When morning came, Matthew was still asleep. As soon as Alfred remembered why he was sleeping on the floor next to his brother, his heart hammered and he jolted to check that Matthew was, in fact, just sleeping. Alfred timidly held his hand in front of his twin's face and was relieved when a light but steady breath tickled his skin. Thank fuck. Alfred quietly slunk away, determined not to wake him before he had to. Alfred was surprised he'd been able to sleep on the hard floor at all, but he supposed the stress was enough to keep him out, even if paranoid whispered that he didn't sleep at all. As for his brother - Alfred hated to think just how exhausted he'd need to be to actually find the floor comfortable.
He made them breakfast, pancakes because they were Matthew's favourite (how original, Alfred always teased him for living the Canadian stereotype) and Alfred had spent enough years watching him cook them to know exactly how to make them. Even with the events that unfolded last night, Alfred's gluttonous appetite didn't fail him. He picked at the cooked pancakes as he continued to flip the large batch, but the warm fluffy comfort food wasn't as comforting as usual and sat weirdly in his stomach. His body was on autopilot as he set aside the larger half for his twin, who definitely needed food to get better.
The apartment was eerily quiet and Alfred couldn't bring himself to make any noise to disturb the peace, like a hand was resting around his throat and he knew better than to try and speak. He didn't know if he could. Instead, thoughts ran rampant in his head as all sorts of questions assaulted him and demanded answers he couldn't yet have.
Why did Matthew do this? What motivated him to go out at night and throw himself into the line of fire by provoking the despicable dangers that lurked in the underbelly of the city? That stupid kind of decision-making was expected from Alfred! Impulsive, idealistic Alfred! Not Matthew, reasonable, down-to-earth Matthew! The childish part of Alfred said 'if only' he had considered becoming a vigilante an option, then he'd have become one way before Matthew. His childhood dream to be a hero always lived inside him.
But Matthew did it, not Alfred. Matthew was Vendetta, and Alfred was struggling to wrap his head around that. Was it always Matthew, his twin in all the sightings and footage? Matthew must be exhausted. Vendetta was very physically active nearly every fucking night, how did Alfred not notice the effect on his brother? Matthew had been so dependent on coffee for the past few months and Alfred never questioned it! There were bags under his eyes and Matthew just said it was stress and that was that. Fuck, was he going to stop before it killed him? Or would he just keep going until he turned to dust?
So many things were starting to add up and Alfred felt stupid for not piecing it together sooner. Not that he wouldn't suspect his twin was a vigilante, but he should've realised that something was going on! But no, he just brushed it off. He was a horse with blinders, or just a regular dumbass that just didn't notice because Alfred's always in his own little world. Matthew didn't have to hide anything well when Alfred was so daft.
Alfred wondered how much Matthew was actually actively hiding. He was smart, of course he'd know that Alfred was ignorant. Alfred wanted to know exactly how he did all this. In a practical sense. How did he manage to live an exciting life without his roommate and literal twin ever catching on? Wait... Did he get hurt often? Replaying what happened last night was hard, the stress made it come back in bits and pieces but Alfred definitely knew that Matthew was prepared to fix himself up and presumably, never tell Alfred the truth. Were there other times, other close calls and big injuries that his twin had to deal with all by himself while Alfred slept soundly in the next room? He didn't want to think about it.
But his mind made him. Even if the thoughts hurt.
Why didn't Matthew trust him? He knew how much Alfred loved Vendetta and all heroes in general! He wouldn't have reacted badly! Alright, maybe he would've been shocked for a moment. Only one single moment, but after that?! Could it be that Matthew didn't want to bother him? Sure, Matthew was quiet, reserved, unassuming and had an unnatural ability to seemingly disappear at any given time (which with hindsight made him a perfect vigilante, huh). And Alfred was always social and busy, but that didn't mean he didn't have time for his best friend! Alfred wanted to be bothered by Matthew's problems! Especially the super cool, super secret, super illegal vigilante problems! Sure, Alfred would worry about him being out there, but if he joined him then it wouldn't be a problem!
Could it be that Alfred was unapproachable? That Matthew felt like he couldn't tell him...?
He still couldn't help but reason for Matthew, desperately trying to think as to why his twin would keep this from him. Was the problem was that he couldn't keep up? Sure, Alfred wasn't as in shape as he could be, but he was still healthy (enough) and could always get back into shape! He's seen Vendetta fight, Matthew could always just teach him what he knows and then they could be a duo! Alfred wondered if he already had a guy in the chair or if he was doing this all solo. As much as he hoped it wasn't solo, Alfred felt bitter at the thought that anyone else knew about Matthew as Vendetta and helping him. They were twins, they were meant to take on the world together. Alfred ached at the thought of being left behind. Either Matthew didn't want him or didn't need him.
Alfred sat alone in silence at their small kitchen table. The pancakes didn't taste as delicious as usual, even when drowned in syrup. Usually adding more syrup was the solution but instead, it just made him feel queasy. Alfred stacked Matthew's portion and placed it where he usually sat. He knew it was stupid to do so. It should be in the fridge until Matthew wakes up and it wasn't like Matthew would be joining him at the table. He really didn't want Matthew to move at all after seeing his injury. Alfred had to tear his eyes away from the plate as he remembered his twin's wound and what it looked like on the inside. Fuck. His stomach lurched and his body was too hot for his clothes. He stared at the ceiling and thought of puppies. Cute puppies while he urged himself to get it together and not throw up.
Matthew was still on the living room floor, completely out cold if his lack of reaction to the smell of warm pancakes was to go by. He was covered in Alfred's heavy blanket and Alfred wondered who would be under there if he peeked. Matthew or Vendetta? Maybe he just deluded himself into thinking his reserved little brother was actually the infamous vigilante that stalked the city at night. That would be embarrassing... But Alfred knew the truth and before he could think better of it he was marching over and tugging the blanket off to see that yep, this was reality. Not only was Matthew half dressed in Vendetta's black get-up, the boots and pants a giveaway, but the bandages were still snug around his torso and Alfred was so relieved that they were still a fresh white. His brother didn't look so pale, now breathing steadily and Alfred was spared from the nightmare that the bandages had become as soaked as his shirt overnight and died while he was sleeping.
He put the blanket back and slumped against the couch. He wanted answers, but he wanted his brother to be okay more.
When Matthew woke up in the afternoon, he did so with a loud groan. Alfred was sure he wouldn't have been so loud if he knew where he was and he wasn't alone, but Alfred wasn't complaining about a heads-up to prepare himself for confrontation. He stood over his twin with his arms crossed and an intimidating scowl to let him know exactly how he felt, but that was quickly forgotten when he noticed just how out of it Matthew was.
"Fuck," Alfred yanked his phone out of his pocket with a shaky hand and willed it to be steady. "I think you're going into shock."
"'s not shock," came a slurred reply, like he was drunk. "Jus' tire'."
"Yeah, I'm not sure about that," Alfred said as he quickly scrolled through articles about shock from stab wounds, but he was actually relieved that Matthew was alive and responding. Which meant that it probably wasn't shock. Matthew was smart and knew medical stuff, so he'd trust his judgment. Especially when his judgement alined with not showing symptoms from the articles. He tossed his phone onto the couch and pushed Matthew back down when he tried to sit up.
"What are you doing?" He demanded, but his wavering voice gave away his fear.
Matthew said something but it was so slurred that Alfred wasn't even sure it was English. But his brother was tired. Comedically tired. Despite all the rest he just got he was still blinking one crusty unfocused eye at a time.
"Just stay here," Alfred said. "Go back to sleep if you have to."
Matthew groaned to say no and Alfred's worry resulted in frustration.
"Fine, just stay there then! But I'd love to know what you would be doing if I hadn't found you."
Alfred really hoped the answer wasn't 'go about my day like normal and keep tricking you' or some shit. Matthew slurred a sentence again, but this time Alfred could make out 'crash in bed' or something and he sighed angrily.
"Just-" he sighed again and met his brother's eyes. They were exhausted with no light behind them but still focused on Alfred. Almost as if he was wary of him...
"-I'll ask you questions later and you better answer them but right now how about breakfast?"
Matthew grunted in reply and Alfred got the pancakes from the fridge and shoved them in the microwave. He nervously waited for them to finish spinning while he kept glancing back to the living room. His brother was obscured by the couch, but it brought Alfred a little comfort just knowing he was just right there. Within reach. He grabbed a cup of water and speedily walked back to see Matthew had moved himself to be leaning against the couch. Alfred let out a strained squeak and made a displeased face but Matthew was either too tired or too hungry to take it in. Alfred put the plate and cup on the coffee table then dragged that over so it was within reach and plopped down next to his twin, quickly examining him to make sure that his stubbornness didn't make his injury worse. He slowly breathed out when he noticed nothing concerning and willed his beating heart to quieten down.
Now that it was daytime and Matthew had moved, Alfred could see the blotchy bloodstains smeared around where they had slept last night. It made him a little nauseous but clearly didn't put Matthew off at all as he ate with the vigour of a starving man. Alfred fidgeted while he waited and had a staring contest with the brownish stains. By the time his brother was done Alfred's nails were jagged from picking and his back hurt from all the shuffling of positions on the floor. As soon as Matthew put the fork down, Alfred kicked the table as hard as he could across the living room and it clattered against the opposite wall.
"Okay, Mattie what the hell?" Alfred exclaimed. "You need to start telling me everything! Why the fuck are you a vigilante? How the fuck are you a vigilante? Why didn't you tell me? What if you died?! Have you almost died before?! I guess you must've because why else would you get a bulletproof vest! Where the hell did you even get that from? Wait, never mind that, who stabbed you? Please tell me you beat them up and they won't come back with a vengeance.
Alfred was prepared to rant on forever but Matthew put his hand up. Right, the whole stabby slash would probably make it hard for him to project his voice over Alfred's. That was something Matthew would only do at sports games when his favourite team was either killing it or being killed. It wasn't something he did much in everyday life and much less when he was seriously wounded.
"Can I have coffee first?" His words were still slightly slurred, but much clearer than before.
"Wha- No!" Alfred was not a doctor in any capacity but he knew it was a terrible idea. Matthew was exhausted even after sleeping for over twelve hours so if he was tired he should sleep more, not drug himself! Especially since he effectively had surgery last night and Alfred was pretty sure hospitals didn't serve coffee. Matthew groaned but didn't argue, tipping Alfred off that he probably made the right decision.
Alfred was about to prompt for answers again when Matthew started talking.
"This is the worst I've ever got hurt. I'm sorry you had to see it."
"Don't apologise," Alfred said instinctively before mentally slapping himself. Matthew was always apologizing over nothing and it was just a habit to tell him otherwise. This was definitely worth apologising over! "I mean, do apologise! Seriously Mattie! You had all the medical shit ready for this and you want me to believe this is the worst?"
"Alfred, I promise," Matthew's vulnerable violet eyes met his, desperate to be believed and Alfred could see the sincerity. "I just had that stuff to be prepared. I never wanted to have to use it."
"Okay, I believe you." Alfred bit his lip, a weight removed from his shoulders knowing that there weren't any previous close calls that he was completely unaware of. "But you've been hurt before, right? I mean, you can't just go out there and have nothing happen to you, right?"
Alfred could tell by his twin's face that his naive fantasy of his brother always kicking ass and remaining completely untouched was only a fantasy.
"Usually not much happens," Matthew starts slowly, "but most the time I come back with some bruises, scrapes or sometimes I just roll my ankle. Nothing big, it's not like I'm picking fights at every opportunity. But sometimes I get hit or punched -not often!" He hastily added to reassure. "I usually finish fights as quickly and effectively as possible! But sometimes I uh, well, just get nicked with knives and stuff like that eh. Luckily they've never been deep, just look-" Matthew pointed to his cheek, a thin line just lighter than his skin was barely visible. Alfred would've never noticed, much less assumed anything of it. "I promise it hardly happens."
Alfred nodded, feeling conflicted at his guilty gratefulness that nothing serious happened while Matthew was still being minorly injured nearly all the time. Alfred's mouth was running once again before he could think about if he really wanted the answer.
"What about the bulletproof vest? That was just a precaution then? You've never been shot?"
He recalled all the footage of Vendetta being shot at. Shot at. That was his brother and Matthew was pulling a strange face and Alfred's breakfast was still sitting weirdly in his guts and fuck don't tell me-
"Mattie..." Alfred's voice was strained and he sat forward to try and calm his stomach. "Mattie..." His mouth was foaming with the promising taste of bile and he couldn't get out more than one pleading word.
"No! No. I haven't been shot!" Matthew quickly reassured and winced when that was too energetic of him. "I uh, well you know I've been shot at, but I promise that I haven't had a bullet go through me."
Alfred let his body calm down. Why was he getting so worked up? Matthew was the one being shot at.
"But," Matthew started carefully, keeping an eye on Alfred for his reaction. Alfred tensed because why would there be a 'but' now? He just said he hadn't been shot!
"But... I have been grazed a couple of times."
Alfred's face scrunched painfully as Matthew struggled to tug his arms free from his now crop-top cut shirt and pointed to a strange patch of skin above his elbow. If Alfred had seen that without being told... he never would've known.
"It didn't hurt that bad," Matthew said quietly. "But I had a fever for the next few days. You were there."
A moment of silence passed as Alfred remembered some months ago his brother got sick and he never thought anything of it. He just remembered looking after him and making sure he was well-rested, fed and comfortable before going to work and thinking nothing more of it. Now it felt strange to think there was such a... weighty reason for such an inconspicuous sickness. Next to him, he could see the guilt overwhelming his brother.
"I'm so sorry," Matthew whispered as his fingers ran over the patch of skin discoloured by the bullet. Now that more skin was bare, Alfred could see the results of this secret etched into the skin of his no longer perfectly identical twin.
"I know I lied, but..." Matthew trailed off and moved the shirt to cover the blemishes, suddenly insecure and guilty under Alfred's gaze. Alfred's mouth was dry. He wanted to reassure his brother and chew him out at the same time but had no idea what to say. He knew why his twin lied in that scenario but it didn't make him feel any better.
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't let you know-"
"Sure you could've Mattie!" Alfred snapped, leaning into the couch as he turned his body to fully face his brother. Matthew huffed, unable to move as much and stayed slumped with a hand absentmindedly brushing against where the bandages ended and his skin started.
"No. I really couldn't. Either you'd hate me for it or you'd demand to be involved. I don't want you to hate me and I don't want to lose you... I guess I thought either way I'd be losing you. I'm sorry, I never wanted to bring you into this."
"Mattie, sure I'm super pissed you kept this from me and all, but I'd never hate you for it. If anything I'm super jealous that my bro's the coolest guy in the city! And you can bet you were 100% right about me wanting in, but I'm not so stupid that I won't ask you to train me up first. So if that was your only reason for keeping it from me then that's not too bad, right?"
Alfred kept his fingers crossed that the only reason Matthew kept it from him was because he was reckless and sometimes unrealistic and because Matthew loved him too much to lose him. That how he felt about Mattie being out there was how his twin felt about the idea of him doing the same. That was something he could understand. As long as it wasn't any of the hurtful things he obsessively feared before Matthew woke up.
"Ah, well, it's complicated," Matthew huffed as he struggled to shuffle in his position to get more comfortable. "I guess it's kinda stupid but yeah. Partly that, partly I wanted to protect you."
That... was not what he expected. For as long as he could remember, Alfred had self-appointed himself as the protector of the pair. It was all a part of his childish hero fantasy that he never grew out of. He felt kind of stupid to want to protect his brother now. Matthew was more capable than he could've ever thought but upon this revelation, Alfred's need to protect him only deepened. Matthew looked conflicted and his breathing was slightly strained, as if the decision to share more was physically conflicting.
"...you trust me, right?" Alfred whispered, as if asking any louder would rob him of the confirmation. Up until yesterday, he was sure of the answer. But now... not so much. He would share everything with Matthew, unconditionally. He didn't expect a reserved Matthew to do the same, he had never been one to speak everything on his mind so spontaneously. But Matthew had never left the impression he was actively hiding anything from his own twin before.
Alfred just had to be sure.
Matthew's face froze and he stared, his tired eyes searching for why he asked and Alfred could see how badly he was hurting. He was sure he had the same look.
"I said I'd tell you everything, so yes, I trust you."
Alfred pressed his lips together and breathed out slowly.
"I'll tell you everything, just let me get there." Matthew's voice was tired as he leaned his head back, now completely supported by the couch. "I also didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you literally, as in physically keep you safe. If you found out and came out there with me, I'd be too distracted making sure you were safe... But I also wanted to protect you emotionally too. And I know this is stupid but... I just wanted to protect your... happiness? You're just so optimistic and... The last thing I wanted to do was worry you or to ruin you like how I've ruined myself. I've tried too hard to do too much and sometimes it gets to me. I know that sounds bad but I also appreciate life better now eh, so uh, that's me trying to make it sound less depressing... I'm sorry..."
Matthew trailed off and rubbed at his eyes.
"No coffee," Alfred humorlessly reminded him. For once in his life he didn't know what to say. He just sat there waiting for his brother to keep talking.
"You started all of this," Matthew noted with a reminiscent tone as he seemed to think. "I'll start from the very start. Hopefully, you'll understand then."
Matthew sighed and adjusted himself again as he seemed to recall something, likely pondering how to put it. Alfred just waited in suspense, wondering what could've started this all? He had one idea, something that he got over and lived with but... what about Matthew-?
"Remember when you became a hostage?"
Of course Alfred remembered. It had been a day like any other when he walked into his retail job for his shift, completely unaware of the dark turn that was coming. A group came in, he later learned they were from a gang but that didn't matter at the time, not when they were pointing big guns and abruptly shouting orders.
"They took random shoppers and workers hostage so no one would stop them from cleaning out the store, taking all the money and valuables they could. And then they got greedy. Apparently, it was so easy for them so they decided why not demand a million dollars and until they got it they would shoot someone in that store every ten minutes."
Yeah, Alfred remembered. It may have been over a year and a half ago, but he could recall it like it was yesterday. Matthew's expression grew dark and anger clouded his eyes.
"The police were unhelpful and dragged their feet. I was watching on the news until I realised it was your store. I ran there but all I could do was stand outside. I couldn't do anything. The police refused to do anything but wouldn't let anyone else do anything either. I hated it. I listened to a gunshot go off every ten minutes and the police were just sure they were bluffing until one of the guys dumped a body by the window for everyone to see while holding a worker hostage... It wasn't you but I could only imagine you."
Matthew went quiet while Alfred's memories filled in the rest. He had made peace that it happened and most days he could forget about it, but that didn't mean he enjoyed being reminded of it. He felt powerless inside that store not knowing how things were going to end. It took far too long for things to end, and there were a few times he thought things would end for him as the barrel of a gun swept his way every now and then before selecting someone else. He pushed those thoughts back and instead reminded himself that the money had been handed over and the gang left. The moment the police regained control of the store and freed the hostages, Alfred ran outside in desperate need of fresh air. He never thought he'd been running into the arms of his brother and holding on for dear life. He never said it out loud but he was so glad Matthew was there, it was such a welcomed relief that he knew Matthew shared. He knew Matthew was just as upset as he was and refused to let go of him. Their reunion might've made the news, who would know? He avoided the TV for weeks. He could faintly recall cameras and reporters all around them but at the time it was just him and Matthew. Two twins squeezing each other to death.
It was an experience he'd mostly forgotten about. Afterwards, he got a great payout from work, so that was a plus. Sure paid for therapy and more. Now they lived in a better apartment and could live a bit more cushy. After the payout, he quickly changed jobs and forgot about it.
Alfred wrung his hands together. He may have been able to forget and move on, but evidently, Matthew never forgot and if he was reading the implications right, never forgave.
"So that's why you did it?"
Alfred had to admit, it was a pretty solid origin story. Matthew's twin was almost killed while he was helplessly standing around just outside the building. The darker origin story would be it was his lifeless body slumped against the glass on display for his brother and all the world to see, but he really didn't like to picture it. Even just thinking about it, his heart broke for Matthew.
Matthew hummed. "I just got an idea after I couldn't sleep and checking in on you was just a temporary relief. I thought, why not make them pay? Then I couldn't get the idea to go away. I thought, 'if the police manage to arrest them all, then I won't do it' and obviously, I never should've had that much faith in the police to begin with. I don't know why, but the police just couldn't do anything. So I took matters into my own hands. I could get that gang off the streets and prevent things like that from happening again. I didn't expect to be so good at it."
Vendetta's early days earned him his name. He moved quickly, full of determination as he ruthlessly worked towards a goal in mind. He wasn't messing around. He was here to change things and get justice.
"Obviously I was too good at it and lots of people don't want me doing what I do. But this is the first time someone was close to stopping me."
"Close?!" Alfred did not like that wording one bit.
"No, not close I just mean that, eh well, the best attempt so far."
So far... so far...
"Mattie, you can't go back out there!"
"Alfred, people have been trying to kill me this whole time. Obviously, I'm not dead yet eh and even if I stop, they won't."
"But if you stop now they'll think it was because you died so they won't try to kill you again!"
"No I mean they wouldn't stop doing bad things. And I'm not going to stop trying to stop them." Matthew's face was completely determined and Alfred knew his brother was too stubborn to ever change his mind.
"But how would you think I feel if something happens to you and I see something happen because you're famous! Now I'm the one outside watching helplessly!"
Matthew stared with a pained look but then his face twisted.
"I never wanted you to find out."
"Why, so you could keep hiding it from me!" Alfred growled. "Well, I've found out! Now what?!"
"I don't know." Matthew choked, in frustration or tears was unknown as he turned away.
"Well, you can't make me forget so you'll have to figure it out."
Matthew roughly buried his face into his arm and scrubbed his eyes, suggesting tears. Shit. Alfred paused, wanting to comfort his little brother but no way in hell was he going to let any of this go. They were going to get to the bottom of it here and now.
"Mattie? What's the problem? I already told you I'm not gonna do something stupid like run out there without training! And I'm not actually gonna try and stop you from going out! I mean, I don't really like it now that I know it's you and you almost died! But still! This city needs a hero and I'm soooo proud that you're that hero! You seriously better give me an autograph later! Anyway, so what if I found out? Big deal, now you have someone in your corner! Come on, if you wanna protect me then you gotta protect me by letting me help! We could be a team! You can't do it all without burning out. And I know you're close because I saw five energy drinks and four coffees in the trash the other day and I had just changed it that morning. Also, I've been meaning to talk about that so how about I do it now? Mattie, what the hell? That's some severe addictive codependent shit going on. I was going to ask why the hell you need so much but now I know the answer..."
Alfred realised he had been talking for a bit and Matthew was still curled up next to him. He cautiously reached his arm out and looped it around his twin's shoulders, causing Matthew to shudder in a breath.
"I'm fine, just frustrated." Matthew sniffed, sounding very much like he was choked up.
"Frustrated about being stabbed, right?" Alfred chuckled nervously.
"Sure," Matthew said suspiciously and paused. "Just everything really. I slipped up and look what happened."
Alfred knew he meant being stabbed, gravely injured and unmasked but sue him for being an optimist.
"Yeah, look what happened! You've gained a new sidekick and we'll be closer than ever before! Maybe we'll finally develop the twin telepathy superpower and we could use our secret advantage to wipe the floor with the scum in the city!"
Matthew made an amused noise but shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was dark and disturbed.
"I really don't want you to get involved. Not only because you're too good for that but-"
Ugh, again with this silly-billy purity or whatever makes Matthew think that Alfred's too good and happy for the nitty-gritty vigilante stuff. Even if he was too fragile for it, there's no way he wouldn't support his brother and follow him through hell. Preferably not at the cost of his own life but should it come to that? So be it.
"-Do you know what'll happen to you if they find out I have a brother?"
Well, Alfred hadn't thought about that. He knows enough about superhero stuff to know exactly what happens to the hero's girlfriend- well brother in this case. The person the hero cares about is just a regular citizen™ and things don't turn out well for them to better the hero. But he didn't need to be just a regular citizen™, if he got in on the vigilante scheme then he'd have a fighting chance instead of being blindsided. If people came for him, not only would he be prepared but he'd be able to help put them behind bars!
"But you'll have a brother anyway. Whether I'm involved or not! So I'm already in hypothetical danger and I've been in danger this entire time!"
Oh shit, wrong thing to say. Matthew hunched further into himself as he seemed to struggle with the weight of Alfred's words.
"I'm so sorry!" His voice broke as his breathing became unsteady. "I promise I was always careful with my identity. I never worked with anyone or told anyone so no one should know who I am and nobody should have a reason to go after you. Alfred, you'd tell me if something strange was happening to you right?"
Alfred could tell that Matthew was starting to freak out so he wrapped him into a big hug, careful not to squeeze too tight like he usually would and leave his brother gasping for air.
"Of course I'd tell you Mattie!" He reassured as he pulled his twin into him. "You know I tell you everything so I would've said something if I noticed something strange."
"But what if you didn't notice something strange? What if-"
"Well, now I know to look out for it," Alfred argued. "Now that I know your big secret I can be safer, right?"
Matthew was still in his arms as he calmed.
"Yeah... I'm sorry..."
"Well it's okay, I forgive you already so stop apologising! Now we gotta work out what's happening next."
"What do you want to happen?" Matthew sighed and slumped into his brother.
"Well one, you never get stabbed again!"
"That only happened because I was slow," Matthew muttered. "It won't happen again."
"Slow?" Alfred prompted.
"Physically and mentally. I eh, it was someone pretending to need help so I let my guard down and... I had a strange off feeling about it but I ignored it."
"Fuck Mattie," Alfred gasped. Here he was picturing it happening in some sort of noble fight.
"I took care of it." Matthew hurriedly said. "I figured out who the guy was and took care of him so he won't be coming back."
"...Took care of him?" Alfred asked slowly... that sounded very ominous.
"Took him down and turned him into the police. Most gang members are already known and have warrants for arrest so I just dumped him somewhere and asked a random civilian to make a call for me- just don't worry, eh? He's gone."
"That's good but, wait. After he stabbed you!?"
"Yeah. I had to. Even if I got stabbed he was still there with a knife. And even without a knife, he was still there. I had to take him out while I could and knew where he was."
"Mattie, that's metal as fuck but still. What the fuck. Wouldn't that have made the whole stab wound worse!"
"Adrenaline," Matthew shrugged. "Sure, I felt it and it hurt, but my body trying to drug me helped a lot."
"I meant," Alfred waved his arms in the general direction of the bandages. "Wouldn't have made the injury worse! I don't think fighting while bleeding out is a great idea!"
"I know it's not." Matthew snapped. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I want to get hurt? I had to take him down. It's part of the job and it keeps me safe."
Alfred groaned. "Yeah, I get it okay? I just don't like it. But what if you made it worse to the point where you never made it home?"
"Just don't think about it eh?" Matthew said tiredly. "There's no point pondering 'what ifs'."
Alfred tightened his hold around his brother and grit his teeth. It wouldn't do him any good to argue about what could've happened, not when Matthew is literally alive in his arms.
"Okay, yeah. You're here now. That's all that matters."
Matthew made a noise of agreement and the apartment went silent for a moment.
"So what else do you want to happen next?" Matthew murmured.
"Well besides you getting hurt again, I think you already know what I want. I want in. I want action. I wanna help. And if you're really worried about me being on the battlefield then I can be the guy in the chair or something. Just, I don't know, let me help somehow. Please, Mattie."
Matthew sighed and nodded slowly. Tension was relieved inside of Alfred now that his brother stopped resisting. He found himself slouching further into his twin and his silly but cute little cowlick tickled his face when Alfred lazily rested his head on Matthew's.
"Hell yeah, so what doya want me to do?"
"I'll figure it out. Give me a couple of days to recover from this before I think of any plans."
"I think you need more than a couple of days to recover!" Alfred said, concerned.
"I won't be doing anything for some time," Matthew reassured. "I mean I'm not going to think about it at all for a couple of days. I need so much sleep right now..."
"Yeah I bet you do." Alfred chuckled. Honestly, he could go for a nap about now too. But no matter how tired he was, he just knew his twin was 100 times more exhausted. Alfred supposed that since his curiosity was sated for now, he really should look out for his brother. He could ask him all sorts of questions and excitedly plan how they were going to team up later. Dammit, he could not wait to ask Vendetta all sorts of fan questions and plan his own vigilante outfit and spend hours pondering over a name- but that's irrelevant. Right now, he should be putting Matthew's needs first.
"Uh, do you think it's safe to move you to your bed?" Alfred carefully removed Matthew from his arms and moved to a kneeling position. "Cus I doubt you wanna spend the next few days passed out on the floor."
Matthew hummed as he thought about it.
"Just be careful," he advised. "As long as I don't bend or twist it should be fine."
"Alright," Alfred hovered over his brother and carefully pulled him up. It was awkward, but between the two of them, they eventually managed to get Matthew on his bed. As Alfred's eyes adjusted to the dark room, he searched for signs that the pure white bandages didn't grow darker and was thankful when he couldn't spot anything. Matthew was oblivious to his concern, as he sighed and sunk into the covers. Undoubtedly extra soft after spending the night on the literal fucking floor.
"So, whatdaya need?" Alfred asked as he clapped his hands together.
Matthew groaned as he thought.
"Bring the medical stuff back and a water bottle."
As soon as he finished speaking Alfred ran out of the room and came back just as quick, putting the box and bottle within his brother's reach. After a second he moved Matthew's glasses and phone closer too.
"Done! Do you need anything else?" Alfred whispered, sensing his brother was very close to passing out again. "Just yell for me if you need anything."
He was about to slip out and let his brother get some well-needed rest when Matthew responded by simply patting the bed next to him.
"Don't leave," He quietly pleaded. The unspoken invitation lingering.
It had been years since they shared a bed. Sure, they slept by each other last night but Alfred didn't really want to count that. To be honest, Alfred didn't want to leave his brother's side yet either so he wasn't about to turn him down. He carefully slid into the thankfully spacious bed beside Matthew without disturbing him, his glasses going askew when he rolled onto his side. He carefully folded them and blindly placed them on the nightstand behind him as his eyes adjusted to Matthew's blurry face.
"I'm right here, okay?" Alfred whispered, not unlike a child at a sleepover. He and Mattie really should have more sleepovers.
"I'm so glad you're here. I don't know how I'd do this alone." Matthew admitted, sounding more vulnerable than before.
"With great difficulty?" Alfred suggested. "I think you could've pulled it off. You're insanely capable and I'm pretty stupid sometimes."
"You're not," Matthew said, blatantly like it was the truth. "And you would've figured it out this time. I didn't clean up the mess and I don't think I would've been able to."
Ah shit, Alfred had purposely pushed the bloodstains covering the living room into the back of his mind until now. Yeah, no way Matthew would've been able to stitch himself up and sleep as long as he did before getting to the stains before Alfred saw them... or Matthew in a coma because damn did he sleep like the dead... and look dead. It was a good thing Alfred found out when he did because he did not want his brother to kill himself trying to hide everything.
"I should probably clean that-"
"Not now." Matthew cut him off as he flopped a lazy, uncoordinated arm over Alfred. "Just stay here."
"So needy." Alfred teased as he got himself comfortable and hugged the pillow. "Relax, I'm not going anywhere. I just said that so I'd remember to later."
Matthew seemed to accept that and let his arm fall but didn't withdraw it from Alfred's space. Alfred removed one hand from the pillow and traced it down his brother's arm to rest his hand over his twin's.
"Well eh, we're in this together now, aren't we?" Matthew whispered, exhaustion evident by the way his words began to slur. Unable to help himself Alfred copied him when he yawned and felt his own eyes grow heavy.
"Damn right we are."