G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Phantoms of Hope (Nate and Mat+Steph) (Part 1)

A/N PoH contains fictional themes of depression and substance abuse

"Steph, no!" Mat exclaimed. "You are not getting out of that bed!"

"But Mat..." Stephanie groaned as the male borrower lay her back down on the bed. "The chores... and we need food!" But Mat shook his head at whatever excuses she tried to dig up.

"No buts about it. You are not getting out of bed." When Stephanie tried to protest again, a coughing fit took over her. Mat sighed and embraced his wife, and pain brimmed in his eyes as he listened to the exhausting coughs.

"But what about the salt?" Stephanie continued in her hoarse voice.

"I'll take care of it." Mat suppressed his own coughing and disguised it as a simple clearing his throat exercise.

"And the other spices?"

"Stephanie, relax! It's just a borrowing spree, and we only need a few things. Besides, the human's asleep right now. I haven't heard his footsteps for a couple of hours." Stephanie groaned.

"I don't like this plan." She studied Mat with narrow eyes, and then she let out a tired yawn. "Promise me you'll be careful?" She finally sighed. Mat nodded.

"Of course!" After a bit more talking, he finally got Stephanie to lay down and try to rest. He kissed her forehead and tucked her in, and then he went into their main room to gather their borrowing supplies. Let's see... fishing tackle, check. Backpack, check- oops, there's still some thyme in that pocket. Oh well, at least it doesn't go bad. Mat's thoughts drifted as he gathered everything he needed. He felt bad about not telling Steph that he too was sick, but he knew that if she knew, then she would give him a piece of her mind.

She'll rest better if she doesn't worry about me. Mat took a deep breath and quietly left the cozy makeshift walls of what they had come to call home. Their home sweet home was concealed in the wall behind a large bookshelf, and the various books placed on those shelves hid the tiny hole that led to their labyrinth. It was at this hidden entrance that Mat now emerged from, and he looked around carefully before stepping out from behind the organized string of manga books.

Okay, what do I need first? Mat assessed his necessities and decided on bread first. He stuck to the wall and carefully made his way across the living room, with his ears strained for any incoming dangers and his eyes peeled for any sudden approaches. Whenever he needed to cough, he did it as quietly and muffled as much as possible, hoping the human wouldn't hear. To his relief, he made it all the way into the kitchen without any sign of the human, but that also made him nervous. Is he just laying in bed again? Did he even eat? Mat sighed. Humans were so strange, no matter how hard he tried to understand them. He didn't get what was wrong. The household owner was losing his scheduled timings, and it was getting harder for Mat to find chances to get what they needed without taking too many risks. But today would have to be one of those days. He couldn't afford waiting any longer to get the medicine. Stephanie needed it.

Mat found the pantry door slightly ajar as usual, and so he hooked his way up onto the third shelf and collected his bits of bread. When he had as much as his pack could carry, he made his way onto the other side of the kitchen, and he was soon climbing up precariously into the spices cabinet. "Ok, salt... pepper... seasoning... basil... don't need thyme..." Mat murmured to himself as he went through the assorted spices and herbs, collecting what they needed. He was careful to not make a mess, not even coughing on any of the precious seasonings, and he left the bottles in the exact same position as they had been left. It was an extra precaution, however, because lately the human had been too drowsy to hardly notice anything.