Matthew ran as fast as he could go, weaving in between houses as he tried to get away from Alfred's group. They yelled at him to slow down, to come 'hang out' with them, but anyone would know better than to stop.

He felt something hit his back and then clank to the ground, shattering.

Did they really just throw a bottle at me? What the fuck is wrong with them? Matthew panicked when something wet dripped down his back. Surely it was just from the bottle and not his back-

Matthew was exhausted, but he close to Ivan's house. He could make it.

He looked over just in time to see Lutz pull the car up beside him, grinning. He had a scar that ran down the side of his face that apparently Luciano gave him 'accidentally'.

He started to say something but had to swerve to avoid hitting another car, since he was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Matthew looked ahead and realized that the next street was Ivan's. He turned abruptly and Lutz passed by the street, screeching to a stop.

Matthew frantically looked for Ivan's house number and used the last of his energy to get there. He banged on the door as he heard the car pulling down the street.

Ivan suddenly opened the door, and Matthew practically fell inside, tears in his eyes.

"Wh-what's going on? Are you okay?"

"They're crazy! They've never chased me down for so long. Or-or-" He was out of breath, so Ivan shut and locked the door. He set him on the couch and told him to calm down and explain what was going on.

"Those are my brother's friends... They think it's funny to pull shit like this, or beat me up, or whatever! Does my back have stuff on it? They threw something at me..."

"Matthew, are you serious? Why don't you call the police or tell someone?"

Matthew just shook his head. He has told people. The school told him that they can't do anything until he brings in his own proof of their bullying, despite the fact that he gets beaten up right outside of school half the time. He didn't know why they had cameras in school if they weren't going to even use them.

"How long have they been doing this?" Ivan asked. He looked about ready to run outside and chase them down.

Matthew shrugged. "Since I've known them, I guess. Alfred is probably the reason they're targeting mostly me... He became friends with them about a month after we moved here, and that's when I became their primary victim.

Ivan shook his head and turned on the tv.

"You sure you're okay?"

Matthew nodded. It's not like this is entirely new.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, minus the sound of the tv. Matthew looked around at Ivan's small but cozy living room. He seemed to like brighter, warmer colors.

Ivan told him to go back into his room and get him a new shirt, since his was wet and sticky.

The house was pretty small. There were four rooms in total. The living room, where Ivan was waiting patiently for Matthew to get back, the bathroom, which was across from the kitchen, and at the end of the hallway was Ivan's room.

The room itself was a dull gray color, and the bed took up most of the room. There was a dresser with a tv and a XBOX at the foot of the bed. Matthew went through it and found a plain black hoodie and changed out of his red one.

He heard a soft plop on the bed behind him and turned around.

A fat, gray and white cat meowed happily at him before stretching out on the bed.

Matthew smiled and pet it on the head before walking back out in the hallway.

He stopped in the living room doorway, asking where to put his wet hoodie. The cat rubbed against Matthew's legs before hopping up on the couch.

The next few hours passed fairly quickly and Matthew didn't notice his phone vibrating on the table next to him.

They watched a few movies before Matthew felt himself scooting closer to Ivan. He wasn't sure why he wanted to be closer to him, but as he leaned on Ivan's larger body, he felt very comfortable.

Ivan was soft, but pretty muscular, where as he was small and practically scrawny.

At first, the thought that Ivan would push him away, but he just wrapped his arm around Matthew, and they adjusted their position so that Matthew was laying on him.

It was pretty dark outside, and Matt figured that he should check his phone, but as he laid with Ivan, he felt his worries and inner pain go away. He felt his eyes droop, but didn't want to fall asleep.

The last thing he remembered was a scene on the tv. One guy held a gun up to his head as the another tried to bust the door in to save him.

He didn't make it in time.

Matthew's eyes opened slowly, strips of a bright light shining in his face. It took him a minute to realize it was the window in Ivan's room.

"Shit..." He mumbled, looking over his shoulder to see Ivan sleeping soundly next to him. He wasn't facing him, but his cat grumpily looked up at him from in between them.

He pet the cat and stood up. He should go home.

He saw his red hoodie sitting right by the door, dried. Matthew was confused for a second, but changed anyways. Just before he got out the door, Ivan coughed.

"Leaving me already?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I need to get home. Arthur will be worried. I left a note, but I don't think I told him I was staying... I'll text you later or something?"

Ivan nodded, sitting up. The covers fell down a little, showing off Ivan's chest. "You want me to drop you off?"

Matthew refused to look at Ivan's half naked self, and shook his head. "I'll manage. I bet they all sleep until one in the afternoon anyways."

Ivan shrugged. "Alright. Just be careful. Your phone is still on the table by the way."

Ivan laid on his back and they said goodbye. Neither of them brought up last night, or why he was in Ivan's bed, and he was fine with that.

Matthew looked at his phone, which had a message from Alfred, and two calls from their home phone. He put on his shoes and made sure to lock the door behind him before booking it home.

He knew that he was going to be in trouble the moment he gets home, but all he could think about was Ivan.

He met him two, maybe three weeks ago, and he already feels closer to him than anything else in this world.

He thought about whether or not he'd fall in love with him, like some love story or something.

Nah.