So I live (surprisingly)! After a very long disappearance that reminds me just how much of a terrible person I am. But a lot of shit's happened from graduating undergrad, moving, and starting a Masters degree. And everything I'm writing is shit.
But here's an update!
Gilbert's hands were shaking and he hadn't blinked since he opened the envelope. He fired off obscenity after obscenity in German, looking like he desperately wanted to destroy that paper in his hands but couldn't bring himself to. In-between each curse, he managed a bitter growl, angry enough to probably start foaming at the mouth.
The air was thick and heavy and Matt was afraid to even move for fear of setting Gilbert off. Who knew what he'd do like this; if there was even the chance to still reason with him. There was murder written all over his face and fire coursing through his veins and the blond could only hope he wasn't going to be the one to die.
"I can't believe this!" he finally screamed in a language Matt could understand. That was a good sign, right? "How dare they just…think they can…" His words were lost to more growls as he finally tore his eyes away from the envelope, seething. One envelope was powerful enough to turn the image of this great criminal upside-down… Matt really wanted to know what was inside.
Was it a threat? A photo? Blackmail?
"Uhm… Gil…? Are you okay?" Matt asked, voice so soft even a dog wouldn't be able to hear him.
Ruby eyes swirled with rage and other unidentifiable emotions as Gilbert paced around the living room, hands twitching at the edges of the paper. He was torn between crumpling it up and preserving its original state. What should have been an obvious choice became twenty times harder and if this were any other letter, the albino would have laughed it off and tossed it into the trash, but it was this letter…
"Gil…?" The raise in volume was barely noticeable. Matt sighed. He was trying, he really was, but it didn't make any difference.
"Shit, what do I do…?" Gilbert muttered to himself, growling out every other word. He had finally decided to crumple up the piece of paper in his hand before he let himself get even angrier at the words printed on the page. "I have to go, but now I've got… Shit! Props for having the shittiest fucking timing…"
"Go where…?" Matt asked, following the movement of Gil's hand as if his life depended on it. He was dying to know; the curiosity was eating away at him. Was this how Al always felt before he went out and did something incredibly stupid? This feeling and longing to know that drove him to do whatever he so desired to get what he wanted? "I can go with you!"
Gil immediately whirled around to face him, sending a glare Matt's way so icy it could have frozen a lake. "What, so you can run and scream for help the first second we get outside? Not happening, kid. I told you that I wasn't born yesterday, didn't I?"
Matt's face turned red and he balled a fist at that comment. "N-No! I wouldn't do that! You could probably outrun me anyway… I'm tired of you looking at me like that… I'm not what you think!"
Gil held his glare for a minute, not taking his eyes off the unwavering blond. Matt could be stubborn when he wanted to be, but right now Gil was in no mood for such stubbornness. "Fine. Whatever. Fuck…" An exasperated sigh escaped the albino's lips as he ran a hand through his hair. "But pull any stunts and I'll kill you where you stand, ransom or no ransom. You get me?"
Matt swallowed hard, momentarily rethinking his decision to accompany the crazy kidnapper. But even the threat on his life wouldn't stop him from going along for what could be the most interesting days he'd ever have. "Y-Yes, I understand." Despite the shakiness of his voice, Matt nodded with resolve and Gil would swear that the kid was even smiling a bit.
"Wear this," Gil demanded as he walked over to a nearby table, chucking a grey hoodie at Matt which hit him square in the face. The blond fumbled slightly trying to catch it, holding it open in front of him when he was sure he had it. Matt tilted his head slightly. It was just a plain grey hoodie that looked at least two sizes too big for either of them. Come to think of it, Matt was sure this hoodie could fit both of them inside it with room to spare.
Why does he need a sweatshirt this big…? Does he steal valuable items and hide them under it? Or maybe he hides the kids he kidnaps under this after he knocks them out!
Matt could feel those ruby eyes boring a hole into him and quickly pulled the hoodie on. He looked down at himself, noticing the hoodie reaching down to his thighs; Matt felt like he was wearing a dress, but he dare not mention that to Gil. Sure, he liked his sweaters loose and comfortable, but this was too big. With his luck, he would catch it on something and end up face-first on the unforgiving pavement as the furious German hovered menacingly over him.
Matt tugged at the sweater to see how far he could pull it from his body, pursing his lips.
The street I live on isn't exactly in the middle of nowhere… Did he hide me with this? I just don't get it…
If he could learn even one new thing about the man today, Matt would consider the day a great success. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to Gil who was now donned in a black hoodie. That white mop of hair looked even more noticeable in contrast; it was practically a beacon that would lead the cops right to them.
"Keep the hood up at all times. They're looking for you and will spot you in an instant with that hairstyle of yours."
"What about you…? Your white hair and distinct eye colour will make you a target…"
Matt voiced his concerns even though he was sure it was a bad idea. He was surprised to even hear himself say such things; he should want Gil to get captured so he could finally go home to his family.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks," Gil muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I've been in the business long enough to know that."
"R-Right… I wasn't trying to… You know… I didn't mean…" Matt fumbled for the words, nervously toying with the hem of the sweater. He knew he shouldn't have said that; Gil must have had this down to a science by now.
"Just forget it, alright?" Gil produced a black beanie from his sweater pocket, making sure to hide every last rogue strand of hair underneath it. His hair may have been messy, but he always kept it short; sometimes short hair could be a valuable asset.
Following the beanie, he slipped on a pair of dark tinted sunglasses and watched Matt tying his hood in place. Gil entertained the thought of the kid starting to look like a real criminal for a moment, even mentally joking about how they could be a duo. Matt could drive the getaway vehicle if nothing else.
When he realised where his thoughts were headed, he cleared his throat and barked a quick "Let's go" as the large hood fell into Matt's face, nearly knocking the glasses to the floor.
Gil threw the door open with enough force to make the wall and anything hanging from it shake. "And remember that you don't have a chance in hell of escaping."
Matt silently nodded, heading out before Gil so the albino could keep a close eye on him. As much as his mind screamed at him to run, his heart and his body just couldn't. He gave Gil his word and Matt would keep it, even if it was given to a criminal.
"One step out of line and you'll regret it. Drag your feet and I'll kill you," Gil constantly reminded him, each heavily accented word sending a shiver down the blond's spine. The kid wasn't stupid, Gil was well aware of that, but he was still just a kid and kids needed a constant reminder. A little fear was excellent for keeping them in check.
"Oh, and if you think I'm bluffing, don't forget that I know where you live. So if you run off or scream or do anything stupid, I'll go back to your house and kill Alfred and your fathers. And that bastard Ivan and his police force won't be able to do a thing to stop me."
Matt's breath caught in his throat and for a brief second, the world went dark. "Y-Yes…" He had to force the words out, but the threat did exactly what it was supposed to do; Matt was too terrified to dare try anything.
The door was slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing down the previously silent hallway. Matt looked around the hall for anything that could prove useful later; he remembered victims from the cop dramas Al loved to watch doing just that and figured it would be worth a shot. Gil lived in a flat? Wasn't that dangerous for a criminal of his calibre? One of the neighbours would surely have ratted him out by now had they known, right?
Matt envisioned Gil being cuffed as he walked out the front door of his flat, marked and undercover police cars surrounding the building while the sirens wailed. People living on the block would be shouting praises as the large officer Mirandized him as he was thrown into the back of a car.
A nudge to the back brought Matt back to his senses and the blond hadn't even noticed they had made it outside until he was assaulted by the harsh rays of sunlight. He turned to try and get a look at the building they had just come out of, but Gil was ushering him forward and he barely had the chance to pick up anything unique about the complex. At quick glance, it looked like any other unimpressive city building.
The city opened up around Matt, the heavy traffic—both vehicular and foot—making him want to shrink back on himself. He had been to large cities plenty of times, but it was always with Alfred or with his Dad or Papa. Being there alone made him feel incredibly small and insignificant and Gil's presence did not ease that feeling at all.
Matt's eyes wandered to any and everything, only to be reminded with a smack to the back of the head that they were on a time limit and Gil was in no mood.
"Quit staring!" Gil barked as Matt rubbed the spot where he was hit. "You never seen a fucking city before?"
"I-I have! It's just…how can you stay here without somebody…"
Matt didn't have the chance to finish his sentence before Gil grabbed him by the wrist and started to pull him toward the more heavily populated areas of the city. The foot traffic increased tenfold, leaving the timid blond feeling incredibly closed in and vulnerable. He liked people, but preferred keeping his distance from anybody outside of family and his select few friends from school.
A nice quiet place to hide sounded perfect to the blond right now, but the constant pull and occasional jerk through the crowd served as a grim reminder that he wasn't going anywhere.
"Can't you go any faster?" Gil huffed as a particularly rough pull nearly knocked Mattie off balance. He stumbled, narrowly avoiding smacking his face clean into Gil's back and possibly breaking the only pair—albeit subpar pair—of glasses he had left. A voice in the back of his mind told him Gil probably wasn't in the mood to have to deal with scrounging up a replacement.
"I-I'm trying…" the boy huffed as he found his balance, picking up the pace. "I don't do well in crowds…"
"Well now's the perfect time to learn!"
They rounded a few corners, Matt having a significantly easier time keeping up with the albino as they continued on. There was one instance where it felt Gil was going to tear his arm off when he got stuck behind a rather large man and his friend; Gil quite literally pulled Matt forward with all his strength and forced him between the two men. His shoulder screamed in protest for a block or two, but the pain quickly dissipated into a dull ache before disappearing completely.
Matt took the chance and let his eyes wander again, looking at all the shops they were passing along the way: a few large department stores, a bakery here and there, florist shops, but nothing that screamed 'this is our destination.' There were plenty of food joints that made Matt think of Al; if his brother were here, he would be demanding they stop at every place so he could try something.
If Al were here, would he have just annoyed Gil to his breaking point…? He never did know when to shut up…
Matt didn't even realise they came to a stop on a street corner until it clicked that he had been staring at the same sale sign for a few minutes now. The corner was unimpressive save for a phone booth and a few newsstands no different from the dozens of others he had seen on the way.
Gil looked antsy, pacing back and forth as much as he could without letting go of Matt's arm. His head turned every which way and Matt eventually gave up trying to decipher his unintelligible mumbles.
What was the purpose of just standing there, Matt found himself wondering when it didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Gil was in such a hurry to go ever since he received that strange letter, but now they had come to a complete halt, just waiting at this corner.
Matt racked his brain trying to figure out the meaning of this, finally reaching a satisfying conclusion: Gil must be meeting somebody here! That was the only explanation for the sudden letter and the reason he wanted to get here so quickly.
But what was the identity of this mystery person? Was it a man or a woman?
Matt hummed softly to himself in thought as he watched Gil pace. The albino seemed like a ladies' man to him; he would bet anything that it would be some pretty woman meeting him here.
He watched all the women passing by, waiting to see if any of them would do a double-take at them or stop to try and talk; everybody was a potential candidate. If he was meeting a girl here, would she be able to find Gil with his disguise on? Or was this something they had done regularly and she already knew what to look for?
One woman in particular caught Matt's eye: a tall brunette whose hair fell in waves to her butt and whose striking green eyes seemed if they could stop time. Matt was about to ask Gil if this was the person he had been waiting for until his train of thought was interrupted by the loud ringing of the nearby phone. The sudden noise caused the blond to jump and the next thing he knew, he was shoved into the cramped space of the phone booth next to Gil as the albino nearly tore the phone from the cord trying to answer it.
"Hello?" was the quickly muttered question and Matt tried to make himself as quiet as possible; he didn't dare speak for fear of Gil following through with his earlier promise.
Matt could hear the sound of the voice on the other end, but it was far too muffled for him to make out any proper words.
"So when can I…?"
Matt tried to subtly inch his way closer to Gil in hopes of making out at least one of the words from the voice on the other end, but every time he would start getting close, Gil would shove him away with a huff and a halfhearted glare.
"You're fucking kidding me!" Gil roared, slamming his fist against the wall. Matt jumped nearly a foot in the air as the booth shook from the sheer force of the hit.
"N-No, don't! I will… I'll do it..." Matt wasn't sure if the sudden personality change or the demonstration of the German's anger scared him more, but the momentary silence that loomed over them made him feel very claustrophobic.
On top of that, Matt was dying to know just what the two were talking about on that phone call. For Gil's demeanour to change so drastically, it must have been a very serious conversation. And it just made the albino so much more interesting…
Matt tried to shake those thoughts from his head, but criminal or not, there was something about Gil that Matt just found himself drawn in to; he wanted to know his story.
A few angry German curses filled the air before Gil slammed the phone back down on the receiver, the walls of the phone booth quaking in response. Matt instinctively took a step back as Gil sighed heavily.
"W-Wha—" Before Matt could finish his sentence, Gil had yanked him by the wrist and dragged him out of the phone booth. Matt bit his tongue, holding back all the questions that had surfaced after watching that exchange. With Gil acting like this, there was no way he could get anything out of him; best to wait until he had calmed down and reached wherever it was that they were headed to next.
In his hurry, Gil had barreled into a young girl who fell with an unceremonious shout. Matt was surprised to see him hesitate ever so slightly, as if he was contemplating going back to help her back up. Instead, he settled for shouting a quick "Sorry!" over his shoulder, surprising the blond. Matt wanted to go back and help her up anyway, but with Gil pulling him along, she was quickly swallowed up by the crowd and forgotten.
They hadn't come to a stop until they reached a large park near the centre of the city. The colourful playground was the first thing to catch Matt's eye; there were dozens of kids shouting and running around, completely oblivious to their presence. The large crowd started to make him nervous; with so many adults so close, it was almost a given that somebody would spot them. Matt didn't want to be arrested as an accomplice, but he also didn't want to be pulled away without getting any answers. If he could just find out what was on that paper, he would be the happiest person.
Matt pulled the hoodie a little closer to him as the conflicting feelings swirled around inside him. What should he want right now? He wanted to be free and see his family again, that was a given. But this adventure… Alfred was always having such great adventures of his own; did this mean it was his turn?
"Where the hell is it…?" Gil muttered, pulling Matt deeper into the park. Matt watched, dumbfounded as Gil started checking behind trees, under park benches, on water fountains; anything that he could find.
Gil spotted a mailbox near the edge of the park and pulled Matt over to it. Matt didn't see what the big deal was—it was just an ordinary mailbox—but Gil's face brightened as he ran his fingers over a small 'X' drawn on the side in chalk.
"Gil…?"
Save for the grip on his wrist that kept getting tighter, Matt was completely ignored as the albino shoved his arm elbow-deep into the mailbox. Gil looked focused on pulling something out of it and Matt couldn't help but questioning the man's overall sanity.
Two minutes later the sound of something ripping inside the mailbox could be heard and Gil smirked as he pulled a taped up envelope out. The envelope hadn't been sealed, so Gil easily pulled the documents out.
But whatever was on that envelope elicited an angry growl from the German.
"Son of a bitch…! I'm tired of your shit! I swear, as soon as I get the chance, I'm going to kill you…" Gil shoved the envelope back in the mailbox with a snarl and practically dragged Matt out of the park.
"This better be the last fucking…" Gil didn't care who was in his way; everybody got shoved aside in his quest to get out. Matt followed silently, keeping up to the best of his abilities. He was practically running behind him to match those long strides of his.
Twenty minutes later, Matt and Gil were staring up at an abandoned warehouse not too far from the docks. Gil was cursing up a storm in German as he pulled the reluctant blond into the warehouse.
Everything in this building was rusted down and decrepit, from the railings up to the ceilings. The exposed metal pipes hanging from the ceilings looked like they could come down at any moment and easily crush the two of them. Matt was terrified of being crushed under one of them, trying to keep as close to the wall as possible.
The rusted stairs groaned under the weight of the two men, but their protesting wasn't enough to deter Gil from dragging Matt up to the second floor. The windows provided more than enough lighting for them to see down the empty hall and if Matt craned his neck, he could just see the water outside.
"Wait here and shut up," Gil ordered, stopping in front of a closed door.
"W-What? What's in there…?"
"Don't worry about it, kid." Gil reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of silver handcuffs. "Consider it insurance," he added as he slapped the metal bracelet around Matt's wrist. Matt's arm was forced up so Gil could close the other cuff around the metal bars on the window. "You can pull until you're bloody, but these things are solid despite the shitty overall appearance of this place."
He demonstrated his point by pulling at the bars with all his strength. Matt deflated slightly upon seeing how sturdy they were.
"Are you going to leave me here to die?"
Gil snorted. "I have business to attend to. And you still have to be around to get me that money. Or you know what, I could leave you here and use that to get your parents to send me the money faster; I'll be the only one who knows where you are. If they don't cough it up fast enough, well…"
Gil disappeared through the door with a wicked grin on his face, leaving Matt staring after him in horror.
There was nothing but the sound of Matt's own thoughts and the occasional scrape of metal whenever he moved his arms. The agonising silence refused to leave Matt alone and it was anybody's guess now whether Gil would actually come back for him. He didn't want to go out this way. But if he bothered to scream now that he was all alone, would it make any difference?
"Hey. Kid." Never would he have imagined that he would be so happy to see Gil, but him being here meant that he wasn't being abandoned after all.
"What happened in there…?"
"Nothing," Gil snapped. The cuff around the bar was promptly undone, but instead of undoing the one on his wrist, he used it like a lead to pull the boy down the hall. "None of your business."
"But you were in there for a while…"
"A while? It was barely over an hour."
"That's a long time for nothing to have happened…"
Gil groaned and slammed the warehouse door shut behind them. "God, you and your fucking questions… You want to know that badly? Fine. Shut up until we get back to the flat and I'll tell you. Can you do that?"
Matt quickly nodded his agreement and the trip back, to Gil's pleasure, was a quick and silent one.
Inside, the cuffs came off and Gil tossed them across the table. Matt was more than thankful as he rubbed his chafed wrist. The baggy clothes and hat Gil was wearing were discarded and left in a pile on the floor by the couch; the German looked so much smaller and in shape without them. Matt followed his example and hung the hoodie neatly over the arm of the couch.
"Sit." Matt blinked and looked over at Gil. "You wanted a story, didn't you? So take a seat." He quickly did as told before he could irritate the man and lose his chance.
"Yes!"
"Great." Gil ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm thirsty. You want a drink?"
"Huh?" Gil walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer, setting it aside on the counter. "Uhm, yeah, sure."
"You want soda? That's all I got." He didn't even wait for Matt's response; he was already pouring a glass for him.
"Here."
Matt accepted the soda gratefully. Being like Alfred was never one of his strong suits, but he downed the glass in record time. Gil watched and chuckled, equal parts surprised and impressed. "Damn, kid."
He took a swig from the bottle and hummed. "So, I said something about a story, right?" Matt nodded eagerly. "Alright, so where do I begin? You know I already took you out for an exciting day, but you don't know why. You remember that letter I got earlier?"
"Yeah; I couldn't forget it. You were so angry… What was in that letter that made you react like that?"
"I'll tell you what, kid; it's one hell of a story. Think you can handle it?" Another swig.
"I'll be fine! I just want to know."
Another swig. Then one more. "Alright, alright. Let me drink my beer first; two seconds. It's been one hell of a long day."
The room started spinning while Matt waited for Gil to finally finish his drink. Keeping his balance was proving a challenge; he swayed lightly in his seat, trying to focus on Gil who just wouldn't sit still.
"…Gil…" The word was a slurred and mumbled mess. It was getting harder just to focus on the albino. Everything felt like it was moving further and further away; like he was going through a tunnel and leaving everything else behind.
"Whoa, kid, you feeling alright? Too much soda?"
Matt slumped forward and Gil grabbed him before he could hit the ground, propping him up against him.
"Hey dude, get out here!"
Gil's eyes sparkled. A green-eyed man stepped out of the adjoining room, arms crossed over his chest. "Like we planned?"
"Exactly like we planned. You know what to do."
So Gil's actually let some pretty interesting things slip~ Who's the friend? And what's in store for Mattie? Guess we'll see!