Hey, lovers! What's up? I'm sorry if this update is kind of late, but my account was acting screwy yesterday, and I was trying to work out a few plot points in my head. Thanks to BlacktwinWhitetwin for helping me decide on a course of action for this story!
Inner Kiwi: Also, she was being lazy and didn't feel like writing.
Me: shhh, don't tell them that... Anyway, to XxFlamingSnowxX, I'm going to start your oneshot just as soon as I finish writing this, so don't think I forgot or anything. And to all y'all requesting longer chapters, be grateful; this is the longest chapter so far, damn it!
Allons y!
The following weeks passed in quite a similar way as Matthew's first encounter with Gil's friends; he would come to school, go to class, avoid Ivan during his morning classes, spend lunch on the roof, and struggle through his two classes with his boyfriend, who still hadn't noticed his lunch time absences. Though, niether had Alfred, so he suspected it was because they were too busy arguing, rather than Ivan spending quality time with someone in a closet.
His home life stayed tense and uneasy. Ivan hadn't hit him since that fateful Thursday, though, so that was a good sign. Matthew and Ivan's relationship had always had distinctive phases it went through on a never ending loop. First, they'd be fine, Ivan would be sweet and kind and loving, never raising a hand to him, taking him out places and treating him right, and Matthew would almost allow himself to be happy. Those periods were always short-lived, however. Eventually Matthew would do some miniscule thing to upset him, and Ivan would fly off the handle, beating him bloody while Alfred played his games in the next room. His rage would last for a day or two, then they would fall into the third stage, where Ivan would be cold and remote, cheating on him left and right, but thankfully leaving him alone. Then Ivan would bring him flowers, apologizing profusely, and they'd be almost happy again, if only for a few weeks. At the moment, their relationship was in the cold and remote period, and Matthew hated it. It made him feel so invisible, and, while he tried to convince himself otherwise, it hurt to know that the man he had once loved, back in the beginning, was off sleeping with someone else.
Truthfully, the only thing Matthew looked forward to anymore were those fifty-five minutes up on the roof, listening to the people around him laugh and carry on. The group had grown from when he'd first met them.
On the second day, he'd met Natalya and Bella, the couple Gil had said were probably off making out. Matthew didn't really doubt it; the two were an exceptionally close couple. In all the times that Matthew had seen them, they hadn't once stopped holding hands, and the instant they saw him, Natalya had cuddled Bella closer, sending him an obvious Even-Think-About-Her-Wrong-And-I'll-Stab-You look, backed up by the knife she had not so subtly pulled. Matthew, awkward boy that he was, stuttered out a quick 'I'm gay', before blushing beet red. After that, Natalya had lightened up, seemingly convinced that he wouldn't try to make a move on Bella.
Two days later, two boys had joined them on the roof, one quiet and cold, the other loud, friendly and obnoxious. Gilbert had quickly introduced them as Matthias and Lukas, and Matthias had asked Gil point-blank if he and Matthew were 'boning', earning himself a punch from his short companion. These hits weren't an uncommon thing from Lukas, though he only directed them at Matthias, along with a great deal of sharp insults. If Matthew didn't know any better, he'd say the two were worst enemies. In fact, it wasn't until he'd seen them share a goodbye kiss outside the school that same day that he'd even realized the two were dating.
Despite his original apprehension towards the boisterous group of teens, Matthew found himself fitting in nicely. They seemed to genuinely like him, unlike all the people who usualy forgot about him when he was dragged along with Ivan or Alfred. They remembered his name and included him in disscusions. They even smiled and waved at him in the hallways, like friends. The girls all seemed to think the was the cutest little thing ever, even Natalya, after she got over the initial distrust. Even the more obnoxious people(*COUGH*semes*COUGH*), who would have normally forgotten about him, were exceedingly nice to him. They explained inside jokes to him, and Matthew found hmself being witness to new ones. Gil, who Matthew had half-expected to ignore him, always made him feel comfortable, making sure everyone knew not to tease him. For the first time in forever, Matthew felt accepted, and he hoped he'd never lose that feeling.
Finally, exactly two weeks after Matthew first came to the roof, Gil asked the question that Mathew had been dreading.
Everyone else was preoccupied, disscussing Roderich's concert that was to be played that night, and the celebration they were planning afterwards. Matthew had been hanging back, knowing he wouldn't be going; It was one thing for Ivan not to notice his absence during lunch, Matthew highly doubted that him being gone for hours would go by unnoticed. Gilbert had sat down in front of him, breaking him from his slightly depressing musings.
"Mattie, I have to ask you something, and I want you to be 100% honest, zu verstehen?" Gil said, giving him an uncharacteristically serious look. Slightly nervous, Matthew nodded.
"E-erm, of course, f-fire away," Matthew inwardly cursed. Damn my nervous stutter!
"Birdie, why were you hurt on the day we went to the arcade?" Gil asked, and Matthew could see it in his eyes; the suspicion, the same look that had been in his eyes that day, the same look a concerned teacher had given him once.
Matthew had to force himself not to panic. Calm down, Williams. It's fine, you've dealt with this situation before, its the same thing. Just lie, you can do it, come on. Don't let him see the truth, quit hesitating! Play dumb!
"What are you talking about?" Matthew's soft tone was laced with confusion. Gilbert gave him a skeptical look.
"You collapsed, and when I tried to convince you to take the day off, you said you didn't want to go home," Matthew let a look of comprehension dawn on his face, as if he was just now remembering, then settled a reassuring smile on his lips.
"Oh, that. My brother Alfred and I had a fight that turned physical, and I didn't want to go back until we had both calmed down. It was stupid really; it was just a bout of sibling rivalry, I guess." Matthew answered, feeling awful for lying so convincingly.
Just like the teacher before him, Gil completely bought his story, his face transforming into his usual carefree grin. "Oh, that makes sense. Me and Ludwig fight like that a lot."
The albino launched into a story about how he and Ludwig had once trashed an entire hotel room during an arguement, and Matthew smiled and laughed, although he was barely paying attention.
No one can ever know. It would do me more harm than good if I told him the truth. It has to stay a secret, and it's good that he bought the story. I know all that to be true, I know that I have to lie to him. But why... Why does it hurt so much to do it?
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Matthew walked out the front doors of the school, Ivan surprisingly by his side. For the past few weeks he had been walking home, Ivan leaving him behind once the fifth period bell rang, but this time Ivan had stayed with him the whole time, even holding his hand. Matthew followed the older boy to his car, still not sure what to make of it. As they pulled out of the school parking lot, Ivan finally spoke.
"любимая," Matthew noted how he used this term of endearment; he only ever called him darling when he was trying to make up to him. Apparently the cold stage was coming to a close. "I'm very sorry for the way I've been acting. Forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you, Ivan," Matthew said softly, his reply automatic and compulsory. For the first time, however, Matthew felt the overwhelming urge to scream no, he did NOT forgive him, and that he hated him. He longed to get out of the car, go home, pack his things and... do what? He had nowhere to go. The only thing that would accomplish was bringing back Ivan's violent side more quickly than necessary. So instead, he took the offered hand of peace.
"Oh, I almost forgot! I bought us tickets to go to the classical concert at the playhouse tonight. You like classical music, da?" Ivan exclaimed excitedly. Matthew had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping open in shock. His heart warred between being extremely excited (he truly did love classical music), and dreading the experience. What if Gil and everyone saw him and tried to talk to him? Ivan would go ballistic.
"T-thank you Ivan, that's really s-sweet of you," Matthew stuttered, hoping Ivan would write it off as gratitude. Inside, however, he was freaking out.
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Gil followed his friends into the auditorium, hanging back a little. He'd never admit it (at least not out loud), but he was pretty bummed out that Matthew hadn't been able to make it. It was nice having another single person around in a group full of couples. Ever since Matthew arrived, he'd stopped feeling like such a... 10,11,12- thirteenth wheel.
Oh, and the fact that he was ass-over-tea-kettle crushing on the kid.
Gil, despite everyone's obvious thoughts to the contrary, wasn't stupid; he'd known he'd had it bad for the Canadian from the moment he'd met him, soaking wet and shivering in the rain. There was just something about him that had instantly caught his attention and kept it. He hadn't said anything at first because, A) he hadn't even known if the boy even played for his team, and B) who the hell just runs into someone and says 'Hey, I think I want you to carry my biologically impossible babies, so how 'bout it?'?
Then, he'd seen that guy kiss him outside his apartment, and realized that he was taken anyway. And, while Gil was an awful lot of things, a home-wrecker was not one of them. So, he'd decided to let it die. He'd never expected to see Matthew again, and he'd been pretty damn surprised to run into him at a cafe, of all the cliche places. It soon became apparent to him that there was no fricking was he'd be able to ignore the boy; he was just so adorable and heartbreakingly under confident. Thus, he'd decided on his current course of action; wait until Matthew either broke up with his boyfriend and then swoop in, or pine after him like a love-sick school-girl until he either got over his crush or Matthew got married.
Somehow, though, Gil doubted that he'd have to resort to option B. Once again, Gil wasn't stupid. He noticed the way Matthew never talked about his boyfriend, or hell, even said his name. Most couples wanted to spend all their free-time with each other, but Matthew hadn't once chosen his boyfriend over the roof in all the weeks he'd known him. Not to mention, there was this underlying sadness in Matthew that always showed up when he looked at the happy couples around him. He thought no one noticed, but Gil did. Gil had originally thought that maybe the Russian was abusing him, but it appeared as though he'd been mistaken. Even so, Gil highly doubted that THAT relationship was going to last much longer. A relationship without love never does.
"Hey, Gil, look, it's Mattie," Lili pointed out, snapping Gil out of his musings. sure enough, farther down was Matthew, holding hands with a tall Slavic looking guy with ash-blond hair. Gil instantly recognized him as the boy from outside Birdie's apartment. "Should we go say hi before the concert starts?"
"Nein," Gil answered, turning away from the scene."It's obvious he's out on a date, let's leave him be,"
Just as Lili was about to protest, the house lights flickered, signaling everyone to sit down. Lili closed her mouth, settling in for the concert.
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Matthew clapped along with everyone as the concert came to a close, the pianist sweeping a bow and recieving a standing ovation. Matthew couldn't believe that someone THAT good was only a high school student. Even more, he was the aristocratic boy from the arcade.
Finally the applause died down, and Matthew followed Ivan to the aisle, both of them slipping into the steady stream heading for the exit. Matthew wished the line would hurry up, before someone recognised him. The crowd was moving so unbearably slow that Matthew was half convinced they'd never escape. Thankfully, they reached the door a little while later. Matthew clutched at Ivan's sleeve, gently tugging him towards the exit.
They were almost out the door when Matthew felt a hand tap his shoulder. He was half tempted to hurry out and pretend he hadn't felt it, but he felt Ivan stop. Groaning internally, he turned around.
Surprisingly, it wasn't any of his new friends, but rather the pianist. He appeared to have a look of recognition on his face. Matthew felt his stomach drop. Damn it.
"You are that boy I saw with Gilbert at the arcade, are you not?" The boy asked.
Matthew fought to keep a smooth expression. He felt Ivan stiffen behind him.
"I'm sorry, but I believe you are mistaken," He answered softly, managing to keep his panic out of his tone.
"No, I'm certain it was you, I wouldn't forget the face of someone enough out of their mind to go on a date with Gilbert Beilschmidt," He insisted, and finally Ivan spoke, ice evident in his tone.
"If my boyfriend says you have the wrong person, then you do, da?" Ivan not-so-subtly pulled his pipe out, smiling at the male menacingly.
"Oh, my sincerest apologies, I didn't realize... I must have been mistaken. Excuse me," The teen walked off in the opposite direction, looking a mix of mortified and terrified.
Ivan wasted no time in clamping his hand down in a bruising grip on Matthew's arm, dragging him out of the crowds down a deserted hallway. He slammed him against the wall, making the blond's head smack against it.
"What did he mean, DATING GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT?" Ivan roared, shifting to hold him against the wall by his throat. Not enough to constrict his breathing, just enough to act as a warning.
"I-I d-don't kn-kn-k-know!" Matthew whimpered, cringing away. Ivan slapped him hard arcoss the face, making him cry out in pain.
"Don't lie to me, Matvey," Ivan growled, squeezing his throat. Matthew choked slightly.
"I'm not l-lying, I s-s-swear!" He cried desperately, Ivan's face twisted in disbelief.
"Then why did that man think you were dating Beilschmidt?" He demanded. Matthew could hardly think straight. No matter how many times he saw it, Ivan's anger always reduced him to panic.
"I don't k-know! It's m-must have been A-Alfred he saw, not me. I was at work all day, I promise," He lied, desperate for him to believe it. Thankfully, Ivan seemed to buy it, because he released his throat and cupped his face.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, Matvey. You would not cheat on me, because you know what would happen, da?" Ivan's crooning voice sent a shiver down his back.
"D-da, I know what would happen," Matthew whispered, voice slightly scratchy. Ivan gave him a childish grin, but Matthew knew that his moment of anger was over. The Russian brushed his thumb over the rapidly forming bruise on his face and his split lip.
"Come, let's go home. I'll make it up to you in the morning," He said cheerily, leading Matthew down the hall toward back exit.
Neither of them had noticed the tiny Liechtensteiner peeking around the corner, her eyes wide and full of horror at what she had just seen.
And thus ends another chapter! In case y'all were wondering, yes, my plan has always been for Lili to be the first to find out.
Inner Kiwi: Liar. You just decided a few days ago on a wicked long car drive.
Me: Shut up! Anyway, a few things before I go! First, I made a mistake last chapter- the was SEBSEA, not SebLat.
Inner Kiwi: Like anyone ACTUALLY cares, Orig. Kiwi.
Me: Siriusly, Fruk off. Second, with the help of my beautiful beta, I've finally decided on the Russia pairing! Since I'm preeeeeetty sure it was the most requested, Y'all should be happy! The pairing is...*drumrollllllllll* ROCHU~! Sorry if it's not what you voted for (hell, it isn't what I'D vote for), but it's the pairing that makes the most sense, in mine and my beta's opinions. Plus, it's NOT like it's gonna be that big of a deal.
ONE LAST THING! I was supposed to start school yesterday, but it got cancelled for some strange as fuck reason, soooooo, after today, expect updates less frequently because I'm a procrastinator, and exams are getting reeeaaally close!
Kay, BAAAAAAIIIII! Read and review my pretties! (ALMOST AT 50, HOLY CROW!)