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Post by Alfred Jones on Apr 23, 2015 2:08:26 GMT -5
This might be his background talking, but Alfred can't say he enjoys the dorms on campus. They're so cramped. Even his own room, a two-person suite, doesn't feel very big, y'know? The bedrooms are small, the bathroom even smaller (Alfred's not the tallest guy in the world but even he has to worry about bumping his head on the shower head, and he can't stretch out at all if he wants to soak instead), and even if he's not much of a chef, the American likes having something bigger than a kitchenette at his disposal. The living space isn't very big either. It's ten times worse in the regular dorm rooms, at least as far as Alfred's heard. He doesn't doubt that, though--there are a few vague memories of sharing a room, waaay back when his family unit was happy and still together, and it was difficult enough as kids. He couldn't imagine what it's like to share a narrow room with barely enough room for one person, let alone two.
But the blonde, like all freshman, wasn't allowed to live off-campus until his second year. Alfred can't wait for that time--he's already picked out a house to rent and everything! With his monthly allowance, keeping up with bills'll be a piece of cake. Really, all Alfred needs are roommates, since living off-campus by himself would be pretty lonely. He has to deal with awkward silences and loneliness at home, the blonde's not going to deal with that at school, too!
The hunt for room--well, technically they'd be housemates, right? Anyway, the hunt for housemates is why Alfred's wandering the dorms anyway. He knows Garrett's room is somewhere in this building, but for the life of him, the blonde can't remember which floor, let alone which room it is. He's a little jealous that his first baseman managed to share an apartment dorm-room, but the older teenager's a grade above him. He probably got to choose his own room. Still, with the brunette refusing to answer Alfred's texts, the boy decides it's easier to just glance over every door for those weird name-tag things the RAs put up.
By the time he's at the third floor, the blonde is completely frustrated. He didn't remember climbing that many stairs to get to Garrett's room. Yet here he is, barely capable of glancing at the pieces of paper on the door, let alone read every single one. However, he has to stop when a familiar name passes by his peripheral. "Matthew Williams", it reads. For a moment, Alfred can't figure out why that name strikes a cord. Like his own, it's relatively nondescript--fairly common. But it clicks. Matthew, his brother! "His last name's Williams now, ain't it?" he asked himself, a wide grin on his face. He hadn't known his brother went to school here as well! It's been over five years since he'd seen the older other blonde. The thought that this might not be his brother didn't even cross his mind upon recognition of that name. Hell, he didn't even bother to think that, even if it is his brother's room, Matthew might not be in there right now. Instead, Alfred lifts a hand to knock on the door, practically bouncing on his toes. Gosh, it's been too long!
Not even waiting for the door to open, Alfred calls out, "Mattie? Mattie, are ya in there, bro?"
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Post by Matthew Williams on Jun 8, 2015 12:56:52 GMT -5
With his roommate having stepped out to find some finishing touches for their shared apartment space, Matthew had taken it upon himself to bake some chocolate chip cookies for him and the Pole to enjoy at their leisure this week. Truthfully, he could see their kitchenette becoming somewhat of a hot spot for him should Feliks be alright with that: He enjoyed cooking meals and baking sweets, and the space was comforting because it reminded him of times past when he and his brother would help their mother in the kitchen if only to get their hands on leftover cookie dough or icing. He also remembered that no surface in the vicinity had been safe when helping had involved working with flour back then, and that despite being the less rambunctious child, he had sometimes adopted his brother's enthusiasm and contributed to mess and chaos to get the younger's approval and half-amused smiles from their mother after exasperated sighs. Having developed an affinity for orderliness during the years since that carefree time, he was sure Feliks wouldn’t mind him dabbling in the kitchen every now and then if the countertops were wiped down, the dishes were washed soon after their use, and some kitchen endeavors resulted in cookies, but… he would still ask. Just in case.
Matthew was actually in the middle of placing the last of the freshly baked cookies he’d made on racks to cool when he heard a few knocks at the door to the apartment. At first the bespectacled blond thought it might be his roommate, back from shopping and with arms too full to use his key, but then he heard someone calling him bro through the door and was confused for a whole two seconds.
That wouldn’t be Feliks calling him that. The only person who ever called him that, the only person who had a right to call him that… was Alfred, his twin.
“Hold on, I’ll be right there…!” Matthew called, hastily throwing the few remaining cookies on the racks before moving to answer the door. He was hoping it would be his brother because they hadn't seen each other in years, but there was definitely hesitance in his thoughts as well as he walked the short distance. What if it wouldn’t be his brother on the other side of the door, but someone who got a hold of his nickname, called everyone bro, and sounded like how he remembered his twin sounding? He knew that was unlikely to be the case, but his brother coming to visit all of a sudden was also improbable: Having found time to tell the other his plans to apply to veterinary programs after a year of general study elsewhere but not had the chance to update him on how that'd panned out and where he would be this year, how could he have known to come to this campus?
With no more time to fret as his feet had whisked him right up to the door in the meantime, he opened the door partially braced for disappointment and partially daring to hope regardless... and was pleasantly surprised. In front of him stood his twin, taller than he remembered because a handful of teenage years will tend to do that, but still sporting a stubborn cowlick like his own and still displaying a tendency to practically bounce when excited, evidently. "Al....? How... What are you doing here?" Realizing after that'd left his lips that he'd rather rudely skipped greeting the other, he backpedaled. "Sorry, that was rude of me. It's not that I'm not glad to see you, it's just been a long time no see and all, eh? I'm just surprised to see you here," he elaborated, not wanting Alfred to mistake his surprise and confusion for not being happy to see him. "But um... you can come in and we can catch up over cookies if you want and have the time."
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jul 22, 2015 22:28:40 GMT -5
It takes a few moments before Alfred gets a response, and they seem to stretch out much longer than they should. Were Alfred someone to doubt or worry, he might be doing so now. However, Alfred is not, and all he can do is rock impatiently in front of the door and wait for an answer. To be honest, even Alfred is reeling at the strength of a coincidence like this. Last Alfred has heard, Matthew was taking classes at a completely different university. He must've transfered since then. What a surprise that he goes to the same school as his brother. Alfred hadn't chosen this school for any particular reason, after all; he could afford just about any school in the country and his grades are more than enough for acceptance to most. (Not even Alfred is prideful enough to say he could get into literally any school in the country) To think the good feeling he felt upon first visiting would end with Alfred and his twin going to school together is nothing short of amazing!
For he gets confirmation on his brother's presence when a faint call resonates through the door. "Hold on, I'll be right there...!" Alfred recognizes that voice easily, even with the door muffling the other to a certain degree. Excitement thrums through him as the fact he's seeing his brother again really and truly starts to sink in. Matthew takes his sweet time opening the door, and it's all the blonde can do to keep from just barging in and making himself right at home.
"Al...? How... What are you doing here?" Are the first words out of his brother's mouth when that stupid door finally swings open, and the excited grin on Alfred's face shrinks a little. He's heard that plenty of times in the past, from their parents of all people, but to hear it from his own brother is a bit more disheartening than he'd expected. However, Matthew seems to realize the blatant shift of emotion on his face and continues on, almost in a rush, before Alfred can butt in and speak himself. "Sorry, that was rude of me. It's not that I'm not glad to see you, it's just been a long time no see and all, eh? I'm just surprised to see you here."
The older blonde still looks a bit unsure, and Alfred isn't quite sure how to feel about that. He's not bouncing on his toes anymore, but y'know what? Alfred isn't the kind of guy to be awkward and shy! He knows that he's the outgoing one between the two of them, always has been. So Matthew's just letting his introvertedness get in the way of being super-excited to see his brother! With this settled, his bright grin is still genuine as he finally gets that invitation to come in-- wait what? "--we can catch up over cookies--"
"Dude, you've got cookies??" The younger twin butts in, blue eyes wide as he more-or-less barges into the room, grin only growing. "Like, why didn't ya say so?" So that is the source of the awesome smell wafting into the hallway! How did Alfred not recognize it? "And man like, don't even worry about it! I wasn't planning on stopping by--I didn't even know you were here!" Hopefully that doesn't make his brother feel like Alfred was stalking him or something, y'know? As he continues to talk, not really giving a proper greeting because hello cookies--holy shit are those snickerdoodles?!--he's quick to examine the treats on the counters for the best ones. "I was lookin' for my buddy Garret--he lives in this dorm, y'know?" the teenager elaborates. "But I can't remember what room so I was just lookin' 'round and saw your name on the door and was like 'whoa! I gotta see if it's him!'" Alfred grins over at his brother, a bit proud of his achievement. "And here ya are! C'mere, man, it's been years!" With that said, he opens his cookie-laden arms up for a biiig ol' hug--but he doesn't just trap Matthew in it. He remembers being kids and earning elbows in the ribs for hugging his brother when he didn't want one (and doing the same to Matthew in the reverse situation).
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Post by Matthew Williams on Apr 23, 2016 14:30:39 GMT -5
Thankfully Matthew had had the mind to step back out of the doorway shortly after the word "cookies" left his lips. He'd remembered how enthusiastic his brother used to get over the smallest of things (granted baked goods were usually guaranteed to lift his spirits, if he remembered correctly) the moment Al's face started lighting up with excitement, and he'd gotten the feeling it'd be wise to move lest he be unintentionally barreled over. Turns out that'd been a wise move, but he could hardly fault his twin for his energetic nature. It was actually pretty nostalgic & comforting seeing him acting in such a familiar way, so much so that when his younger brother did barge in and began scanning the cookie racks for the best ones mid-explanation for his being there, Matthew couldn't help the small smile and soft laughter that brought to his lips.
"I'm surprised you didn't mention the smell before I told you about them honestly," he joked, amused, "but... I'm even more amazed that you stumbled across my room without even meaning to, while visiting a friend here. I mean, what are the odds, eh?"
That they'd been reunited completely by chance just had him smiling all the wider. Despite having come off hesitant, he'd missed his twin these past few years he'd spent away in Canada with their mother, and was glad to see him again. He'd just been surprised and slow to have the reality of this reunion sink in as a result, but he could feel his hesitancy giving way the longer he was in his brother's presence.
"It's been too long, Al," he replied, moving into those arms being held wide open for him with a smile of his own, to return the hug. "Sorry for being kind of slow on the enthusiasm before. You just caught me off guard, and I still can't quite believe our luck running into each other like this, but it's great seeing you again." He gives him a reassuring squeeze, not wanting him to think that what was in hindsight probably a mediocre reception reflected his feelings about seeing him again at all.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jun 28, 2016 22:50:36 GMT -5
Alfred has to resist the urge to scrunch his nose up at Matthew's attempts at a joke; he's embarrassed enough as it is for not realizing that his brother's room was the source of the scent of delicious baked goods in the first place, without his brother pointing the fact out to him. However, Alfred knows Matthew's words are all in good fun, and honestly, he has enough cookies in hand to appease his "wounded" pride. Matthew doesn't give him enough time to really huff and puff over his words, anyway, because he poses a question that has Alfred laughing. "Like, I bet I could actually calculate up the odds, but I'd need to know like...a lot of statistics I don't think anybody's actually registered before, sooooo--" Alfred shrugs, arms still outstretched and waiting for that hug-- I think it's safe to say it's crazy unlikely! Because like, there's waaay too many colleges and most of 'em all have at least some dorm buildings, so trying to find out how many dorm rooms there actually are in the world would be like, almost impossible. But if I knew that and how many "Matthew Williams"s there are in the world and how many of them would be college students--"Thankfully for probably the both of them, Matthew cuts through Alfred's rambles with ease. "It's been too long, Al," he says, the fondness in his words cutting right through to Alfred's squishy feels center. His grin softens into an almost sappy smile, and rather than squeezing his brother in a massive bear-hug as initially planned, Alfred just hugs Matthew close. (Of course, he's careful to twist his hands away to keep from smashing his cookies against his brother's back. Neither of them would like those cookies ruined like that). Alfred happily relaxes when Matthew hugs back, staying quiet so he can better hear his brother. Even after all these years, Matthew's voice was still so quiet. "Sorry for being slow on the enthusiasm before. You just caught me off guard, and I still can't quite believe our luck, running into each other like this, but it's great seeing you again."With a laugh, Alfred awkwardly pats Matthew's back with his wrist rather than his cookie-laden hand. "I'm totally glad it was actually you, bro!" He says with a grin, finally pulling away to properly cradle his collection of sweets close to his chest. Because like, it would've been super weird if I just hugged some other dude thinkin' it was you, y'know? But seriously, man, I can't believe I didn't know you went to school here! I know we ain't talked like...at all the past few years--" and a small stab of guilt hits him when he realizes he hasn't spoken to Matthew since middle school-- "but I can't believe Dad didn't tell me you went to school here when I enrolled." With a huff, Alfred finally wanders over to plop down in the closest seat, stuffing half a cookie in his mouth. He at least waits until he's chewed and swallowed most of it before he speaks up again. "Like, what're you studyin'? I know you were super inta hockey when we were kids, and you were all excited to try joinin' your school team when we hit high school? So are ya plannin' on trying to go national? Dontcha still gotta get a degree if you're gonna finish school?"
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Post by Matthew Williams on Oct 16, 2016 21:34:18 GMT -5
Matthew couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt as well when reminded of how long they’d gone without keeping in touch, & it showed in the way his shoulders curled inward slightly as he gripped his other arm and looked down, ashamed. “To be honest, I’m not sure if dad knows much about my educational pursuits… but I really should have kept in touch and told you about enrolling here & everything else I’ve been up to. Sorry for dropping the ball with that.” Sure, they’d both probably needed some time to adjust to life apart after the divorce split their family in two, but that didn’t excuse not communicating with each other for years when no animosity existed between them. Feeling awkward having found no good explanation for having been so silent with his brother, Matthew was thankful Alfred was also full of questions about less guilt-inducing things. It allowed him to relax his posture a bit. “Nationals? Nah. I’m good, but I’m probably a little out of practice for that.” Not that he wanted his brother to know, but being separated from him & relocating to another country had actually made him lose interest in hockey and other things he enjoyed for a while. “This university has a team though that I’m tempted to try out for. I just need to make sure I can handle taking up a sport on top of maintaining good grades; Veterinary Medicine is a competitive program to get into so I need to do well in its prerequisite courses. What about you though? Are you here to study anything specific, or are you taking a bit of everything at first to get a feel for what you might like?” He felt like the latter was more Al’s style, but maybe his brother had an area of study in mind already, like himself.
Word Count: 311 Alfred Jones Sorry about the shortness.
I'm still trying to revive a dormant Mattie!muse, orz. |
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Post by Alfred Jones on Mar 12, 2017 17:40:12 GMT -5
Alfred frowns slightly when Matthew speaks up, all curled in on himself and gaze turned away. "To be honest, I’m not sure if dad knows much about my educational pursuits… but I really should have kept in touch and told you about enrolling here and everything else I’ve been up to." His voice drops even quieter, which makes Alfred's heart twist uncomfortably in guilt. "Sorry for dropping the ball with that.""Nah, bro, it's just as much on you as it is with me, y'know? I'm... just as much t'blame about not keeping in contact as you are, Mattie." Alfred replies consolingly, lowering his cookie-laden hands into his lap. "But...yeah, Dad probably doesn't know you're here. You're right on that." Alfred does his best to keep his bitterness out of him, because it's not important. They're here now, and that's what matters most. Especially when Matthew finally relaxes after Alfred asks about hockey--just like Alfred hoped he would. "This university has a team though that I’m tempted to try out for. I just need to make sure I can handle taking up a sport on top of maintaining good grades; Veterinary Medicine is a competitive program to get into so I need to do well in its prerequisite courses." Alfred's honestly surprised by that--he knows Matthew's always liked animals, but he had no idea about Matthew's plans to be a veterinarian. But now that Alfred thinks about it...He can see Matthew doing something like that. Crisp white coat and kind smile as he picks up some poor kid's bunny to look it over, laughing when it kicks the air a moment before calming down. Yeah, Alfred could see Matthew being a vet, for sure. Alfred nods along, deciding it's time for another treat. When Matthew turns the questions back on him, instead, Alfred blinks in surprise, half a cookie shoved in his mouth. "What about you though?" Matthew asks, looking legitimately curious. "Are you here to study anything specific, or are you taking a bit of everything at first to get a feel for what you might like?"Alfred reluctantly breaks the cookie in half rather than stuff the full thing in his mouth. Then he lifts one hand to cover his mouth, chewing quickly and emphatically. "Mmmnph," he huffs in reply, finger lifted in a universal "one moment". A few long, super-stretched moments later, Alfred finally swallows, a bit roughly. "Y-Yeah, uh--" He coughs, making a face. "Sorry, bro, I just ate too quick. A-Anyway!" He laughs, brushing crumbs off his face. "I took a...crap, what're they called? Leap years? Gap...years? I don't know--" Alfred shakes his head dismissively, getting back on topic-- " I'm just a freshie, yeah? I tried to take a year to figure out what I wanted, but it didn't really work out." After a moment, Alfred shrugs, chuckling as he twists his cookie in his fingers. "So I figured it'd help if I tried college, instead, yeah? Taking classes t'see what really...leaps out, so I can figure out what I wanna do. I can't expect Dad and Charlotte t'support me my whole life--I don't want them to. That sounds super crappy." Alfred finally takes another bite of his cookie. "But like, I'm not real sure what t'do. Bit more scatterbrained than you, Mr. Vet! Like, what made ya decide that's what ya wanted t'do?"
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Post by Matthew Williams on Jul 2, 2017 19:23:07 GMT -5
Matthew nodded his understanding when his brother signalled 'one moment' to him, knowing his mouth was too preoccupied with the bit of cookie he'd shoved in there to answer right away. When Alfred did reply, explaining that he wasn't sure what he would end up studying but that he was going to take different subjects to see what would stand out for him, he nodded approvingly. "That's a smart way to go about it. You'll get a better sense of what you might like and be suited for, and what you'd rather not specialize in long term, by spending your first year taking different kinds of intro courses. I’m sure something will stick out to you eventually—you just need to make sure it’s something that gets you fired up. That way, you’ll be sure to excel in it,” he advised with confidence, knowing his brother to be quite the unstoppable force if he was psyched as well as determined to succeed at something. Grabbing a cookie for himself in the name of solidarity so that Alfred wouldn’t be the only one eating, Matthew moved to take a seat on the couch too. He’d just taken a bite when his brother had asked about his decision to try to become a vet, causing him to swallow quickly in order to manage a chuckle. He blushed a bit as well, embarrassed. "I'm hardly Mr. Vet... I've just always liked animals and I want to help them lead long and healthy lives if I can. Vet school is really competitive to get into though..." he added, unable to help sounding a little discouraged. His grades had never been an issue, but with the limited number of students the program granted interviews to & accepted each year... he was admittedly a bit worried since he’d already been denied acceptance once. "I didn’t get in this year, granted not many students get accepted one year in apparently. From what I’ve heard around campus, most times people only get in when they reapply after their 2nd or 3rd year, so I really shouldn’t be discouraged,” he shared, partly to let Alfred know the situation & partly to remind himself that most students that had got in had been in the same boat as him. He was on the right track just keeping his grades up & not losing heart to apply again.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Mar 14, 2018 21:29:17 GMT -5
Alfred nods along to Matthew's words, trying (and probably failing) not to preen too much at the obvious approval in his brother's voice. After all, Alfred literally picked his classes for his first semester via shooting Nerf darts at his screen, even if it'd been one for each field he was allowed to take classes for that hadn't sounded horrendous. Still, Alfred smiles at his brother, settling further into the surprisingly comfortable couch. "I haven't really...found anything that screams 'future field of study', but I don't hate any of my classes too bad?" Alfred says with a shrug of one shoulder. "I mean, Literature's a bit of a snooze, but I probably should've picked something more interesting than poetry, right?" He laughs, because despite his skills with music Alfred's learned he can't read the rhythm of a poem for absolute shit. There's too many stupid rules involved--and it's all so subjective! Physics makes so much more sense. It's hard to resist the urge to prop his feet up on the nearby end table, though. Alfred would gladly do so were he back home--he knows where his feet have been, and he cleans...semi regularly. But Alfred doesn't know Matthew's habits at all, and considering there's a plate of cookies sitting right there, Alfred is sure his brother would scold him. Especially since his shoes are still on. Matthew's embarrassment, though, makes Alfred's smile stretch to a grin. At least until Matthew's voice drops slightly--not for lack of enthusiasm, but rather discouraged, instead. "I didn’t get in this year, granted not many students get accepted one year in apparently. From what I’ve heard around campus, most times people only get in when they reapply after their 2nd or 3rd year, so I really shouldn’t be discouraged,” Matthew says, and the words sound like he's taking Alfred into confidence. Like Matthew needs to talk about this to someone, and found comfort in confiding with his brother. Alfred is happy that even after all these years apart, Matthew feels comfortable talking about things that worry him. "Hey, if people say it's normal to be accepted as a second or third year--hell, even if you like, don't get accepted until your last year, or even after you graduate, it's not a big deal!" Alfred is quick to reassure, leaning forward to grab Matthew's knee and shake it a little. "I mean, even though I took a year off, I still got accepted here, with scholarships! I didn't think that'd happen, y'know? I figured I'd have to ask Dad and Charlotte to foot the whole bill 'til I could pay 'em back, but they're only paying for half! Plus, I got like...no idea what I wanna do, so you're way ahead of me!" Despite his words, Alfred's tone is bright. "'Sides, like, lots of famous people didn't get their starts until like, waaaay later in life, Mattie-boy!" He grins. "Like Harrison Ford was a carpenter for years before he got into acting--I think he was like almost 40! Plus Oprah got fired from lots of jobs and now she's super rich and super influential! There's lots of other people like that too but I can't remember shit 'cuz you caught me all way off-guard.
"But what matters is even if it takes a lil longer, if you keep working hard and showing your passion, I bet you'll get in just fine! Any bro of mine is like, crazy smart and awesomely personable, you'll ace your applications for sure next semester! And even if ya don't, you got the year after that, and the year after that--and as long as you want, dude."Gosh, it's almost...odd, to be trying to cheer his brother up again. Alfred almost feels ten years younger, if not more, trying to reassure his brother back in elementary. Back before their dad turned into a giant asshole with a ice queen for a second wife. Alfred never hears these kinds of pep-talks back home, especially not from his older step-brother, so maybe he lays it on a bit thick. But this is Matthew, and Alfred wouldn't dare try to ruin his surprise second chance at bonding with Matthew.
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