Alfred was honestly relishing in the confused and shocked stares thrown his way. The game had almost come to a full halt as the players opted to flick their eyes between the two boys before them.
It was comical. He struggled to fight down an amused smirk.
"So everyone, this is Matthew," he casually gestured to his side. Matthew had his arms crossed as he examined everyone on the field, his dry expressionless look not giving anything away.
"Aaaand Matthew, the chaperones are Lukas, Mathias, and Michelle. That's my buddy Emil." He pointed to each, who all gave reactions with varying levels of acknowledgement to being pointed out.
He lowered his voice and leaned toward Matthew. "I'm sure you'll pick up on the kids' names as we go but I doubt you're gonna see them as much so don't worry about them." He discretely nodded towards the dumbass twins, who were shooting pretty amusing looks his way. He could tell from their curious expressions they had some burning questions about the recent development, not that he had anything to answer.
"Peter and Charlotte are the exceptions cus they're like the teacher's kids but with chaperones and they can be pretty clingy-"
"What's going on?" Mathias, lined up on the sidelines near them, looked at them intriguingly and gestured between them.
"Nothing," Alfred answered honestly, though he could feel the corner of his lip pulling upwards. "Why do y'all have to look so disturbed? Anyway, we're here to join in!"
"Alfred!" Peter called from his position on the field, "come join our team!"
"You can't join mid-game!" Michelle insisted from the other side of the court as she tossed a ball between her hands.
"We can wait for the next one," Alfred retorted and lowered himself onto the freshly cut grass, "just make the game quick then!"
He leaned back and stretched his arms behind his as the game slowly picked up. The teams were still fairly even, and Alfred cheered as his friends hit each other with the balls and caught them. In his peripheral vision, he saw Matthew sit down next to him, legs crossed and playing with blades of grass wordlessly.
He was kinda bummed that Matthew wasn't as thrilled to mess with others as he was, but he shrugged it off. Maybe once he was more comfortable at camp and on friendly terms with the other campers, he wouldn't be opposed to pranking them. They could brainstorm ideas later, but Alfred knew they would think of something perfect.
He turned his attention from the game to the newbie camper, whose focus was on the grass instead of the action in front of them.
"Doesn't it feel weird to play dodgeball outside? Every time I've played it's been in a gym during school."
"A little," Matthew shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the unusual environment for the sport. His voice was soft, much less abrasive than Alfred's. It made him sound unconcerned and aloof. Alfred watched as he continued to fiddle with the grass with a hunched posture.
"You okay?"
The boy's head bobbed up at the question. "Yeah, I'm just tired from travelling."
It sounded dismissive, but Alfred was determined to open up the conversation.
"How far did you have to travel?"
Matthew paused as he considered it.
"We drove seven hours, but it was broken up so it was fine."
"Yikes," Alfred leaned back further onto his elbows, "I had to get up at around four or five, I think, and dad drove me to the airport and I had a six-hour flight then about an hour cab ride. It sucked."
Matthew nodded and continued pulling apart a blade of grass.
Alfred looked at him for a moment to see if he could continue the conversation, but Matthew didn't respond, opting to stare at the plant in his hands. Alfred pouted and decided not to push it. He wanted to befriend Matthew, but rushing it might overwhelm him. Maybe he was off because he felt nervous or awkward or something. Alfred shrugged it off and returned his attention to the game instead.
Michelle's team was now winning, with ease considering the chaperones from the opposing team were out and lined up along the side. He watched on as the little team dwindled as their members were picked off one by one.
How unfair, Alfred thought. Now he would have to join their team and ensure victory next round. It was once again up to him to play the hero.
His motivation grew as he watched the final member of his team fall, declaring the end of the game. He jumped up and dashed onto the field and claimed his allegiance. He peered around the field and watched as everyone regrouped and lined the balls back up in the middle.
"Who's that guy that was with you?" Peter ran up beside him with Charlotte in tow, who pretended to be focusing on the kids shuffling around them collecting balls to hide her obvious interest from the less than casual question.
"Who? Mattie?" Alfred played coy despite knowing they were desperate for information. Information he didn't have, but they didn't need to know that.
"Yeah. Is he your cousin?"
"Nope! All my cousins are in Europe. That I know of at least," Alfred poked Peter's face. "I would've told you if I had a cousin."
"Oi, there are no slackers on my team!" Mathias announced as he kicked the balls in the centre line. "Come help set up!"
"You're basically done." Charlotte crossed her arms as she brushed off the call to duty.
It was true, though. All the balls had been placed in the general location of the centre line, only waiting on being perfectly aligned before the game began.
He quickly assessed his allies. On his team were Peter, Charlotte and Mathias. His enemies were Michelle, Lukas and Emil.
On the other side of the imaginary line, the mass that was the less-than-prepared enemy team stood around in a loose formation while awaiting the beginning of the next match. Lukas and Emil impassively nudged the balls in line with much less enthusiasm and precision than Mathias.
"I won't show mercy!" Alfred claimed and pointed at Emil, who was seemingly unbothered by his declaration. Alfred was given the side-eye that suggested he was more concerned about lining up the ball. He was sure that later Emil would remind him that it's 'just a game' and he would poke back with 'you're no fun'.
Shrugging off the uneventful interaction with his friend turned temporary enemy, Alfred surveyed the teams and glanced off the field in search of his new friend. Matthew had stood up and was brushing himself off. Alfred called his name to grab his attention. Widened eyes snapped towards him, similar to a deer caught in headlights. Sensing his unease, Alfred waved him over.
"You can be on my team!" he beamed.
"Sorry Alfred, but now the teams are uneven," Michelle pointed out, then sent Matthew a warm smile. "I'm Michelle. You can join us!"
Matthew returned the smile and nodded as he wordlessly moved towards the dark side.
Alfred cupped his hands, "Boo you traitor!" he teased. His confidence ebbed away when he didn't get a playful response back. Instead, Matthew just stared at him tensely. Alfred dropped his hands. Maybe he has social anxiety? He didn't seem so stiff when he was just with Alfred earlier.
"Making siblings fight is so mean," Mathias chuckled, "you're so cruel Michelle."
Me?" blinking, Michelle pointed to herself. It was a heavy accusation, Michelle hadn't a single cruel bone in her body. Mathias was probably thinking of Elizabeta, who was ruthless when it came to competition and was very unfortunate to not be joining the game.
"He's just kidding!" Alfred retorted impatiently. "Let's just play already!"
A few voices of agreement came from impatient kids on both sides backing him up.
"Alright!" Mathias cheered and everyone readied themselves, "on the count of three!"
His count down grew increasingly louder and on the shout of three Alfred bolted to the middle of the field. In the chaos, he grabbed as many balls as he could turning on the retreating forms of his enemy. He pelted the balls with no mercy and took two kids out before retreating. He surveyed the battlefield, gauging who had the most balls and was the biggest threat. He wasn't the fittest, but he could be athletic when he wanted to be. That and he had the advantage of competing with children.
From the looks of it, Mathias was exclusively aiming at Lukas and Emil, with the brothers targeting Mathias in return. Peter and Charlotte were working together to go after Michelle, who was just after anyone she could hit.
Alfred ducked over to Peter and Charlotte, dodging stray balls thrown his way.
"Guys!" he whispered from behind, "we gotta work together to take the chaperones out."
"How?" Charlotte replied while threatening to throw the ball in her hand to keep the kids on the other team from approaching. Alfred looked across the field and eyed Michelle, occupied collecting balls rolling around at the back.
"When Michelle comes back to the front to throw, both of you throw yours at her. She'll throw hers at you and I'll catch it."
"Okay," Peter agreed and Charlotte nodded. Alfred grinned and watched as Michelle made her way to the front with an armful of balls. She passed them off one by one to her teammates until she was left with one for each hand.
"Now!" Alfred urged as she approached the middle. Peter and Charlotte rushed forward and ditched the balls as hard as they could. Michelle sidestepped them and as expected, threw hers back. Charlotte dodged the one aimed at her and Alfred lunged forward to snag the other aimed at Peter.
It was a solid catch and his plan had no casualties.
"You're out!" he stuck his tongue out at Michelle.
"You got me guys," she giggled and graciously stepped off the field. "Good teamwork."
"Yeah good teamwork guys," he repeated to the two high-fiving kids, "let's go after Lukas next."
They spent the next few moments dodging balls thrown their way and collecting them for their next assault. Between the three of them, they had five balls. Alfred bounced two in his hands as he looked at the enemy team.
A few kids had been taken out already and were cheering to their teammates from the sidelines, desperately hoping they'd catch the ball to bring them back in. Lukas and Emil, despite their impassive personalities, were fiercely trying to take out Mathias. Mathias, unbothered by their unusual aggression, was rather actively encouraging it.
Near the edge of the field, Alfred spied a lone figure apart from the density of the team. Matthew held a ball in each hand and dodged a ball thrown his way. His awkward posture had disappeared and his sharp eyes seemed to calculate the territory before him, planning when was best to strike.
Alfred was glad to see he was getting into the game, but he couldn't help himself. With Matthew looking another way, it was a too good opportunity to pass up. He wasn't going to go easy on him just because he was new.
Smirking, Alfred pitched a ball at the unsuspecting boy.
Only for him to catch it without barely looking, between the two balls in each hand at the last second. Without flinching, without fumbling. Likely without even knowing who threw it, just casually snatching it from their air without looking directly at it. Then in the same motion, he hurled each ball consecutively at an ignorant Mathias caught up in his rivalry with Lukas. He didn't stand a chance. Mathias hastily dodged the first and second, but by doing so he was destined to be defeated by the third. He didn't even know what hit him.
Alfred blinked, surprised. Slightly impressed too. His smirk thoroughly wiped from his face. Matthew caught the ball so he was out. He couldn't even pass the ball off to Mathias to take his place in the plan. Whoops.
"I'm out," he handed Charlotte his other ball and dashed off the field before Mathias could as to get back in the game first.
"You'll be fine!" Alfred gave Peter and Charlotte an encouraging thumbs-up as they exchanged glances. "Hold the fort 'til I get back in!"
Mathias jogged off the field and lined up beside Alfred.
"This doesn't look too good," he whispered to avoid alerting the kids.
"We can't give up though," Alfred countered, "as long as there's one player on the field we have a chance."
"You're right! That's the spirit!" Mathias flashed him a bright smile.
Alfred turned his attention back to the game and cheered his team on as they took out Emil.
He spotted Matthew near the front with a ball in hand. He wasn't running around vigorously, instead opting to cover one area. Any balls thrown his way were dodged casually. His face was indifferent, though determination was ever-present in his eyes as he stared down at his opponents. Alfred was impressed. Clearly, Matthew had a competitive side that did not mess around.
The game came to a lull with both teams down a few players, prompting the remaining to try and catch balls to bring back their numbers.
A few of his team members came back in while others got out and soon Alfred was first in line. It wasn't long until a catch from a team member brought him back into the game. He dashed off towards the back and gathered up as many balls as he could find. He held them in his arms awkwardly and turned back to the game. He watched Lukas throw a ball that was sloppily caught by the intended victim, taking him off the field and bringing Mathias back on. Alfred called him over and split his score with him.
"We've got this," Alfred bragged as he scrutinised the other team, "we're already winning!"
"We need a strategy," Mathias claimed, "let's all rush Michelle."
"Sounds good," he smirked deviously at the suggestion.
Alfred went around to distribute the balls and discretely inform everyone of the plan. Once everyone had a ball, the plan was put into action. With little time to react, Michelle had no escape.
"Oh dear, looks like I'm off," she wandered off the field in defeat.
When the balls were thrown back, none landed a hit. It didn't take long until their team had a clear advantage in numbers. On the other side of the field, Matthew and a few kids stared back. The reality of the situation seemed to dawn on the kids, who fidgeted with their balls.
Matthew turned to face them, some gentleness creeping into his expression as he spoke to them and passed them the ball he had. It was probably something reassuring as the kids suddenly had a look of determination on them.
Gathering up all the balls that had migrated to their side of the field, the enemy attempted to assault and overwhelm them. They managed to land a hit but two balls were caught, leaving just Matthew and two other kids hiding at the back to pick off.
"Hold all the balls guys," Alfred called as he picked up the ones closest to him, "then we all throw at once!"
After collecting the balls and Mathias taking the honour of the countdown, they launched their assault. Due to the spacious lack of teammates, their enemies were able to dodge their uncoordinated attack with ease. Now all the balls were literally in their enemies' court.
Knowing they were unable to attack at that moment, Matthew turned his back to them and addressed his remaining teammates with a sharp look in his eye.
Then they broke away and quickly collected most of the balls before flinging them back in a counterattack. Most of the balls were thrown too low to catch and were dodged with ease. The balls were reclaimed and aimed at the three remaining figures on the other side, who were all congregated together. They threw their balls all at once. One kid managed to catch one but was hit, the other dodged and failed to catch one. Matthew avoided taking a hit while catching a ball.
"You're just dragging this out!" Alfred claimed as he threw a ball he reserved at them, which they dodged. "We're gonna win! Fair and square too."
"You haven't won yet," Matthew retorted seriously. His earlier private confidence just seemed to burst from him, and he immediately averted his eyes and stiffened.
"We're not going down without a fight!" claimed one of the kids as she picked up the closest ball, carrying on the team spirit.
"I'd hope not!" Mathias laughed and prepared to try and catch it.
It was repetitive for the next couple of rounds, Alfred's team would hoard all the balls and run up to the line to ditch them all at once. Sometimes it would hit and sometimes it would be caught. Though the team's sizes remained about the same, with most of the enemies growing tense on the sidelines from inaction.
"This is the worst part of dodgeball," Alfred groaned. "Let's just finish this!"
"How?" Charlotte passed him a ball as they restocked. He looked past the field and to the lake as he gave it some thought.
"We could not throw them all at once? If we throw some at a time tricking them into thinking we've thrown them all and then throw the rest as they dodge the first lot then we might get them."
"We should try that!" Peter replied enthusiastically.
One quick team meeting later and everyone was on board. With the balls in their metaphorical court, it was time to put that plan into action.
It went way better than expected. The kid they targeted ultimately failed to dodge the balls for that slightly longer time, and the other kid attempted to catch one of the balls leading to their downfall as well when it fumbled out of their hands and fell. Matthew had dodged but didn't catch any balls, now he was the only one remaining. He looked more weary than nervous.
"Sorry to do this to you, dude," Alfred called as he watched Matthew round up all the balls into a pile on the ground. "It's a game though, I gotta do what I gotta do."
Matthew didn't respond, opting to look at the balls on the ground sceptically as if he was weighing up his options. It didn't look like he had many, and Alfred didn't know what he'd do in his situation. The easy and realistic option would be to give up since it was basically over anyway. But he couldn't do that. Looking at Matthew, he probably felt the same. Though from his look passive defeated stare, it seemed he was ready to accept his fate.
He picked up three balls and walked right up to the line, ignoring his name being cheered and called from the sidelines. He pelted the balls at Mathias' shins, a lucky shot hitting him as he jumped to dodge.
"Avenge me!" Mathias cried as he left the field.
With no balls left, Matthew turned and ran back to his stockpile. Moving quickly, Alfred dashed to pick up the abandoned balls, scoring two and swiftly hurling them at the retreating enemy across the line. One just grazed past him but the other smacked his ankle, signalling the end of the game.
"Good game!" he ran over to Matthew and held his hand out as the teams set the field back up. "Next time you need to be on my team!"
Matthew shrugged, silently following his lead and slapping his hand in what Alfred now considered their secret handshake. He smirked as they bumped fists, they could make it more complicated later on. Alfred didn't comment on how sweaty it was, putting it down to the Canadian's intolerance to the heat.
"Everyone!" Mathias hollered with his hands cupping his mouth. "We're playing kids versus adults!"
Cheering could be heard from all sides as children raced to get in position for the next game, all confident in their abilities to overpower the chaperones in a game of agility and wits. Alfred supposed they did stand a chance, considering the kids outnumbered the adults by a lot.
"Alfred come on!" Peter nagged as he ran up to the fifteen-year-old and pulled on his sleeve.
"He knows what going on, he's not deaf," Charlotte pouted beside him.
"Yeah I heard, I'm coming." Alfred laughed and pulled his arm from Peter's grip. He beckoned for Matthew to follow as they migrated to the kid's side.
"Did you get those mad skills from playing hockey or something?" He jested while exaggeratedly winding his shoulders as if preparing.
"Maybe," Matthew replied softly, too soft for the surrounding chatter. "I've played a lot of sports."
"Well it was pretty sick," Alfred beamed, "between us, the chaperones don't stand a chance!"
They weren't able to chat any longer as the sound of a whistle pierced through the crowd, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.
"Everyone line up on the line!" Mathias roared as he jogged further back with the chaperones following his example. Alfred sniggered as he spied Emil falling back on the enemy team as well. He supposed they needed all the numbers they could get. He briefly considered switching to the dark side just to give the kids some more opposition, but he wouldn't be able to do that to Peter and Charlotte.
Mathias kept making waving motions until everyone had their heels on the opposing sides of the field, which took a little longer than necessary with overzealous kids. To one side Alfred noted with amusement how Peter was becoming restless and Charlotte becoming agitated. On his other side, Matthew was completely composed and in position to dart across the field.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
"Alright! On the count of three!" Mathias shouted.
"Three!"
Mathias sprinted towards the balls, laughing while everyone jostled and stumbled to catch up.
"Hey!" Alfred joined in the chorus of children claiming 'no fair' as he bolted for the ammo. Being older and therefore taller than most of the younger children, he used his advantage to outrun his teammates. Most of them. To his side Matthew was easily keeping up with his pace, eyes fixed hungrily on the prize.
He only manages to stop at the last minute when he realises he won't make it. On the other side of the line, Mathias tossed balls behind him to his team, who fixed their eyes on the closest targets.
Alfred and Matthew were both able to dodge the hoard of balls thrown their way, if only by the width of a hair. Now the balls were in their court and their advancing teammates gathered them up quickly to strike back.
"Alfred!" Peter called as he and Charlotte jogged up beside him, their arms overfilled and struggling to contain their spoils.
"Good jobs guys!" Alfred grabbed some balls from them and immediately pelted them at the other team to ward off their approach. Balls were flying all around them as his own team launched their assault together.
The younger pair were more than happy to pass off the balls to their older friend, likely more confident in Alfred's physical ability. Not that he had hit anyone yet so far. He bit back a frustrated groan as each ball missed and depleted supplies.
"We need a new game plan," he grunted as he threw the last ball and ushered them to fall back. "Collect as much as you can and then meet up."
He darted out of the way of incoming attacks as he made his way to the back, ignoring his soldiers falling around him. Grass tickled his hands as he scooped up discarded balls, never slowing his pace as he cleaned them up and wedged them in his arms.
It seemed not everyone was as dedicated as he was, he easily had the most when they regrouped.
"So did we have a plan?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
"Uhhh," Alfred glanced between them, their opponents, and Matthew. He didn't want to sound too rude, but he kinda forgot about him. Not because he was mean or anything, but because his new friend just moved really quietly. Also because when Alfred gave out orders to the kids, he didn't expect Matthew to go along with it.
But since he was here...
"Alright, I got it," he announced. "We'll have Mattie do the shooting and I'll cover and try to catch balls. Here," he shuffled the balls in his arms and passed them over, " you hold the ammo."
Having unloaded he turned towards his opponent and brought his arms up defensively.
"Let's go," he urged.
His plan was really a stroke of genius, between the whole team throwing balls Matthew managed to nail Emil, and Alfred's aggressive eyeing of anyone who dared throw a ball their way kept them from being bothered.
Alfred had an extra bounce in his step as they raced back to restock balls.
Returning to the front line he couldn't keep the smirk off his face. Passing his score to his apprentices, he placed a hand on his hip and pointed at his adversaries.
"There is the enemy," he declared turning side on, "Mattie, my stand, use Canadian Fury!"
Beside him Matthew faltered with confusion, immediately recovered and aimed his pitch at Mathias who happened to be closest.
"What? Is that nerd talk?" Mathias scoffed as he wobbled off balance to avoid being hit.
"Nope! Geek stuff, specifically weeb." Alfred clarified," nerds are usually smart."
"Don't be like that!" Mathias consoled as he dodged again. "We can't have you putting yourself down."
"I'm just joking," he responded lightly. Not a moment later Matthew landed a hit.
"HA!" Alfred snorted at their victory, watching with satisfaction as Mathias shook his head and jogged off the field. He quickly jerked into action and barely snatched a ball from the air just before impact, sending Michelle onto the sidelines as well.
"Y'know, we make a good team," he held his hand up for a victory high five. "Also sorry about outing you as Canadian."
"It's fine," Matthew shrugged and slapped his hand against Alfred's, sealing their alliance.
The rest of the game went about as well as you'd expect, considering the unfair distribution of teams and Alfred's genius plan. Their foe were picked off one by one, until the last one standing never stood a chance. Lukas fought hard, but was no match for the power of friendship.
Okay, Alfred may have been embellishing his account of events, but that's what made life a little more fun.
"You did good!" Alfred gave him a thumbs up encouragingly as the field was being reset. Lukas didn't give him much of a reaction, reverting back to his unbothered passive state between games.
"Okay!" Mathias' booming voice commanded everyone's attention. "We're mixing the teams up again!"
They played a few more games before Mathias called the end of the tournament. Most of the kids wandered off shortly after, including Peter and Charlotte with matching cheeky smiles as they dashed away to avoid packing up. Alfred laughed as Mathias called after them before giving up.
"C'mon let them be kids," Alfred scoffed and grabbed some nearby balls. "'sides, you got me!"
"That's even worse," Lukas remarked, deadpanned as he held out a netted bag for the balls.
"Bruh." Alfred mimicked slam dunking the balls in the next from his crouching position and fell on his side on the grass. "And here I thought I was your favourite."
"I'm obliged to say Emil is my favourite." Lukas held the bag open for Mathias as he dumped some more balls in.
"Hardly an obligation if you're happy about it. Second favourite?" Alfred pleaded.
"Perhaps."
"You know what?" Alfred jumped up off the grass, "I'll take it."
He ran over to the side of the field to grab the last few balls when he noticed Matthew was standing around off to the side, seemingly unsure and looking at Alfred.
"Think fast!" Alfred called and hurled a ball at him. Matthew jerked at the movement but caught the ball.
"It's not about thinking," he stated as he rolled the balls in his hands.
"Then what is it aboot?" Alfred taunted and then yelped as Matthew flung the ball at him which smacked him in the chest.
"I'm soo-ry!" Alfred snickered as he straightened up and grabbed the discarded ball.
"Am I gonna hear this for the next eight weeks?" Matthew sighed at him and crossed his arms. "Would you like it if I kept bringing up dumb American stereotypes?"
"Maybe and sure, why not?" Alfred grinned and jogged to pack up the balls. Lukas held the bag open for him to slam dunk them in before tying it up and walking off to the shed, leaving Alfred back to his own devices.
He swung his arms around and squinted through the blinding rays as he observed the now desolate field. Matthew watched him while fidgeting with his hands. Alfred stepped towards him, enjoying the breeze caused when he swung his arms.
"I am parched," he announced and set his hands on his hips. "Whaddabout you?"
"Yeah," Matthew swung his clasped hands as gazed around the field, a light breeze blowing his hair into his face as he did.
"Let's go sneak into the dining hall, I'm sure we could find something in there."
"Sure," Matthew followed Alfred as he jumped at his agreement. "But if we get caught you're taking the blame."
"Pfft, we are allowed in there you know. It's just more fun if we sneak."
"Right," Matthew nodded in mock seriousness. "I'm beginning to think you're a bad influence."
"Then just don't think! Duh." Alfred countered, "and you've got the excuse you didn't know better."
"Guess so," Matthew shrugged uncaringly before smirking. "Isn't it typical that Americans don't think?"
Alfred snorted. "We're living in the moment."
"Sure."
The dining hall wasn't too far away, the large American flag fluttering above the buildings a dead giveaway. When the structure came into view Alfred changed his route and approached the side. Going around the side towards an open backdoor, he threw himself against the wall.
"There's probably people in there," Matthew reasoned as he watched him slide along the wall and duck to avoid windows. Alfred held his finger to his mouth and then beckoned Matthew to join him.
The sting of betrayal was swift. Alfred watched as Matthew crossed his arms with a frown and move to peer through the door. Alfred ruled him out as a potential partner in crime.
"There's someone in there," he informed and poked his head through the doorway. He stepped back against the wall and turned to Alfred. "It's Steve."
"Just Steve?"
"Yes."
Alfred considered his options. He could sneak past Steve for the fun of it, or let him know he found his clone without saying he found his clone and see how he reacts. Might as well chat with him for a bit so Matthew can get to know him more and become more comfortable at camp.
"Steve's cool, let's go. In and out, five minute adventure," he pushed himself off the wall and stepped through the doorway. Steve had his back turned, washing and stacking dishes in the sink of the large kitchen while a handheld radio crackled faint music on the bench.
He eyed the fridge off for a second, before restraining himself. Instead, he leaned on the island counter and rested his head on his hand. Matthew rested his folded arms on the counter beside him. Steve was still completely oblivious to them as he stacked another bowl on the drying rack.
Matthew leaned over, "sneaking eh?" he said dryly as his eyes darted to the occupied man in the room.
Alfred shrugged and watched Steve wash a pan. Metal clinked in the sink as he scrubbed.
"Need a hand with that?" Alfred exclaimed, hiding his sniggering when Steve flinched and in his fumbling dropped the dish back into the sink.
"Crikey," he pulled his hands out of the sink and turned to flick them at Alfred, only stopping to squint at the two boys.
"That's a contraction for Christ kill me," Alfred informed Matthew smugly. "Not very family-friendly if you ask me."
"Aw nah, double trouble," Steve wiped his hands on his shorts and looked between them with interest. "Are ya sure you aren't related?"
"I'd think I'd remember if I had a brother. I don't think dad would be able to hide it from me long cus he'd slip up and I'd definitely find out."
"Papa tells me everything," Matthew shrugged, bouncing off Alfred's quip, "he would've told me if I had a brother."
"Aw well," Steve flicked his hand dismissively, "crazy coincidence then."
"Yep! Anyways we're thirsty," Alfred whined and slumped on the counter.
"There's some water in that esky there," Steve pointed to the floor past the fridge and Alfred's eyes followed. "Don't ask moi for anythin' else though, ight?."
"Alright, thanks!" Alfred dashed over to the cooler full of plastic water bottles wedged in ice. He pulled out two and tossed one to Matthew.
"Now doya need anythin' else?"
"Words of affirmation" Alfred swung the bottle back and drank a few mouthfuls.
Steve chuckled. "No."
"Bummer," Alfred shrugged and screwed the coarse lid back on.
"Righto, if that was it then lemme get back t' work."
"You don't wanna chat with me and Mattie?" Alfred whined.
"Defo, but," Steve clicked and shook his head, "how about later?"
"C'mon, we could help you and chat!"
"Nah, I'm not gonna enlist child labour on the first day mate. Ask tomorrow."
"Pfft fine," Alfred tossed his hands up and turned away, "suit yourself."
He stepped back into the dazing summer warmth and glanced around. Campers were wandering about, but none that he was looking for. Beside him Matthew was tightening the lid of the bottle.
"You'll wanna hang onto that bottle," Alfred commented, "that way you'll have something to hold water all camp. You can have mine when I've finished cus I brought my own bottles."
"Okay." Matthew looked at him a bit sceptically and Alfred figured that might be a weird thing to offer.
"Seriously, I've packed literally everything cus I've learned from experience. If you need something, just ask!"
"Okay," Matthew gave him a small smile, "thanks."
"No problem! Now let's go see where everyone is!"
Authors Note: Copy pasting this into here somehow magically produces a higher word count than in my doc... oh well :/
I suspect this fic is going to be reeeeeally long, so consider that informed consent.