It was five- thirty on Monday morning, and Arthur was already prepared for the day. He'd dressed in a dapper grey business suit, having chosen to accent the ensemble with a burgundy tie. He held a thick portfolio under his arm as he made his way down the stairs to the main floor. It would be time to wake the kids in half an hour, but for now he let them sleep.
As he walked down the hall, a warm, buttery fragrance teased his nostrils. Arthur blinked as he made his way into the kitchen. Was Francis already up?
Sure enough, the Frenchman was standing by the oven. He was wearing a pale blue apron over his clothing while cooking something on the stove top.
"Bonjour, Arthur." Francis said calmly, turning to face the Englishman.
"I'm surprised to find you awake this early." Arthur said mildly.
Francis chuckled, "Yes, well I promised to fix every meal, if you recall."
"True, but the boys won't be up for another half an hour." Arthur explained.
"Ah, but what I am fixing required preparation." Francis replied simply, turning back to his work.
The Englishman glanced at the frying pan Francis was using, "Ham and eggs?"
"Non. This part was an afterthought. I know in America, you are accustomed to fuller breakfasts." Francis said mildly. "The special part is in the oven."
"Something involving butter?" Arthur ventured.
Francis smirked, "Why? Do you think it smells good?"
Arthur shrugged, "I could smell it from the hallway and it left me curious." He said simply.
"Ah." The Frenchman smiled knowingly as he continued to keep a watchful eye on the ham and eggs so he didn't burn them.
Approximately thirty-five minutes later, Alfred and Matthew had not only been woken up, but were dressed and seated at the dining room table with their father and uncle.
The buttery scent, as it turned out, was attributed to none other than Francis's homemade croissants. Which, as it so happened, he had been planning and working on in part since his arrival two days prior.
"Oooh! Croissants!" Alfred chirped excitedly, quickly taking a bite of the flaky, buttery pastry.
"Mommy used to make these." Matthew added softly as he nibbled at his own.
"I am not surprised, Matthew." Francis said lightly, "She and I used to make them all the time back in France."
"They're so good! The ham and eggs too, of course!" Alfred piped up, his mouth full.
"Alfred! What have I told you about talking with your mouth full?" Arthur scolded.
Alfred gulped down his food with some orange juice before replying. "Not to do it." He said.
"Correct. Please, keep that in mind." Arthur instructed. He took a bite of his own croissant, "I have to admit, this is rather good."
"On Hon Hon! I knew you'd like it, mon ami." Francis replied with a smirk.
"Yes, well, you had better be a good cook if you're going to be fixing the meals in this household." Arthur said mildly as he returned to his breakfast.
Alfred chomped at his food quickly whilst Matthew ate at a slower pace, enjoying each bite.
After finishing his food, Arthur glanced at his wristwatch. It was six- thirty now.
"Well, I'd best be off to work. Francis, the bus stop is right across the street. It will come by at seven o'clock, so be sure to have the boys out the door in time." Arthur said as he stood, pushing in his chair. He tucked the portfolio once more safely beneath his arm.
"Alright, I've got it. Though out of curiosity, what is it you do again?" Francis inquired.
"Daddy is a lonely officer!" Alfred piped up.
"That's 'loan' officer, Alfred." Arthur corrected as he planted a quick kiss on the boy's forehead. He moved over to Matthew to do the same before heading out the door, "Daddy loves you, boys. Have a good day at school!" he called back into the house as he left.
The twins finished eating shortly and rinsed their plates off, placing them in the sink.
"Alright. Anything else you boys need to get done before we head to the bus stop?" Francis asked.
"Well…Mr. Kumajiro kind of has to use the bathroom." Matthew said, fidgeting slightly.
Francis nodded, "Then it is best that he go now, no?"
"Yeah… be right back." Matthew said softly as he hurried into the bathroom with his stuffed polar bear.
"Anything else?" Francis inquired, turning to Alfred.
"Not really." The child said simply.
"Non? You do not have any backpacks to check over before heading out?" the Frenchman said in mild surprise.
"Ooh! I'll go get them!" Alfred said brightly and dashed off. He returned just as Matthew did.
"Uncle Francis said we should check over our bags." Alfred explained to his twin.
"Just to make sure you have everything." The Frenchman said with a simple shrug.
Matthew peered into his bag, "Well, it looks like everything is in here…"
"I'm good!" Alfred in turn proclaimed loudly.
"That being the case… to the bus stop!" Francis said lightly, leading the boys out the door.
The school bus came by at seven on-the-dot, just as Arthur had said.
Alfred and Matthew made their way down the small isle, bumping into students that were both older and younger than they were. Whoever had designed this had an odd sense of humor.
There was no possible way to find a seat without disturbing half of the other occupants of the vehicle. The older kids would always look like they wanted to kill you, and of course, the younger kids would whimper that they'd been 'hit.'
Finally finding an empty seat, the pair sat down, preparing for the imminently bumpy ride.
The vehicle would drive what seemed to be a few feet, stop to pick up more kids, and then repeat the whole process.
Eventually, the bus screeched to a halt, sending several of the smaller occupants lurching forward in their seats. As the doors hissed open, Alfred and Matthew stood and began to shuffle up the aisle and down the steps onto the concrete. All the elementary school students did likewise. They flooded the sidewalk, bumping shoulders with other children that had arrived on different buses.
The group of children made their way inside the building, splintering off towards their classrooms.
Matthew readjusted Mr. Kumajiro in his arms, "So, do you think we'll have a pop quiz today?"
"What?! Matty, don't even joke!" Alfred yelped as he walked alongside his twin.
"But I wasn't joking…" Matthew said softly.
They stopped in front of room 36-B, Mr. Carriedo's 2nd grade classroom.
Both twins shared a glance before proceeding inside. School had only started in August, but the twins felt they knew Mr. Carriedo pretty well already.
He had told them on their first day that he was a full blood Spaniard who had moved to the United States while studying at Yale University. He seemed awfully proud of the fact he'd been able to pass the US citizenship test, something Alfred and Matthew couldn't quite understand. He was a cheerful, energetic teacher who made them work hard, yet also awarded progress with sweets. All in all, he was any second grader's dream teacher.
"¡Buenos días! Alfred, Matthew, did you have good weekend?" Mr. Carriedo asked the twins.
Matthew studied his teacher. The man's shaggy brown hair, bright green eyes, and childish smile almost made him seem like a kid himself… This was something Matthew liked about his teacher. "Yes… Our uncle came to live with us." Matthew said softly.
"Yeah! And he can cook really, really well!" Alfred added brightly.
"My! How exciting!" Mr. Carriedo smiled.
The twins went over to their desks, retrieving what they'd need from their backpacks before placing the bags in their respective cubbyholes.
Other students did the same, having gotten into the routine over the past month. In fact, for most of them, this routine had simply carried over from the previous school year.
Moments later, Mr. Carriedo clapped his hands, "Alright class, everybody find your seats! It's time for class to start!"
He smiled as the students scrambled to their desks, "Bueno. Now we can start the day with something to get your minds working. That's right; it's time for a pop quiz!"
The class seemed to groan in unison.
Alfred turned to Matthew, "Why can't you use your powers for good, Matty?" he whined in a whisper.
Matthew simply shrugged.
"Oh come on, it's just a little addition and subtraction- hardly anything to groan over." Mr. Carriedo said in amusement as he began passing the quiz papers down each row.
A black-haired girl with a ponytail raised her hand, "Can I do this in pen?" she asked.
"No, I'd rather you didn't." Mr. Carriedo answered, "And that goes for everyone, please write in pencil! It will be easier to fix your mistakes if you do."
"Well I don't think I'll make any mistakes." Another student bragged.
"Good for you. You're using pencil." Mr. Carriedo said mildly.
When all the students had the sheet of paper before them, Mr. Carriedo nodded, "Alright, you may begin. Print your names in the top left corner, and the date in the top right. Today is September twenty-third of 2013. Good luck!" He sat behind his desk silently as the students worked.
After they had finished, Mr. Carriedo collected their papers and they moved right into the day's math lesson.
They spent some time on the subject before moving on to this week's spelling words.
Alfred nibbled the end of his pencil, it seemed like lunch time was taking forever to get there. Forget mathematics and spelling, he wanted to eat! And of course, more importantly, he was eager for recess.
"Come on; come on..." he muttered to himself as he stared at the clock as if he could will the time to pass faster.
Matthew glanced at his twin, but said nothing. He knew why Alfred seemed so anxious; he couldn't wait to get outside and play tag!
Eventually, the bell did sound, signifying that it was time for lunch.
"You all did bueno! Now let's all enjoy a good lunch so we can be ready to work hard when we get back, sí?" Mr. Carriedo said brightly, "Now everyone line up! Single file, you know the drill!"
The students lined up, it seemed no one had brought lunch from home today.
Matthew stood behind Alfred, clutching Mr. Kumajiro as protectively as ever.
When Mr. Carriedo was satisfied with the way his class had lined up, he began to lead them down the hallway to the cafeteria.
Lunch in itself was nothing special, consisting of traditional chicken nuggets, macaroni 'n cheese, an apple, and the seemingly putrid green beans that nobody dared to eat.
Finally, it was time for recess. Different teachers took turns throughout the week monitoring recess. Today, it so happened, was one of Mr. Carriedo's shifts.
The children raced out onto the playground. Some climbing up the jungle gym whilst others went for the swings.
Then there were others, like Alfred and Matthew, who opted to play a game of tag.
Alfred was 'it.'
Clutching Mr. Kumajiro tightly, Matthew raced away from his twin as fast as he could.
"I'm gonna get you, Matty!" Alfred called after his twin as he gave chase.
"Not if I can help it!" Matthew said as he ran.
Alfred laughed and picked up speed, quickly tapping his twin's shoulder, "Matty! You're it!" he declared as he turned tail and ran.
"Aw, okay." Matthew halted before pursuing Alfred.
"You'll never catch me, Matty!" Alfred teased, running as fast as his legs would carry him.
Matthew didn't reply in favor of saving his breath for the run. With his sights set on his twin, he didn't pay attention to a stone in his path. The rock caught the boy's sneaker and sent Matthew plummeting toward the grass.
Matthew had tripped, Mr. Kumajiro having flown from his hands and onto the ground a few feet away.
The boy quickly scrambled to his feet, but not before a pair of hands snatched up the stuffed polar bear.
Startled, Matthew gazed to the person who had grabbed Mr. Kumajiro.
The student in question was in a different teacher's second grade class, or at least Matthew didn't recognize him. The other boy smirked amusedly at Matthew as he glanced over the plush toy, "Still bringing teddy bears to school, huh?" Something about his tone felt so sharp and snotty, making Matthew instantly recoil.
Alfred had paused in his running to glance back at Matthew and the other boy.
"Please give Mr. Kumajiro back to me." Matthew said timidly.
"And you named it?! Ha! You're such a baby!" the other boy chortled, "Normal kids stop bringing stuffed animals to school after kindergarten. Don't you know that?"
"Hey! You leave Matty alone!" Alfred shouted, racing over to defend his twin.
"Maybe I don't wanna. 'Sides, maybe my baby sister would like this teddy bear." The boy replied, tone arrogant.
"Give Mr. Kumajiro back to Matty or else!" Alfred demanded.
"Or else what?" The other kid challenged.
"I'll make you." Alfred replied, crossing his arms.
"Yeah right." The boy countered. He was yanking experimentally at Mr. Kumajiro's leg, almost as if testing how well the stitches would endure before ripping.
"That does it!" Alfred snapped and tackled the boy head on.
Matthew whimpered helplessly as the two boys began to fight. What was he to do? If he told the teacher, Alfred might get in trouble, but if he didn't… He shuddered. He did want Mr. Kumajiro back, but what if Alfred or the other kid got really hurt in the process?
"Hey!" the other boy shouted, punching at Alfred.
The fist fight began to progress, Mr. Kumajiro tossed aside in the commotion.
"You guys… please stop!" Matthew pleaded meekly, but he went unheard.
Punches were still being thrown. That was, until one voice resounded.
"¿Qué estás haciendo?" Mr. Carriedo's surprised voice froze both boys in their tracks, "There are a lot of other second graders to watch, but that doesn't mean I'm blind! I don't know which one of you started this fight, but this is unacceptable! You're both going to the principal's office!"
Alfred separated himself from the other boy. His left eye was red and swollen with the promise of black eye- one of many bruises he was sure that he'd accumulate.
The other boy was in a similar state. Though unlike Alfred, he had a bit of a bloody nose.
The two shared a glance before heading toward the school building.
"Not by yourselves!" Mr. Carriedo said firmly.
Matthew scooped up Mr. Kumajiro silently.
"Mr. Carriedo, do you want me to go get Ms. Yulo?" a female student asked from nearby.
"Sí. That way she can monitor you kids while I escort these boys to the Principal's office." Mr. Carriedo replied.
"Okay, you got it!" the girl said brightly as she darted into the school building.
"Gracias, Karen." Mr. Carriedo said as she went and then turned to the boys again, frowning as he waited for the other teacher to arrive and take his place.
Soon, Ms. Yulo had arrived and Mr. Carriedo proceeded to escort Alfred and the other second grade boy to the office.
Matthew clutched Mr. Kumajiro silently as he watched his brother go. He hoped Alfred wouldn't get in too much trouble over this.
Author's Note:
Hello again, dear readers. Sorry it has been so long. One week I was sick, and then next thing I knew my internet connection was going wonky. While you'd think that wouldn't make a difference to my story writing, I like to research things I am unsure of. In the modern world, this traditionally means the use of the internet. Sometimes what I research is as trivial as cooking ingredients, other times it has to do with important facts that if gotten wrong make me seem ignorant. Obviously, I'm not perfect, but I do strive to be at least somewhat accurate. Anyhow, this chapter and the one to follow were not originally part of my plans I made before beginning this fic. However, after writing chapter two I felt implored to further explore and set up Alfred and Matthew's school life, Not sure exactly when the next chapter will be out (sorry!), but I will have it up eventually if you'll bear with me. Reviews make me happy and inspire me! See you in Chapter 4~