'𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐬?'

'do you hate mom?'-(43)

I did as Mattheo asked. Band aids and antibacterial spray was all I really needed, but I took up the whole box. I placed it on the bed of the spare room Mattheo was staying in and headed in to say goodnight to my brother.

I knocked on the door lightly.

Teddy:"Marcy?" He called out.

Marcy:"hey...I'm sorry you had to hear all of that." I wished I'd have never said anything whilst he was still in the room, that's on me.

Teddy:"do you hate mom?" I did. She was a present yet absent mother all at once.

Marcy:"that's a difficult question buddy. Maybe one day I'll explain it to you better." I couldn't leave my brother with the idea that our family was entirely dysfunctional. I didn't know how much he'd already been exposed to, but I hope he's never exposed to any of the things I was.

A few minutes later, Mattheo stood with his arm leaning against the door frame. I had no idea what he had said or did, but there was a long silence. Not a word from downstairs. I turned to face him as his shadow blocked the light from the hallway outside of teddy's room.

Marcy:"is everything okay?" I asked, concerned about him. He seemed to be fine, nothing out of the ordinary other than just present which seemed mildly comforting given the circumstances.

Mattheo:"yeah marce, everything's fine." He smiled with reassurance. I tapped the space next to me, indicating for him to sit beside me at the end of teddy's bed. "Hey bud, are you excited for Christmas?"

Teddy:"who wouldn't be?"

Marcy:"I did bring you back a little something for your Christmas present." His eyes lit up with excitement.

Teddy:"you did!" Although anything I would've gone looking for to buy people for Christmas seemed only pointless now, all I had to do was bring back something for teddy. Deep down I hoped Mattheo hadn't brought me anything, I didn't have time to think up a good enough gift for him. Besides, I didn't think I was going to see him over the holidays, I naturally assumed he'd have other plans or would turn down my offer.

Mattheo:"I did too pal."

Teddy:"2 presents this year!" It hurts hearing those words. In the Christmases I had been absent, it was clear my mother had not given teddy the Christmases any child dreams of at 9 years old. This year we were going to give him what he'd been missing. He began to rub his eyes and yawn.

Marcy:"looks like someone's tired, you must be exhausted from eating all of that spaghetti." He smiled. "I'll read you a story tomorrow night, how's that?"

Teddy:"okay." He turned himself onto his side under the covers and I watched his eyes behind to close. I tucked the quilt around him and turned his lamp light off on the way out.

Mattheo:"are you okay?" He questioned.

Marcy:"what did you say to her?" Although I had a deep hatred for her, my concerns lay more with Mattheo than her. I just wanted to know what he'd said to make the house seem so quiet rather than chaotic.

Mattheo:"I basically just told her that if she wasn't going to treat you and teddy right then she really had no right bringing you two into this world. And it would be a damn shame for you and him to have never existed if that was the case."

Marcy:"oh yeah? And why's that?" I said cheekily, hoping a heartfelt answer would follow.

Mattheo:"because then I'd have no one to care for." I loved that he already adored teddy. He is a good kid really, and he's waited too long to meet anyone I hung around with at school.

Marcy:"you mean that?" I looked deeply into his eyes. He ran his palm over my cheek and held it there as he looked at me softly.

Mattheo:"of course I do." He grinned happily. My heart began to race, everything about Mattheo draws me in. His looks, his smell, his personality, and the way no one else has ever made me feel safer in their company.

His arm moved from my cheek, down to my hand and he guided me into the spare room.

Mattheo:"how's your hand doing?"

Marcy:"I still hurts." I looked down at my knuckles and he loosened his grip from my hand and opened the first aid kit I'd placed on the bed.

Mattheo:"come here." He jested, holding out his palm awaiting for my hand to once again meet his. My knuckles were red and swollen. "This may hurt a bit." I seated myself onto the bed as he sprayed over the wounds. My teeth had clenched to the point where I scrunched my eyes and nose at the pain. He placed a cotton pad above it to keep the area from getting an infection and then wrapped it with the band aids.

Marcy:"where did you learn to do that?" I asked, it seemed like a strange question to ask but I wouldn't even know how to properly wrap a wound should I need to.

Mattheo:"my mom used to be a nurse in the wizarding world. She used to teach me all of this stuff in case I needed it." Used to? I didn't want to intrude further as he had never openly admitted to any personal details about his family.

He raised my hand and kissed above the band aids placement. My heart fluttered as he kissed and dressed and wounds better.

Mattheo:"you can take the bed, I'll make one up on the floor." That seemed odd to me, we had slept in the same bed before and he didn't hesitate then.

Marcy:"Mattheo, I think we're both mature enough to sleep in the same bed. We've already done this once before, remember?" He did remember but he didn't want to overstep my boundaries by invading his way into sharing a bed with me after everything that had happened here tonight.

Mattheo:"it's really no problem, I can sleep down here." He suggested, but that was not a likely possibility that he was implying.

Marcy:"you're the guest, if anything, I should be the one sleeping on the floor."

Mattheo:"you're not sleeping on the floor." He demanded, he just wanted me to be comfortable.

Marcy:"Mattheo I want you to sleep in the bed with me." He seemed surprised by my words. Almost as if he thought what we shared the first time wouldn't happen again. That was only a possibility if anything between us broke us apart from each other.

Mattheo:"you do?" Of course I did. Ive never slept better than the night Mattheo stayed in my dorm. There were no nightmares, only peaceful dreams and lasting slumber.

I nodded my head with a smile and he returned the gesture.