Work Text:
December 23rd, 202X
“Thanks again for bringing me over here Carlos, you really didn’t have to.”
Matthew said as he gathered his things from Carlos’s trunk and looked into his chestnut eyes that popped against the white snow of the suburbs.
“It’s honestly no big deal,”
He said rubbing the back of his neck with the matching mittens Matthew’s mother had made for him and Matthew.
“I’d do it anytime…”
He muttered as a rosey blush found its home on Carlos’s cheeks as he looked down at his boots. A similar expression met Matthews face this time the blond looked at his hands.
“Well if you want to beat all the traffic you should probably get going eh?”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll come by a few days after New Years so we can head back to campus, ok?”
“Ok, see you then!”
After an awkwardly confusing farewell, Carlos made his drive even more south to see his family and Matthew knocked on the door. After waiting what felt like years and hearing the muffled yells of his parents and siblings, he finally heard the locks turn.
A young woman with curly brown hair down to her chest and tanned skinned opened the door and quickly wrapped herself around Matthew.
“Érable it’s been forever!”
“Ugh Michelle I told you to stop calling me that.”
He said as he put his bags down to get a better look at his younger sister, he stepped inside the house, the one he grew up in, and stood in the foyer taking in a deep sigh of relief, it was nice to be home.
“Mama! Dad! I’m home!”
It was just like clockwork, his mother excitedly rushed in and flooded Matthew with affection shortly followed by his father asking if there were any ladies that he fancied on campus.
“Oh, mon beau garçon est là !”
“Oh for Christ’s sake Marianne, he’s nearly 22 let the lad breathe!”
“Non! I will not Arthur! I only get to see him 3 times a year now because you convinced him to go to school across the country!”
“Bollocks, I didn’t convince him to do anything, but I won’t stop him from being like his father and going to a proper school!”
Marianne scoffed and turned to her husband as they started to bicker for bickering sake, thankfully for Matthew, this was the perfect opportunity for him to slip away and find Alfred.
Matthew grabbed his bags and relocated them to the sitting room before quickly running up the stairs to Alfred’s old bedroom.
He leaned against the door frame and peered in, he found Alfred strumming a chord repeatedly on an old acoustic guitar, the guitar was super out of tune but the sounds it made were still beautiful.
“Y’know Mattie,”
Alfred barely started and his sentence and Matthew had already jumped out of his skin.
“I was gonna say if you take a picture it’ll last longer but I think you being scared was much funnier.”
“Shut up Alf.”
Matthew said bitterly, as he entered the room and plopped down next to his big brother in a bean bag chair.
Alfred sighed and placed the guitar on the opposite side of himself and turned to Matthew in the other bean bag chair.
“So how’s school up in Braumsville Matt?”
“As cold and depressing as ever.”
“That sounds about right.”
Alfred said as he chuckled and reached for the six pack of beer on the floor and handed one to Matthew. Matthew sipped the beer and relaxed further into the bean bag chair, it was kind of ironic that they were drinking beer in the same bedroom the used to argue about Pokémon in a few years back, but who cares.
“How’s whatshisface doing?”
“Whatshis-? Oh Carlos?”
“Yeah how’s he.”
“Uh he’s alright, he’s driving down to Ellis to see his parents, why do you ask?”
“Nah no reason,”
There was a beat of silence, Matthew stared at his shoes and sipped his beer while Alfred fiddled with the bottle cap. As Alfred let the cap weave through his fingers he looked at Matthew with a glimmer of sadness, tears clouding his eyes.
“Woah, Al are you ok?”
Alfred wiped his eyes and placed a hand on Matthews shoulder,
“Mattie…I love you so much bro…nothing you could ever tell me would change anything about how I feel about you little bro…”
Alfred wrapped his arms around Matthew encapsulating him in a bear hug.
“I- um- thank you Alfred…?”
Alfred let go and held Matthew by his shoulders.
“Of course little bro…”
Matthew freed himself and took a sip of his beer while pulling his phone from his pocket and checking it.
TWO NEW MESSAGES FROM: Carlos :)
Matthew smiled as he looked down at his phone, he tapped on the notifications and read them.
“theres so much traffic over here it’s annoying me”
Read the first message,
“im so bored too omg it’s nothing but hills and snow here ”
Read the one immediately after it, Matthew was about to respond but his father soon walked in.
“Right lads, dinner is downstairs.”
“Finally I was STARVING.”
Alfred said as he and Matthew stood, meeting their father at the doorway.
“You had 8 biscuits with your tea, I doubt you’re starving.”
Arthur said as he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned his back on the doorframe.
“C’mon dad, you know he can eat enough to feed an army!”
Matthew said as he poked his older brother stomach, in all fairness though, Alfred had gotten a little extra padding after finishing school and starting that scribe job at the hospital.
“Real mature Mattie, you look like you would fly away at a big gust of wind.”
Alfred grunted back as he flicked Matthews forehead, the two would’ve bickered about who was stronger and healthier the whole night had it not been for Arthur.
“If you two don’t stop with the bickering this second you can both spend Christmas Eve cleaning the house. Does the sound nice?”
“No…”
Said the two boys, who were both significantly taller than their father but still scared to death of him.
“Then I’d suggest you stop it with the arguing, now come on supper is getting cold.”
“Yes sir…”
And so, the three men walked down the stairs to the dining room and sat. Arthur and Marianne sat on the left side of the table while Alfred, Michelle, and Matthew sat on the other side.
Dinner was pretty typical, Alfred talked about how hard med school was and all the crazy stuff that happened at the ER, Michelle went on her millionth tangent about her evil aquatic science professor, and Matthew rambled on and on about how terribly his thesis on the human brain was going, but it seemed something else was plaguing his mothers mind so it wasn’t surprising when she finished her third glass of pinot grigio and she finally ripped the bandaid off.
“So how’s your boyfriend mon petit?”
“My who?!”
“Your…boyfriend…? Carlos?”
“Mama! He is NOT my boyfriend.”
“Oh, my mistake mon amours, do you perfer to call him your partner or-“
“My FRIEND mama.”
“Right…whatever you say.”
Matthews face was beat red, I mean come ON. Him? And Carlos? Never, not even in a MILLION years would he think of that! He lifted his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. It was only a matter of time before his siblings questions rolled in.
“Érable, I didn’t know you Carlos were dating!”
“Because we’re not Michelle.”
“Dude Mattie you could’ve told us!”
“I didn’t tell you because he’s not my boyfriend Alfred.”
“Do you guys live together?”
“Is he treating you right?”
“Show me a picture of you guys!! Pleaseee Mattie!!!”
“Oh my goodness I’m in hell.”
Matthew muttered as he rested his jaw on his palms and wiped his face.
Matthew looked past his siblings and mother’s barrage of questions and looked at his father. Arthur stared at his plate with a blank expression, his eyes were fixed on the painted lining of the glass plate as he picked at his vegetables meekly. It was almost as if he could feel Matthews gaze because on him because Arthur soon picked his head up and look at his son, Matthew felt a wave of guilt rush over him as he saw his father’s expression.
“M-may I be excused?”
Matthew said timidly as he lowered his head to avert his gaze away from his father,
“You may.”
Arthur responded simply. A thick tension laid over the dinner table as Matthew left, Alfred and Michelle’s chattering slowed and soon all you could hear was the scraping of silverware against plates.