Boots

One

Hello there, welcome. I'm shick and this is my new fic. I'm a few followers away from 100 on Instagram so y'all hmu! And follow shickzander on patreon too! And Twitter (@toasterwhore) and tumblr and everything. I crave attention.

"Uh...dad...don't hate me, but I need to ask a favour." Matthew paced across the floor, holding the phone to his ear.
He was twenty five years old. This wasn't something he ever wanted to do, but he had no choice.
"I'm not allowed to hate you. What do you need?"
Matthew pursed his lips. He really didn't want to be in this position. He ran his foot across his kitchen floor, feeling the laminate's plastic texture through the fabric of his sock.
"Matthew?" Arthur asked, pulling him back to the phone call.
He leaned his hip against the side of the dishwasher, adjusting the phone to better fit his ear. Maybe if he moved the microphone further from his lips, it would be harder for his father to hear what he said. Unfortunately, that would mean he would have to repeat himself and that just made the whole situation much more real.
And so, he took a deep breath and spoke.
"I need to move back in."
"What happened? Is everything okay over there? Do you just miss us?"
"If it was just a matter of me missing you I would take a week off and spend it over there." Matthew sighed. "I lost my job."
"What? How?!" Arthur didn't sound as mad as Matthew had expected him to, but he still sounded extremely disappointed. Matthew had always known he wasn't as good as his brother, but he hadn't been entirely sure until then.
"It wasn't anything I did. Just downsizing. They always lay off the newer people first because they aren't as experienced." Matthew lied. He didn't want anybody to know the real reason.
"You've been with them for four years."
"Times are hard, dad."
Arthur sighed. "You can definitely come home. But the kids are much more active than they were before you left."
"I know." Matthew didn't exactly want to be thrown back into what was essentially a daycare at this point, but he had rent and no job prospects in the city.
"Do you want to speak with Francis?"
"Not really. I don't really want to face him right now."
Arthur made a small humming noise that showed he understood. "You can stay as long as you need to."
"I know, dad. It probably won't be for long. Just until I can get another job."
"Have you been talking to Alfred?"
Matthew bit his lip. He hadn't talked to his twin in maybe two months, back when things were just starting to slip away. Alfred had been doing well for himself, working in IT for some big multinational company. It was nothing compared to Matthew's desk job at publishing firm, trying to pay his bills using whatever skills he had.

"Yeah. We've been in touch. He's doing good." Matthew lied. It was hard to lie to Arthur face to face, but when there was a phone between them, he could say whatever he wanted. The downside was that Arthur had clued into this and would probably grill Matthew later, which meant he had to be careful to not stray too far from the truth.
"He's coming home for Christmas this year. When was the last time you actually saw him?"
"I don't know? Maybe two years?" Alfred had stayed in America the Christmas before and they never came home for thanksgiving so they actually hadn't been able to see each other in ages. Not having a job would mean he could spend the ENTIRE holiday season with his brother instead of taking off on Boxing Day to get back to work.
Maybe this whole ordeal wouldn't be entirely bad after all.

Happy asexual awareness week. It's time for you to be aware of asexuals.
Firstly there's jughead...wait...never mind. They ruined him.
And Luffy. I don't even wath one piece
And then Hansol. Protect him.
That dude from shadow hunters.
The eleventh doctor if Steven moffat wasn't such an aphobe
TODD FUCKING CHAVEZ my son.
And most importantly: yours truly. Be very aware of me. I'm coming.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)