The small man rolled out of bed and reached for his glasses on his nightstand. He sat up at looked at the small white, fluffy figure that was lying on the other side of his bed.

"Hey Kuma," he said in a tired voice.

He picked up the stuffed polar bear and trudged down the stairs into his wooden kitchen. He plopped Kuma on the counter and took out some batter to make his favorite pancakes with tons of maple syrup. After looking at the time he shoved the rest of his breakfast down his throat and ran up stairs leaving Kuma on the counter.

He took a quick shower, not bothering to fully dry his blonde hair, and pulled on his red hoodie- one of many- and sweatpants. He grabbed his phone and his notes and rushed down the hallway, to the stairs and out the door. Matthew made a quick gesture to the polar bear on the counter saying "I'll see you after the meeting," before he left.

He got to the Office relatively quickly considering he was almost late and there was a good amount of traffic. It's a good thing he didn't have to pick up Alfred today, though. He definitely would have been late if he had to go all the way to his house.

He casually walked down the long hallway to the main meeting room but stopped when he heard rapid footsteps behind him. He didn't even get to turn around all the way before being tackled by a man very similar to himself.

"Al-fred… you're choking me…" The man on top of him swiftly got up and pulled his brother to his feet.

"Hey Mattie! Long time no see! Haha…" Alfred made a joke that was meant to be funny since they saw each other the day before, but it didn't necessarily amuse Matthew. But he chuckled anyway.

"Hi, Al. You know, a common thing to do when greeting someone is say 'Hello' or something of the sort. NOT to tackled them at 8 o'clock in the morning." He chuckled at his retort and continued to walk down the hallway with his brother.

They were having a casual conversation about the meeting when they could feel a menacing aura from around the corner. No doubt about it. That was Ivan. Ivan was a tall Russian man who never really spoke much but was always in a bad mood. He was mostly smiling all the time even though he had the intent to kill. Not that he actually has killed someone… He always had his signature tannish scarf around his neck but what startled the brothers was that he didn't have it on. There was no long fabric curled around his neck but only his dark aura growing so slightly every second.

They whipped past him, hopefully to not engage in conversation but was stopped when Ivan spoke up.

"Hello, Matvey and Alfred. You have noticed something different, da?"

The two brothers just stood there. Dumb-founded. Not knowing what in the world to say to this dangerous being that stood before them. After a couple of seconds and they found that Ivan was getting impatient, and Matthew mustered up the courage to say something. Usually it would be Alfred to be courageous enough to say something, with him being the hero and all, but he was way too afraid Ivan to mutter a word.

"N-no… No, Ivan. W-we have noticed nothing different. Why do you ask?" Matthew said in a stuttering voice.

"Well Matvey, I will have you know that my scarf has gone missing. I am trying to find it yet have been unsuccessful. Have you two seen it?"

"It's 'Matthew', Ivan. And no we have not seen anything. Now if you excuse us we need to get to the meeting." Alfred quickly retorted back. He grabbed Matthew by the wrist and pulled him down the hallway to the Office.

"You know, he should be at this meeting too," Matt looked back since he still felt the Russian man's evil aura, "but… he doesn't have to come." He laughed weakly since he was as scared of him as Alfred was.

They reached the meeting room where there were only a couple of seats filled. Matthew, being unnoticed most of the time and likes to sit by himself, was delighted when Alfred asked if he would sit next to him. Over the next half hour or so they had conversations about random things such as the weather or what the in the meeting they were going to discuss. They waited until everyone got there and when there was one chair empty, Alfred convinced Ludwig to start the meeting knowing that Ivan would not be attending.

After rambling on and on about issues and what they should do, Matthew sat in the meeting with ideas running through his head yet couldn't say a word since no one would pay attention. Of course Alfred was the one talking most of the time since he believes himself to be the "idea man" or the "hero".

They were allowed a short break since these conferences are usually quite long with boring debates that are sadly necessary. Matthew got up and walked down the hallway trying to get to the staff room to make himself and Alfred some coffee with loads of maple syrup for himself. Along the way he was very nervous of bumping into the large Russian man since Matt knows that even the slightest thing could set him off.

He happily made it to the small room alive and reached for the mugs in the cabinet when he saw something in the corner of his eye. Something beige and long, and it looked soft too. He slowly turned his head in the direction of the item on the table and found it… Ivan's scarf.

Not only was he ecstatic but he also had a fear in the depth of his stomach. Would he thank me or beat me to a pulp? Maybe he'll think that I took his scarf… that's a large possibility considering Ivan is none too pleasant… he thought to himself. He was running ideas through his head so that Ivan wouldn't come up with anything that would make it seem like Matthew would take his precious scarf. No one really knew why Ivan was so obsessed with this thing. It wasn't even all that great either. It was something that you could buy on the streets of New York yet it could have been something from a lover or family but… who would love him?

Matthew finished making his two cups of coffee and thought, maybe I should have made one for Arthur too… Yet that was only a quick though that swiftly went in and out of his brain when he remembered that the scarf was still sitting there on the small wooden table for two.

He sighed greatly and picked up the scarf and draped it over his arm with a mug in each hand. He was hoping to see Ivan along the way so that he could simply hand the scarf to him and walk back to the conference room yet, he didn't since he still had not known what to say. What can you say to a 7-foot, Russian man with a murderous intent? Matt was drawing a blank. He couldn't think of anything. "Hey, I found your scarf in the staff room and though I'd give it to you." Ha! Like Ivan would actually believe that even though it was the truth.

He just kept on walking and walking down the long corridor when he saw Alfred waving to him outside the door of the meeting room.

"Jeez, Mattie! I thought you were making a whole 3 course dinner, you were taking so long!" He grabbed his mug, which he could easily decipher between the two since the other one reeked of maple. He took a gulp and noticed something strange. He stared wide-eyed at his brother. "Mattie… what's that on your arm?"

Confused, the younger brother looked down at his arm to see Ivan's scarf draped over it. He forgot all about it for a couple of seconds until Al reminded him.

"It's Ivan's scarf. I found it in the staff room while I was making our coffee and though I'd give it to him when I see him lurking the halls." He wasn't joking. Ivan really was lurking the halls for people to blame.

"How 'bout I take your coffee and go inside, ok? Then you can go find Ivan. I think he was over there, but that was the last time I saw him." Alfred cautiously grabbed Matthew's mug and backed away into the room behind him. Matthew was left standing there, hoping that his hero of a brother would come back and talk to Ivan for him. But knowing Alfred, he wasn't.

Matt turned down the hallway that Alfred directed him in and started walking at a quick paste trying to find Ivan before the meeting started. Since the scarf only was draped over the arm of his sweater it flew off while he was walking swiftly down the hall. He bent down to pick it up but when he tried it didn't move. He started to yank at it and pull when- RIIIIP! He knelt to the floor, wide eyed with pupils dilated, and looked as though he had just lost someone dear to him right in front of his eyes. Yet it was a less important cause that had the same effect. Matt had just ripped a hole in the middle of Ivan's beloved scarf.

It would have been better to kill Matthew right then and there but he had a mission to accomplish… whether it did kill him or not. He grabbed the scarf and unhooked it from the nail that was sticking up from one of the floorboards which was the cause of the giant hole. Matthew slowly stood up to his feet and found the man who he was searching for right in front of him.

"Hello, Ivan," he said in a very nervous voice, "I-I found your scarf in the staff room while I was making coffee…" he held the scarf out to the Russian, "…so I thought I would give it to you when I saw you." When Ivan didn't take the scarf Matthew took it to himself to wrap the long cloth around the man's neck.

When he looked at the man in front of him he had a blank expression on his face and the only thing he did was wrap his scarf around his neck so he hoped that it hadn't gotten him mad in anyway. All the Russian man did was look down that the scarf that his acquaintance had placed around him. When he spotted the hole you could feel his evil aura spread like wildfire. Matthew took a step back afraid of the man when he saw that he was going to say something.

"Matvey… what have you done with my scarf? This hole was not here before, da?"

"I- uh… I was only delivering it to you so I…"

"You what? You made this hole in my scarf to make me mad? I'm not happy Matvey, not happy at all." Ivan held the piece of the scarf with the hole in it to Matt's face.

"I didn't rip the hole, Ivan! It-… it was Alfred! I was just delivering it to you! Yes, I found it in the staff room but I gave it to Al after not knowing what to do! Then he disappeared and gave it to me to deliver it to you! I never even noticed the hole until now…"

"I see. I'm sorry Matvey that I blamed you for something that your idiot brother has done. I will see that he is punished properly." And with that said the now furious man left to seek out the man who was falsely responsible for committing the act that Matthew has done.

Alfred was waiting outside the meeting room worried that Ivan might have done something to his poor defenseless brother. He was constantly listening to something that may relate such as a scream or pounding of footsteps if he was running away, but what he encountered wasn't his brother but the man he thought would do something to Matthew.

"Where's Mattie?"

"He's down that corridor," he pointed to the hallway from which he came, "I have heard what you have done to my scarf, Alfred."

Al stood still with possibly the stupidest look on his face. Ivan noticed and held up the hole to his face.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you? How can you not remember the monstrosity that you have done to something so dear to me?"

"Ha! You're funny Ivan!" But he noticed that he was serious. "Dude, I didn't even touch your scarf let alone rip a hole in it. Why would you even blame me?"

"I was told that you had the scarf so I came to you," Ivan grabbed Alfred by the collar and pulled him toward him so that he was about two inches away from his face, "I do not like being lied to Alfred. If you just fess up and tell me that you ripped the hole in my scarf then your punishment will be less severe."

Matthew came sprinting down the hallway just in time so that Ivan's fist wouldn't make contact with Alfred's face.

"STOP!" Matthew screamed at the top of his lungs. He would always stop a fight or stick up for someone but when it came to his brother they were like soul mates. He ripped Alfred away and stood in front of him. Al stumbled to the ground and was looking up at his fear-stricken other half.

"Matt…"

"Leave Al alone-"

"Matvey-"

"No! Listen Ivan. I was the one who ripped your scarf. What I told you was a lie. I found it in the staff room so I was going to give it to you. Alfred told me where you were but the scarf dropped and got stuck on a nail in the floor and it ripped when I picked it up. When I gave it to you I just didn't know what to say so… what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie, it's just that… the words came out without me knowing." Matthew said this truly apologetic although Ivan may not take it as an apology but maybe as a mockery. What Ivan said next was a surprise to the brothers.

"Alright Matvey. Since I don't despise you I won't give you a harsh punishment like I was to Alfred." He walked over to Matthew and slapped him as hard as he could across the face so that his glasses flew off him to the ground with a clink. The Russian man then walked away with either triumph or annoyance on his face. Matthew couldn't tell which.

The small man picked up his glasses and helped up his brother who was in shock that Ivan would lay a finger on his dear brother. Immediately he started fussing over the mark on his cheek.

"Mattie! Are you okay? Does your face hurt? Should I get an ice pack? Did Ivan hurt you anywhere else? Maybe a Band-Aid? Is it bleeding?" Alfred went on and on until Matthew couldn't take the babying.

"I'm fine Al. It's just a little red is all."

"Hey Mattie, how come you told Ivan that I was the one who ripped his scarf?"

"I…I don't really know… I just panicked and I didn't want Ivan to hurt me so I blamed it on you…I'm sorry."

"It's alright, buddy!" He slapped Matt on the back, "I'm just happy that you came while you did or I might have a broken jaw. But I'm also proud that you didn't leave me to handle the whole thing and you told Ivan that you did it." Al sighed. "My little bro is growing up!"

"Al I'm the same age as you!"

"C'mon let's go get an ice pack in the staff room."

"But aren't we going to miss the meeting?"

"Who cares about the meeting? We can go in later and apologize. They won't mind!"

The two brothers walked down the hallway to the staff room in silence and sat down at the wooden table for two while Alfred got an ice pack out the freezer.