't think they have? Are you implying that they may become more?"
"It is possible." Francis replies, looking back at Arthur with a smile. "You saw how they were interacting earlier while riding Kumajiro together did you not?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "If there are already some deeper feelings at play, Ivan is definitely not aware of them. Matthew might be, but I can not certain."
"I don't know what you saw Francis, but all I saw was the two of them hanging on for dear life." Arthur said in distaste.
The incubus smiled a bit. "It was very sweet when Kumajiro had slowed down some, Ivan was nuzzling Matthew and they were cheering each other up."
"I didn't see that. You and your imagination." He mumbled under his breath.
"You are just blind to it because you do not wish to see them together." Francis says with a roll of his eyes. "Regardless of whether it becomes more or if they remain friends, Matthew is good for Ivan. Ivan has changed for the better since they met. And I do not know about you, but I consider that excellent. Because it gives us a hope of someone kinder on the Solstice throne than Ivan's father."
"... You are right about Ivan's slight change and it would be better than having another frozen king."
"Exactly. Now why don't you get some more rest? I think someone's grumpy from having to stay up and guard the rest of us all day."
"Sounds good, you can deal with Alfred and his mood swings when he sees those two." He huffed and lay down, pulling his cloak over himself.
Francis laughed softly. "Of course. Good night Arthur."
"Hmph. Indeed." He replied gruffly and closed his eyes.
)*(
Alfred awoke a little after sunrise. "I'm so hungry... Oh, you're awake too?" He blinked sleepily at the incubus.
Francis gave a yawn and smiled at him a bit. "Morning Alfred. Yes I'm awake, I kept watch during the night so Arthur could sleep."
"Ah..." He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and stretched his wings. He then looked around and felt like there was someone missing. "Where's the frostbite?"
Francis points to Matthew's wings. "Under there. I assume that Matthew woke up at one point and did that with the intention of keeping Ivan warm since it was cold."
"He what!?"
Kuma woke up from Alfred's outburst, annoyed, but satisfying his hunger seemed to be more important than chasing around Alfred. So instead, he gave a short hiss before getting up and trotting off to find something to hunt. He wouldn't be sharing with Al, not with the wakeup call he got.
"Oh hush up Alfred." Francis says with a scowl. "I am well aware that neither you nor Arthur trust Ivan very much. But I have seen how much he has changed since meeting Matthew. And if they wish to be friends and care for one another, you are going to let them or so help me, I will do extraordinarily unpleasant things to you while you sleep."
"EE!" Alfred stiffened and shivered with wide eyes. "Y-you wouldn't!"
"I would." Francis growls, his expression deadly serious. "And I will if you so much as attempt to destroy the friendship they have built." He threatens, pointing a finger at Alfred.
"But-" He looked over at Matthew again.
"But?" Francis questions, arching an eyebrow.
"I don't want to see him get hurt and all that prince has brought is pain to others." Al frowned a little, before now the only times he saw Ivan was when he accompanied his King to Solstice for a gathering or to arrange some agreements (or the odd battle). He only saw him from afar, but the man always seemed disconnected from human emotion or understanding. "I want to protect him from all harm. I want him to keep on smiling."
Francis smiled a little. "I understand why you would worry about that, but Ivan has changed and improved quite a bit since he has started travelling with your brother." He looked over at the sleeping pair with a fond smile. "It's rather obvious to see that they are both having fun and enjoying themselves when they are with each other."
Francis was quiet for a moment or two before speaking again, turning his head to look back at Alfred. "I may be mistaken, but I believe Matthew may fancy the prince a little. So please don't fuss over that, but also do not interfere with their friendship. If Matthew does fancy Ivan, forcing them to go their separate ways may remove your brother's smile instead of keeping it in place."
After all, this friendship was helping Ivan get closer to getting a bride and Francis was sure Ivan would get one sooner if Matthew stayed to encourage the prince. Besides, I've been patiently encouraging this so his plans don't go awry. We've waited far too long for marriage to be within the Prince's grasps and I don't intend on letting that chance slip away so easily.
"Fancy?" Alfred looked greatly startled, then slightly serious. "That must mean Matthew is in his season..." He mumbled before turning back to Francis with an annoyed frown. "But— Fine, I will not pester my brother with his friendship with the frostbitten prince. But nothing more."
"Good." Francis says with a nod before waking Arthur up to keep watch while Francis slept. It wasn't that Francis didn't trust Alfred to keep watch; he'd just rather have someone less impulsive keeping watch.
Kuma had returned shortly after Arthur was up. He had caught a few rabbits, but he was mad at Al for waking him and he didn't really like Arthur so he happily ate while they watched.
By the time noon came around, Matthew finally woke up. Though he notified them that he was awake, he didn't move from where he was. Or rather, he couldn't, Ivan was still holding on to him. He could get out if he wiggled free, but it would wake Ivan up. "Al, Arthur... We can't stay here. We have to get to the next village or town. It's not safe."
"I could cast a spell to bring us there." Arthur thought aloud.
"Why didn't we just do that sooner!?" Alfred threw his hands in the air.
"Because I need full concentration for starters you obnoxious halfwit! I couldn't do anything that powerful in that forest, that curse was too strong and I can only take so many with me!" Arthur aimed his book at him. "Magic has rules!"
"SHH! You two are too loud."
"Sorry… So how many can you take?" Al grumbled.
"Four. Including myself."
It was quiet for a bit, until Kumajiro spoke up and Matthew translated for them. "He says, 'Leave Alfred and I here, and take the others. We are the most able to look out for ourselves.'"
"No way!"
"He has a good point Alfred. Both of you can easily travel there in a day or two."
"Then it's decided." Matthew said softly, still needing to recover his energy.
"Can't you just make two trips...?" Alfred whined.
"No, something like this takes most of my energy." The mage scowled and began the spell, leaving no room for further argument. "We'll see you at the nearest town Alfred."
)*(
Once the spell took place, it was a flash before they ended up inside some building. Matthew looked around a little confused. "Where are we…?"
"The town's inn, luckily, I have been to this town before..." Arthur stumbled towards the wall to steady himself, his voice a little strained; the magic already taking its toll on the mage.
"Are you well Arthur?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine, just a little lightheaded. Excuse me, I will go and let the property-owner we'll be renting this room for a few days." He slowly made his way to the door. "Do you think you can get the prince into the bed on your own or shall I wake Francis?"
"No... I've got him, but thank you." Matthew smiled and waited until he had left before moving Ivan into one of the beds. It took a while, because he was doing his best not to wake him and he was still feeling a little weak. But sleeping in a warm bed would do the prince some good and once Ivan was tucked in, Matthew looked to Francis and was just about to put him into one of the beds as well until Arthur came in and stopped him. "I've got him, get some rest Matthew…"
)*(
It was another day before Ivan woke up. He blinked his eyes open slowly, squinting at the light. He frowned at the unfamiliar surroundings and tried to sit up, groaning at the effort required to do so.
Matthew was already up and was gathering clothing at this moment in time, but once he noticed Ivan was getting up he dropped everything and ran to his side. His voice was full of concern, but he couldn't help but smile. "Easy there, you still have a long way until full recovery."
"Mat-" Ivan stopped and cleared his throat once or twice before trying again. "Mat..ve-" He stopped again and frowned, a hand coming up to rub at his throat. It felt dry and scratchy and his voice sounded hoarse.
Matthew gave a small laugh. "One moment. I'll fetch the pitcher for you."
Ivan nodded in thanks as he slowly shifted on the bed to prop himself up against the headboard, sitting up a bit as he waited for Matthew.
"Here, drink it slowly." The guardian smiled as he held the cup out and sat on the edge of the bed.
Ivan reached out and took the cup with shaky hands, frowning a bit at the way they shook before raising the cup to his lips and drinking slowly as instructed. He watched Matthew quietly while he drank, not speaking until he'd finished the contents of the cup and lowered his hands to his lap. "Matvey." He says, his frown going away when he was able to speak properly, though his voice still sounded a bit off from lack of use. "Where…?" He arched an eyebrow questioningly, his eyes briefly darting around the room before returning to look at Matthew.
"We are at an inn, about two days trip from the deadwood. Arthur brought us here a day after we left the forest."
"Mn." Ivan gives a slight nod of understanding. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few days, I believe."
"Ah." Ivan nods again. "How are you fairing Matvey?"
"Better, I'm able to hide my wings again. How are you feeling?"
Ivan smiled back. "Better, but I do not think I should try to do more than sit up just yet." He chuckled a bit. "I am fairly certain my legs would not support me if I attempted to stand right now."
Matthew smiled sweetly. "That's true... Oh, I'm going to take a bath. Do you want one?"
"Yes, a bath sounds wonderful." Ivan says.
"Here, I'll help you walk. The water should be already drawn." He grabbed Ivan's arm and guided it over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm strong enough to hold your weight. After all, it was me who carried you into bed again." Matthew laughed at his teasing of the prince.
Ivan laughed as well as he let Matthew help him stand up slowly. He was leaning most of his weight on the guardian, as his legs were rather shaky. "On the bright side, I actually believe you this time." He says, smirking at bit as he remembered their meeting.
"Oh, so you believe that I was the one that brought you in now?" He grinned and began to walk.
"Yes." Ivan grinned as well, walking with him slowly. "I do."
"It only took three moons." Matthew laughed more.
"Yes." Ivan says with a laugh.
)*(
Once in they entered the bathing room, Matthew brought Ivan over to a bench. The hot water was already filled and ready as he expected. "Do you need a hand with undressing? Or getting in the tub?"
Ivan gave a short laugh. "Possibly with getting in, but I think I can handle undressing myself Matvey."
"I'll go get a change of clothes for you then." Matthew smiled before walking back out the door, shutting it behind him. While Matthew was gone, Ivan removed his clothes and considered attempting to get up and in the tub on his own before deciding against it and waiting for Matthew to return.
A moment later a knock came on the door before Matthew opened it. "I'm back."
"Welcome back Matvey."
Matthew set the new clothes down next to Ivan. "Thank you, I'll help you into the bath now."
Ivan nodded and let Matthew help him stand again and get into the tub slowly. "Thank you Matvey."
"You're welcome, anything else you need before I leave?"
Ivan blinked and tilted his head a bit. "You're not getting in as well?" He asks a bit puzzled. "I thought you said you were about to take one as well?"
"A-ah, I thought you wanted to take one alone. I can always take mine later." He smiled meekly.
Ivan chuckles. "No, it is fine if we share one Matvey."
"You are certain...?"
Ivan nods. "Yes."
Matthew thought about it for a moment. What if Ivan finds out that I... No, not sharing a bath will make him think something is up. "I will just get my clothes then, I left them in our room."
"Alright then." Ivan smiles, dunking his head under the water and getting his hair wet while Matthew got his clothes. It only took the guardian a few minutes before he returned once more, knocking again before entering, though he didn't say anything as he began to strip down.
"Welcome back Matvey." Ivan says with a smile before reaching for the bar of soap and scrubbing at the dirt that had accumulated on his skin. The guardian gave a nod as he slowly stepped into the tub. Oh how he missed hot baths.
Ivan was in a rather pleasant mood as he scrubbed the dirt and grime off of himself and washed his hair, noting how long it was and idly wondering when the last time he cut his hair was. Ivan ducked his head back under the water and rinsed the soap from his hair before resurfacing and wiping the water from his face. "I should cut my hair soon." He muses aloud, looking at the length of it again. "It has gotten much longer than I normally allow it to grow."
After a while Matthew stopped watching Ivan and focused on getting himself clean. "O-oh? How short do you normally have it?"
"Hm... About this short." Ivan says, showing him how short it normally was when he was at the palace at home.
Matthew did his best to picture it in his mind. It almost added more to the man's attraction. "Hm... That looks nice."
"Should I cut my hair later today then?" He asks, looking over at Matthew with a curious smile.
"If you wish, but... you can't really walk anywhere on your own just yet." Matthew looks down at his own feet.
"Yes, I know." Ivan replies with a smile. "I could cut it in the inn room later actually. I just need a blade and a mirror."
"You cut your own hair?"
"Only when I have been to war long enough that it has grown out or I have been travelling." He says. "My elder sister usually cuts it for me when I am at home."
"Does it turn out well...?" He smiled.
"When I cut it myself?"
Matthew nodded, his eyes still on his toes while Ivan considered it for a moment. "…It turns out better when my sister does it for me. But for other times, my work is acceptable enough."
Matthew thought for a moment. "I wonder if Francis knows how to cut hair."
Ivan makes a displeased face at this. "He does, but I have denied him every time he has offered to cut it for me."
"Why not let him cut your hair, he is good at it so there's nothing to worry about."
"Ah…" The prince's hand came up to rub his own neck with an uncomfortable look on his face at the thought of it. "Elder sister is the only one I have ever willingly let near my neck with sharp objects..." He says, glancing down and off to the side. But perhaps I could try letting you cut my hair later...
"I-I completely forgot! I'm sorry, forgive me..." Matthew covered his head with his arms. He felt like an idiot for not remembering the most sensitive part of the prince, both physically and mentally.
Ivan frowned a little and looked back at Matthew. "It is alright Matvey. I am not mad at you…" He reached out and gently lowered Matthew's arms. "Are you feeling alright? You have been acting oddly since you returned to get into the tub."
"I am all right..." He replied, glancing up for a moment. "I... just have something things on my mind."
"Such as…?" Ivan asks, a concerned and puzzled look on his face, wondering what was bothering Matthew.
"Kumajiro and my brother... They are still not back yet." He frowned; it was not the whole truth. "I'm worried..."
"They are capable of taking care of themselves Matvey." Ivan says, petting Matthew's hair in a soothing gesture. "I am sure they are both alright."
"... Why did you let me bite you?" The guardian asked out of nowhere.
"Ah?" He blinked in surprise, thrown off by the unexpected question. "I did not want you to hurt yourself more by biting your lip like you had been." He pulled his hand back. "Also I…" He trailed off, not entirely sure how to phrase what he was thinking.
Matthew lifted his head and looked right at him. It seemed like there might be more to what he had to say, but it was all right. He had gotten an answer. "I see, you didn't have to and I'm sorry for hurting you Ivan. Next time Al will just have to give me some time to get a leather bit or something like that." The guardian then smiled.
"No, you do not need to apologize Matvey. It did not hurt much." Ivan smiled a bit before glancing away and continuing what he'd been saying. "Also I… had not liked the idea of hearing you scream in pain." He mumbled with a frown. "I had tried very hard to ensure you were not hurt while we were there and yet you ended up being the most injured out of all of us."
Matthew blinked a few times before opening his mouth to speak. His voice was soft and careful like he was walking into a dangerous topic. "I— I don't think I would either. And even if I did end up getting hurt, we got out alive. That is all that matters."
Ivan nods. "Yes, we did." He smiled a bit and looked back towards Matthew. "Mostly thanks to your brother dealing with the dead king." He paused for a moment. "Speaking of your brother, he will probably ask you whether you would like to continue with me or return home with him when he shows up again. Neither he nor Arthur like the idea of me being around you very much."
"I'm not leaving!" Matthew sat up fully, hands clasping onto the side of the tub. He was tense for a moment before realizing that he had overreacted. He let go of the walls and dropped his hands, calming quickly before fixing what he said, his gaze averted "I... I want to continue helping you. I won't go home until you have a wife to wed..."
Ivan smiled and chuckled a bit at Matthew's reaction, reaching out and ruffling the guardian's hair fondly. "Then you can continue helping me, alright? I told them I would let you decide whether or not you continued to travel with me."
Matthew bowed his head with a small nod, but also to hide his face behind his hair. He didn't want the chance of his feelings to surface. It was painful and grasped at his heart like the talons of a falcon hunting a rabbit. It was something he could never let Ivan see, or anyone.
Ivan removed his hand from Matthew's head slowly; the tub water had started to go a bit cold. "Why don't we get out and get dressed now Matvey?" He suggests with a soft smile.
"Ah, I still have to wash my hair and then I'll get out." He said, but kept his eyes downwards.
"Alright." Ivan grabbed the soap and held it out to Matthew.
The young man only lifted his head long enough to thank the other and to take the soap. It didn't take long to wash his hair and was about to stand up when he realized he had forgotten something. "Um... Do you need help out?"
Ivan smiled softly in amusement. "I would assume so since I needed help getting into the tub in the first place."
Matthew frowned in apology and helped the man out and to sit back on the bench. "Your towel..." He held the cloth out for him. Ivan took the towel and dried off before slowly dressing himself and then waiting for Matthew so he could be helped back to the bed.
"Ah, I'm not quite done yet... Do you mind waiting a moment?" Matthew gave him another look of apology and if he said no, it would be all right.
Ivan smiled. "It is alright Matvey, take your time."
He nodded with a smile and quickly moved to the door to make sure it wouldn't open. Once he felt it was safe he breathed out slowly and let his wings come forth. It felt nice to not feel rushed and once they were out, he fluffed them up a little as he inspected them. They were dirtier than he thought and no longer a soft gold, the nights from sleeping on a filthy cell floor and rolling in the dirt had made them very grimy... and itchy too. The tub wasn't very big for the job, but it was better than nothing. Returning to the tub he began to scrub the dirt off.
Ivan watched Matthew clean his wings off quietly. He would have offered to help but he knew how sensitive Matthew's wings were and the offer probably would not be appreciated. Matthew gave a heavy sigh after a few moments; it was awkward and hard to clean his wings in such a little tub. He was getting water everywhere. It took him a long while just to clean most of the wings, but he couldn't reach the backside of them. It wouldn't have been a problem if most of the blood hadn't stuck to the feathers there.
Seeing Matthew couldn't reach the spot with the most blood, Ivan finally spoke up. "Would you like help cleaning up the spots you can not reach Matvey?"
The guardian didn't mean to flinch, but the thought of Ivan touching the lower parts of his wings... "U-um... That would be most helpful. Do you need help moving again?"
"If there is a bucket and cloth or something similar I can help you clean without having to stand up."
"I'm not certain... Give me a moment and I'll have a look." He then got out of the tub and started to look around for something. But his wings kept slowly lowering themselves; he had to focus just to keep them in place. It was embarrassing!
However, he did find a bucket, which he then filled and brought over to Ivan. "I couldn't find a cloth, but maybe you could just use your towel instead?"
Ivan nodded. "Yes, the towel will work just fine." He says, dipping it into the bucket and getting it wet.
Matthew then turned around and sat down in front of Ivan. He breathed out slowly, he was nervous about it, but trusted that Ivan wouldn't be anything like that damn lackey. Carefully he spread his wings out so Ivan could scrub his back feathers with ease.
Ivan worked slowly, but firmly. He took extra care to make sure he wasn't being too gentle, using roughly the same amount of pressure he used when they danced together. His hand pulled away every so often to rinse out the towel before returning to clean Matthew's feathers.
Matthew, even with all Ivan's attempts, had to hold his hands over his mouth to keep himself from making any noise. It only took mere touches to get his heart pounding and his breathing uneven. Upon realizing that his efforts weren't doing much good, Ivan began to work faster instead of taking his time like before. Going faster was a bit more tiring, but he did his best to clean Matthew's wings as quickly as possible so Matthew would not have to endure it longer than necessary.
Matthew took notice, but was not sure what the real reason he quickened was. "I-Ivan...? D-don't push yourself. Your heart is... more important than a silly thing like this." His face was flushed as he looked over his shoulder.
"My heart is fine Matvey." Ivan says with a small smile, continuing to work at the same pace. It was really, his limbs just felt heavy like he'd run a long distance or overexerted himself, except without the loss of breath or rapid heartbeat.
"I-if you are sure..." He dropped his head once more and quickly covered his mouth again. His body felt very warm and his wings heavy.
"Yes." Ivan worked as fast as he was able to and after what probably seemed like ages to Matthew; Ivan set the towel to the side. "All clean now."
Matthew panted for a bit before giving a weak nod. "T-thank you... I'm sorry... for the trouble."
"You are welcome Matvey. And you do not need to apologize, it was not a trouble, alright?" Ivan smiled and pulled back, giving Matthew space and time to calm down after that.
It took him longer than he expected to cool his nerves. But he soon he was standing and drying himself off, his wings lazily dragging on the wood flooring. After his body was dry, his wings pulled in and Matthew slipped on his clothes. He turned to Ivan, still a bit red in the face. "Ready...?"
Ivan nodded. "Yes." He then let Matthew help him walk back into the room and sit down on the bed. He thanked Matthew when he was sitting once more. His stomach growled not long after, rather loudly too; it made Ivan blush and chuckle a bit.
Matthew laughed. "I'll go get you something. Be right back."