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Matt drifts closer, bumping his hand against Gus' before taking a hold and intertwining their fingers as they walk. The touch grounds him when he feels like he might otherwise float away. The taste of chop cheese is on his tongue, the ghost of Gus' lips on his cheek, and he can't remember the last time he was so happy. It's terrifying, in a way. This giddy excitement. He thinks he knows where it's going, but all he really has is a peck on the cheek and his prince in the moonlight. He steals a sideways glance, squeezing Gus' hand. The taller boy squeezes back and returns the look with a soft smile. It's a peaceful kind of quiet, most of the trick-or-treaters having gone home by now.
When they reach Gus' house, Gus turns to him, still holding his hand. "Wanna come inside?"
Matt opens his mouth to say no. Steve is waiting for him, and besides, he knows he reeks of puppy love after their little date. Mr Porter will know something has shifted as soon as look at him; it would be easier to not deal with the scrutiny. The very thought makes his cheeks flush again.
But he wants even less to leave Gus' side so soon. Surely Steve could wait a few more minutes.
So he smiles sheepishly. "Sure." Gus lets go of his hand as they climb the steps to the porch, then frowns in surprise to see the door cracked open. But with the porch light on and the TV flickering through the window, nothing else seems amiss.
"Dad?" Gus calls, opening the door and slipping out of his shoes.
No one answers.
Matt follows as Gus turns towards the kitchen and flips on the light. At first, Matt can't see what Gus is staring at, but he hears the sharp intake of breath and feels the tension crackling in the air. His stomach drops in fear.
He hears a growl, and suddenly Gus has his knee slammed into a monster's face. He distantly recognizes it as a ghoul from one of Steve's books, but in the moment he's too overwhelmed to know it by name.
Mr Porter is laying on the floor in a pool of blood, not moving.
Matt tries to think through the static in his head. He can't go to Mr Porter. Gus and the ghoul are practically fighting on top of him. Maybe he should back away and call an ambulance, but in a split second the ghoul grabs Gus and slams him against the island. His foot slips in some of his dad's blood and he crashes to the floor, head bouncing off the tile with a sickening crack.
"Gus—!" Matt screams, feeling useless as the ghoul descends on him.
Gus grabs the ghoul by the shoulders, barely keeping his snapping jaws away. His expression is wild-eyed and feral. To Gus, Matt isn't there. His father isn't there. He's in a fight for his life and every ounce of concentration is going into staying alive. The realization fills Matt with an unspeakable dread. He thought the Slayer was stronger than any ghoul. He thought he would wait for Gus to get the upper hand then help Mr Porter.
But Gus isn't getting the upper hand.
In desperation he headbutts the ghoul, giving him just enough relief to slide out from under it and make for a kitchen drawer. Matt holds his breath, hoping a proper weapon will end this, but in his hurry Gus grabs the first thing he touches: a pair of metal tongs. Without hesitation he drives them into the ghoul's chest. The creature screams and rakes its claws across Gus' chest, ripping the royal blue dress shirt and soaking the fabric in blood.
Matt cries out and he sees Gus' eyes rise to meet him a second before the ghoul punches him hard, sending him flying. His head hits the island, but Gus doesn’t have time to recover. The ghoul's on him again in a flash. Gus stabs the tongs into its chest again, but it's going to take more than that.
Matt isn't thinking about the damage that monster could do to him: a completely normal, undersized human boy. He has to do something or he's going to lose his best friend.
The drawer is still open. Matt grabs the chef knife that Gus had likely been going for. In a blind rage he lifts it high and drives it deep into the ghoul's back where its heart should be. From this angle he can't see Gus' absolute panic, but he hears it when he cries, "No!" The ghoul lets go of Gus to whirl around and smack Matt with a vicious backhand swing. He hits the counter hard enough to knock all the air out of him and falls to the blood-soaked floor, his back screaming in pain.
His vision is black at the edges, but he peers across the tile to see Gus with his arm elbow-deep in the ghoul's chest. Gus somehow notices Matt struggling to get up and growls through gritted teeth, "Stay down!" It's an order. A strangled plea filled with terror.
Maybe Matt would have listened, but then the ghoul bodily throws his friend onto the table. Gus screams in agony as a fork stabs into his leg.
The sound brings Matt to his feet, even if he's unsteady. Even if every nerve in his body protests. "Hey!" he shouts at the ghoul, with no plan other than that. It's not bravery so much as stupidity. He just needs Gus to live and he will do anything in that moment to make that happen.
The ghoul turns to him, baring sharp teeth dripping blood. Gus is wobbly on his feet, but he manages to yank the knife from the ghoul's back while it's distracted. It howls in pain and whirls to face him. Gus slashes the blade across its throat. It gurgles and collapses to the floor.
Gus stands there a moment, his chest heaving, still holding the knife at his side. Matt takes him in from head to toe, noting every visible injury and doing the math. It's bad—real bad—but the Slayer should be able to recover from this given time.
Gus doesn't return the attention. He drops the knife and hobbles over to his father, falling to his knees and pulling his head into his lap. His mouth opens and an awful keening sound spills out. He sounds less like a human and more like an animal in pain. The cry rises to a scream. The world-shattering anguish of it curdles Matt's blood and rends his heart.
He needs to do something, but the grief in the air is so thick it chokes him.
Then the door opens. ...