September 20, 2014
5:03 PM


The trio walked out of the cafe, happy that they knew where those criminals would strike next. Even Arthur was proud of Alfred for finding the clue, and bringing up a good point. And though Matthew didn't know how he would do in the crime business, he was glad to fit in with his new team. The sun was setting, the bright blue sky would soon turn into an inky violet night, and the three were about ready to go home for the day.

"It was nice working with you two, and I can't wait to work with you again," Arthur said, heaving a grateful sigh.

"It was an honor, detective," Matthew replied.

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred butted in. "Anyway, I gotta call dad so we could get a ride home."

"I could bring you boys home if you'd like," Arthur offered.

Before Alfred could make a mean remark, Matthew stopped him. "Uh, we're fine. You don't have to do that."

"Please, I really don't mind. Think of it as a 'thank you' for being so great today," Arthur, not wanting to hear any complaints, opened the door to his car. The smile on his face was warm, yet unsettling, as if he would murder someone if they didn't accept his offer.

The twins wisely chose to accept Arthur's offer and began walking to his car. Alfred sat in front with Arthur after calling 'shotgun,' so Matthew had to sit in the back. The trip back home mainly consisted of Alfred annoying Arthur, who regretted bringing them home and threatened to crash the car multiple times. Matthew tried to get Alfred to quiet down, but was ignored. Luckily, they came back home without any accidents (although Arthur did swerve sometimes to scare Alfred.)

The moment Alfred came into their house, he took of his pants. He was home, no rules and no one to judge him. Well, maybe Matthew, but he was used to it.

"Alfred, please keep your underwear on at least. I don't want your... Florida... hanging around," Matthew told.

Alfred snickered at his brother. "'Florida.' Hehe... I like that. Good one, bro. Next time I see a chick I'll ask her if she wants a trip to 'Florida.'" Matthew watched with a deadpanned expression as Alfred gleefully skipped upstairs to his room. Matthew sighed as he plopped himself down on the couch. He had this feeling that he was forgetting something.

As Matthew fixed himself on the couch, he heard something crumple in his back pocket. He reached in, only to pull out a crumpled piece of paper. At first, he felt like throwing it away, then something clicked in his mind. 'Right, I need to run some errands for mom,' he remembered. He walked upstairs, hoping to get Alfred to join with him; he didn't trust him enough to leave home alone. Opening the door to Alfred's room, Matthew saw his brother completely immersed in the game he was playing. Matthew left, knowing it would be near impossible to break Alfred's attention from his screen.

Matthew entered his room to change out of his police uniform. Unlike Alfred's room, which was a complete mess and almost completely devoid of light, save for the light emitting from his TV or computer screen, Matthew's room was neat and clean most of the time. He put on a red sweater over his plain white t-shirt, matching with the red Converse shoes he wore. He grabbed the house keys from the kitchen counter and left the house.

Parked outside the house was Alfred's motorcycle. He got it for his 18th birthday and drove it whenever he had the chance. Matthew knew he couldn't drive something like that, not because he didn't know how, but because Alfred didn't trust him with his 'precious baby.' Matthew didn't mind for today, though. The market wasn't too far from their home, so he could easily go there on foot. After walking out of the driveway, Matthew began his walk to the store.

:::

After buying the groceries, Matthew proceeded to walk home. It was late, and the sky was already an inky blue. He decided to take a shortcut back home, a little trick Alfred showed him when they went grocery shopping together that one time. It was an abandoned part of town; no one really lives or works there anymore. People usually avoid it since there were rumors of ghosts or gangs that like to hang out there. It seemed empty enough, so Matthew decided to quickly move through it to cut back some time.

Suddenly behind him, there was movement. Matthew quickly turned around, squinting in the darkness. When he decided the coast was clear, he carried on, walking a little faster. He heard footsteps behind him, so Matthew picked up the pace, walking even faster. The figure sped up as well, clearly following Matthew through the abandoned area. He took a quick peek over his shoulder, only to see a large man following him. Matthew began to run as fast as he can.

Then suddenly he was pushed into an alley.

The force took him by surprise, almost knocking the wind out of him. Matthew stumbled into the back alley, dropping his groceries in the process. As Matthew fixed himself up, he saw three people walk into the alley with him. They were tall with broad shoulders and rugged features. Matthew's extincts kicked in, and he moved his hand to his side. He then cursed himself, realizing that he left his police gear at home. After all, who would anticipate an attack when you're making a quick jog to the store?

"Where do ya think you're goin', doll face?" asked one of the men. He was obviously the leader. The way he carried himself demanded respect from others. "I don't know if ya know this, but this is our turf. We can't have people like you's runnin' around like ya own the place. We better show you what happens when you fool around in our territory."

"Look, I don't want to hurt you," Matthew said, trying to intimidate them. Oh, who was he kidding. He wouldn't hurt a fly, even if that fly annoyed him so much. But that didn't mean he couldn't. He slugged through police training, somehow passing with flying colors along with his ever-so athletic brother. He could put up a fight, but only if he really needed to.

"Aww, that's adorable. He think's he can fight us," the leader said mockingly. He and his goons started to laugh.

"You better watch out, boss! Don't let him catch ya off guard!" one of the henchmen told jokingly.

"Yeah, you should put up your dukes, boss!" the other agreed. Their boss complied and raised his fists.

"Come on, doll face. Show us what you got-" The leader stumbled backwards into his henchmen's arms when Matthew delivered a direct hit to his face. Matthew shook the numbness out of his hand, looking worriedly at the man.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hit so hard!" Matthew apologized. The henchmen helped their boss to his feet as he fixed his jaw. A dark look came upon his face as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oho, now you're going to get it."


A/N: Is this soon enough for you guys? Sorry for another long wait. I've been really busy lately. I kinda have to devote my life to drumline now ;w;

Please favorite and review! It helps me to know what you think about my story.

See you next chapter~

-Purple