[ He'll be at the table when Ronan gets back to the house, nibbling at the last bit of a poptart. He's changed into new clothes and looks more like he's fresh from a short nap, not so much a nearly-five-day slumber.
He looks okay, just a bit anxious for his brother to get back. ]
[Ronan gets back a little later. He looks gaunt, and tired, and pale, like he hasn't slept in a long while. He comes into the kitchen, and sits down, and bites his wristbands.]
Matthew.
[He pauses, though. He saw the demon try to destroy him, and it's something that will haunt his dreams for the rest of his natural life.
[ Matthew twists around in his chair towards his brother, leaning forward and sideways to get a better look at him. He promptly forgets about the poptart. ]
It's okay, it was just a few days, [ comes the answer, hastily, in an effort to reassure in the best way he knows how. He didn't want to fall asleep at all, but he's not hurt at all, and he didn't miss much, and he doesn't want Ronan to blame himself for anything. ]
[ He's quiet for a moment, too, thinking that over, and then-- ]
You're from the future now, aren't you?
[ Maybe it should be obvious, but he wants to be sure he understands. ]
I mean, you went home and things happened.
[ Matthew doesn't have enough imagination to even begin to guess the horrifying truth, but he's not forgotten the bad things that have already happened, or that Ronan and his friends are tangled up in events much greater than Matthew's understanding of them. His brother already makes dreams real, became friends with a ghost, found a magic forest that brought their mother back, had a murderer for a Latin teacher, and probably lots of other things have happened to him that Matthew doesn't even know about.
And now, maybe, even more things Matthew doesn't know about. ]
[He's quiet for another moment, just silent and staring, as if he can continue to avoid telling Matthew everything. And maybe he can, a little. Well, not everything. But a lot. He rubs his eyes a bit and looks up, then back down.]
You need to decide if you want to know or not. Bad shit happens. And I won't tell you if you don't want me to.
[ Well, Matthew has no idea what to do. He opens his mouth, closes it again, and frowns at the table. ]
I don't know.
[ He's really worried now. Ronan said something bad happened, and Matthew doesn't want him to have to carry it around by himself. At the same time, he's too afraid to ask outright, at least for the moment. ]
But Ronan, you're okay, right?
[ He realizes something, and the next question sounds a bit fearful. ]
And Declan?
[ Declan, alone in D.C.; Declan, who got beaten up last summer and kept a gun in his car. Surely he's okay, surely he wouldn't let anything happen. But until Ronan answers Matthew looks at him with wide and anxious eyes; he knows Ronan doesn't like being asked about their older brother but in this case it's got to be allowed, right? ]
[He means that about both himself and Declan. He and Declan touched base, quickly, after the demon, to make sure he was okay. Matthew, not so much Ronan. But yes. He's fine too.]
[ That's not an answer and for a moment Matthew just continues looking at him, waiting for the actual words, before he realizes that Ronan isn't going to answer his question.
Matthew is hardly wise, he's barely even self-reflective, and he wants to make a good decision but he can't, not like this. He drops his gaze back down to the table and frowns at it, uncertain and worried and a little afraid, his thumbs fidgeting as he keeps trying to think it through. Between the two of them, he isn't the one who could possibly know if he's ready to hear what's going to happen in his future. ]
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[He goes quiet a minute.]
Just a few days, according to Parrish.
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I texted you and it wouldn't go through. And I remembered Adam said that's what happens.
[ He's not entirely okay, but he doesn't want to say that. ]
You're coming home?
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We need to talk later.
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When will you be back? I'm going to eat something.
[ But he'll be right here, at the house, ready whenever Ronan gets back. ]
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[ He'll be at the table when Ronan gets back to the house, nibbling at the last bit of a poptart. He's changed into new clothes and looks more like he's fresh from a short nap, not so much a nearly-five-day slumber.
He looks okay, just a bit anxious for his brother to get back. ]
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Matthew.
[He pauses, though. He saw the demon try to destroy him, and it's something that will haunt his dreams for the rest of his natural life.
He goes very quiet.]
Fuck, are you okay?
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[ Matthew twists around in his chair towards his brother, leaning forward and sideways to get a better look at him. He promptly forgets about the poptart. ]
It's okay, it was just a few days, [ comes the answer, hastily, in an effort to reassure in the best way he knows how. He didn't want to fall asleep at all, but he's not hurt at all, and he didn't miss much, and he doesn't want Ronan to blame himself for anything. ]
Are you okay?
[ Something happened, he can tell that much. ]
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Because he'll have to open his mouth and reveal the truth. Mom is dead.
So he just keeps his mouth shut another moment.]
Shit happened.
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You're from the future now, aren't you?
[ Maybe it should be obvious, but he wants to be sure he understands. ]
I mean, you went home and things happened.
[ Matthew doesn't have enough imagination to even begin to guess the horrifying truth, but he's not forgotten the bad things that have already happened, or that Ronan and his friends are tangled up in events much greater than Matthew's understanding of them. His brother already makes dreams real, became friends with a ghost, found a magic forest that brought their mother back, had a murderer for a Latin teacher, and probably lots of other things have happened to him that Matthew doesn't even know about.
And now, maybe, even more things Matthew doesn't know about. ]
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You need to decide if you want to know or not. Bad shit happens. And I won't tell you if you don't want me to.
But you're the one who has to choose.
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I don't know.
[ He's really worried now. Ronan said something bad happened, and Matthew doesn't want him to have to carry it around by himself. At the same time, he's too afraid to ask outright, at least for the moment. ]
But Ronan, you're okay, right?
[ He realizes something, and the next question sounds a bit fearful. ]
And Declan?
[ Declan, alone in D.C.; Declan, who got beaten up last summer and kept a gun in his car. Surely he's okay, surely he wouldn't let anything happen. But until Ronan answers Matthew looks at him with wide and anxious eyes; he knows Ronan doesn't like being asked about their older brother but in this case it's got to be allowed, right? ]
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[He means that about both himself and Declan. He and Declan touched base, quickly, after the demon, to make sure he was okay. Matthew, not so much Ronan. But yes. He's fine too.]
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Good. [ And then again, because he's so relieved. ] Good.
[ That still leaves him with no idea what could have happened, and no idea how to decide if he should ask or not. ]
Do you want to tell me?
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Matthew is hardly wise, he's barely even self-reflective, and he wants to make a good decision but he can't, not like this. He drops his gaze back down to the table and frowns at it, uncertain and worried and a little afraid, his thumbs fidgeting as he keeps trying to think it through. Between the two of them, he isn't the one who could possibly know if he's ready to hear what's going to happen in his future. ]
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For fuck's sake.
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Sorry. I don't know.
[ It's very honest, simple. He frowns a little again. ]
Can I decide later?
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And nods.]