The sun, barely visible over the hill, casts soft golden rays onto the pale blue two-story house. A few trees in the yard sway gently in the breeze, new leaves just starting to appear. A few birds sing in the still morning air, sitting in the tree right next to the house. The inside of the house is decorated with paintings and stylish nick-knacks, but most of the furniture had seen better days. A few toys litter the floor of the living room, but the vast majority of the stuffed animals and toy soldiers rest in the toy box in the playroom upstairs.
Upstairs, the door at the end of the short hall creaks open slowly. Two little figures race towards the stairs, giggling softly as they sneak past the door to the master bedroom. The figure in the lead hops down the stairs, while the other one carefully picks his way down the steep staircase, his grip on the stuffed bear in his arms never loosening. Upon reaching the bottom, they race off towards the laundry room. The two boys stare up at the dryer, contemplating how to get at what lay inside; their cowboy costumes.
"What are we gonna do, Alfie?" the one holding the bear asks the other boy softly.
"Mattie, you give me a boost up, and I'll grab them and jump back down," Alfie answers confidently. Reluctantly, the curly-haired boy sets his bear carefully on the floor and crouches in front of the machine. He cups his hands and looks at his brother, who smiles and puts a foot onto the step created by Mattie's clasped hands. Very carefully, the curly-haired boy stands up and raises his brother up enough for him to climb onto the dryer.
Alfie opens the door and peers inside, finding the outfits quickly. He lays on his stomach and reaches into the dryer, his fingers just brushing the fabric. He scoots a little closer to the opening and pulls a vest from the chasm. He tosses it onto the floor behind Mattie, who smiles excitedly. Another vest and two shirts are flung from the top of the dryer, forming a small pile. Alfie reaches for a pair of pants, but his arms are too short to reach. He scoots closer, maneuvering his legs to keep him from falling in. He chews his tongue as he stretches as far as possible, the pants just out of reach.
"Can you reach them?" Mattie asks softly after a few seconds.
"Almost," Alfie replies, stretching even farther. His fingers snag the pocket, and much to his delight both pairs are in his grasp. He sits up and grins triumphantly at his brother, but his smile quickly falls when the beeping of an alarm clock cuts through the silence of the house. The boys share a panicked look as the sound of someone walking down the stairs greets them, and Alfie slides to the floor just as a man with messy blond hair and vivid green eyes pokes his head into the laundry room.
"Good morning, boys. What are you two doing up so early?" the man asks groggily, a British accent lacing his words. The pair just smile innocently, moving so that the pile of clothes is carefully out of sight.
"Nothing!" they reply in unison, earning a warm smile from the Brit.
"Papa had a very long night, so just be quiet and let him sleep, okay?" The boys nod, and the Brit smiles again before disappearing into the kitchen.
Mattie and Alfie grab the pile of clothes and race to the playroom, where they quickly change and grab the Nerf guns from the toy chest. They race off, dashing in different directions. Mattie heads towards the kitchen while Alfie dives behind the couch in the living room. Mattie slides under the kitchen table, laying on his stomach and aiming the Nerf gun at the door. Arthur watches him in amusement while he leans against the counter and sips his coffee, but the child doesn't even acknowledge his presence. After a few minutes, the sound of little bare feet on tile can be heard from the laundry room. Mattie squeaks as a dart flies by his head, but he rolls and fires. Alfie cries out as the dart hits him square in the forehead, and Mattie jumps up excitedly.
A solid "thunk" followed by a loud cry rings throughout the house, causing Arthur to peer under the sturdy oak table. Mattie is sitting there, clutching the back of his head while tears stream down his face. Alfie cackles, earning a stern look from his dad. The man pulls the crying child into his arms, rocking him gently as he stands up.
"Are you okay, love?" Arthur asks gently, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"What's going on down here?" a man with shoulder-length curly blond hair asks as he enters the room.
"Mattie hit his head on the bottom of the table, Papa! It was really funny!" Francis glances at Alfie for a moment before walking over to Arthur and Mattie, hugging them tightly. Alfie, feeling a tiny bit jealous of all the attention his brother is getting, races over to the other three and holds his arms up. After a second, Francis scoops the child up and hugs him tightly. Mattie, whose cries have turned to soft sniffles, whispers something in Arthur's ear. The adult nods once and smiles at the boy in his arms before turning to the other pair.
"It has come to my attention, Alfred, that you have hurt Matthew's feelings. Can you tell me how you managed this?"
The boy in Francis' arms squirms, dropping his gaze to the floor. When he doesn't respond, Francis nudges him slightly. Still, he stays silent. Mattie whispers something else to his dad, causing a small smile to form on the British man's face.
"I have just been informed that Matthew is not mad at you, but you still need to apologize to make it better. Okay?"
"I'm sorry for laughing at you, Mattie. I'm sorry for accidentally stepping on Kuma when I ran in here, too," Alfie mumbles, causing Mattie to instantly stop crying.
"You did what?" His voice is emotionless, and Alfie stiffens and clings to Francis' neck. Mattie leaps from Arthur's arms and latches onto his brother, who screams and tries to fight off his attacker. Arthur springs into action, pulling Mattie back into his arms. Francis turns around, keeping Alfie from Mattie's sight as he comforts the crying child. The two adults share an exasperated look, with Arthur taking Mattie off to check on his bear.
((Eyyo! I was kinda stuck on where to take N&S, so I asked one of my loyal Reader-Chans, BubblesGoesPop, for inspiration for a one-shot to help me think of a plot for my long story (idk y, but writing other things helps). I hope you liked it, and a new chapter for Notes and Secrets should be up soon! See you guys later at another time, in another story.))