Chapter Six

Kiss Me An Apology

Gilbert could tell that Matthew was still feeling guilty by the time they had finished their ice cream, and while he was still a little upset by the man's tardiness and lack of communication, he knew there was more to it than that. There was some personal stuff that he shouldn't have been taking out on Matthew. And so, with that in mind, he invited Matthew back to his apartment to play video games as a way of telling him it was alright and to get both of their minds off the incident.

It wasn't until about three in the morning that they finally turned off the gaming system and headed to bed.

When Gilbert woke again several hours later, rolling over and checked the time on his phone. It was nearing noon, a strong sign he should be getting out of bed.

That could wait a few minutes.

Rolling back over, it came as a slight relief to find Matthew still sleeping beside him. He wasn't sure where this irrational fear of him leaving came from, but, at least for now, he was choosing to ignore it.

Propping his head up on his elbow, Gilbert stared at Matthew for a moment as he debated whether it would be okay to kiss him awake.

That question was somewhat answered as Matthew's eyes fluttered open, forcing Gilbert to look away quickly in mild embarrassment.

"Mornin'," Matthew mumbled, sitting up slightly. "So how long were you watching me sleep?" Matthew asked, a small smirk to show he was teasing.

A blush lit up Gilbert's cheeks. "Ah, uh, only a minute! Not long at all, really," he stuttered.

Matthew laughed. "I'm sure, creeper," he replied, crawling over Gilbert to get out of bed.

"Am not!" Gilbert cried, throwing back the blankets and following.

Matthew only laughed again.

Gilbert frowned in annoyance and grabbed Matthew's hand to turn him around.

Matthew barely had time to blink before Gilbert was kissing him.

"What was that?" Matthew asked once they had both pulled back.

"An apology," Gilbert answered.

Matthew chuckled. "What? For being a creeper?"

"No. Well, yes, but mostly for yesterday, for losing my awesome cool like that on you."

Matthew frowned. "It was somewhat deserved, besides, I thought we were past this, we both apologized already and moved on…" He looked at Gilbert uncertainly.

"But it's more than that Birdie. I wasn't just angry at you yesterday, it was just a build up of things going on in my life and then yesterday was just… I was just…"

"Afraid," Matthew finished. "Afraid that I was going to leave you too."

It wasn't what Gilbert was planning on saying, but it was more of the truth than he could ever admit to even himself, and it was painful having it laid out like that. And Matthew, it was both terrifying and comforting to have the boy see through him so easily.

Realizing he didn't have a response, Gilbert simply nodded and Matthew took his hands.

"Gilbert. It's alright to be afraid, all of us are. It's how you handle it that makes you so amazing. You're brave and optimistic. I could only hope to be more like you. I'm not magic, I can't know what will happen in the future, but I can tell you on thing for absolute certain. As of now, I have absolutely no intention of ever leaving you."

Gilbert couldn't help but smile a little at Matthew's attempt at comfort. While the words did hold a mild sense of foreboding, Gilbert pushed it aside and clung onto the hope he found there. Hope for not only them, but the future as well.