Alfred huffed, sitting in the bumpy plastic chair, the overwhelming scent of Febreeze around him. The boy next to him looked equally mad, red hair ruffled around a face twisted with anger. Alfred bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying a biting comment. When the bell above the office door chimed, Alfred sat up eagerly, spotting his older brother.
"Arthur." Alfred tried to reason with him, but Arthur just pushed past him and signed the sheet the counselor held out to him.
"I'll take care of him." Arthur smiled at the counselor and then turned around, and with a stormy expression, grabbed Alfred's wrist and began pulling him. Alfred struggled, holding back until Arthur gave him the evil eye. He quit fighting and let himself be pulled along. When Arthur's gray car was in view, Alfred launched into an explanation but was shushed by Arthur, who shook his head.
Alfred quickly climbed into the backseat, not wanting to sit in the passenger seat while Arthur was this angry. As Arthur settled into the driver's seat, Alfred bit his lip while he waited for the lecture.
"Alfred! This is the fifth time this month. I can't believe you!" Arthur frowned, turning around in the front seat of the car. He raised his eyebrows at Alfred as he grinned sheepishly, then twisted back around. Arthur laid his hands on the wheel but didn't start the car, breathing deeply as if to keep the anger from overwhelming him.
"But... I just did it to stop Jordan from bullying Matthias." Alfred spoke with a confused tone as if he didn't understand Arthur's anger. Arthur closed his eyes and sighed deeply again before tightening his hands on the wheel.
"Alfred, I don't care why you did it, I just know this is the fifth time this month. Quit it, or you're moving schools."
"But Matthias and Gilbert are my only friends in this area! You can't take them away from me! You already-" Alfred stopped himself before he could continue speaking, glaring at Arthur. He turned towards the window with a stony glare and put his hand over his mouth. Arthur started the car and didn't answer his brother, who straightened his askew glasses and scowled.
The ride back to the apartment was awkward, with Alfred staring out the car window and Arthur tightening and releasing his grip on the wheel. Soon enough, they were pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex, and Alfred had uncrossed his arms and was staring straight ahead.
"We're home," Arthur called into the backseat, and Alfred narrowed his eyes at Arthur, and then rolled them.
"I'm not blind, Arthur. I know that." Alfred growled at him.
"Don't talk to me like that!" Arthur's eyes narrowed in fury at Alfred. "I may not be your mother, but I am certainly your guardian, and you will listen to me!"
Alfred sighed. "I'm pretty sure I know you're not mom. You look nothing like her." He smirked as he said that, crossing his arms again and settling back against the seat.
Inwardly questioning that statement, Arthur went quiet. "Just go to your room. Dinner will be ready soon." Alfred rolled his eyes and got out of the car, pulling out his own key to the apartment and rushing ahead. Arthur ignored him, taking his time getting out of the car and grabbing his coat.
He pulled out his bag and put the strap over his shoulder, closing the car door with his foot while pushing the lock button on his car keys. Pulling his phone out of his coat pocket, Arthur checked his emails while he strode to the apartment door, which was, of course, still wide open after Alfred went inside. Arthur sighed internally, biting his lip in annoyance before gently shutting the door behind him.
Alfred pushed his bedroom door closed, wincing when it squeaked loudly. He searched around, pushing papers onto the floor and shoving dirty clothes around. "Where is it?" He pushed aside a few pieces of paper on his desk. "Aha!" He reached down and pulled out the phone. "I guess I'm lucky I didn't take this to school today." He mumbled, turning it on and opening his contacts. "Matt, Matt..." He found the contact and called.
"Cous!" Alfred whispered enthusiastically, plopping down onto his bed. "Can you come over? Devious plans need to be made." He grabbed a soda from his bedside table and sipped it as he waited for Matt's answer.
Matthew's curious voice rang out. "Alfred? Why are you whispering? Why are you calling me 'Cous'? I'm your nephew, not your cousin. And what do you mean, devious plans need to be made? Don't pull me into any of your pranks. I can still remember how angry Mom got last time you did that."
Alfred's mouth twisted. He shrugged, and then remembered Matt couldn't see and continued whispering. "Oy! I know. You just feel more like a cousin, probably because we're the same age. Besides, I'm not sure I should have my phone right now, Arthur's angry at me cause I got into a fight again. That doesn't matter, though! Ask your mum if you can come over."
He heard Matthew sigh. "Fine. I want you to tell me about this fight later, though..." Alfred grimaced but voiced a quiet affirmative. Matthew hung up, and Alfred pumped a fist into the air as his plan unfolded. He sat down as his desk, creating an empty space where he placed his laptop. Alfred cracked his knuckles and started up the computer before grinning.
"This is gonna be fun." He pulled out the worksheets he had gotten from his teachers for homework, not wanting to forget about them. He may be boisterous, but he certainly wasn't dumb!
Later that night, Alfred got a text. The soapy water coated his hands, and he frowned at the dishes stacked in the sink, and then wiped his hands on a hand towel.
Matthew: she said yes. but she said she wants to come too.
Alfred: make it a surprise, Arthur doesn't know
Alfred: i'm still in trouble. i hope this doesn't make it worse.
Matthew: are you sure we should do this?
Alfred: YES.
Matthew: okay. we'll be there soon.
"Hey, Alfred." Arthur stepped into the doorway of the room, looking around the room. "This is so messy..." He shook his head. "Francis is stopping by tonight, so we can close up the last case. Don't cause any trouble, okay?"
Alfred turned, hiding his expression, but bit down on his finger in excitement. "Sure, Arty. I understand." He turned back to Arthur and smiled.
"Don't call me that." Arthur frowned. He hurried on, the carpet muffling his footsteps. Then, as soon as Alfred heard the closing of the door, he rushed to his phone.
Alfred: dude, Francis is visiting.
Matthew: you mean Arthur's 'partner'?
Alfred: yeah
Matthew: should we still come over? i could tell my mum not too.
Alfred: no reason not to. it'll be fine
Alfred smirked, putting down the phone, and putting on his headphones. Swinging the chair around, he turned his laptop back on. "Time for some relaxation..." Music faintly drifted from the headphones, and Alfred closed his eyes and settled back, practically falling asleep.
"ALFRED!" He heard Arthur's loud voice from the foyer and jumped, then grinned. Winking to himself in the mirror, he left the room. Arthur was looking out the window, curtains pulled to the side. He turned around and spotted Alfred, then threw his hands out and groaned.
"Why is my sister here, Alfred? I didn't ask her to come over, and I know you know you're supposed to be grounded. I really hope you didn't invite over Matthew. He doesn't need to be corrupted by you again!"
"Arthur, why are you asking me? She could've just decided to visit, like a good sibling!" Besides, he said internally, it's not my fault Matthew decides to help me.
"She already is a good sibling. But she doesn't visit out of the blue like this!" Arthur held his head in his hands. "How am I supposed to entertain both Ettie and Francis?"
"Well, bro, technically you aren't entertaining Francis, you're just going over that case with him." Alfred smiled cheerfully before whipping the door open at the sound of the doorbell. "Hey!" Ettie stood on the other side of the door with Matthew at her side. Alfred quickly reached out and pulled Matthew over to him, smiling at Ettie. "I'm just gonna borrow Mattie here; hope you don't mind!" He pulled Matthew along with him as he ran back to his room.
"Are we really doing this?" Matthew looked apprehensive. "I don't want to get in trouble again, and I'm still washing the dishes because of last time!"
"Of course! Unless you've gotten cold feet?" Alfred edged forward, eyebrows raised.
"No!" Matthew waved his hands in front of him, stepping back. He almost tripped over a pile of books behind him but steadied himself against the wall.
"Alright, then. Arthur won't know what hit him!" Alfred grinned in excitement before grabbing his laptop. "So, this is what we're gonna do. I just need you to convince your mom and Arthur to let you stay the night!" Matthew grimaced but waved for Alfred to continue talking.
Arthur motioned for Ettie to come in and sit down, almost closing the door before noticing Francis approaching the door from down the hallway. He stuck his head back out, whispering due to the late hour. "Francis! Hurry it up!"
Ettie sat down on the couch and picked up the remote, looking for an exciting show or movie to watch before sighing and sitting back. "There's nothing to watch!" She groaned before noticing Arthur hadn't followed her. "Huh? Arthur? What are you doing?"
Arthur waved his hand back at her without looking, saying nothing. A moment later, he pulled his head back in and opened the door a little more, letting Francis in. "You took a long time to get here." He deadpanned at Francis.
"I took the usual time. You're just impatient." Francis replied, putting his bag down on the kitchen table. He noticed Ettie in the living room and smiled at her. "Ettie! I haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?" Ettie smiled at him.
"I've been fine... but why are you here? I didn't think Arthur would want two guests at once - he's quite finicky about that." She laughed as Arthur's mouth dropped open, and he protested.
"I-what-I'm not?" Arthur waved his hands wildly as he spoke, and both Francis and Ettie laughed at him. "Let's just get to business." He huffed after a second, crossing his arms and walking over to the kitchen table. "We have to finish writing the reports for that last case and start looking over the new one we got today."
Francis chuckled quietly but followed Arthur to the table while Ettie relaxed back onto the couch and focused on the TV. Pulling out two files, Francis put one off to the side but opened the other one. "This shouldn't take long." He spoke quietly as he pulled out a partially filled piece of paper and two pens. "We'll look at the new case afterwards."