Coming back from a short coughing fit, Matthew was thankful his embarrassment wouldn't show as a blush on his dark skin. Josh, on the other hand, had pink spreading to the corners of his ears.
At some point in time, Nel saw pole sport live and became interested. Because of curiosity, they decided they would take classes. They didn't want to learn it alone, so Josh was dragged along. Josh, realizing he was fooled into being partly committed, felt it wrong to be the only one dragged along, so Matthew was also tricked into showing up.
Matthew didn't know the reason Nel was suddenly interested in getting into shape was to be able to carry themself on a pole but went along with it anyways. As he often has done with his 'brothers' random ideas.
Despite that, when Nel bought a pole, Matthew immediately backed out. Why would he want to twirl on a pole? Did he look like a stripper? That was his argument.
Nel themself were doing it as a fun hobby, but he and Josh didn't have the same good opinion of it. It was not a hobby either would keep, yet Josh continued to learn it afterward. For Nel.
Then, Nel got busy and had to leave again. Matthew never planned to practice, but noticing the look Josh and Nel exchanged, he guessed Josh said he would.
"Is this what you said I'd 'love'?" Josh scoffed, glaring at the two who led him downstairs. "Me breaking my body trying to go up that thing? Never again." He huffed and shook his head, denying Nel's question and expectations.
With the basement door opened, people started flooding in. There was no music playing, or any attraction set up, yet. Of course, people quickly moved to make entertainment for themselves.
Nel exaggeratedly rolled their eyes, then walked over to Josh and whispered something in his ear. Although Matthew couldn't tell what was said, Josh's reaction convinced him he didn't want to know.
"Heh, I'll break some bones for that! Will you be up there with me?" He completely made a one-eighty, a cheerful, willing smile plastered on.
Nel sighed and shook his head. "Someone doesn't want me to, but I'm sure someone else knows how to. Just ask around for volunteers." They shrugged, subtly scorning Teddy.
Without a second thought or brief goodbye, Josh flew off to find a partner.
"When do you have time to practice?" Matthew asked a moment later, curious how the always busy Nel has time for that kind of muscle working hobby on trips.
"Whenever I have time," Nel replied, not at all explaining.
"Teddy, go enjoy your company. I wanna have a few drinks with M." They turned to Teddy, who frowned. "You can have drinks with me-" He tried to deny, but Nel maneuvered out of his hands and ran behind Matthew.
"Nope, I want Matthew." They innocently rejected, using Matthew's wide frame to hide their body for the most part.
Both of the men grimaced, for two different reasons.
It was strange to hear his full name coming out of their mouth without reason. He felt Nel pinching at his back to go along with them, while Teddy made a sullen face at him. He unwillingly stayed stuck between them.
After a moment, Teddy gave up whatever he hoped to achieve with his glare. "Fine, but don't drink too much, okay?"
"Don't worry about them, I know all about their drinking habits." He tried to reassure, considering he did know how much of an alcoholic Nel could be. Countless nights being the only sober one between Nel and Josh made it hard to forget.
However, Teddy just glowered at him, then walked away, presumably to entertain guests.
Matthew turned around to look at his chuckling friend, who looked very pleased making Teddy walk off angrily. He didn't bother to ask.
He turned around and lightly pushed Nel's face from his back. "Are we heading back up?" According to what he'd seen, the alcohol booth was upstairs.
"Of course not," Nel smirked cheekily. They removed their hand from their back, revealing keys they likely stole, "he keeps the better stuff in the sub-basement."
They started walking again, "I know you don't drink, but he should have some cigarettes down there too. Whatever it is you smoke."
That encouraged Matthew to follow, instead of diverging to secretly leave out the back door. Although he could go for the occasional low-alcohol content drink, such as the pito he was still carrying around, he'd much rather get high in a closet.
Not that he planned to.
They walked in the direction of the stage. The base was about one-point-five meters tall, but the overall size looked less than 20x30, with silk backdrop curtains. He didn't look at the extra decorations, knowing enough from Nel's thorough and spirited explanation.
"How's the shop been?" Nel asked as they went to a door beside the stage.
"The same." He grumbled. Despite his always irritated-by-something tone, Nel was able to notice he was annoyed by something this time.
"The same? Sounds boring." They picked out a key and unlocked the door.
"Hundreds of customers a day." He said, somehow thinking that would counter them.
"You handle them all personally?" They asked as they switched to another key, the previous one not working.
"Only the difficult ones." He sighed.
Nel chuckled, then pushed open the door. As they began walking down the stairs, they commented. "Half of the city is difficult, M."
Matthew didn't reply to that, knowing what Nel would suggest: A break.
"You just came back from Afghanistan, right?" He asked, quickly changing the topic to Nel, who generally loves to talk about their trips, however vague they must be.
Luckily, Nel didn't press the idea for now. "Oh, yes. I was supposed to land in Mauel, but that didn't go well. Ended up in Ierrot." They started while flipping the lights on.
The sub-basement was a lot smaller than the basement, but the perfect size for a wine cellar. Likewise, it has various drinks neatly put together, wine and others.
"I heard a bomb went off, actually. The details are still on my desk if you want to see them." They added as they browsed the beer area.
"Would you have been in the area?" Matthew asked as he placed his drink down on a table and sat on a free stool, some of the others around the room having things stacked on them.
"Hmm, I think so. The couple I was meeting was entertaining some tourists there. I haven't heard back from them yet." They replied in a slightly worried towards the end.
"I'm sure they're fine." He reassured, or, tried to. Nel nodded, quietly agreeing.
"The bastard hid the Snake Venom." They determined after a good look and clicked their tongue. Passing by the wines, they grabbed a bottle of Riesling instead. "I think you would love Ierrot. It reminds me of Cemoiton, beautiful, lots of museums.." Just like that, they turned the topic back to Matthew.
He groaned as they went on to describe similarities to his birthplace, in Africa. Cemoiton was a beautiful place with a very developed artistic culture, which he is very familiar with, but that doesn't mean he liked it.
"I'm not going anywhere, Nel." He finally stopped them when they transitioned to flight prices.
"Come on, you haven't left that little shop in years!" They complained. They stretched up to get two small glasses off of a shelf. With the cups in hand they joined Matthew on a stool he pulled aside, then continued.
"I swear, all you do is work when I'm not here." They slid a cup to him with a disappointed pout.
Matthew scoffed. "Why don't you give Josh a vacation? He works a lot, a much harder job than mine." He said as he started pouring himself a cup of pito.
"He also parties harder than you. He knows how to enjoy his free time, you don't give yourself any." They copied his action, pouring themself a cup of riesling. "When was the last time you enjoyed yourself? When I'm not present, of course."
They looked at him with a raised brow, their green eyes seeing through Matthew's stern expression. He bit his lip, trying to think up a lie.
When was the last time he enjoyed himself? He hardly left his house, excluding work-related things. If he did, it was to investigate things he'd heard about, though that was also kind of work-related.
In the past twelve years, ninety-five percent of things he did were work-related. The other five percent was made up of sleeping and any occasion with a friend or an associate. Most of which he didn't consider fun, but annoying.
On those occasions he did consider fun, someone he was close to was present. If recently, that would narrow it down to... when he was with Josh and Nel, before Nel's trip, over five months ago.
He couldn't say that, so Matthew replied with events that happened in Nel's absence.
"My shop—not that little—hosted a Christmas party-" Before he could continue to form a lie, Nel interrupted.
"That was for the employees; you weren't present. Felise told me." They smiled. They rested on their hand and waited for Matthew to try again.
He cursed Felise on the inside, then brought up another event, in which he was present. "Josh brought me to a cookout on Thanksgiving. We-" Again, Nel interrupted.
"Halfway through you volunteered to get the cooler and never came back," They disappointedly mentioned. "J told me."
He didn't say a word, mostly because it was completely true, partly because of the judging stare Nel was giving.
He thought under the pressure, then finally thought of something. "Rufus invited me to his birthday party a few weeks ago. I was present the whole time, alright?"
Since he was physically there, Nel couldn't comment on his absence, but they weren't silenced.
"You know I talk to Rufus, right?" They gave Matthew a weird look, as though it was stupid he didn't know they would know all of his acquaintances. With how comfortable some of his acquaintances were around them, he should also know they would talk.
Matthew groaned in defeat. He may have been present at the party, but you couldn't say he 'participated' in the least. Rufus, even weeks later, didn't want to stop complaining.
"Why are you keeping tabs on me?" He grumbled sourly.
Nel chuckled. "So you can't lie to me. M, you're too bored here. What's wrong with getting out?"
Matthew gulped his drink, then replied. "I just don't want to, Nel."
Nel sighed and finally looked away. "Whatever, M. If you get gray hairs before I do, don't say I didn't warn you." They threw back their cup, then poured another.
He rolled his eyes.
"How old is Teddy?" Matthew asked after a few moments of silence.
Nel finished their cup and swiftly poured another. They looked weirdly at Matthew. "Why are you asking?"
"He looks.. younger." He commented, trying not to be too explicit.
Teddy looked more-or-less the same age as Nel, which meant more than said. After all, Nel looked way too young for their age.
They scowled at Matthew, clearly getting what he meant. "He's almost thirty, alright? Why does his age matter anyways?"
Matthew hummed, then asked. "Does he know how old you are?"
"Yes, he does." They spoke bitterly. "You're being rude by asking, you know."
Matthew laughed lightly. He knew poking at Nel's age in comparison to those they're around would annoy them. They disliked feeling old just as much as he.
He then asked, "What was that earlier?" When Nel raised a brow he clarified, "he could've come down here with us, right?"
"Ooh," they made a sound, sipping down their drink. They smiled, "I guess. Better to see him send you daggers, though."
Matthew frowned. "How is that better?"
Nel glanced at him, then smiled brighter. "Well, we fought a few days ago." They swished around their cup as they explained happily. "I don't remember what about, but I wanted him to apologize and he didn't."
They pointed at Matthew. "He used you, specifically, to try to coax me. Saying how I shouldn't be mad days before seeing you, since it would have lasting effects on my mood." They rolled their eyes, as though it wasn't evident now he was right.
"So, I also used you," Nel said and gave Matthew a sly, flirty smile.
"Compared to him, you're an upgrade." They sighed, making it sound like it was a pity they and him weren't compatible. They continued suggestively, "you're taller.. stronger.. older, and I've known you a lot longer. I told him how right he was—with a few extra.. examples. He shut up real quick." They laughed, but Matthew choked on his disbelief.
"Did you actually-?" He looked disgusted at Nel, showing enough judgment to publicly shame them. It took a moment to process what the conversation could've gone like. Knowing Nel, as stupidly immature as they can be, Matthew regretted his imagination.
It was worse knowing Nel might've convinced Teddy of something. Sure, they've known each other for longer. But, when they met, Nel and Josh both quickly added Matthew to their brotherhood, making themselves a trio. Who could understand someone they see as a sibling using their name like that?
His thoughts probably made him look angrier than usual, considering how Nel quieted his laugh and quickly followed up. "Don't be mad, okay? I cleared it up later, he knows I was lying to him." They said apologetically.
That did help, but not by much.
Seeing that Matthew still frowned at them, they added. "He only acted that way because I haven't stopped teasing him about it."
"Don't you think you're too old for that?" 'Isn't teasing and crap like that for youthful couples at the prime age for dramatizing everything?' That is what he grudgingly wanted to ask.
"Of course not." They said before drinking down another cup.
Matthew also finished with his cup but didn't pour another. He had his fill already.
Instead, his mind focused back on what brand of cigarettes Teddy might have. As he stood up and calmed down, he asked more about their relationship. "Are you living with him?"
"Hm? Yeah, sort of. Technically," Nel answered back. Then they sighed and reinforced, "don't ask him whether I am. It's an argument he thinks he'll never lose—do I live here if I fly out for work months at a time?—and I don't feel like listening to him moan about it tomorrow."
"I won't ask," he replied. Although, it was less about Nel asking and more about him not knowing Teddy, at all. Being total strangers, Matthew wouldn't ask him about their personal life. At the same time, he silently understood where the argument might come from.
He had assumed Nel was still crashing at hotels when they were home. It was difficult to imagine them finally living somewhere, even less so with someone else. Putting aside their chaotic work schedule, there were still many times they needed the utmost privacy. He could only imagine how hard it must be to keep a partner.
As he searched the area for cigarettes, finding a toolbox under another unopened box on a stool, he heard Nel sigh into their drinks.
"So... you guys seem serious? You've never purposefully introduced us to a partner." He started as he picked out a West White box. He then looked around for a lighter, since he's never carried one on him.
"Complete opposite of Josh, huh?" He added in a barely audible voice.
Naturally, he compared the twins from the very moment he met them. There were too many differences to count, as well as similarities.
However, one of the few areas where they were opposites had to be relationships. While Nel kept their relationships private, Josh never stopped talking, aka bragging, about them.
Nel never introduced Matthew to any of their partners. The ones he'd met were usually by accident or coincidence. Josh, on the other hand, seemed to think it was alright to date someone then passes them to someone else, that someone else sometimes being Matthew, who was never interested.
He figured the only way to tell either of them was serious about someone was if they acted the opposite of usual; Josh, instead of showing off his partner, would take a while to introduce them.
Similarly, Nel, instead of never talking about their partner, would introduce them and try to get them close to their friends.
It didn't seem Matthew said it as inaudibly as he thought since Nel chuckled at his remark.
"He's never serious, that's why he doesn't care who knows." They stated a little bit of loathing in their tone. Then they circled back to his question. "I don't think you need to know those details of my life." They paused, then sighed.
"But, if you want to, fine. You're only meeting him because he insisted you had to today. Ugh," They groaned, "it's the first time he's ever been so stubborn."
"That's why I bribed Josh and brought you down here." They added.
Matthew could sort of guess the situation, but Nel was right, it wasn't his business. As such, he didn't comment on why Nel was making it harder for Teddy.
He was only a little curious about something else, though. Although he told himself he wouldn't ask, he did. He asked as he swiped a lighter from a shelf and walked back over. "How'd you bribe him?"
As he sat down again, Nel hummed a reply. "Mmm, well, J has been trying to get the contacts of a girl he knew for a while now. I have more ways than him, so I looked into things. If he does something cute and short, I'll tell him everything."
"Oh? What girl would he hurt his pride for?" Matthew asked and he flicked open the cigarette box and took one out.
Nel smiled, shaking their head. "Trust me, you don't want to know." There was no need to say more.
Then, seeing Matthew was about to light his cigarette, they stopped him. "Wait, don't do that down here" They hopped off their seat, "he might know I came down here if the smell lingers."
They picked up the three-quarters empty bottle of Riesling, consumed by themself, and neatly placed it back from where they removed it. Just looking at the wines, they doubted Teddy could tell they opened one.
Matthew watched, slightly amused. If the guy brought up Nel's drinking, he probably already knew Nel had 'stolen' his keys and planned to come down to the sub-basement. Then again, maybe not.
"You think J found a partner yet?" They asked as they ran up behind Matthew, who already started climbing the stairs.
"Yeah, he probably has." He answered though he didn't support his guess.
••
The basement became crowded during the time they were gone, especially by the stage. Pop music was blasting from the speakers on stage, but the people nearby were watching the stage, not listening.
Matthew and Nel walked up from the sub-basement to meet this new change. He was once again thankful for Josh's earbuds, allowing him to stand in the thick of the excitement. Nel was accustomed to it.
They both walked away from the door and expectantly turned to get a clear look at the stage. Not disappointing, Josh was on stage right under the brightest lights.
He was talking to a woman on stage with him, clothes long gone and barefoot. He was unabashedly wearing only blue boxer briefs, with even his lob in a small, charming, tail. With his hair up, his pretty green eyes were more prominent, matched with his friendly smile.
The woman, as well, was dressed for pole dancing. She wore something similar to a two-piece bathing suit, colored blue as well. Like Josh's briefs, the top and bottom hugged her body tightly but didn't seem uncomfortable. She wore platform ankle boots as well, instead of going barefooted. She looked a bit shy on stage.
Her bright-colored hair wasn't tied up, so it fell just above her waistline. She returned Josh's friendly smile and they talked about what they planned to do. It may be freestyling, but there were still two of them. More-or-less, they needed to be on the same page.
Nel pulled Matthew into the center of the front crowd, where they coincidentally met with the purple-themed Felise and her partner, Griffin.
Felise is a pale-skinned woman with purpled dyed hair tied into one smooth braid. Her braid had flowers and glitter decorating it, giving her a very colorful and lively aura. She was dressed in a purple yukata with a beautiful garment worn over it like a coat. She accessorized with little party stickers under her eyes, hanging sliver heart earrings, a Christmas bead necklace, and several bracelets. From head to toe, she looked exactly like the type of person to be found at one of these new years parties.
Griffin, on the other hand, dressed as though he was unprepared for a meeting with potential investors to an urgent cause- In a cheap black suit with a badly adjusted tie, and tense, focused brows contradicting his slumped, tired back.
Griffin and Matthew noticed each other at the same time and showed the same reaction. They both smiled slightly, and waited for the more talkative ones, Nel and Felise, to realize each other.
A moment later, they did. Nel saw Felise and briskly walked over. She too saw them and just as eagerly closed the gap between them.
"Hey! Have you enjoyed yourself so far?" Nel asked, looking down at the shorter person.
Felise giggled. "Of course! I still can't believe I'm here. Griffin and I were taking couples pictures with the, um, stand-in thing? Oh, you know what I'm talking about." She tried pointing to the area, but the crowd of people made her directions useless.
She continued in a curious and strange tone. "Then, Josh comes up to me with this girl and tells me to point him towards your pole outfits?? I did, but I didn't expect him to actually change clothes and get on stage! I'm honestly surprised yours fits that girl so well, she must not be as small as she looks!"
She shook her head and looked up to the stage, a laugh in her throat as she asked. "Nel, does your brother have any idea what he's doing?"
"Haha, don't worry about it. You may not believe me but," They paused to bend down closer to her many piercings ears, though they didn't whisper. "he's done this before, infront of other people. He's actually very talented."
Felise very clearly did not believe them, obvious by her unamused snort. Matthew would share the same reaction if not for his own participation, however embarrassing the memories.
As Nel shrugged and told Felise just to watch and see, Matthew looked back to Griffin. Seeing how stressed he looked, he guessed only Felise was enjoying her night. However, he didn't feel like asking and finding out whatever bothered him.
So, instead of inquiring, he lifted the box of cigarettes and silently offered one. Griffin didn't contemplate long and silently accepted his offer.
He lit a flame to his cigarette and one to Griffin's, then turned back to the stage. Josh and the woman had already moved from their earlier positions, now each standing near their selected pole.
At the same time, a new song started playing.