Alfred held up the finished suit design to the mirror, his ego boosted by his crazy idea being pulled off so spectacularly. Holy shit he could not wait to wear this.
"I think I'm going to faint," Matthew complained as he opened the large window of their bedroom.
"I know right!" Alfred laughed, the light-headedness making him brush off the severity of the situation and embrace excitement. Wasn't paint fumes toxic? "But it's so worth it though."
"The bedroom's going to stink for days."
"Oh yeah," Alfred's smile slipped as he thought of a solution. "Maybe we could burn a bunch of candles or something? Oh! I know!"
Alfred ran into the bathroom and grabbed a couple of bottles of the fancy perfume, completely convinced that would be enough to fight the overwhelming, pungent smell of fabric paints that had seeped into every piece of furniture.
"Don't use that! It'll just make it worse!" Matthew's voice was hoarse from the fumes and desperate because couldn't his brother just think it through?
"But the good smell will fight the bad smell!" Alfred reasoned.
"It'll just make the room smell more!" Matthew argued as he leaned further out of the window.
"Yeah, but it'll be good smelly!" Alfred grinned as he emptied the entire bottle generously around the room.
"Mon Dieu," Matthew muttered as he debated climbing out of the window before he had an asthma attack and died. Maybe he could climb onto some of the awnings? "Why are you so stupid?"
When they arrived at the party, Alfred was rudely reminded that Arthur had said 'ball' and not 'party' ...Sue him for thinking they were the same thing. Not that he had anything against balls, he was sure they were fancy and a vibe, but he got himself thinking they were going to some epic party and hyped himself up and now he was just disappointed.
Maybe he just missed the riots that happened in Chinatown.
"We should definitely check in on Yao and Kiku at some point, we just kinda dipped on them and they probably have no clue what we're even up to."
Matthew hummed in agreement.
Alfred wasn't entirely sure how balls worked, but he figured out pretty quickly that it had to be a social and status thing. From the way everyone held themselves to the sheer amount of reporters and paparazzi, it just reeked of fakeness and performance. Maybe he just dreamt the part where this was someone's birthday ball, because who would want a birthday party like this? Surely it had to be someone middle-aged and suffering from a severe case of Bri'ish... maybe missing some teeth because they were dissolved by tea...
Oh well, he'd just have to try and make the most of it. As his mother always said; 'If there's a will there's a way', and Alfred was always willing to have a good time. It was guaranteed that there would be a large banquet table on a large budget... And hey, it was another opportunity to embarrass Clarissa! He just knew that their eye-catching outfits would make them stand out. He couldn't wait to see everyone's reactions to their statement pieces.
Upon arrival, they were ushered inside by what Alfred had to assume were butlers or something. It made him feel a little bit anxious when the words were flying around him and he couldn't get an understanding of what was going on. He only had an urgency to get away because Glynnis was ahead of them! She had insisted Arthur and Clarissa take a separate car and left just before they did. So for the entire car ride, he was practically bouncing in his seat because shit, he needed to find Arthur and keep her away from him!
"We'll find him once we get inside," Matthew said, either reading his mind with his sneaky powers or he just happened to have the same anxieties. "It won't be that long, eh?"
Alfred was about to reply when some kind of bodyguard insisted they follow him. He bit his lip and tried not to show how annoyed he was at being disrupted from his goal.
"All guests have to be announced, as it is tradition," Lady Kirkland informed as she followed the man. "Once you get through this part, you'll have the evening to yourself."
There was no room to reply when they found themselves standing at the top of a grandiose staircase that descended into the ball... and overlooking a sea of reporters with large professional cameras pointed their way.
He calmed himself. At least he could see where Arthur was now, the man only being a couple of spaces ahead to be 'announced'.
"Lord Arthur Kirkland," came the booming voice of the butler on the top of the stairs, announcing their father.
Alfred watched as Arthur walked down gracefully, completely unbothered as the reporters rushed him. Alfred smirked as he thought about the fun he could have with the reporters...
"Miss Glynnis Payne, Miss Clarissa Payne..."
Alfred watched as Glynnis tried to hold her head high, but now that he knew that she wanted power, he could see through her desperate act of 'respect me.' It didn't go unnoticed how Clarissa fumbled with the reporters, unsure if she should pay attention to them and flaunt herself or brush past them because they were below her. She glanced unsurely at her mother for guidance but Glynnis didn't even notice her. It amused him for a moment, but then he remembered his brotherly duties. Without looking, he reached out behind him to grab Matthew's arm and kept him behind him. As per their usual arrangement of borderline codependency, Alfred was more than willing to steal the spotlight. It was a win-win really. Matthew could relax without having to worry about social demands and Alfred got to show off.
"Lady Alice Kirkland, Countess of Wycombe."
Lady Kirkland gave them a strong nod as she went ahead. Alfred should probably mention what she was wearing as it is very important to know. She looked like actual nobility, both in the way she held herself and the way her blue dress reminded him of Cinderella's. It was layered and poofy and a nice blue. Her hair, which was usually in twin tails that reminded him of Hatsune Miku, was now done in an elaborate hairstyle on the back of her head that resembled a rose, surrounded by a braid halo. It was very fancy.
But no doubt she'd done this hundreds of times before and this was only a minor obligation. Meanwhile, Alfred was on the opposite end of the spectrum and couldn't wait to prance down and announce himself. He was gonna be famous!
He wondered if Mum was keeping tabs from back home. He hoped so because she was so missing out. He'd have to find every article he could find with them in it and send it to her!
"There's so many people..." Matthew stated and Alfred hummed in response. "And cameras."
"I know right! Don't worry about it, I've got this," Alfred said eagerly, "It probably won't last long enough anyway."
"Don't embarrass us this time."
"Aw come on, you're always embarrassed by me anyway," Alfred teased.
"Mr Alfred and Matthew William-Jones of New York."
"That's us," Alfred cheered and covered Matthew behind him as he grabbed the railing. "This party is gonna be epic!"
From the moment he stepped on the first step down, flashes were snapping at them from every direction. He could see the moment Glynnis and Clarissa realised they were right behind them and realised what the twins were wearing weren't what was given to them.
"What have they done to those suits! Mother-!"
"Oh heavens-"
Glynnis' gloved hand shot to her neck, which rested a string of pearls for her to clutch. She looked like she would actually be sick.
Alfred just flashed them his signature Hollywood smile as Glynnis quickly ushered Clarissa to shut up. He withheld a burst of laughter from their expressions.
The suits were no longer dull and boring, but instead vibrant and quirky like that of a Jojo part 5 character. Alfred may or may not have pulled direct inspiration from that anime and got a little too carried away at making sure the suits looked worthy of a catwalk runway.
By Clarissa's standards, they'd look like total 'plonkers', if plonkers meant they were fashionable and stood out. Yeah, it didn't really match the fancy theme of the ball, but he thought their outfits were still party enough to be appropriate.
His attention was quickly snatched from the step imposters when they got further down the stairs and the reporters kept shouting questions at them.
"Who designed your suit?"
"Can you hold that step?"
"Can you look to this side?"
"How do you find England compared to New York?"
"That's stunning, look this way please-"
"Can we get your photograph-?"
He tried to comply with each demand while still being in control but he was finding it hard to navigate while keeping himself in the spotlight. He tried to smile at each reporter but another would yell for him and he was finding it hard to keep up.
Then the invasive questions began.
"Are you identical?"
"Are you full siblings? Do you share a mother?"
"Are you two trying to look different?"
"How did you discover your relation to Lord Kirkland?"
"Can you confirm an ancestry test for the public?"
"Excuse me," Arthur said sharply and stepped between the mob and his sons. "That will be all, thank you."
Alfred's smile had morphed into something he felt was much less sincere and kept it plastered on his face. He could only hope Matthew was alright behind him. Arthur linked his arms with the boys and pulled them off to the side.
"I'm awfully sorry about all that. You two are still something like a novelty to those vultures I'm afraid."
He pulled them to the corner of the room, behind the prying eyes of the crowd. Alfred watched in anticipation as Arthur noted their outfits, sweeping his gaze over with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you like it?" He struck a confident pose.
"Actually, I don't mind it. It's exciting. I know it doesn't fit the theme but bold doesn't necessarily mean bad."
"I don't think everyone thinks that way," Matthew muttered, his eyes roaming around for anyone who was looking at them.
"Well, ignore them," Arthur stated. "Now, would you like to meet the young women who are coming out?"
"Ohhhh, so this is a coming out party! I thought it was a birthday party! Wait, does that mean whoever it is only gets one party to celebrate? That must suck if this is how they celebrate their birthday."
"Yes, well, it's similar enough but I assure you they get many separate celebrations."
"Well that's good," Alfred said, relieved on behalf of strangers.
"I'm sure they're happy about it," Arthur said as he started walking and the twins followed. They weaved through many well-dressed people and went into an adjacent open room that was just as shiny and fancy as the last. But Alfred didn't care for the decorations, not when he noticed the birthday girls. He excitedly grabbed at Matthew's arm to convey his unspoken thoughts of 'holy shit.'
"Peach and Pear Orwood, the precious daughters of Lord Orwood," Arthur explained as they watched the twin daughters politely talk to another guest. The birthday pair didn't seem too thrilled to be there and their outfits made them look like French royalty that was about to be executed. Their dresses were so poofy that it was a wonder they could sit down at all.
But what really had Alfred and Matthew excited, was the fact that the birthday girls were identical twins! If you were a twin you'd understand, but seeing another pair just automatically caught your attention. Like seeing someone wearing a shirt from your favourite movie or TV show. It made them really want to befriend the girls just on the merit that they were in the 'twin' club.
"Have you noticed the chandelier?" Arthur said dryly, "Bloody hell, how could you not? It's very imposing. Don't stare at it for too long. It's the real love of his life. Lord Orwood would go on and on about how Napoleon gave it to Josephine at the battle of Borodino. The story is longer than the battle."
"The battle of Boring-dino," Alfred chuckled and Arthur gave him an amused huff in return.
"Here he comes now," Arthur cringed, "make yourself scarce."
Without needing to be told twice, Alfred grabbed Matthew and darted over to the other twins who were now sitting alone.
"Heya! I'm Alfred and he's Matthew, we're twins. You're Peach and Pear right?"
"Yes," they both said at the same time, with matching looks of curiosity that came from spotting another pair of twins in the wild.
"Pumpkin and Gourd would've been much more appropriate," came the snippy voice of Clarissa who appeared from behind them. Both boys bristled.
"What an odd thing to say," Matthew noted coldly, sending Clarissa a chilling side glance.
"Damn, do you actually want to get cancelled?" Alfred said in both shock and disgust. "It's getting harder and harder to feel bad for you."
"Whatever," Clarissa scoffed and turned to leave. "This party's a bore anyway."
"Yeesh," Alfred said, then lowered his voice and leaned in towards Matthew. "We need to talk about our plans to break them up. I know you want to do it and there's no way I want her as a step-sister if she doesn't get serious help ASAP."
"After the ball," Matthew promised.
"Sorry about her," Alfred chuckled. "Your names are kinda cute actually, with how they match and all. Ours don't really make sense like that."
"Makes us distinct?" Matthew offered.
"More like me distinct. Alfred's kinda a quirky name don'tcha think?" Alfred laughed.
"It's certainly unique," Pear agreed. "I like it."
"Our mother was obsessed with fruit," Peach explained.
"And vegetables," Pear added. "We have a sister called Parsnip... she doesn't get out much."
"Okay... Parsnip?" Alfred said. "Why doesn't she just get her name changed then? Or lie to everyone and give herself a new name?"
"Mother wouldn't like it," Peach shrugged.
"Yeah, but, Parsnip?" Alfred insisted.
"Maybe correlation doesn't mean causation?" Matthew shrugged. "She doesn't get out much because of other reasons?"
"Yeah, maybe, or because her name is Parsnip?" Alfred replied, then turned back to the ladies. "Do you guys have any other siblings?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Luckily," Alfred whispered.
"So how are you finding the Ball?" Pear asked.
"It's nice," Matthew said.
"Kinda reminds me of Cinderella," Alfred remarked. "Y'know, because of the fanciness and all."
"I'm glad you're enjoying it, our father would be happy," Pear stated.
"He did all of the planning," Peach added with a hint of resignation.
"Wait, so you didn't get a say in this at all?" Alfred asked in shock and the girls shook their heads.
"Really, it's more of an opportunity for him than us."
"I'm sorry," Matthew said.
"Yeah, that sucks. Don't you wanna enjoy your own party?"
"It's fine," Peach shrugged.
"No, it's not fine, we're gonna help you have the night of your lives!" Alfred cheered.
"How are you going to do that?" Matthew asked cautiously.
"Oh, I don't know. Give me a moment," Alfred said as he spun around and analysed his surroundings. "I mean, as long as we have each other we can have fun- Holy shit look it's Francis!"
Matthew shook off Alfred's arm which was shaking him excitedly and looked to where he was pointing. He blinked in surprise when he saw Francis on the podium, standing in front of the mic with his guitar in hand.
"What are the chances?" Matthew said absentmindedly. Seriously, what were the chances that the one friend, the one musician they'd met here somehow got employed to play at such a high-profile event, they happened to be at. Really, it was such an impossible coincidence.
"Francis is a friend of ours," Matthew explained to the birthday girls so he didn't feel rude for keeping them out of the loop.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Alfred grinned.
"I can guess what you're thinking," Matthew mused.
"Great, we've gotta get this party started so let's go!" Alfred grabbed onto his brother's forearm but halted when Matthew shook him off. "What?"
"Um, I don't think both of us need to go..."
"But Mattie! You could ask him to get his rock on in French!"
"I don't know how to say 'party crash in front of everyone' in French..."
"Oh, that's what this is about? Don't worry about any unwanted attention, I'll take the blame-!"
"-you always do-"
"-Besides, don't you wanna say bon-shore to Francis?"
"Never try to speak French again," Matthew demanded.
"I'll take that as a yes," Alfred smirked as grabbed his twin's arm, "let's-a-go!"
"We'll be right back ladies!" Alfred called out as he weaved through the crowd. "This is gonna be so epic."
"I hope," Matthew cringed at the possibility of failing.
"Mattie, stop being such a downer," Alfred said, convinced his words of wisdom would help. "Plus Francis is here! We're gonna have a great time."
Matthew wondered why Alfred always needed him by his side when his loud twin usually handled all the talking and so it was redundant Matthew was there at all. He sighed, resigning himself to the role of 'emotional support'.
Alfred grinned and wandered around to the back of the stage where Francis had just gotten off to take a break. Alfred snuck up behind him and announced himself just as Francis went to take a swig of his water.
"Francis! Hey, long time no see!" Alfred blurted, then chortled when Francis jolted and spilt water all over himself.
"Ah, American, what a pleasure," Francis glared as he wiped the water dribbling down his face. Alfred, distracted by his own laughter didn't see Francis' eyes narrowing a split second before returning the favour and splashing some water on him.
"Hey!" Alfred squawked as the rest of Francis' water drenched his front and the Frenchman laughed.
"You had that coming," Matthew snickered.
"A taste of 'is own medicine," Francis said smugly, "Now, we are even."
"Yeah yeah, you got me," Alfred said as he wiped his face with his sleeve then- "Shit, won't the paint come off?!"
"It shouldn't," Matthew quickly reassured.
"I should 'ope not, those outfits are magnificent, truly a fresh of breath air in this stuffy place," Francis declared.
"Ugh, tell me about it. You should've seen what they looked like before we jazzed 'em up."
"I can imagine," Francis said, his accent particularly thick when he punctuated his sentence with an 'ugh', much to Alfred's amusement. "So, you must tell me, for you to be 'ere you must 'ave found your father?"
"Yup! We sure did!" Alfred beamed.
"I am so 'appy for you! 'ow is it going?"
"He's Bri'ish," Alfred shrugged as an explanation. "He's all posh and stuff."
"He's pretty busy most of the time," Matthew added. "But we're staying at his house now so hopefully we'll get to hang out with him some more."
"Thank goodness you 'ave a place to stay! You left and never came back! And I 'ad no way to contact you. I tried calling the manor but that lady said you weren't there."
"Sorry-," Matthew hastily apologised as something came back to him. "Was it Clarissa who picked up?"
"Yes, she didn't sound very 'appy that I was asking around..."
"Yeah, um, we were there. She just doesn't like us very much so she lied."
"You didn't tell me that!" Alfred gasped.
"I didn't know it was relevant! I didn't know who was calling or who they were asking for."
"I am so gonna remember that," Alfred grumbled before cheering up. "But that doesn't matter, we were gonna come back for you French-y! I promise!" He took his phone out and handed it over. "But since you're here now, which congratulations by the way on the sick gig, we won't disappear on you again."
"I'd 'ope not," Francis smiled and handed the phone back, then gestured for Matthew. Matthew jolted before realising what Francis wanted and handed his phone over. Of course, he expected Alfred to share Francis' info, but Francis probably didn't know that.
"I will only text you in French," Francis remarked, "So you can practise my beautiful language."
"Oui," Matthew accepted.
"How good's that Mattie?" Alfred slapped his hand on his brother's shoulder, "You'll be like a native in no time."
"Maybe," Matthew shrugged. "I'm not that good."
"Yet," Francis specified.
"Yeah, yet," Alfred encouraged. "Anyway, Francis, how about we liven up this party? The kids our age could use a riot."
Francis pressed his lips together and, somehow knowing why Alfred was asking, glanced over at the Orwood twins.
"Poor girls, I do feel sorry for them. Only our age... children like them - when you 'ave a rich father, you often get put into a box that you cannot leave, a role you cannot step out of. If their father wasn't so strict I'm sure their social lives would be much more fulfilling."
"Yeah, so if we liven this up then they can actually have some fun. At least for a night."
"Well... I could get fired."
"You know you want to," Alfred teased.
"It would be nice to get back to what I usually play... but I could still get fired."
"Wimp."
"Alright, you convinced moi," Francis shook his head. "But I will blame you if I lose my... 'ow you say...? 'gig'?"
"Blaming him usually works for me," Matthew reassured. "He doesn't really understand consequences so he'll always take the fall."
"I am not surprised," Francis muttered as he stepped back onto the stage. "At the very least, this will be a memorable party for those girls. Tell them I said 'appy birthday~"
"Yeah will do! Thanks man, you rock!" Alfred turned heel and pulled Matthew with him. "This is gonna be epic."
"Not for all the... stuck up adults 'ere."
"It's fine, you can say 'stuffy rich Bri'ish people who have never actually had fun in their life'," Alfred laughed and located the fruit twins. "We're back! Did you miss us? Also, the musician over there says Happy birthday."
They could see Lord Orwood talking to some poor sucker about his chandelier and the twins could see the moment he realised Francis had... changed things up. They watched with amusement as the man practically ran to the stage and Francis pretended he couldn't hear him as he continued to play.
A few of the younger guests, the twins age and younger, didn't see a problem with the tempo change and immediately started a mosh pit. Albeit, a tame and light mosh pit, the area in front of the stage was beginning to look more and more like a dance floor/flash mob by the second.
"Now this is a party!" Alfred insisted as he felt the vibrations of the ginormous speakers in his bones.
"We've never been to something like this before," Pear said with wonder. "Is this what it's like to party in America?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Not everywhere," Matthew corrected. "Noise laws and not everyone has a house this big..."
"No way we'd be able to do this in Chinatown," Alfred laughed before something caught his eye. "What is she doing now?"
Matthew glanced to see Clarissa with her friends, standing suspiciously close as they threw glances towards the dance floor. They were talking about someone. It seemed that one of the boys had caught their interest, one that looked like a stereotypical snooty rich jock, and he was dancing with another woman.
Matthew had a theory, all he had to do was confirm it. Luckily they had some insiders here who knew all of these people even if Alfred and Matthew did not.
"Who's that?" Matthew leaned in towards the birthday twins and discreetly pointed.
"Who's who?" Alfred all but shouted over the music as he tried to look at where Matthew was pointing.
"That's... Armistead Stuart," Pear said, strained.
"Oh shit! That guy! I have to ask, but is that a normal name here?" Alfred blurted. "Like, that's just a strange goofy name, isn't it Mattie?"
"In North America, maybe," Matthew shrugged. "Anyway, um, what's your thoughts on him?"
Pear hesitated as she evaluated why she was being asked. "He's uh..."
"Hey! He's the dickhead that said the twin thing when we were on the catwalk! The whole 'if one gets hurt can the other feel it?' Ugh, what a fucking dumbass."
Oh, Matthew had been too busy not staring at the crowd as he fought his fight or flight on the catwalk to see who said that. Good thing no-shame Alfred was there and would stare directly at anyone who said dumb shit to or about them.
"He's said similar things to us! It really gets old when it's the only thing that comes out of his mouth when he sees us. I think it's the sole reason he fancies us," Peach said. "We don't like him. He's unpleasant and has no respect or manners. If we had it our way he wouldn't be invited tonight but our Father insisted that tonight was an opportunity for everyone."
"Appearances," Matthew said sympathetically.
"Exactly."
"Damn, that really sucks that your own coming-of-age party isn't even yours," Alfred scoffed before- "Hey!"
Both sets of twins whipped to see what Alfred was reacting to, just in time to see Armistead pinch the poor woman's thigh much to her obvious displeasure.
"That's literally assault," Alfred glowered as he shrugged off his suit jacket, ready to intervene. Matthew wasn't about to stop him and was ready to take the jacket from him. Hopefully, a big scene would be what stops this 'Armistead' from acting worse. Maybe even check himself.
But to his relief and satisfaction, the woman made a scene for herself. She pushed him off, said something that made his smug smile slip and stormed away.
"Damn, good for her." Alfred did his jacket back up. "Maybe Balls are entertaining after all."
"If only all women were as smart as her," Peach said. "He doesn't hide his true nature but some girls still think he's charming."
"They need to get their eyes checked," Matthew sighed. But then he remembered what Clarissa had said. She demanded they stay away from Armistead because they'd embarrass her... was she worried because he'd then begin to harass her... or something else.
"At least our step-cyst-er seems to be talking smack about him," Alfred said with contempt.
"Nope. She likes him," Matthew sighed.
"Are you serious? Is she stupid? I mean, she must be if- well, the way she went about making us look stupid at the dress show was kinda smart but then she revealed her hating hand too early so she's dumb as fuck."
Matthew watched as Clarissa's eyes never left Armistead and even though he really didn't like Clarissa, he hoped that she only liked Armistead for something superficial. Like maybe she liked the idea of him, or his status, or his money, or something that was understandable even if it was fake and for something to gain. Because he wouldn't wish Armistead on anyone.
He remembered what Lady Kirkland had said. Clarissa's mother and grandfather craved power and status... hopefully, she had just been influenced by her mother... after all, she was the same age as them.
Maybe that meant she could change...?
"Hellllloooo Mattie?" Alfred poked him and Matthew flinched.
"Eh?"
"Why are you staring at the step-cyst-er?"
"Are you going to keep calling her that?"
"Um, yeah? It's super clever and funny, right?"
"Sure. I'll talk to you later about it," Matthew put emphasis on the real intention being: that they will be scheming later.
"Good, because we need to conspire on how to break up Arthur with those parasites."
He was really saying the secret part out loud? Matthew just hummed. They would have to discuss a lot. Beginning with Matthew's sudden need to force Clarissa into a redemption arc. Because she was the same age as them and she didn't have a father either so with only her mother to look upon... and with her mother being foul it was no surprise she turned out the way she had.
Curse Matthew's emotional maturity and kind, understanding nature.
The rest of the night passed fairly quick because as the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun. Alfred and Matthew made two new friends since landing in the faraway land of the United Kingdom and insisted on adding the fruit twins on every digital platform they had, with promises to give them fashion tips because their DIY suits were apparently just that iconic. Pear casually suggested that they try their hand in the fashion world, considering they had quite the imaginative eye for it. Alfred shrugged and said he'd consider it, they were staying for the rest of the fashion season apparently so they might as well learn what they can.
Also, let it be noted that because Lord Orwood's historic chandelier was his most truly beloved possession, he had it maintenanced at least once a month according to his daughters. And so, when an extremely BAss BOOsted song came on, the chandelier did NOT fall from its hinges and shatter upon the dancefloor. Instead, it rattled like a piece of decorative china in a display-only cupboard and nearly gave Lord Orwood a heart attack. Even if it was fine, the guy didn't let anyone hear the end of it.
Alfred and Matthew weren't safe forever. One moment they were perfectly content chatting away with Peach and Pear, then got jumpscared when the girl's Father appeared out of nowhere and tried to complain to them as he roped them into a conversation.
"I am very sorry I only speak French, it is nice outside and not raining. I like the colour red. My brother is very loud and very tall and I come from Canada-" Matthew didn't care what he said as long as he kept talking and it worked. It was like a landslide coming out of his mouth without screening it through his brain and he wondered if this was what Alfred felt like when he was compelled to hear the sound of his own voice.
Alfred, certain he was visibly sweating, cast a begging look at his new friends as he just pulled his best confused look and also pretended he also couldn't speak English.
"Sorry Father, they don't know what you're saying," Pear said as Peach withheld a giggle.
Their Father grumbled but moved on without a fight or without questioning it.
"Oh, just when I thought I would have to save you," Arthur sighed and Alfred jumped. What was with Fathers and jumpscares? "Anyway, I was just about to inform you that we were leaving so he wouldn't bother you. But seeing as he's gone, there's no real reason for you to disappear. But I should tell you that I am leaving, it is getting rather late and I have an early start tomorrow. My mother and Glynnis are joining me. Because we took two cars you can leave whenever you wish, just have the driver take you home."
"Wait, what about Clarissa?" Alfred asked.
"She'll be travelling with one of her friends," Arthur half rolled his eyes like this wasn't surprising. "She's old enough to look after herself, I'm sure."
Alfred mentally fist-bumped at not having to be stuck in a car with the step-cyst-er.
"Alright, thank you Arthur," Matthew said politely. "Sleep well."
"I'll try. Goodnight... if I don't see you."
"This is what gap years are about!" Alfred whispered as they snuck through the halls at three in the morning. They may have got a little caught up in hanging out with their three new friends - having roped Francis into staying once his gig finished - and lost track of the time. Matthew made sure to apologise and thank their driver profusely.
"So much for adjusting to time zones," Matthew grumbled with no real bite.
"But it's soooo worth it."