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He had remained in the boogeyman office for several hours after getting back. For many of those, he had slept, on a couch in the lounge area of their office. They had been kind to him, allowing him to stay in a place where for that brief period of time he had felt safe again, though through it all he worried. Would the boogeymen make it on time? Would they rescue those who Mathias had left behind? He hoped so. He hoped his escape had not been in vain, his decision not the wrong one to make.

When Mathias awoke, he was given a chance to clean up, though they didn't have anything available for him to change into, instead handing him a blanket he could wrap around himself. They offered him a ride back to the school, or at the very least, an escort to accompany him, but he refused. They had done enough for him already, all he wanted now was to know if the others were found and returned safely as well.

They told him they would keep in touch, and Mathias left.

The walk back to Amityville was a cold and lonely one, and he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders more tightly the further he went. He was limping, sore, in a sad state overall with ears folded down, tired despite all of the sleep he had gotten. He was numb inside, which was good, and he focused on remaining that way, because it was better then worrying anxiously about things that were no longer in his control.

He remembered that it had been three weeks from the date on the calendar that he had seen in the boogeyman's office. Three weeks since his last memory of being at the school, and that was a scary thought, one that nearly broke his resolve to feel nothing.

The school loomed up in front of him as he made his way down the sidewalk, and Mathias paused outside of it's gates, red eyes rising from their down cast position. He was back. He had not far to go until he could be in his room, a place where he would bury himself beneath blankets and pillows within his makeshift burrow, a place where he could perhaps feel safe and comfortable.

With a visible shiver, he went through those gates, and limped his way along the campus paths towards the Monster Dorms, more of a spring in his unsteady step then before as he sped along faster now, reaching the dormitory doors within little time and pushing his way inside.

Then it was just a matter of a maze of stairs and hallways to get to his room.

There were no scents for Mathias to hone in on, just the idea of a safe place to rest his weary head, to curl up in a ball and sleep and sleep and possibly sleep some more. There were few other thoughts on his mind at the moment, as he continued to block out everything else around him. He didn't want to consider who he might have worried in his three week absence. He didn't want to wonder if anybody even cared or noticed that he'd been gone.

He just wanted to rest and recover.

He had barely limped his way into the building, had only just made his way to the bottom of the stairs, preparing himself for the long trek upwards, when something barreled into him from behind, startling him, his eyes flying open wide, his body stiffening up. Was it the so called Parker who had kidnapped him before, come to take him back to that living hell, to make him relive it again? He let out a startled whimper at the thought, ears wilting, body beginning to tremble as he sagged in whatever grip held him so tight.

It didn't occur to him right away that his attacker had no scent, or had approached so quietly it could not be heard.

"Vas it not enough?" He asked, to whoever was behind him. "Vas making it out alive not good enough?" His words were strained, almost choked off completely as the trembles turned into a violent shudder.

"Please, just be leaving me alone. Please. Bitte." He continued, as the first hot tear trailed down a darkly tanned cheek, cutting through the little dried blood he had missed cleaning off at the bogeyman department.

It was the whine that should have registered first, but so lost in his own fright and despair and desperate desire to just be free and clear to go on living out his life the way he wished before his kidnapping, Mathias just did not recognize the sound for what it was. The grip around his form tightened, and any moment now he excepted to be drug away, or perhaps shoved into a sack, stuck with a syringe first so as to knock him out first. Whatever the method, Mathias was sure that resistance would be futile. He had been captured once before, after all, and he refused to believe that he hadn't given it any fight that time......

Something cold was pressed against the back of Mathias's neck and he couldn't help but flinch. But it was the word that was spoken at the same time, the name, that had him quickly perking up once more, his ears twitching and his head rising.

The voice was familiar, though rarely heard, and there was only one person Mathias had ever met so far that had ever called him by that name.

"Jove?" His voice was quiet, tentative as it spoke the name of his friend, the one who he had thought about most while being held captive (that he could remember, at least), the one who he had missed the most and had wondered if he'd ever get a chance to see again. It was only then that everything else really clicked into place, really registered with Mathias. The grip around him was strong, but cold, and seemingly made up of more then arms alone, as ghostly tendrils had also been included in that hold, and the light whine..... Mathias looked down, and recognized the hands locked around him, and this time when his muscles relaxed and his body sagged, it was out of relief instead of resignation, the hot trail of tears on his face, however, hardly ebbing at all.

"Is okay." He started, in a choked off and quiet voice, much unlike how he normally spoke. "Am back now. Is all okay." He attempted to maneuver his arm, to bend his elbow up and place his hand over top of one of Jove's, squeezing it lightly, and if Jove would allow it, he'd also attempt to break free of that hold, at least enough to turn his body around and face the other small boil, finding within him a sudden strong desire to be able to see him face to face, to prove to himself that he was indeed there and this wasn't just some ruse.

Each whine and whimper stabbed at Mathias's heart as quite suddenly he found himself overridden with guilt. Here he had been, finally returned after what had apparently been three weeks of absence, and all he had even considered upon his return was a chance to curl up in his den, alone, hopefully safe now that he was out of Parker's clutches. He had not thought about seeking out Jove, though that had been more because of his own reluctance to dwell on whether or not anybody had even noticed he had been gone. But now he would pay for those actions by way of feelings that tightened up in his chest and twisted in his stomach, his face falling so that by the time he turned himself around in Jove's grasp so that the could face the other boil, he looked absolutely miserable, and sorry, a pleading look in his eyes just before Jove threw arms around the wolpertingers neck.

There was only half a moment of stunned silence from Mathias, who's muscles had gone rigid, before his own arms were up and snaking around Jove, holding him close in a hug, a familiar motion that he could feel himself melting into (despite the chilliness of it), his tears beginning to ease as he let out a soft sniffle. Was this really happening? Was he really crying so easily in front of his friend, an action that prior to this horrible experience, would have been far too embarrassing to bear? Yes, he was. It was a moment of weakness, of letting go of everything, of bringing down the walls that he kept up since arriving at Amity. For a moment, just that short moment, he could be the lost, scared boil that he had always been, and it was okay, because it was Jove, and that made it okay.

It took him a moment to realize that he was not the only one crying. Something cool and wet had mingled with the heat that had trailed down his own face, and the fact that Jove was tearing up over this reunion was enough to startle Mathias all over again. "Am sorry." He whispered, still hugging the other boil close, cheek resting against the top of his head. "Am so sorry. Have been gone for so long, and vas not intended. Vould not leave vithout saying goodbye, am promising that." He whispered, in a voice still slightly choked and thick with his accent.

The whimpers from Jove were subsiding, and that brought with it at least a small sense of relief. Everything would be okay now. Everything would be.....

A hiccup in his train of thought before it came crashing to a halt completely. There had been a sensation against his neck, cold, wet, familiar but in an altogether unfamiliar way, oddly. Whatever it was had brought upon a shiver that ran down Mathias's spine, even while his heart rate spiked, mixed feelings churning inside of him as his face began to heat up.

And then it came upon him. Much like the desire to turn and find himself able to look at Jove with his own two eyes, to make sure he was real and hold him and comfort him, he now had a desire to do something else, and while the idea would have normally to him seemed like quite an awful one, something he could never do with his friend, at this particular moment, Mathias could not find it within himself to argue over what might be the right way or the wrong way to behave.

"Jove?" He spoke his name, hushed, and questioning, but demanding, as he pulled himself back enough to see the other boils face, one arm removing itself from around Jove's body so that he could reach below his chin with his hand, tilting the other boil's head up with a dark claw.

And then, before he could stop himself or convince himself that this was indeed the most awful idea ever, he leaned in and pressed his lips (and elongated teeth, there was no getting around that) against Jove's, wanting to experience it, to know how it would feel, something he had perhaps always wanted to do but would never let himself.

Mathias really didn't know what to expect. Resistance, perhaps, or for Jove to be utterly repulsed by what the wolpertinger was doing. Maybe his bold actions would earn him a punch in the shoulder, or a slap to the face, or possibly even a bite....but while all of those consequences seemed likely, Mathias went through with the kiss anyways, unable to resist the temptation that was right there in front of him.

It was his very first real kiss, and he couldn't imagine sharing it, at that moment, with anybody else.

And it was...wonderful, actually. There was no resistance, no being pushed away, or kicked, punched, slapped or bitten. In fact, Jove seemed only eager to return the action, and Mathias, while pleasantly surprised by this fact, was only too eager to let it linger on much longer then first intended, pressing against him, enjoying the cool sensation against his lips, an altogether warm and funny feeling sparking to life in his stomach and chest. It shouldn't have been okay, Jove was his friend, and not anything more then just that.

But this made him believe that was a lie. Jove could be more. Jove could be just what he needed, and at that particular moment, he seemed to need him quite a lot. He was still exhausted, still reeling from the emotional turmoil of being kidnapped and having escaped, though only barely, but for just a moment, that was the furthest thing from his mind, and that was exactly why it was so perfect, why he didn't want it to end, his fears ebbing away in that wash of warmth that was beginning to overtake everything else and....

Cold. Wet. Familiar after he had felt it twice against his own neck. Mathias's eyes had closed but they flew open now just as a startled sound managed to escape his throat. Had Jove just...licked him while they were kissing? The wolpertinger pulled away, eyes wide though arm still wrapped around the other boil, with no intention of letting him go. A face that had been moments before just mildly pink and warm was rapidly heating up and flushing bright red beneath his dark skin. Words had escaped him as he continued to stare, like a deer caught in headlights, his thought process slowly analyzing what had just happened.

Unexpected. But...not bad. No, it was okay. This was...all okay, right?

Wait.....were they still in the hallway???

"Ach der lieber himmel..." His voice was quite small and quiet as he closed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his head against Jove's. "Should be finding privacy."

Despite how very tired and sore Mathias felt at that moment, his lips were still able to turn up into a very small smile when Jove growled and seemed to hold on tighter, not letting the wolpertinger really pull away as he had wanted to in order to speak with him. Still, the words were said, the smile slipping away because this was a very serious matter indeed, and he waited for Jove to respond.

The other boil didn't really. Not at first that Mathias could see, and he began to wonder if the ghost did not really care that they were in the hallway at all, but at the same time all the wolpertinger could think about was getting out of the hallway and to his bedroom, so he opened his mouth to speak again, this time hoping to make more of an impact on his frien---boilfriend?

A matter to be sorted out soon, hopefully.

"Jov--" He began, but then found himself with cold hands trying to turn him back around. A startled "Ach!" Escaped him as he was forced to be facing the way he had previously been before Jove had tackled him from behind, finding himself quite suddenly pushed and made to begin walking with stumbling steps down that hallway.

"Voah, voah.....!" He reached out behind himself, awkwardly bending his arm in an attempt to grab one of Jove's hands from off of his back. "Is not needing so hasty." That hadn't quite come out the way he'd wanted so he tried again. "Slowing down, please." If Jove would allow him, he'd close fingers around Jove's and pull on them, in an attempt to get the boil to walk beside him instead of behind. "Am still very...not vell." He admitted, with ears wilting.

It still hurt to walk, though somehow it felt as if at least some of the weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as he made his way through the maze of hallways to the place where his bedroom was located. He definitely felt lighter now than he had felt before Jove had found him. There was definitely a sense of relief and happiness somewhere in that turmoil mess of emotions writhing away in his belly. There was most definitely a comfort there, in having that cold hand in his, in having him near, that had been quite absent these last three weeks.

As they walked along, however, Mathias did not want to take the time to decipher any of it. Right now, he wanted to just live in the moment, appreciate what he had, and that he didn't have to face the rest of the evening alone. His hand gave a return squeeze to Jove's, his eyes closing as he let out a small sigh, letting the quiet, reassuring sounds that his friend was making roll over him and do their part in making him feel better, however much or little it helped.

He was content for now to move in silence, and when they came to a stop at his dorm room door he reached out, hand hesitating for a moment, trembling, his head bowing.

"This vas vhere he took me. Vhen vas going in room, he vas just inside door." He let his hand drop, and he turned towards Jove.

"Vould never be admitting to anyone but...Jove? Ich habe richtig Angst..I...I am really scared..." The last part was said quietly, ears twitching and wings drawing down around his shoulders as if he could hide behind them.