harmony. editing. the sturniolos. quen blackwell. slushynoobz. coca cola. chocolate. staying in. reading smut & fluff. film. videography. photography. tyler the creator. childish gambino. brittnay broski. the smiths. crying. bed rotting. being alone. loud. messy buns. baggy sweat pants. space camp. ᝰ.ᐟ
masterlist
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any dividers used on my profile are either by/ @bernardsbendystraws or @issysh3ll
a/n: this is based off of the office! i wanted to make this after i saw matt break the 4th wall on tour! lemme know if this is good!
You tap your fingers on the desk, absentmindedly staring at the blinking cursor on your screen. The office hums with the usual blend of keyboard clicks, distant phone calls, and the occasional crinkle of a snack wrapper. It’s just another day at Evermark Paper Company, where the coffee is mediocre, the air conditioning is unreliable, and your primary source of entertainment is the quietly charming guy sitting a few desks away.
Matt Sturniolo.
He leans back in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers, watching you with that familiar smirk—the one that makes it seem like he knows something you don’t. Which, to be fair, is often the case.
“Big morning over there, Y/N?” he teases, nodding toward your open email.
You glance at your screen, where a blank draft stares back at you. You had been so busy zoning out that you hadn’t even started the message you meant to send.
“Very important business,” you say, nodding seriously. “Company secrets. Top tier stuff.”
Matt raises an eyebrow, pretending to be impressed. “Wow. I had no idea being a receptionist was so high-stakes.”
You roll your eyes, but a grin tugs at your lips. This is how it always is with Matt—light, effortless. It’s a rhythm you’ve fallen into since your first day at Evermark. While other employees treat the office like a battlefield, the two of you have carved out your own little world of inside jokes, pranks, and borderline inappropriate amounts of time spent chatting instead of working.
“Hey, before I forget,” Matt says, leaning forward slightly, “are you coming to the company happy hour tomorrow?”
You shrug, pretending to be indifferent, but Matt notices the way your fingers fidget with the corner of a sticky note. You’re terrible at hiding when you’re nervous. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess I could.”
Matt tilts his head, amused. “You ‘guess’ you could? Y/N, you’re the heart of this office. The team morale depends on you.”
“Oh, wow, I had no idea I was so important,” you deadpan.
“Yeah, it’s a huge deal. We’d be lost without you. And by ‘we,’ I mean mostly me.”
You laugh, shaking your head, but the warmth lingers in your chest. What you don’t notice is the way Matt watches you—like he’s cataloging every reaction, every smile, every time you laugh at something he says. You don’t realize how his teasing is just an excuse to keep your attention on him a little longer.
But Matt does.
And maybe—just maybe—one day, you’ll figure it out, too.
The rest of the week flew by, but the tension between Tess and Matt lingered. Their teammates still believed they were together, despite the heated glares and sarcastic remarks they kept throwing at each other. Neither of them corrected the rumors. Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was just easier to let people believe what they wanted. Either way, they were stuck in this ridiculous charade.
By the time the weekend rolled around, the team had moved on from questioning their relationship to hyping up the party happening at Matt’s house. It was one of those nights where the whole school would show up, the kind of party that people would be talking about for weeks.
Tess arrived early with her friends, mostly because Jordyn insisted they get there before the place got too packed. When they stepped inside, the house was already buzzing with energy, music blasting from the speakers, red Solo cups littering every surface.
Matt had been in the kitchen, grabbing drinks with a few of his teammates, but when he turned around and saw Tess standing there, his eyes raked over her, lingering just a second too long.
“Oh my god,” he blurted, before he could stop himself. “You look so sexy.”
Tess rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug, but as her lips brushed his ear, she whispered, “I’m holding back vomit right now.”
Matt smirked, his hands tightening briefly around her waist before he let her go. “Love you too, babe,” he said loud enough for people nearby to hear, playing right into the act. Tess just shot him a glare before disappearing into the crowd.
As the night wore on and the alcohol kept flowing, Tess and Matt somehow kept gravitating toward each other. Maybe it was the drinks, maybe it was habit, but eventually, she ended up on his lap on the couch, her arms draped lazily around his neck.
He kept leaning in, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered stupid jokes, making her laugh in a way that felt too easy, too natural. His hand rested against her thigh, his thumb brushing circles on her skin absentmindedly.
Neither of them were sober enough to care about the stares or the murmurs. The whole school might’ve been watching, but in that moment, it didn’t really matter.
At some point, the noise of the party became too much, the suffocating press of bodies too overwhelming. So without a word, Matt took her hand, leading her upstairs to his room. They didn’t go up there to do anything—not that anyone else would believe that.
They just wanted to get away from the chaos, from the eyes constantly watching them.
But of course, when people saw them disappear into Matt’s room, the rumors started.
By the next morning, half the school was convinced they had hooked up.
Tess groaned as she blinked against the harsh morning light streaming into Matt’s bedroom. Her head was pounding, her throat dry, and her body was sore—not in a we-hooked-up way, but in a I-slept-like-an-idiot way.
She shifted slightly, realizing she was still in her clothes from last night, her skirt slightly twisted around her waist. With a sigh, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and opened Snapchat, only to be met with an overwhelming flood of messages.
Jordyn (8:02 AM): BITCH WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!
Emily (8:05 AM): YOU AND MATT??????
Lauren (8:10 AM): OMG YOU HAVE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING.
Jamie (8:12 AM): DON’T EVEN LIE I SAW YOU GUYS GO UPSTAIRS TOGETHER.
Kara (8:15 AM): Sooo… how was it?
Jordyn (8:17 AM): HELLO? WAKE UP AND ANSWER ME.
Tess sat up so fast that her head spun. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”
That’s when she realized—Matt wasn’t even in bed. She glanced around in confusion before the door swung open, and in walked Matt, holding two bottles of water. His hair was a mess, he was still in his hoodie and sweats from last night, and he looked way too calm for whatever storm was brewing outside this room.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said, tossing her a water bottle.
Tess caught it but barely registered the movement. “Did we—”
“No.” Matt cut her off before she could even finish the sentence. “I slept in Chris’s room.”
Relief flooded her for a split second before annoyance took over. She held up her phone, eyes blazing. “Have you heard the fucking rumor someone made last night?!”
Matt didn’t even look phased. He just sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. People think we hooked up.”
Tess gaped at him. “And you’re just okay with that?!”
He shrugged. “Let them believe what they want.”
She stared at him like he had just grown two heads. “Let them— Matt, half the team is blowing up my phone right now asking for details that don’t exist! This is your fault, by the way! You dragged me upstairs and now people think we—”
Matt just took a sip of his water, completely unaffected by her rising panic. “Then just don’t tell them yes or no.”
Tess narrowed her eyes. “What?”
He smirked slightly. “Actually… say yes. Lie to them. This will just boost us upward.”
Tess’s jaw dropped. “You want me to say we fucked?”
Matt met her glare with an easy grin. “Yeah, pretty much.”
For a moment, she just stared at him, expression unreadable. Then, in a blur, she grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at him.
“You douchebag!” she shouted, grabbing his arm and yanking him down onto the bed with her.
Matt laughed, hands immediately going up to shield himself as she started hitting him with the pillow—hard. “Okay—ow—calm down, violence isn’t necessary—”
“Are you serious?!” She kept swinging, and he kept blocking, dodging as best as he could while still grinning like an idiot.
“I mean—” whack “—it’s not like—” whack “—it’s a bad thing—”
“Oh my God,” she groaned, throwing the pillow aside and shoving at his chest. He was still laughing, dodging her attempts to shove him off the bed.
Finally, he grabbed her wrists, stopping her assault. “Hey—hey. Relax.”
Tess huffed, her face slightly flushed from exertion and frustration. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet, here we are,” he said, smirking up at her. “Fake dating and fake screwing. It’s a win-win.”
She groaned, falling back onto the mattress. “I hate you.”
Matt turned on his side, propping his head up with his hand. “You sure? Because last night you were all over me.”
Tess grabbed another pillow and smacked him in the face.
Tess had no real reason to stay at Matt’s house, but she didn’t feel like dealing with the world just yet. If she went home, her mom wouldn’t even be there—not that it was a surprise. So, instead, she stayed.
Most of the day passed in a blur of sleep. She had crashed in Matt’s bed again, curled up in his hoodie, not even bothering to argue about it. She was exhausted, the mix of last night’s drinking and the emotional chaos of the morning draining every ounce of energy she had.
It wasn’t until late afternoon that she finally woke up, groggy but aware enough to realize that Matt was sitting on the bed next to her, phone in hand, thumbs flying over the screen. She shifted slightly, her eyes adjusting to the light, and that’s when she caught sight of his phone screen.
He was texting the boys’ lacrosse group chat.
At first, she didn’t think anything of it—until she saw the question on the screen:
Ethan: “Was it good?”
Her brain clicked into place immediately. She shot up, suddenly wide awake, her eyes darting to Matt’s response.
Matt: “Do you even have to ask that question? It’s Tess, of course, it was good.”
Her stomach dropped.
The messages that followed made her face heat up.
Kyler: “Damn, Matt, didn’t know she had it in her.”
Quinn: “You gonna share details or what?”
Ethan: “Bet she was loud as hell.”
Tess’s heart pounded as she watched Matt actually respond.
Matt: “Let’s just say she wasn’t exactly quiet.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Oh my God,” she muttered under her breath, watching as Matt smirked at his screen, typing out another message.
Before he could send it, she smacked his shoulder, hard. “What the fuck are you doing, dipshit?”
Matt flinched at the hit, turning to her with an innocent look. “What?”
Tess glared. “Why the hell did you just lie to all of them?”
He had the audacity to grin at her, like this was all some big joke. “Relax. It’s just banter.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Banter? Matt, you just told the entire lacrosse team that we hooked up.”
“Well…” He shrugged. “Technically, they already thought that.”
She smacked him again. “Yeah, but you didn’t have to confirm it! And you definitely didn’t have to give them details that don’t even exist, you absolute moron.”
Matt held up his hands in defense, still smirking like an idiot. “Okay, first of all, ow. Second of all, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a—Matt!” She gestured wildly at his phone. “You literally just told them I was loud! Are you insane?”
Matt just laughed. “Would you prefer if I said you were quiet?”
Tess grabbed the pillow from behind her and whacked him across the face with it. “You’re unbelievable.”
He was still laughing, dodging another hit. “Come on, it’s funny.”
“No, it’s not!” She shoved at his shoulder. “Now, the entire team thinks we actually did something, and I’m going to have to deal with their gross-ass comments for weeks.”
Matt just shrugged, completely unfazed. “At least now the rumor is solid. No one’s gonna question it.”
Tess groaned, dragging her hands down her face. “I hate you.”
Matt grinned. “Nah, you love me.”
She glared at him. “I swear to God, I’m going to strangle you in your sleep.”
He smirked. “That’s not what you were saying last night.”
Tess launched herself at him, tackling him down onto the bed, her hands going straight for his stupid, smug face. “I hate you!” she yelled, shaking him while he just laughed, his hands coming up to push her off.
He was an absolute menace. And the worst part?
He loved every second of it.
Tess lay on Matt’s bed, her head and arms hanging off the edge, staring at her phone lying on the floor as it wouldn’t stop buzzing. Her friends were relentless, demanding every detail they thought she had.
She let out a frustrated groan and sat up on her arms. “Matt, what do I even say to them?!”
Matt, who was lazily sprawled out on the other side of the bed, barely looked up from his own phone. “Literally say anything.”
Tess narrowed her eyes at him. “Anything?”
Matt finally glanced up, instantly suspicious when he saw the slow smirk creeping across her face. “What are you telling them…?”
She let out a little hum, fingers flying over her phone screen. “Oh, nothing,” she said innocently, “just that you like me in control.”
Matt’s head snapped up so fast that it was almost comical. “Tess, do not send that.” He lunged forward, trying to grab her phone.
She yanked it out of reach, laughing as she twisted away from him. “Why? You didn’t have a problem lying to the team about me, but now you don’t wanna take the heat?”
Matt groaned, running a hand down his face. “The boys on the team will ruthlessly make fun of me.”
“Oh no,” Tess said dryly, smirking as she hit send. “Oops. My finger slipped.”
Matt let out a dramatic groan, flopping back onto the bed. “You’re actually the worst.”
Tess just grinned as her phone exploded with messages. The girls were eating it up.
Emily: NO WAY STOP IM SCREAMING
Jordyn: Wait… are you saying Matt’s submissive?
Lauren: I can’t believe this. I need a moment.
Jamie: Damn. Never would’ve guessed.
Kara: So, Tess is the one in charge?
Tess let out a laugh at their reactions, then, just to make things worse, she typed:
Tess: See, I thought he was gonna be dominant, but clearly not when it comes to me.
Matt, who had been watching over her shoulder, froze. His smirk instantly vanished.
Tess turned to him, grinning wickedly. “Something wrong?”
He just stared at her. “You did not just send that.”
Before she could reply, her phone buzzed again.
Jordyn: I can’t believe he’s submissive.
Matt saw that message, and in one swift motion, he grabbed her by the waist and dragged her fully onto the bed.
“I’m going to literally kill you,” he said, pinning her down as she cackled.
“Ohhh,” she teased between laughs, “now you’re being dominant! Great progress, buddy!”
Matt let out a frustrated groan and flicked the back of her head before rolling off her. “Shut up.”
Tess grinned, satisfied. “Too late, Matt. The damage is done.”
He just groaned into his pillow. He was never going to live this down.
You sit cross-legged on your bed, your chemistry textbook open in front of you, flipping through the pages as you jot down notes for the project. Across from you, Chris Sturniolo leans back on his hands, barely paying attention. You can tell he’s lost—his eyes drifting from the book to you every few seconds—but you try not to let it distract you.
“Alright,” you mumble, tapping your pen against the notebook. “So if we combine these two elements—”
Chris groans dramatically, falling back onto your bed. “This sucks,” he complains, dragging a hand down his face. Then, with a small smirk, he props himself up on his elbows and looks at you. “You’re, like, crazy smart, huh?”
You shrug, keeping your eyes on the paper. “I just pay attention.”
He chuckles. “I pay attention too, just… not in class.”
You roll your eyes, but before you can say anything, you feel his hand on your leg, warm against the fabric of your leggings. Your breath catches, and your fingers tighten around your pen. When you finally meet his gaze, his blue eyes are locked on you, playful yet unreadable.
“You’re really pretty, you know that?” His voice is softer now, more serious.
Your heart pounds against your ribs. “Chris—”
“Mm-mm.” He shakes his head, thumb tracing slow circles against your knee. “No need to argue, pretty girl. Just stating facts.”
Your face heats up, and you try to focus on the notebook in front of you, but it’s useless. His hand moves slightly higher, not in a rushed way—just testing, just seeing how you react. When you don’t pull away, his smirk deepens.
“You’re adorable when you’re all focused,” he murmurs. “But I gotta be honest, sweetheart… I can’t think straight when you’re looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” you ask, voice barely above a whisper.
He leans in, his lips inches from yours. “Like you wanna kiss me.”
You don’t even have time to protest before he closes the gap, pressing his lips to yours. It’s slow at first, gentle, like he’s savoring the moment. But when you kiss him back, your hand reaching to rest against his cheek, something shifts. His grip on your leg tightens slightly, and he moves closer, deepening the kiss.
Your textbook is completely forgotten as his hands find your waist, pulling you toward him. His lips move with yours, his fingers slipping under the hem of your shirt to rest against your skin, warm and firm.
“God, baby,” he murmurs between kisses, his forehead resting against yours for a second before he goes back in, capturing your lips again. “You taste so sweet.”
You’re breathless when you finally pull away, your fingers tangled in his hoodie, your heart racing. Chris watches you with that same smirk, thumb grazing over your cheek.
“Screw chemistry,” he mutters, pressing one last soft kiss to your lips. “This is way more fun.”
