I See Emeralds

Chapter Twenty-Eight (Gilbert's POV)

I spend the next few hours at Matthew's house trying to talk him out of suicide and cheering him up. He used to avoid me like the plague, but now he seems relieved that I'm here with him. The thought that we're soulmates hardly crosses my mind the whole time.

"Thank you Gil," he says quietly. He says everything quietly, but not as quietly as this. I smile.

"I only did what a good person would do." He leans against me. We're sitting on the floor against the wall in his bedroom.

"Without you..." He gazes at the spot the pills were at before I put them back in the kitchen cabinet. "I probably wouldn't be here."

"I'll talk to those bullies tomorrow. I know some of them," I tell him. Oh, I'll do more than talk...

"You're the best." The front door slams open. "Must be Alfred..." He smiles slightly.

"Hey Mattie! Is Arty here yet? I was with Kiku, sorry for not telling you ahead of time!" It is indeed Matthew's older brother. I know him well.

"Are you gonna let him know that I'm here?" I ask. He shrugs, gets up, and peeks his head out the door.

"No! And I'm busy!" he calls. Who knew that he could shout?

"With what?" Alfred calls back.

"With stuff!" I suppress my laughter at Matthew's unusual sarcasm. He used to talk like that all the time when we were kids. I wonder when exactly he changed. I hear the door open again.

"Woah, Arthur, you're soaked! And you're not usually out this late," Alfred exclaims. Great, their cousin's here too. I guess I have no choice. I look at Matthew and point at myself. He nods in understanding.

"By the way, I have a friend over," he tells them. He's still standing at his position at the bedroom doorway. A friend...so he doesn't hate me.

"Who?" Arthur asks.

I shout, "Me!"

"Why is Gilbert here? I thought you two didn't get along nowadays. Oh, and hi Gil!" Alfred says.

"Why not?" Matthew retorts. He beckons for me to go over him. "Might as well properly say hi." We join the others downstairs.

They're both sitting at the dining room table. I raise an eyebrow at Arthur's attire. "Hey, isn't that Francis' jacket?" I ask as I sit down. Arthur appears horrified.

"O-of course not! Where would you ever get such a ridiculous idea? He's a...a wanker! Yes, that's right, a wanker! I don't speak to him, much less borrow his belongings," he sputters. But he's fidgety and avoiding eye contact. Yep, Francis' jacket.

"You're weird Arty," Alfred teases him and laughs. He doesn't seem to notice Arthur's clear embarrassment. "So one, why are you so late and wet? And two, why is Gil over? Not that I mind. You're pretty cool, dude." Alfred gives me a fist bump and I grin. Late and wet. That sounds a little weird out of context. Ugh, stupid dirty mind!

"I offered to visit and Mattie accepted," I say and shrug. I know he doesn't want me to mention the events of today to them.

"It was raining," Arthur says simply. Alfred gives him an "are you kidding me" look.

"Yeah, two hours ago!" he says.

"I was stuck in it for a bit and didn't get a chance to dry off."

"Sounds more like you snuck off somewhere."

"So what if I did?" Arthur crosses his arms and attempts to look confident. He fails.

"Where?" Alfred demands.

I chuckle when he adjusts the familiar jacket he's wearing. "With Francis? We'll hear all about it tomorrow."

"No! He promised not-oh, bloody bother." Arthur facepalms. "Seems I've gotten myself into a bit of a corner here."

"No, your seat isn't near the wall," Matthew teases.

"So you were with him! What were you two doing for so long?" Alfred exclaims. He sounds like an eager new detective who has just discovered his first clue.

"I told you, we were caught in the rain," Arthur responds nonchalantly. He avoids meeting our suspicious gazes. "And where were you at, Alfred?"

"With Kiku. Duh." Ever since Alfred and Kiku finally officially started dating, they've been hanging out a lot. "That's why I'm suspecting you were with Francis."

"You insufferable brat," Arthur grumbles. He seems to admit defeat. "When are you and Mattie's parents coming home?"

"They're probably off drinking. It'll be a while," Matthew says in a cold tone. They were supposed to be home by now. But they get home late all the time, so he's not too worried.

"Drinking...ah, they need to quit that. They've been doing it a bit much lately, eh?" Arthur rubs his temples.

"Eh is my thing," Matthew says, but gives him a small smile.

"The rain ended a while ago, so what were you two doing that long?" Alfred demands, redirecting back to the previous discussion.

"We were caught in the rain," Arthur repeats.

"And?"

"I don't want to talk about it in front of Gil." He crosses his arms.

Matthew and I sigh. "Do you want to go back upstairs? Or would you like to leave now? I'm okay now. I promise," Matthew asks me. I shrug and run my fingers through my hair.

"I guess I'll leave. Bye Mattie. Take care of yourself," I say. I wave and dash out the door before his brother or cousin can say anything.

That was the question that reminded me we're soulmates. What are we gonna do now? Are we friends again, or...?