image [https://img.wattpad.com/story_parts/1492677142/images/18057d56409c2318836647318494.jpg]
Six months later, Matt was having lunch with his parents in their small kitchen. He had already polished off his plate of spaghetti, and as he settled back in his chair, he looked down at his hands on the white table.
Matt was dressed in gray sweats and a black hoodie. His parents, Monique and Basil, were sitting across from each other, still savoring their food. Monique wore a beige sweater and dark pants, while Basil had on a gray sweater and matching sweats.
Matt looked lost in thought, and after sipping his water, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
«I'm moving out,» he announced, setting his glass down.
At Matt's words, Monique and Basil exchanged worried looks.
«Moving out? What are you talkin' about, Matt?» Basil asked, raising an eyebrow mid-bite.
«Uh, well... Martine and I decided to rent a little place nearby. We just need our own space,» Matt explained, leaning forward to sound more sure of himself.
Monique moved her plate aside, squinting at him.
«What do you mean you're moving in with Martine?» she snapped, glaring at him. «You're only twenty-five! You should focus on finding a better job first!»
Matt folded his arms and sighed, taking a moment to gather himself. After a second, he cracked his neck and answered.
«Martine and I have been together for a while now, and I love her. We're ready for this,» Matt said, meeting his mom's eyes.
«And how are you gonna support yourself with that dog-sitting gig?» Basil asked, raising his voice a bit.
Matt looked away, a little annoyed. Things hadn't been great between him and his dad lately, and Matt always felt like he didn't believe in him.
«Martine's workin' too; we'll make it work with our paychecks,» he shot back, his gaze now steady.
«Did you talk this over with Martine's parents?» Monique asked, tilting her head up.
«Yeah, they're cool with it,» Matt said, pressing his lips together.
«You're still gonna need to chip in here, though. Who do you think's payin' the rent on this place?» his dad replied, sounding annoyed.
«What?» Matt squinted.
«We can't keep up with the little welfare we're getting and without your share,» Basil said, keeping his head up and staring down at Matt, like he was trying to make him feel guilty.
«Yeah, Matt, you can't just leave,» Monique added, tilting her head.
Matt looked away from his parents again, visibly irritated.
«I've been giving you guys money for five years. I can't keep doing this till you're retired,» he said, raising his voice and looking at them both. «I gotta build my own life; that's my right!» he exclaimed, leaning forward a bit.
Stung by his words, Basil stiffened, got up, and took a few steps toward him.
«Your right?» he said, sneering. «Where's that written down?» he added, standing beside him.
Matt didn't know what to say. Things were heating up, but he'd sworn to himself he wouldn't let anything stop him—not even his dad.
«If you don't keep pitchin' in, you can forget about that inheritance I'll get when my aunt passes,» Basil threatened, his voice sharp.
Matt stood up, getting in his dad's face.
«Like I care. You can't keep me hostage,» he said, narrowing his eyes. «What've you done these past five years, huh?» he spat, raising his voice. «You haven't gotten a damn job! Always whining and trying to revive your dead online business, between beers and whiskey!» he shot back, his mouth open, teeth showing.
«How dare you?» his dad growled, grabbing a plate and chucking it at him.
The plate shattered near the fridge, but Matt barely flinched. Their dog, Jackie, started barking at the scene, but Matt picked her up and carried her to the other room, calming her down with a few pats. Then he walked back to the kitchen, stepping around the broken pieces.
«I'm not scared of gangsters, so I sure as hell ain't scared of you,» he said, his eyes cold.
«Then get out,» his mom replied with a nod.
«Yeah, and when things with Martine don't work out, don't you dare coming back here,» his dad added, heading to the door.
Matt stood still for a moment and narrowed his gaze, then he walked to his room, grabbed his packed bags, and knelt one last time to pet Jackie.
«Take care of yourself, Jackie,» he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Jackie seemed to get what Matt was saying, giving his hand a soft lick. Then he walked out of his room and headed for the open door, where his dad stood, still fuming. Right before he crossed the threshold, Matt slowly turned back to him.
«I'm gonna be a better father than you ever were,» he said in a low voice. «Marijan and Cyrus have done more for me than you ever did,» he added, eyes cold.
«Get lost, traitor. Don't ever come back,» his dad sneered, shoving him with an arm before slamming the door.
Matt held back his tears, wiping away the ones that slipped out with a handkerchief from his pocket. He walked to the park where he and Martine first met and found her waiting on the same bench. She was wearing a green blouse and jeans.
«What happened, Matt?» she asked, getting up and moving toward him, seeing the tears in his eyes [https://img.wattpad.com/65f73e0ceadc15e442e0ade88075a654ff4cfdfd/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6c544465426e4c4333466c3774513d3d2d313439323637373134322e313830636339653437336130326439363431313737383430323534322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
«What happened, Matt?» she asked, getting up and moving toward him, seeing the tears in his eyes.
He quickly wiped them away, trying to keep it together.
«They kicked me out,» he said, avoiding her gaze. «I knew it would end like this,» he went on, lips curling bitterly. «After everything I did for them, all the money I gave them, they just kicked me out. Those jerks!» he shouted, looking down.
Martine's eyes widened at his words; she knew things were rough with his parents but hadn't thought they'd go that far. She took his hands, trying to comfort him.
«I'm so sorry, Matt. But remember, you're here with me now, and you don't have to face this alone,» she said softly.
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Matt finally looked up at her, his eyes still a bit teary.
«I know, Martine,» he started, looking at the bench and nodding a little. «I just feel like I failed,» he admitted, shaking his head. «I always thought one day I'd find a way to fix things with them. And now... I feel lost,» he said, wiping his eyes with his arm.
Martine stepped closer, cupping his cheek.
«You didn't fail, Matt,» she said, bringing her face close to his. «You tried your best, and they couldn't appreciate it,» she continued, looking past him at the trees. «It's not your fault.»
Matt took her hands and kissed them, closing his eyes. After a moment, he looked up at the sky.
«What now? We have our apartment, but everything feels so much harder than I expected.»
«Forget about them, Matt; focus on us now,» Martine said after taking a breath. «What's done is done.»
Matt nodded slowly and sighed. After all, there wasn't anything else he could do but look forward.
«You're right,» he replied with more conviction, shaking his head again. «Thank you, Martine. I don't know how I'd handle all this without you,» he continued, giving her a kiss.
«And you're my hero,» she replied after the kiss. «We've got a new life, and most importantly, we've got each other. That's what really matters.»
Matt closed his eyes, tilted his head, and kissed her forehead.
«I love you,» he said, wrapping his hands around her head.
«I love you too, Matt,» she replied, resting her head on his chest.
After grabbing their bags, Matt and Martine headed to their new apartment. They had decided to rent it right across from the park where they first met. They wanted every time they looked out the window to remember that moment. A casual moment, like fate brought them together.
Matt grabbed both bags and sprinted up the stairs, making it to the first floor first and waiting for Martine. When she showed up, she held out the key.
«We made it,» Matt said with a grin before sliding the key into the lock.
The door swung open, revealing the apartment they'd always dreamed of. They scored it thanks to a buddy of Lewis, who had some connections in real estate.
The living room was pretty spacious, with an open kitchen and light wood furniture. A staircase led up to a loft, which was going to be Matt and Martine's bedroom. Two big windows let in loads of light, and there were plants on the windowsill.
Matt climbed the steps to the bedroom and dropped the bags next to the queen bed. Then he headed back downstairs, feeling kinda wiped; his legs were heavy. The fight with his parents was still fresh in his mind, and it was already 11 PM.
He turned to Martine, who was chilling on the black couch in the living room. Matt walked over to her.
«I'm beat, babe. Think I'm gonna hit the hay. Can we sort everything out tomorrow?» he asked, rubbing his forehead.
«For sure, that's cool. I'm tired too,» Martine replied, tilting her head a bit.
Matt reached out to help her up. Martine took his hand, but he lifted her instead.
«What are you doing? Haha,» she laughed as Matt grinned, holding her tight.
«Let's inaugurate the bedroom like this,» Matt said as he started walking.
He took his sweet time climbing the stairs, and once he got to the top, he gently placed Martine on the bed. It was a classic queen bed, nice and roomy. The pillows were white, and the gray blanket had a heart pattern.
«You were wiped out, huh?» Martine asked, watching him put on his pajamas, almost teasing him with her gaze.
«I've drained the last of my energy, don't even try it,» her boyfriend joked as he climbed into bed and kissed her.
Martine pulled her tablet out of her bag and powered it on, typing in her Netflix username and password to keep watching Breaking Bad, the show they were rewatching for the second time. Matt, though, didn't even make it twenty minutes before he knocked out. He always crashed halfway through an episode.
Look at him, he's like a little angel, Martine thought, watching Matt as he was already snoring. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead, but he didn't feel a thing. He was already deep in REM.
Suddenly, Matt found himself in a dark room; there wasn't much around him. It looked like an abandoned warehouse, reeking of blood. Then the dream started to clear up, and two figures began to take shape.
One was chained to a post, while the other sat across from him on a chair, arms crossed. The closer Matt got, the sharper the images became. There were bodies lying behind them, maybe dead bodies, but he couldn't make out any faces.
Wait... that's me, he thought as he neared the chained figure.
Then he turned his gaze to the blurred figure. He'd seen it before but couldn't fully remember. After a few more steps, the other's features started to become more defined. It was him. The same creature he had dreamed of years ago. When he was just a kid.
He had a bare chest and wore only dark jeans [https://img.wattpad.com/04d40aafcb2018c9b5b6839fdefed35a7271c666/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6a54725967522d357750544f71673d3d2d313439323637373134322e313830353765333733646265396635643736393931363039333634382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
He had a bare chest and wore only dark jeans. His abs and pecs looked like steel, with veins popping beneath his dark skin. Spiked hair, dark skin, glowing copper scars, and most of all, those red eyes burning like fire.
«My powers... Gone...» the chained Matt muttered, clenching his fists.
Then he looked around until his gaze met his Doppelgänger's, who was grinning at him with a wicked smirk. His alter ego then got up from the chair and walked toward him slowly.
«How does it feel to be so powerless, Matt?» his Doppelgänger taunted, spreading his arms. «I think you know that feeling all too well, don't you?» he asked again, stopping right in front of his double and lifting his dark chin.
«Why all this? Why did we split? You said our bond would last forever,» asked the chained Matt, tilting his head forward.
Split? What the hell are they talking about? thought the dreaming Matt, squinting his eyes.
He was close enough to hear them, but they didn't notice him. It felt like he was seeing the future. Actually, his other self looked older, maybe 28 or 30 years old.
«Nothing lasts forever, my dear,» the Doppelgänger answered, shrugging his dark shoulders. «Your fate wasn't to save this city; your fate is me. It always has been, Matt. And you're everything I hate,» he continued, narrowing his red eyes.
«You hate me? And why's that?» asked the chained Matt, blinking.
«It wasn't hate at first,» the Doppelgänger replied, turning to look out a broken window to his right. «But then I found out the truth,» he went on, turning back toward the chained Matt, making the crimson scars on his face and body glow. «My fate wasn't to help you fight the Cobras or the Spyders, but to become your greatest enemy,» he explained, crouching down in front of his double.
The two of them stared at each other for several seconds, the chained Matt's green-brown eyes locked onto the Doppelgänger's red ones. Then the chained Matt gritted his teeth, muscles straining.
«My... greatest enemy? You said we're the same person!» he exclaimed, leaning forward. «YOU SAID WE WERE ONE!» he yelled in his face.
The Doppelgänger smirked and stood up, turning around as he began walking through the warehouse. He stepped over the bodies scattered on the ground.
«True, but I'm the opposite of everything you are,» he shot back, shrugging. The dark entity then narrowed his red eyes, his mouth twisting into a sneer. «And so, I figured out that the more people you saved, the more you were loved, the more I had to take away from you,» he revealed, gesturing with his dark hands.
The chained Matt stayed silent, staring at the gray floor. His eyebrows furrowed, trying to make sense of it all, but it was no use.
«I'm the only one here who knows how to manipulate the darkness in your soul to get what I want!» the alter ego exclaimed, stepping closer to his counterpart.
What kind of madness is this? thought the dreaming Matt, leaning in a bit to hear and understand better.
The chained Matt kept his eyes on his alter ego, and suddenly his face looked almost sad. Despair was creeping in, but then he remembered he couldn't let it end this way. He took a deep breath and tilted his head forward again.
The dreaming Matt then placed a hand on a wall, leaning against it.
Wait... he thought, watching the duo talk.
«So, the reason you ruined my life...» the chained Matt began to say, blinking. «Is it because you couldn't be me?» he asked, trying to stand up.
«I've become better than you!» yelled the Doppelgänger, stepping forward. «I'm the one thing you cannot stop, Matt,» he said, grabbing the chained Matt's chin and shoving him back.
The dreaming Matt woke up with a jolt, letting out a groan that woke Martine, who was sleeping beside him. He was leaning forward, eyes wide open, breathing heavily, his chest heaving like he'd just run a marathon.
«Babe, what happened?» asked Martine, touching his right arm.
«I... I don't know,» he replied, turning to her with a terrified look.
He swallowed hard, squinting a little, trying to remember, but he only felt that angst. He blinked harder, but it didn't help.
«All I know is... it was terrifying,» Matt managed to say, mouth slightly open.
«Calm down, it was just a nightmare,» Martine whispered, stroking his arm gently before lying back down.
Matt remained sat there a bit longer. He needed to figure out what it was about. There was something familiar about that nightmare, something he'd seen before. Then he looked back at Martine, who'd already fallen back asleep, and tried to shake off the unease. But just before lying back down, he got a flash, like lightning right before his eyes.
«Ah!» Matt gasped, bringing a hand up near his left eye.
It was the scarred face of his Doppelgänger, staring at him with his chin down and a wicked grin.
What could it all mean?