Alfred turned into the gray building, hand-in-hand with his brother Matthew. It had been 8 years since their father, Arthur, had left them in an alleyway. 8 years since the kind man by the name of Francis had taken them in and cared for them. After those long and sorrowful years, The boys had finally turned 16 years old. Alfred's stomach fluttered as he fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt. Alfred turns to look at Matthew. He knew his twin would be calm through this entire thing, and did not fear for him. Besides the two twins was Francis, who would escort them to their test to decide if they were to be Marked or if they were destined to be Accepted. Alfred had always dreamed of living his tattooless life, where he could have a loving family and live just how the UCS believed he should.

Matthew was having the same thoughts as Alfred, but he was gaining more doubt every day for the past 8 years. After Kim Jong-Un took over, Everything and everyone were monitored by the government. That meant that the government would have known that Arthur had abandoned them. This sets Matthew and Alfred low in society already. There was a high-risk of being Marked but Matthew believed in miracles. When they went to their tests, both Alfred and Matthew could take one good luck charm. Matthew took a small compact that held the answers of the test in the mirror. Matthew made sure he was prepared, but Alfred was just winging it. Their futures depend on this test, and all Alfred can do is show off his cool feather? It wasn't long before they were called in to do their tests. As the twins parted ways, Alfred turned to see the biggest smile on Matthew's face. But all that was there, was fear. This just scared Alfred into worrying as he stepped into the testing facility.

As Matthew sat in the large blue chair in the middle of the room, A kind woman with sandy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes sat next to him. She smiled down at him as she hooked up some of the wires. Matthew had to stare at his lap as to not get distracted by her... tracks of land. "Allo! I am Katyusha, but you may call me Kat. I hope you are ready for your test!" Matthew felt his heart start pounding as hard as it could against his chest. He only hoped to be placed with Alfred, whether they were Marked or Accepted. Matthew laid back against the soft and silky chair, closing his eyes and mentally preparing himself for the test.

As Matthew's vision cleared, He saw that he was in the room like before, except this time there was no silky chair and no Kat to cry to. He immediately turns around, aware that there was going to be a few choices behind him. Now that Matthew is turned around, Three things lie in front of him. A hockey stick, A baseball bat, and a book. Matthew recalled the answer in his head. This decides his future, so he chooses the book. Although Matthew makes his choice, He is torn. Matthew almost chose the hockey stick, wanting the one thing besides Alfred to bring him joy. A wise choice. Suddenly the other options blur away and Matthew hears a faint growl behind him. As he slowly turns around, He sees a polar bear with fur like a midnight storm, and eyes that look as though they consist of rivers of blood. Matthew took a small gulp before remembering his pet bear, Kuma. He slowly turns around, searching for a tree or pole, or anything. Matthew quickly spots an oak tree and backs away slowly into it. The midnight polar bear follows, watching Matthew like a hungry eagle. Matthew keeps eye contact with the bear before gracefully leaping into the tree.

The room blurs and Matthew feels like he falls out of the tree, only to be greeted by a now humble lavender bush. The midnight polar bear suddenly morphs into a dazzling black butterfly, about the size of Matthew's palm. Matthew closely examines the butterfly, fawning over the shimmering violet swirls that adorned it's paper-thin wings. Matthew slowly placed it on the floor before the room began to shift and he had passed out.

When Matthew woke up again, He opened his eyes up to see Kat smiling brightly at him. Matthew squeaked at the close proximity of the girl. She jumps up, clapping her hands as though to congratulate him. Matthew takes this as a sure sign he had passed, clapping along with her. After the two blondes finished their celebrating, Kat gave Matthew his microcard. The microcard gave him everything he needed to know about his life:

Matthew Williams - July 1st - Male

Ivan Braginsky - Zero - Pansexual

Teacher - Master's Degree/ College

Matthew smiled, thinking about Ivan. Ivan was what the US decided he would be stuck with. Matthew was unsure about the teacher thing, though. He had always been the shy one who no one would notice. When Matthew was first born, He was the talk of the town. People would talk about how cute his eyes were, or how chubby his cheeks were. As he grew to about 5, strangers would accidentally bump in him or not see him at all. Matthew would just take it as he was socially awkward so therefore he would be quiet. It made sense to small Matthew, but now that Matthew thinks it was just the beginning of an awful cycle.

After that day, Matthew's life just became worse. After his and Alfred's father, Arthur, left them, They were left alone. Arthur was the only parent they had ever had, their other father remaining a mystery. The twins spent 5 weeks on the street, on the verge of death. It didn't make it better when Alfred started to act like the strangers. He would ask Matthew if he had food or water, or think Matthew was some creepy stalker. On the worst occasions, He would forget Matthew all together. On the days that Alfred forgot, Matthew would get weaker and weaker as Alfred ate the rations for the both of them. Once Francis found them, everything became better.

Matthew was rarely forgotten by Francis, unlike when they lived on the street. Matthew made very few friends other than his two best friends: Lovino and Lars. Both were like brothers to Matthew, with Lovino being one year older and Lars being two. Last year, Lovino had gotten his card, a chef married to a man named Antonio. Crazily enough, Antonio was also a teacher.

After arguing with himself for an hour, Matthew finally went to his designated address, excited to meet this Ivan. Matthew hoped he would have great muscles, natural talent, and be kind to Matthew. Of course, We don't all get what we want. When Matthew first opened the door, He was met by a tall and looming man that gave off an intimidating aura. Matthew gulped, wishing Alfred was here with him.

Alfred, However, did not get as lucky as Matthew. He was seen as dangerous, and casted off to be Marked. Alfred cried as he got the unsightly Coyote tattoo on his left bicep. It didn't look half bad, but the thing that scared Alfred the most was the fact that he couldn't see his twin anywhere in the building. This tiny piece of information only made Alfred realize that his twin got a future. Little Matthew is finally grown up! Alfred didn't know if he was happy or sad as he was cast out into the streets. He only hoped that Matthew would have as wonderful a time as he wish he will.

Matthew, however, did not have time to worry about Alfred. His 'lover' was trying to hunt down Matthew and make them 'become one.' Matthew was scared out of his wits, wondering how the government could have put him with someone as scary as Ivan. He really wanted to escape the house, escape the pipe wielding maniac he was supposed to love. Matthew just wanted to disappear into the back of the closet, until he heard a voice that was dripping with an icy cold aura, "Come out, Comrade~"

The voice made Matthew's own shake as he replied shakily, "No-o... I'm g-good..." He tried so hard to keep quiet but he just HAD to reply. He didn't like being scared. He didn't like being vulnerable. All Matthew wanted to do was shrink and hide in Alfred's arms. Alfred was Mattie's sense of self-control, comfort, and the only brother that Matthew needed right now. Unless.... Matthew crawled out and quickly reached the phone that he and Ivan shared. He dialed Francis' number at the speed of light. He brought the phone close to his ear.

"Bonjour, This is Francis Bonnefoy. How may I help you?" The voice soothed Matthew, as it used to when he'd have nightmares.

"Papa, I'm not sure that I want to be here anymore.." There was a brief silence on the other side of the line.

"I'm sure you just need to talk with your amour. Mon Ar-" Francis cut himself off, leaving a confused Mattie.

"Your what?" You could practically feel the venom that laced Matthew's tone.

"It doesn't matter. Just know that you can work through this. Au revoir!" The call cut off just as Ivan peeked in to see Matthew on the ground, the phone hanging out of his hand. Matthew turned around to see him, freezing where he stood, er, sat. Ivan was slowly approaching Matthew before throwing his pipe across the room and sitting next to Matthew. He feared any words that were to escape the tall man's mouth, silently waiting for Ivan to say something, anything.

"Let us just be friends, Da?" His childish smile helped warm up the ice in his tone, but didn't keep Matthew from gripping his hockey stick for dear life. He nodded rather quickly before walking away to make pancakes. Pancakes would always help Matthew calm down when he was little. Matthew began to whip up a fresh batch of pancakes before he heard the doorbell ring. He trudged over to the door, before slowly opening it. The people behind the door were the best surprise Matthew had ever gotten.

Lovino and Antonio stood on his front porch, each holding a basket full of goodies. Matthew thanked them before inviting them in for pancakes. As they sat with Ivan and made small talk, Matthew continued working on the pancakes. After he finished a large stack for everyone in the house, he placed one plate in front of everyone and doused it with maple syrup. The real kind, not stuff that they fill with preservatives and sugar to call 'syrup.' That stuff only grossed out Matthew even more than undercooked pancakes. Matthew preferred when his pancakes were light and fluffy, but still moist. No amount of syrup can fix a dry pancake in Matthew's opinion. As they sat down, Antonio taught him about the perks of working for the school.

Matthew was dozing off from the conversation, so he decided to bring up a new topic. "So, Lovino, How is Antonio in bed? ~" The question made the couple turn the color of their tomatoes. Ivan was giggling in the background.

"W-Well... We haven't... We wanted to w-wait.." Lovino cracked a small smile while Antonio muttered under his breath. After a few more hours of friendly chat, Lovino and Antonio sadly had to pack up and get home. They both had work in the morning, and they still hadn't cleaned their laundry. By 9:55 at night, Matthew had hunkered down and gotten ready for bed. Ivan promised to sleep on the couch, seeing that Mattie didn't like that they were forced to share a bed. He drifted off to sleep with ease, but Mattie took some time. He only hoped that Alfred will be safe, no matter what he was destined for.