*Four instances that à discussion could have resolved and avoided future misunderstandings. I wotte most of this a while ago, but damned if I write it but dont post it, so here's an extra*


"Mathieu,"

Francis kneels in front of Mathew, seeking the child's attention with his own stern and searching eyes, and Mathew gives it to him with the undivided curiosity of a child.

"Oui, big brother?"

Francis flinches at Matthew's innocent question, and reaches to hold Matthew's arms as he speaks to him, choosing his words carefully and slowly.

"Mathieu...do you like big brother Art'ur?"

Mathew nods innocently, golden head bobbing with his earnest reply.

"Oui! But I love Big brother Fwancis a lot too!"

Mathew stretches out his little arms as wide as he can reach as he expands on his previous statement.

"I love Fwancis thiiiiiiis much!"

Francis, who normally would have cooked at this, drew his delicate brows together in a furrowed, Twisted look that made Mathew falter and tip his head cautiously as he inquired timidly.

"Fwancis?"

Francis remembers himself quickly and shakes his head.

"Merci."

Francis stretches his own, much longer arms, out as wide as he can reach, which was much wider than Matthew's short arms.

"And I love you thiiiiiiiiiiis much!"

He ends his declaration by wrapping those long arms around Mathew and squeezing him tightly while Mathew giggles happily. But Francis has something a lot more difficult to say then just that, and he rests his head on Matthew's tiny shoulders as he speaks.

"And because I love you Mathew, you will go live with Alfred and Big brother Arthur."

Mathew hesitates, too young to fully understand, but already getting an inkling of understanding.

"Fwancis too?"

Francis shakes his head again, tickling Matthew's nose with his long hair, before he sits back on his heels and once again makes eye contact with Mathew, solemnly.

"Non. I cannot go too. Mais, I will visit you all the time, and will still be your big brother like Arthur. I promise."

Matthew's lower lip begins to quiver.

"Do I have to go?"

Francis dips his head in a solemn nod, his eyes betraying his anguish. Mathew is a good boy, he tries his best to do what makes others happiest, and even as a child, Mathew can tell that if he makes a fuss, Francis will cry too. Mathew doesn't want Francis to cry. So Mathew tries to fight his tears.

"You have to visit all the time, okay?"

"Every day."

Francis promises, and, despite himself, Mathew sniffles a little.

"A-and call me evewy night?"

"Every night."

"An-and... And Fwancis I really, really love you!"

Matthew's resolve breaks under the weight of his emotions and he throws himself into his older brother's arms, sobbing desperately, and, as he'd predicted, Francis too breaks down crying.

Arthur looks bewildered when he shows up to pick up some of Mathew's things ahead of time only to find the French siblings in a complete mess of snot and tears, but thankfully he's brought Alfred too, and the two English brothers get to work comforting the French brothers and getting them cleaned up.

"Really now," Arthur sounds exasperated, but not un-empathetic as he passes Francis a box of tissues, "If you are going to break down like this then how will Mathew feel? It's not like I'm taking him away, you can still see him daily?"

Francis offers a watery smile in return and blows his nose.

"Weally now," Alfred says in a decent imitation of Arthur as he tries to clean the tears and snot from his twin brothers face, "Why are you crying? You don't want to live with me 'n' Arthur?"

Mathew managed to explain that he's sad because he's leaving Francis, not because he's going to move to Arthur's through his tears, but Alfred remains confused.

"But Big Brother Francis is coming evewy day, wight? That's what Arthur said?"

Mathew nods, feeling encouraged hearing this from more than one source.

"Besides," Alfred continues, pulling out his chest, "Now you get two more brothers and we are gonna be best friends! For sure!"

Suddenly Mathew feels like his breakdown from moments ago was silly after all, and let's Alfred drag him to the sink to. Wash his hands with a curiosity of seeing a potential new friend for the first time. Francis and Arthur smile at the two from the other room.


"Alfred, I love Arthur. Not like a brother, but like I want to kiss him and marry him."

Mathew says the words as solemnly as he can, staring Alfred down in the completely sincere attempt to challenge his brother.

"You do too, right?"

Alfred stares at Mathew in the same way he did after the normally gentle Mathew hit the birthday piñata so hard it exploded.

"No?" Alfred says, looking dazed and unsure. "I really don't? You want to kiss him?"

Alfred sounds utterly disgusted by the thought and Mathew realizes with a soaring heart that he doesn't have to compete agianst Alfred, his twin isn't his rival and he doesn't have to worry about sharing Arthur's love. After all, brothers can only go so far, but husbands...Mathew knows that he's the one who will spend the rest of his life with Arthur in the end, and smirked rather evily at Alfred, who adds "afraid" to the myriad of emotions he's trying to express at once.

"if you tell Arthur I'm going tell him that you broke his teapot last week and buried it in the garden so he wouldn't know."

Mathew threatens, and Alfred, previously still looking dazed, settles on a pout and a wronged look, unsure why he's being threatened, and Mathew grins deviously, watching Arthur garden through the upstairs bedroom window with a somewhat predatory look. Alfred looks like he feels guilty for selling Arthur out, though he still doesn't understand how or why he's done so.


"Mathew, come. We're bringing Alfred back."

Arthur stands up so quickly from his desk his chair almost toppled and strides from the room, reddened eyes hard as he reaches for his jacket.

Mathew watches him go with a detached concern, not registering the command at first in favour of focusing on the objective. Arthur's grown choking and possessive, and Mathew knows Alfred's not happy like this. He's certain that Arthur won't succeed, and while half of him is on Alfred's side for his brother's sake, knowing his brother needs his freedom and escape, there's another half of Mathew that's a little darker and twisted that's doing this for Matthew's own sake.

Arthur is over-obsessed with Alfred, and Mathew hopes distance with help all of them- Alfred, with finding freedom, Arthur, with learning to love healthily, and Mathew in the way that Arthur would become available. Arthur's broken hearted and vulnerable right now, it'd be easy for Mathew to offer himself in Alfred's place, to seduce Arthur while he was aching to be loved, but Matthew's not that kind of person.

Matthew's confident he can win Arthur's heart, fair and square, if he's given the chance, and he intends to use the chance given to him. Arthur reappears in the doorway of his study with creased brow and a sharp look, confused by the lack of commanded presence by his side.

"Mathew!" He commands again, somewhat questioningly, "Let go! We're bringing Alfred back."

A little late Mathew registers the command, and recoils sharply against it. Why should he help bring Alfred back? It wouldn't do Alfred or Arthur any good, and certainly wouldn't benefit himself, and more than that, he knew his only twin wouldn't want to come back. And in what world was he Arthur's servant that Arthur could just order him around without caring for Matthew's own feelings?

Mathew expresses all of his emotions with a disgusted look he aimed towards Arthur, and Arthur falters.

"M-Mathew, that is.."

Mathew is frustrated at Arthur's condescendion, his own confidence in himself wavering. Is that all he is to Arthur? A tool to control his brother? Mathew wonders if Arthur's even noticed all Matthew's attempts to seduce him over the past three and a half years, and that thought irritates him to the point he can only snap his answer coldly at Arthur and storm off.

"No!"

Arthur is still sputtering behind him when he slams the study door behind him.


He hurt you first." Arthur's words are both irrational and dangerous. "Don't you want to get him back?"

Mathew stares at Arthur like he's crazy, which, in his defense, is exactly how he feels.

"Alfred didn't hurt me ," Mathew painstakingly stresses to Arthur, "he hurt you, and I got burned because I'm, for some crazy reason, actually trying to help you! Are you seriously trying to make angry at Alfred because of what you did?"

Arthur, to his credit, looks a little ashamed, but still stays stubborn in holding the flaming torch out to Mathew.

"Mathew, please. You always take his side, just this once, please... Take mine."

Mathew continues to stare at Arthur like he is sprouting batwings for ears.

"Excuse me?"

If Arthur was in his right mind and not on some obsession-crazed revenge quest, he might have recognized the warning tone in Mathews voice and backed ff. Sadly, he doesn't, and Mathew snaps angrily, slapping the lit torch away from his face and nearly onto the damp ground, but Arthur barely manages to keep his grip. Mathew doesn't even notice or care as he snaps at Arthur.

"Do you think I'm out here, trying to drag my twin back to you against his will because I'm taking Alfred's side? Do think this is fun for me? I don't want to be here! I hate seeing Al's betrayed face, I hate seeing how disappointed Francis looks in me when he sees I'm supporting you! I'm here because I'm on your side, and if you're going to guilt me into burning something important to Alfred, then I'm done. You hear? Done! "

Mathew glares at Arthur and Arthur flinches, taking a step back, his hand shaking from he unexpected confrontation.

"Mathew..."

Mathew turns and stalks away from his older brother without another word, not noticing when the torch tumbled from Arthur's shaking hand to the oil soaked ground.