Archive of Our Own

Matthew took calm, steady breaths as he walked through the school's wide stretched doors and into the hallway. Seldom was he a nervous boy; or at least, he didn't see himself that way. It was more that he was impatient with people he didn't like (or know enough to like) that made him so quiet. He didn't want to upset anyone, just in case they decided to take revenge on him later.

(He wasn't bullied, of course. Despite a couple of nerdy interests and odd quirks, he was a shockingly normal boy.)

However, that's what made life so hard for him. He wasn't interesting. He was normal. In a way that almost seemed fake. Even among his friends (unless they needed something from him) he was ignored. Even his brother, Alfred, had a habit of neglecting him. They only talked when Alfred was driving him home. In a group of teenage boys, he wasn't even an outlier. He shared the same, needs, wants, curiosities; the hivemind.

Admittedly, all of his friends sucked. There were some that he didn't mind hanging out with, like Francis; some that he even wanted to hang out with, like Yao…and Ivan. Ivan Braginsky, his crush. Which, takes us back to the reason he was nervous today; he was going to become friends with Ivan Braginsky. It had been a couple weeks since January, when he initially made his new year's resolution: to try and improve his life by acting on his crush. So far the only change he had made was getting out of bed earlier, but it was a nice start. He was ready now! Nervous, but ready.

He took another huff of air before walking faster towards his locker. His nervousness was mingling with excitement. He's here already! Matthew thought. As soon as it had began, however, his nervousness washed out his excitement.

Ivan Braginsky was kneeled on the floor before him. Facing away of course, though it didn't make much of a difference. Matthew had almost forgotten about the detail that kept him from using his locker first thing in the morning. Ivan's locker was right below his, and it was very awkward for Matthew to gather his stuff with such a sight beneath him.

Yeah, Matthew had a crush on Ivan. It was silly, admittedly. Matthew had really only talked to him once, whenever Ivan had accidentally sat on him. He wasn't even sure if the bigger man had heard him. Ivan only got off once Arthur had said something about it. Matthew never forgot that moment, only because he had fumbled so badly by being incredibly rude to the guy he had thought was so handsome.

In truth, Matthew had had a crush on Ivan since their true first interaction. Ivan and Alfred had gotten into a fight because Ivan had taken the last blue highlighter during some middle school English assignment. Alfred had gone off on Ivan since blue was his favorite colour, and Ivan had acted so sweetly that Alfred genuinely got mad. And yet, Ivan didn't back down. Matthew had found it so admirable. Sure, people fought with Alfred all the time—like Arthur and Yao—but none had ever made Alfred back down with just a sweet smile.

(Apparently though, Matthew was the only one who thought that Ivan was sweet. Most said he had an evil streak, but Matthew didn't believe that, not with how kind he acted to everyone.)

Matthew had been fantasizing about Ivan ever since. He thought of Ivan as a knight of some sorts. That Ivan would be the one to take him away from all his miseries, to elope with him. It didn't happen, but a man could dream, yes?

Matthew snapped out of his flashback as he heard the sound of things dropping to the ground. His eyes snapped up to meet Ivan's. Ivan had the faintest frown on his face. Matthew's heart sped up quickly. He didn't like seeing Ivan frown. He quickly squatted down and reached to pick up the first thing he could to hand it to Ivan. In his head, he could already imagine it.

Him handing the notebook to Ivan, their hands brushing. Today, Matthew had noticed Ivan wasn't wearing his usual gloves. Ivan's hands would be cold (Matthew had noticed that Ivan had to layer up because he got cold easily), and Ivan would feel how warm Matthew's hand was and out of instinct he would interlock their hands and pull Matthew closer, murmuring about how chilly it was outside. Matthew, ever clumsy (not really) would stumble into Ivan's arms and as Ivan reached to stablize him their lips would meet and they would kiss, and they would both melt into it, with Ivan finally pulling back and saying, "Ahh, Matthew…I'm sorry, da? I didn't mean to-",

and Matthew would silence him with another kiss that they both really wanted, and then they would become boyfriend and boyfriend and live happily ever after.

Eagerly, Matthew bolted up, and instead of being able to hand Ivan his notebook like the suave man he was, he hit his head on Ivan's chest.

He stumbled backwards and blinked quickly at Ivan, thrown off completely. Ivan stared back at him with an unreadable expression before saying, "Ah, sorry Matthew. I didn't know you were going to stand up so quickly, da?"

Matthew smiled at him awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Ivan continued. "You are alright?"

Matthew's cheeks flushed even more red. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm…" Matthew swallowed nervously as the implications of what he just did seeped into his brain. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Good," Ivan said happily. He then bent over and gathered his stuff. Matthew quickly dropped back down again to help, and this time it went a lot better. At the end, when only Ivan's planner was left laid on the ground, their hands brushed as they both reached for it. Matthew jolted back and Ivan picked it up with no more hesitation. Matthew had noticed that on the today, in blue, was circled. He stared at Ivan for a moment as the other man closed the planner, and he shyly asked, "Anything happening today?"

Another smile found it's way onto Ivan's face as he packed the last thing into his backpack. "Da. I would like more friends, so I decided I would join a club."

"Really? What, uh- which club?"

"The art club. I like drawing. It is very fun."

Matthew's face lit up. He hadn't known he had that in common with Ivan. "Oh, really? That's great! I like drawing too, Ivan. Um…Are you nervous about the club at all?"

Ivan blinked. "Eh? No, why would I be?"

Matthew laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well…If you are, I could come with you. Just to make you a little less nervous. Since you're my…friend, and all."

Ivan's face lit up with joy. "You are my friend, Matthew?"

Matthew paused. He did want to be friends with Ivan. He would rather be more than that, but baby steps, right?

Matthew finally nodded, and a smile spread across his face. "Yeah, Ivan. You're my friend."

Ivan smiled back. "Oh, joy! Matthew, may I call you Matvey? Since we are friends? And you give me a nickname too, da?"

"Oh, sure! You can call me that, sure."

"You make me so happy, Matvey. But please, give me a nickname. I have always wanted a friend who calls me by nickname."

Matthew stared at him nervously. Why was his mind blanking? He had dreamt about this moment forever! And yet, he hadn't thought about nicknames that weren't pet names. He could call Ivan handsome, sweetheart, darling, but that would be incredibly creepy.

"…How about Vannie?" he finally suggested.

Ivan nodded. "Da, sounds good, Matvey. You are my friend now. I am so happy! You will never leave me."

Matthew giggled. "Uh, sure, Vannie."

He was very flattered.

Ivan smiled and waved. "Bye now, Matvey. Have fun and meet me after school for club, da? We can be friendly."

Matthew smiled softly. "Yeah. Bye, Ivan."

Ivan walked away, moving quickly because of his long legs. Matthew sighed dreamily and leaned against his locker, watching him go. He couldn't believe he was so lucky. Sure, he was now in the friend zone, but he could get past that, right? At least now he had a friend. He knew Ivan, and he was a good listener. Matthew bit his lip to hide his smile as he took walked towards his next class.

It was 4:06, and now Matthew was running. Well, not running, but very quickly walking. His last class ended at 4:00, and his club started at 4:10. While he was most likely going to get there early, he wanted to impress Ivan with his punctuality. Maybe it would woo Ivan. After all, who wouldn't prefer a man who shows up early?

Matthew pushed open the classroom door to see Ivan already there, sitting in the corner of the room. Matthew cursed himself and pushed his glasses back up as he walked into the room. Ivan waved at him. "Privet, Matvey! You are early, da? How nice!"

Matthew waved. "Uh, yeah. Punctual!"

He half-expected Ivan to cringe at his fake enthusiasm, but he didn't. "Da, a very good trait. I am here early too."

Matthew nodded and looked around. It was an empty classroom, with nobody in there but them. Although he wasn't complaining to be able to spend time with his crush, Matthew felt even more awkward at the silence. "Uh…Just us, huh?"

Ivan's smile didn't fall. "No, they will all come. I made Tolys join, and told him to bring all his friends too!"

Matthew reached out to pat his back. "…Yeah, I'm sure they'll show up, Vannie."

Ivan eyed him. "What's that look on your face for?"

"Uhh…nothing? I guess."

"Hmm…"

Ivan studied him. Matthew swallowed nervously and his skin prickled. One thing that Matthew could never decide was whether Ivan was perceptive or not. He hoped the other man didn't think he was being mean.

After a moment, Ivan finally sighed. "…Da. I suppose you are right. None of my friends are going to show up. They do not like me, do they?" Ivan's eyes lowered. "You do not like me, do you, Matvey?"

Matthew flushed. "Oh, no. I really like you, Ivan. You're my friend."

Ivan tilted his head. "Just friend?"

Matthew paled. "Oh, uh, well I, um-!"

Ivan then smiled cheerily. "Best friend?"

"Only friend," Matthew admitted sheepishly. "But yeah. Best friend."

Before Ivan could respond, the door slammed open. Matthew looked over, stunned. He had seriously expected (maybe even hoped!) that no one else would show up. However, there was a little congo-line shuffling inside. Feliciano, followed by Ludwig, followed by Kiku, followed by Tolys, followed by Eduard, followed by Arthur, with Francis taking up the caboose.

Matthew inched closer to Ivan, almost protectively. The room was loud already, with all of the newcomers in some sort of heated conversation. Ivan's smile broadened, and he waved. Matthew smiled to himself, thinking about how cute the other man's enthusiasm was.

Feliciano seemed enthusiastic as well. The Italian threw his bag onto the table, some of it's contents spilling out. Ludwig began to scold him and Kiku began to clean up his mess, but Feliciano had already started speaking, waving back jubilantly at Ivan. "Ciao, everyone! Let's see what's going on today."

Feliciano looked down at his note card, then looked back up. "Ve, let's get to drawing! Whatever you want. And it is nice to see a new face." Feliciano smiled at Ivan and ignored Matthew. Matthew squeezed his hands into fists in response, his lip trembling.

Feliciano handed the note card to Ludwig and then sat down and started to draw in his sketchbook. Matthew was going to wait for further instructions, but Ivan was already sitting down at a table near the window. Matthew quickly followed, not wanting to lose a spot next to the Russian. Although, it seemed like no one wanted to sit next to them anyways. Matthew saw Ivan look at Tolys sadly before looking back down at his hands. "No new friends today, I guess. No old friends either."

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows. "What about me?"

"Oh, da! Yes, one new friend!"

Matthew sighed and pulls out his sketchbook. Ivan glanced over at him. "Ah, that's what I was missing."

Matthew looked up at him. "Missing what?"
"I forgot to bring my sketchbook."

Matthew couldn't help the smile that leapt onto his face. This was perfect! He had bought himself a new sketchbook recently, meaning he could give Ivan his old one. "It's alright, Ivan. Here. You can use my old one. It's pretty empty."

Matthew dug back in his backpack, then pulled out his old one.

The ringed sketchbook had a light green cover, which was blank save for the name and date that he had written on it with a black sharpie. He flipped through the pages to double check he hadn't left in anything he didn't want to show Ivan, then handed it to him.

"Thank you very much, Matvey."

Ivan smiled at him happily, and Matthew nodded shyly. "Anytime."

Not knowing what to say next, Matthew cast his gaze down and began to draw. He didn't really know what he was drawing, but he started out with basic shapes. He glanced over at Ivan, who was drawing little flowers. They weren't very good drawings, but they weren't necessarily bad. Just plain.

Matthew bit his lip as he gripped his sketchbook a little bit harder, doodling idly as began to fall into his daydreams.

"Agh, nothing I draw is any good," Ivan would say as he erased his sunflower drawing for the third time. Matthew would look over at him, smile, and sweep his hair back behind his ear as he would lean over to see.

"I thought it looked good," he would say kindly.

"Really?" Ivan would be skeptical. He had noticed that about the man; whenever anyone said anything, he would always doubt them, whether it was Francis trying to tell him gossip or a teacher telling him that he did a good job.

Matthew would smile and nod again.

"Really, Ivan. I think your art is amazing."

Ivan would meet his gaze, and his cheeks would colour like they do when it's cold it. Then, Matthew would shift his chair closer.

"But if you want it to look better…"

Matthew would take Ivan's hand and begin to help him sketch it out, explaining the anatomy of flowers and how that would help the other man draw better with that knowledge. Then, when Matthew would finally pull away, Ivan would chase him, about to kiss him before looking away shyly.

"Ah…Thank you, Matvey. You are so kind, and smart. You are good friend. You would make good boyfriend for me. I mean-!"

Matthew would quickly take his hand. "Of course I'd make a good boyfriend for you, Ivan. I've always wanted that. Ever since-"

Matthew physically jumped when he felt a large hand tap his shoulder before resting it there. "Matvey, you are okay, da? You look…very happy."

Matthew immediately flushed bright pink. He began to stammer out a response when Ivan spoke again.

"Your lip is bleeding. You bit it while smiling. Ahh, and I like your drawing!"

Ivan slid closer towards Matthew until their thighs touched. "Don't tell me! Is that supposed to be me? I really look that cute, Matvey?"

Ivan was giggling, and Matthew stared at him in horror. "Uh…Uh…"

The taste of blood on his tongue suddenly became apparent to the Canadian as he licked his dry lips. Finally, after a couple of seconds of him just staring into Ivan's squinted eyes, he spoke. "Yeah, it is you. Just because…uh, you're my friend! Friends…do that."

"Why do you sound so disappointed with yourself, Matvey?"

Matthew blinked at him. "Huh?"

"You sounded so unsure whenever you began to talk about me as your friend." Ivan's expression slowly fell. "Unless…You were lying about being my friend? But Matvey, you wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

Matthew sighed and slumped a little bit, allowing his leg to press more firmly against Ivan's. "No, it's not that I'm lying. I guess it's just that, like- like that's probably creepy that I zone out drawing you. And I don't want to creep you out."

Ivan slowly pulled back, smiling again. Matthew quickly moved back too, realizing how close he had accidentally gotten. "I understand, Matvey. May I be honest?"

Matthew nodded, and Ivan continued. "Sometimes I also worry that I creep people out. Nobody really wants to talk to me unless they don't know me. And then, when they do know me and I begin to like them, then they leave. Only people that haven't spent much time around me, and, ah- my sisters I guess, like me."

"I like you," Matthew quickly reassured.

Ivan sighed. "Da, but you don't know me very well."

Matthew looked back down and fiddled with his pencil. "I haven't spoken to you a lot, but I know a lot about you. You like sunflowers, right?"

Ivan nodded happily. "Oh, Matvey, how did you know? They are my favorite. Their sweet yellow petals remind me of fresh bruises from my metal pipe on Tolys' skin."

Matthew laughed. "Have you ever thought that maybe people are scared of you because you say things like that?"

Ivan perked up. "No, I haven't! I suppose I am used to voicing my thoughts out loud, because usually there is no one else to hear them. So I should be more quiet?"

"Not quite. Maybe just work on not saying violent stuff out loud."

Ivan beamed. "You are so smart, Matvey!"

He then slapped Matthew hard on the back. It knocked the wind out of him, but he still wheezed out happily in response to the contact. He slowly sat back up and rubbed his arm, his cheeks lightly flushed. It was nice to be able to compliment Ivan like that. "Of course…Vannie."

Matthew looked back up at the other, pleased to see him smiling and happy. After a moment of silence he said, "I like your drawing too."

Ivan clapped his hands together. "Ah, really? I have only recently picked up drawing."

Ivan showed the page to Matthew. Matthew looked at it closely, smiling. "I like the shading," he said earnestly.

"Well, I am done with it now. Would you like it?"

"What?"

Ivan ripped the drawing out of the sketchbook and pushed it into Matthew's hands. "There you go, Matvey! Take good care of it. Will be worth something when I am famous."

"Oh, um…Yeah!" Matthew chuckled. Ivan grinned at him in response.

Silence fell upon their little table again as they both looked back down at their sketchbooks. Matthew stared at his drawing of Ivan and slowly ripped it out of the sketchbook, then handed it to Ivan. The Russian beamed. "Oh, thank you."

Suddenly, Matthew was reminded that all he had drawn in the sketchbook since getting it was Ivan. He stared in horror as Ivan absentmindedly flipped over the page to see even more drawings of Ivan. He began to stammer out something in his defense when Ivan slowly took his sketchbook from him to see another page of drawings of him that had been revealed after the Canadian had ripped out the page. He panicked again, trying to grab the sketchbook from Ivan's hands. "It's- It's not what-!"

Ivan stood up and held the sketchbook above himself so that Matthew couldn't grab it as he slowly flipped through the filled out pages. Finally, as the Russian reached the first/final page of the sketchbook, he looked back down at Matthew with an unreadable gaze. "Matvey. Let us go into the hallway, da?"

Matthew stared at him, feeling like the world was closing in on him and suffocating him. He had thought about it. The idea of Ivan figuring out his "fascination." But he didn't expect to feel the way he felt. He felt like he wanted to die.

In his room at night as he sketched, he wondered what it's be like for Ivan to find his sketchbook.

Matthew would be sketching during their shared English class with headphones in as Ivan slowly approached from behind. Ivan would lean over Matthew's shoulder to inspect his drawings, then slowly take his sketchbook from him to get his attention. Out loud, he would comment on Matthew's drawings.

"What a handsome knight, Matvey. He looks very familiar, da?"

As Matthew's heart would begin to race, Ivan would lean in, smiling comfortingly. "I am only joking, Matvey. I think it is cute you see me as your knight in shining armor."

Ivan would then sit down next to Matthew and listen patiently as Matthew began to explain his daydreams of Ivan out loud to him, embarrassed at first but slowly leaning into the other until they were snuggled warmly together.

However, the look on Ivan's face didn't seem particularly kind. Matthew nodded, and with stiff legs he slowly wobbled after Ivan into the hallway. The other members of the club stared after the odd duo, and it didn't make Matthew feel any better.

Ivan closed the door after them as they stepped into the hall. Matthew leaned against the wall, anxiety making his hair stand on end. Ivan moved to stand in front of him. "You are alright, Matvey? Your face is pale. Something is wrong?"

Matthew didn't respond, not knowing how to act.

Ivan looked down at him. "Why are you so nervous? I just didn't want to embarrass my dearest friend, da? I enjoy your artwork of me. You draw very nicely."

"Yeah?" Matthew choked out, head spinning.

"Da."

Ivan stepped closer, and Matthew's colouring changed from white to pink. "You are sweet friend, Matvey. Why didn't you talk to me before?"

"Uh…Because I was nervous?"

Ivan hadn't moved, but it felt as if he was pressing even more against him. "Why do I make you nervous?"

"Well…Because-"

"Because you love me?"

Matthew would've passed out if Ivan wasn't holding him up by sheer body mass. Matthew had never thought about it as love. He always thought about Ivan as his crush, not as his love. But was thinking about constantly, changing your life around a person, just a crush. He came to the conclusion that he did love Ivan.

Matthew closed his eyes, weighing his options. Either he could give into the temptation of freeing himself from the shackles of repression, or he could stay chained, but at least it would mean he was 100% chained to Ivan.

Ivan watched Matthew's face closely and patiently, waiting for a response.

Finally, Matthew spoked. "I do like you, Ivan."

Ivan's entire face lit up. "Ah, Matvey, you are so cute! Let's go home together, da?"

"What? I don't think-"

Before he knew what was going on, Matthew was being dragged away by Ivan. His apprehension about missing his first day of the new club was replaced by a giddy feeling. He laughed happily and held the Russian's hand tigher.

Ivan only let go of the Canadian once they were outside in the fluttering snow. Matthew stumbled away, a wide smile on his face. "So, uh…Which way's your house?"

Ivan smiled back. "I will drive you, da? Let's go."

Matthew looked at him, somewhat dazed, then nodded. He walked towards the passenger seat and began to open it, whenever Ivan got it for him. Matthew smiled thankfully, hopped into the seat, and put on his seatbelt.

They drove for a little while, in silence for the most part. Matthew's awkwardness was something he was insecure about, but he was glad that Ivan didn't seem to mind. It wasn't that Matthew was quiet or anything, more that his mind was running so fast he didn't know what to say. He could blurt out a million things about how happy he was, but he didn't want to make a bad first date impression. That reminded him of something.

"Hey, Ivan?"
Ivan hummed. "Da?"
Matthew glanced out of the window before looking back in. "Is this a, um…date?"
Ivan glanced at him, smiling. "Of course, Matvey! Why else would I be taking you home?"
Matthew's face flushed, and he couldn't help but let out a giddy laugh. "I dunno."
"Silly Matvey. Look, here we are!"

Ivan turned roughly onto a long gravel driveway. He pulled into an empty garage, and Matthew cast a glance at him. "Where are your parents?"

Ivan shrugged, pulling the key out of the ignition. "My father is not home. I think he's on a business trip, but I don't know. Let's go in, da?"

Matthew nodded, and they both got out of the car and headed inside. Matthew sighed in relief at the warmth, and Ivan smiled at him. "Cold?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, it's snowing!"

"Hm. You are not built for winter like I am, Matvey."

Matthew gave the Russian a puzzled look as he hung his coat on the rack.

"Oh, cr- maple!" exclaimed Matthew. Ivan gave him a puzzled look, and Matthew looked down at his empty hands. "We left without grabbing our stuff."
Ivan gasped. "Oh, nyet! It looks like you'll have to stay the night then."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "What? But-"

He then noticed the look on Ivan's face and quickly shut his mouth. He wasn't about to turn down the offer of a lifetime. "Yeah, I'll stay the night. I just have to call my dad. Can I use your phone? Mine was in my backpack, but, y'know…"

"Sure."

Ivan fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Matthew. He then walked out of the mudroom to give the Canadian some privacy.

In the meantime, Ivan began to make some sbiten[1] for the two of them. He pulled out a pot, mindful to not make too much noise, then began to add in the ingredients: water, honey, cinnamon, and blackberry jam. Soon however, Matthew came back into the room. He sniffed the air, then walked closer. "Smells good. Making hot cocoa?"

"Sbiten," Ivan replied. At Matthew's silence, he added, "It's like…a Russian hot beverage. For your cold."

Matthew smiled, flattered. "Sorry for the trouble."

(Of course, Matthew was pleased that Ivan wanted to care for him, but he didn't want to tell him that.)

Ivan smiled at him sweetly. "It is my pleasure, Matvey. Do not worry about it."

Ivan looked at him for a moment, suddenly worried. "I am not moving to fast for you, am I?"

Matthew's heart sped up. The day was going by fast, but he liked it. "No, it's alright."

He glanced away to steel his nerves before looking back at Ivan earnestly. "I've actually been wanting this for a while. Um…I-I actually was trying to make some moves on you earlier. Because I like you, and I was trying to finally let you know."

Ivan chuckled. "You're cute, Matvey. It's nice to have a good friend. Why don't you go sit down? I will bring you drink."

Matthew smiled and nodded quickly. He sat down in the corner of the couch and drew his knees to the side.

The Canadian then turned his body and rested his chin on the back of the couch to watch Ivan in the kitchen. He felt a bit bad for not helping out, but he had no idea of what Ivan was even doing.

Eventually, Ivan came back over and handed Matthew the cup. It warmed his hands, and so he held it closer to his chest.

"I decided to add more honey to yours. I don't think you'd like the traditional version," Ivan said as he sat down to the other man, already so close that their legs were touching. Matthew blushed. "Thanks."

The sweet taste of honey and fruit hit his tongue, and he wondered what Ivan's tasted like.

"I really hope that I am not coming on too strong," murmured Ivan. Matthew quickly shook his head, but Ivan continued before the Canadian could say anything. "I am very excited to be dating you. I haven't ever dated someone before."

Matthew laughed. "Me neither. So…I'm sorry if I'm awkward. I mean, really. I've had a crush on you for a while. Middle school."

"And you have drawings of me from then?" Ivan teased.

Matthew nodded shyly. "Yeah. I know, I know. It's weird."

"Huh? No, it is not weird."

Matthew couldn't help but continue. "No, but…I-I mean they're really weird. I first noticed you when you were arguing with my brother, and I thought you were so strong and cool because of it that I kept drawing you as a knight for a couple of weeks."

Ivan laughed. "That's cute, Matvey!"

Matthew sat up straight. "R-Really?"

"Da. I found out that I was gay because of my favorite boxer. I really wanted to be one when I was little, and my favorite was Tszyu. I would always daydream about meeting him and him training me and us hanging out because I would be so cool to him. But then, I realized that wasn't really me idolizing him, but more me having a crush on him."

Matthew nodded shyly. "Yeah. You were my um…first crush on a guy. But I also kinda idolized you. I thought that there was no way a guy like you would notice me. People don't really care about me."

Slowly, Matthew leaned into Ivan. This was his move. He felt the Russian stiffen before slowly relaxing and adjusting so that Matthew would be more comfortably snuggled into him. "I care about you, Matvey," said Ivan as he gingerly wrapped an arm around Matthew.

Matthew smiled into Ivan's shoulder. "I like you too, Ivan."