YOU AMERICANS ALL LOOK THE SAME TO ME

[das_vedanya]

WHO: Ivan, Matthew, and Alfred.
WHEN: Monday November 2nd, Late Afternoon
WHERE: Starts at LU, Ends up at Matt and Al's Apartment
WHAT: WELL, TO BE FAIR, YOU TWO HAVE THE SAME SHAPED ASS LOOK THE SAME FROM THE BACK.
RATING: A for "ALFRED DON'T KILL ME" 'AWKWARD.'

Comments

[mounties_rock]

As his math class came to an end, Matthew put his things in his bag as forcefully as he could while still not looking like he was shoving them forcefully. In other words, not very forcefully at all. This often happened when Mathew was frustrated. He wanted to work out his aggression at not understanding what was going on in his math class while at the same time not appearing to be frustrated at not getting what was going on in his math class. This usually ended with him not working out his aggression at all and burying it deep within his soul where it festered waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Generally this was at Al for doing something dumb.

Basically, Matthew was annoyed. Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder he left that home of math, the despicable classroom behind, but his confusion stayed with him. Just thinking the words "congruence class" set brows furrowing. He exited the building with a sigh trying to get rid of the annoyed feeling until he could at least get home and take them out on Al, and it seemed to some what do the trick.

Stepping into the cold air he shivered and rubbed his arm through his sweatshirt. Reprimanding himself for not bringing a jacket to wear over his usual hoodie did not improve his mood.

[ooc: Sorry this took so long, i shouldn't be as busy this week ._.']

ASDFGHJKL; so many typos.

[das_vedanya]

He only caught ear of sections of conversations from the college students. Pieces of planned parties for the weekend, tossed ideas for dinner meals, and meet ups at Starbucks. The crowds dissolved onto busses and into underground tunnels for the subway.

Ivan knew Liberty University campus like the back of his hand; the arts and sciences division was his forte, but he remembered a time when he took math classes in Buckingham Hall. He paused, skimming over the faces until eyes met the familiar combination of blonde hair, glasses, and decrepit university hoodie. He canted his hips, pushing off of the lamppost to navigate through the mottled crowd, but when the crowd permeated Ivan like a swift current, he noticed that the American had somehow eluded capture by blending in with his classmates. The Russian spun on his heel, “Alfred, Al-hey…!” a quick skip inserted into his pace to catch up with the relentless speed of the younger man.

He finally mired Alfred a few meters away from the crosswalk. A gloved hand snatched at the shoulder strap of the backpack and gave a firm yank in attempt to hinder balance just enough to deaden their game of cat and mouse. The hand not invested in keeping backpack hostage snaked around the American’s waist and drew him closer. “Playing hard to get on purpose?” His voice dropped both in octave and volume to something that could be considered provocative and suggestive. He sniggered inaudibly against the ear closest to his lips, and starting getting more and more aware of the petrified state of Alfred F. Jones. “Alfred?”

Oh, I'm sorry! I must have missed them...

[mounties_rock]

Oh god, what was going on?! Who was this.. stranger touching him! He froze in panic as the tall man drew him towards him, recoiling as he laughed in his ear. A-Alfred? He, he thought he was Al? But why would this man know Alfred?! Whats more, what kind of person would act this way towards his brother?! Matt was frightened and very very confused.

Looking up at the person (Yes up, this man whoever he was, was very tall and... big though whether it was from fat or muscle Matthew couldn't say) he managed to squeak out a protest.

"I-I- I'm not Alfred!!" he said still unable to move.

Good. That was just part of my elaboate plan.

[das_vedanya]

He didn’t jump back at first, actually; he couldn’t count the amount of seconds it took for his brain to reconnect with the muscles in his feet and legs, but once he did, he could fully discern the Non-Alfred stature of his poor victim. They had the same face - it was an innocent mistake - but their eyes burnished different shades of sapphire. The frames of Alfred’s glasses were thicker, less oval-shaped as the doppelganger’s were. His hair was longer.

Hands sprung dejectedly behind his back when it suddenly struck him -

“Ma-Matthew?” How could he forget that Alfred had a younger brother? He spoke of him often… siblings often became a common subject during their afternoon conversations. The hand not twirling the loose fabric of his beige coat around the small of his back carded through silver blonde hair nervously, resisting the urge to rip a few strands out as punishment for his inanity.

“I-I’m sorry, I jus-ah, I thought you were… someone… else…”

[mounties_rock]

"Yeah. It happens all the time." said Matthew at reflex. After all, people did confuse him and Alfred quite often, but wait, why was that the case here? How did this man even know Alfred? He was, most likely, a friend of Al's. But what kind of friend would pull him so close and, that's when Matt realized what the stranger had said to him when he still thought he was his brother.

Playing hard to get on purpose?

Oh god. Oh god. "Oh god." Matt exclaimed aloud.

"You..." he said pointing at the man, "Him...?" he said pointing to the left (not in the direction of his brother, but really who was he to bother with specifics after such a startling revelation)

"I mean..." Matthew was flustered with what this could mean. What did this mean? Why would Alfred hide something like this from him?

"I... I have to go." said Matt in a tone of mild surprise. He turned to go, not really aware of what was going on around him.

[das_vedanya]

Ivan’s face turned such a shade of red that it would turn the Soviet Flag gray in comparison. In a knee-jerk impulse he caught the fabric about Matthew’s elbow and held him in place before he could get more than a meter away. Alfred probably had as good as an excuse as he when it came to keeping this clandestine from siblings…

…and Ivan just ruined it.

“M-Matthew, I-…” he cleared his throat - regardless of the unnecessary need for it - and tugged a little on the blonde’s elbow before dropping his arm like a deadweight against his side. Why, oh why were his therapeutic abilities failing him now? “-I-I’m sure your brother has a good reason for n-not telling you.

[mounties_rock]

Well actually, knowing him it's probably a dumb reason. thought Matthew. I mean sure Matt was surprised to learn this and curious about why his brother felt the need to hide it from him. Sure it made him question what his brother actually thought of him, that he could so easily write off Matthew and keep him as uninformed as any stranger walking on the street. To say that Matthew felt jilted would be an accurate assessment of the situation, but then again, Matthew was used to feeling jilted. Most people treated him as though he were invisible!

But was he upset? Shocked, sure, but upset? No. Not now at least. Maybe he would be in a bit but really he was just surprised.

Turning to face the tall man, "Ah, it's okay." he said and then out of nervousness "Er. Sorry for the mix-up. If you wouldn't mind I don't actually know your name..." he said asking the stranger to introduce himself in his own roundabout way.

[das_vedanya]

“M-my name?” He analyzed the question as if he was being interrogated, which, in some amount of truth, he was. He just prayed that the - false, thank you - rumors surrounding Ivan hadn’t reached Matthew’s ears yet. Rumors of his un-pleasantries only circulated among his practice, his former clients, and in the recollections between he and Alfred. “Ivan Braginski… ah, Doctor Ivan Braginsky…” -As if the title redeemed the situation somehow.

He rearranged his footing and fumbled around for the tails of his scarf. “Look, I-… perhaps… I should explain this. We could stop to pick up dinner and then… bring it back to your apartment to… talk.”

[mounties_rock]

"Ah, well..." Matthew trailed of as he considered his options, he could (1) go home and attempt to confront his brother, which would probably end in a big argument (2) get food and answers from this Ivan character or (3) pretend that the whole thing never happened in the first place and never speak of it again. While normally in awkward social situations he opted for the third, this time... Well, it was clear that Ivan felt bad, and Matt was really curious. Add to that the fact that Ivan probably knew stuff about Alfred that Matthew didn't. Stuff that Matt could possible extract, and lord over his older, much more competitive spot light stealing brother. That thought sealed it.

"I'd love to, thanks, er, Ivan. Oh, I'm Matthew by the way, oh but you already knew that." What a great start.

[das_vedanya]

“Yeah, I know,” he replied for the sake of maintaining conversation. If there was one thing he hated, it was awkward silences, and there was something very different about the subject of this awkward silence that only aided to the desire to keep talking.

“Erm, right… dinner. Is there any specific takeout you like? I would be happy to buy it… if it’s not too expensive.”

Somehow those words did not help fill the silence.

[mounties_rock]

"Oh uh, well. It doesn't really matter to me where we eat, but I don't mind paying for myself, or... whatever."

Yeah, real smooth Matthew. The awkward feeling that had begun to set in around them continued to make it's presence known. The silence continued. Then again, maybe this other guy just liked silence. Is that what his brother was into, the silent type. Thinking about that only made this whole situation weirder. Well, information was the whole reason he was here.

"So... You know my brother."

Matthew, the master of roundabout questions everyone.

[das_vedanya]

“Yes…” Ivan replied curtly after a half-minute of silence. He rubbed his upper-arm sheepishly and stared down at his feet as they traversed the pavement. Surely ‘yes’ wouldn’t suffice… Matthew would want more than just one-worded answers, but they were all Ivan was prepared to give at this time; he was still recovering from his discomforting miscalculations. From this close it was easier to spot the differences: hair length, hair color, eye color, height, and apparel were the most notable - but he could at least perceive most physical characteristics if he had blinked once or twice. Matthew’s posture was less cocky.

“I-I mean… well… I have known him for quite some time,” he salvaged, mentally kicking himself for the obvious stature of his sentence, and the idea that he was standing next to someone who has years on him in relation to knowing Alfred. But what else was there to say? Should he tell Matthew about their breakup or how long they’ve been intimate with each other now? Of course he wouldn’t want to know… Matthew thinking of his brother with Ivan was a parallel to Ivan picturing his sister with Nikolej-

-no, no. There was no comparison there. He hated Nikolej.

He watched his cloudy breath disperse into the November air in the form of a sigh. He was at a loss for words.