The Calculation [Mathew and Alfred]

[[just as a minor note, this takes place once they reached HK, so this is before the kidnapping as well.]

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Alfred Jones had made it big, folks. That's right. He made it to Hong Kong, but more respectively, his apartment. The instant he had hopped out of his taxi, the cab drove off right behind another, one that had reached the destination not too far before him. The passenger was none other than his room mate, Mathew Williams, of course.

Watching as the other blonde was already taking the initiative and walking up the cement steps and straight into "their" apartment home, Alfred was jolted back to reality when he saw the door starting to shut. Bustling up the steps, Alfred ran up just behind his new room mate, eying him like a butcher would to the cow at the meat market, except without a knife or that sadistic aura.

"So." Alfred finally spoke, almost hating that the stupid two-lettered mumble was the first thing he had to say to his new room mate for the next while. "Hong Kong...pretty intense, huh?" He offered as a friendly inquiry, not wanting to rush in with his typical rambunctiousness. Alfred usually have no issue whatsoever with bouncing off walls, whether if people cared or not, but with a bad case of jet-lag wearing him down, Alfred was finding the optimistic conversation to be pushing his limits. Maybe it'll change, depending on the pace of conversation this Mathew brought to the table.

Taking the lead now, Alfred walked down the hallway a short while until they reached the second door on the right. With a half smile, Alfred jammed his key in, turning it and smiling more when he heard that beautiful 'click' resonate from the doorknob. With a gentle push, the door barely made a creak as it opened wide for the two blondes to see.

It was simple in design and furniture, not too extravagant but definitely not bum looking. If Alfred remembered right, it had the one bathroom, kitchen, living and dining room, as well as the two respective bedrooms. It was all that they really needed too. Alfred preferred a home-like environment over any hotel anyways, so the small and homey feel was perfect.

Kicking his shoes off, he walked into the home and went straight for the love seat sofa. Plopping his dull duffel bag on the cushions, Alfred twisted his back either way in an attempt to crack it, moaning in delight when he heard a pop. Stretching his arms out thereafter, he walked back over to Mathew with a brighter smile than before.

"Yo! I think I forgot to say this personally, but I'm Alfred." He remarked, winking at Mathew with that glimmering deviance Alfred had always been known for. That shiny smile was always a trademark of his. "Alfred Jones." He reiterated, adding his last name into the mix this time around. Scratching the back of his head and looking Mathew over once more, his flashy smile toned down a bit, reverting to his regular expression. "Mathew, right?"

Walking back over to the couch, Alfred seated himself beside his bag, pulling his legs up into a crossed position on the sofa. Placing his hand articulately on his knees, he looked back to the Canadian. "Excited for Hong Kong?" Alfred sounded out, his tone becoming revived with that humor and joy. Maybe the trip wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps Mathew would be a fun guy too. Then just maybe this trip would be fun. But what did Alfred know? It wasn't like he could tell the future or anything, right?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven steps Matthew lugged his carry-on bag and his suit case. It wasn't much, but after today's events, it was enough to drive one over the wall. Great, he thought to himself, Now I have to socialize.. A sigh escaped him as Matt walked into the building without giving roommate a chance to catch up.

But catch up Alfred did. Amused, Matthew was not. Smile? Appeared to be non. To be honest, his entire body, including his face, was too too tired to do any more physical work than needed. And who, exactly, did this guy think he was? What answer was his new roomie looking for? Hopefully he wasn't looking for an exciting answer, because, frankly, he was definitely not getting anything of the sort from Matthew tonight. "Hong Kong is fine. I'm already somewhat home sick though.." he muttered, looking over his shoulder while ending it with a self conscious and nervous laugh.

The slightly taller teenager passed himself, and opened the door to their new flat. Personally, Matthew thought it was beautiful. But any room containing a chair, and in this case, a couch, would look beautiful at this point. How the hell can this guy move around so much? he thought, as the other jostled around the small apartment, almost magically appearing back in front of him. Maybe not magically, Matt was just too tired to really focus in on the others actions.

Dammit. Now he had to smile, didn't he. I mean, how could he not? This guys smile was so big and- and happy, it could make a professional smiler jealous. If they existed. Well, if they DID exist, is would be Alfred's job. Alfred. "Yes, I'm Matthew," now returning the incredible smile with his own soft smile, he nodded.

"Excited?" I guess you could say that. I mean, how exciting could school get? "Yeah, pretty excited, i suppose.." It's not as if Alfred was a horrible person. In fact, he seemed quite nice. With the current situation being exhaustion and jet lag, Matt wasn't in his best of moods, and probably didn't communicate the best he could have upon meeting his roommate. He dropped his bags at the door, and slid down the wall facing Alfred, hugging his knees and staring up at at the other through tired eyes. "Yourself? Are you excited, Alfred?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going without falling asleep.

Alfred watched the other with his normal, care-free, smile. What was it about Mathew that gave him the nagging feeling that conversation at this point was pointless? They both were jet-lagged, yes. To them, the Hong Kong time of early afternoon was past midnight for their bodies. Yet somehow Alfred could always find some reservoir of energy when he felt drained. That, he assumed, was just in his personality.

Being caught off guard by the fragile-looking smile, considering how the other was being subtly cranky from weariness, Alfred felt himself smile even more. Jeez, for a tired person, Mathew really had a way of being polite regardless of the position. Alfred had to give props for that. Scratching the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, Alfred bobbed his head low, smirk twitching in anxiousness. He wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question. "Well...er...yes? I guess being in a new country is still intimidating. At least a lot of Hong Kong speaks some English." Alfred remarked, looking back up with quirked brows, his smile still trying hard to not be diminished by his true nervous tension.

Alfred's features then froze, almost unnoticeable, but his expression did drop a bit. Alfred could feel his mind reel before his vision blanked for a moment. In that moment, the scene of Mathew sitting on the flooring against a wall was replaced with a stranger one. It was only a flash, but Alfred could have sworn he saw the other, Mathew, with a fearful look in his eyes. Noticing how the other was shaking, Alfred lifted his hand forward, ready to latch onto him, when the quick flash was over, and he found himself back in the little home, sitting on that couch with his hand extended forward.

Blinking a few times, Alfred quietly laughed, moving his hand back to run through his hair. Great, he probably looked crazy. Way to make a good first impression. Then again, Mathew seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't be so shallow as to infer things back to first impressions. "S-sorry about that...heheh...just...zoning." He mumbled out between a quiet laughter, inwardly feeling the turmoil build up.

Feeling himself get sick, Alfred knew another wave was coming, another shot of the vision. Getting up quickly, Alfred, despite his sickened state, smiled and laughed nervously as a guise. "O-oh sh-shit, I think I dropped m-my wallet in the hall..." He stammered out in his sing-song tone against his true feelings, rushing out the door with a quiet "be right back" before shutting the door a bit more impatiently than intended. Running down the hall, Alfred burst out the door before spilling his stomach's contents outside, off the side of the steps.

Clutching to the railing with a great shudder escaping Alfred, he knelt down and cursed quietly as another vision appeared. This one was much quicker, looking like several still life photos shooting across his mind. Mathew, Mathew, Mathew again, Mathe-wait. Alfred's eyes widened when he realized that there was another boy. Obviously a foreigner with snow blonde, maybe white, hair. Before he could get another look, that image was replaced with a fancy building, the new foreigner, then--it stopped.

Blinking in confusion, almost furious that he didn't get to see what happened next, Alfred bit his lip. Getting up slowly, Alfred wiped his mouth and stumbled back into the building's hallway, slumping against the wall that Mathew was leaning against on the inside of their home. Popping a mint in his mouth from a container of tic-tacs that were in his pocket since take-off, Alfred was certain that the other wouldn't suspect anything. Alfred rose once more when he felt himself calming down enough, going to the door and re-entering it as casually as possible.

Reaching into his pocket where the wallet had always been and offering it upward for Mathew's eyes to see, he snickered quietly. "Looks like I got it..." He mumbled with that smile still wide, hoping to god the other wasn't suspecting, but as long as he was near the other, the visions wouldn't give him a break. If he could, Alfred would go out and about in town, leaving the other at home, but in his current condition, he figured that throwing up in public wouldn't be the best thing. So he had to get Mathew out of the house for a little bit. No problem. Alfred was a pro at getting people irritated or in the very least he knew how to keep them at a safe distance from him.

He already had the perfect plan. Looking as if he had reached a great conclusion to something, Alfred leaned down, pulled Mathew to his feet, and began laughing happily. "I got a great idea! You go out and chill in town and get yourself acquainted with Hong Kong!" He chirped loudly, patting the others back enthusiastically. Knowing that the other would protest at first, Alfred leaned in close, pressing his index finger to the others lips. "And don't ask why because it's a secret~" He cooed out, winking for that extra effect.

Pulling away a moment longer than expected, Alfred ushered the other to the door, opening it and continuing to direct him to the hallway a bit impatiently. "Come on! It'll be a surprise so don't ruin my fun!" Alfred laughed out, patting the top of Mathew's head once he was over the threshold. "Now don't come back for...oh, let's say...two hours...yeah, two hours! I should have everything up and ready by then!" He remarked finally, waving to him with a less genuine but still wide smile before shutting the door, leaving Mathew in the hallway.

Turning around with a content but frustrated sigh, Alfred trudged over to the couch and plopped down on it, crossing his arms tightly. "Great...I've already begun pushing him away from me and I have to spruce the place up." He grumbled out, running a hand through his hair. Yes, he had done it before, pushing people away, that is. The reason his parents were so happy to let him go to the abroad trip, why he was never able to hold up a relationship, why even his friends questioned him...it was because of his damned mind. His visions. This...this curse. What was it? Why him?

Getting restless, Alfred knew he couldn't wallow in self-pity. He had enough time to do that as a child. He had to make the place look more friendly and, more importantly, focus on what to do. He may reject his visions, shrug them off constantly, but he couldn't swallow this one down. He just met Mathew and already he had a vision. Even if he disregarded them as coincidences, Alfred knew every time he got a vision they came true, which meant only one thing. Whether he believed it or not, Alfred had to face the fact that Mathew was in imminent danger.

As he quietly contemplated his options, Alfred decided to get started on making the home more welcoming. Grabbing their bags, slinging them over his shoulder with their respective straps and holing the suitcase with his hand, he walked to the other side of the home and kicked the door gently open to Mathew's room. Setting Mathew's bags on his bed that was crisply made by the landlord, Alfred gave it a quick look before turning and going to the door on the opposite side wall. Entering his own room and throwing his duffel bag less friendly on the bed, he glared at the room in frustration before walking out and returning to the living room, sitting back on the couch dejectedly. He had to think of what there was he could do and which of those options were the best for him. So much for trying to get away from his home with hopes that his power would diminish somehow.