"matthew whitlock? yeah, i don't know who that is," grayson stated as he tried to close the door on him.
matthew being the way he was, grabbed the door and pulled it open as his arm leans against the door frame, "that's not very nice of you to close the door on someone older than you, is it?" he said while looking down on gray.
"who is it?" xaver asked, walking to the front door. as soon as he saw matthew through the gap of the door, his whole attitude changed. he grabbed the door knob and pull it hard enough for it to completely close.
"stay back gray, he's going to do something stupid now," xaver announced as he guides gray to be further away from the door.
"what is he going to do vy?" gray asked but it was soon answered by the loud bang and the door flying inside.
"THAT is what was going to happen," xaver explained. the others started to gather around the front door too after they heard the loud noise, multiple 'what's going on?' was heard from several of them.
before xaver can explain, matthew called him out "how long are you going to make me wait wong," he said, sounding fairly pissed off that peaceful talk does not sound like an option anymore.
xaver lets out a sigh before walking outside, standing right infront of matthew. "what has gotten into you, making a fuss at my house?" he folds his arms as he questioned matthew.
"stay away from my sister," matthew ordered which made xaver let out a little scoff. "and if i don't want to?" xaver mocked.
matthew grabbed him by the collar out of anger as he says, "then i'll beat the shit out of you wong." xaver snickered as a response to matthew's threat.
"you need to leave, matthew. now," xaver warned, his voice low and menacing. "not until we settle this," matthew replied, his voice equally resolute.
without further preamble, matthew lunged forward, aiming a swift punch at xaver's jaw. xaver dodged, his reflexes honed by years of training. he countered with a quick jab to matthew's ribs, but matthew twisted away, avoiding the full impact. the two circled each other, their movements fluid and precise.
suddenly, matthew feinted left and then struck with a powerful right hook. xaver blocked the punch, his arm absorbing the force, and retaliated with a knee aimed at matthew's midsection. matthew grunted as the knee connected, but he responded with a fierce uppercut that grazed xaver's chin, snapping his head back.
as they exchanged blows, a third figure appeared— rhemian, who rushed towards them, arms outstretched in a futile attempt to intervene.
"stop! both of you!" rhemian shouted, his voice filled with desperation.
in the heat of the moment, neither xaver nor matthew noticed rhemian's approach. as matthew swung another punch towards xaver, rhemian stepped between them, and the punch connected with rhemian's face instead. rhemian staggered backward, clutching his nose as blood began to trickle from his nostrils.
"rhemian!" xaver shouted, his focus momentarily shifting to his injured brother.
matthew tsked at his mistake, looking at the injured rhemi. seizing the distraction, xaver launched a powerful kick to matthew's chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground. matthew landed hard, his earlier bravado fading.
xaver turned to rhemian, his face a mask of concern. "are you okay?"
rhemian nodded, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "i'll be fine. just... stop this commotion."
matthew, still on the ground, tried to rise, but xaver was on him in an instant, pinning him down with a knee to his chest.
"get off me" matthew growled, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"not until you promise to fuck off," xaver demanded, his grip tightening.
rhemian stepped forward, placing a hand on xaver's shoulder. "xaver, let him up. this isn't the way."
xaver hesitated, then slowly released matthew, stepping back and allowing him to rise. matthew staggered to his feet, his expression a mix of anger and humiliation.
"this isn't over," matthew spat, wiping sweat and blood from his face.
"yes, it is," xaver replied, his tone brooking no argument. "stay away from this house"
matthew glared at xaver for a long moment before turning and walking away. xaver watched him go, then turned to rhemian, concern etched on his face.
"let's get you cleaned up," xaver said, guiding rhemian towards the house.
_____
jessica pulled into the driveway of the house. she stepped out of the car, her face lighting up with a smile that quickly fades once she saw the broken door. upon entering, she saw xaver and rhemian sitting on the living room floor surrounded by the other kids, both sporting fresh bruises.
xaver had a swelling bruise on his chin, and his knuckles were red and scraped. rhemian's nose was still slightly bleeding, and a dark bruise was forming under his eye. the tension in the air was palpable, and the sight of her sons in such a state caused jessica's heart to sink.
"what on earth happened here?" jessica demanded, marching up the living room. her eyes darted between the two men, her voice a mix of worry and frustration.
rhemian looked sheepish, glancing at xaver for support, while xaver rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. this caused the other kids to sneakily walked away to avoid getting in trouble.
"well?" jessica crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.
xaver finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant. "there was... a bit of a disagreement with matthew. things got out of hand."
"a bit of a disagreement?" jessica's voice rose incredulously. "you both look like you went ten rounds with a bear! and where is matthew now?"
"he left," xaver replied, wincing slightly at the harsh tone in jessica's voice.
jessica let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "i can't believe you two! fighting like a couple of kids in the schoolyard! and rhemian, you're supposed to be the peacemaker. how did you end up in the middle of this?"
rhemian opened his mouth to explain, but jessica held up a hand to stop him. "no, let me guess. you tried to break it up and got caught in the crossfire?"
rhemian nodded, looking down at his feet. "i thought i could stop them..."
"and look where that got you," jessica said, her tone softening slightly but still firm. "you both know better than this. what if the neighbors saw? or worse, what if the police had shown up?"
xaver sighed, his shoulders slumping. "you're right, mom. we let things get out of control."
"damn right, i'm right," jessica said, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and concern. "now, we need to clean up those wounds before they get infected."
she ushered them into the kitchen, herding them like errant children. she directed xaver to sit at the kitchen table while she grabbed a first aid kit from the cabinet. rhemian sank into a chair beside xaver, still looking thoroughly chastised.
jessica worked in silence, cleaning and bandaging their wounds with practiced efficiency. when she finished, she stepped back, hands on her hips, and looked at them sternly.
"i hope you both learned something from this," she said. "fighting solves nothing and only ends up hurting everyone involved."
xaver nodded, his expression contrite. "we did. thanks for patching us up."
rhemian gave a small, apologetic smile. "yeah, thanks, mom. we won't let it happen again."
jessica's stern expression softened into a smile, and she shook her head in exasperation. "i swear, you two are going to give me grey hairs before my time. now, let's get something cold for those bruises."
as she went to the freezer to grab some ice packs, xaver and rhemian exchanged sheepish glances while the other peeked from behind the kitchen arch, giving thumbs up to them.