The Parent Trap [Kat Dakuu and fish-d]
 

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Alfred Kirkland had never spent a summer away from home, but he had to admit- so far, it hadn't been too bad! He'd been assigned his cabin yesterday (the third in the A block) with two other boys his age, and had been allowed to explore campus a little before sundown. There was a lake, and a games room (he'd already resolved to spend most of his summer in there, when he could), and he'd even been told by another camper that there was a girl's camp up the hill! He was going to like it here, he was certain of it.
...As long as this was the only time he had to fence. They'd rounded up the campers in his age group and told them they'd be fencing after breakfast, and Alfred had expected armor and big swords like the kind his father collected. Instead, he'd been stuffed into what looked like a bad astronaut costume and given a rapier with an end so dull he doubted it could slice butter. He'd gotten stuck fighting a match with a boy from C block who apparently knew what he was doing, because Alfred couldn't land a blow no matter how hard he tried.
"Hey, could you cut me some slack?" He whined, voice muffled by the visor of his helmet.

Matthew Bonnefoy never planned to leave home for a summer, let alone the country. His father insisted though, saying he needed to learn how to socialize. Truth was, Matthew knew how. He would just rather not. Still, the summer camp he got sent to for eight weeks didn't seem all that bad. He made a few friends with his cabin mates and found himself just a little thrilled when on the second day, fencing was offered. As an elegant sport, his father taught him since he was almost too tiny to hold the sword. And turned out, he had a knack for it.

So far, Matthew won all his matches with no contest. It made him glow a little inside and stand taller in his suit. Of course, just when it seemed he'd rein champion, some noisy kid challenged him and here they were with Matthew of course winning.

The second the kid asked for slack though, he hesitated. He really didn't want to, but it would be the kind thing to do so he slowed his movements. "Perhaps you should hold the rapier properly?" he suggested in a very quiet voice.

"I'm holdin' it-" Alfred looked over the top of his hand at his opponent, who was definitely holding it way different than Alfred was- "-I'm holdin' it fine!" He huffed, parrying the kid and taking an (unsuccessful) jab at him. He went in again, breaking the stance the instructor had showed them at the beginning of the activity block just a little so he could tap the other preteen in the shoulder. "Ha, got you!" He cheered, lowering his guard for a moment to bask in his success.

Matthew stumbled back, using proper technique which didn't quite do well again someone...not using it. He pouted behind his mask. "That's not fair," he whined before advancing forward again and jabbing, still at his slower pace. But he let the other boy have one hit which should be enough. Matthew finished the match with one last tap before he finally backed down. "I win." The crowd of onlookers behind them cheered and he felt validated in this choice to end the match.

"Oh, come on!" Alfred huffed, but didn't press further. Instead, he decided that that was the last time he was ever going to do this weird garbage sword sport- he wasn't any good at it and the outfits were hot. He dropped his rapier against the mat and pulled off his helmet, ruffling a gloved hand through his sweaty, blond hair, replacing the glasses he'd tucked in his pocket on his face. He was supposed to leave them on the bench, but his father had told him to keep them on-hand, lest he lose another pair.

Matthew didn't respond but walked to the bench so he could take off his helmet and retrieve the glasses he left there. It took a bit of feeling around and he'd barely touched them with his fingers when he heard the instructor clap her hands. "Wonderful match you two! Now lets both shake hands."

Turning around to face the other boy, Matthew slipped his glasses on. Huh? Who put a mirror there? It took him a second to realize that the blue eyed, glasses wearing, blonde was his previous opponent. A slight blush covered his face at the blunder. He offered his hand. "Um...good game....?" But he couldn't quite stop staring.

"Holy crap," Alfred gasped- the kid looked just like him! He'd read somewhere, once, that if you saw yourself walking down the street you wouldn't recognize your own face- but Alfred was sure of it; the two of them were identical. He shook the offered hand mechanically, distracted by his... clone? Body double? Was this kid an alien? The only difference between the two of them was he'd let his hair grow long; Alfred kept his short so no one would know how curly it got in the heat. "Who are you?"

Matthew self consciously tucked a tangled strand of hair behind his ear before he realized he still held the other boy's hand. He dropped it like it burnt him. "Uh...I'm Matthew," he muttered in introduction. How could this even happen? He'd gotten so used to being alone, that suddenly seeing someone so like him shocked Matthew to the core. He had to remind himself that just because they looked identical didn't mean they were. Obviously this boy wasn't anything like him.

In the background though, multiple voices whispered. "Omg, they look the same." Even the counselor joined in. "Are they twins?"

Alfred quickly shook off the shock as quickly as it had set in. "I'm Alfred F. Kirkland," he introduced himself, hands moving unconsciously to his hips in what he liked to call his 'hero pose'. "How come you look like me?" He demanded. He didn't even have any cousins named Matthew; he couldn't be related to this guy! "Are you an alien?" He added, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Matthew was about to explain there had to be a calm and rational explanation for this, but then Alfred went and asked if he was an alien. Matthew's face burned bright red in response. "I am not!" he yelped. How could anyone say such an embarrassing and rude thing to him? He whirled away from the other boy and took off running all the way back to his cabin where he dived under the covers and stayed there even after this new friends begged him to come out for lunch. Matthew decided right then and there that even if Alfred looked like his twin, he didn't like him in the least.

Alfred honestly wasn't expecting that kind of reaction out of Matthew; he'd just asked a question! "Geeze, what a weirdo," he scoffed, watching a counselor run after Matthew and out of the gymnasium.
"That's it for today!" The other one called, looking nervous about Matthew's breakdown. Whatever, it wasn't important- and anyway, if his double was out to steal his identity or sneak into his cabin or whatever, he didn't have to be nice.

It was later in the day- a few hours after lunch- when everyone was called down to the mess hall for an orientation meeting and dinner. They'd had a few minutes of orientation yesterday, but this was "the big, important one", or so all the counselors were saying. Alfred didn't understand what was so important that they had to set aside an entire hour of his afternoon to tell, but whatever. At least he'd finally get to know who was running the camp.
"Hey, Alfred, who do you think that guy at fencing was?" Alfred's cabinmate, Toris (Laurens? Lorentis? Something long and European) asked him as they filed into the mess hall.
"I don't know, but I hope he stays away from me!" He grumbled, picking out a table and sitting down. "I got in trouble with Ms. Karpussi for it, even though I didn't do anything. He's just a baby and its not my fault he's a copycat." Alfred huffed.

The only reason Matthew left the cabin at all was because Eduard informed him of a mandatory meeting. That and Ralph started to get annoying about an hour earlier. The Australian boy may have befriended him first thing which Matthew felt grateful for, but he also hadn't stopped talking since.

Grabbing his stuffed polar bear for comfort, he sat in the back of the mess hall with his two friends. If not for Ralph, no one would have even noticed the quieter pair with glasses. They weren't sure if that was good or bad, but when Matthew caught sight of Alfred from behind, he snapped his gaze away and squeezed the daylights out of Kumajiro. The better this meeting ended, the better.

Who was that behind him? Someone was being really loud, and Alfred had a strong inclination to be their friend. He leaned his chair back on its back legs, twisting around a little to find a lithe brunet about his age with scuffed up knees and a bandaid on his nose, like he'd gotten in a fight. "Yo, I'm Alfred! Who're you?" He asked. "Your accent is really cool-" -but then he caught sight of Matthew, who was pointedly not looking at him and... holding a stuffed polar bear? What a weenie. "What're you doing hanging out with that kid?" He turned back to the Australian, gesturing at Matthew. "He's so boring."

Ralph grinned when someone turned to talk to him, but he caught sight of the sour expression on his new friend's face. Which he didn't even noticed looked similar. Matthew sunk further down into his chair, silent and red, but if Ralph guessed right, he was seething. A bright, almost neurotic grin twisted Ralph's face. He kicked one foot out, 'accidentally' kicking the other boy's chair legs so the thing upturned. "Oops, mate. Were you talking to me?" he asked as he slung one arm around Matthew's shoulders. The blonde boy buried his face with even more shame. People were staring now. They'd get in trouble!

Alfred screeched (later he'd insist it was a "manly, dignified yell", but it was definitely an octave higher than that implied) when Ralph kicked his chair and sent him toppling to the mess hall floor. He banged his head something fierce on the wood paneling and knocked his knee on the table- that was going to hurt for a week! Toris came rushing over to help him up, but the both froze when the dull squeal of someone tapping a microphone sounded from the old speakers at the front of the room.

"Good evening, campers," The man behind the podium said, giving a stiff wave to his audience of impatient middle-school boys.
("Buonasera, nonno!" One of the campers at a front row table yelled to the stage and was harshly elbowed by the older boy next to him). "I'm Gaius Vargas, and I'd like to welcome to Camp Walden, the longest-running Boys' camp in Maine! I'm pleased to introduce you to our staff-" -he gestured to the table of people dressed in labeled tshirts and khaki shorts to his right- "-some of whom I'm sure you've met already.
"We have Heinrich Beilschmidt, head of housing," a tall, blonde, broad-shouldered man with a firm-set jaw and a literally terrifying look in his eyes stood up awkwardly, kind of half-saluted, half-waved, and sat back down. "Irene Karpussi, head of sports and activities," a brown-haired, curvy lady stood up next. "Nefertari Hassan, camp nurse," a tan woman with a serious expression, wearing a headscarf and long sleeves, gave a stiff wave- and that was about where Alfred zoned out. Toris had helped him up after the other campers were distracted, and he and the smaller boy had started chatting about how weird the camp leader was. It wasn't until they were almost done going over the rules that he turned back in, because one of the counselors was giving him a look like she was about to come over there and make him pay attention.
"...and absolutely no pranks." Mr. Vargas finished. "Now, enjoy your dinners, and enjoy your summer!" He said before stepping off the podium and letting the mess hall slowly slip from silence into the buzz of middle school chit-chat.

Matthew did his best to listen intently to the rules, but inside, he freaked out too much for it. This Alfred kid was irritating and embarrassing, but Ralph was too much of a hot-head. Although a part of him felt jealous, the more reasonable part said they should be like Eduard who most definitely listened. Either that or he could zone out with the most interested look on his face possible. It was only when the orientation ended and campers started to filter out that Matthew realized he paid more attention to the people around him than what actually got said. He would ask Eduard for details later.

They'd just managed to escape the crowds after dinner when Ralph glanced over his shoulder, not doubt looking for a certain blonde. "Who was that kid? Do you need me to beat him up for you?!"

Matthew groaned under his breath. "Please no..." he muttered so quiet the brunette had to lean close to hear. No matter what, he wouldn't go about starting a war.

While the surprisingly not horrible camp food did a great job of distracting Alfred, whenever his eyes flicked back over to Matthew and that Australian kid, annoyance lit in him like a flame. That was so rude; pushing his chair over just for sharing his opinion! He bet Matthew had told him to, that he had warned the kid not to talk to him. What a weirdo.
As he and Toris filed out of the mess hall to head back to their cabin blocks for "group bonding", Alfred was already hatching a plan. He had to get back at that face-stealing impostor!
"What are you thinking of?" Toris asked when Alfred shared his intentions. "Mister Vargas said no pranks." He added, looking nervous.
Alfred smirked a smirk that was almost certainly too devious for a kid who wasn't allowed to be home alone overnight yet. "No one says Mister Vargas has to know, right?"

Matthew, Eduard, and Ralph spent the rest of their day playing cards and just talking since there were no more activities. It seemed like the rest of their cabin went out in a canoe, but they opted to stay behind. Besides, Ralph said calm waters were lame and Matthew just didn't want to play with strange kids. Talk of that Alfred kid never quite ended, but Matthew stopped responding and Ralph wouldn't do anything until Matthew said it was okay.

That night, after dinner and the camp curfew, all the lights went out and Matthew lay there wondering how it turned out this way. He knew somewhere deep down that this camp would end badly. It's why he didn't want to go in the first place. Now he felt sure it would end in disaster. Why did there have to be some dumb kid who looked like him?

"Come on, Toris, we have to go before one of the counselors wakes up!"

"I'm trying!"

Alfred grabbed onto Toris's outstretched hands, pulling gently as the smaller boy tried to wriggle out of the open window. Alfred and Yongsoo hadn't had much of a problem getting out, but Toris was much more worried about breaking something on the way down.

"Dude, it's only like a four-foot drop!" Alfred complained, growing a little impatient. "You're gonna be fine!"

"Alfred, that's almost as long a drop as I am tall!"

It took them another five-odd minutes of agitated whispering and creative footwork before Toris was safely on the ground, sporting a bruise on his arm from his rough landing but otherwise fine. Then it was a matter of getting their supplies- Alfred had nicked a spool of white yarn from the crafts tent down the walkway, and Yongsoo and Toris had done a little more window-climbing to get into the mess hall and steal one of the vats of maple syrup in the fridge. If they were gonna do something against camp rules, they were gonna go big.

Alfred's arms were starting to ache by the time they made it to C block from lugging around the bucket, but it made a pretty decent stepstool to see into windows. By the time they found Matthew's cabin, it was just past midnight (according to Alfred's glow-in-the-dark Batman watch) and they had plenty of time to work. Making it into the cabin was easier this time with the boost, and they spent the next hour tying string in arcs across the cabin and filling the camper's shoes with maple syrup. Yongsoo even found Matthew's toiletries and carefully poured the entirety of his fancy shampoo out the window. Serves him right for having so much dumb hair, Alfred thought.

By the time they were done, the cabin was a work of art- the string made the entire thing almost impossible to traverse, and it absolutely reaked of sap. Exchanging quiet high-fives, the boys crawled back out the window to dispose of the evidence in the river and be back in bed before sunrise.

Matthew was the sort of sleeper that once he fell asleep, he didn't move. He slept like the dead through every loud noise and motion and if he could get away with it, he would sleep in too. His papa surprisingly never chided him for it, calling on 'beauty sleep' as a legit excuse. It was only when the trumpet rung with its traditional wake up call that he roused in any way, and on the second time through at that. If not for confused groan coming from his right, he might have even slept through that.

When Matthew opened his eyes, they immediately widened with surprise. A slight tilt of his head found Eduard half sitting up, one hand frozen from where it put his glasses on. Without his own, Matthew couldn't see why, but felt a chill anyway. As he reached for the small table by his bed, something sticky oozed across his arm. Squeaking, he realized the entire cabin smelled like maple.

Ralph woke up at the squeak and unlike the others, he shot up straight in bed. "What's tha-?" He didn't get a chance to say more when a rope pulled and a giant bucket of syrup tipped over on top of him. The scream pierced the morning air, leaving the rest of their cabin scrambling in bed, maple flying in the air, and Matthew cowering on his bed in absolute awe and horror. He had absolutely not doubt on who to blame for this.