"Now you two be careful out there, alright? I want you back home in one piece, so don't do anything stupid or reckless."

"Yes, sir."

Orbs of layered emerald fixed themselves on the eldest of the pair, who looked completely inattentive. "That goes for you too, Al."

The blue-eyed teenager rolled his eyes as he uttered, "Yes, mother."

Green eyes narrowed into slits, "I'm serious, Alfred. You run into any kind of trouble out there-"

"And we run away, yeah yeah yeah, I get it. Can we go now?"

The older man regarded him uneasily, his eyes examining the petulant teenager's face for any trace of insubordination. When he found none, he queried, "You both know the rules, right?"

Alfred sighed as his younger brother nodded silently.

"Because I can run them by you again if I have t-"

"T-that won't be necessary, sir." the more soft-spoken of the two hastily assured before his brother could make some snide remark.

Arthur seemed dubious, "Won't it, Matthew?" at the head shake that followed, Arthur ordered, "Recite them for me."

Matthew looked dumbfounded, "I-I'm sorry?"

"The rules. Recite them."

Matthew's purplish-blue eyes were wide as he tried going over the ridiculously long list of rules in his head, his pinkish lips parting to relay them in order only for his voice to give way and crack before he could even start.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"I- I, eugh-"

Alfred released a huff of air, quickly coming to his brother's rescue by enumerating, "Don't leave the boundaries, stay close together, don't wander off, be cautious, don't make too much noise, if something goes wrong, run away, use your gun only when you have to, don't dilly dally, if caught, don't give away the position of the group because you will be found, blah blah blah. That good enough for you?"

"You forgot one." Arthur pointed out, as if knowing from the start that Alfred would purposely exclude the golden rule.

"And which one would that be?" Alfred inquired with mock interest. He could vaguely see Matthew mouthing the rule, but kept his eyes completely locked on Arthur's.

"Don't. Play. The hero." Arthur spelled out slowly, a challenging glint in his eyes just daring Alfred to counter that notion.

Thankfully, Alfred did not, instead breaking eye contact with the man he considered his mentor to stare at Matthew, who glanced up with a sheepish look. Alfred blinked.

"Dude, did you just fart?"

"I'm sorry." Matthew's apology emerged in the form of an admittance.

"That's so gross."

"Hey, don't act like you haven't done it about a thousand times." Matthew feebly defended himself.

"At least I don't hide the fact that I do it by making them silent." Alfred retorted, smirking.

Matthew admitted, "To be honest, I'd rather you did."

"Of course you would, you sneaky fuck."

Matthew smiled cheekily at Alfred, who couldn't help but smile back.

"I hate to bring this illuminating conversation to an end here, boys, but we do have to press on."

Matthew straightened up significantly, "I'm ready, sir."

Alfred mimicked his action, "Ditto."

Bloody hell, when did they get so tall?

"Good," Arthur mumbled, eyeing them bitterly as he was forced to crane his head up to meet their stares, "Now, before I send you out there, I need to make sure that you both have some sort of firearm with you."

Alfred patted his holster indicatively, which currently held his handgun, prompting Arthur to nod in acknowledgement and turn his pointed gaze on Matthew, who had since slid his rucksack off his shoulders and begun rummaging through it, uncertainty clouding his features.

Arthur's incredibly bushy eyebrows furrowed together, giving him the appearance of an eyebrow-less man with a particularly large and hairy caterpillar laid above his piercing eyes. "Matthew?"

"Hang on, it's in here, I just- ugh!" Matthew unwillingly released a cry of frustration, his rimless glasses slipping further down the bridge of his nose. Where the fuck had he left it, he couldn't possibly have dropped it when-

Matthew's eyes widened at the startling realisation.

Motherfucking shit.

Alfred frowned, "Hey, Matt, what's wrong?"

Arthur's penetrative gaze morphed into a suspicious one, "You don't have it, do you?"

Matthew's thoughts were just a flurry of words at this point.

Shit shit shit, he knows, he fucking knows, what do I do, oh God, what do I do? I don't want to stay behind, I can't stay behind, not again, not after Kiku, I can't-

"Looks like you're just going to have to stay here, then."

"NO!" both Arthur and Alfred had the grace to look flabbergasted by Matthew's sudden outburst, "No, I-! I can find it, it's in here, it has to be, just wait, it's in here, I know it is, I-" Matthew stopped short, his face splitting into a wide grin as he allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lips, "Oh thank God."

"Did you find it?" Alfred questioned, stepping forward to peer over Matthew's shoulder.

Matthew nodded vigorously, zipping the bag back up before Alfred could so much as take a peek, "Yeah. It was at the very bottom- that's why I had trouble finding it."

He appeared to be addressing Alfred, but he'd give the occasional furtive glance in Arthur's direction, clearly indicating that it was for his sake that he said this.

"So you have it?"

"Yes." Matthew breathed, a pallid hand reaching up to push his glasses back into place.

Arthur looked sceptical, but deemed it unnecessary to address the issue any longer, pressing on with a relenting, "Okay then. Now, you know what time you're to be home, right?"

At their simultaneous nods, Arthur continued, "Good. If you're not here by then, I'll send someone out to get you. You know where to go, don't you?"

Alfred rolled his eyes as Matthew dutifully replied, "The food bank."

"That's right," Arthur inclined his head approvingly, "When you get there, don't let your guard down. Goodness knows who just might be lurking around the corner to ambush you."

"Paranoid much?" Alfred jibbed as Matthew merely stared at Arthur, hanging on to his every word.

"If paranoia is what will keep you alive, then yes," Arthur stressed, his hand running through his hair, pausing when it came to the nape of his neck, "Just to be clear... you two have everything you need, right? Torches, guns, bags-"

His protégés shot him twin lours, not the least bit amused.

"Alright, alright. If you've got everything, then... I guess there's nothing else to be said," Alfred and Matthew looked momentarily relieved by the revelation, before Arthur hastily tacked on, "Unless you don't want to do this, in which case it's perfectly okay if you-"

"Damn it, Artie, we're wasting time!" Alfred vocalised Matthew's thoughts, "The Braginskis could've already grabbed all the stock for themselves by now."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Arthur apologised curtly as Matthew's arms looped through the straps of his rucksack, getting ready to go, "You know I love you, right?"

Alfred released something akin to an "Oh God" while Matthew chirped, "We love you too."

Arthur smiled, but it was slightly strained, a fact which Matthew noted immediately, "Just be careful, boys."

"We will," Alfred turned back dismissively and all but dashed towards the exit, "Come on, Mattie, let's go!"

"I-I'm coming." Matthew made to follow, only to be stopped by an outstretched arm. His eyebrows creased into a light frown as he tilted his head in Arthur's direction, silently questioning the man.

"You take care of your brother, Matthew. He's a brash one, not exactly known for his level-headedness. I fear he'll do something reckless, something stupid. Why, last time was proof of that when he stopped to save a hobo, completely putting not only himself, but Jack in danger too." Arthur paused momentarily to take a breath, levelling Matthew with a slight glare, "Matthew, you need to promise me that should you encounter someone in need of help, you'll leave them be."

Matthew appeared scandalised, "But Arthur-!"

"No, Matthew, you two need to spare the heroics for another time. Alfred seems to forget all too often that we live in a very dangerous place, inhabited by very dangerous people. He wants to help, and that's fine, but it isn't when it puts not only himself but others at risk. See, the problem with Alfred is that he's too contumacious for his own good. He'll probably want to get into some sort of mischief and drag you down with him when everything goes to hell, but you cannot allow that to happen, Matthew. You just can't."

Matthew swallowed down the large lump that had formed in his throat, causing his Adam's apple to bob uneasily as he whispered, "I won't."

"Won't you?" Arthur questioned, staring at him with something that made Matthew's heart involuntarily pang with pain. It was an emotion he'd seen far too many a time on this man's face when Arthur would occasionally look at him, and it hurt even more due to the fact that he'd spent the majority of his life with this man.

That emotion was doubt.

"You need to stand your ground and help him get this done. This isn't some sort of game that you can play, there are people out there who have the same agenda as we do, who are going to loot the food bank tonight-"

"I know, Arthur." Matthew interjected, his eyes wide with seriousness, "I know. And I promise you, that I will not let Alfred run headlong into any unnecessary danger."

Arthur stared at him, his layered eyes the colour of a variety of emerald boring holes into the depths of his very soul. It unnerved Matthew, being watched as if he were some sort of insect that could so easily be squashed. He hated how Arthur looked at him with those eyes filled with worry, doubt and hesitance, as if he wanted to keep Alfred and Matthew here while he himself went out to get supplies. Matthew hated that the man he thought of as a father/brother/mentor/parental figure thought he wasn't up to the task, hated that Arthur thought he was too compassionate, he hated that Arthur's trust in him was so limited, but most of all...

Matthew hated that Arthur thought he was weak.

"And I promise," Matthew continued with as much determination as he could muster, "that we won't stop to help anyone out. No matter what."

Arthur put his hand on Matthew's shoulder, his expression completely stoic as he uttered, "I hope you can keep that promise, Matthew."
Before Matthew could even begin to formulate a reply, a shout interrupted them, "MATTIE! Are we going, or not?!"

Arthur squeezed Matthew's shoulder before letting his hand drop to his side, "Go, Matthew. Go, and think about what I've said."

"Yes, dad." the words came regurgitating out of his mouth before he could stop them, and no sooner had he unleashed them upon the world than he instantly regretted it. He barely registered Arthur's green eyes slowly widening in shock as he promptly dashed out of the room in embarrassment, flying past Alfred, who'd been awaiting him at the doorway. Matthew flung the door open, his head bowed down in shame, and slammed it shut with a loud clang that reverberated across the hall, leaving behind a stupefied Alfred in his wake.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Alfred peered back inside the living room to find Arthur staring at the spades-printed wall in front of him, his body completely immobile and his lips firmly pressed together to form a thin line. He seemed completely catatonic, his eyes so wide that they looked like they were going to pop out of his sockets. Alfred backed away from the entrance to the living room and promptly took his leave of the house, following Matthew with hurried steps.

He caught up to him in next to no time at all, falling in step with Matthew and burying his hands in his pockets.

"What was that all about?"Alfred asked, keeping his eyes locked on his younger brother.

Matthew opened his mouth to speak, but found that no words would emerge, so he awkwardly closed it again and shook his head, "Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing." Alfred noted, a slight tint of worry seeping through those eyes of baby-blue.

"Does it look like I give a shit what it looked like?" Matthew snapped, a particular bite to his tone that made Alfred subconsciously take a step away from him.

The worry Alfred seemed to hold for Matthew only increased, as snapping was definitely something most idiosyncratic of the younger teen.

"Dude..."

Matthew stared at the ground, shamed for the second time that day, "I'm sorry."

Alfred stared at him silently, his eyebrows creasing into a light frown.

"Don't worry about it."

Matthew dared a glance his way, sighing, "I called Arthur 'dad'."

Silence.

Alfred blinked, "You... called Arthur 'dad'."

"Uh huh." Matthew confirmed, avoiding all eye contact.

"...And that's why you bolted out of the room?"

"...Yes."
Alfred shook his head, a small smile creeping up on his face, "Boy, if I had a dollar for every time I accidentally called Arthur ''Pops' in my lifetime, I'd be a millionaire."

Matthew tried to conceal his astonishment, but failed miserably as he uttered, "You've called him 'Pops'?"

"Yeah," Alfred grinned, looking almost proud of himself, "On at least three occasions. He didn't seem to like it much, but it was worth it. Besides," Alfred's grin widened exponentially. "I never ran away from him like a total pussy because I showed him that he's like a father to me."

"Well..." Matthew cocked his head to the side, "When you put it that way it... does sound a bit stupid."

"Oh, it sounds stupid any way you put it, Matt."

This coming from the biggest idiot Matthew knew.

"I know, but... Al, you should've seen his face when I called him that."

"I did. It was priceless."

"No, Al, it... it shocked him."

Alfred frowned, "Well yeah... it's bound to. I mean, a bunch of kids not that much younger than yourself suddenly start calling you 'dad'. That would shock anybody. I mean, if that ever happened to me," Alfred shuddered, "Well, I'd think I'd have a heart attack."

"Not that much younger, Al? The man's got at least a decade on us."

Alfred shrugged, "Well, compared to how much younger kids usually are than their parents..."

"Besides, we're not just a 'bunch of kids'," Matthew insisted, his tone slightly suggesting the offence he took at Alfred's comment, "Arthur practically raised us."

"Yeah, but calling him 'dad' makes him feel old."

"I suppose..." Matthew trailed off, his purplish-blue eyes still locked on the concrete road beneath his feet, "But Alfred, his face-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. And as amusing as this situation is, we do have something to do, y'know? Let's just focus on the task at hand here, then we'll get back to Art- I mean, Dad, later." Alfred emphasised, smirking.

"Okay..."

With nothing left to be said, they carried on with their eyes peeled and their ears strained. The two brothers walked in complete silence, neither daring to break it. The gravel crunched beneath their feet with every step they took, their legs moving in complete sync with each other. Matthew bit his lip, still berating himself for calling Arthur 'dad' while Alfred contemplated whether or not they had time to take a trip to the (nearly empty( candy store nearby.

"We're almost there." Alfred announced, prompting Matthew's head to snap up. He stopped short as Alfred continued, a panicked countenance overtaking his features.

"Al?"

"What is it?"

"W-we can't go that way."
"Sure we can, it's right around the corner."

Matthew's breath hitched at the familiar words, "But didn't you listen to what Arthur said about going 'around the corner'?"

"What are you-" realisation dawned upon his face and Alfred let out a hearty laugh, much to Matthew's horror, "Don't tell me you took that literally?"

"Keep it down, Al." Matthew pleaded, his eyes whizzing about in paranoia.

"Matthew, relax. There's no one here."

Matthew was unconvinced, his eyes of purplish-blue reflecting his uncertainty and wariness, "Alfred, be careful."

Alfred smiled as he led the way, with Matthew trailing behind him, Arthur's words about danger lurking around every corner still gnawing at his insides.

They reached the infamous corner and Alfred pressed himself up against the brick wall, motioning for Matthew to do the same. When he had, Alfred leaned closer to the edge, slowly popping his head out to peer over it.

Now, Alfred had been prepared for three scenarios:

Scenario 1) No one would be here and he'd be able to sneak in and grab some comestibles before busting out ASAP.

Scenario 2) The Braginskis or some other low-life gang would already be busy emptying the place.

Scenario 3) No one would be here but the place would be empty.

Soaking in the sight that beheld him with dread, Alfred did not fail to note that he'd at least gotten one thing correct: the Braginskis were indeed here, if their large range rover was anything to go by. They were quite far away, and were but mere indiscernible figures in the night, but they were still too close for comfort. Unlike any of his predictions, however, they weren't busy looting the food bank- rather, they seemed preoccupied with something else, as they were currently encircling something whilst brandishing heavy bats and butcher knives. A few pleas could be heard, followed by the sound of booming laughter as one of them whacked whoever was on the floor with a baseball bat.

"What was that?" Matthew questioned, alarmed by the sound that the hit emitted, "Al, what was it?"

Alfred's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "Hey Matt..."

"Y-yeah?"

"They're here."

Those were the very words that Matthew had feared hearing, his heart sinking to his stomach as he queried in a breathless whisper, "What are we going to do?"

"I think- I think I might have an idea."

Matthew waited for Alfred to elaborate with wide eyes.

"See, they're busy with something- I'm not sure what, but they're definitely not focused on the food bank. I could sneak in and nick some stuff while you keep watch."

Matthew didn't seem to like this idea at all, "Al..."

"Don't worry," Alfred assured, his eyes still locked on their adversaries, "I've got this." Alfred tapped his gun for emphasis, "And you've got yours, so if something goes wrong, you'll fire a bullet and I'll come get you. Got it?"

Matthew nodded vigorously, although he seemed slightly pale as if the thought of having to actually use his gun terrified him.

"Hey," Matthew almost jumped at the hand that was placed on his shoulder, "I'll be back."

Matthew gave off a nod, knowing that Alfred said this for the sole purpose of reassuring him this was not going to end the same way as it did last time.

Alfred gave Matthew's shoulder a squeeze, "This should only take five minutes, ten maximum. Be careful, Matt."

And with that, Alfred slipped away around the corner like a shadow, out of Matthew's line of sight.

"Yeah... you too." Matthew breathed, his hand clenching around his shoulder strap.

/./././././

To say that Alfred was afraid would be a gross understatement.

The glasses-adorned teen was petrified, his heart pounding inside his ribcage like a crazed jack hammer.

Now, Alfred wasn't scared of the Braginskis; not by a long shot. After all, it took more than a gang of thugs to make Alfred wet himself.

However, despite the fact that others claimed he had a god complex, he knew better than to pick a fight with at least a dozen armed men. Alfred had always been a one-on-one kinda guy, and he knew exactly when he was outnumbered.

This was one of those times.

Proving that he had some amount of self-preservation, Alfred made his footsteps as light as possible, releasing an inaudible sigh of relief when he got to the double doors. The Braginskis were right behind him, and Alfred knew that if he didn't hurry this up one of them was bound to look his way and all hell would break loose. The doors were locked, a chunky chain sporting a padlock tied around the handles. Biting his lip in annoyance, Alfred crouched down and procured a lockpick from his pocket. He inserted it in the keyhole and set off to work, twisting it this way and that in a vain attempt at unlocking it.

He struggled getting it undone, eventually forced to give up when he feared he may be making too much noise. He glanced back at the wall to see Matthew coming into view, a questioning look etched upon his face. Alfred swallowed the bile-like substance rising up in his throat and shook his head, motioning for Matthew to stay hidden with an outstretched hand.

This, if anything, only served to worry Matthew, and he tentatively did what was implied of him, his hands shaking at his sides.

A pathetic plea cut through the macabre-like silence, making Matthew freeze in shock and prompting Alfred to drop his lockpick. It clattered to the ground, creating a loud noise as Alfred squeezed his eyes shut. He waited a moment with baited breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of being caught. Luckily, though, his fears were unwarranted, as the Braginskis in question were quite a few ways away, busy harassing their victim, and therefore could not hear such a thing. Alfred released a sigh of relief and rushed back to Matthew as quietly as possible, his upper body leaned forwards to make himself appear smaller.

When Alfred reached Matthew, he pushed his younger brother out of view and ushered him behind the corner, slipping past after him. Matthew regarded him quizzically, posing, "Al, wha-?"

"It doesn't work, we'll have to find another way in."

Matthew seemed disheartened at this grievous news, his face falling instantly and his gaze hardening.

"Maybe... maybe we can try busting the lock some way." Alfred proposed, unsure of himself.

"With what?"

Alfred's body froze, his eyes widening slightly before he promptly ran a hand through his hair, gritting his teeth together in annoyance.

Matthew lowered his eyes, meekly suggesting, "Maybe we should just turn back- Arthur would understand, in fact, he'd-"

"No." Alfred shot down.

"B-but Al-"

"I said 'no'." Alfred managed to grit out, running both hands through his hair frantically, "We can't do that."
"Why not?" when he received no answer, Matthew attempted to reason, "Al, this is ridiculous; there's no way we're gonna get it in, not with them so close. We can always try another time, we don't even need to eat tonight-"

"Matthew!" Alfred half-yelled, before Matthew's eyes widened exponentially and Alfred realised his mistake. He continued, in a significantly lower voice, "Matt, I know you're scared, but we can't give up. Not now."

Matthew just stared at him, unblinking.

Alfred sighed, "We just need to think of another plan. Quick, Mattie, use your brainstorming skills."

Matthew kept his eyes downcast, squinting at the ground in thought. Alfred stared at him intently, as if waiting for Matthew to come up with some golden solution.

An idea flitting through his mind, Matthew uttered, "We could... create a diversion."

Alfred frowned for a while, mulling over Matthew's words before everything clicked.

"Yes! That's excellent, Matt!" Alfred struggled to keep his voice down in his excitement, "If they're Braginski's guys, which I'm pretty sure they are, they'll know for sure who we are, so I could go by them, attract their attention and lead them off. The guy who's being beaten up- whoever he is- will be saved, and you can break a window and nick everything you can. Then... then, if he wants, you can bring that guy home for treatment and escape while I lead them off."

"And what about you?"

Alfred blinked, "What about me?"

"How are you going to escape them?" Matthew demanded, crossing his arms over his chest while attempting to put a stop to his subconscious shivering.

"I... hadn't thought about that." Alfred admitted, scratching the back of his head before offering a half-shrug, "Well, I'll cross that bridge when I have to."

"No, we'll cross it now or not at all." Matthew replied in a vain effort at appearing authoritative.

Alfred sighed, "Mattie, I'll find a way. Lead them off somehow."

Matthew eyed him dubiously, sizing him up hypercritically.

"I don't like this idea." he assessed.

"I thought you might say that."

"It's too risky-"

"It's all we've got-"

"Then we'll think of something else!"
"We haven't got time, we need to move now or not at all!"
"Then we won't move." Matthew hissed, startling Alfred slightly. Matthew had never before acted like this during an active 'mission'. In fact, the younger teen had been acting strangely all day.

It unnerved Alfred.

"We have to move, we've got no choice-"

"Bullshit!" Matthew, in a manner most idiosyncratic of him, struggled to keep his voice down, "We need to leave, leave now and come back another day-"

"Now that's bullshit. You know just as well as I that if they take the bank today, they'll have it for another month, and it'll be all out of stock by the time they stop occupying it," at Matthew's unwavering glare, Alfred tried to reason, "Matt, listen. We don't have enough food to last a week, let alone a month, and this is the last food bank in the area left. We can't let this opportunity go to waste, especially when we'll be the responsible ones."

"Then we'll go somewhere else, away from all of this-"

"Oh my God, Mattie, are you even listening to yourself?" Alfred gnashed his teeth together, "You know perfectly why we can't just up and leave-"

Matthew suppressed a scream, "Then we'll do something, we'll figure it out, but we can't do this! This idea of yours isn't even thought out, it's just a thought that crossed your mind, it means nothing! The stakes are too high, they've got guns-"

"-so do we!-"

"-and bats and knives, and who knows what else! They will fucking tear us to shreds, and you don't even have an escape plan. Hell, we don't even have a backup plan. What if- and the chances of this happening are high- what if something goes wrong? What if they see me? What if not all of them give chase? What if they shoot you on the spot and-"

Sensing his brother's growing panic, Alfred interjected, "Matthew, stop it. I'm not going to get shot, and we won't get caught. This will work."

"No. No. No." Matthew repeated as if it would reiterate his point, "No, it won't. We won't do this, there is no way we can-"

"Fuck, Matt, we have no choi-"

"Yes, yes we do! You are not going to risk our lives for something like this!" Matthew all but seethed, growing increasingly angrier.

"So you want to just leave? Go home with nothing, tell the others, our family, that we failed?" Alfred appeared disgusted, "I know you've never been much of a brawny guy, but this is simply cowardice."
Matthew proved unable to reply, instead opting to glare at his brother with mounting fury.

"And what about that guy there, huh?" Alfred brought up, furrowing his eyebrows accusingly, "You want to just let him get beaten up? To let him die?"

Matthew didn't reply immediately. Instead he just stared, his lips firmly pressed together as he eyed his brother with something akin to contempt.

Alfred mistook his brother's hesitation as a sign of acceptance, "See? We aren't just doing this for ourselves. We have to save this man-"

"No."

"-and get him to safety before-" Alfred stopped short, as if suddenly realising what Matthew had said. His eyes wide with incredulity, he turned on Matthew, "What did you just say?"

Matthew straightened up slightly, narrowing his eyes in determination, "No."

"No?"

At Alfred's gaping expression, Matthew elaborated, "I- It's not our job to save random strangers, Al," Matthew looked pained to admit this, his voice sounding unbearably forced and strained as if he were relaying the words of another, "We need to focus on our survival, not that of strangers. I know it's u-unfortunate, but it's the truth."

At Matthew's words, Alfred could only stare. It took more than a moment for the words to sink in, and when Alfred had come to the brief realisation of Matthew's stance on the matter, he was not happy.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?!" he spat, sickened, "I can't believe this- can't fucking believe it! How- how could you say that?!"

Matthew uttered tentatively, "Lower your voice Alfred, you know it's the truth. We can't risk our lives to save someone we don't know, especially when we'd all end up dead."

Alfred shook his head, shocked as he backed away, "You- You're sick. Seriously sick."

Worried that Alfred would step into view of the Braginskis, Matthew took a step forward, "Alfred-"

Alfred's head shaking became more frantic, "You would let an innocent man be beaten to death... let your family starve... you disgust me, Matthew."

Finally reacting emotionally at those words, tears prickled at the edges of Matthew's eyes at the utter revile in Alfred's voice, his show of false-bravado rapidly crumbling, "Al, please-"

Alfred cut him off, "Don't touch me!" he wretched his arm out of the way before Matthew's fingers could so much as graze it, "You want to go home? Fine, go! I can do this myself! I don't need the help of some coward who doesn't have the guts to do what's right for his family!"

"Alfred, please-" Matthew pleaded helplessly, stepping closer with each passing second.

"Go home, if you're so scared, Matthew. I can do this myself."

And with that being said, Alfred promptly turned on his heel and all but dashed off, his feet rapidly pattering against the ground. Matthew, in shock at his brother's haste and sudden flight, allowed his jaw to drop as panic quickly wormed its way inside his heart, his feet completely rooted to the spot as he was rendered momentarily immobile. His jaw was completely slackened as he could do nothing but gape as Alfred slipped off to the side, trying to encircle the Braginskis.

Matthew couldn't stop his continuous trembling, nor could he stop the immeasurable amount of fear that gripped his heart and held it hostage against his desire to do something. He could feel his legs quiver like weak little twigs, ready to snap at any given moment. He gulped audibly when Alfred disappeared completely from sight. Squinting his eyes, Matthew sidled along closer to the edge, straining to see where Alfred had gotten to. All noise seemed to cease for a moment, and when one of the gang members turned his head to look his way, Matthew immediately flung himself behind the wall, his heart's palpitation so fast that he was sure the organ itself would break through his ribcage. He squeezed his eyes shut, his breaths emerging in the form of sharp inhales and exhales as he prayed to any existing deity that he had not been seen.

He waited, unknowing, as he forced himself to regulate his breathing. His mind was still in shock, refusing to accept what his brother had gotten them into; he knew now that he'd have no other choice but to follow through with Alfred's idiotic plan. When his breathing had been properly regulated, Matthew gave himself some time to recuperate before tentatively leaning forward to peer over the wall.

He jerked back just as instantly, his eyes wide and traumatised at the sound that sliced through the macabre-like silence.

A gunshot.

A/N: Hey, anyone else think it's awesome how today is Friday the 13th of March, and the 13th of February fell on a Friday, too? It's awesome. Anyway, this is my first Hetalia fic, and as I'm a bit new to this, I'm not sure if I wrote well or not. I just wrote this because I thought it was a unique idea not often seen on the site, and I'd always wanted to read something like this. If this chapter seemed vague or dull, I promise that action will come sooner and I'll explain more as the story progresses. i actually had more planned for the chapter, but felt it was too long so I cut it off here :P. If anyone is interested in reading more, please let me know :3. I have all sorts of things planned out for this story, and I really hope my ideas will come to fruition. Constructive criticism is welcome, as is any kind of review (with the exception of flames...). Thank-you for taking the time to read this!