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Tangled Hearts ― ༘ ⋆ soulmate!matt

in which ⟢ you wanted to spend more time with Matt, show him that you care, and even in the simplest of tasks, you two seem to be in sync.

featuring ⟢ soulmate!matt & blueberry muffin!reader. meet them here.

content ⟢ fluff, sparkle of miscommunication angst, slow burn, shy and unspoken feelings, matt + crochet like in this post hehe.

"It's been, uh— raining a lot these past days, right?" he question it awkwardly, glancing up from the puppy near him as he searches for your reaction, only to find you lost in your own sphere, too focused to notice his aimless chatter.

Moments like this have become quite common since Matt started volunteering. Just the two of you, sitting together in silence as you crochet, keeping your attention to yourself.

He's streched out on the floor as he carresses Waldo, a rescued puppy, while stealing glances at you every now and then. The soft rustling of paws around the room and the gentle thump of raindrops by the window added to the calm ambiance of the animal shelter he became so familiar to.

Everything is so peaceful, gentle, he almost resents speaking, fearing his small talk might have disturbed the intimate atmosphere between you.

You're sat across from him on the floor, legs crossed, fingers moving skillfully with the crochet hook. The star pillow cover you've been making for some days slowly takes shape by each measured stitch, your eyes never faltering from the colorful threads in your hands.

He just stays there, leaning against the wall, captivated by you. The way your brows frown in concentration, the shadow of raindrops on the window casting over your soft features, a couple of your hair waves framing your face while you loop the yarn in a steady rhythm.

It's a quiet moment, delicate even, and Matt simply watches you — as he always does.

A sudden squeak draws his attention downward, his eyes wandering to Waldo playing at his feet, trying to catch his shoelaces with its yips and growls. He giggles, gently picking up the tiny dog and cradling it on his lap. The puppy wriggles on his jeans excitedly, Matt's heart melting at the scene.

His chuckles fill the room, drifting your focus away from the yarn to the adorable sight before you — Matt tenderly ruffling Waldo's belly, its tail wagging with pure joy.

Your smile forms naturally at that, only to soften with guilt as you realize for how long you've zoned out.

"I, uh— m'sorry, Matt. What were you saying again?" you ask softly, fiddling with a loose thread on your lap, uncertainty flickering behind your eyes.

He blinks up at you, and you search his face for any signs of frustation, but all you find was a small, understanding smile. It's sweet — sweet as he always is.

"It was just nonsense," he assures you gently, shrugging. "Don't worry 'bout it."

The hook and yarn stood still on your lap, a cat approaching it with curiosity as you chew the inside of your cheek, thinking. A pang of guilt washes over you for not acknowledging him sooner, for being too distracted to even hear a word of what he said.

You hadn't meant to ignore him, naturally. You were just lost in thought while crocheting — but it still makes you feel bad.

Because it's Matt.

"Sorry for not listening to you," you murmur, too hesitant to say anything louder, watching as he keeps his attention on the puppy, absently stroking its fur.

Matt's expression relaxes at your words, embarrassment covering his ears. "It's okay, I just— just didn't want to interrupt you, I guess," he says, voice low. "Don't wanna bother you when you're doin' your thing."

You remain quiet, mind racing. It's not even that big of a deal, his usual calm self showing how trivial the situation is to him. But at the same time, it isn't. Despite Matt's tranquil demeanor, you just can't shake off the discomfort sitting on your chest.

You don't want Matt to think that his presence bothers you somehow, that you didn't listen to him because you don't care — because of course you care, more than he could ever know. You'd just get caught up in your own thoughts a bit too frequently.

You watch how his eyes gleam with joy as he holds Waldo against his chest, talking to the dog in a silly voice. His expression light, unbothered. The soothing sounds of rain and animals playing around created a cozy backdrop to the moment. It's something so little, but so incredibly heartwarming.

It hasn't been long since he first started volunteering, but his calm, gentle nature quickly became a comforting presence by your side in daily tasks. Yet, more often than not, shyness gets the better of both of you, leaving your interactions rather brief and a bit awkward.

You are usually hung between shy smiles and darting glances — which isn't that bad, given that you can observe his smile in silent admiration, and how cute he looks giggling as the puppy snuggles further into his arms.

But it still isn't enough.

You yearned to understand him better, to actually listen when he talked instead of merely being physically present and too lost in your own mind to do so.

You wanted to show him that you care.

As days went by, you'd grasp at any opportunity to spend time with him. You'd linger at the reception when he arrived, offered to help with bathing the pets, and even faced boring adoption paperwork together — any excuse you could find to strike up a conversation.

With a sheepish smile, you'd find yourself initiating a casual chatter, letting mindless words fall from your lips while ignoring your tendency to overthink every sentence you let out. Simply to hear his voice. To actually hear it.

At first, he seemed a bit anxious, fidgeting with his rings as he responded to your nervous, random questions — his favorite season or how he liked his coffee. His awkwardness around you would've been endearing if it wasn't for your own timidity in his presence.

It was almost funny how you'd both stammer over simple words, only to smile at each other when you realized you both liked the same movie or preferred rainy days over sunny ones.

Before you knew it, the typical silence between you evolved to engaged conversations, revealing little things about Matt you never known before. He opened up about his brothers' antics, shared opinions on a recent read, and his absolute hatred for ketchup. You shared more about yourself, too — your aspirations, fears, and a goofy taste for cat videos that always brought a warm, adorable grin to his face.

The progress was slow, patient, as it had to be with both of you. Yet, as your bond developed, it felt just right — so natural, that being in each other's company, laughing together, smiling until your cheeks hurt became the sweetest parts of your days.

Once, while helping him care for a bunny's scab — cleaning, applying ointment, and bandaging — you two fell into an easy conversation about favorite animated films, reminiscing your childhood, both of you getting lost in memories.

As you brought up Lady and the Tramp as your top Disney pick, Matt's face scrunched up in a playful scowl. "Oh, c'mon, that movie is not even that good, it's just cute. Now Winnie the Pooh is timeless!" he stated, and you gape at him, amused at his sudden mockery.

"It's only the best romance ever scripted and with puppies?! It's a classic!" you argued, and he shook his head, grining.

"I'd trade their spaghetti for Pooh's honey any day of the week. Have you seen how good it looks?!," he questioned it, continuing his cares on the bunny as you crossed your arms, chuckling at how enthusiastically he defended his pick.

He then had mentioned his special love for Eeyore, explaining how he related to the character since little. The tender smile playing on his lips as he recounted a specific episode was really endearing, making you rethink your opinion about the bear's movies.

But more than that, his passion about the character sparked an idea in you — to put all that care he had for Eeyore into something truly special to him. To crochet him something meaninful.

Ever since that idea popped into your mind, you began to work on the plushie whenever you had a spare moment — at home, during your breaks at the shelter, and even in the quiet moments before bed. You had your crochet hook in hand everywhere.

You were precise with every stitch and chain you made, working meticulously since you wanted it to be perfect. Although your attention to detail was a little unwelcoming, leading you to start over multiple times, the biggest challenge was hiding your project from curious eyes — both animal and human.

The first close call came during your break, when you had just started the plushie. The colorful threads had a fluffy texture, similar to a felt, and the kitten curled up beside you on the couch seemed to agree, purring contently as it nuzzled againstskien of yarn.

In a second of distraction, you looked away, lost in thoughts as usual, and the cat snatched the yarn ball from you. The kitten began batting it around the room like a toy, unraveling half of your carefully crocheted work and leaving you with a tangled mess of strands and knots.

After that, you became a bit more cautious around possible yarn thieves.

You also did your best trying to hide it from Matt, working on it only when he wasn't around or too busy to notice anything. But since your shifts overlapped — him making sure of that when he volunteered — you had to be sneaking around.

Another time, in between treating pets and helping potential adopters, you found yourself crocheting at the reception — a place where you had more control over crochet threats with paws.

You sat by the front counter, focused on the smooth flow of the stitches only. Hummimg to a random song, you were oblivious to your surroundings, until a sudden appearance beside you snapped you out of your trance.

Your eyes widened as you spotted Matt's figure, and you hastily hid the half-done project in the counter drawer, turning your head to check if he had caught a glimpse of anything.

To your relief, he was too busy wrestling with leashes to notice your hiding action, trying to stop Waldo and other puppies from dragging him outside for a walk as an amused smile replaced your worried expression.

A shy smile tugged on his lips when he met your gaze upon him, until the anxious dogs pulled him toward the door, his stumbling breaking your eye contact as it eclict a laughter from you. "Oh my— guys, wait up!" he chuckled breathlessly, nearly loosing his footing as Carlos, the big dog in the lead, pulled the leash eagerly.

Cute.

"Need any help?" you suggested, smiling as his cheeks flushed.

"Don't worry, I– woah! I think I got it!" he stuttered, struggling to hold onto the leash as the dogs darted through the narrow opening at the front door. You chuckled as he left, amused by his clumsy yet endearing attempts to get used to the shelter's daily struggles.

You were thankful he hadn't seen the unfinished gift — and thankful the dogs hadn't caused him to trip — but the encounter also made you more cautious around Matt. Although you loved being in his presence, you had to be careful if you wanted it to be a surprise — one you truly hoped he would like.

The sound of Matt's voice at the end of the corridor is faint, his words coming to shape by every anxious step you take towards him. You feel both nervous and excited, trying to hide your grin as you tightly clutch a package in your hand — the plushie you've been crafting so attentively to him finally finished.

Your heart was still pounding from a last-minute sprint to the crafts store and to the coffee shop down the street — a mid-shift 'caffeine emergency' being the excuse you gave to Matt to buy a wrapping paper for the gift. So, of course you couldn't return to work empty-handed.

Regardless of the coffee pretext you invented, you wanted to give him the now wrapped plushie right away, so the excuse wasn't really that necessary. The truth was, the cover up was more for your own sake than his. Although you wouldn't admit it out loud, your nerves were getting the better of you, and you just needed a quick sip to loosen up a bit.

You attempt to balance the cardboard holder in one hand while the other is busy with the white package, obligating you to tilt your body in a weird angle to twist the door handle with your elbow — which turns out to be a bit of a fumble, to say the least.

Being careful not to spill anything, you push the door open, and as the gap widens, Matt's words become clearer. "I'll get you more water, guys, just gimme' a sec'," he says, and you squint in confusion. Peering through the opening, you see who he was referring to as 'guys' — a small group of cats around the room, looking expectedly as he grabs their empty bowl.

You feel your heart melt at the tiny meows the kittens let back to him — of course he's chatting with animals and being responded by them. Matt's really just too damn cute for you to handle.

"Oh, hi! Didn't see you coming," he smiles as he sees you by the doorstep.

"Hi, Matt," you give him a light smile back, trying to keep your anticipation hidden.

"So, the caffeine need was that serious?" he asks with a grin, noticing the double cups of coffee on the stand in your hand.

"Well, yes, but one's yours. Got you a capuccino," you reply, and he blinks, his face softening.

"Thank you, you didn't have to," he says genuinely, taking the holder from you and grabbing one of the steaming cups. He savours a sip of the sugary drink before placing both cups on the counter behind you, beginning to fill the bowl on the sink.

"I, uh— its nothing," you murmur, watching as he bends down to place the bowl to the kittens, and you bite your lips in nervousness, feeling your heart beating faster. Okay, maybe drinking coffee to relax hasn't been the best idea for the moment. "I actually, um— have something else. For you."

His attention differs from the meowing cats at your words, his eyes locking in yours as he senses hesitancy in your tone. The bowl sits forgotten on the ground as the kittens drink eagerly, him getting up to meet you with a smirk.

"Is it a sweet treat to acompany my coffee, maybe?" he asks playfully, and a breathy chuckle escapes you, bringing a gentle smile to his face.

"No, that's in my bag," you reply simply, and its his time to chuckle, by how well you predicted him — knowing how he had the biggest sweet tooth ever.

He then senses a shift in your expression, your grin being replaced by pursing lips, and his mind wanders to what could you possibly be anxious about. His gaze drops down, noticing your hand behind your back, and you can see the confusion flicker through his eyes.

Without the need for words — more for without the ability to form coherent ones under his gaze — you simply extand the package in his direction, and you swear you can hear your heartbeat as Matt frowns, uncertain.

He looks up at you for silent confirmation, his fingers brushing hesitantly over yours as he finally takes the white package from you. The wrapper feels smooth under his touch, and his confusion grows — but when he finds a sticker that reads 'Although Lady and the Tramp is still better...', he finds himself smiling. His eyes find yours again, amused but curiously, and your soft smile encourages him to continue to unwrap the gift.

You can't help but feel your nerves spiking as a blue blur appears on Matt's hands, his eyes widening in surprise as he takes in the sight.

"Did you make this?" he asks slowly, his eyes glued on the Eeyore plushie in his grasp as you attempt to read through his expression.

"Mhm," you whisper, your voice barely audible, watching him trace the crochet knots gently, appreciating the softness of your work.

He feels himself stuck on the spot, the idea that you made this for him taking a while to sink in — but when it does, he feels his chest swell with pure warmth. His gaze lingers on the crochet work, mesmerized by every little detail. The balance of the lilac and blue yarn, the precision of every stitch and chain, the softness of the threads — all that to form the cutest Eeyore he has ever seen.

It's so delicate, so thoughtful.

And you made that yourself. You saw him. Put your time, energy, talent in it — for him.

For a moment, he's speechless, his eyes gleaming with pure joy, but as he notices the meticulously of the plushie, how perfect it is, his smile falters, and your heart skips a beat.

A mix of embarrassment and something else flickers in his eyes, still focused on the gift, and you feel your anxiety growing by each passing second, your mind racing with possible reasons for his silence. He looks upset at the gift. Upset. Why would he look upset?

You start biting your nails without realizing it, watching as he finally meets your gaze, his expression filled with affection and vulnerability at the same time.

"It's perfect," he breathes, his low tone doing little to ease your nervousness. "I— I love it, really. Thank you, I just, well, uh—" he trails off with a deep sigh, his words getting caught in his throat as he can't even process his own thoughts fully.

With a quiet frustation, he turns toward the counter and begins to rummage through a random drawer, and the silence between you makes you even more uneasy. You're about to ask if he there's anything wrong with it, if he didn't like it, maybe even give a random excuse to leave the room and just drown in overthinking about his weird reaction, when his actions stop and you frown in confusion at what he pulls out.

He approaches you with a tight lip smile, flustered, your lips parting slightly in surprise as you see it, now clearer — a crocheted blueberry on his palm.

You take a step closer, speechless, and reach the plushie with your fingertips. You feel the texture of the yarn in your hand, a soft smile tugging at your lips as you notice the half crooked smile of the fruit, the bead eyes a bit uneven, making it look even cuter. Your eyes wander up, an intrigued but stunned grin in your face as he blushes by your proximity.

"I, uh— I know it's not even half as good as yours, but..." he murmurs, scratching his neck awkwardly, too reluctant to say more. He seeks your gaze as if he could read your mind through it — which wasn't even necessary, once your expression told him everything he had to know. You looked enthralled.

"You crocheted this?" you ask, trying to keep your tone neutral, but the mere thought is so heartwarming you can't hide the affection in your voice.

Matt nods sheepishly, "I tried to, but it turned out a bit harder than I expected. I'm even embarrassed to give you these awful blueberries after— well, this..." he let's a pitiful chuckle out, glancing at the Eeyore in his hand and then at the blueberry in yours. The difference between the plushies was truly humbling for him.

"It's lovely, Matt," you say sincerely, admiring the blueberry. "When did you learn it?" you ask, completely enchanted by the thought of him learning your favorite hobby. Learning it and making something special for you with it.

"Learn is a strong word, but, I don't know... I just always see you so absorbed in it, 'jus tried it, some time ago," he admits. "I also didn't want to interrupt you when you're crocheting, so... I guess accompanying you in it would be better," he adds hesitantly, and the smile you give him is soft, warm. He's too precious.

"I told you, you never interrupt me."

"I know, but still..." he shruggs. "Just wanted to do something with you besides volunteering and all that. Not just stay around in silence as you do your thing."

You see the sincerity in his eyes, the way he wanted more than just the quietness of your company. It feels good to know he feels the same way.

You care about his presence more than you'd like to admit. It was easy to feel comfortable around him, specially when he'd keep his gaze locked in yours and chuckle at your rants like you like you were telling him the most interesting things in the world — and for Matt, you were.

"I probably should've asked you for some help before trying it, actually. Might as well pretend this thing never existed and start over," he says with a breathy chuckle, looking at the blueberry and than at you.

"Nah, you won't get this away from me," you tease, holding your plushie closer, and he smiles. "And just so you know, your silence or words never bother me. I love being around you no matter what," you let out mindlessly, a faint blush covering his cheeks once the weight of your words settle in. "But, um— if you really want to practice your crochet skills some time, I could teach you a couple of things."

"Am I in a tough start position?" he asks, chuckling, mocking his own effort.

"You're not, seriously. And it'll be fun, you know— doing something outside of here, besides volunteering and all that," you echo his words playfully, and he smiles sheepishly at the thought of spending time with you outside of the shelter — of you wanting to spend time with him like that.

"Just keep an eye on the pets if you're going to crochet here, 'cause Alfonso already spotted your plushie," you say with a grin. Matt follows your gaze, his eyes landing on the kitten by his foot that stares intently at the crocheted Eeyore hanging from his fingers.

"While I was doing the blueberry, one of them actually stole my yarn ball and I had to restart the whole thing," Matt laughs, looking back at you, and your face lights up in surprise.

"No way! That exact thing happened to me!" you exclaim, and you both chuckle, the previous tension you both felt being melted by now.

As the laughter fades, you exchange a warm smile, and that familiar, comfortable feeling settles in your chest. The possibility of spending more time together hangs in the air like a sweet promise, and you feel excited to share something you love with him. Although you enjoy crocheting in silence — a preference Matt knows very well — you wouldn't mind having your attention diverted from your hook and yarn if it's about him — his stumbled words and random stories too endearing not to.

"First, the crochet plushie, then a cat trying to ruin our work. I guess we're more similar than we think," you say jokingly, but actually thinnking about it, and Matt's eyes crinkle at the corners.

His gaze upon you feels as gentle as always, but this time, with a sparkle of something else — an unspoken understanding that stirs deep within your heart. "Yeah, I guess so."

nya's notes: happy end of sturniolo weekend! took me too damn long to finish this, but I was in exam season so I'll take that as my excuse. also so happy to finally post smth long abt soulmate!matt!!! I love them so so much

🪧 taglist: @shadowthesim237 @chrepsi @courta13 @blushsturns @marrykisskilled @bernardsbendystraws

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