"Semi-Short Stories" [ Story Collection ]

Father Issues [] 2/11 []

"Hey! I was looking for you." Draco is seated on the couch once again, controller in hand. "Wanna play?"

"Sure." Matthew closes the front door, slips his shoes and coat off, and takes a seat beside Draco. He can feel a headache starting. "I went to see my Father. He said he found some of Clem's toys, but he was lying."

"How did it go?" Draco pauses the game. This is considered important. But before Matthew could give him an answer, he notices his shoulders. Matthew's cream colored shirt was marked with drying blood. "Holy shit, you're bleeding."

"I am?" Matthew's eyes are distant. He blinks, and finds himself in the laundry room, shirt set aside. Draco is tending to the punctures on his shoulders. The sting of rubbing alcohol is what brought him back.

"...if I have to."

"What?"

Draco looks up to meet his gaze. "I said I'll call the police if I have to."

"Don't do that."

"Why not?"

Matthew winces and looks down to see the now bloody rag Draco is using. "I'll get in trouble, too. The card I use. He stole all the money on it. He no doubt gave it to me as a form of blackmail, because I can't say that I didn't know that it was stolen." He's still looking at the rag. Entranced. "I don't want to get in trouble and have to go somewhere else. I feel like I belong here. I'm happy, and I don't want to mess that up."

Draco gives a smile and a nod, but also sighs. "I get it. I don't want to mess it up either."

Conversation slows until Matthew is completely patched up. Then Draco casually says, "I'll just have to take care of it myself."

"You will do no such thing-"

"I don't mean fighting him or anything. I just mean...maybe he'll just so happen to become a casuality of this war."

"...You want to prank him, then."

"I wanna buy a bunch of Bibles. I wanna ruin whatever fuckin' sacrificial room he's bound to have."

"I really don't like the idea of you going over there, Draco. It isn't safe." He visibly contemplates for several moments. Draco notices.

"You don't need-"

"Unless I come with you."

"Matthew."

"I'll distract him. He won't hurt me if he thinks I care about this antichrist thing." He rubs at his shoulders. "This only happened because I was being snippy with him."

"We'll bring guns. There's no way he'll call the police. Not if it'll end with him getting fucked over, too."

Matthew snickers. A new thing for him.

"What?"

"Nothing important. Do you have your own guns?"

"Oh, yes. I'm not supposed to take them out of the house, but...Papa doesn't have to find out." He leans closer, batting his eyelashes. "And you won't tell him, will you?"

Matthew pinches Draco's cheeks. "No. And you don't have to act all cute to get me to keep your secrets."

"I'm offended that you think I'm only acting cute."

"You are cute. In fact, you look like a chipmunk." He's still pinching his cheeks.

"Chipmunks bite."

"Kinky."