in the company of killers

Matt Dunne.Sinclair Arms Dealer.

[matthewdunne]

Felicity could do nothing but watch as Matt fumbled over his own words, calling Tristan’s girlfriend hot, then insisting that Felicity was hotter. She wasn’t the blushy kind – but she felt herself turning pink, felt herself missing whenever things weren’t so formal and forced between the pair. She’d ended things, ruined whatever they had. She had to deal with the consequences now. 

“Thanks…” 

She wanted to die. This was so fucking awkward. Felicity couldn’t take it any longer!

“I was really drunk. When I kissed you. I was drunk. And we were a billion miles from home. And Tristan was being annoying.”

And deep down, I wanted to. 

“We don’t have to be awkward around each other,” she assured him. “You won’t hurt my feelings if you think someone else is hot.”

She’d be hurt, a little jealous – but she’d made things this way. It wasn’t fair to confuse either of them… even if she did think about him more often than she admitted.

Matt didn’t know how not to be awkward around Felicity; he loved her. Her explanation for the kiss in Moscow stung a bit. He kinda hoped she wanted to fix things after she dumped him. It might be pathetic but Matt would go back to her in a heartbeat. Sure, he met Ambrya and she was kind and beautiful, but he and Fel had history. 

“Why’d you do it?” he asked. “Break it off, I mean.” The waitress came over as soon as the words left his mouth. 

“Do you need more time?” she asked, clearly embarrassed for her poor timing. 

Matt shook his head. “No, we’re ready,” he said, followed by his order. He waited for Felicity to put her order in and watched as the waitress walked away. 

“Sorry, I just...I need to know. Closure or whatever. Did I do something wrong?”

[matthewdunne]

Felicity was silently grateful that Matt had brought Tristan up. As long as the conversation didn’t steer back to Russia, Felicity could handle it. Even if things felt weird and unfinished with him, she didn’t want to confuse herself any further by actually acknowledging what happened. It was best to bury it.

“Really…?” Felicity wondered. She didn’t mean to sound so shocked, but she hadn’t remembered Tristan being hung up on anyone other than Paityn for a while. “Good for him,” she finally said, peeling her eyes away from the menu momentarily. She looked at him. “Have you met her? What’s she like?”

Felicity’s curiosity wandered over to Tristan’s girlfriend, and if she had friends. Single friends… for Matt. She was mortified with herself for even wondering. She tore her gaze away from him, focused on the list of pancakes. Maybe she’d have blueberry pancakes. 

“Never met her,” Matt admitted. “I did see her at the fourth of July party, though. Don’t know how an idiot like Tristan landed a woman like that.” Matthew joked at his friend’s expense, even if he was happy for the man. Talking about their mutual friend’s new relationship, however, was a bit awkward for the ex-couple. Especially with everything so unresolved. 

“Don’t know much about her other than she’s hot as fuck,” he said, not filtering his words before they came out of his mouth. 

Shit. 

“Not as hot as you, though.” 

Shut the fuck up, Matt, he said to himself. The over correction would only make things more awkward. Not less. 

[matthewdunne]

Ambrya had been out for some errands when she was passing by the bar and spotted Matthew sitting outside. It wasn’t until she got closer to him that she realized he looked worse for wear. Instantly her maternal instincts kicked in and she sat at the table with him, already beginning to dig through her purse to see if she had anything she could use to help him.

“Oh Matthew, what happened? I think I have neosporin in here but I don’t know what it would go on…”

Seeing Ambrya, Matthew knew he couldn’t tell her the truth. Arms deal gone south wasn’t something one told to strangers; no matter how cute she may be. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” he said, waving off her offer. “I box on the weekends. This is the unfortunate side effect.” He had to think on his feet; it wasn’t the best excuse Matthew’s ever come up with, but it would have to do for the moment. 

[matthewdunne]

“The missing piece to your matching set.” Margot stopped dead in her tracks as she took Matthew in. He looked like shit. There was no other way to describe the state that he was in outside the bar with the bottle pressed against his injury. There was to be a change of plans for Margot as she made the decision to walk up to Matthew and gently rest her fingers under his chin to get a better look at him.

Margot’s instinct to stop, assess a situation and then take charge of fixing it to make things better had long been a part of her make up before Riley came into the picture. “What the hell happened and why haven’t you seen Thalia?”

Matt was grateful for Margot’s concern, but he knew it wasn’t necessary. He let her inspect her face, her touch feeling like a mother’s: gentle. “Job gone wrong,” he said, knowing it best not to lie to his boss’ sister. “Stopped for a drink on my way. The doc’s next on my list. Promise.” Even if he didn’t think medical attention was necessary, he could tell by the look on Margot’s face that she wouldn’t let him refuse a check-up.

[atwoods]

[matthewdunne]

You're Invited to Chanel Albright's 90s/00s Themed Birthday Extravaganza!

August 1, 2020. 7:00PM. Sapphire. Come dressed as the VIP pass says or you will not be admitted to the event nor permitted anywhere near Sapphire. 

xx

Mia 

[matthewdunne]

Matt sat outside the bar, beer bottle in hand after a rough job gone wrong. He got out with the money and the goods, but his eye wouldn’t feel so hot in the morning. He held the cold glass bottle to his injury in between sips when he was approached by someone on the street. 

“You should see the other guy.”

[matthewdunne]

Fuuuuck.

Running into Matt, after Russia, was… difficult. Especially since Felicity had been going out of her way to move on. Exhibit A: last night. But he was inviting her to eat, and she was starving. How could she say no?

“Yeah, I went out. It was fun,” she said, deciding that leaving things vague was for the best. She didn’t want to look like a try-hard. She and Matt could be friends. “I’m starving!” 

Felicity wasn’t an awkward person. She was confident, somewhat put together, but that all flew out the window around Matt. Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

She led the way inside, picking a table for the both of them. She wanted to keep things as normal as possible. And she wanted to avoid any mention of Russia, if it could be helped. 

“Did you go to that 4th of July thing? Kind of lame, right?”

Matt decided not to press Felicity further on her night of fun. He didn’t need to know who she got in bed with; it’d just end up pissing him off. Sitting in the restaurant, she mentioned the fourth of July and he nodded.

“Yeah it was crap,” he replied, looking at the menu to avoid her eyes. 

There was an awkward silence as Matt thought of what to say next. “I think Tristan’s got a girlfriend, so...that’s news.”

[felicitysinclair]

Felicity was in last night’s clothes still. One of her heels had broken – she couldn’t remember exactly how. She walked down the street alone, eyeliner smudged around her eyes. Walk of shame much?

At least she’d had a good night with… Kara? Karlie? 

She could’ve ubered home, but her phone was dead, and perhaps the walking would miraculously sober her up. She had a few more blocks to go, but then she spotted a diner. Ugh. Hangover food. She was half tempted to stop…

[matthewdunne]

Matt had a day filled with meetings, but he had an hour until his first appointment. He decided to take the opportunity to get a decent breakfast and cup of coffee. Outside the diner, he saw his ex. Felicity looked hot. She always did. Though, with makeup smudged and the clothes on her back, broken heel included, Matt could tell she had fun the night before.

He crossed the street and approached her. “You look like shit,” he joked, giving her a bit of an awkward smile. “Have a good time last night?” Matt ran a hand through his hair before continuing. “I was gonna get something to eat....wanna join?”

The two had a lot to work out since Russia. Maybe a civil breakfast was the way to go about it.

[matthewdunne]

“Dude. I know Ambrya. She’s cool as fuck. Cute, brunette, nice smile, right?” Tristan scanned the guests in attendance, hoping to spot the brunette somewhere so that he could point her out. But he was almost sure that he was right. “She’s a good one, dude. Don’t mess it up if you can help it.”

Matt nodded when Tristan said not to mess it up. He knew a good thing when he saw it, but with everything going on between him and Felicity, he had some shit to work out before he got into deep. // end.

[sebastianxsinclair]

matthewdunne​:

“I’m not afraid of you, Lawyer Boy,” Matt said, snark filling his voice. “Felicity could kick both our asses with a hand tied behind her back.” Matt took a few steps towards Bash, before clapping a hand on his back. “I need a beer,” he said, walking to the bar. “Have fun being a dick.”

It took all of Bash’s energy not to follow after the punk and just sock him right then and there, but he kept his composure. He was still sober and knew how to compose himself for the masses. Maybe later in the night when he’d had a bit more alcohol he’d be interested in starting the conversation back up again. But in the meantime, he’d go make idle chatter with the other people who were there that he actually cared about and were worth his time.

[matthewdunne]

// end.

[matthewdunne]

“Is that a promise?”

“Come in and find out.”

[matthewdunne]

“Nah, man, you didn’t. Must be pretty hot and sweet if you’re showing her the best deep-dish in town. You know that shit’s sacred, dude.”

“What’s she like?” 

“Her name’s Ambrya, I think she’s here tonight, actually,” Matt said looking around the party to see if he could spot her. “She’s something else, man. Like no one I’ve met in Chicago.”

[matthewdunne]

“Thanks,” Tristan replied, glancing back over at Camila. He had to introduce them later. Two of his favorite people interacting – it’d only make the night better!

Felicity seemed like a complicated subject, and Tristan hoped that he hadn’t upset Matt by bringing her up. He knew exes could be confusing – and Russia had probably complicated things further. “I get it, dude. I guess you don’t really have to figure anything out right now. She’s probably confused, too. Kinda felt like that with Paityn, too. Turns out she just wasn’t that into me. Which is cool, ‘cause it ended up working out for the better.” 

“I thought we were supposed to be the confusing ones, man.” He gave Matt a sympathetic slap on the back. 

Matt sighed at his friend’s remarks. Fucking women. 

“Did I ever tell you about this girl I met the other day?” he asked, shifting the topic away from their exes. “She’s hot and super sweet; I introduced her to the best deep-dish in town.”

[matthewdunne]

Bash couldn’t help but roll his eyes. That’s what literally everyone said. I’m not going to hurt them. Give it five months, three years, two decades, whatever, someone usually ended up getting hurt. Bash would know from first hand experience, he was usually the one saying he didn’t want to hurt them and inevitably ended up doing just that. It wasn’t on purpose, he never went out of his way to do it. But it almost always happened. So when Matt said he wasn’t going to hurt Felicity, it took all of Bash’s will power to stop himself from shouting ‘bullshit.’

“Whatever you say. Just remember, if you did, she could probably kick your ass as well as I could.”

“And then you’d get to deal with me after.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Lawyer Boy,” Matt said, snark filling his voice. “Felicity could kick both our asses with a hand tied behind her back.” Matt took a few steps towards Bash, before clapping a hand on his back. “I need a beer,” he said, walking to the bar. “Have fun being a dick.”

[matthewdunne]

“Yeah, couple of months. Wanna ask her to be my girlfriend, when it feels right, and stuff. Don’t wanna force anything, but she’s great.”

Tristan wasn’t sure how he felt about Matt and Felicity. He liked the both of them, hoped that whatever went on between them didn’t fuck up their friend group too much. And, most importantly, he just hoped that the both of them ended up happy. “Shit, man. You think she still has feelings for you?” 

Matt raised his eyebrows in surprise when Tristan said he wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend. It was getting serious. “That’s great, man. I’m happy for you,” he said, honestly. Despite his own women trouble, he was glad his buddy found someone to care for.

Shifting to the topic of Felicity, he sighed. “I don’t know. She’s...fucking weird man. Hard to read. I miss her, but I’m not going to beg for her back, either...I’m just confused.”

[matthewdunne]

“It’s always colder when you get out and then have to get back in. I’m pretty sure there’s a TED talk on it somewhere.”

“What, are you chicken? I can warm you up if you get too cold.”