There are many different kinds of terror. The sort of baby terror, like when you wake up from a nightmare. That other sort of terror. When you think that something bad may happen...and that final type of terror. That type of terror you only get when something very, very bad happens. Matthew assumed he was the only one who ever felt this terror. He was the only one who had heard his twin brother whimpering, trying to stay strong and not burst out into tears no matter how much pain he was feeling. Trying to be the stronger one, the hero, he wanted to be the hero. But he wasn't. There aren't heroes. They just don't exist. If there were Matthew wouldn't have had to live the last 5 years of his life withering in pain, watching a belt bruise the flesh of himself and his brother. Feeling himself everyday grow weaker and weaker. But he couldn't die. He wouldn't. He wouldn't leave his brother, Alfred, alone to face that. He wasn't going to. He was going to stay strong for Alfred. Despite how it seemed Matthew would older. By about 10 minutes, Alfred was his little brother whether the latter liked it or not and Matthew wasn't going to leave him to endure this torture alone. It hadn't always been like this. The 16 year old had been happy once...but then when he was 11 his mother died of cancer. His father had abandoned them long ago, he wouldn't care that his boys were suffering through daily beatings and sometimes starvation. Matthew and Alfred had grown to hide what had happened to them well. Blaming the incidents on all the sports the duo played (Matthew played hockey, Alfred played Football, Basketball and Baseball, sometimes they played together) or on their clumsiness. Nobody could never - nobody would never - know what happened to the two whenever they went home. At least that's what Matthew thought.

It was a rainy Monday morning. Matthew - despite the stereotypes that went along with it - loved Mondays. It meant the end of the weekend which Matthew had come to dread. It meant 2 whole days suffering through the abuse of their foster parents Curtis and Josephine. Curtis was usually drunk on weekends which meant the beatings would be worse. Josephine woulds stand there the entire time telling the two boys they deserved it.
Sometimes Matthew thought he did.
But Alfred didn't. Alfred was pretty well liked at school. Nobody ever remembered Matthew. Alfred was the only one who would ever talk to him. Added to that Alfred often got in trouble with classmates but Matthew was the one always punched for it. It just made no sense... Anyways...Back to the rainy Monday morning.
"Mattie come on get up before they wake up" Alfred hissed into Matthew's bedroom
"What time is it?" Matthew asked sitting up quickly pulling his favorite red hoodie over his head
"It's almost 5 they'll be up soon come on" Alfred exclaimed
"You should have woken me up earlier!" Matthew sighed before seeing his brother's sad face "But it's not really your fault I'll get ready you wait outside in case they wake up"
"But then they'll just get you..." Alfred muttered "It would be totally unheroic for me to leave you here all alone"
Matthew nodded and sighed "Find but if they wake up get in the room and stay there"
Alfred looked like he was about to protest but he kept his mouth shut for once.

Matthew stepped into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth trying to remain quiet. Curtis was probably still asleep, hungover from yesterday. But Josephine would be easier to wake up. And if she woke up... Matthew flinched. It was hard enough to make his back to stop bleeding last night he didn't need to go through having to hide it at school. He looked up at himself in the mirror. He didn't get why so many people thought he was Alfred. He looked more like his mom than Alfred did. Sure, they were pretty similar but they weren't identical. Matthew's hair was longer and he had that odd curl sticking out of the left side of his hair, Alfred had a cowlick. Matthew's eyes were violet, Alfred's were blue.
Mama always said Alfred looked like...Da- Like him Matthew sighed, he refused to think of anybody at Dad. He had no dad
He brushed his hair down so it didn't look like the absolute mess it usually did in the mornings, pulled on jeans and walked to his room (aka the attic that he shared with Alfred). Alfred sat on his respective bed.
"Come on Mattie we have to go" Alfred whispered
"You go downstairs first I'll be right down" Matthew responded
Alfred nodded walking slowly down the hall.

Matthew sighed taking his stuffed bear on his bed, it looked like it had fallen.
"Kumajirou" Matthew muttered
He tucked the bear under his covers before smiling and walking out of the room wincing slightly as he pulled his backpack over his shoulder.

Matthew and Alfred as always stopped at the elementary school first as school didn't start for another hour. Someone was already there. Two men and a little boy.
"I wonder what they're doing up so early" Alfred muttered
"Don't mind them just sit down on the swing and do whatever" Matthew shrugged
Alfred nodded.
Matthew winced once more taking his backpack off his shoulder and setting it on the ground ignoring the light mist.
"Mattie are you alright?" Alfred asked taking off his own backpack
"Yeah I'm fine" Matthew smiled though as usual it was fake, Matthew hadn't smiled in a long time
The little boy ran over to the swings. Matthew and Alfred both internally flinched. They really didn't want anyone questioning what they were doing here so early in the morning.

"Hi I'm Peter!" the little boy grinned happily "Who are you?"
I hate that question "I'm Matthew" Matthew said softly
"I'm Alfred" Alfred grinned
"What are you doing here so early?" Peter asking sitting on the swing next to Matthew kicking his feet in an attempt to get it moving
"We could ask you the same question" Alfred shrugged
"Well it's just because Arthur is a jerkface and wanted to go on a walk with his boyfriend" Peter snickered "And they couldn't leave me alone"
"Peter who are you talking to?" one of the men, a green eyed blond man with the biggest eyebrows Matthew had ever seen walked up
"Alfred and the other guy" Peter replied happily
"Matthew" Matthew muttered
"They're here really early but I don't know why" Peter replied happily
"Well that's they're business don't be nosey" the man nodded "I'm Arthur pleased to meet you"
"Hi" Alfred grinned, Matthew smiled slightly but said nothing
"Come on Peter we should stop bothering them" Arthur said taking Peter's hand and walking the small boy back to the other man

Peter began playing the playscape as the two men talked it seemed they weren't paying much attention to him to Matthew made it a bit of priority to watch the small child and make sure he didn't wander off or something.
"That kid is so lucky" Alfred muttered
"Yeah he..." Matthew's words were cut off
Everything suddenly felt so tight. Like everything in his body was being squeezed tightly together.
"Al...Can't...Breathe..." Matthew wheezed "H-Help..."
"Oh god...Asthma..." Alfred cursed silently "Mattie do you have your inhaler?"
"Cur...Curtis...Broke..." Matthew felt like all the life was being crushed out of him, like rocks were weighing down his lungs. It hurt so bad...
"Mattie hang on" Alfred whimpered before looking up towards the others "Please help! He has asthma!"

The last thing Matthew saw was a pair of blue eyes staring over him worriedly and a heavy French accent asking him questions Matthew wasn't well enough to answer.