Secondhand Marionette
Cousins Arthur and Matthew really have no one to depend on except each other. As if living together in the same house wasn't enough for their penny pinching parents, this just pushed the duo to become more isolated; having just the other for company.
Their isolationist attitudes at school, however, further molded them into a lonely enclosure.
Matthew is the more (much more) quiet of the two. He's always found following Arthur, his plush polar bear attached at the hip. Many classmates of Matthew deemed him unsociable and reclusive, going so far as to ignore him purposely just to see his reaction. Nevertheless, Matthew is a bright, compassionate individual, who show complete interest and passion towards books, a trait he and Arthur shared. Although he was never an avid reader of mystery or science fiction, no matter what you asked him, he would always have a prepared lecture on his love of historical literature.
Arthur is reckless and stubborn, with a "my way or the highway" type of attitude. Always protecting his cousin Matthew, he's always felt the need to interrogate anyone who even dared to ask his timid cousin out. So far, they've all failed. His views on life and love are similar: work hard, get it done, pay the rent, and survive. His passion for English literature proved as a great influence on Matthew's life, although, now-a-days, he's found himself drifting into French prose; a secret that his British blood would call "social suicide".
The concepts of "love" and "relationships" are very foreign to Arthur and Matthew. Of course, having clueless parents and a deprivation of any trace of childhood, the two made a pact: to find the other that "perfect someone" before they graduate.
The problem?
A shared hobby.
A freshly started doll collection.
Sure, for any normal sixteen year old teen this wasn't considered creepy. Many dolls came from interesting collections, too. And, like a collector falling in love with that cute doll in the window, it was only natural that one would make the purchase.
That is, until those said "inanimate" objects fall in love with their new masters.
This, was going to be interesting.
COLOURED ILLUSTRATION FOR THIS STORY CAN BE FOUND HERE: h t t p : / emgee-chan . deviantart . c o m /gallery / # / d30mwi1