Ex's to Lovers

Chapter 76

In Which We Reach the Epilogue and Alfred and Ivan Are Still Idiots

"-but we didn't know that Feliks was watching," Alfred said animatedly, leaning his back against Ivan's side, "and you know what a gossip he is, right? So he told the whole school I proposed and everyone thought I asked Ivan to marry me when I just asked him out for real!"

Mathew, who was reclining on one of Alfred and Ivan's couches, looked over with a wrinkled brow.

"For real?" He questioned, but Alfred wasn't listening.

"That's because you did propose!" Gilbert grumbled, coming back from where he'd been helping himself to the couple's fridge.

"I thought you were proposing."

Ivan offered, shifting so Alfred's back felt more comfortable against his shoulder. Mathew sat up, still looking confused.

"What did you mean by 'for real', Al?"

Alfred, not really listening, answered absently. 

"Well, you know, that was back when everyone thought Ivan and I were dating, but -" 

Gilbert suddenly remembered something that the other two in the room had forgotten, and quickly tried to intervene. 

"Wait-" 

Unfortunately, Alfred had already begun to speak, an d once he opened his mouth the words just continued to prance out, apparently not listening to any commands his brain might try to give, not that Alfred was listening to Gilbert's attempt to help. 

" - Originally it was all a misunderstanding, right?" 

Even more unfortunately, Alfred couldn't read the atmosphere if it was written on a giant bill board in big red letters. So it was that Alfred didn't notice the sudden tension in the atmosphere as Mathew spoke in a tone so cold it could have froze hellfire. 

"What misunderstanding?" 

Ivan was the type who was proud of the fact that he wasn't scared by anyone, excepting his sisters, but suddenly Ivan remembered a time when he'd found Alfred's twin scary. A time a furious Mathew had stomped up to him ordered him to a family dinner, which was a memory he tried actively to forget. Gilbert, who hadn't yet fully entered and sat back down, began to slowly back back into the kitchen, silently. Ivan, who was trapped on the couch with Alfred, didn't dare say anything that might draw Mathew's ire his way, and could only glare at the retreating albino, which Gilbert only smirked at.

Alfred, oblivious as always, began the story from the beginning, when he'd gone to egg Ivan's house all those years ago. During his story Mathew's face went through a series of expressions that Alfred identified as confusion, surprise, and excitement about his story, which was incredibly wrong. Ivan and Gilbert, hiding in the kitchen, had made these expressions themselves many times in the past, were able to correctly identify the expressions as frustration, anger, and that particular type of homicidal anger that suggests one wants to murder only Alfred in particular. By the time Alfred caught up to the present, Mathew settled on a stony look that didn't mask the intimidating aura he was excluding.

"Alfred," Mathew seethed, "You're telling me that whole time everyone was trying to help you two-" here he gestured to Ivan and Alfred ,"-with your relationship, you were pretending?"

Mathew's frigid tone could have matched Ivan's specialty icy beam. Unfortunately, Alfred was immune to Ivan's fury, and seemed just as unaffected by Mathew's.

"What's wron-"

Alfred started to ask, and Ivan decided to save his husband from an early death by slapping a large hand over his mouth. This only resulted in Alfred squirming and kicking and causing a general ruckus. Mathew finally exploded, furious.