Sorry sooooooooooo much about the ridiculously long hiatus! I didn't even realize how long it had been since I had last written!
...
Feliciano collapsed against the side of the alley, gasping for breath. His mind and his heart raced. The rational part of his brain suggested that, if Matthew had been planning to kill him or get information out of him, he would have followed him. The larger, less rational part reminded him that this was exactly the sort of thing Ludwig had been warning him about! Why hadn't he listened?
As his heart rate slowed, allowing him to return to a reasonable state of mind, he became aware of a single fact that he had been overlooking: they had met on accident, and found each other again on accident. Call it fate, call it destiny, call it whatever you like, but there was something in Matthew's eyes… genuine surprise at seeing Feliciano again. It hadn't been planned.
Ludwig was wrong.
It was okay to be with Matthew.
And Feliciano really wanted to be with Matthew.
...
Matthew sat, stunned. Kumajirou sat, watching Matthew sit. Matthew shuddered, just barely keeping tears at bay. He glanced at Kumajirou.
"Was it something I said?" he intoned creakily.
Kumajirou blinked.
"I- he seemed okay with the whole country thing, up until I mentioned Canada… maybe he has a thing against Canadians…"
Kumajirou blinked again.
"I wish I could find him again, even if it is for the last time. If we could at least talk it over… maybe things would be different. Maybe he would understand."
Kumajirou blinked, tilted his head, and suddenly whirled around and bounded off. Matthew cried out in an attempt to call him back.
"Kumajirou! Get back here!"
Giving up on the notion that his bear would return voluntarily, Matthew chased him into the darkness.
...
Shortly after his sudden epiphany, Feliciano became aware of a strange clicking noise echoing through the maze of streets and alleys. This was followed by a sound of shoes, leaving Feliciano wondering exactly who would be walking their dog this late at night.
The clicking got louder.
And closer.
And quicker.
Feliciano straightened up slowly as the clicking noise approached. When it seemed as though it couldn't get any closer, it stopped.
Feli inched to the corner of the building and slowly glanced around. He saw a streak of white before being pushed backwards by a wall of fur.
"Wha-? Kumajirou? What are you…"
Kumajirou dropped to the ground and snuffled, giving Feli a satisfied look. Then he roared.
...
Matthew, completely lost in the maze of streets, heard a roar.
"Kumajirou! I'm on my way!"
...
Matthew ran, panting, in the direction of the sound. He found himself completely lost, until he heard giggling just a few yards away. Turning around, he saw Feliciano petting Kumajirou. Feli looked up and froze. He slowly stood. Matthew opened his mouth, to apologize, to try to fix things, to do something, but Feli beat him to it, stepping forward and kissing him, before pulling back and smiling.
Matthew blinked. That had been easier than he was expecting.
"Sorry, Matt."
...
Penultimate (adj.) Second to last
I'm really sorry for taking so long to write this chapter… I promise it was a completely unintentional hiatus. Things just suddenly got really busy and I had no time to write.