#tattoo!matty

[noacfslut]

lover, leaver girlie tbh

[noacfslut]

fifteen minutes - matty healy

this is part of the lover, leaver universe, if you haven't read both parts, then you probably should <3

part one: lover, leaver part two: taker, believer

you join matty and george for a night out at lucky's - your boyfriends favorite dive bar that's home to delicious vodka crans, addictive games of darts and a local band that you couldn't wait to see perform. though, when you realize that matty was the lead singer, you found yourself less fixated on the lyrics he was singing and more more interested in how his hands looked playing his guitar and plotting how quickly you could get them inside of you.

shoutout to the anon who sent me the ask about tattoo!matty being in a band, you are the reason this filthy fic exists! i hope you enjoy <3

minors do not interact!

tags: 18+, degradation, thigh riding, fingering, choking, oral (m receiving), face fucking, masturbation, guided masturbation (briefly), semi public/public sex (alleyway lol), drunk sex (tispy sex), girlie being unreasonably obsessed with matty's hands lol (valid tbh)

20434 words

“Alright, a Vodka Cran for the pretty girl.” George’s voice carries through the sound of the music flowing out of the speaker, playing at a rather loud volume that made it difficult to hear much else other than the song that the man controlling the sound system had lined up in the queue - Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones.

You smile at George as he slides the glass full of the deep red liquid that would serve as your third drink of the night, not even hesitating before picking the cool glass in your ringed hands and bringing the thin, black straw up to your glossed lips.

You only miss your mouth twice before your lips wrap around the straw and you take a gulp of the bitterly sweet cocktail with flushed cheeks and a loose grin, leaning into Matty’s side with a warm feeling spreading throughout your chest - unsure if it was from the alcohol that coursed through your veins or the feeling of Matty’s arm thrown over the booth behind you before sliding down to settle over your shoulders instead. 

“And a Jack and Coke for her grumpy, sore loser of a boyfriend.” George’s smile is bright and teasing as he slides into the booth across from you and Matty as smoothly as he slides the glass full of Matty’s dark drink across the table at him, your face involuntarily twists in disgust at the sight of your boyfriend’s drink of choice, never one to understand why someone would choose to indulge in such a cocktail when there were so many other fruitier and sweeter options. 

Matty glares at George from across the booth and you weren’t quite sure if it was due to the natural yet harmless flirtatious sentiment that George had addressed you with or the fact that his best friend was bringing up Matty’s rather pitiful score from the last round of darts the three of you had played. 

You hide the giggle that threatens to fall from your freshly glossed lips behind the straw of your drink, feeling pleased when your lips land around the black plastic first try this time. The vodka mixed cranberry juice slides down your throat easily as Matty flips George off, mumbling something to himself before forgoing the straw in favor of taking a gulp of his Jack and Coke, the warmth in your chest melts down to your core at the sight of the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing as he swallows down the dark cocktail.

You squirm in the booth next to him, an action that’s easy for him to notice considering your side is pressed flushed to his own and his arm is thrown over your shoulder, his pointer finger and thumb pinch softly at your arm as he licks the remainder of the cocktail off his pink lips and settles the glass back down on the table between the two of you and George who was seemingly clueless to the way the air in the dive bar was starting to grow rather thick. 

“Oh, go on then, keep pouting.” George shrugs, picking up the neck of his bottle of beer and tipping the rim towards Matty with a shit-eating grin spread over his face. “I’d be pretty upset too if I lost that badly to a girl who didn’t even know how to play the damn game until you showed her how an hour ago.”

Matty groans and you preen, the loose grin that spreads your lips morphs into a more confident one as your dizzy mind tries to relive the memory of Matty teaching you the ropes about how to play darts. 

You weren’t ashamed to admit that you were more focused on the feeling of Matty’s body pressed against the back of your own than the directions that his deep voice was speaking into your ear as he held your hip in one hand and your hand that held the dart with his other - your arm completely relaxed and at his mercy as he sways your joined hands back and forth a few times before throwing them forward quickly.

You were surprised that your ringed fingers even knew to release the dart at the right time, sure that it was your subconscious in control of your hands and not your mind that was currently swirling in alcohol and filthy fantasies, too hyper focused on the way his breath fanned against the side of your neck as he spoke to even notice that Matty’s hand had seemingly guided you to a nearly perfect throw. 

You had fought off a pout when the warmth of Matty’s body left you in favor of standing next to you with a direction to try it on your own this time, your cheeks flushed pink as you accept the dart your boyfriend was offering to you, hopeful that it wouldn’t be too painfully obvious that you hadn’t heard a word that Matty had said to you when he was teaching you how to throw as you stare at the intimidating dart board across from you. 

You squint at the dart board to ensure that there weren’t actually two of them, blinking away the effects of your second Vodka Cran from your eyes and adjusting your posture before you sway your hand that held the dart back and forth in a way that mirrors Matty’s movements from a few minutes ago, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as you release the end of the dart in a throw that was far more confident than you felt. 

You weren’t quite sure if it was the alcohol coursing through your veins, your impeccable intuition or the fact that you just wanted to make Matty proud, but whatever it was drove the dart directly from your ringed fingers straight to the center of the bullseye - you weren’t even aware of what you had just accomplished until Matty was beaming and engulfing you in his arms and a kiss that had you feeling drunker than the vodka settled in your stomach.  

Call it beginners luck or just a drunk girl with an unshakable desire to please her boyfriend, but the rest of the game went on in a similar fashion. The kiss Matty had fixed you with from before seemed to have transferred all of his talent over to you as you played nearly a perfect game meanwhile Matty had thrown a few darts into the wall that supported the board.

You had watched Matty closely from your seat at the high top table near the dart boards, chewing on the end of your straw softly as you stare at the way your boyfriend rips yet another dart out of the wall next to the board with a frustrated huff and a tight jaw that had your legs pressing together, much like they were now as you watched the way Matty’s jaw flexes in annoyance at George’s teasing banter.  

“Oh, fuck off.” Matty groans with a roll of his dark eyes, snatching his glass full of Jack and Coke off of the table to take another hefty gulp. 

You shamelessly drink in the sight of his ringed fingers wrapped around the glass, how his large hands seemed to make the cup look so much smaller than it actually was, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed - your hand slides over his thigh on instinct and earns you another pinch at your shoulder. 

“She beat you too, you know.” Matty recalls over the rim of his glass, setting his drink back down on the table and shifting his position in the booth next to you, his legs a little more spread than before - almost as though it was an invitation. Your drunken mind swirls with filthy images of you crawling under the table and taking him in your mouth while he mindlessly drinks on his Jack and Coke and pays you no mind. Almost as though Matty could hear your thoughts, his arm tightens around your shoulder, you weren’t quite sure if it was to let you know he was thinking the same thing or to try and keep you seated in the booth so you didn’t actually crawl under it. “Not that that’s very hard to do.”

George rolls his eyes, taking a sip of his beer before tipping the bottle towards Matty with a raised brow. “That’s no way to speak to someone who just got you a drink.”

Matty snorts. “A drink that’s paid for on my tab, by the way.”

George smirks, his eyes falling to you, reaching his beer across the table in an offer to cheers with your own drink as he winks. “And the drinks are so much more delicious when they’re free, don’t you think, Jewels?”

You clink your glass against his own before quickly bringing the cocktail back to your lips, desperate to hide the giggle with a straw as Matty shakes his head next to you. Your eyes wander after that, spotting two taller men who seemed to be setting up band equipment on the smaller stage near the front of Lucky’s, your eyebrows furrow, you didn’t remember Matty mentioning that a band was going to be playing here tonight. 

You nudge Matty softly, his attention immediately falling to you. You swallow down the remainder of the Vodka Cran in your mouth and tilt your head in the direction of the stage. “Who’s playing tonight?” 

Matty turns his head to the direction of the stage, you couldn’t help but allow your eyes to slide over and stare at the way his neck flexed in this angle, too busy drinking in the sight of your boyfriend to notice the way George was fighting off a smile. Your stomach flips when Matty turns back to meet your gaze. Wow, you needed to get a grip. 

Matty shrugged, opening his mouth to respond but the sound of the music that had been playing over the speakers being cut off stopped him, everyone’s attention pulled to the stage where the bartender was now standing with a microphone in her hand. You chew on the tiny black straw in your cup, hoping it would scratch the itch of desire you had to drink more of the cocktail, you were trying to save what was left of your Vodka Cran - not wanting to wrack Matty’s tab up too high. 

You try and focus on what the bartender was saying, but the alcohol coursing through your veins and swirling through your mind made it difficult to decipher the fast pace in which she was speaking, almost making you feel as though the loud music from before had made it easier for you to understand the conversation than the silence that filled the dive bar now. 

You were seconds away from leaning into Matty’s ear and asking what the woman on stage was saying, but you hadn't even gotten the chance to lean in an inch before Matty was taking his arm off of your shoulder and sliding out of the booth next to you. It felt as though a cold bucket of water had been poured over you in the absence of Matty’s body pressed against your own, yet it did nothing to cool down the heat in your stomach at the sight of him now towering over you sitting in the booth. 

You stare up at Matty through your lashes and furrowed brows. “Where are you going?” 

“Smoke.” Matty remplies simply, tipping his head to the side and reaching out to lightly hold your chin in his hand, you feel dizzy at the action. More desperate now than ever to undo his zipper and get your mouth around him, sure that he was thinking the same filthy thoughts as his thumb traces lightly over your bottom lip. It’d be so easy to do in this angle, you were nearly eye level with it, all you’d have to do is reach out and - You pull yourself from the thought, shaking your head softly and Matty’s hand falls with it. 

“You don’t want to hear the band?” You question, noticing that George was already gone but too blind to notice that he was in fact on stage and not outside smoking like Matty had implied.

“Nah, heard ‘em before.” Matty shrugs. “They’re a bit shit.”

Your drunken eyes widen slightly at his words, glancing around in hopes that nobody, especially the band, had heard his remark. You stare up at your boyfriend with some form of a pout at the thought of being left all alone, not having the energy in you to follow him outside to smoke.

“Alright.” You sigh dramatically, taking another small sip of the drink you were fighting to make last, Matty makes a mental note to order you another one. You swallow down the cold cocktail and the alcohol coursing through your veins gives you the confidence to feel bold enough to tease. “Well, I hope the lead singer is cute, at least.” You smile over the straw you were biting, batting your eyes up at your boyfriend who was unusually unphased by the comment. “So I have someone to entertain me while you’re gone.”

Matty just smiles, a reaction you weren’t expecting your boyfriend who tended to have a rather jealous streak to have, leaning down to kiss the top of your head and mumbling into your hair. “Knock yourself out.”

And then he was gone. 

You huff, roll your eyes and swirl your straw around in the ice and slightly watered down Vodka Cran in your glass - slumping against the booth. You were hopeful that your teasing words would make Matty stay, that his cigarette could wait until after the band was done, but unfortunately his need for nicotine outweighed whatever jealousy bubbled in his veins at your words. 

Or maybe he wasn’t jealous at all. After all, he had said that he had seen the band playing tonight before, maybe he knew he had nothing to worry about - not that he ever actually had anything to worry about. But maybe this band was full of older men who would serve you no interest, maybe it was all women or maybe he knew that he didn’t have to worry about you crushing over the lead singer because he was the lead singer. 

You sit up a little straighter at the realization that it was your boyfriend up on the stage and not some stranger, blinking a few times in succession to ensure that your eyes weren’t deceiving you, your drunken mind swirling with so many questions that you knew you wouldn’t have the answer to until Matty was off of the stage. 

Why had Matty never mentioned to you that he was in a band? Who were these other two boys on stage with him and George? Why was he grabbing a red guitar and slinging it over his shoulder? Does he play the guitar and sing? Oh my god, why had Matty never mentioned to you that he was in a band?

The questions that whirled through your mind had you feeling rather dizzy, but not near as lightheaded as you felt when Matty finally got situated on stage and looked up for the first time since walking onto it, his dark eyes not even having to search the room before immediately finding home with your own.

Your tongue felt thick in your mouth, your heart racing, your glass nearly slipping from your hand at the sight of your boyfriend on stage right now. The way the red guitar that rested on his hips contrasted beautifully against the all black attire he was wearing, the way his hands that you had been obsessed with all night held the neck of the guitar while his other ran through his hair, the guitar pick that he had rested between his teeth. 

You were fighting the urge to stay in the booth, every part of your body was screaming at you to pull him off the stage and have your way with him, just the image of him alone was enough to drive you wild - you weren’t quite sure if you would survive actually watching him perform.

But the need to see him, to hear him, kept you glued to the booth. 

Matty stares at you as if he has you completely figured out, a smirk tugging at his pretty pink lips as he reaches up to pull his guitar pick from between his teeth, the smirk on his face grows wider and the look in his eye grows darker as he shoots you a quick wink before strumming the guitar once, twice as George counts the boys in with his drumsticks and then Matty’s guitar erupted through the speakers and you felt as though it was lighting you on fire. 

You couldn’t help the way your mouth dropped, a sight that had Matty smirking through the words he sang into the microphone. You were too busy staring at the way his lips grazed against the microphone to even think about understanding the words to the song he was singing. You forgo the straw you had been chewing on all night in favor of tossing back the remainder of your drink, blindly reaching out to set it down on the table before you dropped it and it smashed into pieces, you felt more drunk on the sight of him than the three Vodka Crans that had settled in your stomach. 

The strands of hair that fell over his forehead from the action of him softly shaking his head to the beat, the whiney yet raspy nature of his voice, the familiar way his fingers curled against the neck of the guitar to make the right notes, the way he tossed his head back between verses in a similar way to how he did when he was sliding down your throat. You were desperate for it now, desperate for him now. 

And with the way he was performing, seemingly solely for you, it wasn’t that hard to imagine it. 

If you closed your eyes and just listened to his voice - the rasp, the whines, it was the same tone that he would fix you with. If you stared at the strands of his hair settled over his forehead, his head tossed back, his curled fingers - it was almost as if you could envision yourself settled at his hips instead of the red guitar. You find yourself envious now of the instrument, never having thought you’d ever find yourself wishing to be a guitar so badly. 

Matty didn’t take his eyes off of you for the entire performance, it was as though you were the only girl in the room. And really to him, you were. You made him feel as though he was performing to an arena full of thousands of people instead of just a dive bar of forty with the way you were looking at him. Even from across the bar he could see your eyes full of so much love, support, lust, hunger, a sight that had him performing that much harder and putting on a show just for you. 

And you ate it up, the entire set, drinking in the sight of him and hopeful that your tipsy mind that had forgotten to take a video would remember just how incredible he looked right now. You sang along to the songs you knew, covers that they had morphed into a style of their own, and listened intently to the songs you didn’t - hanging onto certain lines and trying not to let your delusion run wild about how they seemed to be written about you. 

You had mixed emotions when the set was finished, sad to see Matty taking his guitar off and setting it back down on its stand, already missing the sight of his head thrown back and the sound of his voice singing through the speakers and shooting down to your core. Your throbbing core that was over the moon to know that the set was over with, to see Matty making his way back over to you, to know that it wouldn’t be too much longer until you could get your hands on him like you have been wanting to do all night - desperate to see his head thrown back and hear his raspy voice in a context far more filthy than the show he had just put on. 

Though you’d have to be patient for a little while longer, because Matty wasn’t walking back over to you alone, George and the two strangers that had been on stage with them were following close behind. You swallow down your desire and slide from the booth to stand on shaky legs, ready to meet your boyfriend with open arms. 

“Pretty shit, right?” Matty teases through a smirk, quick to engulf you in a hug that had you feeling rather lightheaded, the smell of his cologne mixed with the sweat from performing had the desire you swallowed down spreading throughout your stomach in a way that had you feeling as though you were on fire. Matty pressed a kiss to your temple and pulled back to face you, keeping his arms at your waist so he could give your hips a pinch to tease. “I hope the lead singer kept you entertained while I was gone.”

The smirk on Matty’s face is evident as he shoots your own words from earlier back at you. You dig your manicured nails into his back with a little more pressure than normal but not nearly as rough as you wanted to, not hard enough to break the skin, but you were sure that would come later with the way he was looking at you right now from the feeling. 

You could only nod, you didn’t trust your voice to speak, scared that if you opened your mouth that the only thing that would fall out of it would be a pitiful moan from the feeling of Matty’s hands on you, from the smell of his cologne mixed sweat, from the memory of how fast his fingers moved against the neck of the guitar and oh god, you needed to put a little distance between the two of you before you dropped to your knees right there in the middle of Lucky’s. 

You pull away from Matty with flushed cheeks, a racing heart and a core that throbbed in desperation for the man that you were now putting a few inches of distance between. You smile at George, accepting the much more friendly, platonic side hug that he was going in for. The distance from Matty had you feeling a lot more confident in finding your voice, clearing your throat before speaking through a tight smile.

“I didn’t know you played the drums.” You comment off-handedly. You felt as though you were under a microscope with all four boys staring at you, the heat from Matty’s gaze and the curiosity from the two strangers, you were scared of them all figuring you out. Though by the way Matty was taking a step closer to fill the gap in the distance between you, you were positive that he already had. Your voice is as unsteady as your legs from the feeling of Matty’s body heat radiating against your side now. “You’re quite good.”

“Thanks, I-“ George starts to reply but Matty is quick to talk over him. 

“He hardly plays the drums.” Matty scoffs, throwing an arm over your shoulder and pulling you closer into his side. “He’s decent.”

The jealousy that you had expected from him earlier was starting to crack and show from the fact that you had complimented George yet not him, though it wasn’t meant to mean anything. You couldn’t possibly compliment Matty’s performance in a room full of people because as soon as your mind started to wander to whines, rasp, head tosses and curled fingers all you wanted to do was bite, lick, suck and devour. 

“Oh, fuck off.” George scoffs, shooting Matty a middle finger that was as harmless as Matty’s words, they both knew George was a hell of a drum player. “At least I didn’t fuck up the bass line like Ross did.”

Ross. You took note of the new name, finally able to put a name to the face of one of the strangers standing before you, but which one did it belong to? You subtly look between the two and decide to trust your gut that told you that the man with darker hair looked more like Ross than the other one did. 

“Oh, don't include me in your pissing contest.” The dark haired man speaks up, scoffing, confirming your suspicion that he was in fact the one named Ross. You stand up a little straighter at the confirmation. “Mate, are you going to introduce us or do I have to do it myself?”

“Oh, fuck.” Matty mumbles, so caught up in the comfortability with his friends that he had forgotten that you had never met two of them before. Matty squeezes your shoulder before pulling away from you in favor of taking a step closer to the two men. You were grateful for the distance, surely able to focus on getting to know his friends better without Matty’s cologne clouding your mind. “This is Ross, the tall one.” Matty jokes, slapping a hand gently down on Ross’ shoulder before leaning over to do the same to the other man standing there. “And this is Adam, the quiet one.”

“And what does that make me?” George speaks up with a face screwed in curiosity and a tone to match, already rolling his eyes before Matty could finish shooting back. 

“The annoying one.” Matty says with a smile, earning him another middle finger that eventually gets sent your way when your stifled laughter is heard over the music that was back to playing through the speakers of Lucky’s. You hold your hands up in defense and George rolls his eyes while reaching behind you to grab his bottle of beer he had left on the table before the boys went on stage. “Adam, Ross, this is my girlfriend.”

You couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered at the way your name rolled off of Matty’s tongue, so used to him calling you Jewels for the past year of knowing him and now the various pet names he fixed you with, it was a rare occurrence to hear your actual name falling from his tongue. You were drunk on the sound, drunk on the feeling that came with it, drunk on the idea of him moaning it later when you - You shake the thoughts from your head, waving softly to Matty’s friends who you finally knew the name of. 

You were nervous, you had no idea you would be meeting people from Matty’s close circle today, because if you had, you might have gone a little easier on the Vodka Crans from earlier. You wanted to make a good first impression, you wanted them to like you, you were desperate to connect with them in the same way you had with George. If they didn’t approve of you, what would that mean for you and Matty?

You search for something to say, though through the alcohol clouding your brain alongside the filthy images of what you wanted to do to Matty later, you couldn’t find it in yourself to say anything other than a shy, “Hi.”

The boys wave softly back, surely picking up on your nerves, which only makes you that much more nervous. Your heart races against your ribcage as silence lingers in the air for a beat before one of them, Adam, speaks up. 

“Feels so weird to actually meet Matty’s girlfriend.” Adam comments off-handedly, giving you a small smile before taking the necessary steps forward and wrapping you in a hug that oddly felt comfortable. “I never thought the day would come.” Adam teases, shooting Matty a look that had you wondering if he meant that in a way of thinking Matty would never settle down with someone or if he had heard all about you just as George had and didn’t think Matty would ever get over himself and admit the feelings he had for you. Matty just rolls his eyes and you make a mental note to ask him about it later. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, it feels weird to meet Matty’s friends.” You speak up, the nerves evident in your voice. “I meant-“ You clear your throat. “I didn’t know that he had friends other than George.” You try to rephrase but it comes out worse than your first attempt, George snorts as you shake your head to try and clear the alcohol from your mind as you fight to clarify. “Fuck, I mean-“

“Oh, I like you already.” Ross cuts you off with a breathless laugh, pulling you in for a hug that had all the nerves melting away. He liked you, they liked you, you had nothing to worry about. “Any girl that makes fun of Matty is a girl that I approve of.”

Matty groans and you couldn’t help but giggle, feeling relieved and as though you could breathe again, even if it was at the expense of your pouting boyfriend. You take a deep breath and send Matty an apologetic smile that he playfully rolls his eyes at, the simmering heat in your stomach igniting back in full force at the feeling of Matty’s body pressed back into the side of your own, choosing to slide his arm around your waist instead of over your shoulder this time, his blunt fingernails digging softly into the material of the rather short skirt you were wearing. You were already drunk on the feeling. 

Now that first introductions were out of the way and you were already one hug deep with his friends, you felt much more comfortable speaking than before, even if it was harder to do now that two of Matty’s fingers were tracing soft circles over your hip bone so slowly that nobody would even know he was doing it. But you did. You could feel it. You felt it everywhere. In the beat of your heart, in the thrum of your veins, in the throb of your core. 

You didn’t know how much longer you could wait for him. 

You clear the desire from your throat before shifting under Matty’s arm, tilting your head slightly to the side. “Wait, why haven’t I met you two before?” You shake your head softly, cursing the third Vodka Cran in your stomach for making it so difficult for you to articulate what you were trying to say. “Earlier, I mean.” You clarify, Matty’s fingers still rubbing slow, mindless circles over your hip. “Why didn’t you come sit with us in the booth before the show?”

“Well,” Ross starts, already sporting a smirk. “Adam and I were too busy setting up for the gig to enjoy a nice little cocktail.” Fixing George and Matty with a pointed look before looking at you with a slightly raised brow. “Something these two are too lazy to come help with.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle at the way Matty and George grumbled in unison, the laughter dying in your throat at the feeling of Matty pinching your hip before trailing his hand away from your waist in favor of resting it against your lower back instead. Your core throbbed to the beat of your heart at the feeling of Matty’s thumb, pointer and middle finger slipping under the material of the shirt you were wearing, yet not going any higher than the skin above the waistband of your skirt, the place where his ring and pinky fingers found home. 

The feeling of Matty’s hand against your bare skin had you feeling as though you were on fire, ready to throw all caution to the wind and push him back into the booth behind you and have your way with him in front of everybody in here. You were sure that Matty was considering doing the same thing with the way his blunt fingernails were softly drawing patterns into your lower back before growing bored of the movement and using the pads of his fingers to trace letters onto your skin instead, goosebumps quick to rise there at the feeling. 

You felt more drunk on your boyfriend's touch than the vodka had ever made you feel, your throbbing core clenches when your dizzy mind finally made the connection and realized what he was spelling on your skin - Matty. 

With each finished spelling of his name, the pressure in which he wrote it the next time grew heavier and heavier, making you feel as though he was just as impatiently waiting for this conversation to end as you were. 

You wanted to get to know Matty’s friends, of course, just maybe not when you were already dripping in desire for him like you were right now - and Matty wasn’t helping your case at all. 

“Making us do all the hard, manual labor while you two are sipping on drinks and probably off fucking around, playing darts or something, right?” Adam pipes in, raising a brow at the two as he awaited a response from either. 

Matty was too busy slipping his fingers under the waistband of your skirt to care about defending himself, his actions hidden by the material of the shirt you were wearing as you fought to not let it show on your face, wishing you hadn’t finished your cocktail earlier so you could hide behind the glass as Matty’s fingertips softly run over the lace of your thong.  

George nearly spits out the beer in his mouth, quick to swallow down the remainder of the fizzy liquid before the laughter bubbles out of him, bringing a hand down on Adam’s shoulder to support himself. 

“Oh, mate, you should hear about the fucking game we just played.” George speaks through heaps of laughter, one you normally would have mirrored if Matty wasn’t currently toying with the waistband of your thong. “Matty lost so fucking bad, he-”

“That’s enough out of you.” Matty is quick to cut George off with a glare.

You hadn't heard his voice in a minute, the sound of it had thrill shooting up your spine - the annoyance, the rasp, the power. You have to force yourself to pull your eyes away from staring at his side profile, his clenched jawline, his plump lips, his dark eyes shooting daggers at his friend who was laughing at his expense.

You couldn’t help but squeeze your thighs together at the sight. That earns you the feeling of Matty slipping a finger under the waistband of your thong and pulling it back far enough just to snap it against your skin before his hand was gone all together. 

“Okay, but seriously, I’ve never seen him play so fucking bad before.” George continues to talk to Adam and Ross as if Matty wasn’t in the room, lowering his voice in the slightest bit as if that would prevent Matty from overhearing. You were too busy mourning the loss of Matty’s touch to even care. “He was throwing the shit into the wall, I mean-”

“Alright.” Matty groans with a roll of his dark eyes. “Can we do the whole ‘embarrass Matty in front of his girl’ thing later, please?” Your heart skips a beat at being referred to as his girl, his. “I can’t deal with you three right now.”

“If by later, you mean after another round of drinks, then yes.” George shrugs, shooting Matty a shit eating grin. “Drinks paid for on your tab, by the way.”

You fight off the smile that threatened to spread as George threw Matty’s words from earlier back in his face, Matty rolls his eyes with a huff and George’s own smile just grows wider at the sight. 

“I quite like the sound of this.” Adam nods, shooting Matty a softer, yet still smug smile.

“Oh, the stories we have for you.” Ross teases, wiggling his eyebrows before walking over and slipping into the booth that the three of you had claimed earlier that night, throwing his arm over the back of the booth and calling out to Matty through a smile. “I’ll have a beer, please.”

“Yeah, well, George can get it for you.” Matty scoffs, tilting his head to send George a pointed look. “The bartender already knows him and my tab quite well.”

And then his eyes were on you. Finally. For the first time in what felt like forever. Your heart was already racing from the eye contact.

“I’m gonna go outside for a smoke,” Matty announces to the group without taking his eyes off of you, your stomach flips as you watch Matty’s eyes that were darker than normal flicker down to your mouth before coming back to meet your heated gaze. “do you want to come?”

And while you didn’t really care to go outside and smoke, the implications behind such innocent words and the way he was looking at you as though he could eat you alive had you swallowing thickly before nodding - you didn’t trust your voice to speak.

Matty nods once and then his hand returns to your lower back, leading you through the bar with a sure hand that was lighting your skin ablaze, desire dripping down to your shadow as the two of you make your way through the crowd of drunk strangers and out into the alleyway.

Adam takes a step forward to follow the two of you out, but George is quick to put a hand to his chest and stop him. “Trust me, that was not an open invitation. You don’t want to go out there.” 

And as Matty was pushing you up against the brick wall out the back door of Lucky’s, trapping your body under his own as his tongue hits your mouth before his own lips do, you prayed that nobody would.

You moan into Matty’s mouth at the feeling of the brick digging into your exposed skin, quick to thread your ringed fingers through Matty’s dark hair as you fight to keep up with the pace he was kissing you with, desperation pouring off his tongue as quickly and it dripped between your thighs. 

Matty doesn’t hesitate to slip a strong thigh between your own, his rough hands that had held your attention all night ran greedily up and down the expanse of your body, grateful to touch any and every part of you after having to fight to keep his hands to himself all night. They settle on your hips after an experimental roll of them down on his thigh, his blunt fingernails digging into the skin just above the waistband of your skirt before gripping your hips tightly and moving them in a way that encourages you to grind down on his jean clad thigh. 

You force Matty to swallow down a moan at the feeling of your aching, throbbing core finally finding some form of relief from the pressure that had been building there all night long, really since you and Matty had been getting ready for the night in his bathroom - hands that he refused to keep to himself while standing behind you as he watched you apply your makeup that he couldn’t wait to ruin when the two of you got home. 

Or now, it seemed, as he was sucking your bottom lip into his mouth while rolling your hips down on his flexed thigh. 

You tug on the strands of Matty’s hair you had threaded through your fingers rather harshly, thrill climbing up your spine at how obscene the two of you were sure to look right now, bodies flushed together underneath the glow of a singular overhanging light above the back door of the alleyway next to Lucky’s. 

The feeling had Matty groaning into your mouth, a sound that you swallowed before he was tugging at your bottom lip with his teeth and pulling it back slowly until it popped back in place. You expected Matty to dive back into you, surprised when he found a home in your neck instead, his hair tickling your jawline as he trailed open mouth kisses along the expanse of it. 

You fight to catch a breath other than Matty’s own now that his mouth had chosen a new victim for his assault - sucking a bruise into your collarbone that you hoped would be hidden under the neckline of your shirt or the boys waiting for you inside would have a field day with the sight.

You tug on his hair, hopeful that it would pull him off, but Matty doesn’t budge. Your eyes roll back at the feeling of your boyfriend sucking on such a sensitive area, your hips grinding down at a quicker pace now - absolutely shameless as you get off on Matty’s thigh, his assault on your neck, his fingers digging into your hips and guiding you in a steady rhythm.

The same fingers that you had been staring at all night long, the way they held his glass of Jack and Coke that looked much smaller in his rather large hands than it had in your own when you had tried a sip of his first round, the way they twirled a dart around as he waited for his next turn, the way they curled against the neck of the guitar in such a familiar way that you craved to create the right notes to carry on the song and- 

“You didn’t tell me you were in a band.” You gasp out into the dimly lit alleyway, having to blink a few times for your eyes to adjust for you to see in the low lighting, only for them to flutter closed at the feeling of Matty biting softly over the bruise he had created on your collarbone before licking a thick strip up the side of your neck and back home to your mouth. 

“You never asked.” Matty mumbled and then his lips were back on your own in a bruising kiss that was more teeth and tongue than anything else. 

You couldn’t help but feel dizzy from the never ending cycle of messy tongues, heavy breathing, tugged hair and rolled hips. You felt as though you were on fire, burning alive from the overflowing heat in your stomach that craved release, craved Matty’s touch, craved anything that he would give you as long as it was enough to snap the chord inside of you. 

You were happy to chase and barrel a release on Matty’s jean clad thigh, could feel it building inside of you already, so fucking desperate for it that you knew it wouldn’t take but a few more of Matty’s guided roll of your hips down on him and you’d be falling over the edge. 

So the whimper that you force Matty to swallow when he takes all of that away from you is nothing shy of pitiful, nearly feeling as though you could cry from the loss of pleasure, the loss of relief. 

“Please.” You beg, plead, whine against Matty’s lips. You were too far gone for the teasing that Matty would normally put you through, the entire night was enough foreplay for you. You didn’t want to play games, you wanted him now. “I-I can’t.”

Matty’s reply is silent, though it hits you like a freight train, massaging his tongue against your own while using his thigh to spread your legs wider for him as his hand sporting the reflective Tigers eye ring leaves your hip in favor of trailing up your thigh and taking the hem of your skirt with him.

Your heart races at the feeling, at the anticipation, swallowing thickly when his fingertips brush the lace of your ruined thong. You gasp even though no real pleasure came with it, but just the ghost of Matty’s touch alone had your core clenching around nothing and desperate for whatever he had in store.

Matty forces himself away from your mouth, a trail of spit connecting your two swollen bottom lips as your eyes drink in the sight of him in the glow of the dimly lit alleyway, your stomach flipping at the sight of him panting above you - sure that his eyes were as dark as the night sky around you. 

“Poor baby, so fucking desperate to cum that you were about to do it all over my thigh.” Matty coos, pouting softly, a new wave of arousal pools in your already ruined thong and makes your empty core clench.

Your own breathing was starting to grow heavier at the feeling of his fingers tracing mindless patterns on your inner thigh,

his other hand at your hip pinches meanly while his fingers under your skirt trail to toy with the material of your clothed core. You were sure that Matty could feel you throbbing through the lace, could probably feel it on his thigh earlier, so desperate for him that even the faintest touch over the lace of your thong had your eyes fluttering shut. 

“I think I can do a little better than that, don’t you think?” Matty tilts his head to the side ever so slightly, a smirk twitching at his lips as his fingers slip under the material of your black, lace thong and slowly start to slip it to the side. 

“Please.” The whine comes down from your toes, the feeling of the cool air hitting your wet core had you tugging on Matty’s hair, desperate for him to stop teasing and do something with you already - so wound up that it might only take a gust of wind against your exposed core to send you over the edge at this point. 

You gasp through a moan at the feeling of two of Matty’s fingers running through your wetness, a ghost of a touch but it still lit you ablaze, having craved this all night. 

“Fuck.” Matty groans, his head falling forward and causing his forehead to press against your own, panting against your swollen lips. “You’re so fucking wet for me, baby.” His fingers at your hip pinch the surface as he uses his thigh to spread your legs a little more for him while making sure that you would still be comfortable against the wall. “All this just from watching me play the guitar?”

And while the filthy images of the sinful way Matty handled his red guitar are all you can see behind your eyes that were fluttering closed, you find yourself shaking your head softly, tugging on his hair roughly. “Been this way all night.”

“All night?” Matty repeats as if he doesn’t know, back to sporting that damn pout on his swollen lips, still just ghosting his fingertips over your throbbing core. “Well, what’s got you so worked up, baby?”

“You.” You whine, rolling your hips down in a poor attempt to make Matty touch your throbbing core with more of a purpose, though his other hand is quick to stop the movement with fingers that dug meanly into your hip bone. “Everything about you.” 

You admit shamelessly, surely feeding his massive ego. You knew your boyfriend well enough to know that there was something he wanted to hear before he’d give you what you wanted, what you craved. You were desperate to find it, swallowing thickly around a dry throat as you relive the night you shared. 

“Y-Your cologne, the way you smell. The way you held me when you were showing me how to play darts, speaking into my ear.” You speak through breathless pants, squirming against the brick wall under his hold. “The way your throat would move when you swallowed your drink down, how you’d catch me staring.” 

Matty nods along aimlessly to your words, unphased by your breathless words. His two fingers ghost over your entrance while a thick brow raises at you in a challenge, almost as if he was daring you to admit it. The feeling of being teased with what you so desperately craved had your heart racing, core clenching and lips moving. 

“Your hands.” You admit shamelessly, nearly crying out at the feeling of Matty’s two fingers slowly starting to enter you after finally giving him what he wanted to hear. “Fuck, your hands.” 

“My hands?” Matty tilts his head to the side in faux curiosity, filling you up to his knuckles with a pout, you clench desperately around his unmoving fingers. “These hands?” Matty coos, curling his fingers to emphasize and you nearly double over at the feeling, a broken moan ripped from your throat. “You want hands? Want my fingers?” You were nodding before he could even finish the thought, whimpering at the feeling of Matty slowly pulling his fingers out just to thrust them back in in a way that had your head falling back against the brick wall. “Yeah, I bet you fucking do, been staring and gagging for them all night.”

You moan freely at the pleasure that blooms through you from the way Matty’s two fingers were fucking into you now, a steady pace that kept you shameless at the fact that Matty had caught you gawking over him all night, you werent being as subtle as you thought you had been. You blamed the three cocktails floating through your veins. 

“What did you expect?” Your voice as breathless as you felt, his fingers sure and thick, you were thankful for the brick against your back that was cooling down your otherwise overheated skin - supporting you to stand because you surely wouldn’t be able to do it on your own. “You were doing it on purpose.”

“Doing what?” Matty dared, the smirk that twitched at his lips earlier was full blown now, a thick eyebrow raised in yet another challenge. “C’mon, baby, use your words.”

You were panting, moaning, whining around his fingers that fucked you breathless. How did he ever expect you to use your words when he was knocking them from your tongue as soon as they formed there? His fingers fucking you in a way that pulled the sounds he was addicted to out of you freely. 

You were trying to find some ground to stand on, hard to do when Matty was finding a home back in your neck, his tongue doing more work on the area than his lips had. His teeth graze over the skin of your pulse point and he pinches at your hip, encouraging you to speak, to obey. You swallow thickly, clenching around his fingers, tugging on his hair - fighting through whines and whimpers to form a coherent thought.

“Running your fingers along the rim of your glass.” You remind him of the sinful show the two fingers that were now inside of you performed over the rim of his empty cocktail while he spoke to George earlier that evening, an act that could be deemed as innocent, but you knew better. “Tracing your name on my lower back in front of your friends.” You remind him of the way his hand slipped under your shirt right before the two of you came out here, an act that looked innocent to anyone who saw, but they couldn’t feel his actions underneath that were anything but. “Curling your fingers like that while you played on stage, fuck.”

You didn’t have to remind him of that, he knew all too well what you were talking about, if the smug look on his face told you anything. You couldn’t help but wonder if this was Matty’s plan all along, keeping this whole band thing a secret from you just so that you’d get all worked up at the sight of him and he could drag you out here to the alleyway to tease you about it. Putting on a show for you all night, on the stage and off of it, just so you’d be putty in his hands. 

“Hm.” Matty hums against your neck, curling his fingers in the same way he had over the neck of the guitar not even half an hour ago, trailing his tongue up to lick over the shell of your ear before whispering hotly into it. “Must be muscle memory.” Matty teases, his fingers curling against the heavenly spot inside of you that had you whimpering. “I’ve had lots of practice, you know.”

You moan his name freely, unashamed, clenching around his curled fingers like a vice. Your head tosses back against the brick wall behind you, only giving Matty more space to explore, to mark, to own. His thick fingers slow down in pace, causing a whine of protest to tumble from your bitten raw lips, digging your manicured nails into his scalp at the feeling of him smirking against your neck. 

Matty pulls himself away from your neck in favor of staring down at you, his smirk widens at the sight of you. Your bitten raw lips, your flushed cheeks, your glazed over eyes - you were quite the sight.

Matty removed his other hand from your hip in favor of resting it on the brick wall next to your head, such a simple change in posture that had him looking taller, more powerful than before. A new wave of arousal spreads through you like wildfire at the sight of him, your stomach flips as you stare up into his dark eyes, your breathless pants mixing with his own. 

“Was thinking about you while I was up there, you know.” Matty’s voice is low, gruff, your core clenches at the sound while your heart thrums in anticipation of where he could be going with this. “Every time I curled my fingers and my guitar would purr, I couldn't help but think about how similar you sound when I do the same to you.” His two sure fingers curl to emphasize and a broken moan rips from your throat from the pleasure that blooms through you. “Fuck, baby, cant even play my guitar without thinking of how pretty my girl would sound if I was playing her instead.”

A whimper that was nothing short of pitiful falls from you at that, feeling dizzy at the fact that Matty had been picturing the same filthy thoughts on stage as you had in the booth watching him, it was moments like this where you knew he was your soulmate.

“Fuck, Matty.” You speak breathlessly through a moan, squirming under his touch. You felt as though you were on fire from how close you were teetering the line of a release, how desperate you were to fall over it. 

“And with the way you were staring at me from the booth, baby, fuck.” Matty groans, his fingers picking up speed once again, your head falling back on the brick wall with ease. “You’re lucky I didn’t come down there, bend you over that table and fuck you in front of everybody in there.” You whimper at the thought, your core clenching at the idea, Matty is quick to pick up on it. “Bet you’d like that, hm?” You were nodding, quick and shameless, before he could even finish. “Yeah? You wanna let me show everyone how I turn such a fucking brat into my good little girl?”

You moan so loudly that Matty has to cover your mouth with his own to silence you, his tongue hitting your lips before his own did. He kisses you with fever, hot and desperate. It was hard to keep up with the pace he was kissing you with when you were already fighting for you life to keep up with the pace he was fucking you with. 

His thumb finds a home against your swollen, neglected bundle of nerves and you gasp out a moan that Matty swallows, your eyes rolling back at the feeling of the way his calloused thumb was tightly circling your clit. You were quickly spiraling down a hole that you were at the mercy of Matty digging you out of, an all too familiar heat coiling in your stomach tighter and tighter with each passing thrust and swirl of Matty’s fingers. 

You were so drunk on the feeling of white hot pleasure that was rolling through you that you couldn’t even find it in yourself to care about how loud you were being, moan after whine after whimper falling like a symphony out of your mouth and into Matty’s own until he had to find another solution. 

A string of spit connects your bottom lip to his own as he pulls away from the dirty kiss, his hand that had kept him balanced on the wall was quick to wrap around your neck faster than you could blink. His fingers that had been chilled from the outside air cool down your burning hot skin as the heat finds its way down to your core at the feeling of him squeezing your windpipe. 

“Be quiet.” Matty warns, his fingers wrap a little tighter around your neck and your mouth falls open easily. Matty’s fingers curl at the sight and your mouth only opens wider at the pleasure. “I’m having fun, don’t get us caught.”

Matty lets up off the pressure on your neck, but keeps his hand resting there as a reminder of what he could do. You gasp in a deep breath and quickly lose it all over again as Matty doubles his efforts on you, hurdling you closer and closer to the release you were so desperate for. 

“I wanted you like this.” Matty admits, resting his forehead against your own, his heavy breath fanning over your lips as his fingers fuck into you in a pace that had your gripping onto his shoulder for support - your manicured nails digging into his leather jacket. “Just like this, right up against the fucking brick wall of my place that day you came in for a tattoo.” 

That day felt like a lifetime ago now, the nerves you felt before walking into 102 Tattoo to face the boy you hadn’t seen in over a week because he had run away after kissing you. You thought about how shocked that girl would be to know that she’d be laid out on his leather chair begging for him just a few hours later, how shocked that girl would be to know where the two of you were now - pressed up against the brick wall of a dive bar, in a dimly lit alleyway, because the two of you were so desperate for one another that you couldn’t even wait until you got home. 

“When you asked for a hit of my cigarette and the way you were looking up at me, listening to me so well while I guided you through how to smoke it, fuck.” Matty groans, nipping at your bottom lip, his thumb swirls mind numbing circles around your clit while his fingers fuck a pace to match. “When you handed it back to me and it had a ring of your lipgloss on the end of it, all I could think about was you leaving lipgloss prints on my dick and I couldn’t fucking take it anymore, had to have another taste of you.” 

You whine at Matty’s words, at how desperate he was for you then, how desperate he was for you now, how desperate you were to get your mouth on him - how desperate you had been for it all night long.

“Fuck, Matty.” You moan, clenching around his curled fingers and rolling your hips down to meet his thrust, mirroring the way his thumb circled your swollen, throbbing clit. “I’m so fucking close, please.”

“I should have fucked you right there, let everyone see how easy you gave it up for a man you claimed to fucking hate.” Matty smirks as you melt against the brick wall on his fingers, sweat collecting at your hairline as your manicured nails dig into the shoulder of his leather jacket - how desperately you wished they were clawing at the skin of his back instead. “And how does my baby feel now, hm?” You felt dizzy at the condescending tone that dripped from his voice, the smirk that he spoke through, the power that he held over you. “You still hate me?”

It was ironic that he was asking such a thing when both of you knew good and well that this couldn’t be further from the truth. As far as you were concerned, Matty hung the moon and as far as Matty was concerned, you were the only girl living under it. 

Normally you would have found yourself lying just to rattle him a little, show a bit of your bratty side and claim that you did in fact still hate him just to see what form of punishment he’d fix you with this time - if he’d edge you until you were crying or if his hand would wrap back around your throat just to shut you up. And while thrill creeps up your spine at the idea, the burning desire in your lower stomach was screaming far louder than the stubborn bones in your body. 

You shake your head softly, not even daring to speak in fear that he’d stop for not following his order of ‘be quiet’ from earlier, staring up at him with eyes full of desperation and a silent plea to take pity on you. Matty’s smirk grows deeper at the sight of you, knowing that you had to be dangerously close to a release with how well you were behaving, it was such a rare sight for you to listen so easily.

Lucky for you, Matty was more than ready to send you over the edge, desperate to see your face screw in pleasure as you fell apart underneath him. 

“Course you don’t.” The breath from Matty’s words fan over your lips, his voice as rough as the bricks digging into your back. “You love my cock too much, love me too much.” You whine, unsure if it was due to the fact that you were so close to falling over the edge or from how the mention of Matty’s dick made you remember how desperate you were for it. “Isn’t that right, baby?”

You were nodding before Matty could even finish the question, swallowing around a dry throat that had you wishing you had consumed more water than vodka tonight, clenching around his fingers as you speak with a voice as breathless as you felt. 

‘Yes.” You whine. “I love you, love your cock, your mouth.” Matty curls his fingers and you nearly cry out. “Fuck- Your hands.”

“My hands.” Matty repeats, doubling his efforts on you in a way that had your head tossing back against the brick wall and your mouth falling open in a long, drawn out moan that had Matty’s finger that rested against your neck wrapping around your windpipe yet again. “Isn’t that what got us out here in the first place? Your obsession with my hands and the fact that you couldn’t stop fucking drooling over them all night?”

You were growing to feel a bit lightheaded, unsure if it was due to Matty’s words, his fingers curling inside of you, his hand wrapped around your throat or a filthy mixture of all three. You whine as best as you could with Matty choking you, pitiful and pathetic, as Matty uses your open mouth to his advantage and spits inside of it. He pulls away with a wicked grin, his dark eyes glued to your mouth and a filthy groan falls from his lips and fans over your own at the sight of you swallowing - the fact that he could feel your throat moving under his hand. 

“Fuck, if you love my hands so fucking much, why don’t you show me, then?” Matty speaks through a thumb that swirls tight figure eights over your clit and fingers that were fucking into you so deeply that you almost felt as though you were drooling, maybe you were. You couldn’t focus on anything other than the way your core ached for release, the way your lungs ached for air, you felt as though you could cry from relief when Matty finally gave you the permission. “Be a good girl and cum for me, baby, all over my fingers. Let me hear how pretty you can be.”

And then his hand was off your throat, finally allowing you to gasp in a deep breath and get some air down to your lungs just in time for it to leave all over again from the feeling of your orgasm crashing into you, finally. Your eyes brim with tears as you fall apart on the brick wall of Lucky’s, body convulsing underneath Matty as your core clenches around his fingers that continued to fuck you slowly through your high. You moan Matty’s name as if it was all you knew, and in that moment, it was.

“Fuck, you’re such a good fucking girl, that’s it.” Matty groans, fixing you with a kiss that was really more just heavy breathing and whimpered moans than anything else, only to melt against his tongue when you finally came down from your high. 

Matty kissed you soft and slow, the complete opposite of how he had just a few minutes ago, distracting you from the way his fingers were slowly pulling out of you. You were so wrapped up in kissing Matty that you hadn’t even realized the loss of him until his hand that had been wrapped around your throat earlier was trailing up the expanse of it just to find a home against your jawline, using his pointer finger and thumb to pry your mouth open just as he was pulling away from your mouth. 

Your eyebrows didn’t even have time to furrow in confusion before Matty was bringing his fingers that shined proudly with you up to your lips. “Gotta clean me up, baby.” Matty explains, a wicked glint in his eye as he teases. “Can’t go back inside to the boys with you all over me.”

You greeted his two digits with a wide tongue, drawing them in greedily. Matty groans at the sight, at the feeling of your tongue swirling over his fingers as you moan around them. Your core clenches at the idea of going back inside and pretending like Matty wasn’t just choking you out in the alleyway, but the more you think about it, the longer you swirl your tongue around Matty’s fingers, the more you realize that you weren’t quite ready to go inside. Not yet. Not until you fulfilled your other desire of the night, you had finally got his hands on you, now it was time for you to get your hands on him. 

The weight of his fingers on your tongue wasn’t enough, you needed something heavier, thicker, you needed Matty’s fingers out of your mouth so they could run through your hair while you swirl your tongue around something else. 

“More.” You mumble around his fingers. “Need more.” You pull off his fingers in favor of licking a thick strip up the side of them instead, already feeling rather powerful from the way Matty’s eyes widen slightly at the sight, at the groan that tumbles from his bitten raw lips. “Want more.” You kiss his fingertips, fixing him with doe eyes that you hoped would get you everything you wanted. “Want you.”

Matty swallows thickly, clearing his throat, making a poor attempt to take his hand away but you’re quick to reach out and stop him. Your stomach flips at the fact that he kept it in place when the both of you knew he was strong enough to pull away if he really wanted to. 

Matty shakes his head slowly, not really trusting his voice to speak, feeling more drunk on the sight of you pouting before sucking his fingers back in your mouth than any of his Jack and Coke’s had made him feel that night. You suck on his fingers as if you were trying to show him how you could perform somewhere else and Matty’s resolve was very quickly weakening, nearly ready to say fuck it and throw you up on the wall like he had just admitted to wanting to the day he tattooed you.

But he couldn’t, not when there were three men inside who were surely racking up drinks on his tab and waiting for the two of you to return so they could get to know his girlfriend who was currently deep throating two of his fingers. 

“You can have me later, baby, any way you want me.” Matty promises, pinching your hip at the feeling of your teeth grazing over his knuckles in protest. “I don’t have time to fuck you how I want to right now.” And thrill creeps up your spine at that, filthy images of the endless possibilities swirl around in your mind as deliciously as your tongue does around his two fingers. “How you deserve it.”

You pull off Matty's fingers with a kiss to his fingertips and a pout, running your manicured nails up the side of his neck and causing goosebumps to rise along your path.

“Please, I need you.” You beg, desperate to scratch the itch that had been burning under your skin for so long that you were surprised you hadn’t melted yet. “Let me suck you off, please. I-I’ve wanted to all night.” You should have been embarrassed by how eager you were, how shameless you were being, but when Matty was letting out a groan that showed how affected he was by your words, you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. “Almost crawled under the booth earlier, would have if George hadn’t been sitting there.”

Matty’s spit soaked fingers are quick to wrap around your jaw at that, spreading your spit all over your chin as his fingertips dig into your jaw in a way that had you feeling lightheaded all over again. You couldn’t help but moan at the way he was handling you, staring down at you as if he was trying to assess what to do with you, his dark eyes scanning over every inch of your face as his fingers dig meanly into your jaw. 

“Fuck, you want it so bad, don’t you?” Matty’s voice is deep, rough, gravely. The sound of it had a new wave of arousal pooling in your already ruined underwear, your empty core clenching in desperation, desire climbing up your spine. 

“Please.” You attempt another beg, this one was nothing short of pitiful, your manicured fingernails digging into the base of his neck as you find it in yourself to tease. “It won’t take you that long to finish, I could’ve been done already.”

Matty grips your jaw harder at that, a dangerous look in his eye as he warns. “Watch it.”

You smile through it all, lazy and fucked out, allowing the bratty comment to get to your head and make you feel more confident than before. You knew your boyfriend well, and while he did have a stamina that was rather impressive, he never lasted long when your mouth was around him - especially if he had been drinking that night. He was a simple man, after all. 

You bat your eyelashes up at him, innocent and pretty, the sight only makes his fingers fall from your jaw in favor of wrapping around your neck instead. You moan around his hand, sure that he could feel the vibrations of it from his palm pressed to your throat, positive now that he was about to give you what you wanted. You smile as if you had already won and Matty couldn’t help but squeeze your neck a little tighter at the sight before finally folding. 

“What I already gave you wasn’t enough?” Matty tilts his head to the side, condescending as ever, clutching on to what little power he had right now. 

You shake your head softly, as best as you could with his hand wrapped around your throat. You felt even more desperate for your boyfriend now with an orgasm under your belt than you had inside of Lucky’s earlier, making you wonder if you were actually more desperate to get your mouth around Matty than you had been to get his hands on you - your cheeks flush pink at the thought. 

“No? So fucking desperate for me that you need to get on your knees in the alley?” You moan, broken and pleading, digging your nails into the base of his neck harder to mirror the pressure he was squeezing your neck with. “Yeah? My baby needs my cock that bad?”

“Please.” The familiar word falls in a pitiful mantra off of your tongue, your hair surely tangling from the way you were nodding against the brick wall. “Please let me, I need it.”

“Fuck, okay.” Matty finally snaps, not able to hold himself off any longer, surprised that he even lasted as long as he did. 

Matty uses his hand around your neck as leverage to pull you in for a kiss that couldn’t be described as anything other than downright filthy, his tongue melting against your own as his hand leaves your throat in favor of falling to your hips. 

You felt dizzy from the kiss Matty had fixed you with, dizzy from the fact that you were finally about to get what you had been so desperate for all night long, not wanting to waste another second before dropping to your knees and taking him down your throat.

Your hands fall from his neck in favor of finding a home at the waistband of his black jeans, skilled fingers that popped open the button blindly, having had enough practice that this was like second nature to you. Muscle memory as Matty had called it earlier. 

Matty groans into your mouth and you swallow it happily as you drag the zipper of his jeans down, your manicured nails trace over where you knew a rose had been tattooed on his hip, digging in slightly and causing another groan to fall from Matty’s lips. You couldn’t help but smirk, pulling away from the kiss through heavy breaths and a pounding heart, staring up at Matty with glassed over eyes full of desperation. 

And with the way Matty was towering over you, the fact that his pants were already open and inviting, you couldn’t take it anymore. You were ready to drop to your knees and fill your mouth with something other than Matty’s fingers, though you barely move an inch before Matty is reaching out to stop you. 

“Wait.” His voice is deep, strained, conveying how fucked out he already felt when you hadn’t even touched him yet. 

You let the power go to your head while dread seeps into your veins at the idea that maybe he was stopping you, maybe you weren’t about to get what you wanted after all, maybe he was going to make you wait until the two of you got home later. 

You didn’t like the idea of this at all. 

You had a plethora of pleas sitting on the tip of your tongue, ready to beg and whine until Matty let you have him, but they quickly die there when you realize that Matty had no plans of stopping you at all - only a temporary pause to make things more comfortable for you. 

You watch closely as Matty slips out of his leather jacket in quick movements that you could barely keep up with, your eyes immediately fall to drink in the stretch of his tattooed arms that were now on full display for you, the sight makes you that much more desperate to fall to your knees. 

Matty tosses the black leather to the ground, leaving the inner lining of the jacket facing up between the two of you. Your stomach flips at the sight, glancing up at Matty with curious eyes and a racing heart. 

“Don’t want your knees to get all scuffed up.” Matty explains and you couldn’t help the way your heart skipped a beat at his admission, your fingernails digging into the rose on his hip as butterflies swarm in the lake of fire that burned in your stomach. 

That even through the thick cloud of tension, desire and desperation that Matty still cared so deeply for you, that you were always his first concern, that he loved you. So much so that he was about to let you settle over his leather jacket so you could blow him in the alleyway of the dive bar where all his friends were sitting inside waiting for the two of you to return. 

The thought has you more than ready to gag all over him.

“Well, don’t just stand there.” Matty’s deep, raspy voice pulls you out of the daydream, reaching out to rub his thumb over your bottom lip - pulling it down in a way that makes your heart race. “Get on your knees before I change my mind.” 

The authoritative tone he used to speak the warning has you rushing to fall to your knees in an instant. Matty groans at just the sight of you on your knees below him, your bare legs folded in contrast over the black leather of his jacket as you settle into a comfortable position, your siren-like eyes staring up at him. 

You couldn’t help but let the sound to inflate your head, feeling as though you held all the power in the palm of your greedy hands that ran up the expanse of his jean clad thighs that twitched underneath your touch. You allowed the sound of Matty’s heavy breathing to fuel your hands up the path of his thigh to where you had already unzipped his jeans.

You run manicured nails under his shirt, scratching his lower stomach softly before dipping your fingers underneath the waistband of his boxers, pulling back just enough to snap the band against his hip. Matty’s hips jump at the feeling and you couldn’t help but smirk at the sight, a gesture that Matty mirrors as he stares down at you. 

“Need help?” Matty’s voice is deep, rough, the sound shoots down to your core. It’s almost as if snapping the waistband of Matty’s boxers against his hip had snapped him back into reality, as if it had breathed life back into him, awoken the degrading and dominating side of your boyfriend that you knew all too well. “Too fucked dumb to take my cock out yourself?”

You could feel the power you held slipping from your fingertips as you watched Matty trail a tattooed hand down the expanse of his own stomach, you felt drunk on the sight of ink and veins and nearly pout when his hand disappears underneath the waistband of his boxers, already missing the sight. 

Though you didn’t have to miss his hand for long, Matty was quick to free himself from confinement, a sharp hiss falling from his mouth and you were unsure if it was due to the air hitting his length or the feeling of his own hand running along it. Jealousy seeps into your bones at the sight of him pumping himself slowly, surely putting on a show for you with the way he was tossing his head back and groaning at the feeling, your fingernails dig into his thigh - a silent plea that only spreads Matty’s smirk wider. 

“You know, for a girl who was so fucking desperate to get my cock down her throat, you sure are wasting a lot of time.” Matty teases, swirling a thumb over his tip and moaning in a way that had your core throbbing. “Don’t have time for you to tease, I'm more than happy to take care of this myself.” 

You were pouting and whining out a protest before Matty could even finish, shifting on your knees over the lining of his leather jacket and sliding your hand further up his thigh in hopes to take over for him but Matty doesn’t allow it, wanting you to suffer in watching his veiny, tattooed hands pump his length for a little while longer. 

“No? You wanna do it for me?” The condescending tone drips from his rough voice, the smirk on his face is spread wide and his eyes blown dark. 

You nod, quick and pitiful, straightening your back as if that would deem you more worthy. His head tilts to the side, a stray strand of hair falls with it, his eyelashes flutter at the feeling of his thumb swiping over his tip yet again. 

“Well, you sure aren’t acting like it, baby.” His dark eyes scan over your face before ultimately falling to your lips, his foot comes out to knock against your knee softly. “I can’t fuck a closed mouth.”

Arousal runs down the expanse of your spine and settles in the heat of your core that clenches involuntarily at his words, they snap you back into reality just as the waistband of his boxers had done to him earlier. You stare up at Matty with eyes that were surely glazed over and desire filled, your heart pounding to beat out of your chest as you slowly open your mouth for him and stick your tongue out wide in an invitation for him. 

Matty groans at the sight of you, sliding his hand down his length to take hold of his base, he slaps his tip against your tongue once and your core throbs at the feeling. You knew better than to be greedy, you knew to take whatever Matty was giving you, he was testing you.

And while history shows that normally you didn’t care to misbehave, to be a brat, because it always got you what you wanted anyways - right now you couldn’t help but be perfect for him. To kneel on his leather jacket in a dimly lit alleyway with your tongue out, hopeful that he’d finally give you what you’ve been so desperate for all night long. 

“Look at you, being such a good girl.” Matty brags and you nearly preen, blinking up at him with a silent plea that has a smirk twitching at his bitten raw lips. “Such a rare sight for you to behave, I just wanna soak it in for a little while longer.” 

You knew Matty was pushing you, testing to see how long you could last in this newfound desire to be good for once, but you couldn’t already feel your resolve weakening. As you stare up at your boyfriend and take in the sight of him - tattooed arms, disheveled hair, the weight of him on the tip of your tongue, you couldn’t help but want to wrap your lips around him and suck him dry.

But you had already lasted this long, you knew he’d be too happy to see you fail now, you were determined. 

Lucky for you, Matty’s resolve was always growing weaker and weaker the longer he stared at your open mouth, your wet tongue, the desperation in your eyes. He slaps his tip against your tongue once more before clearing the groan from his throat, gripping the base of his cock in preparation to lead him home. 

“Such a good fucking girl, the one time I didn’t ask you to be.” Matty speaks through a rugged tone, practically panting as he finally slides his length against your tongue until he’s deep enough to order. “Close.”

You were quick to obey, wrapping your lips around his length and instantly moaning at the feeling of the weight on your tongue, something you had craved so badly all night. You wanted to suck, lick, gag all over him - but you had been doing so well. You didn’t want to disappoint now. 

You stare up at Matty with a mouth full of him, hopeful that your eyes would work on him right now as easy as they did in your normal day to day life, overjoyed to know that they were just as effective now as they were when you were asking him to just go get takeout instead of cooking a real dinner that night. 

Matty gives in, as he always did, rolling his hips in an experimental thrust down your throat - a thrust that has you moaning around his length and has him tossing his head back at the feeling. He groans, “Fuck.”

Matty’s hands naturally find a home in your hair, tangling his fingers that sported chipped black nail polish through your already tangled hair. He gives the strands a tug and has you thrumming with the need to blow him dirty, messy and fast - just the way he liked it. The way he wanted it, it seemed, if his next words were anything to go by. 

“I didn’t ask you to be a good girl, because I don’t want you to be.” Matty explains, wrapping his fingers tighter in your hair and tugging you a little further down his length, you swallow around him on instinct and don’t even feel guilty about it. 

This whole time you thought Matty was testing you to see if you’d be good for him, how long you could be good for him. You were waiting for him to reward you for being so well behaved when in reality he was waiting for you to misbehave, to disobey, to be a brat because that’s exactly how he likes you to be. 

“When I’m filling up that pretty mouth of yours and you’re taking me down your throat, I don’t want you to be good.” Matty emphasizes with a shallow thrust, staring down at you with a wicked smirk and eyes to match. “I want you to be fucking filthy.” 

You moan around Matty’s length at his words, your empty core clenching around nothing as a new wave of arousal pools in your already ruined thong, his admission swirls around in your hazy mind and fuels you to finally take control. No more waiting, no more patience, no more being good - only fast, messy and filthy as you take Matty down your throat with a newfound fire under your ass. 

“Fuck.” Matty groans, choked off as you swallow around him, his blunt fingernails digging into your scalp. “There she is, there’s my good girl.”

You felt dizzy from Matty’s backwards definition of what defined you as being good, your core throbbing to the beat at which your head bobbed up and down his length, feeling drunk on the way his tip hit the back of your throat and the sound of his moans that would follow. 

You stared up at Matty, watching the way his face would crumble in pleasure when you would swirl your tongue around his tip before chasing the veins of his cock back down to the base, pumping what you couldn’t fit in your mouth. 

Matty was like putty in your hands, wrecked moans falling from his bitten raw lips at the feeling of the cool metal band of your rings sliding against the base of his length while you swallow around him. His arm comes out to hold onto the brick wall behind you for support, his knees already weak and unstable from the pleasure you were bringing him, you moan at the way his muscles stretched in this position and Matty groans at the vibrations that roll through him. 

Maybe it was the alcohol still faintly buzzing through your veins, maybe it was the way your ears were ringing from how intensely your core was already throbbing with need again, or maybe it was the fact that Matty had admitted to enjoying how much of a brat you were. Whatever it was, you found yourself shifting on your knees on top of his leather jacket and slowly pulling off of his length with a kiss to the tip and eyelashes that batted up at your boyfriend innocently. 

“You close already?” You tease with a smile, your hand covered in rings continues to pump him slowly while you lean in to run a wide tongue against the underside of his cock. Matty curses under his breath at the sight and the sound only spreads your smile wider, making you feel powerful enough to tease further. “I told you it wouldn’t take me long.”

“Don’t pretend like you weren’t about to cum all over my thigh two seconds after I pulled you out here.” Matty reminds through rugged breaths and shallow thrusts that meet the pace you were pumping him with. “If I were you, I’d fill that pretty mouth of yours up before you get yourself in trouble.” Matty warns as his fingers tighten in your hair. You thought he was using it as leverage to pull your mouth back on him, but in reality he was tilting your head back so that he could get a better look at your face. “Open up.”

And really, you should have been embarrassed by how quickly your mouth was falling open, your tongue with it. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to feel embarrassed at all when Matty was leaning down to spit inside of it with practiced precision that makes heat shoot straight down to your aching core. You moan at the feeling of his spit hitting your tongue, and while you were sure Matty was expecting you to swallow it, you couldn’t help but close your mouth and adjust your head back into its normal position before glancing up at him and allowing his spit mixed with your own to dribble from your mouth and over the head of his cock. 

“Oh, fuck me.” Matty groans at the sinful sight of you, his hand against the brick wall behind you curls into a fist as he fights of the urge to fuck your hand that was spreading the mixture of spit over his length, making him as wet and sloppy as your mouth had been blowing him. 

It didn’t take long for you to miss the feeling of him in your mouth, quick to slide your lips back around him and hollow your cheeks in a way that had his dark eyes rolling back. You suck him off quick and messy, bobbing your head to the throbbing beat of your core that ached with a desire for him so intently that you’d never guess that you already had an orgasm under your belt. 

But you couldn’t help but be desperate for him, with the way he was moaning right now, fisting your head, head tossed back as you swallow around him - it was impossible not to. You felt dirty, slutty, on your knees over Matty’s leather jacket, sucking off your boyfriend who was still sweaty from playing on stage. In an alleyway nonetheless, right out the back door of Lucky’s where anyone could come out to smoke and catch the two of you, catch the sight of you drooling all over Matty’s cock. 

You moan around his length at the thought, shifting on your knees in a poor attempt to relieve some of the pressure between your thighs, tracing a vein on the underside of his length with the tip of your tongue as you allow your mind to run wild. 

“You like this, don’t you?” The deep drawl of Matty’s voice pulls you out of the filthy fantasies in your head, almost as though he could hear exactly what you were thinking, as though he could sense how desperate you already were again so soon after falling apart under him a few minutes ago. “Yeah, I bet you do.” Matty answers for you, cutting himself off to moan at the feeling of your tongue swirling around his tip. “Bet you’re fucking dripping just from knowing that anyone can walk out here and see my little groupie slutting herself out to me.”

Matty’s filthy mouth caught you so off guard that you lost focus for a beat and ended up gagging over him. You were quick to pull off Matty's cock, a line of spit connecting his tip to your bottom lip that you break up from your hand coming out to pump him in your absence as you fight to catch your breath and whine. “Fuck, Matty.”

Your voice was more hoarse than usual, your throat sore from the way he was sliding down it, panting in the dark air of the alleyway as Matty took his hand off of the brick wall behind you in favor of pulling your hair into a makeshift ponytail. 

“You okay?” The concern is clear even through the desire etched in his deep tone, his dark eyes scanning over your face as you nod quickly, hissing when you swipe a thumb over his tip. The feeling has him falling back into his patronizing role from before. “Poor baby, begging to suck my cock when you can’t even take it all without gagging.”

And while you know Matty was only teasing, patronizing, talking to you in a condescending tone just to make your head spin - it still lit a fire under your ass to prove him wrong.

You glare up at him before taking back control, leaning in with a wide tongue to lick along the expanse of his length in a way that had his hips stuttering, you couldn’t help but smile as you pepper kisses that had what little lipgloss that remained on your lips lingering on his length - only to be wiped away by your swollen lips when you slide him back down your throat. 

Your eyes flutter shut as you focus on the task at hand, bobbing your head up and down slowly as you allow your throat to remember the feeling of him again in preparation of what was to come. You bring your hands up to his thighs to hold onto for support, digging your manicured fingernails into the dark denim of his jeans as you relax your throat and slowly start to take him down deeper and deeper until your nose is brushing against the hair on his abdomen. 

“Fucking hell, baby.” Matty groans, his mouth dropped open, eyebrows screwed in pleasure as he tosses his head back when you swallow around him. His fingers tighten in your hair as tears start to swell in your eyes, you deepthroat him for a few seconds longer before pulling off completely to catch your breath for a beat and then you’re all over him again, doubling your efforts just to hear his guttural moans that proved your point. “Shit, such a dirty fucking girl with an even filthier mouth. Bet you’d spend all day on your knees with my cock down your throat if I let you, huh?” 

You moan around his length, nodding your head as best as you could with Matty’s hands fisting your hair into a makeshift ponytail to keep it out of your face, out of the drool collecting around your mouth. 

The weight of him on your tongue, his fingers in your hair, the filthy words he was spewing off - it was growing to be too much for you. Your core was clenching around nothing, throbbing through a deep ache, One more swirl of your tongue around Matty’s tip and you couldn’t help but trail a hand between your thighs, hopeful that Matty would be too wrapped up in his own pleasure to notice your wandering hand, knowing that he’d be quick to put a stop to you touching yourself and you were too desperate for relief to obey. 

You were determined to keep Matty from noticing your hand that was currently pulling your soaked thong to the side, harder to do when you were moaning pitifully around his cock at the feeling of two of your fingers making contact with your swollen clit. The pads of your fingertips were much softer than Matty’s, they didn’t have a rough edge to them, no calluses. They didn’t feel as good as Matty’s had but it was enough to take some of the edge off. 

Your tongue swirls around Matty’s cock in the same pace that your fingers circled your bundle of nerves, steady and sure - desperate to bring both of you to a release you knew Matty had been fighting off and you were already on the edge of.

You shift on your knees as the pleasure from your hand between your thighs blooms through your core and spreads from your lower stomach up your spine, and while you were trying not to get caught, you could feel yourself slipping more into your own pleasure than Matty’s - lazily bobbing your head up and down over his length while your two fingers swirl heavenly figure eights that have you dripping all over the inside of his leather jacket. 

“Faster.” Matty moans and the sound of his rough voice, that had someone grown deeper than the last time he had spoken, had you coming back down to earth and reminding you of the task at hand. You were quick to obey, swirling mindless circles over your clit as you picked back up the pace with which you were taking Matty down your throat, bobbing your head in quick succession that had his hips stuttering and his head falling back in a deep groan. “Fuck.” The curse falls out in an almost whimper that has your fingers swirling faster over your clit. “I meant on yourself, but that’s feels so fucking good, baby, just like that.”

You couldn’t help the way you moaned around his length, eyes rolling back, at the fact that you hadn’t been subtle at all. Matty had caught you, he knew what you were doing, yet instead of stopping you like he normally would - he was encouraging you. He wasn’t making you take your hand away, he was demanding that you go faster, harder, pushing you closer and closer to another release. You shift on your knees, your empty core clenching in desperation as you follow orders, swirling your fingers over your swollen clit faster than you had before. 

“Look at you, I gave you the permission to be bad and you’re taking full advantage of it.” Matty groans, tugging on your hair as he stares down at you with dark, dangerous eyes. “Touching yourself when you know you’re not supposed to, that’s not what good girls do.” 

You couldn’t help but pull off his cock long enough to smirk, to tease, to remind him, “I know, that’s why I am.” You pump him slowly to keep him on the edge as you lean in to lick a wide strip up the side of his length, holding eye contact with him as you bat your eyes up at him in an innocent manner. “I’m just doing what you asked.”

And then you remembered Matty’s warning from earlier and filled your mouth again before you got yourself into more trouble than you already had, because while Matty had clued you in about how he enjoyed it when you misbehaved, you knew that touching yourself would push his limits. 

Matty tsks, hissing when you graze your teeth against his length, earning you a sharper tug at your hair. “I asked you to be filthy, not a fucking brat.”

You blink up at him with eyes glazed over with tears that threaten to spill down your cheeks, blinking at him in a way that you hoped would make you seem innocent and apologetic but surely only made you seem more sinful and slutty than anything else. 

“But I’ll let you have it, baby, just this once.” Matty swallows the groan in his throat, eyes glued to your hand hidden underneath your skirt, a smirk twitching at his lips as he threatens. “Enjoy it.”

And the implications behind his two simple words told you that once Matty got you home and he didn’t have to worry about someone walking out and catching the two of you anymore, you were in for it. But for now, you would enjoy the pleasure that was swimming in your veins from the way your own fingers worked over your clit, trying to mimic the movements Matty had used on you earlier, while fighting to not fall behind on sucking Matty off. 

“Fuck, baby, you’re dripping all over my jacket.” Matty speaks through a deep groan, his hips rolling forward on instinct at sight of the puddle collecting on the inner lining of his leather jacket beneath you. “Feel good, sweetheart?” You nod as best as you could with Matty’s hands holding your head. “Better than me?” Matty asks through a smirk as if he already knows the answer, he just wants to see you shaking your head, fueling his ego. “No, ‘course not.”

He thumbs your temples and you preen into his touch, moaning around his length as your fingers pick up in speed to chase the familiar coil in your stomach. The closer you got to your own release, the harder it became to focus on Matty’s, you made a mental note to compliment him on his self control when this was all said and done. You weren’t sure how Matty could ever hold off on his own pleasure while making you fall apart multiple times when you couldn’t even last through a blowjob in the alleyway without selfishly making it all about you, but you couldn’t help it. 

Though, Matty didn’t seem to mind, gripping your hair tighter between his fingers as his hips rolled with a little more purpose down your throat now. A wrecked moan rips from his throat and has him repeating the action, cursing under his breath as his head tips back. 

“Baby, fuck, I’m so close.” He practically whimpers through heavy breaths that fuel your tongue to swirl around him in tune with your two fingers between your legs. “You want me to take over?”

And you couldn’t help but feel dizzy from what Matty was implying, using the grip he had on your hair to pull you down his length, the action has a new wave of arousal dripping from your core and collecting in the puddle beneath you. You were sure Matty’s leather jacket would need to be dry cleaned, but you knew your boyfriend well enough to know that after tonight, he’d never wash it again. 

You moan around him, he hisses at the vibrations and you dig your fingernails into his thigh in hopes that it would be enough permission for him to use you as needed to chase his release so that you would have the freedom to focus on your own that was already starting to climb up your spine. 

“Yeah? You want me to fuck that pretty mouth of yours?” Matty groans, his hips already moving to find a rhythm that had your fingernails digging harsher into his thighs, sure that if the denim didn’t serve as a barrier that you’d break through the skin. “You begged to suck my cock and now you want me to do all the work for you?” 

You nod, shameless, as best as you could through the grip he had on your hair. You were thankful for the sinful way he rolled his hips down your throat so that you could focus on your own pleasure - which was always his top priority. And you made sure to take advantage of the freedom he gave you, rubbing tight circles over your swollen clit in a way that numbed your mind and had your eyes rolling back to mirror the way Matty’s were as he fucked your throat raw. 

“Spoiled little thing.” Matty coos, rubbing a soothing thumb against your temple in a complete contrast to how harsh he was tugging on your hair, how rough he was fucking your throat. 

Matty tosses his head back at the feeling of his tip hitting the back of your throat with each passing rhythmic thrust of his hips, rolling his head to the side so he could watch you - the way he disappeared down your throat, the way your wrist worked underneath your skirt, the way your eyes fluttered shut from the pleasure blooming in your stomach. 

“Look at me.” He practically growls, delivering a particularly hard thrust to your mouth that has the tears that had been swelling in your eyes finally falling freely down your cheeks. 

You were quick to obey, fighting through the pleasure to open your eyes and stare up at the man towering over you, doubling your efforts on yourself at the sight of how fucked out he looked, you moan at the thought of how you were sure to look the same - maybe even worse. 

“Oh, god.” Matty whines, his hips stuttering, a sure sign that he was about to spill down your throat. “That’s it, baby, good girl.” The praise has you finding the strength to swallow around him, to run your tongue along the underside of his length in hopes to send him over the edge and with the way his thrusts fall into a sloppy rhythm - you knew he was close. “When you’re cumming all over your pitiful fingers, I want you to look at me and remember that even though it’s not my hand making you fall apart, I’m still the reason you get to cum at all.”

You moan, whine, whimper all over his cock while your core throbs, clenches and aches in desperation to cum. You felt dizzy from his filthy words, your wrist starting to ache from the fast, tight circles you swirled around your clit as he digs his fingernails into your scalp and fucks your throat in a sloppy, messy rhythm that pulled a symphony of sounds from his bitten raw lips that you felt drunk on. 

You stared up at him with tear filled, glazed over eyes full of a plea that you hoped he would take pity on - not quite sure of how much longer you could hold off. 

“Fuck, you look so fucking pretty like this, baby.” Matty speaks through rugged breaths, you preen at the compliment, leaning your head into his hands that held onto your hair like a lifeline as he quickly started to lose himself in the pleasure of sliding down your throat.

It was all growing to be too much for you, the ache in your wrist, the pleasure blooming through your stomach, the pain from Matty’s fingers tangled in your hair, the burn of your throat from his unrelenting thrusts. You felt drunk on desire, drunk on power, drunk on the way your fingers seemed to swirl in perfect rhythm with Matty’s thrusts down your throat. You were more than ready for release, desperate for the permission, thankful when Matty’s filthy mouth kept speaking. 

“You want me to cum down that pretty throat of yours?” Matty groans and you were quick to moan around his length in agreement, desperate to swallow every last drop. “I’ll give it to you, baby. But I need you to cum for me first, okay? Think you can be a good girl for once and do that for me?”

You give a pitiful nod, head swimming down a spiral of good girl, baby and the permission for release. The heat in your stomach was quickly spreading down the inside of your thighs, climbing up your spine and up your throat, so close that you could taste it - though your mind wouldn’t allow the dam to break without Matty to send you over the edge. 

“Go on, then, cum for me. All over your fingers, all over my jacket, be as filthy as this pretty mouth of yours.” Matty groans, giving shallow thrusts down your throat in an effort to hold himself off from spilling down it, wanting to focus on you first. 

You fall apart almost instantly, almost as if it was only happening because Matty had ordered you to, your thighs shook all over the inner lining of his leather as your high rolls through you. You obey his order from earlier, holding eye contact with him as best as you could while fresh tears pour down your cheeks as your bottom lip trembles from the pleasure rolling through you, the feeling of it has Matty’s thrusts picking up pace once again, desperate to chase his own high after watching yours crash into you. 

His grip on your hair is as tight as your core clenches as the aftershocks of your high roll through you, holding your head steady for him as he uses you for his own pleasure, head tossed back in a guttural groan as his hips makes sloppy work of fucking your mouth. It doesn’t take him but a few more thrusts down your throat and a couple of lazy swirls of your tongue around him and his breathing grew heavier, his grip grew tighter, his hips grew sloppier.

“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna- Oh, god. Oh, fuck, I-” Matty cums down your through with a gasp mixed groan that shoots straight down to your core, tossing his head back in a sinful way that bared his throat to you, you could see the way his Adam’s apple moved with each passing moan and whimper that tumbled from his bitten raw lips as he continues to fuck your mouth lazily through his high. “Fuck.”

Matty groans, fucked out and breathless, his dark eyes roll back softly at the sight of you slowly pulling off of his cock with a gentle kiss to his lip. He was fighting to breathe through heavy pants, hard to catch his breath when you were staring up at him with eyelashes that batted at him in an innocent way as your mouth opened to flash the filthy sight of your tongue covered in his load before you swallow it all down with a smile. 

Matty gives your hair a lazy tug, thumbing your temple gently before dropping his thumb down to your swollen bottom lip, running along the expanse of it in a way that had anticipation creeping up your spine and another round bubbling in your veins. 

But you knew the two of you didn’t have enough time for another go, you had already well passed the time allotted for a typical smoke break, sure that the three boys waiting on you inside knew exactly what was happening out in the alleyway - curious to know if George had been warning anyone who dared to come smoke right now to not even bother trying unless they wanted to be scarred for life. 

The thought has you shifting on your knees and reaching out to accept the hands that Matty offered in assistance to help bring you to stand on legs that wobbled from your high and ached from the position they had been in - though they weren’t scraped up from the concrete, thanks to Matty. Your heart flutters now as you glance down at the leather jacket underneath your shoes, sure that you’d never look at the accessory the same way ever again, you couldn’t help but wonder if that was Matty’s goal all along. 

You adjust your stance and lean down to pick the leather jacket up off the ground, shaking it in a way to clear any dust, or you, off of it before holding it out to him with a sheepish smile that he could only smirk at. 

You were positive that you looked just as wrecked as you felt, with pink stained cheeks and glassed over eyes that had a bit of mascara underneath them from the tears that brimmed your eyes from swallowing his cock down your throat. 

Your stomach flips from the way Matty drinks in the sight of you, his dark eyes trace every inch of your fucked out face in a way that had you knowing that he was also debating if you two could push the limits and go another round. Though, when he starts to tuck himself back into his boxers and zips his jeans once again, you knew that he had also remembered the boys inside waiting for the two of you. But when he accepts his leather jacket from your hold and his fingers linger against your own before he pulls away to slip his arms back through the leather, you knew that he was really considering it. 

You couldn’t help but flush at the sight of him wrapped back up in his leather jacket, a sight all too familiar to you, but this time it felt different. It was different. The same leather jacket he had been wearing the day that you met him was now tainted with the memory of your knees squirming on top of it, your cum soaking into the inner lining. You knew Matty was thinking the same thing if the smirk spread over his face told you anything. 

“I love you.” It’s the first thing that Matty says to you since he was spilling down your throat, your heart leaps up your throat at the simple three words, a phrase you had heard from him a million times but still made you feel as breathless as the first time. 

The sentiment was sitting on the tip of your tongue, ready to return, though Matty steals them by reaching out to wipe the mascara from underneath your eyes. He was gentle, careful, wiping away stray tears and black marks left behind with his thumb while the rest of his fingers held onto your cheek that was fighting not to spread with a smile. 

Matty worked diligently on your face until he deemed you perfect, well, presentable - to him, you were perfect with the mascara stained tears. He thumbs your cheek softly before pulling away in favor of reaching into his back pocket and pulling out the lip products that you had specifically remembered throwing into your purse before the two of you left the house earlier, products that you had remembered reapplying earlier that night after your second Vodka Cran, how had they ended up in the back pocket of Matty’s jeans?

As if Matty could read your thoughts, he gives you a shy grin, his cheeks tinted with the faintest shade of pink as he explains. “I swiped ‘em from your purse when you went to the bathroom earlier.” Matty speaks softly, holding your lip gloss between three fingers and his palm as his pointer finger and thumb pop open the cap of your lip liner. He shrugs, winking. “I figured we’d end up out here.” 

You couldn’t help the way your heart raced, threatening to beat out of your chest as Matty uses his hand holding the cap of your lip liner to hold your face steady as he leans in to reapply the color around the border of your swollen lips.

You felt dizzy from Matty’s touch, the soft and gentle way that he was handling you right now when only a few minutes ago he was spewing off filthy, degrading words that had you cumming twice in an alleyway, the fact that he was reapplying your lip products because he was the reason the color had faded in the first place - all worn off from his mouth and cock. 

Warmth spreads throughout your chest in a different way than the heat that had spread through your lower stomach all night, thankful that Matty had a mind coherent enough to consider things such as fresh lip gloss in an attempt to keep George, Adam and Ross from making crass comments about your rather long smoke break. Because while the two of you were more than positive that the three of them knew exactly what had gone on out in the alleyway, Matty wasn’t too keen on them seeing it all over your face. 

You fight off a smile, not wanting to make Matty mess up, though it was becoming quite difficult to do when he was so focused on the task at hand - swiping your lip liner so gentle across your lips and cursing under his breath when he’d mess up a line and have to wipe away his mistake. 

Matty leans back to check his work, tilting his head from side to side to ensure that he had applied your lip liner to perfection, focusing on the line work as if he had just done a tattoo. You allow a smile to spread softly over your face at the thought, that he was taking the application of your lip product as seriously as when he was permanently tattooing his artwork onto someone’s body. Matty’s eyes leave your lips long enough to glance up at your eyes, a smile of his own tugs at the corners of his lips as he places the cap back on your lip liner, only to screw off the lid of your lip gloss.

“Open.” Matty’s voice was as gentle as the hand he held your face with. 

You couldn’t help the way your stomach flipped at the simple command, spoken in such a different tone than the way he had ordered you to close your mouth around him earlier. You open your mouth softly, barely, enough to give him the proper room to reapply the matching lip gloss to the liner he had just perfected.

Though this task didn’t take him as long as the last, not needing to be so precise with this product as the one from before, swiping the applicator along the expanse of your lips a few times before allowing the addictive smile to finally spread freely over his face as he twists your lip gloss tube closed and shoves the lip products back into his pocket. 

“Well, fuck.” Matty huffs. “I should have kissed you before I did that, huh?” 

And you couldn’t help the giggle that tumbles from your freshly glossed lips at the genuine annoyance in his tone, the smile on your face remains even after the laughter stops, you couldn’t fight it off if you tried. 

“What?” Matty asks with cheeks twinged pink and dark eyes that narrowed slightly, speaking in a teasing tone. “You got what you wanted and now you’re all happy and content?”

And as you stood there, staring at your boyfriend with eyes that surely gleamed, you couldn’t help but feel over the moon for him. You shake your head softly, speaking with a tone to match through a smile that lit up the dim alleyway. “You love me.”

And while it wasn’t the three words that you had planned on saying before Matty had stolen them from your throat, you couldn’t help but voice these instead. Because after the way he handled you, so filthy and degrading against the brick wall or on your knees over his leather jacket in comparison to the way he handled you now, so gentle and careful as he wipes away your tears and reapplies your makeup for you, you couldn’t help but say it out loud to prove that his feelings were as real as his hand wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer to him. 

That he loved you, so much more than you would ever even realize.

“To the moon.” Matty confirms with a grin as soft as his eyes, only needing to look into your eyes for a few more second before thinking fuck it and leaning in to kiss you anyway, a kiss much more gentle than any you had shared that night, you nearly pout when he pulls away too soon for your liking.

“So,” You start, reaching out to wipe away your gloss from his lips before the color stains them, glancing up to look at him with eyes that gleamed in a teasing way. “you’re a tattoo artist and a rockstar.”

Matty snorts, pinching at your hip as his dark eyes roll. “I’m hardly a rockstar.” And you couldn’t help but disagree, wiping off the remainder of your gloss off of his top lip. “We just get together once a month and play here for fun, it's nothing serious.” Matty explains with a shrug, pinching your hip once again with a little more bite this time. “Though, after seeing how you reacted to it, we might make it a twice a month thing.”

It was your turn to snort, hitting his chest softly as you rolled your eyes at the way he teased you for your reaction to him on stage. You had to shake the memory of the way his fingers curled against the neck of his guitar before you got yourself worked up all over again, you weren’t quite sure if you could handle seeing him that way more than once a month. 

“Well, I suppose we should get back in there before they think of any more jokes at our expense.” You sigh, shifting on your feet as you make one last attempt to bat your eyelashes and get your way. “Unless you just want to take me home and go for another round.”

Matty hums, almost as though he was considering it, though you knew your boyfriend well enough to know that you had already used up all of your begging and pleading for one night. 

“I don’t think so.” Matty decides and you pout, your heart already starting to race as Matty slowly leans in to speak lowly into your ear. “But if you can behave, I’ll fucking tear you apart when we get home.”

You swallow thickly, his words serving as a reminder of the unspoken promise he had made to you after your hand had snuck its way under your skirt, thrill shoots up your spine at the idea of what he might do to punish you when the two of you got home later - especially after knowing that batting your eyelashes and begging would do you no good from here on out. 

The anticipation of what was to come made you all the more desperate to go inside and wrap this evening up so you could have Matty all to yourself without the fear of someone walking out into the alleyway and catching the two of you. 

You lean in to kiss him softly, quickly, tilting your head towards the back door of Lucky’s.

“Alright, let’s go inside.” You concede, shooting him a playful wink that accompanies your teasing tone. “I have embarrassing stories to hear.”

[noacfslut]

he’s holding a tarot book… welcome back tattoo!matty

[noacfslut]

a fever you can't sweat out - matty healy

this is part of the lover, leaver universe, if you haven't read both parts, then you probably should <3

part one: lover, leaver part two: taker, believer

after your appointment with matty that ends in an unfinished tattoo, heavy breathing and a confession of feelings after, you find yourself at dinner with him - with legs that tangled under the table and carried you all the way back to his apartment for another round.. and another... and another..

(basically a glimpse into the absolute fuck fest of a weekend they have (that's mentioned in this blurb) after hooking up in his tattoo shop at the end of part two!)

minors do not interact!

tags: 18+, oral (f receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, edging, overstimulation, crying during sex, degradation, pain kink, nipple play, piercing play

13211 words

It was only a couple of hours after the events that had transpired in the middle of 102 Tattoo, the memory still burning through you, dirty images plaguing your mind as you picked at the food in front of you. Matty wasted no time before asking you out to the dinner that he had promised you, now that he had a taste of you, he couldn’t stomach the thought of sending you home and being apart from you again so soon after not seeing you for a week. 

The two of you make quick work of looking somewhat presentable and soon Matty’s hand was slipping in your own and leading you out to the parking lot and guiding you to straddle over the seat of his motorcycle. 

You had never ridden on one before, thrill shooting up your spine as Matty held you steady as you settled over the seat, blushing when he offered you his helmet and leaving his own head vulnerable. You wrap your arms tightly around Matty’s frame, squeezing your eyes shut as he kicks the stand up and starts to drive the motorcycle effortlessly down the road.

The feeling of your body pressed flush against Matty’s own as the rumble from the engine vibrating the seat beneath you was more than enough to have you feeling rather dizzy, a feeling that didn’t fade all throughout dinner. 

You found it impossible to focus on the meal in front of you when Matty was sitting across from you, wanting nothing more than to take a bite of him instead as the filthy memories play on constant repeat through your mind. The way Matty’s hands held you down as he permanently etched ink onto your skin, the way Matty had kissed you with fever against the brick wall of 102 Tattoo when the tension had grown to be all consuming, the indescribable pleasure that rolled through you when Matty had laid you out on his tattoo chair and touched you in ways you had only dreamed about. 

You craved the feeling of desire and desperation coursing through your veins again, craved the taste of Matty’s tongue in your mouth, the feeling of his hands running possessively down your body. You were sure that Matty was having the same thoughts as you if the way he stared at you all night told you anything, his feet tangling with your own under the table and causing your heart to race, desire to drip.

Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Matty to wave down the waitress for the check, needing to get you out of here before he couldn’t take it anymore and pulled you into the alleyway instead. He leads you out into the parking lot with a hand at the base of your back and helps you onto the back of his motorcycle, you climb onto the bike more sure now - as if you belonged on it all along. 

Your arms wrap around him tighter than before, but not because you were scared of falling off the motorcycle, you just craved the closeness - craved anything that involved the tattoo artist.

Matty fights not to break traffic laws as he drives you back to his apartment instead of the parking lot of the business strip where your car had been left, desperate to get you home so he could get his hands on you, but not daring to put you in harm's way. He was determined to keep you safe, never having driven his motorcycle with so much care and thought as he was right now, your arms wrapped around him kept him grounded yet drove him mad all at the same time. 

You had no idea about the long history Matty had with speeding tickets for how recklessly he drove around his motorcycle, clueless to the way he was barely even driving the speed limit now, the cops in town would never believe you unless they saw for themselves. You were clueless to everything, eyes squeezed shut behind the motorcycle helmet as your head rests on Matty’s back and the wind whips through your hair.

You felt free, alive, a feeling that followed you all the way to the doorstep of Matty’s apartment.

Matty barely had the key to his place slid into the doorknob before he was pushing you against the door and kissing you as though his life depended on it, stumbling through the front door of his apartment blindly as Matty led you through the unfamiliar space. This was your first time ever in his apartment and you couldn’t even look around to familiarize yourself with such a personal space of his because you were too busy wrapped up in teeth, tongue, hands. 

Teeth that were tugging at your bottom lip that his tongue would quickly come soothe before exploring against your own as his hands run possessively, hungrily up and down your whole body - dripping in desperation as if he hadn’t just had you laid underneath him two hours ago in his tattoo shop. He was quick to slide his wandering hands under the hem of your slightly wrinkled crop top that you had thrown back on in his shop earlier before allowing Matty to take you on what would be deemed as your first date. 

Though you wouldn’t be able to reminisce on the way Matty had stared at you all throughout dinner or the way his feet tangled with your own under the table because soon he was pulling away from the kiss to pull your shirt off of your frame. He tosses your top off to the side, not even looking in the direction it goes, immediately groaning at the sight of you. 

“Fuck.” He curses through heavy pants, his hands running up your stomach to cup your breast, quick to thumb at a hardened bud before pulling softly at the silver bar pierced through it. You gasp at the feeling, the pain mixed with pleasure, your tongue already felt thick in your mouth. “Haven’t stopped thinking about these all night, can’t believe you’ve been hiding them all this time, such a dirty girl.”

Then his mouth was back on you in a kiss that was somehow dirtier and hungrier than before, his wandering hands quick to slide down to squeeze at your hips before rounding the back and hoisting you up in his arms in a way that felt all too reminiscent of how he had earlier, your legs wrap around him on instinct. You gasp against his tongue as he blindly walks you over to what you had assumed was the path to his bedroom, though Matty couldn’t be bothered to waste any time making it that far, lowering you down on the soft cushions of his couch and quickly settling on top of you. 

You felt breathless, dizzy as Matty’s hips instinctively rolled against your clothed core, the desperation for the tattoo artist pooled between your legs almost as quickly as it had in his shop earlier. You should’ve been embarrassed by how easily you turned to putty in his hands, but with his kiss swollen lips trailing down the side of your neck and finding home against a hardened bud, you couldn’t help but shamelessly moan and beg for him. You were surely feeding his already massive ego, but you couldn’t care less when his tongue was swirling around your nipple and his teeth were tugging at the silver bar pierced between them. 

“Matty.” The five letters tumble from your swollen lips through breathless pants, swallowing thickly before a moan follows suit at the feeling of him latching onto the bud and sucking. “Need you.”

You feel his smirk before you see it, your legs already tightening around his waist before he could voice the tease that you were sure was coming, sucking on your pierced nipple while pulling back slowly until it fell from his swollen lips. He towers over you with strands of hair fallen over his forehead, dark eyes that conveyed how badly he wanted you, a smirk blown wide as the patronizing tone tumbled from it. 

“So soon?” He teases, tilting his head to the side and causing more strands of his hair to fall with it. “You just had me a few hours ago, was that not good enough for you?” Your core clenches around nothing at his words, throbbing and aching in desperation as your legs tighten around his hips, your heel digging into his lower back. “Already forgot how I feel?”

Matty emphasizes the question with another roll of his hips, your manicured nails are quick to find home in his dark hair, giving the strands a tug as you try and search for the right thing to say to make him stop teasing and actually do something with you. 

Though with his dark eyes staring down at you and his tattooed arms bracing himself next to your head, you found it hard to say anything other than, “Please.”

Matty tsks, resting all of his weight on one hand so his other would have the freedom to wander down your body, naturally finding home against the silver bar that drove him wild. 

“My poor baby.” He coos, thumbing your nipple through a pout. “Already fucked so dumb when I haven’t even properly touched you yet.” You tug at his hair harsher now, only blowing his smirk wider, his fingers pinch your bud in retaliation. You gasp, nearly moan at the pain and that only encourages Matty further. “What am I supposed to do with such a slutty girl like you?”

And really, you should have slapped him for the words that spewed from his filthy tongue, and if he had spoken them to you a week ago - you would have. Though now, laid out underneath him with the memory of that tongue against your skin as he fucked into you in a way that left you breathless and desperate for more, you couldn’t do anything but moan at his degrading words - your aching core throbs for more. 

You should be ashamed, humiliated, getting off on pain and being degraded - but when both were at the hands of Matty, you couldn’t help but beg for more. 

“Fuck me.” You beg, practically plead, answering his question easily with no shame behind your breathless words. Matty nearly folds from the two words, his hips rolling down yet again on instinct, his fingers swirling around your pierced nipple in a way that seemed to numb your mind. “Please, Matty, no more teasing.” It was your turn to practically pout, batting your lashes up at the tattoo artist, his tongue peaks out to wet his bottom lip at the sight - his resolve quickly weakening. “I want you now.”

“You’ll have me.” Matty decides, even gives you a quick nod that has more strands of hair falling over his forehead, your stomach full of desire swoops at the sight and pools between your legs. His fingers pinch at your nipple one last time, giving the piercing a tug that has you gasping, raising a thick eyebrow at you in a challenge. “If you’re good.”

Your eyes narrow slightly, swallowing thickly as your legs squeeze around his waist yet again, not quite sure if it was from the thrill of the challenge or the fear of him getting up off the couch and leaving you lonely and desperate. 

“I can be good.” Your voice barely more than a whisper, all that you could muster through the breathless pants, shaking your head softly before correcting yourself. “I am good.”

Matty snorts, his calloused fingers hesitating before leaving your tits, trailing down your stomach and careful to avoid the fresh tattoo below your navel before toying with the waistband of your bohemian style joggers that he had already peeled off of your legs once today. 

“Yeah?” One simple word that drips in a condescending tone and has your throbbing core clenching around nothing. “You think so?”

Your fingers tug at his dark hair, legs squeezing around his waist, his dark eyes gleam with power. And though you know the point was mute, you find yourself nodding anyways, a smirk twitched at the corner of his swollen lips and let’s you know that that was exactly what he was hoping for. 

“Really?” His nearly black eyes squint, slowly leaning back on his haunches, your hands fall from his hair and land on your chest with a thud. You swallow thickly as you nod once more, trailing your own hands to cup over your tits, manicured nails that toy with the silver bar pierced between your hardened nipples as you bat your eyelashes up at him - hopeful that the sight would finally get him to snap. 

And Matty does snap, the waistband of your bohemian style joggers against your hip, that is. His dark eyes fall to the show, his thick eyebrow twitches before he’s staring back at you again and narrow in a warning - almost as if he was letting you know that you were practically proving his point as he continues. 

“Because if I remember correctly, when I was fucking you earlier, I had to force you to be a good girl.” Matty snaps the waistband of your joggers against your skin again before slipping under it, only to dig his blunt fingernails into your hip. “You remember that, hm?”

And how could you ever forget? His unmoving length inside of you that refused to give you what you wanted until you could be still for him. His long and calloused fingers shoved between your lips to keep your bratty comments at bay. The way he praised you for being so good for him when, in reality, he had made you that way himself. 

You felt dizzy now at the realization. 

“I’ll be good.” You promise, nodding your head as your legs squeeze around his waist, your heel digging into his lower back for what you weren’t aware was the last time. “I promise, Matty, I’ll be good for you.” You whine, already contradicting yourself as your manicured fingers twist and swirl around your pierced nipples. His dark eyes narrowed in one final warning that had your hands falling back against the cushion of his couch next to your head with a pout and plea. “Please just touch me, I want you so bad.”

Matty stares down at you for a beat, leaned back on his haunches, almost as though he was considering what to do with you and your heart races at all the possibilities. His hand slips out of the waistband of your joggers and slides down the expanse of your thighs, hooking around the backs of your knees and using the leverage to unwrap your legs from his waist. Your stomach drops at the feeling, scared that he was going to leave you desperate and pleading on his couch all night while he went to bed. 

You had a plea sitting on the tip of your tongue, ready to say anything that would make him stay and give you what you wanted, though whatever words you had thought of would die there as Matty’s rough voice speaks. 

“I already told you once that you can have me.” Matty reminds you while removing your legs from his waist. His hands slip back under the waistband of your joggers, long fingers that hook under the band of your black thong, your heart pounds against your rib cage as he slowly peels both of the materials down your legs for the second time that day. “You will have me.”

Matty corrects with a nod, tossing your bottoms off to be forgotten somewhere in his living room, your dripping core clenches in anticipation as Matty slides his hand down the expanse of your thigh before hooking back behind your knee so he could spread your legs and maneuver you into a position that he was satisfied with - one leg thrown over the back of the couch while the other falls open off the side of it. 

A new wave of arousal pools between your spread legs at the complete contrast of the two of you right now, you completely naked and laid out underneath a fully clothed man who was staring down at you as though he could eat you alive. And really, you were sort of hoping he would. 

Matty shifts his position on the couch, your heart races so quickly that your ears start to ring as Matty scoots back and crouches down so that his lips that had finally almost gone back to normal could become swollen again against the skin of the inside of your thigh. 

Your legs start to close on instinct, but Matty’s hands are quick to come down on your thighs and hold you in place, your eyes already rolling back at the way he was manhandling you.  

Matty licks a strip from the middle of your thigh up to the top before his teeth graze against the skin as he mumbles a promise there. “After I have you.” 

You moan at his words, already feeling as though you could explode from just the idea of Matty’s head between your legs, hopeful that you weren’t already dripping on the cushions of his couch as your empty core clenched in anticipation and desperation. 

“If you can be a good girl for me, without my help.” Matty mumbles the reminder against the skin of the inside of your thigh, his dark eyes glance up at you from his place between your thighs and has your stomach flipping. His lips pull away from your thigh long enough to fix you with a raised brow and a challenge sitting in his dark eyes. “You can do that for me, right?” You were nodding before Matty could even finish the question, his blunt fingernails digging into the flesh of your thigh as he warned with a smirk. “Good. For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

You didn’t have time to dwell on his warning, your mind already turned to mush as he finally stops teasing and leans down to lick a thick strip between your folds. 

Your head tosses back in a gasp and Matty groans against your core, his blunt fingernails digging into the flesh of your thighs as his tongue swirls around to explore you, you moan at the vibrations from his groan that courses through your veins. His skillful tongue avoids where you want him most, surely on purpose if his smirk that you could feel against your core told you anything. 

“Fuck, you’re so fucking wet.” Matty mumbles against you, only giving you a few more licks before pulling back, you whine at the loss. His eyes are already blown wide and his chin glistens in the light, his lips wear you like a gloss as they stretch into a smug smile, almost as though he wanted you to see how wet you are for yourself - your stomach flips at the sight. “I’ve barely even touched you and look how fucking desperate you are for me.”

You wanted to pop off something smart, not wanting to feed his ego any bigger than it already was, but you couldn’t because he was right. You were desperate for him, unbelievably so, as if you hadn’t had him all over you a few hours ago. You could still feel the ghost of Matty’s hands all over your body from earlier and yet you still felt as though you could die if he wasn’t touching you right now.

You try to move your legs in an attempt to wrap them around his shoulders so you could bring him back into you, but his large hands on your thighs prevent you from even moving an inch, you whine and squirm against his couch - a sight all too familiar for him. 

“Matty.” His name falls from your lips in a whimper, squirming under his hold at the feeling of him blowing over your wetness, your core clenching around nothing in desperation. 

The sound has Matty taking pity on you, only for a second, leaning in to lick another strip up your core before pulling off to kiss the inside of your thigh - your wetness transfers from his chin to your thigh and dries against the skin there.

“This all for me now, right?” Matty mumbles against the inside of your thigh, his teeth grazing against the skin there before he tilts his head to the side so he could stare up at you with eyes full of desire. You nod and his fingers dig into the flesh of your thigh, sure to leave bruises that would match the ones that his mouth was making. “Yeah? No more needle to get my girl all worked up?” You whine, squirm, fingers finding home in his dark hair to tug at the strands. The memory of what had happened earlier that day burns at the forefront of your mind and makes you all the more desperate for the tattoo artist, the fresh tattoo on your stomach burns as much as the desire in your veins. “Tell me, what’s got you this worked up, baby?”

“Please.” Is the only response you could muster up, the plea tumbled out in a whimper, tugging on his hair in yet another failed attempt to bring him back into you. You were far too desperate for all the teasing that Matty was determined to put you through, you didn’t want to play games, you wanted him now. “Matty, I-I can’t.”

“You can.” Matty decides, his voice as rough as the fingers digging into your thigh. “You will.” He emphasizes through blunt fingernails and dark eyes that pin you to the couch cushions. “Tell me.”

Your throat is as dry as your tongue, a pitiful whine tumbling from your lips as Matty leans down to blow over your wetness yet again, his breath ghosting over your throbbing core and driving you wild. 

“You.” The word is barely more than a whisper, spoken through breathless pants and squirms, it earns you a kiss at the apex of your thigh - so close to where you wanted him yet still so far away. “Fuck, you didn’t even have to touch me, I-I’ve been this way all night.”

Matty’s fingernails dig into your skin, his teeth nipping at the inside of your thigh. “What’d you say?”

You couldn’t find a shameful bone in your body, the desire throbbing between your legs had you speaking your mind without a second thought, ready to say anything to bring him back into you.

“All night.” You reiterate, your heart rate climbing in speed rapidly at the feeling of Matty’s slick coated lips sliding against the insides of your thighs, encouraging you to elaborate. So you did. “Couldn't stop thinking about what we did in your shop all throughout dinner, couldn’t even look at you without picturing what you looked like above me.” 

You shamelessly admit, massaging your manicured nails against his scalp as he continues to kiss and mark the insides of your thighs. Matty’s fingers flex against your thigh as he groans, you weren’t quite sure if it was due to your words or the feeling of nails against his scalp, either way it makes your core throb and reminds you of the burning desire coursing through your veins.

“You could have taken me right there and I would have been ready for you.” You admit because it was true, you’ve been dripping for him since the moment he had cleaned you up in the middle of his tattoo shop. You were desperate for more then and you were way past desperation now, tugging on the strands of his hair again and back to squirming against the couch cushions as you begged. “Please, Matty, I need you. I-I can’t take it anymore.”

“Fuck.” Matty groans against the inside of your thigh, his teeth digging into the skin there and his tongue quick to come and soothe it before licking a strip back to where you so desperately wanted him. 

And then he was diving back into you, his tongue only swiping through your wetness two, three times before it was finally swirling around your neglected bundle of nerves. You gasp at the feeling, one that turns into a drawn out moan at the feeling of his lips wrapping around your swollen clit and sucking on it gently. You squirm against the cushions as his tongue grows less curious and gentle and more sure and hungry, practically melting against his couch as you get consumed by the pleasure blooming through you, succumbing to nothing but tongue and teeth as you try and keep up with the pace Matty was eating you out with. 

Matty never lets you get used to one thing, always keeping you on your toes. He’d eat you out like a starved man, as if it was his last meal, his tongue sure and skillful as it swipes and swirls you into a puddle of pleas and pleasure and then as soon as you settled into that pace, his tongue would slow into big swirled circles that had your eyes rolling back and heart racing against your rib cage.

It was an endless cycle of the two, fast and slow, hard and soft. You never quite knew where he was going and it was beginning to drive you mad. 

You were panting, breathless, whine after whimper tumbling from your bitten raw lips as Matty took his time with you. The way his sure tongue flicked slowly up and down your core was making you dizzy and desperate for more, his fingernails dig into the skin of your thigh as the flicks of your core turns into swirls on your clit and he sucks on your bundles of nerves for a beat before releasing it and sealing it with a kiss that makes your heart flutter alongside your cunt. 

And really, you should have been embarrassed by the butterflies that swarmed in your stomach by the action, as if it was you that he was kissing sweetly instead of your throbbing core. But with the way his gleaming eyes looked up at you through his long lashes as his mouth worked over you, it was impossible for you not to blush - thankful for the moans that fell from your lips as an excuse for the pink flush of your cheeks.

But Matty didn’t give you time to dwell on the fluttering of your heart or the butterflies that swirled in your stomach for too long, his hips involuntarily grind down on the couch beneath him as he moans against your cunt and slides his hands up to your hips to pull you closer against his face - as if that was even possible.  

You moan freely at the vibrations that course through your veins, feeling dizzy at the fact that Matty was getting off on the action of going down on you, you felt as though you were on fire. Matty’s hips grind down on the couch again as you tug on the strands of his dark hair and the sweet, slow swirls of his tongue quickly morph into hungry, fast ones that have a moan ripping from your throat and your legs wrapping around his shoulders now that his hands were at your hips and no longer holding down your thighs. 

Moan after whine after whimper tumble from your bitten raw lips as Matty’s unrelenting tongue lights your body ablaze. You found it hard to catch your breath, the freshly tattooed dragonfly on your stomach rising and falling in succession as you pant through the pleasure blooming through you. 

A whimper that couldn’t be described as anything other than pitiful falls from your pink lips at the feeling of Matty pulling away, though a moan rips from your throat soon after when you realize he was only pulling away long enough to spit over your already dripping cunt before diving back into you.

You could feel Matty’s smirk against your core as his tongue devours you, the sounds you were making only fueled his hips against the couch. With the way his tongue was swirling around your swollen clit before sucking it into his mouth, his teeth nibbling softly and ripping another moan from your throat, it was no surprise that an all too familiar heat had already started to coil in your stomach. 

“Matty.” His name falls from your lips in a breathless moan, your legs squeezing around his head softly as he begins to double his efforts on you, already knowing the signs of your impending release without you even having to tell him. Already knowing your body so well after only fucking you once. “Fuck, I’m so close. Please.” You beg, whining, squirming against the couch as the fire in your stomach spreads throughout your veins, desperate for release. You beg for permission even though Matty never specified you needing to. “Need it, Matty, please. Can I?”

Matty moans against your throbbing core, the vibrations that follow have your eyes rolling back as his hips mirror the action against the couch cushions. He nods once, twice against your core before sucking your clit between his slick covered swollen lips and pulling back slowly until it fell from his mouth. 

“Such a good fucking girl, asking for my permission.” Matty coos, his fingernails digging into your hips as he leans in to suck on your clit, your body jolts from the pleasure. “Being so good for me, baby, and I didn’t even have to force you to be this time.”

You all but preen at the praise, your legs squeezing softly in an attempt to bring him back into you, the fire in your stomach still burning and begging for release. Matty’s dark eyes stare up at you as he blows over your throbbing core, your eyes roll back at the sensation, so close to the edge that you were sure if he mimicked the action again that you’d be falling apart underneath him right now. 

“Please.” You find yourself begging because that seems to be all you can do anymore, practically pouting as the desire climbs up your spine. 

“You can cum, sweet girl.” Matty coos and you almost felt as though you could fall apart right then and there, though the wicked smile spreading over his face told you that he wasn’t done talking, dread mixing with the desire in your veins as he specifies. “Whenever I want.”

Matty decides with a wink and you would have argued back with him that you couldn’t wait much longer but he was already diving back into you with a fire under his ass that had all words lost on your tongue and boiled down to a broken moan.

And if you thought his mouth was sinful before, it is blasphemous now.

The way he ate you out now was nothing compared to before, it was hungrier, dirtier, messier. He put his entire face into it, his blunt fingernails sure to leave crescent moon bruises on your hip as his tongue licks, flicks and sucks at your swollen clit as you try not to suffocate the tattoo artist with your thighs. 

“Fuck.” You moan, too wrapped up in rolled eyes and the pressure building inside of you to notice one of his hands leaving your hip in favor of sliding up your stomach and finding home against the silver bar pierced between your nipple. You gasp, body jolting at the pleasure and feeling of Matty’s calloused fingers toying with your pierced nipple, only adding to the pleasure that burned through your veins and making you all the more desperate for him. “Fuck, Matty, please.”

Matty moans against your cunt, his fingers pinching your pierced nipple as he sucks your aching clit into his mouth. You weren’t sure how much longer you could hold off, the lake of fire boiled in your stomach, the waves crashing into shore and making you feel as though you were about to explode. But you didn’t want to disappoint Matty, especially after he had just praised you for being so good. 

You swallow through a dry tongue and a throat to match as you tug on the dark strands of his hair and squeeze your thighs around his head, hopeful that he’d finally take pity on you. 

It must have been your lucky day. 

“Cum for me, baby.” Matty mumbles against your cunt, his fingers twisting at the silver bar between your nipple as his other hand holds down your hips in preparation for your release just in time for your high to crash into you. 

You fall apart almost immediately, moan after whine ripped from your throat as your thighs squeeze around his head and your legs shake around him, pure ecstasy burning through you as you finally felt relief for the first time since you were laying on his tattoo chair earlier that day. 

You rode out your orgasm on his tongue, gasping when he’d swirl it in a way that made your body jolt just so he could hear you whimper as the aftershocks rolled through you. Matty’s dark eyes stare at you over your stomach and drink in the sight of your mouth dropped open and face screwed in pleasure, cheeks tinted a shade of pink that he wishes he could tattoo there forever. 

You find it hard to come down from your high when Matty’s tongue was still exploring you as if he had just laid between your legs, swirling around your sensitive clit in a mind numbing way that had your thighs squeezing around his head yet again in an attempt to push him away. But he doesn’t budge, he keeps eating you out as if he was starving for it, as if the idea of not being between your legs would kill him, almost as though he had been dreaming about being there every single night since the day he had met you.

You couldn’t help but dwell on the thought, wondering if Matty had ever thought about you late at night when he couldn’t sleep, if his hands had snuck under the covers the same way yours had, if he ever felt guilty after and couldn’t even face you the next day. 

Almost as if Matty could hear your thoughts, he groans against your core before finally pulling away and giving you a chance to breathe. He licks at the inside of your thigh, his teeth grazing the skin there before biting the flesh in a way that was sure to leave a mark against the ones already scattered there, wiping some of your wetness there and leaving it to dry. 

“You taste so fucking good.” Matty groans, his teeth nipping at your thigh once more, his dark eyes sliding over your stomach to meet your own. His chin glistens in the light, really most of the lower half of his face does, his slick coated lips spread into a smirk as his fingers pinch your nipple and make your body jolt once more. “Better than I ever imagined.”

“Tell me.” You beg, tugging on the dark strands of his hair, squirming against the cushions of the couch. He had already given you a preview of the inside of his mind earlier that day, the desires he had to bend you over the nearest surface and fuck the attitude out of you anytime the two of you had fought, but this felt different - it was different. You wanted him to tell you about his darkest desires, one’s he kept hidden until he was all alone in his room with nothing but his hand and his filthy thoughts, you craved it. Almost as bad as you were already craving him again, haven’t even caught your breath from your last orgasm and already desperate to lose it over again in another. “Please.”

“Fuck.” Matty groans, his hips rolling down against the cushions of the couch at the sound of you begging, fighting to ignore his own desire and focus on your pleasure instead. His tongue peeks out to lick what was left of you off of his lips as his long, calloused fingers ghost over your core. You clench around nothing at the feeling, hopeful that it'd be enough to pull him in and practically pouting when it wasn’t. “You’re gonna have to do a lot more than bat those pretty eyes at me to hear about any of that, darling.” 

You whimper, unsure if it was due to his words or his fingers that were just barely grazing through your core that was still fluttering from the high you hadn’t even fully come down from. 

“Please.” You beg again, squeezing your thighs softly around his head and drawing him back into the inside of them to bite again, his hand on your waist pinches at your hip in a way that told you he was about to scold you for being so greedy. Of course, you were right. 

“Look at you, dripping with cum and still begging me for more.” Matty tsks, pouting with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Have I not satisfied you enough already?”

Now that you already have an orgasm under your belt, you had a clearer mind, your brain wasn’t as clouded with desire and desperation and you felt more like yourself. You had that fire back under your ass, the desire to knock him down a peg, an attempt to not show how much power and control he had over you. 

“You’ve been,” You trail off, swallowing down a dry throat as you stare into his dark, dangerous eyes - eyes that dared you to finish, lying through your teeth as you say. “fine.”

Matty hums, his slick soaked smirk doesn't falter as his dark eyes leave your own in favor of trailing down your body, lingering on his fresh artwork that rises and falls in succession on your lower stomach before falling down to where his head had been buried before. 

You start to close your legs on instinct, but Matty is quick to stop you with a hand back on your thigh like before, you blush to your roots with all of his attention glued to your core. Your heart races against your rib cage at the sight of him leaning in yet again, expecting him to dive back into you and feeling lightheaded at what came instead. 

You whine at the sight of him spitting over your cunt again, much slower than he had before, almost as though he was savoring the moment as he allows the string of saliva to fall slowly from his mouth and land over your dripping core. 

He stares up at you with a smirk plastered to his face, his fingers dig into your hips as he leans in to lick a thick strip up your core, collecting your slick mixed with his spit on his tongue and flashing it to you before taking two of his fingers and bringing them up to his mouth and wet them with the mixture. 

You squirm at the filthy sight, feeling rather dizzy at the show he was putting on for you, a pitiful whimper tumbling from your bitten raw lips as he brings his coated fingers down to your entrance that was already clenching in anticipation for what was to come - thrill shooting up your spine at the idea of him not being done with you. 

Matty’s hand on your thigh flexes, adjusting its placement on his shoulder as he turns his head to the side so he could leave open mouth kisses along the inside of your thigh, his teeth grazing the skin before mumbling against it. 

“Fine?” He pulls off to face you with a pout, his two fingers that teased at your entrance slowly start to push inside, your jaw going slack at the feeling of his fingers stretching you out - meeting little to no resistance until he reaches the knuckle. “You’re fucking dripping on my couch and you have the nerve to say that I’m just fine.”

He curls his fingers to emphasize the word and hits the heavenly spot inside of you that has your body jolting and a whimper tumbling from your lips at the feeling, dizzy at the thought of how well Matty knew your body already. Like the back of his hand, as if he had been fucking you for years. Matty tsks, slowly pulling his fingers out.

“Should have known you’d act this way after getting what you wanted.” You whine at the loss of Matty’s fingers, already missing the stretch of them as two fingertips rub teasing circles over your entrance that clenched in an attempt to pull him back in. “I knew that you being a good girl was all an act, was wondering where my little brat went.” A pathetic moan ripped from your throat at the feeling of his two sure fingers plunging back inside of you, wasting no time before fucking into you in a pace that already had your eyes rolling back before fluttering closed. Matty smirks at the sight, cooing. “There she is.”

Your jaw was slack, face screwed in pleasure as Matty’s fingers fuck into you in an unrelenting way that already had your skin on fire, clenching around his digits in hopes that they would stay there forever.

After just coming down from an orgasm from his mouth alone and now feeling the pleasure of his long, thick fingers inside of you, you couldn’t help but curse Matty for making the past year so difficult. If you had known that sex with him was like this, you would have never allowed him to run away. Hell, you would have fucked him that first day. You were addicted to the pleasure that bloomed through you, addicted to him, knowing that you were absolutely ruined for anyone else.

Matty is quick to pull you from your thoughts, practically numbing your mind as you gasp out a moan when his thumb starts to swirl around your already sensitive clit. Your manicured nails find home in the space of his shoulder, digging in and surely to break through the skin as Matty fucked you with fever, determination, as if he had something to prove. 

“Matty-“ You barely have his name spoken through a moan before he was curling his fingers and effectively shutting you up. 

“I’ve heard enough from you.” His voice is gruff, raspy, filled with desire. Your stomach flips at the sound. “You’re close already, aren’t you?” Matty nearly scoffs at the sight of you nodding. “Of course you are, greedy fucking girl can’t get enough of me.”

You find yourself nodding again, shameless as you moan freely at the feeling of Matty’s long fingers fucking you in a way that yours could never replicate. But as you lay here drunk on the feeling of pleasure and back on the brink of yet another release, you already knew that you would find yourself trying. “Please, Matty, I-“

“Are you about to ask for permission to cum? Again?” Matty’s voice was patronizing, powerful, making you dizzy as fire burns in your stomach and travels through your veins. An all too familiar feeling, one that had already spread less than ten minutes ago, following the same path as before.

You barely nod once before Matty’s fingers curl, his thumb doubling his efforts on your swollen clit and causing your body to jolt and a pitiful whine to fall from your bitten raw lips.

“Really?” He scoffs, his blunt fingernails digging into the flesh of your thigh as he watches you closely, hyper focused on every breathless moan you make and the way your eyes roll back as his fingers fuck into you, waiting until he knew you were right on the brink of falling over the edge before spitting out. “Even sluttier than I thought.”

And then he was gone. You couldn’t even react to Matty’s degrading words because you were too busy whimpering at the loss of his long fingers and the feeling of a ruined orgasm. Your aching, throbbing core clenched around nothing as you squirm against Matty’s couch, your skin on fire as ruined desire burns through your veins with rage. 

“Matty.” You whine, bottom lip practically trembling as you find yourself begging for the man for what felt like the millionth time that day, never one to give you what you wanted without a fight. “Please, I need you, I-I can’t. I- Please.” You emphasize, tongue thick in your mouth and as dry as your throat as you squirm and beg underneath his dark eyes that watched you with a patronizingly sympathetic gaze that had your stomach flipping and a new wave of arousal collecting between your already soaked thighs. “Fuck me, please. I’ll be good, I’ve been good. I-I’ll do anything, just need you so fucking bad.”

Matty’s jaw ticks, his fingers flexing against your thigh and digging his nails into the flesh as he fights to resist the urge to give you exactly what you wanted, exactly what he wanted. But he was determined to teach you a lesson, to prove a point, to wipe fine from your mind. 

“Look at you.” Matty coos, running two of his fingers through your dripping core, sure that the cushions on the couch beneath you were soaked. “Such a dirty girl.” You whine, whimper, beg for the man above you. You felt dizzy, as if you were floating, unbelievably desperate to relieve the sizzling heat that coiled in your stomach. His filthy mouth did nothing to help the racing of your heart. “A week ago you were screaming at me and now you’re fucking begging for me to let you cum.”

The irony burned as deliciously as his fingers did over your throbbing core, you whimpered at the feeling of him avoiding your aching clit, at the thought of where the two of you were less than a week ago versus now. 

That version of yourself already felt like a stranger and you couldn’t help but wonder what that girl would think If only she could see you now. If only you knew that a week later you’d be fixated with a throat that burned from begging for the tattoo artist instead of screaming at him, hands that held onto him for support as he fucked you instead of hitting at his chest out of anger, eyes that welled with tears from desperation as Matty edged you, instead of the frustration you felt for his tendency to run away from his feelings.

But no more of that, Matty promised. His feelings for you were as real as the pleasure that coursed through your veins, as real as the moan ripped from your throat as his two fingers entered you again, as slow as they had originally. 

“I thought you hated me.” Matty pouts, condescending as ever as his fingers slide up to his tattooed knuckles, though that’s all he gives you. 

You whine, pathetic as ever, clenching around his unmoving fingers in an attempt to persuade him to actually do something, anything. It felt reminiscent of the way he had teased you earlier that day in the middle of his tattoo shop, his unmoving length that stretched you out and refused to satisfy you until you could be still for him, until you could be good. It felt all too familiar now, the way his fingers stretched you out but refused to fuck into you, refused to give you what you wanted, it was driving you mad. 

And in that moment, laid underneath him and already on the brink of insanity after a ruined orgasm with his still, unmoving fingers inside of you, you couldn’t help but spit back. “I do hate you.”

Though your words show no real malice, hitting him bulletless as he stares down at you with a dangerous gleam in his eye and a permanent smirk plastered to his face. 

“Oh, do you?” His gruff voice drips in a condescending tone as he tilts his head to the side softly, strands of his hair falling over his forehead as his fingers finally start to move inside of you.

You gasp at the feeling of him fucking into you, your manicured nails digging into his back already even though the pace he had set you with was much slower than before. You felt dizzy, desperate, dripping as Matty’s thumb swirls mind numbing circles around your sensitive clit. 

And though you had finally got what you wanted, you couldn’t help but be stubborn, swallowing down a moan as you nod your head through fluttered eyes and a core that clenched.

Maybe you were a brat after all. 

Matty smirks, almost as though he was expecting the bratty response, he knew you too well. Matty’s dark eyes fall into a wink that shoots straight down to your throbbing core before his fingers start to fuck into you faster, harder, curling in a way that had the wind knocked from your lungs and any other bratty comments dying on your tongue as you melt into a puddle of desire and desperation on his couch. 

“Yeah, sure fucking feels like you do.” Matty’s voice is smug, powerful, dripping in desire and a condescending tone. His thumb swirls tight circles around your swollen, sensitive clit and numbs your mind as his fingers curl against the spot inside of you that had a moan ripped from your dry throat, your eyes rolling back into your skull as your walls flutter around him. “Fucking clenching around my fingers and begging for me to fuck you.” His fingers pinch at your hip to emphasize the word spat from his filthy tongue. “Pathetic.”

“Matty.” His name tumbles from your bitten raw lips in a breathless moan, as if it was gospel, your lungs burning as they beg for air to fill them. It was impossible for you to catch your breath now that Matty was fucking you like this. You weren’t able to do much more than moan, beg and squirm at Matty’s mercy, hopeful that the familiar heat that started to coil in your lower abdomen would be allowed to snap and release this time. “Fuck.”

The desperation in your moans only fuels Matty’s mouth further, his eyes darken as he curls his fingers one last time before slowing his pace yet again. You whine, pathetic and pitiful, feeling as though you could rip your hair out from the constant rise and fall of the release that you so desperately craved. 

“If you hate me so much, maybe I should just take you home, hm?” Matty hums, his bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly in a patronizing pout that had you clenching around his fingers almost immediately.

Your heart pounds against your ribcage, whimpering at the idea of him pulling out and taking you back to your own apartment and making you figure it out for yourself. You shake your head, tightening your legs around him in an attempt to keep him there, the action only makes the smirk on his face grow deeper, more smug as his head tilts to the side and he fixes you with a pointed gaze. 

“No?” Matty pouts. “You don’t wanna go home and take care of this all by yourself?” Matty’s head shakes slowly, his head mirroring the movement of your own, the sight makes you dizzy. It was overwhelming to look at him like this, the way he was staring down at you with all the power behind his dark eyes as his sure fingers slowly pump in and out of you, his all too familiar tongue spewing off filth that had you feeling rather lightheaded. So desperate for release, for him, for anything. “You need me to do it for you? Poor baby.” The faux sympathy in his raspy tone makes your head spin. “Don’t think you can do it all on your own?”

You whimper, bottom lip trembling as the desperation starts to consume you, clouding your brain and making it impossible to feel any form of shame as you clench around him, squirm underneath him and beg. 

“Please don’t make me.” You whine, you couldn’t even stomach the thought of your own hands between your thighs now that you’ve had a taste of him, you weren’t quite sure if you’d ever be able to finish without him again. Especially now, even though in reality you knew that he was only teasing you to get you all worked up, clearly his plan had worked. “I-I can’t.” Your head shaking against the cushions of his couch as you clench around his fingers in a poor attempt to make them fuck you in the same pace as before. “I’ve tried, please, need you.”

Matty’s fingers still inside of you for a beat, nearly bringing tears to your eyes, rolling your hips down against his hand as best as you could in the compromising position you were in - a desperate attempt to chase the pleasure from before. Though your desperate search for pleasure doesn’t last long, Matty’s fingers dig into the flesh of your thigh and quickly put your movements to a stop. His dark eyes pinning you to the couch as he ignores your desperate pleas in favor of making a command.

“Tell me.” His voice is deep, rough, full of the same desire that dripped from your veins and pooled between your soaked thighs. A moan rips from your throat at the feeling of his fingers fucking into you again, not in the pace you craved, but it was enough to make your fingernails dig into the skin of his back. “Did you ever think about me?” 

Matty’s voice grew in desperation, the sound of it made your head spin, your core clench. Matty turns his head to the side so his teeth could graze the inside of your thigh, biting the flesh there and soothing the area with his tongue as his thumb swirls mind numbing circles around your swollen, sensitive, aching clit. 

“When your hand was between your thighs, did you ever wish it was mine instead?” Your skin was on fire, matching the heat that settled in your stomach as you fought through pants to catch your breath. Something that was nearly impossible to do now that Matty was curling his fingers to emphasize. “Tell me.”

And while your whole entire body was screaming at you to voice all of your darkest desires to him, about your sinful hands that wandered under the covers late at night or the filthy images you pictured as they explored your body, the stubborn part of you reignites in a desire to rock him a little bit. You were desperate to gain power over the tattooed boy, even if it was only a little.

Your eyes roll back softly, ultimately fluttering closed at the feeling of his fingers fucking into you a little quicker now, almost as if he was trying to give you what you wanted just to coax you into giving him what he wanted. Your jaw falls slack, pitiful moans falling freely from your tongue as the pleasure thrums through your veins. You were so close to the edge that you debated even teasing him at all in fear of him pulling away yet again, knowing that you could either make or break your own fate with your next move, but as you stare at the powerful look in his eye accompanied by the smirk spread smugly over his face - you couldn’t help but take a gamble. 

You swallow thickly, a smile slowly spreading over your flushed face. Your tone of voice is as sweet as ever, breathless, as you throw the words he had spoken to you earlier back in his face and hope that they don’t backfire against you. “You’re gonna have to do a lot more than bat those pretty eyes at me to hear about any of that.”

Matty all but growls, his fingers digging into your hip meanly and sure to leave crescent moon shaped bruises there as he doubles his efforts on you. The smile on your face spreads at the euphoric feeling of his fingers finally fucking you in the way that you so desperately craved, happy to know that your words hadn’t backfired against you, moaning freely at the feeling of his thumb swiping tight figure eights over your sensitive bundle of nerves. 

“You’re such a fucking brat.” Matty groans, curling his fingers in a way that has your back arching off the couch, your legs tightening around him as the all too familiar heat starts to coil in your stomach yet again. You were practically praying that this would be the time Matty would let you fall apart, not quite sure if you could take being edged again, you feared that the pressure built up inside of you would explode if he made you wait any longer. “Always know exactly how to get what you want, such a spoiled fucking brat.”

Matty emphasizes the last three words with particularly hard thrusts of his fingers, his thumb circling your clit in a way that had your brain melting out of your ears and soaking into his couch alongside your arousal. His dark eyes watch your every move, drunk on the show you were putting on for him, breathless moans and whimpers tumbling from your bitten raw lips as your eyes roll back and your cheeks flush in a beautiful shade of pink. The sight of you was overwhelming, the desire he felt for you was all consuming, he couldn’t take it anymore. Matty’s hand leaves your hip to palm over himself, groaning at the first bit of relief he felt since he was grinding down on the couch as he went down on you. 

You didn’t even notice Matty’s hand that squeezed over the bulge in his jeans because you were too focused on his hand inside of you, fucking into you with fever and barreling you closer and closer to the release that you had already been robbed of twice now. 

“Matty, please.” The two words seemed to be all your existence has boiled down to since the moment Matty first put his hands on your earlier that day. You roll your hips down to meet the thrusts of his fingers as best as you could, sweat collecting against your hairline as tears begin to pool in your eyes, falling as freely as the moans ripped from your throat. “Fuck, please, please, please..”

“Fuck, are you crying?” Matty’s voice was rough, powerful, and condescending. His fingers were long, fast and hard. You were dizzy, desperate, and in fact, crying. “My poor fucking baby.” Matty coos, driving you all the more wild as your bottom lip trembles through last minute pleas, hopeful that he would finally take pity on you. “I shouldn’t let you cum, should leave you here to beg all night long, you haven’t been good at all. Why should I reward you?”

You whine at the thought of him leaving you, at the thought of disappointing him, quick to be replaced by a guttural moan at the feeling of his fingers picking up in speed yet again. You couldn’t breathe in the pace he was fucking you with now, as frantic as his thumb swiping across your clit, as hard as his other hand was squeezing over his length. 

You were blind to the way his skilled fingers easily popped open the button of his jeans and slide the zipper down, you were too wrapped up in your own pleasure to even notice the way Matty was multitasking, making you fall apart with one hand while the other slides into his boxers and frees himself from confinement. His hand pumps over himself in a slow pace that was nearly the complete opposite of the fast one that his other hand was fucking you with as you blindly beg and plead for release. 

“But how am I ever supposed to say no to such a pretty girl like you?” Matty coos and you preen, back arching off of the couch as you whine at his words, feeling dizzy at the sudden switch up. Your orgasm was building inside of you rapidly, your legs starting to mirror the tremble of your bottom lip as the heat coursing through your veins lights your skin ablaze and fully consumes you. “Cum for me baby girl, all over my fingers, let me hear you.”

The moan that rips from your throat makes your throat sore as Matty finally gives you the permission you had so desperately been waiting on, releasing all of the pent up pressure and desire that Matty had built and torn down over and over and over again through a slack jaw and a back arched off the cushions beneath you. This high crashes into you like none other, fully consuming you in euphoria as whine after moan after whimper falls from you like gospel, moaning his name as if it was the only word you knew as your orgasm hits you like a freight train. 

You were so wrapped up in the way your body convulsed underneath him, the way your core throbbed to the same beating rhythm of your heart, the relief that washed over you that you didn’t even notice his fingers slowly pulling out of you. Or the way he used the slick coated digits to pump himself in preparation for you, quickly replacing his fingers with the tip of his cock. 

You didn’t notice any of it until he was thrusting inside of you, a quick thrust that met no resistance at all, filling you to the brim and making you dizzy at the fact that you hadn’t even fully come down from your high yet and he was already fucking you towards a third one.

You moan as dirty as the thrusts he was fucking you with, eye rolling back into your skull as he groans at the feeling of your cunt fluttering around him, the aftershocks of your latest orgasm still rolling through you as quickly as his hips were. Your manicured nails dig into Matty’s back, sure to break the skin there and draw blood as he fucks you with a pace that conveyed nothing but desire and desperation, having neglected himself for so long that he couldn’t find it in himself to tease anymore. 

He fucked fast, hard, dirty. You moaned loud, free, pleading.

“Dreamed about having you like this.” Matty groans, his hips snapping into you in a way that had your jaw slack, face screwed in pleasure as you melted against his couch. You could do nothing but lay there and take whatever Matty chose to give you, already spent and exhausted from your past two orgasms. “Fucking purring underneath me, begging for my cock, begging for me.” You clench around his length, encouraging him further. He groans, his hips faltering slightly before falling back into rhythm. “When I couldn’t sleep, I’d think about all the things I’d do to you if I ever got my hands on you, the way you’d sound when I make you fall apart, fuck.” 

You whine and squirm underneath him as your trembling legs wrap around his waist and squeeze, he adjusts the angle and fucks into you impossibly deeper now, your fingernails drag down his back in a way that has him hissing through the pain. You felt dizzy, light headed, overwhelmed as Matty finally indulged you in your request from earlier and started to tell you about his hands that had wandered alongside his mind in the privacy of his bedroom.

You batting your eyes at him might not have been enough for him to tell you about his fantasies, but falling apart underneath him twice seemed to finally do the trick. 

“I didn’t sleep at all this past week, kept dreaming about the way your tongue tasted against my own, how your lips would feel wrapped around my cock.” The desperation behind Matty’s thrusts had him feeling shameless, his dark eyes rolling back at the feeling of you clenching around his length. “Almost let you have it earlier in my shop, dangle your head off the end of my tattoo chair and slide my cock down your throat to distract you from all that pain from my needle.” You whine pitifully, lightheaded at the fact that Matty had the same fantasy about fucking your throat off the side of the leather chair as you had earlier. Matty’s dark eyes fall into a wink as his fingers pinch at your hips. “Though, I guess you didn’t mind the pain all that much, huh?”

You blush to your roots, clenching around his cock, fingernails dragging down the expanse of his back and drawing another hiss from his pretty pink lips. 

“Such a dirty girl, drive me fucking crazy, can’t get enough of you.” Matty groans, his hands slide over to your hips and hold onto them tightly as he tosses his head back and fucks into you with fever. You could already feel an all too familiar fire igniting in your stomach yet again, an impending orgasm building inside of you, surprised that you were even still able to. Matty’s head falls forwards, strands of his hair fall with it, his tongue peeking out to lick along his bottom lip as his eyebrows furrow in determination - his hips fucking into you harder, deeper, faster. “You’re even better than I imagined, baby, like a fucking wet dream for me, fuck.”

“Matty, fuck.” You whine, desperate and exhausted, walls fluttering around his length as yet another high starts to build inside of you. You were so sensitive from your last two that it didn’t take long for this one to consume you, tears starting to swell in your eyes again at the feeling of the two fingers Matty had fucked you with before we’re finding a home against your overly sensitive clit. You cry out at the overstimulation, bottom lip quivering as fiercely as your legs did around his waist, your eyes rolled back into your skull at his cock fucks into you quick and deep. “Please.”

“Fuck, look at you.” Matty groans, his free hand roaming up your side and finding a home against a pierced nipple, tugging on the silver bar until you hissed before soothing the pain with a roll of his calloused fingers around the peaked bud. The pleasure that bloomed through you was all consuming, the way his two fingers swirled around your overstimulated clit in the same pace that his other two circle around your pierced nipple. The stretch of his cock, the way it fucked into you so deeply that the freshly tattooed dragonfly on your stomach bulged out with each passing thrust, Matty’s eyes fall to the show and the sight sends him into overdrive. “Who would have thought that a stubborn brat like you could be fucked into a puddle of cum and tears?”

Your head tosses back in a whimper, back arching off the couch as he doubles his efforts on you, fucking into you as frantically as his fingers swirled over your clit. You felt as though you were drooling, maybe you were, too fucked out and dizzy to care. “Fuck, I’m so close, Matty, please.” 

“Yeah?” Matty huffs out through a pant, his fingers pinching at your nipple and clit in sync and the pain mixed pleasure that follows nearly has your brain turning into mush. “You already fell apart on my face and my fingers, now you gotta cum all over my cock too?” His hips falter, signaling that he was just as close as you were, a moan tumbling from his bitten raw lips as you clench around him and whimper at his filthy words. “You trying to make me as dirty as you are, baby?”

You didn’t know how much longer you could hold on, desperate to fall apart underneath him for a third time and sure that Matty was in the same boat you were in, having ignored his own pleasure to focus purely on you until now. 

“Dirty fucking girl, my girl, mine.” Matty’s voice is rough, deep, mirroring the thrusts that he fucks you with. He leans back on his haunches to watch the way he disappears inside of you, the way your stomach bulges with each thrust, the new angle he was fucking you with had your back arching off the couch in a broken cry that nearly sends Matty over the edge. But he holds himself off, wanting to make you fall apart one last time before selfishly focusing on himself. “Fuck, I’m close, baby girl. Where do you want me?”

“Fuck.” You swallow down a moan, fighting to catch your breath as your core clenches around him, not having to think about the question for more than a second before answering. “Inside, please, wanna feel you.” You whine. “Wanna be yours.”

“Christ.” Matty’s head falls forward in a groan, his fingers pinching at your nipple as his other ones swirl delicious circles around your aching, throbbing, overstimulated clit.

Matty stares at the way the freshly tattooed dragonfly on your lower stomach bulges from his cock inside of you until he couldn't take it anymore, the sight of his artwork tattooed on your skin forever had him feeling rather possessive. He watches your stomach bulge twice more before finally allowing his intrusive thoughts to win as he pulls his hand away from your tit in favor of pressing down on your lower stomach. His palm pressed down against such a sensitive area ignited the pain from the freshly tattooed skin and heightens the feeling of how deep he actually was inside of you.

You felt as though you were on fire, a broken moan ripped from your throat as your walls throb around his unrelenting cock from the painful pleasure that rolled through you. You whine, squirm, beg through fresh tears underneath Matty as he fucks into you now in a way that could only be described as animalistic. 

“You want me to cum inside of you and make you all mine, sweet girl?” Matty coos, you were nodding through a whimper before he could even finish the question, clenching around his cock and eyes rolling back into your skull at the feeling of him pushing down on your stomach yet again. He was addicted to the sound of the moans that rip from your throat at the feeling of pain mixed pleasure. “I’ll give it to you, every last drop, whatever you want. But I need you to cum for me first, okay? Think you can do that for me, angel?” You preen at his words, heart pounding against your ribcage as the heat you had grown all too familiar with starts to climb up your spine yet again as you nod once more. “Yeah? You gonna be a good girl and cum for me?” You whimper out a pitiful yes, but it was more than enough to have Matty sending you over the edge for the third and final time. “Go on, then, make me as dirty as you and cum all over my cock, show me how good you can be.”

You were falling apart under him almost immediately, eyes rolling back as fresh tears rolled down your cheeks at the overwhelming, all consuming feeling. Your third orgasm crashes into you the hardest, not able to even make a sound as your body shakes through the pleasure with a slack jaw and fingernails that drew blood on Matty’s back as he continues to fuck you through you high, chasing his own release. You felt dizzy as Matty used you for his own pleasure, his hand gripping your hip like a vice as his thrusts grow more erratic.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so fucking tight.” Matty groans, his hips faltering and signaling that he was about to fall apart above you and you couldn’t wait for the show. “Love fucking you, love this pussy, love yo- fuck.”

Matty cuts himself off with a moan, your heart skips a beat as the possibilities of what he was going to say whirl through your hazy mind, desperate to know if it was the same feeling that terrified you and had kept you up every night this week. Though you weren’t able to dwell on the thought for long, any butterflies that had fluttered in your stomach at the idea were quickly drowned by the feeling of Matty thrusting two, three more times before spilling inside of you with a guttural moan ripped down from his toes. 

Your eyes roll back as he fills you up, his fingernails digging into the flesh of your hip bones as you clench around him to milk him for all that he was worth, your stomach flipping at the sight of him. His cheeks tinted with a faint shade of pink that matched the shade of his lips that were dropped open in a whine as his high rolls through him, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he fights to catch his breath through pants, his sweaty hair falling over his forehead and into his eyes that were slowly opening to look at you. 

Your heart skips a beat at the eye contact, your manicured nails reaching up to run through the dark strands of his sweaty hair, pushing it back so you could look at him more clearly. Matty pinches your hip at the action, his dark eyes falling easily into a wink that has you clenching around him again. 

“Fuck, you gotta stop doing that if you ever want to leave this couch.” Matty groans, his head falling down onto your chest and his swollen mouth quick to find a pierced nipple, running a lazy tongue over the silver bar before sucking it into his mouth. 

“You’re one to talk.” Your voice as breathless as you felt, using the fingers you had threaded in his hair to push him off of your tits, certain that you were absolutely spent and couldn’t go for another round. 

Yet. 

If only you had a clue of the night you had ahead of you. 

Matty pulls off with a pout, pinching your hip yet again when you roll your eyes playfully at the sight. He smiles, falling into you easily, kissing you as sweetly and passionately as he had earlier in your tattoo shop right after he had finished making you fall apart - the scene all too familiar. You couldn’t help but feel alive as Matty kissed you in a way that proved to you that he was real, that this was real, deeper than just sex. 

You melt against the couch now for an entirely different reason, one in complete contrast to the way you were before, your heart fluttering and climbing up your throat at the feeling of Matty kissing all over your face - your lips, both cheeks, your forehead and ending at your nose. He stares down at you with eyes that gleamed, cheeks tinted pink and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was a leftover blush from his high or from the feeling that he almost named but caught himself before he could.

“What?” Matty asks, pinching at your hip softly as he stared down at you as if you hung the moon. And really, in his eyes, you did. “I can hear that pretty mind of your thinking, let me see what’s going on inside of it.”

You flush, twirling a strand of his dark, sweaty hair around a manicured nail as your heart races against your ribcage. 

“Nothing.” You shrug, though Matty doesn’t accept the answer, fixing you with a pointed look that has you rolling your eyes playfully before sighing. “I just-” I love you, you think. “I really like you.” You say, swallowing down the three words that you nearly blurted out, your heart pounding against your rib cage at the almost slip up. You were terrified of the very real feelings that you felt for the tattooed boy, someone you had once declared as the bane of your existence, hopeful that he felt the same for you and desperate to know if he had almost slipped up and said it too earlier. “A lot.”

What you didn’t know is that Matty did feel it too, had felt it for months now, that the emotion had played a major part in the reason he always ran away and self destructed any form of spark that had happened between the two of you in the past year - it terrified him.

You terrified him. 

Well, you had, but not anymore. 

Love didn’t seem so terrifying when he could see it gleaming in your eyes as you stared up at him, your fingers massaging at his scalp and your lips bruised from his own. Though, maybe now wasn’t the best time to tell you, tangled up on his couch with his cum leaking from your core and dripping onto the cushions. 

“I’m quite fond of you too.” Matty decides on, though the smile accompanied by flushed cheeks that the two of you share after proves to the other that there was something deeper there, but Matty clears his throat before you figured him all out. His fingers pinch at your hips, his dark eyes falling into a wink as he teases. “Even though you are a fucking brat and a major pain in my ass.”

You hit his chest softly, rolling your eyes as you shake your head, the two of you hiss as he slowly pulls out of you. You whimper at the feeling of him dripping down your thighs and Matty’s head spins at the sound, groaning at the sight of his cum spilling from your core.

You were fully expecting Matty to hold his hand out for you to take, pull you up from the couch and maybe lead you towards his shower so the two of you could get cleaned up, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion when Matty leans in to trail open mouth kisses down your stomach - clear that getting clean was the absolute last thing on his mind as his head settles back between your thighs. Or maybe that was exactly what he had planned as you lean up on your elbows to stare down at him with a racing heart. 

“W-What are you doing?” Your voice was already breathless, tongue already thick in your mouth as Matty’s dark eyes slid up your stomach and landed on your own, your stomach flipping at the sight. 

“Cleaning you up?” Matty speaks as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, leaning forward to lick a thick strip up your sensitive core, collecting his cum on his sure tongue and flashing it over to you before he closes his mouth and swallows. Your eyes are already threatening to flutter closed as his own fall into a wink. “Want you to be nice and clean before I take you to my bed and make you dirty all over again.”

[noacfslut]

taker, believer - matty healy

this is part two of lover, leaver if you have not read that, then you probably should <3

i don't like you, but i love you, seems that i'm always thinking of you.

after matty leaves you stranded in the middle of his tattoo shop with the lingering feeling of his lips against your own and the taste of cigarettes on your tongue, you were more than desperate to see him again. but when he closes 102 tattoo indefinitely, you’re left to hope that he didn’t regret the kiss that kept you up at night. and as the days dragged by with no sign of the tattooed boy, you find yourself taking matters into your own hands, hopeful that you weren’t about to make a terrible mistake as you dial the number on his shops door..

minors do not interact!

tags: 18+, enemies to lovers, slow burn, needles, pain kink, degradation, angry/jealous/built up frustration sex, arguing during sex, choking, semi public/public sex, nipple play, piercing play, unprotected sex, two idiots who finally admit they’re in love

35160 words

“He what?” Carmen emphasized through wide eyes and a slack jaw, staring at you with almost as much shock as you had felt when you were left alone standing in the middle of 102 Tattoo earlier that night. 

It took you a few minutes to come back down to earth after Matty left, the feeling of his lips against your own still lingering with a fire filled tingle as you tried to catch your breath, bringing your fingers up to your mouth to graze your lips to ensure that you weren’t dreaming. 

You weren’t sure how long you lingered in the middle of the tattoo shop, feet rooted in place where Matty had left you, only to be broken out of your daze when you felt your phone ringing in the pocket of your pants. You blinked away the shock, staring down at the name that was shown on display on the screen of your phone - Carmen. You let it ring a few times before declining the call, quickly deciding that you needed to see her in person. 

It didn’t take you long to make it over to Carmen’s apartment, driving in silence as you allowed your thoughts to consume you, knocking on your best friend’s door with a pale face that had the smile on Carmen’s face dropping as soon as she opened the door - whatever reason she had for calling you to begin with died on her tongue at the sight of you, quick to ask you what was wrong and gasping when you caught her up to speed. 

“I know.” Your voice was quieter than normal, picking at the skin around your fingernails, shifting against her couch in desperation to find comfort against the cushions - desperate to ease the unknown feeling that had consumed your body from the moment Matty’s lips had pressed against your own. 

“Matty?” Carmen’s eyes grew impossibly wider, emphasizing the name of the tattooed boy, the sound of his name had your heart clenching. 

“Yes.” You spoke breathlessly, shifting against the cushions of Carmen’s couch once more, feeling exposed now that someone else had called out the name that had been circling your mind for the better half of the past hour. 

“Healy?” Carmen’s voice full of astonishment, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and eyes staring at you in bewilderment.

“Carmen.” You fixed her with a pointed look, eyes full of annoyance that matched your tone of voice. 

“I’m sorry!” Carmen exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defense and shaking her head. A soft, surprised laughter tumbling from her lips. “I’m just in shock right now.” 

A huff of laughter came from your nose, reaching out to grab one of the throw pillows on her couch and placing it in your lap, desperate to have any form of comfort right now as you spiraled deeper and deeper with each passing minute. You sighed, eyes dropping down to stare at the pillow that settled between your criss-crossed legs, picking at the scalloped edges of fabric as you mumble. “Well, how do you think I feel?”

“I knew he liked you, I told you that he liked you, I love when I’m right.” Carmen bragged with a dramatic flair of flicking her hair behind her back with a smile, one that morphed into a roll of her eyes when you glared at her with a stare that you prayed would catch fire. “Look, I’m sorry, but this is a big fucking deal.”

“I know.” You repeated the same sentiment as earlier, emphasizing the simple words as your fingers gripped the edge of the pillow out of frustration, bringing your hands up to your face to rub the area out of frustration. “God, this is going to ruin everything.”

“Well, to be fair, the dynamic between the two of you was never good to begin with, not much to ruin.” Carmen pointed out, raising her hands in defense yet again when you spread your fingers over your eyes so you could glare at her once more. Your friend mumbles out an apology before allowing her curiosity to take over. “Well, what did he say?” You removed your hands from your face in favor of picking at a loose thread that hung from the edge of the throw pillow. “What did you say?”

You felt your chest ache at her questions, the reminder that you had been left all alone without so much as a glance your way as the door to his shop slammed close behind him, avoiding Carmen’s eyes as you mumbled. “Nothing.”

The shock was evident in Carmen’s voice when she repeated back. “Nothing?”

You sigh, tossing your head back, taking in a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before releasing it, your shoulders deflating alongside the air in your lungs. You rolled your head to the side, finally meeting your best friend's eyes that had already replaced the bewilderment with sympathy, the sight only had your chest aching further. You didn’t want sympathy, you didn’t want the feeling that was coursing through your veins that you were desperate to name, you didn’t want any of this.

“Absolutely nothing.” You laughed bitterly. “Not a single word.” You felt the need to clarify further, shaking your head softly. You could feel the anger start to simmer in your veins as the memory of watching him walk out of 102 Tattoo played on a loop in your mind. “He freaked out and left, couldn’t even look at me.”

Carmen rolled her eyes, seeming to grow just as annoyed as you had felt. “Oh my god, of course he did.” Shaking her head. “Of course he would leave instead of facing his feelings, men are so fucking stupid.” You nodded your head in agreement, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion when Carmen fixed you with a pointed look, rephrasing her sentence. “The two of you are so fucking stupid.”

You felt your mouth drop open in offense. “Hey, how did I get thrown into this? I didn’t even do anything.”

“Oh, please.” Carmen groans with a roll of her eyes, leaning back against the armrest of the couch, stretching her legs out against the cushions to get more comfortable. Her sock clad foot grazes your knee cap as you stare at your friend, waiting for her to explain herself. “The two of you have danced around your feelings since the day you met.” 

You shift against the couch, eyebrows furrowing as your heart begins to pound, further pumping the unnamed feeling through your veins. “What are you talking about?”

“You guys aren’t fooling anyone, we all know what's really going on here.” Carmen sighs when you only answer her with a deepening of your furrowed brows. “You two have tried to play this off as some big fucking rivalry when in reality, the two of you are just fighting off the chemistry you feel and at first it was cute to watch, but now it’s just getting ridiculous.” She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m fucking sick of sitting around and silently watching this all go down in hopes that one day you will just work it out on your own, but clearly that isn’t going to happen.” Carmen huffed, shaking her head and kicking her foot against your knee softly. “When will the two of you get over yourselves and just admit it?” 

You knew the words would come back to bite you in the ass, but you couldn’t stop yourself from asking with a racing heart and a meek tone. “Admit what?”

“Oh, come on.” Carmen groaned. “You’re really going to make me say it?” Her eyes rolled once more when you voided a verbal response by just raising an eyebrow instead. “When are the two of you going to admit that you’re in love with one another?”

You felt as though you were choking on air from how quickly the forced laughter poured from your throat, shaking your head fiercely as you tried to ignore the butterflies that fluttered in your stomach at the idea.

“I am not in love with him.” You tried to speak confidently, yet it was delivered as uneasy as you felt, shaking your head as you tried to not think about who exactly you were trying to convince - Carmen or yourself. “I don’t love him.” You repeated. “I hate him.”

Carmen sighed, fixing you with a pointed gaze. “You don’t hate him.” Your friend spoke softly, gently, matching the gaze of her eyes. Almost as if her words would scare you off if spoken any louder. “You hate that you love him.”

You were quick to laugh to cover up the fact that her words had your heart racing almost as quickly as the thoughts in your mind whirled, six simple words spoken into thin air and ignited the spiral within you to unravel rapidly.

“That’s not true.” Your voice not much more than a whisper, sure now that it was yourself you were trying to convince rather than your friend who was staring at you with knowing eyes that made your stomach churn. Despite the fact that everything inside of you was screaming otherwise, you found yourself shaking your head and saying. “I-I hate him, I always have, he’s the worst. Why would I ever be in love with somebody who I can’t even stand to be in the same room with?”

“You can’t be serious.” Carmen laughed, pitiful and exhausted, frustrated that you couldn’t just take a step back and realize why the two of you were always at each other's throats. 

“Carmen-”

But she was quick to cut you off. “How did you feel?”

“What are you talking about?” You asked before you had time to regret it, bringing your knees up to your chest rather than keeping them criss-crossed in front of you, hugging your arms around them and resting your chin on your knee caps. “When?”

“How did you feel when he kissed you?” Carmen clarified. “While he was kissing you? How did you feel?”

“I-I don’t know.” Your heart was racing, ears ringing as you shrugged, hugging your arms tighter around your legs for the support. “Weird, I guess.”

“Don’t give me an answer that you think you should say based on your supposed rivalry with Matty.” Carmen sighed, staring at you with eyes that made you feel exposed, silently cursing your friend for knowing you so well. “Just tell me, in that moment, how did you feel?”

“I don’t know!” Your voice was louder than it had been since you arrived at Carmen's apartment, not having to strain like this since you were talking to Matty earlier in his shop, the frustration in the tone as evident now as it had been hours ago with him. You huff, covering your face with your hands, shoulders slumping as your spoke softer now. “I don’t fucking know.”

“Yes you do, you just don’t want to admit it.” Carmen pushed. “You know that you can tell me anything.” She trails off, speaking softer now. “When he grabbed your face and kissed you, how did that make you feel?”

You thought back on the past year, back to the first day you ever met the tattooed boy, how instantly you were infatuated with him despite the fact that you had only seen the back of his head. And when he finally turned around and locked eyes with you, it was as if life had been breathed into you, flipping your world upside down just as his own nearly did when he almost stumbled his way off the ladder in front of you.

You thought back to that first day more often than you cared to admit, the bashful smiles, the rosy cheeks, the knocking of shoulders and kneecaps against one another, the electrifying feeling that accompanied the contact with his skin, the racing heart that doubled in speed each time your eyes locked with his own. 

How perfect he was, how nice he was, how you would have given it all up for him only an hour into knowing him.

How hurtful it was when he completely switched up on you out of the blue.

The way he turned from a sweet, charismatic boy who made you blush with every sentence that tumbled from his pretty pink lips to an egotistical, annoying dick who made your blood boil with every snarky comment that spat from his tongue of fire. 

The way he had changed overnight, blindsiding you and leaving you in the dark for months without an explanation as to why he had become so bitter towards you, without telling you what you had done to make him act this way - leaving you with a damaged ego and a fire to make him feel as hurt as he did you, thus creating the infamous rivalry that Carmen had been referencing all night. 

You never hated him, you couldn’t, you tried. 

Even after everything he had said to you or put you through; all the jokes made at your expense, all the petty arguments over the smallest shit that had been blown completely out of proportion, all the headaches induced by the music he purposefully blared through the shared wall of your stores, all the stray cigarette butts you had picked up on the sidewalk, all the months that he had made you absolutely miserable - despite all of this, despite the fact that you had told him more times than you could count, you still couldn’t find it in yourself to actually hate him. 

How could you when the sound of his laughter ringing out through your shop had warmth spreading through your veins? When his dark eyes stared down at the crystal in his hand, mesmerized and hanging onto your every word when you explained to him the properties of the stone, asking questions and smiling at you when you gave him an answer. When the smell of his cologne mixed with the cigarette he had smoked outside and clouded your brain, making you feel dizzy and desperate to find a candle that matched the scent. When you found your stomach churning anytime you heard someone refer to you by your actual name rather than the tattooed boy's deep voice calling you Jewels. 

How could you hate him when he had made you feel more in a single year than you had in your entire life?

He made your skin crawl, he made your blood boil, he made you pull your hair out from frustration, yet you still found yourself desperate for more after every interaction with him. You craved the anger that would simmer in your veins when he was around, craved the rush you felt when the two of you were screaming at one another, craved the way his dark eyes would betray him and fall to your chest when you’d cross your arms at something hurtful he had said. He made your heart race, he made your stomach flutter, he made you forget how to speak when his dark eyes were locked with your own. He made your thighs -

“Hello?” Carmen’s voice broke you out of your daydream, practically snapping her fingers in front of your face to pull you back down to earth. “How did kissing Matty make you feel?”

How did it make you feel? How did Matty make you feel?

And in that moment, it all came crashing down on you, finally able to name the feeling that had been coursing through your veins since the moment his lips had pressed against your own - really, since the moment you had met him.

“Alive.”

—

You found it hard to fall asleep that night, tossing and turning in your bed all night long when you finally made it home from Carmen’s. You were unable to think of anything but the feeling of Matty’s lips on your own, the memory of his hands holding your face as if it was a lifebuoy, the realization that you had come to while sitting on her couch. 

You spiraled until the sun came up, huffing out of frustration when the alarm on your phone sounded throughout your bedroom, trudging to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day and trying to ignore the anxiety that creeped into your stomach at the anticipation for what would happen when you faced Matty again. 

Would you talk about the kiss? Or would he try to pretend like it didn’t even happen? 

You were nervous, incredibly so, stomach churning with nausea with each passing step in your morning routine. How were you supposed to act around him now that you knew how he tasted? 

The nerves followed you out of your apartment, into your car, down the sidewalk and all the way into Seven Wonders - only growing with each and every step it took to get you there. You sipped on your coffee that you had brought from home, refusing to face Kian and deal with him today. Not that you owed him anything, the two of you had gone on two dates, nothing was official. It never would be. You didn’t even like Kian, you only went on the dates you had gone on to piss Matty off, knowing that the barista got under the tattoo artist's skin.

The coffee didn’t do much to help the heavy feeling of your eyes due to the lack of sleep, but it sure helped fuel the anxiety that thrummed in your veins, shaky hands that tapped a mindless rhythm against the countertop as you counted down the minutes until Matty normally arrived next door. 

The tick of the clock you had thrifted that adorned the wall behind you seemed to mock you with each passing minute, the pounding of your heart only picking up speed the more the minutes seemed to pile on, huffing in frustration when you finally allowed yourself to glance over your shoulder to check the time and see that Matty was more than fifteen minutes late. 

You didn’t have time to spiral about his late arrival, the sound of chimes against the door to your store pulled your attention over to who was entering the space, hopeful that you’d be met with dark hair and tattoos, shoulders deflating when the smell of cologne mixed cigarette didn’t fill your store - a young girl entering the space instead. 

You distracted yourself with customers that filtered in and out of your store, thankful that you were surprisingly busy for a Monday morning, it helped keep your mind off of him. Well, that is, until the people fizzled out around noon, leaving you all alone with your thoughts in the middle of your store. 

You were desperate to know if Matty had showed up while you were too busy to notice, trying not to think too much about the lack of music next door, hopeful that maybe he just had a headache today and didn’t feel like listening to any. Maybe he had spent all night tossing and turning like you had, maybe he didn’t get any sleep either, maybe he was too busy trying to remember how you tasted. 

“Fuck it.” You mumble to yourself, allowing your feet to carry you out the front door of your store without a second thought.

You expected to pull the door to 102 Tattoo open, swallowing the anxiety in your throat and ready to face the boy that had consumed your brain since last night, but found your eyebrows coming together in confusion when you were met with a door that wouldn't budge instead. 

You pulled on the door handle once more, stronger this time, but the glass door still refused to open. You glanced up, heart dropping at the sight of a white piece of paper with all too familiar handwriting etched across the surface and taped to the door. 

shop closed indefinitely. sorry for the inconvenience. to reschedule your appointment, please call this number. 

Your eyes burned with tears as you stared at his phone number written on the bottom of the paper, the anxiety that you had felt all morning was quickly overpowered by a simmering rage at the sight of the word indefinitely. 

Indefinitely? Not for the day, or the week, or even the month. He was closing 102 Tattoo down for an unspecified amount of time. You had spent all morning worried about what would happen when you saw him again and now you didn’t even know the next time that you would, or if you ever would see him again. 

You tried not to care, you shouldn’t care, one kiss couldn’t be the reason that Matty had closed down. Right? It shouldn’t matter that Matty hadn’t shown up to work, you shouldn’t be standing here spiraling about if you were the reason he was playing hooky or not. You shouldn’t be on the verge of tears at the sight of his handwriting taped to the door to his shop.

You shouldn’t care, but you did. 

Where was he? Why was he avoiding you? Did he regret it? Was he going to pack up and move his business somewhere else so he didn’t have to face you ever again?

You tried to distract yourself, walking back into Seven Wonders with your head down, desperate for your afternoon to be as busy as your morning was. It wasn’t, of course. Not a single new customer had walked into your store since you discovered the note taped to the door of 102 Tattoo.

You tried to distract yourself in other ways, but everything reminded you of him. 

When you tried to restock the display of various tarot card decks, you found yourself remembering the night that you had done a reading on the two of you and you both ended up pulling The Lovers card. When you tried to organize the table full of various crystals carved into towers, you were met with the memory of Matty helping you with inventory, the way he turned each and every crystal in the light and claimed it as his favorite despite the fact that he had said the same thing about the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. When you tried to move the display of jewelry, your eyes caught sight of a Tigers eye necklace, the sight reminding you of the one sitting proudly on your chest, the one that Matty had given to you. 

You hadn’t taken it off since the moment you put it on, so used to the weight of it on your chest that you had forgotten it was even there, almost as if it had grown to be a part of you now.

The necklace burned against your chest now, feeling as though it weighed a million pounds as your eyes filled with tears once more at the memory of how you felt when you unwrapped the necklace for the first time, how you thought that maybe the sentiment had a deeper meaning. How stupid you felt now, standing in the middle of your shop, running on no sleep with an aching heart while Matty was off doing god knows what, probably well rested and not even thinking about you. 

He had completely infiltrated your life, the memory of him was everywhere. In the coffee you drank, in the store you owned, in the jewelry you wore. It wasn’t fair. None of this was. How dare he make you feel this way, to kiss you with such passion and emotion and then run away, leaving you to deal with the memory all alone. 

Well, you weren’t going to let him get off that easy. 

Before you could talk yourself out of it, you found yourself storming through Seven Wonders, swinging the door open and pulling your phone out of your pocket as you made your way to stand in front of 102 Tattoo. Your eyes darted back and forth between the phone number written on the piece of paper taped to his door and the numbers on the keypad of your phone screen. You typed the last number with more force than the rest, huffing as you hit the call button and held the device up to your ear. 

The confidence and anger you felt simmered with each passing ring, anxiety slowly creeping back in at the fact that you didn’t even have a plan for what you were going to say when he answered, if he answered. Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe you should hang up, maybe you should have thought about that two rings ago because it was too late now. 

“Hey, this is Matty at 102 Tattoo, how can I help you?” His voice was strained, tired, exhausted - yet the sound of it made your heart skip a beat before racing against your rib cage.

You should have been embarrassed, the way you yearned to hear him, to see him, chest aching for him in a way that you’d think you hadn’t heard from him in months when in reality it had been less than 24 hours since his lips had been pressed to your own - but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be embarrassed when just the sound of his breathing on the other end of the phone eased some of the ache in your chest.

You forgot how to speak, how to breathe, how to think. You knew that Matty was waiting for a response on the other end, probably confused as to why no one was answering him, but you couldn’t find the words to speak despite how desperately you were searching for them.

“Hello?” Matty’s voice matched the confusion that you knew was written on his face, you could perfectly envision his thick eyebrows scrunched together. “Did you dial the wrong number?”

The sound of Matty shuffling on the other end of the line jumpstarted you to speak out of fear that he was about to hang up, you weren’t sure if you would ever find the courage to call him again.

“No, sorry.” You rushed out, clearing the anxiety from your throat, your heart pounding against your chest. “I just- I didn’t think you’d answer.”

And really, it was stupid of you to think that he wouldn’t, he had no indication to think that the number calling him would be you. Matty was silent on the other end for a beat, your heart climbing your throat with each passing second of silence. 

You heard Matty clear his throat, holding your breath as you waited for his voice to speak into your ear through the phone. “Is that you?”

Your heart dropped from your throat down to your toes at his question, how did he know it was you? Did he know the sound of your voice that well? You were scared to confirm, nervous of what he might do or say if you told him your name even though you were sure he already knew who he was speaking to. And even though you both knew his question didn’t really need an answer, you found yourself dumbly asking. “Who?”

Matty was silent for a beat, you held your breath and soon the call was dropped. 

Now you were absolutely positive that you were the reason Matty had closed up 102 Tattoo indefinitely, the word mocked you as you stared at the handwritten note on the door with tear filled eyes and the phone still held up to your ear. 

Matty was avoiding you, he didn’t want to see you after what happened, you felt sick to your stomach. 

You gripped the phone in your hand tighter, knuckles white as you stared at his handwriting on the paper in front of you until a tear finally trickled down your cheek, you were unsure if it was due to the sadness you felt for thinking that maybe the kiss was the start of something between you and Matty or the anger you felt for Matty allowing you to believe that for even a second before dipping out indefinitely. 

You gripped the phone impossibly tighter as the rage coursing through your veins consumed you, having to stop yourself from throwing your phone down on the concrete beneath your feet and smashing it into pieces, needing to take your anger out on something. 

You chose to do the next best thing, taking your anger out on the note he had written and taped to the door, grabbing the piece of paper with vengeance and crumbling it up as another tear fell from your eye. You put your phone in your pocket, using both hands to ball up the piece of paper as tight as you could before throwing it down on the concrete in front of the door to his shop, the action proved to be quite cathartic and symbolic of the way he always seemed to leave his stray, forgotten cigarettes outside of the door to your own.

You stared down at the crumpled piece of paper, barely visible through the blur of your tears as your mind whirled with so many emotions that it was hard to pinpoint any of them.

Standing in the same spot you had been the very first day that you had saw him, you found yourself almost wishing that you had never met him at all, cursing the tears that flowed down your cheeks as freely as Matty probably felt sitting at home without a care in the world about you or your feelings.

Almost.

Though in reality you knew that if you had the choice to do it all over again, you’d say yes in a heartbeat just to feel his hands on your face, his lips pressed to your own one more time. 

Instead, you found yourself walking back into Seven Wonders with slumped shoulders and an aching heart, knowing that there was nothing you could do now except try and get over him and hope that indefinitely didn’t mean forever. 

— 

“Thanks for coming in!” You smile at the teenage girl and who you could only assume was her mother on the other side of the counter, holding out the bag that contained the items she had just purchased, waiting on one of them to take the bag from your grasp. You wave them goodbye as you lean against the counter with a sigh, already missing the presence of other people in your store as soon as they walk out of the front door, missing the distraction the customers provided you from thinking about the lack of annoyance next door. 

It was a rather slow day, unfortunately for you, not only from a business standpoint but also because it was rather hard to stop yourself from spiraling about Matty when you were left alone with nothing but your thoughts and whatever song from the perfectly curated playlist you had made softly playing through the speakers of your shop. Ironically, you missed the headaches from the music that usually blared from next door. 

You found yourself missing, well, everything now that he was gone.

It was only a day after you had found the handwritten note taped to the door of his shop and you couldn’t seem to shake the empty pit in your stomach ever since you had first laid eyes on it. Everything reminded you of him; the puddle that remained in the parking lot next to your parking spot after last night's rain that he would have loved to splash you with while pulling his motorcycle in right next to your car, the littered cigarettes that scattered along the sidewalk that he would have chosen to throw outside of your store instead, the warmth from the sun that shined so brightly after last night’s storm that didn’t heat your skin even a fraction as much as his stare did.  

You couldn’t get the tattooed boy out of your head, not that this was anything new, it was something you had struggled with since the very first moment you had met him. Only heightened now that you had the memory of his soft pink lips pressed against your own to add fuel to the fire of memories that played on a constant loop day in and day out, this particular one taking over the forefront of your mind. How his lips felt moving against your own, how he tasted, how you almost considered picking up a pack of cigarettes on the way to work this morning and smoking one for the first time just to have something close to the memory. 

It was pathetic, embarrassing and sad the way that you were so infatuated, obsessed and hung up on some boy who probably wasn’t even thinking about you right now. 

You were interrupted out of your thoughts by the sound of clattering that banged against the wall you shared with the tattoo shop next door, the noise made you jump slightly, instinctively muttering out, “For fucks sake.” before realizing where the sound had come from. 

You stood up straight so fast that you felt rather dizzy, staring at the wall you shared with 102 Tattoo with a racing heart, was Matty back already? I mean, he had to be, right? Who else would be inside of his shop right now?

You stood there, weighing out your options and debating whether or not you should go over and speak to him, your feet were carrying you out the front door of Seven Wonders before you could even think of the cons of what facing him would bring. 

You swing open the door to 102 Tattoo, met with no resistance unlike the bolted door had brought you yesterday, the chimes at the top of his door ringing out throughout the otherwise quiet shop. You stand a few steps into the tattoo shop, allowing the door to slowly close behind you as you glance around in desperation to land on a head of dark hair, your stomach sinking when you didn’t see him.

Maybe something had just fallen off the wall, maybe there was a ghost, maybe it was mocking you for the way Matty seemed to be ghosting you. 

But then why would the door be unlocked?

“Hello?” You speak tentatively, hesitant to take a step forward, what if someone had broken in?

You hear the sound of what seems to be someone hitting their head on the counter, a mumbled “shit!” echoed throughout the tattoo shop and jump started your heart to race yet again, knowing for certain that you weren’t alone anymore. 

You should have prepared something to say to him before making your way in here, unsure what you were going to do when you faced him for the first time since his lips were locked with your own, how would he react to you standing in front of him?

But you wouldn’t have to worry about any of that because it was a boy with brown hair standing up from behind the counter instead of the dark hair you so desperately longed to see. “Oh.” You mumbled with slumped shoulders. “You’re not Matty.”

The stranger places his hand on the counter in front of him, putting some of his weight on it as he tilts his head. “No, I’m not.” His mouth turning up into a cheshire like grin, his eyes narrowing in a way as if he already had you all figured out. “But you must be Jewels.”

Your heart dropped at the use of the nickname Matty had given you almost a year ago, no one else had ever called you it before, strictly reserved for him. So how did this stranger know who you were well enough to use it when you had never seen him before?

“I am.” You found yourself confirming before you could even think about how the nickname the tattooed boy had given you had seeped into your identity. You narrow your own eyes at the boy standing behind the counter. “How did you know that?”

His brown eyes scan over your body easily, his mouth turned into a full blown smirk now, a huff of laughter coming from his nose as he shrugged. “Lucky guess.” 

You crossed your arms over your chest on instinct, feeling exposed and insecure with the way he was looking at you, not liking the brown eyes that roamed your body when they didn’t belong to Matty. The boy huffs, bringing his hand out to reference you.

“The crystal jewelry, the judgmental look in your eye, the way you stormed in here.” He speaks about you as if he has known you for far longer than five minutes, the thought makes your mind spin. “You have to be the girl he’s moping about.” He shrugs, casual, as if the statement didn’t have your heart nearly beating out of your chest. He gives you another once over, a smile twitching at his lips. “Pictures don’t do you justice.”

You try and swallow the lump in your throat, shifting your weight between your feet as you tighten your arms against yourself. Your head was spinning with so many thoughts that it was hard to focus on just one to voice.

“Moping?” You question, clearing your throat and shifting under the strangers stare. “Who?” The question had you shaking your head slightly, realizing that you still didn’t know the man standing in front of you, the man who had a key to Matty’s tattoo shop. “And who are you?”

The brown haired boy snorts. “Matty, obviously.” He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, staring at you as if you were silly for even asking. “He hasn’t shut up about you for days.” The statement makes your heart skip a beat, the air knocks from your lungs, the stranger continues to speak casually as if he wasn’t kicking your legs out from under you. “Not that that’s any different than normal, but.” He sighs, holding his hand out for you to shake with a bright smile on his face. “I’m George, by the way.”

You stare at the stranger's hand for a beat of hesitation, glancing up at the boy in front of you through furrowed brows before softening them and finally accepting the hand he offered, quick to drop it in favor of crossing your arms back over your chest - inhaling a deep breath before questioning him further.

“Okay, George.” You emphasize his name, raising a brow ever so slightly with eyes that narrow in curiosity. “What are you doing here?”

Your eyes adjust to watch the way his arm comes up from behind the counter, a black, shiny motorcycle helmet held in his hand, George nods his head down towards the object. “Had to come and get this.” The confusion must not have faded from your eyes because the brunette elaborates. “Matty left it here.” Your heart clenches at the name. “And while he likes to think he’s an invincible badass who doesn’t need protection, I have to be the one to humble him and remind him that he does.”

You would have laughed at George’s joke if your brain had the capacity to even register it, too busy whirling the brunettes words around in a tornado that had the pit in your stomach sinking deeper and deeper until you found yourself voicing your thoughts out loud. 

“So, instead of coming to get his helmet himself, he sent you to do it for him?” You nod slowly, George mirroring the action, blind to the spiral behind your eyes. “So he is avoiding me, then.”

George’s face softens, a sigh tumbling from his mouth as he rests Matty’s motorcycle helmet down on the counter. “I wouldn’t call it avoiding you, he’s just-”

“Oh, you wouldn’t?” You were quick to interrupt George, words falling out through a scoff. “Closing his shop indefinitely,” the word is all but spat from your tongue as you put it in mocking quotations, your voice growing more frustrated with each word that fell from it. “Hanging up as soon as he realizes it's me on the phone, sending someone else to come and grab something for him? I mean, if that's not him avoiding me then I would love to know what the fuck it is.” Your hand comes up to rub at your forehead, closing your eyes for a breath before sighing and looking back over at George with a softer gaze. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you, I just - I’m not crazy.” 

“I never said you were.” 

“So he is avoiding me, right?” You ask again, heart thumping against your chest, maybe even cracking a little. “Please just be honest with me, don’t tell me what I want to hear.”

George sighs, hesitating, debating if he was going to betray the secrecy his friend had sworn him to in case he ran into you. “More or less.” He settles on, grimacing slightly as he shakes his head softly. “Look, this is just what he does, okay? He would rather run away from his problems instead of facing them.” George explains, hesitating before glancing up and down your frame. “Or his feelings.” Your heart skips a beat at what George might be implying. “It’s dumb, but that’s just Matty. He’s a fucking idiot, okay?” George laughs pitifully, huffing. “I’ve been telling him so for months.”

Your heart was beating so hard that you feared it might jump from your chest, feeling rather light headed as your brain tried to process the information George was giving you, fighting to decipher the underlying meaning behind all of the emphasized words and pointed looks - only able to focus on one word that seemed to play on a loop ever since it was spoken. “Feelings?”

The necklace that Matty gifted you seemed to burn against your skin as you repeated the word back at George, you couldn’t help but wonder if the ring that matched it was still sitting on Matty’s finger or had been taken off and thrown into a drawer to be forgotten. 

George couldn’t help but scoff through a laugh. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” Feeling less careful with his words now, thankful that Matty wasn’t around to hear what he was telling you, knowing that his friend would have his head on a platter if he had. “It’s quite painful how obvious he’s been.”

“Well, apparently everyone has, except for me.” You sigh, defeated, this conversation was starting to feel very similar to the one you were having with Carmen on her couch last night. You refused to fall back into a spiral about feelings again so soon, shaking the thoughts from your head to ask a far more pressing question. “When is he coming back?” You hated the desperation that dripped from your tone, the corners of George’s mouth twitch at the sound. “Do you know?”

“Oh, of course I know, but I can’t tell you that. ” George waves a finger, shaking his head and standing his ground. “You’ve already gotten me into enough trouble, I was told to come in and out as quickly as possible and to avoid you at all costs.” His waving finger points at your frame now, a playful glint in his eyes. “He’d kill me, if he knew you were standing in front of me right now.” His head shakes softly, running a hand through his head as he grimaces slightly. “Especially if he knew I checked you out earlier, please don’t ever mention that to him.” His brown eyes filled with worry as he emphasizes. “Ever.”

You chose to ignore the comment, fighting for your life to not spiral down the path of why Matty would even care if another man was checking you out, your mind flashing with the image of Kian’s bloody face and your heart skipping a beat at the memory. Instead you chose to narrow your eyes and focus on the first half of what the stranger had said. 

“Why would he tell you to avoid me?” George shifts on his feet at the question, defeat written on his face. 

“I don’t know, probably because he knew you’d corner me to interrogate me about shit that you’re not supposed to know.” George fixes you with a pointed look, a teasing smile twitching at his lips. “You’re very persuasive, you know? It’s all in the eyes.”

You couldn’t help the giggle that falls from your lips at that, distracting you for a second from the way your stomach flipped at the knowledge that George was a stranger to you yet he seemed to know you inside and out, having learned from the way Matty talked about you. 

“What else did he say about me?” You find yourself asking before you could stop yourself, batting your eyes in a way to try and persuade George to let more slip. “I mean, has he said anything to you about me?” Cursing yourself for the way your voice comes out a little sadder than before. “Other than to avoid me.”

“Now, you know I can’t tell you that either.” George fixes you with another pointed look, quick to break eye contact before he opens his mouth and spills about how he was sat on Matty’s couch for hours on end last night listening to his friend talk about how you had gone and flipped his entire world upside down. “Look, I know you’re upset with him, you have every right to be. But just - ” George trails off, hesitating to collect the right words before finally looking you in the eyes again. “Just don’t overthink his actions, okay?”

You felt dizzy trying to decipher if George meant the kiss or the silence that followed after, biting your bottom lip raw before circling back to your question from before, knowing that George wouldn’t be willing to tell you when Matty was coming back but you were hopeful he’d clue you in as to if he ever was.

“Is he even coming back?” Once again, you curse how desperate you sounded, but you couldn’t help it - that’s exactly how you felt. Desperate. Desperate to see him, to hear from him, to feel him again - desperate for George to give you a warning in case Sunday night was the last time you’d ever see him again.

You couldn't even stomach the thought, the internal spiral it gave you fell from your tongue before you could swallow it.

“He’s not looking for a new space to lease, is he?” After a year of wishing the tattooed boy would find anywhere else to go, you felt nauseous now at the thought of sharing a wall with anyone but him. “Just -” You pause to huff, squeezing your arms over your chest tighter. “Please tell me that he’s not running away because he hates me so much that he never wants to see me again.”

You couldn’t help but air your insecurities out, feeling more insecure now that George was laughing at you, your arms hold yourself tighter at the sound. 

“You can’t be serious.” George speaks through a laugh. “You really think -” Cutting himself off to snort, shaking his head in astonishment. “Wow, the two of you are fucking perfect for one another.” His brown eyes roll as a hand runs through his hair. “My god, this is fucking painful to witness.”

You square your shoulders to appear taller, more confident, narrowing your eyes at Matty’s friend. “What is that supposed to mean?”

George snorts through another laugh. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Waving you off and shaking his head softly at himself one laugh time before sighing and looking at you with a gleam in his eye, seeming as though he was trying to decide if he was about to make a mistake or not. “Look, he comes back Friday, okay? Indefinitely was just his way of being dramatic, he’ll be back soon.” You couldn’t help but feel as though a weight had been lifted off your shoulders at his words, raising an eyebrow at the brunette when he pointed a finger at you. “But don’t you dare tell him that I told you that or I’ll track you down.” He slowly lowers his finger, speaking quieter now. “If I’m even alive to do so.”

You couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over your face, a giggle tumbling from your lips at George's antics, shaking your head ever so softly. “Yeah? And do what?” You tease, giggling again when George just shrugs, you roll your eyes slightly before falling back into a more serious demeanor. “I won’t tell him anything you said, okay? As far as he knows you were in and out and avoided me at all costs.” You recite George’s phrase from earlier, the corners of his mouth twitch up slightly. “Granted, I don’t think you’d have much to worry about to begin with considering I doubt he’ll ever talk to me again.” And there it was, that sad, desperate tone that your voice had been slipping in and out of this entire time. Your shoulders slump and you couldn’t help but laugh through the pity you were giving yourself. “I feel quite pathetic.”

You weren’t quite sure why you felt so comfortable being so vulnerable with Matty’s friend, maybe it was the fact that he was by definition, a stranger. Or maybe it was because he felt like an extension of Matty himself, either way you found yourself being more truthful right now than you had been on Carmen’s couch last night. 

“You’re not.” George assure with softer eyes, feeling desperate once again to tell you all the things Matty had ever said about you, talking about you in a way that seemed as though he was reading poems from a book - but he was quick to swallow them on his tongue, having already betrayed his best friend enough for one day. “He’ll talk to you.” George promises instead, wheels already turning in his head about how he could convince Matty to get over himself and admit to you how he felt. “Just give him time to find his balls first, alright?”

You give George a small smile, grateful that the air seemed to finally reach your lungs for the first time since Matty had knocked it out of them on Sunday night. You apologize to George one last time for taking your anger for Matty out on him, giving the brunette a soft wave goodbye before leaving 102 Tattoo feeling a little more at ease than you had been coming into it. 

As you settle back into your own shop, grateful for the fact that there wasn’t a line of customers waiting on you in your absence, you couldn’t help but finally allow George’s words to wash over you, subconsciously holding onto the Tigers eye necklace through it all. Avoid, feelings, Friday. The three seemed to swirl into a never ending spiral in your mind as you stared at the clock in hopes that time would start moving faster, your eyes faltering to the calendar under the moving hands, your stomach flipping when you realized it was Tuesday. 

Just three more days. That’s all you had to live through before Matty was back in your life, well, back next door at least - but you’ll take what you can get. 

The chimes on the door sound throughout the otherwise empty space, startling you from counting down the seconds until the end of the week, turning your head in the direction of the door and smiling at the middle aged woman that walked through it. “Hi, is there anything I can help you with?”

Dropping the necklace from your grasp, ignoring the way it seemed to shock you as it fell back against your chest, drowning out the thoughts of Matty with the question that the customer in your shop was asking you. 

You helped the woman with finding her daughter a present for her fourteenth birthday, cursing your mind for immediately relating the situation back to the tattooed boy that you were trying not to think about, willing away the image of The Lovers card as you walked past the shelf of tarot decks. 

As pathetic as you felt, you couldn’t help but feel more anxious knowing the date that Matty would be back than you did not knowing if he ever would at all, huffing out of frustration as soon as the customer walked out of your shop - fighting to not glance over at the clock and rolling your eyes when they betray you, all but screaming when you see what little time had passed since the last time you had looked. 

You threw yourself into various boxes of inventory that you never finished unpacking from last time, trying not to remember the way Matty’s eyes flashed with curiosity at each new crystal he had helped you unpack, cursing when you realized that you couldn’t do anything without thinking of dark hair and tattoos. 

You felt as though you were losing your mind, gripping the box cutter in your hand a little tighter than deemed necessary as you silently prayed that these next three days didn’t feel like an eternity.  

—

“George sounds hot.” Carmen comments offhandedly from her place up on the counter, looking at you with furrowed brows when you stare back at her in astonishment. “What? He does.” Your friend holds her hands up in defense. “And while he was telling all of Matty’s business did he happen to mention if he was single or not?”

“Carmen.” You scold through a laugh, head tipping back as you let it bubble through you, thankful for the comedic relief as you catch your friend up on everything that had happened yesterday. Carmen had stopped by Seven Wonders with a bag of lunch for the two of you to share, you hadn’t even taken your first bite of the warm food before filling her in, needing to get it off of your chest before you exploded. “You don’t even know what he looks like.”

“You’re right, I don’t, because you won’t take the time to describe him to me.” Carmen rolls her eyes while taking an aggressive bite of one of her fries, you glare up at her, thankful that there were no customers in your store right now, Wednesday’s were always slow. “What? Forgive me for wanting a face to a name.” She grumbles, a playful glint in her eye as she leans forwards slightly to ask. “C’mon, on a scale of one to ten, how hot was he?”

“Carmen.” You emphasize your friend's name again, scoffing through a laugh that had your shoulders shaking along with your head. “I am not playing this game with you right now.”

“Right.” Carmen nods, you find yourself glaring at her before she could even finish the words on the tip of her tongue. “Because it would be weird for you to rate your boyfriend's best friend.” Your eyes were already rolling before she was halfway through her sentence, glaring up at her as a smile spreads on your friend's face, over the fry she was bringing to her mouth to take a bite of. “Matty probably wouldn’t be too happy about that.”

“I hate you so much sometimes.” You groan, dropping your head for a second, rubbing at your temples to ease the ache Carmen had given you. “He’s not my boyfriend.” You find yourself defending, though you knew the point was mute, after everything you had told Carmen, you knew she would never let you deflect from the situation ever again. You roll your eyes when Carmen fixes you with a pointed look. “He’s not.”

“Yet.” Carmen counters with a smug smile, leaning over to steal a fry from your own box since she had run out of her own. Your eyes roll back once more at your friends' antics, ignoring the way your stomach flipped at the idea of Matty being yours. “I mean, based on what you told me, it sounds like George was basically saying that Matty is in love with you.” Carmen shrugs, already having her mind made up, lifting her voice in a singing manner to tease you. “It's only a matter of time.”

You scoff, deflecting, as you do best. “I’m not sure what you heard that made you draw that conclusion, but I fear that you’re being delusional.” Fighting off the blush that desperately wanted to seep into your cheeks, shaking your head, your thoughts with it, not allowing yourself to be as delusional as Carmen was being - you feared if you let yourself fall down the rabbit hole of Matty having real feelings for you that you’d never make it out of there alive. “He probably won’t even talk to me when he comes back, I’m sure we’ll go right back to being strangers.” You sigh, picking at your food at this point and not actually eating it. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

Carmen had an argument on the tip of her tongue, but it dies there when the sound of chimes ring through the wind outside, her eyebrows furrowing together as she faces your front door and looks through the glass of it. She turns back around to look at you, shocked to see you as casual as you were before the sound rang out. “Was that Matty’s door? Is he back?”

You shake your head without even glancing back at the sound. “Not until Friday.” You shrug, glancing at Carmen who was staring at you as if you had grown two heads. “What?”

“You don’t even want to go check?” Carmen exasperates, her eyes wide and confused, scoffing. “It’s not like you’ve been moping around for days on end or anything.”

You sigh, pushing the box of food away from you as you lean back on your arms, shrugging. “It’s probably just George again.” Scoffing as Carmen raises an eyebrow at the mention of the boy from before. “I’m sure he’s just picking something else up for Matty.”

“Oo, then maybe I should go check.” Carmen teases, playfully biting her lip, your laughter mixing into one as you stretch your leg out to kick her softly. 

“You will not.” You scold with a roll of your eyes, ready to tease Carmen about her obsession with George but getting distracted by the sound of an engine roaring outside, your heart dropping at the sound. Because it wasn’t the sound of just any engine, no, it was too familiar for that - it had to be the sound of a motorcycle starting up. You slowly start to sit up as you focus on the sound of the faint rumbles from outside, heart racing as you realize that you only knew one person in the area who drove a motorcycle, the tattooed boy that left you stranded in the middle of his shop mere days ago. 

“Is that-”

You were hopping off the counter before Carmen could even finish her thought, all but sprinting out of Seven Wonders with a racing heart as you fling the door open and freeze on the sidewalk as your eyes land on an all too familiar leather jacket. 

His motorcycle had been parked off to the side of the road a few feet in front of 102 Tattoo, facing opposite of you but you drank in the sight of his back shamelessly anyway, running a hand through his hair before reaching down to pick up the helmet that had been resting in his lap. 

You felt frozen in place, not expecting to see him so soon, all the things you had planned on saying to him when you finally did see him again flew out of your mind as you fought to find a voice to say anything at all at this point. You only found it when Matty started to bring the helmet up towards his head, knowing that he was about to leave and you were about to miss your chance. 

“Matty!” You yell his name like it was a lifeline, swallowing the lump in your throat when you see Matty freeze at the sound of your voice echoing through the wind, down the sidewalk and up the back of his neck. 

You were hoping he’d turn around to look at you, even for just a second. Maybe he’d linger for you to walk over to him so the two of you could finally talk. Or maybe he’d even turn his motorcycle off and run over to you, picking back up when the two of you had left off on Sunday night.

You begged for Matty to do anything. 

Anything but what he was doing now, quickly pulling his helmet on the rest of the way over his head, kicking the stand of his motorcycle up before revving his bike once and driving off. 

Without even taking one glance at you.

Your heart drops down to the cement under your shoes as Matty’s motorcycle disappears over the hill, doing anything and everything that you could do to not let the tears that threatened to pool in your eyes fall, you refused to cry - refused to let him win. 

You stay glued to your spot on the sidewalk for what feels like an eternity, slowly turning around to go back into Seven Wonders when the sight of a still burning cigarette dropped to the sidewalk between your two shops catches your eye. The anger that boils inside of you is almost instant, spreading throughout your veins and relighting all of the fire that had subsided over the past few days. 

He couldn’t even be bothered to stomp out the carcass, the faint smoke that fell from the barely burning tip almost mocking you as you stare at the cigarette on the concrete, almost considering that your stare might have been what was making the cigarette still burn. 

You force your eyes away from the sight before you in fear that you might actually explode if you stared at it for a second longer, glancing up to send the heat behind your eyes towards the tattoo shop, your eyebrows coming together in confusion when you see a new sign taped outside of his door - forgetting that you had ripped down and crumpled his other one. 

Your feet were carrying you over in front of his door without a second thought, eyes flying over the white sheet of paper full of familiar handwriting, your aching heart racing against your rib cage.

shop closed. sorry for the inconvenience. to reschedule your appointment, please call this number. see you soon - matty

You couldn’t help but find the similarities in his first note to this one, your eyes fixated on the subtle differences - the removal of indefinitely, the addition of soon, the fact that you couldn't help but feel as though the see you soon - matty was directed at you. 

You reach out to rip the note off of the wall, hesitating when you grab the edge of the paper, dropping it as if it had burned you before storming over to the door of Seven Wonders, swinging it open enough for Carmen to hear you. “Come here.”

It didn’t take long for Carmen to hop off the counter, quick to join you outside on the sidewalk with curious eyes. “Was it Matty?”

Hearing his name has your jaw clenching, ignoring her question in favor of pointing to the sign on the door of 102 Tattoo. “Call this number.”

Carmen looks over at the note on the door with eyebrows pulled together, her eyes quick to scan over Matty’s handwriting, her face more puzzled than before as she turns back to look at you. “Why would I call Matty’s work number?” Taking in the sight of your clenched jaw and slightly red eyes, the concern on her face grew rapidly. “What’s going on? What happened? Did he say something to you?”

“No.” Your heart cracks a little at the admission. “He didn’t say anything to me, didn’t even look at me, that’s the issue.” You couldn’t help but find the similarities in your conversation now to the one you and Carmen had shared on her couch after Matty had kissed you. Your voice was as tight as your throat felt. “Call him.”

Carmen hesitates, trying to find the right thing to say, not wanting to upset you any further. “What am I supposed to do when I call him?” Her voice is soft, careful, calculated. “You want me to go the fuck off on him? Or what are you wanting me to do here?” Her eyebrows twitch before coming together. “Because I’ll happily do that if that’s what you want me to do, I’m just confused as to why you wouldn't rather do that yourself?”

And while the idea of calling Matty to scream at him was tempting, it wasn’t what you wanted. You didn’t want to fight with him, not anymore, you just wanted to talk with him and understand why he ran away - why he even kissed you in the first place. But that was proving quite difficult to do when he was making it his mission to avoid you at all costs. Well, you weren’t going to let him get away with it that easy, you would get Matty to talk to you - if it was the last thing you did. 

“I’m going to make an appointment with him.” You explain, ignoring the way Carmen’s eyes grow wider at your words. “For a tattoo.” Carmen says your name in a way that conveyed how unsure she was about this idea but you wave it off, standing your ground. “He can’t ignore me forever.” Carmen opened her mouth to speak but you were quick to talk over her, not wanting to hear what she had to say unless she was agreeing with you. “Look, I already have a tattoo I’ve been wanting to get for ages now, I just never wanted to ask him to do it because I was scared he would fuck it up on purpose just to be a dick.” You explain, watching Carmen pull her phone out of her pocket. “But now I’m not so sure how he feels and it’s killing me, I-I have to know.”

“Okay.” Carmen huffs, nodding her head, smiling at you softly. “Okay.” She repeats, more confident now. ”As long as you’re sure about this then I stand behind you.” You shoot her a small smile back at her. “But I still don’t understand why I’m the one calling though?”

You huff, rolling your eyes. “He’ll know my voice.” Having already been caught and you didn’t quite feel like reliving it. “He’ll hang up on me, so I need you to call and pretend to be me.” Shaking your head softly before correcting yourself. “Someone. He’s barely talked to you, I don’t think he’ll recognize your voice.”

Carmen nods, glancing back and forth between the sign on the door and the keypad on her phone screen, about to hit the call button before stopping herself. “Wait, didn’t you say he just left?” You nod slowly. “He’s not going to answer if he’s driving.”

And while you knew Carmen was right, you found yourself shrugging, needing to do this now before you grew too scared. “I don’t care, call him.”

Carmen sighs, dialing the number on the note written on the door, holding the phone up to her ear and tapping her foot while it rang and rang and rang. “Hi.” Your head shoots up at Carmen’s voice, ready to whisper for her to put it on speaker phone but you didn’t have the time before she started talking again. “I’m just calling about a tattoo appointment.” Carmen’s eyes searching yours in a panic to try and figure out what to say, shrugging to you before finishing. “Please call me back when you can?” Shaking her head softly as she pulls the phone away to hang up, sighing. “It went to voicemail.”

You groan, throwing your hands over your face out of frustration, so sick and tired of waiting on him. You trudge your way back into Seven Wonders with a promise from Carmen that he would surely call back soon. Your stomach rolls with nausea at the word, immediately thinking back to the soon etched in the tattooed boy's handwriting on the sign outside. You were too impatient for soon, you wanted Matty now. 

Almost as if the universe was dead set on teaching you patience, soon turned out to feel like an eternity, minutes dragged on like hours as you waited for Matty to call back. You fought not to roll your eyes at every customer that entered your store, cursing the fact that you hadn’t been busy all day and now of course you would be, helping out each person as quickly as possible so you and Carmen could be alone when he called - wanting to be able to eavesdrop on their phone call when it happened. 

You were in the middle of handing a customer their bag full of crystals when you heard Carmen gasp from across the store, your heart immediately started to race before even being told why she had, already knowing the reason deep down.

You glance over at Carmen to see her holding her phone up, pointing at the screen that had a familiar number flashing on it. You politely usher the customer out of the store, thanking them for their purchases with an overly bright smile, opening the door for them and waving them off before quickly shutting the glass door and locking it - switching the sign on the door to closed for extra measure. 

“It’s Matty.” Carmen explained, though you already knew, jogging back over to the counter where she had already hopped up on, mirroring her as you speak through a rushed panic. 

“Answer it!” Your heart pounded against your rib cage so intensely that you feared it might burst out, quick to rush out. “Put it on speaker.”

Carmen nods, sliding the answer button before quickly clicking the button to turn the speakerphone on, clearing her throat of any nerves that had settled there before speaking softly into the phone. “Hello?” 

You held your breath as you waited for Matty to speak, desperate to hear his voice, scared to even miss one syllable of his response. 

“Hello?” His accent was thick, tired, sounding nearly the same as he had the other day when you had called him. “Yeah, this is Matty at 102 Tattoo, I had a voicemail from this number, so I was just reaching back out like you asked.” Carmen glances at you in hopes that you had a response lined out for her, not sure what to say to that, the two of you were thankful when Matty filled the space instead. “I’m sorry if you had an appointment today and weren’t aware that I’ve been out of the shop, I had a sign on my door but I guess it got taken down.”

Your heart drops at Matty’s words, feeling as though he was speaking directly to you even though, in reality, he had no clue who was on the other end of the call. Carmen glances over at you with a pointed look that you raise your hands in defense at, she rolls her eyes playfully before realizing that she had missed something Matty had said and  he was waiting for a response, clearing her throat once more before finally speaking up. “I’m sorry, what?”

You grimace, hoping Matty wouldn’t hang up out of annoyance, your heart fluttering at the sound of him laughing softly. 

“I asked if you were rescheduling an already existing appointment or reaching out to make a new one.” You could hear him shuffling behind the phone, desperate to know what he was up to, clinging onto his every word. You felt pathetic. Maybe you were. 

“Oh, um, trying to make an appointment.” Carmen nods as if he could see her, quickly adding on for clarification. “For a tattoo.”

You reach out to softly hit her leg, she waves you off and Matty chuckles softly as if he could see the whole scene playing out. “Yeah, okay, I can do that for you.” More shuffling sounds through the speaker of the phone, clear to you now that he was searching for a client sheet that he normally had people fill out when making an appointment, you vaguely remembered seeing Kian’s before he gave it back to Matty. “What are you wanting to get done?”

Your stomach drops as quickly as Carmen’s eyes widen, the one topic that the two of you had forgotten to talk about and it was arguably the most important one. You were quick to grab your phone, scrolling through your camera in search of your reference photo as Carmen stumbled through her words. 

“Sorry, just one second.” She forces through a laugh, moving her hand in a way that conveyed for you to hurry up, grimacing at the silence that came from the other side of the phone. You felt relief wash over you when you finally find the picture, quick to click on the drawing you had and turn your phone around for Carmen to see. She squints at the picture before explaining. “A butterfly.” You were quick to shake your head, your hands with it. “No, sorry.” She stumbles, eyes wide as she motions for you to hurry up once more. You mouth what the drawing is to her quickly as she’s just as fast to correct herself. “A dragonfly?” You hold up a thumb and nod, Carmen speaks more confidently now. “Yes, a dragonfly. That’s what I’m wanting.”

You drop your forehead down into your hand, rolling your eyes as Carmen mouths ‘that’s not what that looks like’ to you, you flip her off before focusing on the way that Matty laughs softly once more. Your heart skips a beat at the sound, wishing that it was you drawing it out of him. 

“You sure?” Matty teases, smiling to yourself as you could hear the pen moving across paper on the other end of the phone. “Alright, where are you wanting it?”

Carmen glances over at you, eyes widening when you point down to your stomach. “Oh shit, really?” She mumbles before realizing she had just voiced that aloud, clearing her throat from a laugh before speaking. “My stomach.” Your head fully drops down into both hands now, hiding your face from the shit show that this phone call was slowly turning into, thinking that now it might have been a better option for you to put on a fake accent and call him yourself. “I want a dragonfly on my stomach.” She repeats, once again adding on for clarification. “My lower stomach.”

You glance at Carmen through your fingers, rolling your eyes when she shoots you a thumbs up in return. 

“Okay.” Matty mumbles, more sounds of pen to paper fill the void before he’s speaking up once again. “This isn’t your first tattoo or anything, right? That spot is quite painful and I’d only feel comfortable doing that with someone who has experience.”

Thrill shoots up your spine at his words, Carmen reaches out to hit you softly as if she could read your mind, coughing through a laugh as she shakes her head before realizing that the tattoo artist couldn’t see her. “No, no, not my first tattoo.” Her eyes scan over the various tattoos scattered on your skin. “I have a few.” 

“Alright, perfect.” Matty mumbles, you could almost hear the smile in his voice, more shuffling behind the phone. “I actually had someone cancel on me this morning, so I have Friday open if you’re free? At noon?”

Carmen glances over at you for confirmation, you knew it would be irresponsible for you to close up shop for a day, but the idea of waiting any longer to be alone with Matty had you feeling nauseous, you found yourself nodding before you could dwell on the thought too much. If Matty could close for nearly a week, then you could sacrifice one day. 

“Yeah, that works for me.” Carmen confirms, reaching out to give you a soft high five, feeling thankful that she was all but done with the phone call and it had ended successfully. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, of course.” Matty replies, sniffing. “Hey, who’s getting this done? So I can write you down on the schedule?”

“Jewels.” Carmen replies easily, not even thinking twice about it, her jaw dropping as fast as your heart does when she realizes what she had just said - covering her mouth with wide eyes as your head falls back into your hands. 

Matty is silent for a beat, all you could hear was the ringing in your ears as your heart pounds against your rib cage, holding your breath as you anticipate what he might say next. He laughs, but it's strained, you could almost hear the way his eyebrows furrow as he finally speaks. “Excuse me?”

You lift your head from your hands, desperately waving them at her in an attempt to tell her to come up with something, anything to pull you out of this hole. “Yeah, that’s J-u-l-e-s, Jules.” Carmen held her breath, hopeful that he wouldn't ask for a last name, your stomach dropped at the sound of Matty laughing easily now - breathless and almost relieved. “What’s so funny?” Carmen asks before she could stop herself, holding her hands in defense when you reach out to smack her. 

“Nothing,” Matty huffs out a laugh. “just reminded me of someone, that’s all.” You and Carmen stare at each other with wide eyes. “Alright, Jules, well I will see you on Friday, yeah?” You suddenly felt rather dizzy, finally realizing the situation you had gotten yourself into when you heard Matty saying the nickname he had given you yet in a different context, clear that even though he had thought about you for a split second, he wasn’t expecting to see you on Friday. “Make sure to eat something before you come, alright? Don’t need you passing out on me.”

Your heart warms at the concern in his voice, even if it wasn’t necessarily for you. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that.” Carmen assures, glancing over at you to see if there was anything else you needed her to say before she ended the phone call. “Thanks again for squeezing me in so soon, I’ll see you Friday.”

“Yeah, of course.” And once again, you could hear the smile in Matty’s voice, hopeful that you would be able to see it in person on Friday. “Bye, Jules.”

Your stomach flips at the nickname still even though you know that’s not how he meant it, fighting off a pout as Carmen returns the sentiment before finally hanging up the phone, you didn’t even let her lock her phone before you were speaking up for the first time in ages. 

“Jewels?” You stare at your friend in astonishment, shaking your head softly. “Really?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” Carmen apologizes, shrugging. “But I was quite quick on my feet, don’t you think? I mean, Jules was a pretty nice save.” Scoffing when you roll your eyes at her. “Alright, let’s talk about you, Mrs. Stomach Tattoo.” You groan as soon as the words leave her mouth, you knew this conversation was bound to happen, already shaking your head before she could even start in on you. “Are you sure you’re going in there to talk to Matty or to seduce him?”

“Oh, fuck off.” You grumble, rolling your eyes. “I’ve been wanting this tattoo for ages.”

“So why did you evade the question?” Carmen points out with a satisfied smile, throwing her head back in laughter as you flip her off for the second time that night. “Don’t forget to eat or put your lingerie on first, I guess.”

“Fuck off.” You groan through a laugh, reaching out to push her off of the counter of your shop. “Get out, I’ve heard enough from you for one day.” You tease, shaking your head at your friend as your stomach swirled at the idea. “I’m only going in there for a tattoo and the hope that he’ll actually talk to me.”

“Right.” Carmen nods, a smile twitching at her lips. “I’ll make sure to call you on Saturday to hear all about the long and hard details of your talk.” Finishing off her emphasized words and dramatics with air quotes around the last word. 

“Go!” You scoff through a laugh, pointing at the front door. “I assure you that I will be on my best behavior on Friday.”

You regret the words as soon as they leave your mouth, more so now that Carmen was fixing you with a pointed look and a raised brow. 

“Yeah, I’m sure you will be.” Giggling when you just groan in response and point at the door yet again. “I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” Hands held up in defense as she grabs her purse from wherever she had thrown it when she first walked in, pulling you in for a hug before making her way over to the door, swinging it open and hesitating before turning to look at you over her shoulder, winking. “You should wear the black set that you ordered a few months ago, you know that’s his favorite color.”

“Goodbye, Carmen.” You emphasize with a wave, laughing to yourself when Carmen finally leaves after blowing you a playful kiss, all alone in your shop now, the realization of what you had gotten yourself into had slowly started to crash down on you the longer the silence consumed you. 

You felt your stomach churn with nausea and you weren’t quite sure if it was from the nerves of what Matty’s reaction would be when he sees you walk into 102 Tattoo and not some random girl named Jules or if it was from the impending pain that the area would soon endure from the needle of his tattoo gun. 

Your hand comes up to hold your stomach on instinct, swallowing down the lump in your throat as you tried to focus on the fact that you were finally getting the tattoo done after wanting it for all this time and that pain was temporary.

Just two more days. That’s all you had to live through before Matty’s hands were back on you, well, for the purpose of tattooing you, that is - but you’ll take what you can get. 

—

Matty hummed what he could remember of some song he had probably heard from Poppy’s playlist as he walked down the sidewalk on his way toward 102 Tattoo, nerves settled in his stomach that he tried to ignore, already on his fourth cigarette of the day when it was only ten in the morning. 

He regretted not getting a coffee with each step closer he got to his building, heavy eyelids that begged to close and get some rest, something he hasn’t been able to do since Sunday.

Every time he closed his eyes he was plagued with the image of Kian’s blood washing down the sink, the tears in your eyes as you screamed at him, the way your lips felt pressed against his own, the way you tasted - Matty couldn’t catch a break.

You were his every waking thought and what kept him tossing and turning during the night, he felt as though he was going a bit mad, the memory of him leaving you all alone in his shop without even a second glance played on his mind on a constant loop, regret washing over his veins with each view. 

Matty sighs as it washes over him now, knowing it was only a matter of time before he would see you, he couldn’t avoid you forever, try as he might. His skin itched with the desire to see you, only having the memory of your face to live off of for the past week, he was starting to forget the smell of your shampoo. 

The street he walked along started to grow more and more familiar and soon he could see his shop in front of him, swallowing the lump in his throat as he gives a quick glance over to Seven Wonders before quickly sliding his key in the door and entering 102 Tattoo - too quick of a glance to see the closed sign on your door. 

He throws his keys into the bowl he kept by the door without even needing to look, second nature to him, turning on the lights and taking a second to breathe it all in. It looked the same as he had left it, of course it did, only you weren’t left standing in the middle of it now. He was almost disappointed at the fact, thinking that maybe time really had stood still when your lips touched and you had been frozen in place, waiting for his return. 

Matty huffs, shaking his head at himself before forcing himself to be in work mode, knowing that he had an appointment coming up at noon and he needed to start getting set up for it.

He starts by pulling his iPad out of the shelf he kept it stored in, walking it over to his desk and sitting down to start drawing up the tattoo he had scheduled for that afternoon, glancing over at the reference pic that the girl had texted him previously. He worked in silence, driving him crazy, but he hesitated to turn his music on in fear that it would alert you of his presence and he wasn’t quite sure if he was ready to face you just yet. 

Though as the drawing started to take more shape, Matty grew more frustrated, shaky lines that he cursed at and had to redo a hundred times - glancing up at the clock more than the reference picture at this point. His leg was shaking under the desk, nerves starting to get the better of him as the sound of the clock ticking echoed in his mind, almost mocking him. 

While he had said that he wasn’t ready to face you just yet, he didn’t think it would take this long for him to, Matty knew that you knew he was here - George had slipped up and confessed that he had clued you in. So where were you? Why weren’t you in here screaming at him? Calling him a dick for kissing you with such passion then leaving you stranded in the middle of his shop? Did you just not care about him anymore? 

Matty throws his Apple Pen down onto the desk and falls back against the chair in frustration, running his hands through his hair before scrubbing his face with them, desperate to get you out of his mind so he could focus on the task at hand. 

And while he had just decided against playing music, knowing that it would most likely lure you over, he found himself reaching for his phone and pulling up his usual playlist - though not playing the music nearly as loud as he normally did just to get a rise out of you, just loud enough to drown out the mocking ticks of the clock that reminded him of every minute you waited to come over to see him. 

And if the sound of his music ended up luring you over, then so be it. 

He rubbed at his temples as the music started to fill the empty space of 102 Tattoo, taking in a deep breath and holding it for three seconds before releasing it quickly, cracking his neck from side to side before picking his Apple Pen back up and resuming the sketch of the tattoo on his iPad. 

He worked more diligently now, finishing up the rest of the tattoo design in half the time that the lines he had done over a hundred times took him, staring down at the dragonfly while tilting his head to make sure the picture was perfect before nodding and sending it off to his printer. He left the dragonfly to sit in the printer amongst other blank pages until his appointment arrived, wanting to ensure that the client loved what he had come up with before making the stencil. 

Matty glances over at the clock again, seeing that it was a little past eleven now, knowing that his client would arrive shortly and you still hadn’t. Matty’s jaw ticks, walking over to the chair in the middle of the room so he could start sterilizing the surface, wiping down the black leather much rougher than normal - taking out the frustration he felt for you with the cleaning products. 

He knew he was acting pathetic, but in his defense, he thought he would have already been two fights deep with you at this point, so for him to have not seen you at all had him feeling as though he was about to explode. 

Where the hell were you?

—

Your head rested against your steering wheel as you took in deep breaths, trying to calm your nerves that had been settled in your stomach since Carmen had gotten off the phone with Matty.

You weren’t quite sure what you were more nervous about - the tattoo itself or seeing Matty. Sure, this wasn't your first tattoo, you had several scattered along various parts of your body, but this was going to be your biggest and for sure the most painful. You take a swig of water from the stainless steel bottle resting in your cup holder to swallow down the nausea, reminding yourself that pain was only temporary and that you were in good hands. 

Great hands, tattooed hands that would burn heavenly against your own skin as they inflict pain upon you, your thighs clench at the thought - hitting your head against the steering wheel softly on a loop to try and will the images out from your mind. 

You glance over at the time on your dashboard, swallowing down another roll of nausea as you realize that you should probably start heading over to 102 Tattoo and face the boy that has been plaguing your mind for days on end. You sigh as you pull your car keys from the ignition, glancing at yourself one last time in the rear view mirror before grabbing all of your belongings and climbing out of the car. 

Walking down the all too familiar sidewalk, past buildings you have seen a million times, you couldn’t help but feel out of place - knowing that Seven Wonders was not your destination for the day. The nerves settled in your stomach seemed to climb up your throat with each step closer you took towards 102 Tattoo, feeling rather dizzy when the shop came into sight. 

You were already nervous enough about what Matty would do when he sees you for the first time, but you were terrified of what he might do when he realizes that you are his appointment for the day.

Would he act as if nothing had happened between the two of you and fall back into your old dynamic or would he give you the cold shoulder as he had been doing for the past few days? Would he even talk to you during the appointment or would he throw you out and refuse to even tattoo you?

You shake that thought from your mind as quickly as it enters it, not able to stomach the idea.

All the thoughts and questions whirling around in your mind would soon get an answer, you just hoped it was one you liked, standing in front of the door to 102 Tattoo and swallowing down the bile that threatened to climb your throat as you reach out to grab the handle of the door, hesitating to take one last deep breath before pulling the door open. 

The chimes at the top of his door ring out throughout the shop as you enter the space, mixing with the sound of his music playing through the speaker on the wall, much quieter than normal you note. Your eyes fall to him almost immediately, of course they do, stuck standing in the entryway of his shop as the door closes behind you. 

Your tongue immediately felt dry at the sight of him, the black leather jacket thrown over his back that faced you, the black denim that clung to the long stretch of his legs, the way his back flexed as he sorted through papers on the counter in front of you. You had seen the back of his body two days ago, so you weren’t quite sure why the sight of it had you so worked up now, maybe it was because you could actually smell his cologne mixed with cigarette smoke this time, the scent was intoxicating and had your stomach flipping. 

“Took you long enough.” Matty mumbles to himself, not even having to turn around to know who had just walked into his building, always seeming to know when you were near. He racked his brain in desperation to find something to say to you, anything, knowing that his time avoiding you was up. He clears his throat, shuffling through papers as he speaks a little louder, trying to sound nonchalant. 

“I was just thinking about you.” You hated the way your heart skipped a beat at the admission, his back still turned to you as he says. “You need something?”

He grimaced as soon as the words left his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut out of frustration with himself for always seeming to say the wrong things, he didn’t have to face you to know that you were probably glaring at him - he could feel the heat from your gaze burning against his back. 

You had to stop yourself from laughing at his question, did you need something? Oh, did you. Maybe an explanation as to why he had run out on you, an apology for avoiding you for the past week, or even just a simple hello because despite the fact that you were so angry at him for all of these things, you couldn’t help the way your chest ached for him to just to acknowledge you. 

You bite back all of these thoughts, shifting on your feet that seemed to be glued to your spot, your voice as breathless as you felt. “Hi.” 

You grimace as soon as the word leaves your mouth, all this waiting, all the planning of what you were going to say to him when you finally saw him again and all you could come up with was a pitiful greeting. 

“You’re back.” You felt silly for stating the obvious, but you couldn't help it, part of you was convinced that Matty would cancel at the last minute and disappear for another week. You couldn't help but think of how that most likely would have been the outcome if he had known it was you who was scheduled into his calendar right now. 

“You knew I would be.” Matty comments offhandedly, still refusing to turn around. “George told you, no?” 

Your stomach drops at the fact that Matty knew about your conversation with his friend, despite how many times the brunette had made you promise not to tell. Your mind whirled with the possibilities of what else George had told him, your legs suddenly didn’t feel as strong as before. 

Matty continues to filter through papers, not even for any real purpose, just as a way to stop himself from turning around to face you because he knew the second he looked at you, he would no longer have any ground to stand on. “Look, I’m really busy right now, can you come back later?”

Matty knew that the two of you needed to talk, he dreaded the conversation, never one to face his feelings - but he didn’t want to get into the conversation when a client would be walking into the middle of it sooner rather than later. 

You scoff through a laugh, you couldn’t help it, rolling your eyes as you watch the tattooed boy flip through the same four pages on an endless loop. “Yeah, you sure look like it.”

You couldn’t help the sarcasm that drips from your tongue, almost second nature when you’re around him. You watch his shoulders deflate slightly from being caught, sighing as he glances over at the clock. “I have an appointment at noon, alright?” Your stomach drops. “I’m about to be busy.”

You pull at a loose thread on your tote bag, heart pounding against your rib cage as you try and find a way to tell him that you were actually his appointment for noon, incredibly nervous of what he was going to do when you spoke up. 

“Yeah.” Your voice was barely heard over the music filtering throughout his shop. “I know, I-I’m sorry, I’m a little bit early.”

You hold your breath as Matty freezes, shifting on your feet as you watch his every move carefully, thankful that you seemed to be glued to the entryway of 102 Tattoo so he couldn't run out of it this time. 

Matty takes a deep breath, holding it for a beat before slowly turning around to face you for the first time since you were screaming at him on Sunday, his heart clenches at the sight while yours races to beat out of your chest, breath hitching at the sight of one another after days that seemed to drag by like a lifetime.

“What are you talking about, Jewels - Y/N.” He was quick to correct himself, your stomach churning at the memory of you screaming at him to not call you by the nickname anymore, as soon it fell from his lips, his furrowed eyebrows full of confusion softened into realization as he repeated the name in a different light. “Jules.” Spoken through a scoff of laughter, you could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes squinting, opening his mouth to say something yet hesitating to find the right words. “That wasn’t you on the phone the other day.” Matty accuses, shaking his head softly as he tries to wrack his brain into understanding what was going on. “I know your voice and that wasn’t you.”

You try to ignore the way your heart fluttered at his admission, at the fact that he knew you so well. You shift your weight between your feet once more, feeling more exposed now that his dark eyes were fixated on you. You finally admit through a meek tone, shrugging softly. “Carmen called for me.”

“Carmen -” Matty scoffs, cutting himself off to laugh, rubbing a hand across his chin as he shakes his head. “You had your friend call me to make an appointment for you?” His voice steadily grew in anger and only had the same feeling bubbling in your veins. “Too pussy to do it yourself?”

“You wouldn’t have scheduled me if I had been the one to call.” You spat back at him, annoyed that you had been in his presence for less than ten minutes and he had already managed to make your skin crawl, making you wonder why you even missed him at all. “You would have just hung up on me like you did before.”

Matty’s jaw ticks, ignoring the second half of what you had said in favor of capitalizing on the former. “I almost wouldn’t have been able to schedule you, or anyone for that matter, at all considering someone ripped my sign off the door.” You roll your eyes before he can even ask. “You have something you’d like to confess?”

“I was pissed at you!” The five words explode out of you, your heart beating rapidly in your chest. “You left without a single word and then next thing I know there’s a fucking note on the door talking about your shop being closed indefinitely.” The words spit off your tongue with as much malice as you felt. “So yeah, I ripped it off the door, excuse me for being upset.” You huff, watching the way Matty’s eyes fall to the floor and flash with something unknown. “But I think I had every right to be.”

“Well, I-” Matty starts but quickly shuts his mouth to stop himself, shaking his head as if he was about to let something slip, scoffing to himself. “Forget it.”

You groan, running a hand over your face, rooted to your place in front of the door so he couldn’t even consider an escape plan. 

“Fuck, I didn’t come here to fight with you, Matty.” His heart clenches as his name falls from your lips. “I’m sorry that I went about things in the way I did, but I knew that this was the only way to get you to talk to me.” You confess with a softer tone, the anger coursing through your veins slowly overruled by the nerves returning. “So, please, just-” You couldn’t even find it in yourself to be embarrassed as you all but beg. “Talk to me.” 

Silence lingered in the air for a beat, the nerves in your veins climbed up your throat with each passing second, you hated this newfound tension between the two of you - would do anything to swap it out for the old dynamic full of annoyance and petty arguments. 

“We don’t even have to talk about it, okay?” Your voice is even softer now, nervous and unsure - hopeful that he knew you were referring to the kiss. You were sure he did by the way he shifts on his feet. “We can just pretend like it never happened.” You offer, though the thought kills you, you couldn’t think of anything you wanted less than to pretend like you didn’t know what his lips felt like against your own. But the longer that Matty’s eyes stayed on the floor, the longer he remained silent, you found yourself getting more desperate for things to just be okay between the two of you. “Please, I just-” You hesitate, shifting your own eyes to the floor as you admit. “I’ve missed you.”

The silence in the tattoo shop consumes you, eating you alive, making you wish the ground would open up and swallow you whole to save you from embarrassment. You watch Matty closely, hyper fixated on his every move, fearful that you had said too much. 

You considered turning around and leaving the shop, feeling as though that might be better than to stand here in hopes that he would throw you a bone, but almost as soon as the thought crosses your mind, Matty buries it. 

“Okay.” Matty mumbles and you can nearly feel the way your heart cracks just the tiniest bit, you had just basically poured your heart out to him and all he could say in return was okay? You could feel the anger bubbling in your veins, malicious words forming on the tip of your tongue and ready to fire, though Matty extinguishes the flames. 

“I’ve missed you too.” The four words knock all the air from your lungs, the soft spoken tone of his voice had your heart skipping a beat, allowing the butterflies to swarm in your stomach freely for once in your life, unashamed. His head slowly lifts up, dark eyes immediately finding home against yours. “And I’m sorry for leaving you in the dark for so long.”

And he leaves it at that, determined to follow your request of forgetting about what happened between the two of you, which would be much easier said than done if you weren’t standing in front of him right now. You smile softly at his apology, such a rare thing to hear from the tattooed boy, easily falling right back into your usual dynamic as Matty’s lips twitch up in a teasing way. “You really made a tattoo appointment just to talk to me?”

“Fuck off.” You roll your eyes, feet suddenly unglued to the floor and able to carry you further into the shop. “Well, that and to actually get the tattoo done.” Matty hums, leaning back against his counter as he watches the way you walk over to him, eyebrows furrowing together at the sight of you holding a plastic cup out to him. “I got you a coffee, your favorite.”

You smile softly, shaking the ice against the cup to entice him to take it, unable to ignore the similarities of the time he had apologized to you with a coffee of your own. Matty takes the cup with curious eyes, leaning down to smell it, you roll your eyes at his antics. 

“Kian didn’t make it, I promise.” Matty’s hands grip the plastic cup a little tighter now. “In fact it might be shit, it’s from a new place I saw on the drive over here, I’ve never tried it.” 

Matty hums, glancing down at the coffee in his hand, opening his mouth to speak but hesitating, swirling the liquid around in the cup as the image of his bloody knuckles burns at the forefront of his mind. “Yeah, well, while we're on the topic of not talking about things, can he be one of them?”

You nod quickly, all but begging. “Please.”

Matty nods along, swirling the coffee around in the cup once more before glancing up at you, tipping his head to the side in playful curiosity. “You didn’t poison this, did you?” You giggle, your shoulders shaking alongside your head, his dark eyes squint ever so slightly. “So why don’t you have one, then? Scared to mix the two up?”

You snort, rolling your eyes, holding up your stainless steel water bottle for him to see. “Water for myself, I gotta stay hydrated and all that.”

Matty hums, finally leaning down to take his first sip of the coffee you had ordered him, his eyes widening in surprise as the flavor hit his tongue. “Fuck, that’s actually quite good.” He mumbles, already going in for another sip, watching the way you opened the cap of your metal bottle and took a sip of your rather boring drink. He swallows, tipping his head at you. “It’s good to see you drinking water before I blast your stomach.” Matty cringes at his choice of wording, your head tipping back in laughter at the sight, his head shakes softly. “Alright, and with that, we should probably get started.” You nod, watching the way he turns to the side to set his coffee down on the counter before pushing himself off of it and making his way to the other end of his shop, calling out to you over his shoulder. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, I ate right before I drove over here.” You linger in the space you were in before, unsure if you were supposed to follow him or not. 

“Perfect.” Matty gleams and you all but preen, he glances at you over his shoulder before tipping his head. “You wanna come over here and see what I came up with, make sure you like it?” You nod, quick to walk across the shop to be next to him, glancing over at the piece of paper he was holding out for you, you gasp at the sight and his mouth twitches up at the sound. “It’s good?” 

“It’s perfect.” You assure, glancing up at him with eyes that you were sure gleamed. Matty cleared his throat at the sight, quick to look away from you and busy himself with the process of actually setting up the tattoo stencil now that he had your approval. 

You cross your arms over your chest in an attempt to bring some warmth to your body. You had chosen to wear a cropped tank top today, wanting to make the process of Matty tattooing your stomach as easy as possible, wearing a normal shirt seemed silly to you - you regretted that decision now that goosebumps had started to appear on your arms. 

Matty glances over at you, his dark eyes scanning your frame. “You cold?” You hated the way two simple words had your stomach flipping, the knowledge that Matty was so in tune with you had you feeling rather lightheaded. “I can turn the air off if you need.”

"No, I'm okay, really.” You wave him off. “It feels good in here." You lied straight through your teeth and Matty saw right through you, of course he did, cocking his head to the side to give you a pointed look before walking towards the direction of where you could only assume the thermostat was - proven right when within a minute the sounds of the air conditioner running was cut off, your body practically screams in relief as you fought off a smile on your face. “Thank you.”

Matty shoots you a soft smile, tilting his head over towards the tattoo chair in the middle of the room. “You can go take a seat, if you’d like, I just gotta get everything set up and I’ll be right over.” You nod, adjusting the strap of your tote bag over your shoulder as you turn to make your way over to the black leather chair in the middle of the room. “You can set your stuff down wherever, just make yourself at home.”

Home. You quite liked the sound of that. 

You toss your tote bag up on his desk that was scattered with various paperwork and unfinished drawings, you pause to look at some of them, not noticing the way Matty was watching you out of the corner of his eye, fighting off a smile of his own. You leave everything sitting on top of his desk except your metal bottle full of water, carrying that over across the shop with you until you reach the black chair that would serve as your home for the next couple of hours. 

You start to settle onto the leather, grateful that Matty had his back turned towards you, it was always an awkward process to climb onto these things. You find a comfortable position to sit in, reaching into your pocket for your phone and sighing when you realize that you had left it in your tote bag sitting on his desk, busying yourself by taking in all of the decor on the walls instead. 

You had never really looked around his space before, typically when you came in here it was for the purpose of yelling at Matty for something you’d forget about by the end of the day, leaving as soon as he crawled under your skin. You never had the time to actually sit down and take everything in. 

Your eyes scan over the dark walls of the tattoo shop, entranced by all of the drawings with Matty’s signature at the bottom, making mental notes of the vinyl covers he had hung up on the wall, the random trinkets on display on the shelves, smiling at how everything in this space just screamed Matty - almost as if you were catching a glimpse of the inside of his mind. 

“Here.” Matty’s voice pulls you out of your daydream, glancing over to see him holding out something for you to grab, your eyebrows pulled together at the pack of animal crackers he was offering. “I know you said that you had eaten, but I figured I’d grab you a snack so you don’t end up getting sick on me.” As hard as you tried to fight it, a flush of pink washes over your cheeks at his concern for you, trying to convince yourself that he was probably this way with all of his clients. “And an extra bottle of water just in case you run out.”

“Thank you.” You accept the animal crackers with a soft smile, watching as Matty leans over to rest the extra bottle of water and the stencil of your tattoo down on a small side table next to the tattoo chair, you follow his lead and toss the animal crackers up beside it. 

Matty nods, pulling his phone from his back pocket and typing his pass code in while glancing over at you. “Got any requests?”

You were sure the confusion on your face was as evident as it felt, taking a moment to realize that he was asking about the music playing throughout the speakers. “Oh, no, I like pretty much anything.” The confusion on your face lingers, trying to think back on the music you had heard him playing before through the walls and fairly positive that it was a set playlist he had created, considering you could probably sing half of them despite not knowing the title or the artist. “Since when do you let the client choose the music?”

Matty evades the question by turning on Tame Impala’s Currents album, recalling the way you had been playing it the night he helped you with inventory, raising the volume one degree before tossing his phone down on the table that he had set everything else on.

The flush on your cheeks deepen as the beginning chords of Let it Happen sound throughout the shop, fighting off the feeling of butterflies that threaten to fly around in your stomach.

So what if he knew your coffee order or the sound of your voice or one of your favorite albums - it’s not like it meant anything, right?

“Alright, stencil time.” Matty claps, rubbing his hands together before pulling his leather jacket off of his arms, you swallow thickly at the sight of him undressing himself, turning his head to the side to toss the jacket onto the couch by the window. 

You were thankful now that Matty had told you to sit beforehand, sure that your legs would have been untrustworthy as his tattooed arms were on full display now, a cut off tank that swooped rather low on his chest. 

You watch him closely as he pulls a fresh pair of black gloves from a box and slowly starts to slide them over his tattooed hands - and while you were disappointed to see his addictive hands that have plagued your thoughts now hidden, you couldn’t help the way your stomach swooped at the sight of the veins and ink covered by latex. “You wanna come over here?”

You weren’t quite sure if you trusted your legs to stand, but you didn’t like the thought of disappointing him, quick to slide off of the leather tattoo chair on wobbly knees and make your way over to stand in front of him. 

Your heart was back to the same rhythm as before, pounding in your chest as you watched Matty grab the rather large stencil from the table where he had rested your water bottle, carefully holding it between his gloves hands and bringing it to rest at the edge of the leather seat.

“Alright, stand up straight for me.” And really, it was embarrassing how quickly you had adjusted your posture. “Good, that’s good.” He mumbles and your stomach simmers. “Why do you look so nervous?” Matty teases, shaking the bottle of transfer gel that you hadn’t even seen him grab in his latex covered hand softly, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. “This is the easy part.”

You forced out a laugh, cursing the fact that Matty was able to read you so well, yet not having the guts to tell Matty that the stencil was not the reason you were so nervous. You had plenty of tattoos, a stencil didn’t intimidate you, it was the way he was dropping to his knees in front of you that had your face turning pale.

Your heart pounds against your rib cage as Matty settles to his knees on the hard flooring, reaching up to grab the dragonfly stencil from the edge of the tattoo chair to rest it against his black denim clad thigh, continuing to shake the transfer gel as he was now eye level with your stomach.

You couldn’t even find it in yourself to feel ashamed of the desire that swirls around like a tornado your stomach at the compromising position the two of you were in, feeling dizzy at the fact that all you’d have to do was thread your fingers in his hair and pull his face a little lower and he’d be in the perfect place to -

Matty clears his throat, you couldn’t help but wonder if he was having the same thoughts. “Jewels - Y/N, can you-”

“You can call me Jewels.” You were quick to interrupt him, hating the way your stomach rolled with nausea anytime your government name was falling from his pretty pink lips, clearing your throat. “If you want.” The nerves climb back up your throat as Matty glances up at you with an expression that you couldn’t quite read, you shift your weight between your feet at the sight, heat that had simmered in your stomach started to bubble. “It’s a little weird to hear you calling me by my actual name, to be honest.”

Matty nods slowly, barely shaking the bottle full of transfer gel now, his voice unsure, eyes shifted down to your shoes. “I thought you didn’t want me to call you that anymore.”

The memory of you screaming and crying in the middle of this very space less than a week ago flashes in your mind, how you had told him never to call you by the nickname again, your heart clenches at the fact that he had remembered. 

“Yeah, well,” You pause to take a deep breath, shifting your weight once more. “things have changed.”

You were hoping that Matty would understand what you were implying, knowing that the two of you had promised to forget that the kiss had ever happened, but you weren’t going to act like that didn’t play a major part in how you felt about him now versus before you knew how his lips felt against your own.

Matty nods, mumbling. “Alright.” before drawing his attention back to your stomach, shaking the bottle of transfer gel with more force now as he clears his throat. “Jewels, can you..” He trails off, clearing his throat once more as his eyes shift between your stomach and anywhere but. “Uh-” Growing frustrated with himself as he struggles to find the right words, hard for him to focus on anything with the way you were looking down at him, shifting his knees against the floor as he repeats. “Can you-”

“What?” You glance down at your own stomach, curious to find what Matty was fixated on, eyebrows furrowing together as you try and figure out what Matty wanted from you, desperate to please.

Matty huffs, unable to find the words, taking it upon himself to reach out and adjust the waistband of the bohemian style patchwork joggers you were wearing, lowering the band down onto your hips more. You gasp at the action, heat that bubbled in your stomach fully burned now at the slightest bit of contact from Matty’s hand, a feeling you had been chasing to relive for days on end now. You felt rather woozy at his comfortability with you, knowing that he would never have done such a thing with anyone else.

“Sorry.” Matty mumbles, ignoring the heat from your gaze.

“It’s fine.” More than fine. Your voice was as breathless as you felt, adjusting your posture to stand as straight as possible when you heard him open the cap of the transfer gel, anticipation coursing through your veins - now that you had a taste of Matty’s hands back on you, you were counting down the seconds until you’d feel them again. 

Matty nods, glancing up at you. “You ready?” You nod, not trusting your voice at the moment. “It’s gonna be cold, yeah?” 

He waited for you to nod your head once more before squirting the gel down on your stomach, your stomach twitched at the feeling of him spreading it around. He hummed along to the song that played out of the speakers as he picked the stencil up off of his thigh, your heart fluttered at the idea of him listening to the music you loved in his free time, he tilts his head to the side to stare at your stomach, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as he carefully brought the stencil down below your navel.

The warmth from his glove-covered hands seeps into your stomach as he gently smoothes down the edges of the stencil before bringing a flat hand down on your stomach, pressing the area to ensure that the design would transfer evenly. Only feeling as though you could breathe when he removed his hand in favor of slowly pulling the stencil off of your stomach, a rush of cold air hitting the area as he stared at his work with a bright smile, lip still pulled between his teeth. 

"That’s pretty damn good.” He brags, tilting his head every which way to ensure that the dragonfly was straight and even on your lower stomach, fighting to ignore the way his stomach flipped at the initial reveal. “I never get the stencil right on the first try,” Matty explains, shifting his weight on his knees as he leans back enough to stare up at you. “You must be my little good luck charm." 

You felt rather woozy looking down at the position Matty was staring up at you in, a sight you were sure to play behind your closed eyes in the privacy of your own room as your hands trail down to -

Matty clears his throat, almost as if he could hear what you were thinking, reaching out to grab onto the end of the black leather chair for support as he hoists himself back up, avoiding eye contact now. 

“You wanna go check it out in the mirror?” His voice is rougher now. “Make sure you’re happy with it?” Matty leaned back against the counter behind him, feeling safe to look at you again as you made your way over on shaky legs towards the rather large mirror that was littered with various stickers and leaned against the corner adjacent to where he was standing, his eyes follow your every move. “Tell me if you want it moved or adjusted, yeah? I don’t mind.”

You glance at Matty through the mirror, his dark eyes locking with yours immediately, you hold eye contact with him until it becomes too overwhelming, pulling your gaze away with a racing heart and finally checking out the stencil of the dragonfly on your stomach. 

"Oh, wow." Your voice came out as barely more than a whisper, tilting your head in the same ways that Matty had done before, twisting your body and making sure that you liked how it looked from every angle. It was perfect, everything you had ever imagined it to be.

Matty fights off a smile as he watches you intently, pulling his attention away from you long enough to grab his ink from the bottom shelf of the counter behind him, placing caps down onto the surface, glancing over his shoulder when he feels you approaching him.

"Yeah? C'mon, tell me how good I am." Matty teases, squeezing the bottle of black ink until the small caps are full to the brim, twisting the lid of the ink closed as he fixes you with a raised brow, as if he was anticipating the compliment. 

You scoff, rolling your eyes. “I refuse to fuel your ego.” You tease, not really knowing what to do with yourself now that you are standing back in front of him, giggling when Matty’s dark eyes mirror your own and roll back in a dramatic way that had you finally giving him what he wanted to hear. “It’s perfect.”

“Oh, I know.” Matty teases, “I just wanted to hear you say it.” A bright smile spreads over his face as you groan, his shoulders shaking through laughter as he holds his hand out to reference the tattoo chair next to you both. “You ready to get started? Or do you need a minute?”

Once again, your heart flutters for how much concern he seemed to have for you, seeming to go deeper than just basic client protocol. You found yourself shaking your head, walking over to the side of the black leather chair. “No, I’m ready, if I sit and think about it too much I’ll never go through with it.”

Matty nods, fully understanding the feeling, watching as you slowly slide back into the chair. “Be careful, don’t want you to mess up my perfect stencil.” He teases and your eyes roll back yet again, your turn to watch him as he pulls his rolling stool over towards the side of the tattoo chair, sitting down on it long enough to adjust the height before standing back up. 

You held your breath as Matty rested one of his hands next to your head, leaning down slightly and making your head spin from the sudden close proximity, the smell of his cologne mixed with the faded smell of cigarettes clouded your brain in a way that made it impossible to think straight.

“Sorry, I forgot to adjust the chair before you got comfortable.” Matty spoke quietly because he didn’t have to speak any louder for you to be able to hear him with how close his mouth was to your ear in this angle. “Can’t have you sitting up if I’m gonna tattoo your stomach, you know?” 

You laugh but it was strained, breathless. You held your breath as Matty slowly lowered the chair, you with it, so that you were laying down. You fought your absolute hardest to ignore the way his arm flexed as he held the weight steady so that you didn't drop too fast, or the way his hair fell forward over his eyes the lower the two of you got, or the way the simple chain around his neck was now dangling in your face. 

Maybe you did need the air on after all.

“Alright, that should be good.” Matty mumbles to himself, feeling as though an ice cold bucket of water had just been dropped over you at the sudden absence of his body so close to yours, watching the way Matty peeled the black latex from his hands, drinking in the sight of veins and tattoos while they were out for your viewing pleasure, feeling disappointed all over again when he covered them yet again with a fresh pair, snapping the latex against his skin in a playful way before sitting back down onto his rolling stool. 

Anticipation courses through your veins as you watch Matty turn in his chair to grab the tattoo gun off of the tray sitting on the counter behind him, his gloved hand lowering the needle of the gun into a cap full of ink and bringing the machine to life. The buzz that sounded from the tattoo gun made your ears ring, swallowing down any nerves you had, trying to convince yourself that this couldn’t be any worse than the tattoos you already had, right?

Hard to convince yourself when Matty was speaking up, his dark eyes betraying him and glancing over the frame of your body laid out for him, clearing his throat as he brings the gun back to life once more in the air this time. 

“Alright, I’m not going to lie to you,” You already didn’t like where this was going, swallowing down the lump in your throat. “This is going to fucking hurt, okay?” Matty’s voice was soft, as soft as the assuring smile that he shot you, rolling his stool closer to the chair you were laid out in, the smell of his cologne already had the anxiety in your veins settling. “But I promise to be as gentle as I can.” He assures, butterflies mix with the nerves pooling in your stomach. “Just try to remember to breathe and not tense up, alright? Think you can do that for me?” 

You nodded along even though you already found it hard to remember how to breathe now as Matty talked you through it, your mind whirling with dirty images that had you squirming against the leather of the chair you were laid out on before the needle had even touched you. You held your breath as Matty leaned in, bringing his arm that held the tattoo gun out to half rest on the leather of the tattoo chair and half rest on your stomach, your skin burning from the contact, already feeling woozy. 

Matty glances up at you through his lashes, the needle hovering over your skin, his dark eyes searching your face. “Tell me if you need a break, for however long, or if you’re feeling lightheaded and need your water or your snack, alright?”

Matty waits for you to nod, wanting to ensure that you had heard him, you nod along despite the fuzzy feeling in your head already. 

“Alright, sit still for me.” Matty spoke softly, applying a little more pressure down on your stomach in an attempt to keep you still himself, slowly bringing the needle down to make contact with your skin, dragging the needle for a few seconds before quickly lifting it up, his dark eyes quick to glance up at your face. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” The words come out as strangled as you felt, trying to remember not to tense as Matty brings the needle back down to your stomach and keeps it there longer this time. It was all too much; the pain, the way he was speaking to you, him quite literally holding you down - your head was spinning.

Your eyes clench through the pain as you try to focus on the song that was playing through the speaker on his wall, but your heart was beating too loudly in your ear for you to hear anything except for Matty apparently. 

“What’s your favorite song on the album?” Matty’s voice pulls you out of the pain you felt, releasing the breath you had been holding in when he lifted the needle from your skin, grateful for the relief. Matty raises an eyebrow at you, awaiting an answer to the question that your brain hadn’t even processed. 

“What?” Your voice came out breathy, watching as he turned to fill his needle up with more ink, glancing at you over his shoulder. 

“Currents.” Matty explains, tilting his head toward the speaker on the wall when the confusion from your face didn’t fade. “Which song is your favorite?”

“Oh.” Clear to you now that Matty was trying to distract you from the pain, taking in one last deep breath as Matty settles back over you, your eyes falling shut at the feeling of the needle back on your skin as you try and focus on remembering the track list instead of the feeling of the needle dragging across your lower stomach. It was a pain like you had never felt before, and the fact that it was Matty who was administering it made you feel as though you were about to explode. “New person, same old mistakes.” 

“Oo, she’s not like other girls.” Matty teases, tilting his head slightly as he starts a new line. “Was expecting you to say The Less I Know The Better, to be honest, but I guess I should've known that’d be too basic for a girl like you.”

The way Matty was teasing you combined with the pain he was inflicting upon you had your stomach swirling with a newfound heat that you had never experienced before, tongue thick in your mouth, the base of your hair prickling with sweat. 

“Of course not.” You answer through a wince, stomach clenching when he reaches a particularly painful spot. “Fuck.” You whine, missing the way Matty’s jaw clenches at the sound. “Hurts.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Matty mumbles the apology, his dark eyes glued to the lines he was etching into your skin, pulling away to wipe the excess ink away with a paper towel, glancing at you for a split second before pulling back further to rest his gun down on his tray. 

He pulls off one of his black gloves and reaches out to grab your stainless steel water bottle that you had sat there earlier, untwisting the cap with one hand, an action that should not have been as attractive as it was, holding the bottle out to you. "Drink.”

And really, you should've been embarrassed by how quickly you listened, tongue thick and dry in your mouth as Matty's dark eyes stared at you intensely, watching as you drank some of the water that filled the bottle. The cool water did nothing to combat the burning heat of your skin, but it felt like a breath of fresh air falling down your throat, settling in your stomach amongst the desire. “Feel better?”

“Yeah.” Your voice as breathless as you felt, clearing your throat as you hand your water bottle back to Matty, adjusting against the leather of the tattoo chair as Matty slips the black latex glove back over his hand. “What about you?”

“Hm?” Matty hums, staring down at your stomach, dark eyes drinking in the etched lines as he tries to find where he had left off, leaning his arm back down on your body and glancing up at you quickly. 

“The song.” You say, it’s all you could say, your face already twisting up in pain as Matty drops the needle back down to your skin, you try and focus on the shape of the lines instead of the pain, wondering what part of the dragonfly he was working on. 

“Oh, I don’t know.” Matty shrugs, lifting the needle off of your skin in preparation of your reaction to what he was about to say. “Probably The Less I Know The Better, to be honest.” His eyes gleam as they look up at you, teasing. “I don’t mind being a basic girl.” 

Your stomach shakes with laughter, just as he expected it to, laughing along easily with you, happy to see your face not screwed up in pain. 

“Or ‘Cause I’m a Man, because, you know.” He trails off, raising the arm that wasn’t resting on your stomach to flex his muscles. “I’m a man.”

You snort at his antics, rolling your eyes. “If you say so.”

“I do, actually.” Matty counters. “Got it tattooed on me and everything.”

“You do not.” You scoff, eyes already starting to search along the expanse of his arms in search for the tattoo.

Matty sighs, twisting his body to rest the tattoo gun back down on his tray before fixing you with a pointed look, leaning back on his rolling stool to lift the bottom of his cut off tank top. Your tongue feels like sandpaper, thick in your mouth as you drink in the sight of Matty’s bare chest, eyes scanning over all the new tattoos that you had never seen before, pulled away from their adventure when Matty points a finger at the I’m a man tattoo on his chest.

More laughter tumbles from your lips at the sight, giggling through the disappointment of him dropping his shirt back down, hopeful that you’d be able to remember the sight.

“In what context would you ever need to get that tattooed on you?” You snort through a laugh, watching the way he picks the tattoo gun up again, filling the needle back up with more black ink, able to tease him back now that you didn’t have the pain coursing through your body. “Scared that girls wouldn't be able to tell otherwise?”

“You do know that I am the one holding the needle, right?” Matty makes the gun buzz in the air for emphasis, you roll your eyes as your stomach rolls with desire at the reminder. Matty falls back over you easily, resting his arm above your navel now so he had more of the stencil available to him. 

The laughter died in your throat at the feeling of his elbow brushing against the side of your breast, feeling breathless and woozy all over again as Matty shifts on his stool, cracking his neck at the side before leaning back into you, closer this time. You could feel his soft breath cascading from his nose and onto your skin as he resumed his line work. 

The two of you sit in silence for a bit after that, Matty too focused on the task at hand to distract you from the pain he was inflicting upon you, you could tell that he was working on the lower half of the dragonfly by how much more painful it felt than before - you didn’t even know that was possible. 

Your face was screwed up tightly in pain, white knuckling your own fist so tightly as you held your breath and prayed that this part of the tattoo wouldn’t last as long as the others. 

“Breathe.” Matty’s deep voice reminds, your lungs gasping for air immediately, twitching on the leather as he tattoos the lowest line of the dragonfly. “That’s it, you’re doing so good for me.” 

Matty’s voice was rougher than before, making it impossible to fantasize about those eight words in any context other than one that had a whimper falling from your bitten raw lips, filthy images plague your mind as heat swirls in your stomach and you couldn’t help but wonder if Matty was feeling the same way you were. 

“Fuck.” You mumble under your breath, squirming against the leather of the chair, unable to keep your body still - the pain that was coursing through your body was slowly morphing into a form of pleasure, quickly growing to become addicted to the feeling of the needle against your skin if it was Matty’s hand controlling it.

Matty clears his throat, adjusting the way he was leaned over you, his chest now fully pressed against the side of the chair, the action caused the small chain dangling from his neck to knock against your arm that you had rested against your side, not knowing where else to put it, the sudden feeling of cold metal against your burning skin gave you goosebumps. Matty tilted his body to get a better, more comfortable angle as he worked to finish the bottom part of the outline. 

Matty glances up at you between swipes of the tattoo gun against your skin, taking in the sight of how tightly your bottom lip was pulled between your teeth, surprised that you hadn’t drawn blood yet. 

“You need something to suck on?” Surprised by how rough his voice had come out, quick to clear his throat, shaking away the dirty thoughts that filtered through his mind as he clarified. “A lollipop.” Rephrasing his question from before, hopeful that maybe you were too distracted by the pain to hear what he had said the first time. "Would you like a lollipop or something to bite down on?”

But it was too late, the filthy images of you laid over the edge of the leather chair, head dangling off the end of it as Matty straddles your head and - You couldn’t stop the blush the spread over your cheeks at the thought, paired with the pain of the needle dragging across your skin, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were on fire. 

You try to subtly clench your thighs together in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure between them, hopeful that the boy tattooing you was too focused on his line work to notice, though by the way his jaw clenched - you feared he might be starting to figure you out. 

Matty cleared his throat, shifting and sending his necklace into your arm once more as he tried to get closer to the area he was tattooing, ultimately deciding to remove himself from your body entirely, much to your dismay. 

"Do you mind turning towards me slightly? Just a little bit.” You couldn’t help but notice how much rougher his voice had grown in such a short amount of time. “It's going to be quite uncomfortable for you, but it shouldn't take too long.” He explains. “I’m about to do the edges on the top and I don't want the line work to be wonky."

You nod, not quite sure about how you were supposed to move considering you felt glued to the chair, but you somehow managed. 

"Yeah, just turn towards me, that’s it. Just a little more, yeah.” You felt dizzy as the deep drawl of Matty’s word washed over you as you adjust on the leather. “That’s good, perfect.” Matty's lip pulled between his teeth as he smiled. "You listen so well." 

And Jesus Christ, you were starting to think that he was doing it on purpose. 

A forced laugh tumbled from your bitten raw lips as you adjusted your head to try and make yourself comfortable, trying to remember how to breathe as Matty leaned back down against you, this angle allowed for you to feel much closer to him - staring at the skin that peaked out from the low scoop of the cut off tank that he was wearing, sure that Matty could feel the racing pulse of your heart under your skin as he brings his arm back down to rest on the side of your ribs now. 

You squirm almost as soon as the needle touches your skin now, something about this angle makes the feeling of pain more heightened against such a sensitive area, your leg twitching ever so slightly as you bite down on your lip to swallow a moan. 

“Be still.” Matty mumbles, desire swirls in your stomach and pools between your legs at the command, you couldn’t help but clench your thighs together again, too drunk on the feeling of Matty’s hands on you to care about him figuring you out. 

Matty’s hand that wasn’t holding the tattoo gun finds a home at your waist, fingers covered in latex dig into the flesh there and have your thighs clenching together for a third time. You swallow down a whine at the feeling of him holding you down because you weren’t listening to him, white hot shame rolls through you at the idea of not being good for him, of disappointing him. You couldn’t stomach the thought, fighting to stay still for him, though you were sure his hand at your waist had most of the control over that. 

“There you go, good girl, almost done.” Matty mumbles and you all but moan at that, biting your lip so hard that you start to taste blood, already feeling so overwhelmed by the desire thrumming through your veins caused by the pain mixed pleasure from the needle that Matty’s words had you feeling rather lightheaded. His fingers dig into your waist harder now, sure that if they weren’t covered by latex that they would leave a mark. 

Matty suddenly tattooed you as if he had a fire under his ass, desperate to finish the line work on your skin so he could go outside for a smoke before starting the shading on the dragonfly, he needed the break from watching you squirm almost as badly as you needed one from his hands on your body - both of you were on the brink of insanity. 

The needle of the tattoo gun drags across your skin one last time before Matty was squeezing your hip, gone as quickly as it appeared as Matty pulled away from your body to lean back and rest the gun down on its tray. 

“All done.” The relief clear in his voice, you watched intently as he reached over to grab a bottle sitting on the counter labeled green soap, turning back to face you but avoiding eye contact. “Lay flat for me.” You were quick to adjust yourself back to the position you had started in, your stomach flipping at the command, watching the way he picks up a stray paper towel from a stack he had peeled for himself previously, squirting some of the liquid from the bottle in his hand before his dark eyes glance over at you in a warning. “This is probably going to hurt, okay?” 

You nod, wincing slightly at the feeling of Matty dropping the damp paper towel down onto your burning hot skin, gasping as he wiped away any excess ink mixed with blood until he was happy with the cleanliness.

You were about to say that it wasn’t as bad as you were expecting, but the comment died on your tongue when Matty reached over to grab another paper towel, bringing it down to your skin to wipe the green soap from the area. Nothing could have prepared you for the feeling of him dry wiping such a sensitive area, your legs twitching from the pain that stings from each swipe of the dry paper towel, not able to hide the moan falling from your bitten raw lips at the feeling. 

Matty stands up from his stool so fast that he nearly knocks it over, quick to pull the gloves off of his hands and toss them towards the trash can, stumbling his way over to where he had thrown his leather jacket earlier - digging in the pockets for his pack of cigarettes and lighter as he calls over his shoulder, voice deep and strained. 

“Uh, you can do whatever - bathroom, water, snacks, whatever you need to do to get yourself ready for shading.” Matty’s words were rushed, matching his frantic movements as his trembling hands pulled a cigarette from the pack and quickly lit it, taking a deep drag to ease some of the tension built up in his body from watching you squirm and whimper for the better half of the past hour. “I need- I’m gonna go smoke.”

And then he was out the door, the sound of the chimes ringing out through the shop linger as you lay on the leather of the tattoo chair with a racing heart. 

You fought to catch your breath, easier to do now that the needle wasn’t prodding at your skin while Matty held you down, staring up at the ceiling as you played Matty’s words on a constant loop in your head. You shake the memory from your mind since it was making it hard for you to breathe all over again, starting to sit up so you could take a drink of water and wincing at the pain that comes with it, not too keen on the feeling when Matty wasn’t the cause of it.

Now that you didn’t have Matty distracting you, you were able to realize just how much pain you were in, sitting up on the black leather chair now and glancing down at your stomach to see it all red and slightly raised - irritated and angry. You couldn’t help but find the humor in the fact that it seemed to be the perfect example of how Matty typically made you feel. 

You lean over to grab your stainless steel water bottle from the table next to the chair, practically guzzling the cold liquid down your dry throat, begging for it to cool down your overheated skin. 

You twist the cap, glancing back down at your stomach, tilting your head in a way to try and see the line work that had been done before remembering the rather large mirror leaned up in the corner. You found yourself sliding off of the leather, slow movements as if to try and cause the least amount of pain to the tattoo as possible, wincing still as you finally stood on shaky legs. 

You walk over to the mirror littered with stickers from before, gasping before you could even fully stand in front of it, the sight of the black ink etched into your lower stomach had your mouth falling open. Your eyes glued to the outline of the dragonfly as you turned your body every which way so you could see it from all angles, suddenly you didn’t care about all the pain you had endured, already deeming it worth it.

You tilt your head slightly and try to imagine what it might look like when it was all shaded in, thrill creeps up your spine at the reminder of what was to come, knowing that it would be far more intense than the line work had been, Matty might have to tie you down to keep you still - you throb at the thought. 

And then your mind was consumed by the tattooed boy all over again, the way his voice got rougher the further into your tattoo he had gotten, the words spoken that you couldn’t help but imagine in a different light, the way his fingers dug into your hip as he held you down, if you closed your eyes and pictured it now it was almost as if you could imagine him fu- 

You shake the thoughts as soon as they plague your mind, legs already starting to feel like gelatin as arousal courses through your veins and swirls in your stomach, your skin heating up all over again as you glance over to the front door of his shop. 

You couldn’t help but wonder what Matty was doing out there, what he might look like leaned against the brick wall, how his hair might look from the hand constantly running through it. The images have you feeling as though you could take a smoke break yourself, allowing your legs to carry you towards the front door and out of the tattoo shop before you could second guess yourself. 

The smell of smoke hits you immediately, the sound of the chimes at the top of his door have Matty jumping slightly, glancing over at you quickly before taking a deep drag of the cigarette held between his fingertips.

You couldn’t help the way your eyes fell to the way his lips wrapped around the end of it, swallowing thickly at the smoke that blew out the side of his pink lips, quick to bring the cigarette back between them as soon as the smoke was all out.

Your heart starts to race as your eyes take in the sight of the cigarette, not knowing much about them, but enough to know that with the amount of time he had been standing out here that it should have been burned way lower than it was, meaning that this had to be his second one already.

Thrill shoots up your spine at the thought of him needing to calm his nerves with the nicotine, that maybe he was just as affected by all of this as you were, just as desperate as you were to taste each other again. 

Matty tossed his head back, blowing a thick stream of smoke into the air above him before clearing his throat and finding the courage to look over at you, quick to avoid your eyes and stare at your stomach instead. 

“Looks sick, yeah?” The deep, raspy drawl of his voice sends shivers down your spine, you clench at the sound and Matty takes another desperate drag of his cigarette. 

“Yeah.” Your voice was breathy, quiet, too worked up to be anything but. Matty shifts his weight between his feet, running a hand through his hair. “I love it.”

Matty nods, eyes flashing between your stomach and your face before leaving both all together in favor of staring at the sidewalk, needing the break.

“You’re really good with your hands.” The impure thoughts whirling through your mind have the compliment coming out all wrong, scared that he was about to figure you all out, you were quick to correct them. “I mean, you're really good at what you do.” Cringing when it seemed as though you were just digging yourself into a deeper hole, desperate to clarify. “Tattoos.” You settle on. “You’re really good at tattooing.”

Matty huffs out a laugh but it’s strained, smoke cascading from his mouth. “I guess that’s good to hear considering I’ve made a whole career off of it.” 

He comments offhandedly, opening his mouth yet again but stopping himself to take another puff of his cigarette, the nicotine seemed to give him the courage. 

“You did so good for me.” Clearing his throat, seeming to have the same issue that you had, wracking his brain to find the right words to correct himself. “I mean, I know that a stomach tattoo is quite painful and you sat really well for me.” You preen at the compliment, his dark eyes flashing over to meet your own, hiding a smirk that he was trying to fight off behind his cigarette as he teases. “For the most part.”

Your stomach flips at him acknowledging the way that you couldn’t help but squirm anytime the needle made contact with your skin, the desire for the pain burning underneath your skin as you bit back whimpers from the sensation. 

You felt rather lightheaded now, sure that Matty had you all figured out, maybe that was why he had practically ran out of there and was already on his second cigarette in such a short amount of time. You found yourself reaching out for the cigarette dangling from his lips before you could even think twice about it, needing something, anything to take the edge off. 

“Do you mind?” Your voice was as breathless as you felt, tongue thick in your mouth with a sandpaper-like feel as the heat courses through your veins.

Matty’s eyebrows knit together, slowly pulling the cigarette from between his lips, his eyes flash between it and you. “I thought you didn’t smoke?”

Though he was offering it to you anyway, your fingertips brushing against one another as he passed the cigarette over, his dark eyes glued to the way the cigarette rested between your ringed fingers. 

“I don’t.” You answer truthfully, staring down at the foreign object between your fingers, embarrassment slowly creeping into your veins as you realize you weren’t quite sure what to do with it now that it was in your hands. “I just thought maybe it’d, you know-“ You hesitate, pulling your eyes away from the burning cigarette to glance over at Matty, stomach flipping at the way his dark eyes were already fixated on you. “take some of the edge off.”

Matty clears his throat, a hand running through his hair as he shifts between his feet, feeling as though he was about to explode now that his lifebuoy was taken from him and now resting between your own fingers. He was desperate for the cigarette back, skin crawling without the nicotine there to swallow down his desire, almost as desperate for the cigarette as he was to see it between your lips. 

“You just have to breathe it in, slow.” Matty instructs through a husky tone, clearing his throat in an attempt to bring his voice back to normal but failing. “Don’t suck on it too quickly.”

Your mind felt fuzzy, hazy at his words that you couldn’t help but hear as anything other than filthy. You were quick to follow the instructions, his dark eyes glued to your every move as you slowly brought the cigarette up to your mouth, wrapping your lips around where his had been previously, you couldn’t help but think how it almost felt as though you were kissing him again. 

The embarrassment that had creeped its way in had quickly been burnt out by the smoke that cascaded down into your lungs, Matty giving you the confidence. 

“That’s it, that’s good.” Matty mumbles and you were having a hard time distinguishing if the fire you felt in your stomach was from the smoke in your lungs or the way he was looking at you. “Now take the cigarette out and blow.”

You felt rather woozy, ignoring the filthy image of you getting on your knees on the middle of the sidewalk and following orders. But you don’t, despite how badly you wanted to, pulling the cigarette from between your lips and slowly exhaling the smoke out, mirroring how you had seen him do it before.

The smoke falls over Matty, washing him in grey and further clouding his mind as he blinks through the smoke to watch you staring at the cigarette between your ringed fingers. You couldn’t help but feel rather proud of yourself, happy that you hadn’t embarrassed yourself by coughing in front of him, already craving the taste again - maybe it’s because it reminded you of what was left on your tongue after Matty had kissed you. 

You bring the cigarette back between your lips, not needing Matty to instruct you this time, though you couldn’t help but miss the way he had talked you through it, inhaling a deeper drag this time to drown out the idea of him talking you through other things. 

Your eyes lock with Matty’s rather dark ones as you exhale another stream of smoke, your throat burned slightly more this time than before but you fought to let it show, holding the cigarette out for him to take, feeling as though he needed it more than you did with how rigid his shoulders were.

Matty accepts the offer, missing the feeling of your fingertips brushing against one another yet again as his dark eyes burn a hole into the ring of lip gloss left behind on the tip of the cigarette. 

The air between the two of you was thick, clouded by smoke, hard to breathe in as silence fell over the two of you. 

Though you didn’t sit in it for long, Matty only let it linger for a beat or two before he broke it, his voice rough and rasped. “Jewels.”

“Yeah?” The breathy tone of your voice had the word coming out more like a whisper, heart pounding against your rib cage as soon as the nickname fell from his lips. 

He stares at the ring of lip gloss at the end of his cigarette for another beat, swallowing thickly before sliding his eyes back over to you, slowly running up the expanse of your body before finally landing home against your own. You couldn’t help but hold your breath, knowing you wouldn't be able to breathe in the midst of the thick tension anyhow, silently begging him to cross the line that the two of you had been tiptoeing around since Sunday. 

His breathing grew heavier, you could hear it, could feel it - pinned to your place on the sidewalk as his dark eyes fell down to your lips for a split second, your stomach simmered at the sight. 

“I don’t know if I can pretend like nothing happened.” Matty’s husky voice spoke truthfully, his eyes betraying him yet again as they fell back down to your lips to watch the way your tongue peaks out to wet them.

You thought back on the conversation the two of you had earlier that day, how you had promised to forget that the kiss had even happened, over the moon to know that now you didn’t have to. 

“Yeah.” You nod, though it was small, breathless, time seeming to stand still as you stare into the dark brown eyes that were looking at you as though he could eat you alive, not that you would mind it. “Me either.”

The two words were barely spoken into the thick tension of the air between you before Matty was all over you, tossing what was left of the cigarette to the sidewalk beneath his shoes and doing his best to blindly stomp it out as his hands find home against the sides of your face, his soft pink lips kissing you as hungry and hurried as he had the other night. 

You felt as though you were on top of the world, finally able to feed the craving you had for his mouth, just as addicted to the taste now as you were a few days ago - even more so now that he wasn’t pulling away when you ran your fingers through the base of his hair, threading your fingers in the dark locks and tugging them in a desperate attempt to bring him closer to you.

The kiss was dizzying, all consuming, hard to keep up in as Matty slowly backed you into the brick wall that he had been leaning up against when you first came outside. You moan at the feeling of your body pushed against the rough material and Matty’s body pressing against your own, another moan tumbles from your lips against his at the feeling of his shirt rubbing against the fresh tattoo on your stomach - the pain that came with the contact had arousal swimming through your veins and pooling between your legs. 

Matty’s hands fell from your face in favor of trailing down the sides of your body, you were already drunk on the feeling, thankful that you didn’t have the layer of latex between skin anymore as his hands find home at your hips, squeezing them before slipping a denim clad thigh between your own. 

You gasp at the feeling and Matty takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, tangling with your own. He kissed you as if his life depended on it, full of desperation and pent up frustration - as if he was hungry, starving, craving. 

You find yourself squirming against his thigh he had pressed between your legs, desperate to relieve some of the built up pressure in your core that had been building since Matty first got his hands on you, tugging on his dark hair as you swallow a groan that fell into your mouth as Matty’s teeth grazed your bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. He pulls back until your lip falls back with a pop, quick to dive back in for more, his tongue meeting your mouth before his own lips did - a bruising kiss that you found yourself getting lost in, melting against the brick wall of 102 Tattoo.  

His blunt fingernails dig into your hips, sure to leave crescent moons behind, before spreading over you. He pulls his thigh from between your legs, a whine of protest on the tip of your tongue, yet dying there when Matty mumbles an order against your lips. “Jump.”

And you might as well have asked him how high with how quickly you were obeying, tugging on his hair before jumping into his tattooed arms, his lips never breaking from yours as he carries you blindly back into the shop.

The chimes above his door that ring out into space have thrill shooting up your spine, settling in your stomach as Matty lays you back out on the leather tattoo chair from before, a whimper falling from your bitten raw lips as his shirt rubs over your tattoo once more. You clench around nothing at the feeling, embarrassed by how quickly the pain had your core throbbing as you squirm against the all too familiar black leather. 

You fight to catch your breath as Matty breaks away from your lips in favor of leaving a trail of open mouth kisses down the side of your jawline, following the expanse of your neck, licking over your pulse point where you were sure that he could feel the racing rhythm of your heart. You felt lightheaded, overheated, dizzy as he grinds down over your core. 

You tug his shirt up his back, desperate to make contact with his bare skin as his teeth graze up the side of your neck, breaking away long enough to pull his shirt over his head, tossing it off to the side before falling back into you. 

You wrap a leg around his waist, running manicured nails along the expanse of his back as he kisses you with fever now. His calloused fingers toy with the hem of your cropped tank top, your stomach twitches at the feeling, allowing Matty’s tongue to melt you against the leather of the tattoo chair as he slowly pulls the material up your body. 

You shiver at the feeling, goosebumps raised along the expanse of your arms as Matty pulls away with the intention of taking your shirt the rest of the way off, though it doesn’t make it much farther than your tits before his head is dropping down in a groan. 

You weren’t quite sure if the guttural groan ripped from Matty’s throat was due to the fact that you weren’t wearing a bra under your tank top or the shiny silver metal pierced through your peaked nipples, either way, you were satisfied to see him so worked up over the sight of you. 

A smile slowly spreads across your face as a teasing remark builds up on your tongue, ready to fire, yet Matty steals all your ammunition by sticking his tongue out and licking a thick strip over the silver bar, all but growling as he leans down to fully wrap his swollen lips around your pierced nipple. Your eyes flutter at the feeling, trailing your manicured nails up his back to rake them through his hair, tugging on the strands as he pulls the piercing with his teeth. 

You squirm at the pinch of pain, quickly overtaken by pleasure as Matty swirls his tongue around the bud in a way that had you panting against the tattoo chair. Matty pulls off from the pierced nipple he had been playing with in favor of licking a stripe across your sternum, over to the neglected side and starting the process over again. 

You moan, squirm, tug, anything to try and relieve some of the pressure built up inside of you. You weren’t quite sure what to focus on; his tongue swirling circles of pleasure around your nipple, his teeth tugging at the silver bar pierced through the bud, his calloused fingertips running along the skin above the waistband of your bohemian style joggers before slipping under the band and slowly pulling the patterned cloth down your legs. 

You unwrap your leg from his waist on instinct, trying to make it as easy as possible for him to undress you, earning you a particularly hard suck before he was pulling away, panting through swollen lips as he tugs your pants off the rest of the way, tossing them in the same direction that his long forgotten shirt had gone. 

Matty groans at the sight of you laid out underneath him in only a black thong that matched the ink on your body, his eyes drawn to the unfinished dragonfly on your stomach, watching the way it almost seemed as though it was about to take flight with the speed at which your stomach was rising and falling through pants. 

You shifted against the black leather of the tattoo chair under his gaze, his dark eyes drank in every inch of you, almost as if he was trying to memorize it so he’d never forget. You allow your own eyes to be as shameless as his, able to get a better look at the unseen ink he had flashed to you earlier, trailing down his torso and squirming at the sight of a rose peeking out above the band of his jeans and the feeling of his spit drying against your tits. 

You were desperate for him to do something, anything, the heat from his stare burned through your already overheated skin and had your core throbbing around nothing. 

“Matty.” You find yourself whimpering his name, the first thing spoken between the two of you since Matty was ordering you to jump in his arms so he could carry you inside. “Please.”

The two words seemed to snap the chord inside of Matty, tongue meeting your lips before his own did, his hands quick to grab your hips and pull you closer to the edge of the chair. You fought to keep up with the pace Matty was kissing you with, proving to be quite difficult as his tongue explored your mouth and had your brain feeling as though it was melting out of your ears with each swipe. 

You trail your hands down his chest, allowing your nails to drag against his skin and raise goosebumps as a ringed finger hooks into the loop of his black denim jeans and tugs, Matty groans against your lips at the feeling, humoring you by grinding down over your core briefly. You moan, tugging on his bottom lip with your teeth as your hands blindly search to pop open the button on his jeans, thankful that you didn’t have to go through the layer of a belt. 

Matty pinches your hip before trailing down to swat your hands away, sucking your lip into his mouth and pulling back until it pops back in place, slowly backing away from you to stand between your legs. Your body follows him blindly, gasping when Matty pushes you back down against the tattoo chair, his nearly black eyes pin you to the leather as his tattooed chest rises and falls quickly through pants. You squirm at the sight, core throbbing. 

“You’ve been driving me fucking crazy.” Matty’s voice is deep, raspy, rough. “All day.” Spoken through pants as his fingers trail a random path down the expanse of your thighs. “Fucking squirming and moaning, teasing.” His blunt fingernails dig into the flesh of your thigh at that, you hiss at the pain. “Making an appointment with me just to get your stomach tattooed, needed my hands on you that badly?”

You nod, squirming against the tattoo chair, a whine falling from your bitten raw lips as his hand comes out to hold your hip down the same way he had been before.

“Yeah? This is what you wanted when you made that appointment, right?” His hand that had been tracing along the inside of your thigh slides up to meet the band of your thong, sliding a finger under the material but not yet pulling it down. “You wanted to tease and push until you got exactly what you wanted.”

“Yes.” You whine, unashamed, drunk on the feeling of his calloused fingertip drawing a pattern at your hip bone under the band of your thong. “Matty, please, I need you.”

“You need me?” Matty mocks in a condescending tone, practically pouting as his finger hooks across the band of your underwear. “Tell me then, love, what exactly is it that you wanted? Hm?” He hums, slowly starting to pull the black material down your legs. “That you need.” 

You felt dizzy, his raspy words shooting straight down to your throbbing core that he was slowly exposing, fighting to get some air down to your lungs. “You.” You whine, squirming against the tattoo chair in desperation as Matty pulls your thong the rest of the way down your legs. “I need you, Matty, please fuck me.”

You couldn’t find it in yourself to be ashamed by how desperate you were for the tattoo artist, not when Matty was groaning and falling back into you - fixing you with a kiss that showed he was just as desperate as you were, blindly fumbling with the button of his jeans and zipper alongside it as he licks, sucks, bites his way through a kiss that left you feeling rather woozy.

The sound of his zipper had thrill shooting up your spine and anticipation coursing through your veins, threading your fingers in his dark hair and giving it a tug, swallowing the groan that tumbles from his lips after. 

Matty slides his hand into his boxers, tugging himself free of confinement, pumping his length once, twice, forcing you to swallow a groan as he swipes a thumb over the tip. You squirm at the sound, whining at the fact that you couldn’t see him, your core throbbing and clenching around nothing as Matty runs his tip through your folds. 

“Fuck, you’re so fucking wet.” Matty groans, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth before pulling back to stare down at you. Your breath hitches at the sight of him, hair tousled over his forehead, his nearly black eyes that stared down at you as though he could eat you alive. He was quite the sight. “This all for me?” Matty’s deep, raspy voice pulls you from the daydream, his dark eyes flashing with something more dangerous as if to clue you in to the fact that he had you all figured out. “Or for my needle?”

You whine, squirm, beg against the leather of the tattoo chair, dizzy at the fact that Matty had seen right through you. You were now more than certain that if Matty hadn’t finished your line work when he had that you would’ve been laid out and naked in his tattoo chair ages ago. You try to wrack your brain for an answer, hard to think when Matty was teasing his tip through your wetness and staring down at you expectantly. 

“Both.” Your voice through breathless pant, desperate, though you shake your head soon after - not liking the answer. “You.” You whine, wrapping a leg back around his waist in hopes that it would make him finally give you what you so desperately craved. “All for you, Matty, fuck, please.”

Matty groans at that, taking hold of the base of his length before slowly entering you, your mouth falls open in the same pace the deeper that he slides into you, gasping out what little breath that was left in your lungs when he finally reaches the hilt.

Your moan practically harmonizes with the groan ripped from Matty’s throat at the feeling of him bottoming out inside of you, already drunk on the feeling of him inside of you before he could even pull out once, slowly before thrusting back inside of you with much more force than the first time. 

It didn’t take him long to find a rhythm after that, hips that snapped into your own in a way that had your eyes rolling back, as though he had been fucking you for years.

His mouth finds a home back against your own in a kiss that was really more panting than actual kissing, your hands running greedily down the expanse of his chest, allowing your nails to scratch softly at his skin. Matty hisses at the feeling, trailing his calloused fingertips up the expanse of your body and capturing your hands in his own on the journey as he pounds into you. 

You were too wrapped up in the pleasure that bloomed through you to even notice that Matty was pinning your hands above your head until he was pressing them down onto the leather of the tattoo chair and groaning into your ear. “Be still.”

But how were you ever supposed to accomplish such a task when all you wanted to do was run your greedy hands all over his body, when he was fucking into you at a pace that you couldn’t quite catch your breath in, when you had been so desperate for this moment since the day you met him. 

You whine, clenching around his length as you try and squirm free from his grasp, wanting to be good for him but unable to stop your body from reacting to the pleasure that rolled through you. The hands that held your wrists squeeze to emphasize the two words that Matty repeats. “Be still.” 

A whimper falls from your kiss-swollen lips as you fight hard to obey, but Matty was dead set on making it impossible, fucking into you slower with each thrust now until your body had stopped squirming against the leather. 

“Please.” You beg, core clenching around his practically still length inside of you, desperate to have the mind blowing pace from before back - though your lungs appreciated the second to catch some air. 

Matty fixes you with a pointed look, a slightly raised brow, dark eyes that convey that he’d give you whatever you wanted as long as you could listen, obey. You whine pitifully, shifting against the tattoo chair one last time before pulling your bottom lip between your teeth and forcing your body to stay still. 

“Good girl.” Matty mumbles and you fight not to preen, only having to sit still for a mere second before Matty is snapping his hips back against your own, a singular thrust that makes your body jolt before stilling yet again. “See, you do know how to behave when you want something badly enough.” 

His words make your head feel fuzzy, digging your fingernails into the hand that holds your wrist down in an attempt to stop yourself from squirming. Matty tilts his head in a patronizing way, a strand of his hair falls down onto his forehead from the action.

“What happened to my little girl with the bold mouth who always has so much to say, hm?” Matty coos, condescending. “She never behaves, so you really must be fucking desperate for my cock, baby.”

You preen at the pet name, addicted to the way it rolled off of his tongue, a broken moan ripped from your throat as you clench around him, sure that he knew just how desperate you were - clenching around his cock like a vice, arms tugging for freedom under his hold. You didn’t like the arrogant look in his eye, staring down at you as if he had faced you with some form of challenge. 

You roll your eyes out of frustration instead of pleasure as you grumble. “Shut the fuck up and fuck me already.”

Your words were bullet less, a satisfied smile falling over his face as his hips finally snapped back into you, building back up to the mind numbing rhythm that he was fucking you with beforehand, cooing. “There she is.” 

You whimper, back to squirming as you try and adjust to the full feeling in your burning stomach. You hated the power he had over you, desperate to rattle him even just a little, knock him down a peg, make him feel as crazy as you did right now - though not knowing how until Matty gave you the ammunition. 

“He wanted you like this.” Matty all but snarled, nostrils flared ever so slightly as a rough hand comes down on the inside of your thigh, spreading your legs farther for him, the tattoo on your stomach burns slightly at the change of angle. “Would have taken you over that coffee bar any day of the week if I hadn’t been standing there to stop him.”

And suddenly you realize who he was talking about, Kian. 

Oh, you could have fun with this. 

“Maybe.” You sigh through a breathy tone, swallowing down a moan as you bat your eyelashes up at the tattoo artist with a lie spilling from your tongue. “Or maybe he already has.” You don’t miss the way Matty’s eyes flash with jealousy, growing impossibly darker as you dig yourself into a hole. “You did leave us with a lot of free time this week.”

Your stomach flips at the feeling of Matty’s blunt fingernails digging rather harshly into the flesh of your wrist, sure to leave marks that would serve as a reminder of him for days on end, his voice rough - eyes narrowed, challenging. “You’re lying.”

You shrug, a teasing smile twitching at your lips as you remind him of his request from earlier with a raised brow that he knocked loose with a deep, long stroke. “I thought we weren’t talking about Kian anymore.”

The look in Matty’s eye is dangerous as the name of the barista tumbles from your lips, he hums, already starting to slow down the pace of his thrusts again, already clenching around his cock to beg for more before he could even spit back. 

“And here I thought you wanted me to fuck you?” He mocks, giving you shallow thrusts now that are already driving you mad. “Can only do that if you’re a good girl and keep that smart fucking mouth of yours shut.” He emphasized with a quick snap of his hips that had your eyes betraying you and rolling back into your skull. “But I know how hard that is for you, right?” Matty coos, pouting, patronizing. “Always gotta have the last word.”

You fight to pull your arms free from his grasp, hating the way that he was able to hold both of your wrists down with just one hand, hating the way that arousal swirled in your stomach at the thought. 

Matty always knew how to get under your skin, capitalizing on the opportunity at any and every chance he could, but unlucky for him - so did you.

“Don’t believe me?” You challenge, the lies continuing to spill from your tongue as you swallow down a whimper at the feeling of him rolling his hips into you, still in a slow place. Matty scoffs, shaking his head, narrowing his eyes in preparation of what you would say next. “Maybe I should call him, then.” You hated how breathless your voice was, not giving you much of a leg to stand on as you do your best to get under his skin as he had done with you. “See if he feels like giving me what I want.”

Matty hums, finally releasing the grip he had on your wrist in favor of bringing both hands down to your hips, his fingernails digging to the flesh and sure to leave a mark as he pulls out of you slowly, his eyebrow twitching once before he was slamming back into you. A gasp rips from your throat at the animalistic way he was fucking into you now, jaw clenched and breathing heavy.

“Yeah, maybe you should call him.” Matty speaks through a tight jaw, taking a hand off of your hip in favor of using it to throw one of your legs over his shoulder, the skin on your stomach stretches at the new angle and causes the fresh outline of the unfinished tattoo to burn, you wince at the pain and it only encourages Matty further. “Let him hear what you sound like fucking purring underneath me, begging for my cock.”  

You moan, whimper, mewl at the feeling of his deep, hard strokes fucking into you in a way that had your free hands greedily finding a home against his back, digging your manicured nails into the skin of his shoulders as he rails into you, unrelenting and mind numbing. 

“You and that little fucking mouth of yours.” Matty groans, voice deeper and rougher than ever. “Makes me so fucking angry.” He emphasizes the last three words with particularly hard thrusts that you nearly drool at. “Every time you pop off something smart, all I wanna do is fill that pretty mouth of yours so you’ll shut the fuck up and learn a lesson for once.”

A guttural moan rips down from your toes as the filthy images of every single fight you and Matty had ever had ending with him making you kneel to the ground and wash your mouth out with - Your pulled from the dirty fantasy by the feeling of Matty slipping two of his fingers through the open gap in your mouth that was dropped open in pleasure. “If you don’t wanna act like a good girl, I’ll make you.”

You moan around his digits, clenching around his cock, feeling rather dizzy as the cool metal band of his Tigers eye ring rests against your swollen lip. Matty’s hips falter at the sight, groaning as you swirl your tongue around his fingers, batting your eyelashes at him and fluttering them closed when his breathing grew heavier and his thrust grew more frantic. 

“See how much better this is?” Matty speaks through breathy pants, pressing his fingers down on your tongue. “Should’ve done this ages ago.” He teases, you graze your teeth along his knuckles, his hips snapping into yours in a way that had you drooling around his fingers. “Such a fucking brat.”

You moan around his fingers, dizzy at his words, digging your manicured nails into his back at the sight of the chain around his neck swaying in your face with each passing thrust. 

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted you like this.” Your heart jumps at his admission, though he’s quick to deflect from real feelings. “How many times I had to stop myself from bending you over and fucking the attitude out of you, fuck.”

Matty drops his head down in a groan, addicted to the feeling of your walls throbbing and clenching around him, only lasting a few more thrusts before he was missing the sound of your voice, pulling his fingers from your mouth in favor of bring the two spit soaked digits down to your neglected, aching bundle of nerves.

Your body jolts at the pleasure that shoots through your veins as his calloused fingers swirl mind numbingly tight circles around and around and around until you feel as though your brain was melting out of your ears. 

“Matty.” You moan his name as if it’s gospel, ripped from your throat and pleading, heat swirling in your stomach and lighting your skin ablaze. 

“Admit it.” He speaks through a clenched jaw. “Tell me you were lying about Kian.” His hips snap into you with a particularly hard thrust at the other guy's name, his nostrils flaring as he stares down at you with dark, dangerous eyes. “That you only said that to make me jealous.”

Your head was shaking in disagreement before the words could even finish falling from his pink lips, not ready to admit it just yet, wanting to make him suffer for leaving you all alone in his shop without a second glance for a little while longer. 

“You sure have a big ego if you think I’d lie about something just to make you jealous.” You scoff, rolling your eyes for good measure, hoping that he couldn’t see right through your tongue full of lies as you add on for good measure. “Maybe I actually like him.”

The five words had barely fallen from your tongue before the hand that was drawing tight figure eights over your clit was being ripped away in favor of wrapping around your throat, smearing your spit and wetness all over your neck as he squeezes, fucking into you so hard that you were scooting up higher on the tattoo chair you were laid out on with every snap of his hips. 

Matty groans at the sight of his Tigers eye ring flashing in the light against your neck alongside the matching necklace that he had gifted you sitting on your chest, his hips faltering at the sight of the pair - almost feeling symbolic. He tightens his hold on your neck, effectively cutting off your air flow as he leans over you, dark eyed and intimidating. 

“Don’t make me fill that pretty mouth up again.” He warns and your lips part on instinct, he smiles at that, a wicked smile as he leans down to spit in your open mouth, melting against your tongue as your eyes roll back in a moan. Matty squeezes your windpipe one last time to emphasize. “Tell me.”

And then his hand was off of your neck, you gasp for air, deep breaths that turn into pants as Matty’s hips snap into yours rougher, harder, deeper. 

“I-I was lying.” You admit, deeming the pleasure coursing through your veins more important than your need to be stubborn. “I didn’t sleep with Kian.”

Matty hums at that, rewarding you with his calloused fingers back at your throbbing, aching bundle of nerves. Your fingernails digging into the skin of his back at the intense pleasure that coursed through your veins, building up inside of you and desperate for release. 

“Did you kiss him?” Matty asks, jaw ticking as he swirls tight circles around your clit, hips fucking into you in a way that had you desperate for the interrogation to end so you could focus on the pleasure blooming through your veins. 

“Once.” You admit, white hot shame rolls through you even though in reality, you didn’t have anything to feel guilty about. You see the way Matty’s eyebrow twitches, the way his nostrils flare, the way his hips deliver a particularly rough thrust at your honesty. “Before you.” You find yourself explaining, desperate to ease the jealousy in his bones now that he was fucking you like this, feeling more vulnerable the closer your got to your release. “I haven’t even seen him since you kissed me.”

“Good.” Matty groans, doubling his efforts on you, leaning down to fit his mouth over yours in a hungry, possessive kiss - almost as if he was trying to wipe the memory of how Kian’s lips felt against your own clear from your mind. “Should’ve been me.” Matty mumbles against your lips, tugging on your lip before pulling back, his dark eyes locking with your own. “He should have never even gotten the chance.”

“It could’ve been you.” You bite back, thinking back on your history with Matty and how much easier things could have been between the two of you if he would have just admitted the feelings he had for you instead of trying to bury them with insults and petty arguments. 

Matty nods. “From now on it will be.” He moans through the promise, kissing down the side of your neck and mumbling against the skin there. “Only me.” Your heart flutters at what he was implying, that you meant something more to him than a heat of the moment hookup, that he actually felt something real for you. ”My girl.” He mumbles against your pulse point, trailing a path of open mouth kisses down your chest. You clench around him at the feeling of his teeth pulling at the Tigers eye necklace he had gifted you, mumbling around the stone that matches the ring slid on one of the fingers that swirled around your clit. “Mine.”

Matty doubles his efforts on you, hips snapping against yours in a way that has your eyes rolling back into your skull, fingernails dragging down his back as his calloused fingers rub tight circles over your clit, driving you closer and closer to the edge. He drops your necklace from between his teeth in favor of licking a strip down your sternum, mumbling. “These drive me fucking crazy.” before his pink lips find home around a pierced nipple, only swirling around the bud once before tugging the silver metal bar between his teeth. 

You were stuck in an endless cycle of moaning Matty’s name, clenching around his cock and dragging your nails down his back, sure to break the skin and draw blood. Your skin was on fire, fighting to catch your breath, the pleasure that bloomed throughout your veins was quickly coming to a peak, desperate to snap and release. 

Matty tugs on your piercing one last time before releasing it all together, staring down at you with dark eyes full of desire and passion, his hips stuttering - letting you know that he was just as close as you were. 

“You wanna cum for me, baby?” Matty groans, the hand that wasn’t between your legs finds home against your throat, threading his fingers in the chord of your necklace before wrapping around your windpipe, squeezing.

You preen at the pet name, addicted to the way it rolled off his tongue, you nodded as best as you could with his hand wrapped around your throat.

“Yeah? Think you deserve it?” You whine, clenching around him, nodding once more - your mind starting to grow fuzzy from the lack of airflow. “Yeah, that’s right, you do deserve it. You’re such a good fucking girl, my good girl, fuck.” Matty praises, tightening his hold on your windpipe before releasing it all together. “Go on, then, baby. Cum for me, show me who you fucking belong to.”

You gasp for air as your orgasm crashes into you, falling apart almost as soon as Matty gives you the permission, your body convulsing against the tattoo chair before melting against the leather as Matty fucks you through your high. 

“Fuck, that’s it, baby.” Matty groaned, leaning back so he could watch the way that he was fucking into you. “So fucking good for me.” Your manicured nails drag down the expanse of his back as his thrusts come harder, faster, more erratic as he chases his own release. “Fuck, I’m-”

His rough voice groans through panting breaths, his fingernails digging into your hip bone as his hips falter, thrusting once, twice, three more times before pulling out of you and pumping a tattooed hand over his length until he was releasing all over his hand with a guttural groan, careful not to get any on the already irritated tattoo on your lower stomach. 

He was still fighting through a heaving chest as you reach out to grab his hand in your own, mesmerized by the sight of his cum painted over the ink, holding eye contact with Matty as you bring his hand up to your mouth and lick around his palm until it was all clean, your tongue swirling around the Tigers eye ring on his finger - the sight had a whimper falling from his bitten raw lips.

You quite liked the sound of that, suddenly feeling as though you could go for another round. You flash your clean tongue at him and his hands fall back at your hip. 

“Christ.” Matty groans, tossing his head back as he fights to get some air down to his lungs. You understood the feeling, fighting to catch your own breath, proving to be quite difficult as you watched the rapid rise and fall of Matty’s chest. He rolls his head to the side so he could get another look at you, his eyes immediately drawn to the dragonfly on your stomach. “Fuck, I didn’t finish.”

“Oh, I think you did.” You tease, giggling when Matty pinches at your hip at the awful joke. 

Matty huffs out a laugh, still trying to get his breathing back to normal as he nods down at your stomach. “I meant your tattoo.”

“Oh.” You glance down at your lower stomach, grimacing at the red, angry skin, the black outline of the dragonfly raised and irritated. “Yeah, I guess you didn’t.”

Matty hums, pinching at your hip yet again, a playful gleam in his eye. “Guess that means you’ll have to come back.”

“Oh, please.” You scoff through a laugh, rolling your eyes at his antics. “As if I don’t share a wall with you.” 

Matty shrugs, running his greedy hands aimlessly along every inch of your body, his touch softer now - not desperate or needy like before, your heart skips a beat at the feeling. 

“Fuck, we can never tell Carmen about this.” Matty fixes you with a puzzled stare, as if to convey the question unspoken. “She told me this would happen and I refuse to give her the satisfaction of being right.”

Matty’s shoulders shake through laughter, his head mirroring the action softly. “Yeah, well, while we're at it, can we not tell George either?” It was your turn to fix him with a puzzled stare, squinting your eyes ever so slightly as Matty fights off a small. “He said the same thing.”

Your laughter mixes alongside his as the two of you fall back into one another, smiling into a kiss that eventually faded into one that was much more slower than any kiss you had ever shared with Matty. Any other one had been hungry, rushed, dirty but this one was different - soft, tender, real. 

It made you feel alive. 

You missed the feeling as soon as it was gone, your eyes fluttering open to glance up at Matty who was already staring down at you, your heart skipping a beat at the sight. You reach out to rest your palm against his face, thumbing his cheek, having to touch him to ensure that he was actually real and this wasn’t all just some sick and twisted dream. Matty leans into your hand, kissing the side of it, proving that he was real - that this was real. 

You couldn’t help but be vulnerable.

“Please don’t run away this time.” You find yourself begging, almost in a whisper, swallowing down the nerves that threaten to climb your throat at the thought of coming into work tomorrow and Matty’s shop being closed permanently this time. 

“I won’t.” Matty assures you, shaking his head at the idea, bringing a hand up to cover the one you had resting on his cheek, squeezing it as he looks at you more seriously. “I promise, okay? No more bullshit.” You nod, swallowing down the lump in your throat, heart swelling as Matty leans down to kiss you softly, mumbling against your lips. “I want to give this a real shot.” Kissing you once more before leaning back to look at you, the faintest tint of pink on his cheeks. “If you’ll have me.”

You giggle, using the hand on his face as leverage to pull him back down into you in a kiss that was really not much more than the two of you smiling against one another, shaking your head softly at how stupid the two of you had been over the past year. 

Matty pulls away to stare at you expectantly, making you realize that you hadn’t really given him a real answer, you knock your knee against his hip in a way that feels all too familiar as you roll your eyes in a playful manner, teasing as you sigh. “God, at least take me to dinner first.”

“Okay.” Matty huffs out a laugh, leaning back down to kiss you again, addicted to the feeling of your lips against his own, mumbling into your mouth. “You got it.” You hum, threading your fingers through your hair and ready to melt back into him, nearly pouting when Matty pulls back to fix you with a pointed look. “As long as it’s not a vegan restaurant.”

You couldn’t help the laughter that poured out of you, tugging on his hair to bring him back into you, nodding your head through a smile as you whisper. “Deal.”

—

You walk down the sidewalk, sipping on an iced coffee in your hand and humming along aimlessly to a song that had been stuck in your head ever since you woke up. 

It was a Friday, the middle of May, not a cloud in the sky. 

You rest the plastic cup that you had been sipping out of in the crook of your elbow as you reach out to open the glass door of 102 Tattoo, the chimes at the top of the door ring out over the low music that hummed from the speaker. A boy with hair as dark as his clothes, shaved at the sides and leaving a thick strip of hair down the middle, glances over his shoulder - a bright smile breaking out over his face at the sight of you. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey.” You smile, walking across the all too familiar flooring of the tattoo shop, over to where Matty was currently leaned over and in the middle of tattooing someone - George. You shoot the brunette a small smile, waving as best as you could with both hands full. You stand behind Matty and he is quick to lean back against your frame. “Thought you could use a little pick me up.” 

You shake the ice around in the plastic cup, drawing Matty’s attention away from the line work on George’s leg. 

“Oh, I love you so much.” Matty draws the words out, resting his head back against your stomach as you lower the cup so he could take a sip from the straw, knowing that he couldn’t grab the coffee with his gloved hands that were currently still holding the tattoo gun. You thread fingers through his hair, staring down at him and your heart skips a beat when he tilts his head back against your stomach so he could get a better look at you, pursing his lips in a way that had your cheeks painted pink as you lean down to press your lips against his own in the upside down position. “Thank you.”

George’s groan breaks the two of you apart, sending the two of you into a fit of laughter. “I didn’t know I was going to be subject to watching a porno while getting a tattoo done.”

You giggle, rolling your eyes as Matty fixes George with a pointed look, flipping his friend off before getting back to work. 

You twist your body to rest the coffee down on the counter next to you, peering over Matty’s frame in an attempt to see what George was getting done. “How’s the tattoo going?”

“Hurts.” George grumbles and Matty rolls his eyes.  

“He’s being dramatic.” Matty scoffs, teasing, tilting his head to the side before leaning down to shade an area he had forgotten before. “It’s not that bad.”

“Dramatic?” George all but gasps, glancing over at you to confirm. “It fucking hurts.” Before looking back down at Matty who was too fixated on shading between the lines he had previously tattooed to pay him any mind. “And do you tell her she’s being dramatic when she’s getting a tattoo done?”

“‘Course not.” Matty shrugs, glancing up at George and fixing his friend with a smug smile before defending himself. “She’s pretty.”

The flush on your cheeks deepen as you roll your eyes at their antics. “Alright, you two, that’s enough.” You gently scold, glancing down at George’s leg. “You almost done?”

“Yeah, just got a little more shading left.” Matty mumbles, his dark eyes hyper fixated on making sure that he hadn’t missed any other spot. “Shouldn’t be too long.”

“Okay, I’ll just go wait over there.” You decide, massaging his scalp with your manicured nails for a split second before unthreading your fingers from his hair all together.

You step away from your boyfriend in favor of making your way over to the couch near the window, plopping yourself down on it and making yourself at home, glancing around the shop and reminiscing on how different 102 Tattoo looked now compared to a year ago. 

The shelves on the wall that had been scattered with random trinkets now had various crystal carvings thrown in between the empty space of the objects that already lived there. The shop was more green than before, various types of plants sitting in the windowsill, hanging from the ceiling and tossed in the corners - mixing well with the black walls and decor from before. The bohemian style rug that laid under his tattoo chair, contrasting against the grey concrete from before.

102 Tattoo seemed to be a perfect representation of the two of you, and the best part was that you had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. Matty had made all of the changes on his own slowly over the year that the two of you had been together, claiming that the new decor helped him feel close to you while he was at work - ironic considering the two of you shared a wall. 

You were so wrapped up in looking at the different vinyl covers hung up on the wall, blushing when you noticed a few of your own favorite albums scattered amongst his own, that George’s voice so close to you startled you. 

“I’m glad I got to see you.” You focus your eyes on the brunette before you, accepting the hug that he was offering to you. “Even if it was just for a little bit.” You return the sentiment, glancing down at his leg in hopes to see the new tattoo Matty had just finished, confused when you saw it already wrapped up. “Yeah, your boyfriend didn’t even let me take a picture of it first.” He scoffs and you giggle, rolling your eyes. “Think he’s ready for me to fuck off so he can have you all to himself.”

“I am.” Matty calls out from across the shop, glancing over at the two of you with a playful smile as he cleans up his area. “Fuck off.”

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” George mumbles, holding his hands up in defense. “I’ll see you both on Saturday, yeah? Half priced drinks down at Lucky’s. I’m trying to get sloshed.” Smiling when the two of you confirm the plan. “Alright, I’ll fuck off then, see you Saturday.” His long legs carried him over towards the front door of 102 Tattoo, lingering on the handle to call over his shoulder before leaving the building. “Please don’t fuck on the counter.”

Your laughter mixes with the chimes at the top of Matty’s door as George walks out without another word, shaking your head softly as you stand up off the couch and make your way over to your boyfriend who had just finished cleaning up, glancing over at you before tossing the paper towels in his hands into the trash. 

“So, what do you say?” Matty mumbles, turning his attention solely on you, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest and wiggling his eyebrows. “Should we fuck on the counter?”

You snort through a laugh, hitting him softly on the arm as you roll your eyes before reminding him. “Poppy’s birthday is tomorrow.”

Matty nods. “I know.” His eyebrows furrowed together as he teases. “Not quite sure why you’re bringing my sister up while I’m trying to get in your pants, but.”

You reach out to hit his arm once more, shaking your head. “And did you get your sister a gift?”

“Yeah, ‘course I did.” Matty shrugs, eyes shifting to the floor to avoid the way you were staring at him as if you already knew the answer. “Fine.” He sighs, bringing his eyes back to meet your own. “I was sort of relying on you for that.”

“Some things never change.” You tease, rolling your eyes playfully as you turn on your heels and start to walk towards the glass door of 102 Tattoo, turning over your shoulder to call after him. “Come with me.”

Though you didn’t even have to instruct him, Matty was already on your heels, following you like a lost puppy as you walked out of his tattoo shop and into Seven Wonders. Matty didn’t stick out so bad in the space of your crystal shop anymore, some of his artwork hung up on your walls, an ashtray of his sitting on your orange countertop, little reminders of him littered throughout the space. 

You stand in the middle of your shop, glancing around the space as you try to decide which section to tackle first. Matty stands behind you, sliding his arms around your waist, kissing the top of your head before mumbling into your hair. “So, what are you thinking?” 

Your eyes scan over the shelf full of various tarot card decks and suddenly, you couldn’t help but allow the déjà vu to wash over you, memories of the two of you in this very shop a year ago - trying to decide on a birthday gift for his sister. 

“How much has changed.” Your voice is soft, not answering his question in the way that he meant it, turning around in his arms to face your boyfriend who was looking down at you with a puzzled gaze. “I mean, we were barely even friends a year ago, sitting up on that counter and trying to find a way to talk to one another without ripping each other's heads off.”

“Hey, speak for yourself, it wasn’t your head I wanted to rip off.” Matty teases with a raised brow, you giggle, hitting his chest softly, watching the way he turns his head to glance at your orange counter. “Yeah, if I remember correctly, you had insisted on reading my fortune.” Matty grumbles. “Which ended up being terrible, by the way.”

A breath of laughter falls from your nose as you think back on the cards you had pulled for Matty, how well they all seemed to fit, all three of them. You knock your foot against his own, threading your fingers in his dark hair. “They weren’t all terrible.”

“No.” Matty smiles easily, pinching your hip. “It is a bit crazy to think about though, huh?” Matty huffs out a laugh. “How hard everyone was rooting for us.” He trails off. “Carmen, George, Poppy, The Universe. I mean, what are the odds that we both pull The Lovers card, right?”

Your stomach flips at the memory of the air knocked from your lungs when you had flipped Matty’s last tarot card over and it was the same one you had pulled for yourself previously. The same card that ended up being stuck to the bottom of your shoe after what was almost a moment between you and Matty, knowing in the moment that the two of you pulling the card was no coincidence - just as sure as you were now staring into his eyes. 

“I mean, that’s got to be some sort of cosmic pull or something.” Matty comments, trying to search for the right word, his eyes gleaming when he finds it. “Kinda like fate.”

Your heart flutters at his choice of wording, the same three words he had said to you on the very first day the two of you had met after sliding the Tigers eye ring onto his finger. 

Two strangers who never quite felt like strangers at all, teasing banter over knocked knees and pink cheeks, stealing glances at the other in moments where you thought you wouldn’t be caught. 

You had always trusted that the universe had a plan. 

A plan that you had never doubted, not even once, even when the universe took your world and flipped it completely upside down.

And as you stood in the middle of Seven Wonders, wrapped up in the tattooed arms of your boyfriend, the same ring that he fell in love with on the first day you met him still sitting proudly on the hand that pinched at your hip - you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face as you found yourself breathlessly agreeing. “Yeah, like fate.”  

[noacfslut]

Can we get a blurb of lover leaver Matty cumming in his pants?🫣 I feel like Jewels would have a field day with this happening

this is part of the lover, leaver universe, if you haven't read both parts, then you probably should <3

lover, leaver / taker, believer / other blurbs within this au

what started as an innocent movie night quickly turns into a filthy scene of you sitting on matty's lap while he sucks on your tits fights to not cum in his pants (he loses the battle lol)

minors do not interact!

tags: 18+, dry humping, boob play/nipple play/piercing play (he's obsessed with her tits okay!), choking, girlie's first time being more dominant

4081 words

“Oh, god.” You moan out through breathless pants, swallowing thickly before your head tips back in pleasure from the way Matty’s swollen lips wrapped around your peaked, pierced nipple - his thumb rolling your other so it wouldn’t feel left out. 

What had started off as an innocent movie night had somehow turned into you straddling Matty’s lap with your top thrown halfway across his living room, your manicured nails threaded through his dark hair as he practically worships your chest.

It was no surprise that the movie went unwatched, it didn’t take long for Matty’s hand to sneak its way underneath your shirt to mindlessly play with your breasts - something he did more often than not. But he couldn’t help it, he was obsessed with them, maybe too much. You only had to squirm once before Matty was pulling you over onto his lap, ripping your shirt the rest of the way off and moaning with a mouth full. 

But you didn’t mind, how could you? The movie that had been sitting on your watchlist for months now was the absolute last thing on your mind right now, only able to focus on the swirl of Matty’s tongue around your nipple, the desire that burned through your veins, the arousal dripping from your core. 

Matty breaks away from your sensitive bud in favor of latching his swollen lips to the skin just barely under where the neckline of a low cut top would cover, sucking a bruise over the surface as two of his fingers come to rest at your lower lip. You’re quick to draw them in, moaning around his digits as his teeth nibble at your breast to help pop the blood vessels and ensure that the bruise would stick. 

Your eyes roll back at the thought of him marking you, owning you, making you his as you suck on his fingers just as filthy as you felt right now. You couldn’t help but feel slutty with your boyfriend's fingers on your tongue, practically naked in only your thong and settled over Matty who was fully dressed. 

But even with drool starting to collect on your chin, you didn’t look nearly as slutty as Matty did right now, finally deeming the dark bruise he was sucking into your breast worthy as he breaks away only to dive back in over your pierced nipple - tongue first. His lips were swollen, eyes blown with lust and fluttering closed from the pure pleasure he was getting just from sucking on your tits. 

You moan at the thought, feeling lightheaded from the reminder of just how obsessed with your breasts your boyfriend was. Your teeth graze over his digits as you swallow around them, feeling as though you were about to burn alive from the pleasure coursing through you. Matty mirrors the action by grazing his teeth over your sensitive bud and the feeling has you biting down on his fingers, only to moan around them when Matty mirrors that action as well. 

You fight to keep up with him, wanting to make him feel as desperate as you were, swirling your tongue around his fingers to match the way his own was circling around your nipple. Matty groans at the realization, his fingers curling down on your tongue meanly before pulling them from your mouth and leaving you to whimper pitifully with a pout at the loss of him. 

Though the pout doesn’t remain on your face for long, Matty is quick to break it apart by bringing his spit soaked fingers down to the peaked bud that he wasn’t currently assaulting with his mouth. Your body jolts slightly at the cool feeling of his wet fingertips coming in contact with such a sensitive area, a moan ripped from your bitten raw lips as your head falls back in pleasure. 

“Fuck, Matty.” You sigh, adjusting your position in his lip and nearly whimpering at the brush of the bulge in his sweatpants against your core. Your fingers threaded in his hair tighten slightly at the feeling, already drunk on the ghost of relief it brought you. 

You roll your hips down on his lap in an experimental way, chasing some form of relief for your aching, throbbing core and your thighs tremble from the pleasure that bloomed through you. Matty groans around a mouth full, his teeth grazing over your sensitive bud before they latch onto the piercing peeking out the sides and roll the silver bar between his teeth. 

“Be still.” Matty mumbles against you, the deep drawl of his tone vibrates against the silver bar between his teeth and causes a new wave of heat to roll through your stomach, your hips follow suit. Matty unoccupied hand pinches at your hip out of punishment. “Don’t get greedy, take what I give you.”

You moan freely, desperately, your fingernails dig into his scalp as your dripping core clenches and begs for attention. You were sure that if Matty had given you the order a minute ago, that you might have been able to listen, maybe. But the relief that the few rolls of your hips had already given you was an addictive feeling that your body continued to chase, completely out of your control as they involuntarily grind down onto his lap in a desperate attempt to ease the ache in your throbbing core. 

Matty’s spit soaked fingers continue to swirl circles around one of your sensitive buds as sure and practiced as his tongue did around your other. He grips your hip tightly in a poor attempt to prevent you from grinding down on his lap again, he was already feeling rather dizzy and practically on edge just from having your tits in his mouth and he wasn’t sure if he could handle much more than the feeling of you tugging on his hair. 

Though it was nearly impossible to stop the roll of your hips with only one hand and he was too addicted to the moans tumbling out of your bitten raw lips from the way his spit soaked fingertips swirled around your pierced nipple in rhythm with his tongue on your other to pull away and provide an extra hand. 

Matty’s fingers dig meanly into your hip, sure to leave faint bruises behind when this is all said and done, fighting a losing battle to keep you still in his lap. He grazes his teeth over your bud before biting down softly as his fingertips pinch your other nipple in what you were sure was meant to be a punishment, but you couldn’t help the way your head tipped back and mouth dropped open in pleasure as your body jolted from the pain. 

You should have felt embarrassed by how desperate you were acting right now, dry humping your boyfriend as if the two of you were a pair of inexperienced teenagers who were too scared to take it any further. You knew that it wouldn’t take much more than a bat of your eyelashes to make Matty throw you down on the couch and relieve the pressure building inside of you, but you couldn’t help but want to stay glued to his lap, chasing the relief yourself through a pitiful roll of your hips that Matty was actively trying to stop. 

“Baby.” Matty mumbles against you, his teeth grazing a nipple once more.

And while the pet name had butterflies swimming through the desire fueled fire in your stomach, you knew that the simple word served as a warning and even though you were sure that you were quickly running out of them, you couldn’t help but ignore the warning in favor of grinding down over the swell of his sweatpants harder. 

Though Matty is quick to put a stop to that, finally pulling the hand that had been assisting his mouth in driving you mad away from your tits in favor of gripping the other side of your hip to stop the way they rolled down over him. He felt dizzy, lightheaded, heart racing against his ribcage as he broke away from your pierced nipple to catch his breath through swollen lips. 

Matty’s fingertips dig meanly into the skin of your hips, sure to leave crescent moon shaped marks behind as he stares up at you with dark eyes blown wide with lust, the heated eye contact has a new wave of arousal pooling between your legs. 

You make a poor attempt to roll your hips down to relieve the ache but it was nearly impossible to do now that Matty had your hips gripped in both hands. You whine at the loss of pleasure, tugging on his hair as rough as his hands that held you still. Matty’s eyes flutter closed for a second from the feeling before opening back up to fix you with a pointed look.

“You’re not being very good.” Matty pinches your hip with purpose as he speaks through a low, gravely tone that has your throbbing core clenching in desperation. 

You whine at his words and the longer you stared into Matty’s dark eyes, the quicker you felt like batting your own just to get your way, desperate for him to throw you down and ravish you as hot and fast as he had been with your chest for the better half of the past hour. 

But you were addicted to the pleasure his tongue brought against your pierced nipple, addicted to the power you felt from the position the two of you were in right now, you couldn’t help but allow that power to get to your head as you stared into your boyfriends lust filled eyes and realized they were mostly blown so wide just from licking and sucking his way around your chest. 

You felt dizzy at the realization, your fingernails digging into his scalp as you shook your head softly, swallowing down a moan as you shamelessly admit. 

“I don’t care.” You speak the three simple words through a breathless tone, allowing the power you felt to rush to your head and give you the confidence to take on a more dominant role for once, swallowing down the nerves that threatened to climb up your throat as you dig your fingernails harsher into his scalp. “Neither are you, I didn’t tell you to stop.”

You could almost feel the shift of energy in the room as the words tumbled from your bitten raw lips and hit Matty like a freight train. The two of you are silent for a beat, only sharing breathless pants as you stare at one another with eyes blown wide with desire and racing hearts. 

You couldn’t help but feel more powerful in this position, looking down at Matty who was staring back up at you with an expression that you couldn’t quite read, his fingertips slowly starting to grip your hips tighter with each passing breath. 

You could see the wheels turning in Matty’s mind, almost as if he was considering how to handle you right now, if he should throw you down on the couch and remind you who was really in charge here or lean into the dizzy spiral that the faint dominance in your tone was sending him down. 

You give Matty’s hair a soft tug in an attempt to bring his mouth back on your chest and that seems to be enough to wake Matty from his daydream and decide which path to fall down. Matty was quick to dive back over your pierced nipple with a wide tongue that swirled in an even more delicious way than before, the shift in energy between the two of you fueled a fire under his ass to make you that much more desperate for him. 

“Oh my god.” You sigh, your eyes fluttering closed from the feeling of his tongue licking and swirling a pattern that he never let you get used to. He’d swirl big circles around your pierced nipple before zeroing in to deliver faster, more pointed licks and then wrap his swollen lips around the sensitive bud to suck for a beat before starting the process over again, mixing and matching the three in a mind numbing rhythm that had so much desire coursing through your veins that you could nearly taste it. “Matty, I- fuck, that feels so good.” 

You whine, tugging on his hair before sliding your hand to the back of his head and holding him in place in fear that he’d pull away again. Matty moans at the feeling, his nails digging into the skin of your hips as your head tosses back in a moan that ripped from your throat and shot through his ear to swirl arousal down in his stomach - only fueling the fire under his ass as he smirks through each moan of yours that fill the air from every swipe of his tongue. 

You felt as though you were on fire, burning alive as sweat started to prickle at the base of your neck as you fought against Matty’s grip on your hips in a failed attempt to relieve the pressure between your thighs. You roll your head to the side to watch your boyfriend work, eyes glued to the way his jaw flexed and Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat from the way he sucked on your tits. 

“Fuck, you look so pretty like this.” You moan breathlessly, too drunk on the feeling of his tongue to find the irony in you calling such a masculine, tattooed man pretty - but in the moment, that was the only word that came to mind when you looked at him. 

With the way his dark eyelashes fanned against his cheeks from the way his eyes fluttered shut as he worked his mouth over you, you couldn’t help but thread your manicured nails through his hair at the back of his head and tug on it softly at the sight of him. 

He was so pretty like this, addictive like this, desperate like this. 

The typical dominant, powerful man that you were so used to was getting off to just the action of sucking on your pierced nipples and practically whimpering with each passing tug you fixed his hair with. You could feel the desperation he felt for you through the tongue that explored your chest and you couldn’t help but feel drunk on the feeling of him, on the sight of him. 

The way he had somewhat submitted to you earlier, the way he was allowing you to hold the back of his head so he couldn’t pull away from your tits even if he wanted (though he never really wanted to) or the way he was staring up at you now with glazed over eyes that were dark as ever and blown wide with lust and desire. 

Your heart races against your ribcage as the desperation in his eyes drips through your veins and fuels the throbbing ache in your core. The pleasure that bloomed through you mixed with the way he was looking up at you has you feeling confident and powerful enough to tug on his hair and moan out a newfound praise. 

“Fuck, you’re being so good for me.” The words don’t come out as authoritative or powerful as they did when Matty was speaking them to you, but even through your breathless tone they still had the same affect on your boyfriend who was groaning around the silver bar in his mouth and removing a hand from your hip in favor of wrapping it around your throat. 

You gasp at the feeling, mouth dropped open in pleasure as Matty glares up at you, grazing his teeth against your sensitive bud as he applies more pressure to your throat - not enough to cut off your airflow but enough to make you feel dizzy regardless. 

The grip that Matty had on your throat felt as though he was holding onto the last shred of power he had left, as if he was fighting to assert some form of dominance to prove a point that was already mute. A lazy grin spreads slowly over your face and Matty was already biting down on your sensitive bud softly before you could even get the teasing words fallen from your tongue. 

“Yeah?” The word comes out breathless, meek, yet the vibration that comes from your throat and hits the palm of his hand drives him crazy. “You like when I call you a good boy?”

The hand wrapped around your neck tightens once more, effectively cutting off your airflow and spreading the lazy smile on your face even wider. Matty moans around a mouth full, his teeth grazing your nipple, his fingers digging into the side of your neck and causing your eyes to roll back softly. 

You take advantage of the fact that Matty was only holding you still with one hand at your hip again and grind down on him for the first time in what felt like ages, You moan as best as you could with a hand around your throat at the instant relief you felt wash over you just from one singular roll of your hips, ready to repeat the action and chase the feeling but your own hips freeze when Matty’s body jolts underneath you. 

The grip he has on your waist and throat tighten as his hips start to convulse softly underneath your own, his teeth bite down softly over a pierced nipple before he breaks away from your tits all together to toss his head back in a guttural moan that shoots straight down to your throbbing core. 

You watch Matty closely, the way his eyes rolled back, the way his cheeks developed a pink tint, the way his chest was rising and falling rapidly from the way he was panting to catch his breath - it was a sight that was all too familiar for you. 

Matty’s hand loosens on your throat as his body grows lax against the couch, keeping his hand at the base of your neck as a reminder but not actually cutting off any airflow. You should have been taking in a deep breath to refill your lungs but it was hard to remember how to breathe at all when you were looking down at your boyfriend as your mind whirled with what had just happened. 

“Did you just-“ You start to ask but Matty is quick to cut you off in favor of tossing his head back on the couch and groaning out. 

“Fuck.” The simple word comes out deep, raspy, it shoots straight through you and answers the question that you didn’t even get to finish asking. 

Your heart races against your ribcage, ears ringing and core dripping as you realize that Matty had just cum in his pants after barely being touched. Your mind races to pinpoint what might have sent him over the edge, if it was the pure pleasure he got from sucking on your tits or the sinful way you rolled your hips down on his lap to chase relief, or maybe it was the newfound title you had given him in the heat of the moment - good boy. 

You feel dizzy at the thought. That the man who had always been so strong and powerful, so controlled, couldn’t contain himself when you had called him a parallel to something that he said about you more times than you could count.  

Your head was starting to swim down a spiral of good boy, pink stained cheeks and the sight of his swollen lips that you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off of. Matty’s eyes finally start to open, slow and nervous, you lock eyes with him for barely a second before you couldn’t take it anymore. 

You wrap your own hand around Matty’s throat and pull him in for a kiss as filthy as you felt right now, moaning into his mouth as you apply light pressure to his throat, seemingly waking him up and springing him into action as his tongue tangles against your own in some form of dominance battle that you were determined to win. 

The fact that he had just cum in his pants just from sucking on your tits and being called a good boy made you feel as though you held all the power in the world, you allow to feeling to rush to your head as you suck Matty’s bottom lip into your mouth and pull back slowly until it pops back in place. 

When you pull back, the sight of Matty alone makes your core clench, his glazed over eyes that were as dark as ever staring up at you almost as if he was waiting for you to say something, anything. Whether it was you teasing him for cumming in his sweatpants or instructing him to do something, a newfound heat rolls through your stomach at the latter. 

You tighten the hold you have on his neck as your hips rolls down involuntarily to relieve the ache between your legs, your thong surely ruined as you moan in sync with Matty at the feeling of you grinding down on his lap. You glance down to look at how you were settled over him and nearly fall apart at the sight of how his sweatpants were a darker grey underneath you than anywhere else. 

You felt dizzy at the uncertainty of if the wet patch on his sweatpants was due to you grinding down on him in just a flimsy thong, him cumming in his pants or a filthy mixture of both. 

You couldn’t take it anymore, glancing back up at Matty and tightening your grip on his neck before ordering. “Lay down.”

Your voice was rushed, desperate, breathless as you use the leverage you have with your hand around his throat to push him to the side and help him lay down on the couch as you had instructed him to. 

Matty is quick to obey, holding onto your hips with both hands to hold you steady and ensure you wouldn’t topple off of the couch as he adjusts the position the two of you were in so that he was laying flat on the couch and you were still sitting pretty and straddling his lap. 

Though, straddling his lap wasn’t what you had in mind. 

You slowly lean down over him, a hand placed down on his chest as you practically start to crawl over him, Matty’s eyes grow wider ever so slightly at the sight of you. You fight off a smirk and swallow a groan as your sensitive nipples brush against his shirt as you lean down over his face. 

You reach out to hold Matty’s chin in your hand, mirroring an action that always made you feel dizzy when he’d do it to you, surely making Matty feel the same with the way he was staring up at you - wide eyed and pleading. 

You understood now why Matty loved to be in control, to be so dominant and filthy with you, you felt on top of the world even when you were only on top of your boyfriend. 

You grip Matty’s chin tighter and his mouth falls open with ease, your heart races against your ribcage as your mind swirls around in possibilities of what you could do with it, how you could spit it in like Matty had done more times than you could count or maybe fill it with two of your fingers and make him beg you to do something, anything to him. 

You had the perfect opportunity to get Matty back for all the teasing, edging and punishing he had done to you in the year you had been together. But as you stare down at your boyfriend who was practically laying in his own cum, you couldn’t find it in yourself to do any of the wild possibilities, you already had your mind up with what you wanted. 

You use the grip you have on his chin to push his head to the side softly so you could lean down and lick up the expanse of his jawline up to his ear. Matty’s fingernails dig meanly into your hips as a faint moan tumbled from his lips as your breath hits his ear, making you feel all the more powerful as you whisper hotly into it. 

“Are you gonna be a good boy for me while I sit on your face?”

[noacfslut]

lover, leaver - matty healy

this is part one of two <3

you treat me badly, i love you madly, you've really got a hold on me.

you are the owner of a crystal store that just so happens to share a wall with the bane of your existence, matty healy, the owner of 102 tattoo. you both swear that you despise each other despite the fact that the two of you always seem to feel weak in the knees when the other is around. maybe being forced to share a wall with the tattoo artist was karma coming back for vengeance or maybe the universe has a bigger plan for you both than either of you realize.

after all, fate has a twisted sense of humor.

minors do not interact!

tags: 18+ (no smut in this part but there will be in part two), sexual tension, enemies to lovers, slow burn, major slow burn, very brief violence, miscommunication, matty is a major asshole in this but i love him still, jealousy, angst, resisting feelings, rollercoaster of emotions lol

38442 words

You had always trusted that the universe had a plan.

A plan that you had never doubted, not even once. That is, until the universe took your world and flipped it completely upside down.

You remember the day vividly, the day that you met him for the first time.

You were walking down the sidewalk, sipping on the iced coffee in your hand and humming along aimlessly to a song that had been stuck in your head ever since you woke up, on your way to open up your crystal store for the day. It was a Thursday, the middle of May, not a cloud in the sky. The perfect weather helped mask the underlying sadness that had been holding a pit in your stomach ever since the previous owner of the building next to yours, Oscar, had shut down his ice cream shop and moved across the country. You had grown to become very friendly with the older gentleman and were sad to see him go but wished him well on his voyage, you just hated change. You hated anything that shook up your normal day to day routine and after months of Oscar’s absence, you had finally started to get used to your new routine without him - just in time for someone new to swoop in and fuck it up again and boy, were you unprepared for the storm he’d bring with him.

You heard the sound of a hammer banging against wood as you walked down the sidewalk and past the vacant building next to your own shop, hearing him before you actually saw him, almost running into the ladder that supported him as your nose was too busy buried in your phone to even notice it - so used to having the corner of the strip of stores to yourself that seeing someone else outside of the building next to yours shocked you. You take a sip of your coffee, eyes following the height of the ladder, taking in the stretch of black boots, black denim and a black shirt until your eyes land on the back of the stranger's head - his hair as dark as his clothes, both sides of his head shaved yet grown out slightly and leaving a thick strip of hair down the middle, pushed back and styled in a way that seemed so effortless yet so put together. 

Your eyes followed the stretch of his tattooed arms over his head, holding a hammer in one hand that banged a nail into the banner that his other hand supported, a mumbled curse catching in the wind when he hit the hammer against his thumb instead of the nail. Your curiosity got the better of you, taking your eyes away from him in favor of looking up at the banner he was trying to hang, tilting your head to the side as you read the medieval font printed on the vinyl - 102 Tattoo. 

You squinted at the sign, “A tattoo shop?” You mumble to yourself, taking another sip of your coffee before finally making your presence known, speaking louder now so he could hear you from his place up on the ladder. “Hey, do you know anything about the person moving in here?”

The boy on the ladder jumps slightly at the sound of someone speaking to him, missing the nail with the hammer yet again and striking his thumb. “Fuck me.” He hisses, bringing his thumb up to his mouth to soothe the ache. You wince at the sight, feeling guilty for being the cause of his pain. The boy takes his hand out of his mouth, shaking the remainder of the pain off before continuing to hang up the banner that advertises the new business moving in next door. He hasn’t turned around to look at you, focusing on the task at hand, holding the end of a nail between his teeth as he straightened up the vinyl and responded. “You’re looking at him.”

And oh, was he an upgrade from Oscar. You loved Oscar, of course, but he was a much older man - someone you viewed as more of a grandfather figure than anything. You suddenly didn’t miss Oscar’s presence at all now that you had him in front of you. He was much closer to your own age, only off by a few years if anything, with arms scattered in tattoos you yearned to know the meaning of and hands that would feel so good against - 

“Oh!” You exclaim, gripping your iced coffee in your hand a little tighter at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t realize someone had bought the place.”

The boy finally nails the one corner of the banner to the post, huffing in frustration when he realized it wasn’t even. “Yeah, I just got the keys yesterday.” He comments, offhanded and uninterested, looking down at the ladder that supported him. “Sorry if I’m in your way, I just-” His head turned over his shoulder to finally look at you and oh.

The captivation you felt by the back of his head was no match for what you felt seeing his face for the first time, dark eyes growing wider as they locked with your own, his pink, plump lips parted slightly at the sight of you, his long legs stumbling against the steps of the ladder, his tattooed arms coming out to catch himself so he didn’t fall right off of it. 

Your arms came out instinctively, ready to catch the stranger even though realistically - if he had come tumbling down, he would take you with him. Your eyes wide as you watched him recover on top of the ladder, his face paler than before, holding his chest in what you could only assume was an attempt to slow his heart rate down, surely pounding at his near tumble. “Oh my god, are you okay?” 

The boy with dark hair cleared his throat, still holding his chest, dark eyes searching your face. “Yeah, yup, totally fine.” Forcing a smile as he took a deep breath through his nose. You smiled up at him with the faintest scrunch of your eyebrows, immediately intrigued by him. The smile on his face turned into a real one accompanied by the faintest, palest shade of pink as he shook his head softly before starting to descend down the ladder.

You took another sip of your coffee as the strangers' boot clad feet made contact with the pavement of the sidewalk, turning to stand in front of you, revealing the front of his black shirt, some band that you haven't heard of before but appreciated the design printed on. You felt a little lightheaded having him so close now, blaming it on the fact that the ice coffee in your hand was the only thing on your stomach and not the fact that you could smell the cigarette he had burned god knows how long ago now, the fact that you could see his features much clearer now that he wasn’t so high up on the ladder, the fact that with him this close you couldn’t help but realize - he’s cute. 

You wondered if his mind was whirling with the same thoughts, could only assume so when he locked eyes with your own and fought off a smile, clearing his throat once more before holding his hand out for you to shake. “Uh- Hi. I’m Matty.” You accepted the hand shake, trying not to dwell on the fact that it lingered for a beat too long. “I just bought the place not too long ago, as soon as I saw the listing for it, I put an offer down. I didn’t even have a business name yet.” The stranger, Matty, explained through a soft laugh, even though you hadn’t asked. “Some older guy used to own it, I hear?”

You smiled at the mention of your old friend. “Yeah, Oscar, he was really nice.” Matty nodded along, stuffing a hand in the front pocket of his jeans as you shook your head through a giggle. “You didn’t even have a business name?” Matty smiles, shrugging. “So you’re quite impulsive then I assume. You must be an Aries, then?”

Matty’s dark eyes instantly roll, a scoff tumbling from his pretty, pink lips. “Oh, god.”

You smile at his antics, squinting your eyes slightly. “What?”

“Please don’t tell me you’re one of those astrology girls.” Matty groans. “I was just starting to like you.”

Your mouth drops open in faux offense, a sight that Matty shakes his head at. “What’s wrong with astrology girls?”

“Nothing.” Matty shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. “It’s just all a load of shit, though, isn’t it?” Almost as if it was on cue, his dark eyes fall to the jewelry hanging from your neck, growing wider at the sight. “Sorry, I just meant that like-” Stumbling through words to try and save himself yet again. “I just don’t really believe in all of that-” Matty cut himself off again, trying to search for the right words, moving his hands around as he spoke. “Hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo shit.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head through a smile, your tone of voice full of amusement. “Oh, you’re going to hate sharing a wall with me.” 

Matty’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not connecting the dots himself. You nod your head in the direction of your store next door, his head immediately turning around to read the sign above the front door - much more official than his own. Which, it should be, you had been established there for years now.

“Metaphysical store?” Matty mumbled through a stretched neck, turning it back straight to face you now. “What’s that mean?”

You giggle, shrugging. “Oh, you know, just your classic-” Clearing your throat to put on a thick accent in a poor attempt to mock his own, moving your hands around just as he did before. “Hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo, load of shit.” You laugh at the shocked look on his face, the way his face turned as pale as it did up on the ladder, waving softly with a smile. “Hi, neighbor.”

Matty’s cheeks flush pink, a beautiful color that you’d like to store away forever in a bottle, bringing his arm around to the back of his head and smiling awkwardly. “Well, I’ve just properly ruined this then, haven’t I?” You laugh, bringing your forgotten iced coffee up to your mouth to take a sip. “Let’s start over, I think we should start over.” He nods, clearing his throat and shaking his arms in a way that had you laughing over your bitten straw between your teeth as you watched him reset, shooting you a bright smile as he offered his hand back out to you. “Hi, I’m Matty.”

You smile, taking his hand in a shake for the second time that day, allowing it to linger for a beat too long again. You return the sentiment, telling him your name this time, realizing that you hadn’t introduced yourself yet. “Right, so I’m your new neighbor, uh - fun fact about me is that I’m an Aries.” You laugh, biting down on your straw harder to try and stop your smile from breaking your face. “Super cool, I know, I love astrology.”

You snort, shaking your head, pulling the bitten straw out of your mouth. “You’re an idiot.”

“What?” Matty smiles. “I love space.” 

“That’s astronomy.” You correct through a soft giggle, snorting at the way his face drops. 

“Right.” He nods, shrugging with an easy smile. “Well, I love both.” You shake your head softly, watching as Matty glances back at your store again, peeping at your inventory through the glass windows. “So, what? You have like shit to make potions and spells in there?”

You snort at his choice of words, shrugging and nodding because technically he wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, kinda.” 

“No, shit!” Matty gasps, glancing back at the store again, turning back to stare at you in bewilderment. “Really? Like witches?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, bringing two of your fingers up to your temples and staring at him with wider eyes, the condensation from your cup of iced coffee dripping down your wrist. “Don’t get on my bad side, I might hex you.”

Matty gulps, his eyebrows furrowing and cocking in concern. “Hex?” Smiling softly when you dropped your act and started to make your way past him, stomach fluttering at the way his eyes followed you the entire way, turning his body when he couldn’t turn his head any more. “Should I void my lease?”

“You’re an idiot.” You giggle, putting your key into the lock of the door to your store, turning it and opening the glass, the sound of chimes filling the empty space as you turned your head to look at Matty over your shoulder. “You wanna come inside and see for yourself?” Opening the door a little wider and raising your eyebrow to tease him. “Or are you too scared you’ll be sacrificed?”

Matty’s pink lips twitch up into a smile, shaking his head softly, but taking a step forward regardless. You waited for him at the door, pushing it open further when he got close, brain clouding up from the closeness once more as his shoulder brushed up against your own when Matty paused in the door frame to look at you. “I’m too pretty to be sacrificed.”

You laugh through a scoff. “Oh, please.” You push him into your store the rest of the way, reaching out to turn the big light on as the smell of his cigarette mixed cologne swirled with the lingering smell of incense in your store. It was intoxicating. 

You walk over to your front counter, throwing your purse and nearly empty cup of coffee down onto the orange surface, glancing over at Matty who lingered in the doorway, glancing around the space yet not taking any initiative to walk around. You smile to yourself, the sight of him standing in your store was a contrast you hadn't seen before, almost a complete polar opposite. “You can walk around, you know? Feel free to explore.” You called out to him, hopping on top of the counter and watching him with a teasing smile. “I promise nothing is going to jump out and bite you.”

Matty smiled in a way that told you he had a joke on the tip of his tongue, but he decided against sharing it in favor of taking a few steps forward, careful not to knock against anything as he explored your store. “So, where are the potions?”

You snort, bringing your legs up to the counter to cross underneath yourself. “I don’t actually have potions, that’s not how it works.” Shaking your head at the way Matty’s shoulders slumped. “But there are some supplies in here to do a spell or two if you’re feeling frisky.”

Matty smirked, hesitating before picking up a stone out of a bucket labeled Amethyst. “You’ve got some cool looking rocks.”

“They’re not rocks.” You sigh, heart warming at the sight of him picking up a different stone out of a bucket labeled Carnelian. “They’re crystals.”

Matty waved a hand, picking up a different Carnelian tumble out of the bucket, mesmerized by the different pattern of this one. “It’s all the same, innit?”

“No.” You sigh, hopping off the counter and making your way back towards the corner of the store. “Come over here, I think you’ll like these.”

Matty was quick to place the tumble rolling in his palm back in the bucket carefully, your stomach flipped at how gentle he handled everything, before making his way over to stand next to you - his shoulder brushing up against your own as he stood close enough that the heat from his body radiated against your own. You clear your throat as you hold out a hand towards the display case filled with various pieces of jewelry made from crystals - rings, necklaces, bracelets. 

"You can make jewelry out of these rocks?" Matty's eyes lit up as he crouched down in front of the glass case, 

“Crystals.” You corrected with a playful roll of your eyes. "You can." You nod, crouching down next to him and smiling softly when his knee knocks against your own. "It's good to carry crystals around with you and it's easier to just wear them as jewelry rather than carrying them in your pocket." "Harder to lose too." Matty mumbled, tilting his head to the side, squinting his eyes and pointing to a ring behind the glass. "What's that one? It's reflecting in the light. Changing colors." You had to pull your mind from swimming in his cologne and force your eyes away from the way his jaw moved when he spoke to follow where his finger was pointing, his finger accented with chipped black nail polish pressed against the glass in front of a ring. 

The ring had a thick silver band, the crystal carved to fit the band sitting beautifully against the metal. "That's Tiger's eye! It's good for confidence." You knock your knee against his own this time, adding in a tease. “Not that you need any help with that.”

Matty hums through a smile. 

"Would you like to see it out of the case?" You asked, already moving to stand up from your crouched position beside him, finding the key to the case on your key ring and opening the glass display before Matty had the opportunity to answer.

You tried not to let Matty's eyes set you on fire from the heat of his gaze as you bent over to pull the ring from its holder, smiling softly at the dark haired boy as you handed him the ring he had his eyes on. "You can put it on if you’d like, my intuition tells me it'll be a perfect fit."

Matty smiled softly, "Your intuition, huh?" Glancing up at you, still crouched on the floor, before turning his attention back to the ring and sliding it on his right ring finger. "Well, I'll be damned."

You watched as the ring slid smoothly onto his finger, almost as if the ring had been made just for him, smiling down at him. "Just as I thought, a perfect fit."

"Yeah," Matty smiled, admiring the ring on his finger before shifting his gaze up at you and smiling brighter, the faintest shade of pink on his cheeks. "Kinda like fate." You weren't quite sure why you felt breathless when you replied, "Yeah, like fate." The months passed by and his makeshift banner outside had turned into an official neon one, signifying that he was here to stay, and the sweet boy you had met that first day had slowly turned sour with each passing week. 

You often thought about how badly you wished every other interaction the two of you shared could be as wonderful as your first one. The first day you met Matty, he was so kind. He hung on to your every word and even wanted a tour of your store, always so polite and genuinely curious when he'd ask for the properties of certain crystals or what certain objects were used for. But all good things must come to an end and unfortunately for you the kind Matty you had met the day he moved in only lasted a few weeks. Soon came the loud music, the cigarette butts scattered everywhere alongside the sidewalk and the blatant disrespect for you and your business.

—

"Oh my god."  You speak through a clenched jaw, emphasizing each word, exasperated and annoyed. You hold yourself steady with your hands on the orange counter in front of you, hanging your head between your shoulders and trying to regain your composure. The bass from the muffled music next door rattled some of the larger chunks of Quartz sitting on display on shelves that were screwed to the wall you shared with the bane of your existence.

"He's doing this on purpose, he has to be." You mumbled, gripping the counter tighter, an action that didn't go unnoticed by your best friend who was watching you intently, Carmen always popped in and out of the store sporadically throughout the week just to come see you. "He doesn't even have a client that he’s tattooing right now, he’s just doing this to piss me off."

"And how do you know that he doesn't have a client right now?" Carmen spoke casually, always trying to be the voice of reason that mended you and Matty together, you couldn’t help but think she had ulterior motives in doing so. Carmen shot an awkward smile back when you glared at her in return. "Okay, so maybe he's doing it to piss you off." She shrugged, rolling around some stray tumbles in her palms. "If you don’t let him know that it pisses you off, maybe he'll stop.” You rolled your eyes at the suggestion, Carmen sighed. “Or you could ask nicely and maybe he'll throw you a bone."

"Yeah." You scoffed, shutting your eyes tightly when the music only seemed to grow impossibly louder, holding your fingers up to your temples to massage away some of the tension. "You know, for some reason, I don't believe that." 

You spoke sarcastically, rubbing at your temples harder. As if Matty Healy would ever be one to be understanding, much less throw you a bone. Matty Healy and speaking nicely just didn't mix. "But maybe if I'm mean enough."

"Isn't being mean like totally contradicting everything you and your business stand for?" Carmen replied with furrowed eyebrows, fixing you with a pointed look. "You don't want to get bad karma over a silly boy." "He's not a silly boy," You tried to speak calmly over the music that seemed to be blaring directly into your ear, but as the bass reverberated from the soles of your shoes up to vibrate your skull, you snapped. "He's an insufferable, conceited, prick and I'm going over there to talk to him."

Your feet were moving before you could even stop them, ignoring Carmen's protest about how it wasn't a good idea as you swung the glass door to your business open and seamlessly opened the one next door, walking into 102 Tattoo as if you owned the place. 

You tried not to hurl from the feeling of the bass in your chest, the feeling of nausea only increasing at the sight of the dark haired man leaned against the front counter before you with a cigarette hanging from his smirk spread lips.

"Well, hey Jewels, what a lovely surprise." Matty spoke with faux sincerity, drawing out the nickname he'd given you months ago, narrowing his dark eyes slightly as he pulled the cigarette from his lips in favor of blowing the smoke out in your direction, the edges of smoke barreling towards your nose and igniting the flames under your skin. "Just the girl I wanted to see." Jewels. You were sure Matty thought he was clever with the nickname, playing off of the fact that you owned a crystal store and you might have actually thought the nickname was cute if it wasn't falling from the tattooed boy's lips. But since it was, you knew the nickname had a condescending edge to it. "Ironic because you're the last person I wanted to see." Rolling your eyes when Matty huffed out a breath of smoke from the side of his mouth. "Ouch." Matty pulled the cigarette from his mouth with a pout, throwing the remainder on the concrete floor of his shop and stomping it out with his foot, rolling his own eyes at the look of disgust that graced your face at the action. "Not much of a ray of sunshine on this Tuesday afternoon, are we, Jewels?" "Never with you." You matched his condescending tone, tilting  your head to the side with a bright, fake smile.

"Look, I'm not here to fight." You spoke with a slightly kinder tone, raising your hands in defense and fighting the urge to roll your eyes again when Matty fixed you with a raised eyebrow. "I'm here to reason." "You?" Matty scoffed, crossed one ankle over the other as he leaned back on the front counter on his elbows, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side and staring at you as if you had grown two heads. "Reasonable?" "Oh, fuck off." You laughed bitterly through a scoff. "Look, can you just turn the music down, please? I'm getting a really bad headache and it's not even close to closing time. I just really can't handle it today." You crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly feeling rather insecure with his dark eyes almost pinning you to your spot in his shop, feeling exposed in the action of asking him for a favor. "Please?" "I could." Matty shrugged, turning his head to the side to glance at one of the speakers that hung from the wall, like he was contemplating the thought. You couldn't help but notice the speaker was conveniently hanging on the wall shared with your own shop. You decided to focus on your anger at his choice of placement instead of focusing on how his neck flexed when it turned to the side like this, while he may be the bane of your existence, that didn’t mean that he was unattractive. Matty turned his attention back to you, scrunching his eyebrows as he spoke. "But what good does that do me?" You sighed, it was always like this with him, he was so self absorbed that he couldn't even do something nice for someone without asking for something in return.

"Good karma for being nice." Matty threw his head back in laughter, causing the eye roll you've been holding in to finally overcome you, huffing from your nose as you squeezed your arms around yourself tighter. You clench your jaw, basking in his laughter for a beat before speaking through it. "What do you want?" "Not good fucking karma, that's for sure." Matty scoffed, giggling to himself and shaking his head slightly. “As if.” You huff, tapping your foot impatiently against the concrete floors of his tattoo shop. "Quickly, please, my head is about to explode." Your voice grew in annoyance the longer the music rattled your brain. “Let’s make a deal.” Matty’s dark eyes scanned the length of your body, slow and intimidating, burning against your skin in a way that only ignited the fire underneath your skin. You shift on your feet beneath his gaze, tightening your arms around yourself and clearing your throat. After what felt like hours but in reality was probably only a minute, Matty finally declared. "The ring." "What?" Confusion filled your tone as you tried to wrack your brain as to what ring the boy could possibly be talking about. "You know, the brown and gold one I liked the first time I went in your store." Matty spoke casually, trying to sound nonchalant, his words ran through you like a tidal wave. Matty had remembered that day? 

The memory of your knees knocking together with flushed cheeks as you looked at the display case of jewelry seemed like such a distant memory now, as if you were watching two completely different people as it ran through your mind, wondering how the hell the two of you went from that to this.

"You want the Tiger's eye ring?" You spoke in disbelief.  "Out of all the things you could ask for?" You couldn't help but squint your eyes at the boy when he shrugged and nodded his head, scoffing. "Why?"

You’d always wondered why Matty didn't get the ring that day, but you were even more curious as to why Matty would want the ring now. 

Something unrecognizable flashed in Matty's eyes at your question, causing the tattoo covered boy to cough and adjust himself from his spot leaned against the counter. "I want the ring." He answered simply and it was good enough for you, ready to leave 102 Tattoo and head back to your own shop. You didn't really care to hear his reasoning as long as it got your days back to the peace and quiet that they'd been filled with for years prior to him. Once again, your feet were carrying you out of the shop before you could even think, swinging the door to your own open, ignoring the questions from Carmen as you were on a one track mind to the display case for the ring. Once you secured the piece of jewelry you were quick to return to 102 Tattoo. Entering the tattoo shop for the second time today, you were met with surprised eyes from the dark haired boy, a small smile fighting on his face. "I thought you were storming off.” Matty spoke, shifting on his feet as you made your way to stand in front of him. “I guess I'm just used to you doing that."

"Yeah, yeah, here." You rolled your eyes shoving the beautiful ring into Matty's hand, his eyebrows shooting up from the silver ring being placed in his hands. "Wait, actually?" His dark eyes glued to the ring in his hands, that unrecognizable emotion flashing in his eyes once more. "Jewels-" "Save it." Your hand was up signaling for him to stop talking before he could even finish the full nickname. "You got your end of the deal, now give me mine." Matty was too wrapped up in sliding his new ring on his finger to even listen to you, only paying attention when you huffed loudly. "Huh?" Your hand was up on your forehead out of frustration before you could even stop it. "The music, Matty, turn down the music. That's the whole reason I'm here." Matty nodded slowly, but you could tell your words were only half registering in his brain as he tilted his finger around to watch the crystal shift in the light. "Matty." "What?" Matty snapped, huffing as he dropped his arm back down to his side, glaring at your through scrunched eyebrows. "Why are you still here?" "Oh my god." You mumbled, closing your eyes and counting to ten to calm your own nerves. "Okay, I'm leaving, but you'll turn the music down, yeah? Truce?" You held your hand out for him to shake, the insecure feeling creeping back up when Matty didn't accept your offer as laughter bubbled out of him, pushing himself off the counter and walking over towards you. His eyes had you pinned to your spot as he stood so close to you that you could feel the tips of his shoes touching your own, the smell of his cologne made you feel just as dizzy as it did the day you first met him.

You held your breath as Matty brought his hand that was now the home to his new ring up to the end of your hair, twirling the strands between his fingers as he tilted his head to the side with a small smile. The dark haired, tattooed boy pushed your hair to one side, leaning in impossibly close. The feeling of his breath hitting your neck was almost enough to make you forget all the issues the two of you shared over the past few months, ready to fold in the middle of 102 Tattoo. Almost. But as soon as Matty's lips were brought up to your ear, all the reasons why you hated the boy came rushing back to you. "No."

—

One of the perks of owning your own business meant you could create your own hours and every morning that you woke up to the sound of your alarm blaring before the sun had even fully had a chance to rise, you cursed yourself for the hours you had created. 

You had to remind yourself that as long as you got everything on your checklist done today, you could sleep in the extra hour the rest of the week - the checklist mainly just inventory. You had an indecisive relationship with this task, you loved to sit and admire all the new pieces that you received, most of it you had forgotten you'd even ordered. But you absolutely hated having to sort through and weigh every single piece to price it. It started off fun, but by the time the second hour of being hunched over on the floor looking at the same crystals roll around, it starts to become a little nauseating.

You knew to start your day off right you would need caffeine, as you always did. Part of your daily routine was making a stop by Vienna, the local coffee shop that conveniently was located just a few buildings down on the same strip where your own shop was located. It was perfect. You were so excited when the business moved in, you were never a big fan of Starbucks or the commute there.

The one downfall of this perfectly placed coffee shop with some of the most delicious drinks you'd ever tasted, was that you weren't the only person who took advantage of it being close to your business. The pretentious boy who you shared a wall with seemed to also need a coffee every morning, always around the same time as you did, making for several unpleasant encounters.

Matty always listened like a hawk when you ordered, almost praying that you would stutter or misspeak just so he could giggle and mumble something from behind you.

There was the time you accidentally ordered an iced caramel with coffee drizzle and the tattooed boy still hasn't let that go, mocking you with the reminder at any chance he could. Or the time where you had wandered off to the bathroom after placing your order and when you came out to retrieve it, you found no coffee on the counter and Matty was no longer around. You questioned the barista and he looked at you with furrowed brows, saying that your boyfriend had just picked it up for you, leaving you to purchase yet another overpriced drink now that Matty had stolen yours. It was safe to say that you never wandered off after ordering ever again. And let's not talk about the time Matty "tripped" and spilled his beverage all over your shoes on the way out. He swears it was an accident and maybe you would have believed him, considering the look on his face when it happened did genuinely seem apologetic, but it was the fact that there was nothing in the sidewalk for him to even trip over that made you question his honesty. Oh well, at least his coffee wasn't hot that day. 

You always knew the second he walked into Vienna, not only because the smell of his cologne filled the small room so quickly that it made your legs feel weak, but also because anytime he was around you always got this feeling in your gut. A feeling you had never been able to pinpoint, but one you only experienced when he was around.

"Fancy seeing you here, Jewels." You didn't even have to turn around to know that Matty had a smug look on his face. It was almost like clock work, every single morning he would end up behind you in line at the coffee shop and every single morning he would recite that same stupid, cheesy line that made your eyes roll. "Cat got your tongue this morning? Don't you know our morning routine includes you saying something snarky back to me? What's up?"

You huff. "We do not have a morning routine.” Instinctively crossing your arms over your chest but not turning around to face him. “I have my own routine, one that doesn't involve you."

"Ouch, Jewelsy." You heard Matty speak through yet another smirk, you knew without looking that he had a hand over his chest in faux offense. "You wound me."

You ignore him in favor of stepping forward into the now open space at the counter. You smile at Kian, the owner's son who normally runs the front, ignoring the scoff and mumbled "Here we go..." that came from Matty behind you. “Good morning, Kian."

The blonde boy smiled back, already grabbing a clear cup and a sharpie, ready to write down your usual order. "It is now." Kian smiled warmly, glancing at Matty over your shoulder when Matty huffed loudly. "The usual? Iced vanilla latte?" You couldn't help but turn around to shoot daggers at Matty when you heard him mocking "Iced vanilla latte?" from behind you, rolling your eyes when Matty just shrugged back in response. "Actually, I think I want to drink matcha today instead of coffee, it helps me have more energy and today I'm going to need it.” Just the thought of pending inventory had you tired already. “So, can I get an iced matcha latte with oat milk, please? The biggest one you have."

Kian nodded softly while writing against the clear cup in his hand. "Busy morning?"

"Always." You smiled despite Matty tapping his foot from behind you. "How much?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Kian waved you off and might have even winked before walking your cup over to the side of the counter and reaching out to grab the matcha powder.

You didn't even have the chance to say thank you, a loud and obnoxious voice filling the space before you even could. "Oh, what? If I twirl my hair, I'll get my shit for free too then? That's how this works?"

You groan, turning around to face the tall man, having to take a step back to be able to look at his face rather than his chest. "Do you have to be so obnoxious all the time?"

"Do you have to be so inconsiderate all the time?" Matty repeated back in the same tone, narrowing his dark eyes filled with fire at you.

"How am I being inconsiderate?" You laughed through a scoff, staring at the man before you with scrunched eyebrows, conveying how confused you were by his claim. "I'm just ordering a drink."

"Oh, I'm just ordering a drink." Matty mocked in a high pitched tone, cocking his hip to one side and flicking his pretend hair over his shoulder. "Give me a break." Rolling his eyes as he went back to normal, crossing his tattoo covered arms over his chest. "Every time I come in here I have to listen to the two of you, I'm sick of it.” Spitting the words out and throwing a hand out in the air in annoyance. “Just go on a date already."

"You're ridiculous." You scoffed, turning around and internally cringing when you saw Kian standing there and staring at the two of you with a raised eyebrow, giving the blonde a soft smile. "I'm sorry about him."

Matty scoffed from behind you. "Don't apologize on behalf of me, I'm not sorry."

Kian chuckled, shaking his head slightly while handing you your drink, shrugging. Your eyes quickly discovered that Kian had written his phone number on the side of your cup. "No, he's right."

"Wait, what?" You and Matty spoke at the same time, your tone shocked while Matty's was filled with more annoyance, both of your faces pulled in confusion.

"He's right, we've been flirting for months.” Your heart was pounding, you could feel the heat radiating off of Matty’s body from behind you. “Or I have been, at least." Kian shrugged, looking more nervous than he previously had before. "What do you think?"

"I think that the two of you are making me late and honestly, a little nauseous." Matty was quick to interrupt, not giving you the chance to answer, his eyes matching the fire from his tongue. If you didn't know better you'd almost think that he sounded a little jealous, but you knew him well enough to know that couldn’t possibly be the case. "Don't you have things you need to be doing, Jewels?"

Despite how annoying Matty was being, how irritated he made you feel, you were sort of thankful that he had spoken up so you didn’t have to. And he was right. You did have things you needed to be doing, you didn't have time for this nor did you have the energy.

And truthfully, if you were being completely honest, you were fully aware of the fact that Kian had been flirting with you for months now. It's not that you didn't appreciate it, you just weren't all that interested. But he was someone you had to see every day, you didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Something Matty clearly had no problem with as he took a step around you in favor of standing next to you, his arm brushing against your own and setting your skin on fire. "Look, man, maybe she's just not that interested." Matty spoke smugly with a shrug, making you roll your eyes and grip your matcha a little tighter. "It's not that, I just-" You stuttered, glancing to Matty for help but only being met with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just- I have a really busy morning and I just need to get going." You felt like you were under a microscope with both Kian and Matty's eyes on you, you took a sip from your drink to ease the anxiety creeping in your stomach. Matty's faint chuckle filled the silence as you sipped. "Thank you for the drink, Kian. I'll see you around.” You nodded, stomach clenching at the look in Kian’s eyes, the guilt you felt had you adding a promise. “I'll call you."

You shot one last smile at Kian, one that dropped when you turned to leave and were met with Matty's ever so smug grin staring back at you. You and Matty both knew you were lying. Matty’s dark eyes ran over your body quickly before he stepped to the side, holding his arm out for you to walk past him. You left Vienna with a huff and a silent prayer that Matty's coffee would blow up in his face.

—

Hours later and you were knee deep in crystals and felt as though you were on the brink of insanity. Almost every inch of the open floor in your shop was covered by either boxes, bubble wrap or the crystals themselves. You had quickly become overwhelmed by the mass amount of work you had put on yourself for one day and were feeling lost on what to do or where to even begin.

You were three songs deep on Tame Impala's Currents album, staring at the mess before you and feeling discouraged by the amount of work, or lack thereof, in the amount of hours you had been sitting there and the list of albums you have listened to already. This always happened, you had a terrible habit of biting off far more than you could ever chew and overwhelming yourself to the point of almost throwing in the towel and closing up shop for good. You needed help, but you would never ask for it and you were definitely not keen on hiring employees. You liked being a one woman show and not having to deal with anyone but yourself, but it was days like this where you wished you had a team so you could have all hands on deck to lessen your workload.

By the time 'Yes I'm Changing' started playing, you had found the strength to grab a box that had yet to be opened, sliding it towards your spot on the floor where you were sitting criss crossed. You had just pushed the blade from your box cutter up when you faintly heard the chime of your front door opening over the sound of Kevin Parker singing, turning your head over your shoulder to glance at who was coming inside, expecting to see Carmen and clenching your jaw when you saw dark hair and tattoos strolling in instead. "You know your sign outside still says closed, right?" Matty spoke while pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, the glass door slowly closing behind him. "Not a very good way to get business."

"Yeah, because I'm closed." Your tone full of attitude, already having had more than enough of your daily dose of Matty, you didn't need any more time spent with him or your head might actually explode. "Obviously."

"Weird, I thought you were open on Mondays?" Matty questioned. "I guess that's a good decision on your part, though, I don't think they'd have much room to walk." He chuckled, looking around your shop that could only be described as an absolute train wreck. You couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "You should have this door locked if you're closed, you know. Anyone could come in. That’s not safe."

"I am open on Mondays, usually, I took the day off to catch up on inventory and restocking as you can see." You laughed weakly, feeling exhausted as you closed your box cutter and tossed it down on the floor, rubbing your hands over your face out of frustration. "I thought I had it locked, but clearly I don't.” Dropping your hands from your face and tilting your head at him. “What are you doing here?"

"Well," Matty hesitated, glancing around the room once more before his worried eyes landed on you, bringing his arm up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "maybe now isn't the best time."

"It's never a good time for you to come in here." Your exhaustion made the comment come off far more rude than you intended for it to, grimacing when his face fell. "I'm sorry, I'm just feeling very overwhelmed right now and I'm sure it's no surprise to you that you being around does not help that feeling."

"So what I'm hearing is that I overwhelm you?" His voice matched the smugness that his face conveyed, laughing when you groaned and brought your hands up to your face once more. "I'm joking, obviously. Look, I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be, but I just-“ He cut himself off, making a face that conveyed that he hated even having to ask. “I need some help."

You spread your fingers out from in front of your eyes, squinting at the man standing before you with a sheepish smile on his face. "Help?” You repeat back, just to make sure you had heard him correctly, narrowing your eyes slightly when Matty nodded. “From me?"

"Well, it's more of a favor, I guess." Matty shrugged.

"A favor?" You repeat. "And why are you coming to me of all people for this favor?" "Look, can we just be civil for two seconds, please?" His voice grew a little annoyed, bringing his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I hate even having to ask you for help, so can you please just try and make this as painless as possible?"

"Fine." You sighed, pushing stray bubble wrap to the side so you would have the space to lay down on the floor, needing to rest your back from its hunched over position it had been in all day. You were too busy staring up at the ceiling to notice Matty's eyes scanning over your body as you made yourself comfortable against the bohemian styled rug in the middle of your shop, stretching your arms over your head and humming when a few bones cracked in relief from the movement. "What do you need?"

Matty cleared his throat before he spoke, shifting his weight between his feet. "My sisters birthday is coming up and she's into all of this-" Matty hesitated. "these rocks and manifesting and shit."

"They're not rocks, they're crystals." You interrupted from your place on the floor, moving your arm around to the side to search for your phone so you could pause the music playing through the speakers, making it easier to converse.

"Okay, she's into crystals and shit." Matty huffed, correcting himself, speaking softer now that there wasn't any music playing. "I need to get her a birthday gift, so."

"So?"

"So,” Matty drew out. “Will you help me pick her something out?" Dark eyes stared at you laying down on the floor in front of him, all his attention on the way the blue crystal pendant on your necklace rose on your chest when you breathed in deeply.

"Why would I do that?" You turn your head so that your eyes could be on him instead of the ceiling, missing the way Matty's eyes snapped up from your chest to your eyes when you looked his way. Matty tilted his head to the side, smiling with faux sweetness while he repeated the words you had said to him weeks ago when you had stormed into his tattoo shop and asked him to turn the music down. 

"Good karma?" It annoyed you that Matty was using your own words against you, but you couldn't help but laugh softly alongside the dark haired boy above you, shaking your head softly. "Look, I'll do something for you in return." "Oh!" Your tone full of sarcasm as you began to sit up, pulling your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around your calves. "You mean like how you turned your music down for me in return for the ring, right?"

Matty's hand was back behind his head, scratching awkwardly at his neck with a smile that matched. "Yeah, uh- I'm sorry about that. Dick move."

"Yeah." You nod, squinting your eyes ever so slightly, enjoying the sight of the panicked state he seemed to be in.

"I uh-" Matty glanced around the shop, looking like a lightbulb had just gone off in his head, dark eyes back on you as he shrugged with a small smile. "I could help!"

You squint your eyes further, diminishing his smile. "With what?"

"Well," Matty chuckled, gesturing to the current state of your shop. "you look like you got a pretty full plate at the moment, let me help you."

You stared at Matty for a beat, the silence in the store deafening. "Why would you help?"

"Okay, so I won't help." Matty scoffed with an attitude, shaking his head and starting to turn on his heel.

"No, wait, I'm sorry." You were quick to stand on your feet, grabbing his elbow to stop him from walking out the door, his skin uncomfortably hot considering it was cold in there - burning against your palm. "I'm trying to be civil, I swear. I just- I don't really understand why you're suddenly being so nice?"

"I'm not." Matty shrugged his elbow from your grasp in favor of crossing his arms over his chest, turning back to face you again. "I'm only being nice because I need something from you, not because I have a newfound likeness for you."

You scoff, rolling your eyes. "Well, just making sure." holding your hand up to stop Matty from apologizing. "I'll help you, but only because the one time I met your sister she was an absolute angel. And to be honest, I don't think I'm going to be able to clear this up on my own."

"I forgot you met my sister." Matty laughed breathlessly, sounding relieved that you had agreed to help him. "She’s very fond of you, always asking about you when she calls me, it’s quite annoying.”

You narrow your eyes, heart thudding at the thought of him talking about you on the phone with his sister. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Matty nods, clearing his throat before smirking, voice teasing. “She asks how you are and I tell her ‘annoying as ever.’ Though she never seems to take my side.”

Your head was thrown back in laughter at his confession, a warm feeling taking hold of Matty's stomach at the sound. “Your sister is a very smart girl, she knows better than to think that you would ever be innocent.” The sound of Matty chuckling brought you back down to earth. What was going on here? The two of you hadn't laughed around each other since the first few times you had met, it felt as if you had entered an alternate universe. You cleared your throat, crossing your arms over your chest and opening your mouth to speak again in a much more casual tone.

"Right, so um- like I said, I'll help.” You brought your pointer finger up in the air and pushed it into his chest, eyes falling to the Tiger's eye ring on his finger. "But you're paying this time."

It was Matty's turn to throw his head back in laughter, a wash of pink flushing his face at the faint embarrassment he felt by recalling how he had acted that day that he received the ring.

"Yes ma'am." Bringing his hand up to his forehead to salute you, smiling softly before turning his attention to look around the room, huffing at the sight of inventory everywhere. "Alright, Jewels, where do you want me?" —

It was surprising how you and Matty were able to stay in the same room together for so long and neither of you had killed the other yet. 

This was the longest the two of you had been around each other since that first day and it was sort of nice. The two of you worked in almost complete silence, having a good system of Matty cutting open the boxes and unwrapping the shipments before passing the various crystals over to you who would then weigh and price them. It was a wonderful system that you had taken credit for but was ultimately Matty's idea - you refused to give him the satisfaction.

Matty was humming along to the niche album that he had convinced you to play, softly nodding his head to the beat as he sliced through packing tape on a rather large box. It was comforting - to have company, even if it was a man that you didn't necessarily care for. You couldn't ignore that despite your differences, the time the two of you had shared today was actually enjoyable.

It was weird, concerning almost, the way that you couldn't seem to take your eyes off of him. You convinced yourself that you were staring at him because the sight of him - dark hair, skin covered in tattoos, silver metal hanging from his ear, stuck out against the environment the two of you were in. But deep down you knew that wasn't the reason you felt drawn to him. Maybe it was the way he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth when he cut the box open or maybe it was the way his right eyebrow would twitch when he was inspecting the crystals - looking at the stones from every possible angle before placing them in the pile next to you. Or maybe it was the way he seemed genuinely curious about each new crystal that he discovered beneath the bubble wrap. 

"Moss Agate?" Matty's voice broke you out of your daydream, only noticing that he had spoken because you were so in tune with the way his tongue peaked out to lick his bottom lip before doing so. "Hm?" You hummed, forcing your attention on the Amethyst clusters in your hand before he noticed you staring, immediately looking twice as hard at work than you needed to be. 

"The label on this box says Moss Agate, what does this one do?" Matty had questions about every new variant of crystals he had opened, seeming to actually be interested and not trying to be a dick for once. Just a few minutes ago he had asked if Moonstone actually came from the moon. It was cute. No. It was nice. Not cute.

"It's the stone of new beginnings and it’s good for attracting abundance." You explained softly, huffing when Matty smiled in response. "Don't laugh, c'mon, we were getting along so well."

"I’m not laughing, I promise." Matty defended, shaking his head softly before shrugging, his dark eyes avoiding your own in favor of staring down at the crystal in his palm. "I smile when I see something pretty."

You felt a little nauseous at the memory of him smiling at you, having too many options to choose from for your brain to focus on just one. You were quick to convince yourself that he didn't know what he was saying. "Hold it up to the light, you can see the moss inside of it, it's super pretty. One of my favorites." You smiled, distracting yourself again with the Amethyst cluster in your hands that suddenly felt sweaty in your palms.

"Mine too." Matty agreed, nodding softly, entranced as he turned the tower in the light to see all the moss inside. "You've said that about every single one." You giggle, glancing over at the tattooed boy to watch the way his mesmerized eyes stared at the crystal, the sight had your stomach swooping. Matty chuckled, placing the crystal down in your pile of inventory that needed to be weighed and priced, you were falling behind on your job - getting too distracted by him to focus on your own task. The two of you sat in silence for the rest of the album, unpacking and pricing inventory, the workload slowly dwindling down as you enjoyed the music that filled the room - enjoying the sound of Matty humming and softly singing along more, but you’d never admit it out loud. But when the album ended, Matty felt the need to fill the void himself.

"So,” Matty started, poking his bottom lip out as he twirled the box cutter he'd just closed around in his fingers, sighing before laying down on the floor like you had hours before.

"So?" You drew out, placing a sticker with a price written on a sphere before turning your attention to him, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on your hands, tilting your head to look at him with curious eyes.

Matty stared up at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact, a few beats of silence fell between the two of you before he grew the courage to ask, voice soft and full of uncertainty. "What's up with Kian?" Your heart immediately thumped faster at the mention of the barista, eyes honed in on the way Matty had started to pick at the skin around his thumb, his bottom lip poking out slightly before he spoke up again, clearing his throat and speaking a little louder this time. "Are you going on that date with him?" You tilted your head to the side with furrowed brows, narrowing your eyes at the tattooed boy despite the fact that he still wasn’t looking at you. "Aren't you the one who told me to?" Matty's head shook slowly against the rug, his hair flopping around against the bohemian style. "I don't think so."

You hummed, you definitely remember him suggesting it. But instead of arguing with him, you shrug your shoulders, watching him carefully. "Maybe." Matty’s pout slowly turned into a smile as he rolled over onto his side, resting his head on his hand as he stared at you with dark eyes that gleamed with amusement. You narrow your eyes in suspicion, not trusting the way he was looking at you, almost scared to ask. “What?"

"Oh, nothing." Matty chuckled, shrugging his shoulder with a raised brow, the smile on his face only grew bigger at the confusion on your face. "Just- you know, considering the cup with his number on it is in your trash can and all."

Your mouth dropped open, eyes wide as you laughed in astonishment, the sight caused Matty's own laughter to fill your shop. You stretched your foot out to knock against his arm, softly kicking the tattoo artist and huffing through cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "You're an ass."

"Hey!" Matty drew out between laughter, bringing his arm out to hit your foot softly, missing and landing on your calf instead. His warm hand lingered on your bare skin for a beat, igniting a fire underneath that traveled from the contact all the way up to your stomach, swirling there until he cleared his throat and pulled back. "Admit it."

"Admit what?" Trying your hardest to ignore the lingering burn his hand had left on your calf, on the way your stomach clenched at the loss of contact, choosing to focus on the way Matty’s dark eyes rolled back into his skull instead.

Matty fixed you with a pointed look. "Admit that you only flirt with him for the free coffee." He requested, turning his head to the side and cupping his hand behind his ear for dramatic effect, waiting on your admission.

"I do not!" You gasped, bringing your leg out to kick softly against his arm again, hoping it would bring his hand back down to your leg and feeling disappointed when it didn’t. "He's nice and kind and makes really good drinks and-"

"And." Matty drew out, looking at you expectantly, his soft pink lips already upturned into a smirk. 

You huff, glaring at him for a beat before finally breaking. "And maybe I only flirt with him for the free coffee." You admitted sheepishly, covering your face with your hands so you wouldn't have to look at the way Matty celebrated. "I knew it!" Matty laughed, you were sure he was sporting a bright, gloating smile on his face. You refused to look. "I must say, Jewels, you shock me. I wouldn’t expect you to do such a thing."

"Stop, don't make me feel more bad than I already do.” You groaned, keeping your hands over your face, you could feel the guilt start to spread throughout your veins. “I already feel like a terrible person for doing it." 

The smell of Matty's cologne grew stronger alongside the sound of shuffling and before you knew it, warm hands were on your own, pulling them from your face. You felt as though the wind had been knocked from your lungs at the immediate sight of Matty’s face so close to your own, the warmth from his hands burned against your own and ignited the fire back in your stomach. It made you feel dizzy - having him this close. Matty’s dark eyes searched your face, almost as if he was trying to memorize the features now that he had you this close, swallowing thickly when they finally settled on your own. His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, because that’s how loud he had to speak for you to hear him. "You’re not a terrible person." Your heart was pounding, ears ringing, thoughts whirling in your head at such a rapid pace that you almost missed what he had said all together. The smell of his cologne mixed with the lingering smell of the cigarette he smoked earlier when he stepped outside between boxes and intoxicated your brain in a way that made you feel like you were floating, the only thing grounding you was his hands that still held your own despite the fact that he had no reason to anymore.

You forced out a strangled laugh, shaking your head softly to distract from your racing heart. "You have to see the irony here." "What?" Matty asked softly, his dark eyes searching your own. You could feel his breath against your lips, stomach swooping at the feeling. “What do you mean?”

"You of all people telling me that I'm not a terrible person." You roll your eyes in a teasing manner, huffing out a breath that fanned out over his mouth, his tongue peaking out to lick along his bottom lip at the feeling. “As if you haven’t said the opposite for months.” Matty's face fell, his dark eyes filled with regret as they locked back with your own, licking his bottom lip once more before swallowing thick and hard, releasing a shaky breath before speaking through nerves. “I’m sorry for being such a dick all the time.”

Granted, you should have spoken up and assured him that he wasn't, but you would have been lying and for some reason you couldn't seem to find your voice - it probably had something to do with the way Matty’s thumb had started to rub against the back of your hand, sending waves of warmth through your palms and spreading to course through your veins. 

“I-I don't know why I am. I don’t know why I treat you this way. I just-" Matty cut himself off in favor of gulping, his dark eyes filled with an unknown emotion as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth for a split second, his fingers that held your palms tightened ever so slightly and jump started your heart into overdrive. “I think it’s because-“ Matty’s breath fanned against your lips as he spoke, his dark eyes gave in to the battle he had been having with himself all night and finally landed on your lips, snapping away almost as quickly as they landed - his dark eyes growing wide and panicked as he pulled himself away from you, dropping your hands as if they had burned him. "I should go." Matty was standing so fast that he almost knocked over an entire pile of towers in the process, stumbling through the shop as well as his words while you remained glued to the floor, the heat from his hands still lingered against your own. "I have to go. I gotta- I'm sorry.”

You watched as Matty frantically searched around the room, grabbing his phone that he had discarded on your counter hours ago, snatching it and making his way to the front door - looking anywhere but you. You rushed to stand, calling out to him. "Wait, don't you still need help with your sister's gift?"

"Yeah, I'll uh- shit." Matty winced from the pain of running into one of your tables you had set up to display the various options of tarot decks, catching one that had fallen from the impact and placing it back where it had fallen from with shaky hands that nearly caused more to fall in the process. "I-I'll come back sometime this week." His voice rushed, strained. His eyes pinned to the floor as he opened the glass door, his knuckles white on the door handle. "I'll see you around, Jewels." "Yeah, I'll-" You started to reply but Matty was already out the door, the sound of the chimes above your door sounded throughout the shop, your heart beating to the rhythm it sang - whispering the end to yourself. "see you around?"

You stood in the middle of your shop, dazed and confused, bubble wrap and stray crystals surrounding you with the smell of Matty's cologne still lingering in the air. You could still feel the phantom touch of his hands against your own, skin still tingling from his hold, lips still warm from his breath hitting against them, heart still racing at the possibility.

You remained glued to your spot in the middle of your shop until the sound of the chimes above your door had fizzled out, the only thought coursing through your head was - what the hell just happened?

—

You tried your hardest to not give Matty the satisfaction of letting him know that he was pissing you off, but that was proving to be quite a tall order considering you couldn't stop your eyes from drifting to the tattooed boy pacing on the strip outside of your store, cigarette in hand.

You hadn't spoken to him since he abruptly left your store a few days ago, the action still baffling to you - almost as baffling as the closed sign that graced the door to his tattoo shop since that day. You had sworn that he had told you he had appointments lined out for the week, and he was never one to close shop for more than a day, so his sudden absence was strange.

Not that you cared, of course.

It's not like you were expecting one good day to turn the two of you into best friends, but you were at least thinking that he would become more considerate - meaning no more stray cigarette butts outside of your store.

You picked up your cup of coffee from the counter, taking a big swig, eyes glued to the cigarette between his lips, head full of thoughts of how unhealthy his habit must be as he inhaled deeply - throwing his head up towards the sky before exhaling a big roll of smoke. He seemed stressed. Maybe he was going through something, maybe that's why he hasn't been around the past few days, maybe you should go check on him.

Matty brought his head back level, eyes landing on you through the glass of your shop walls as he put the cigarette back between his lips, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. You should have looked away, you should have been embarrassed at how you had been caught staring, but that all washed away when Matty smirked before blowing smoke once more and dropping the remainder of his cigarette to the concrete right before your welcome mat, stomping it into the ground all while never breaking eye contact.

That little shit.

You knew this is what he wanted, but you couldn't stop yourself from barreling out the door, a smart remark ready to fire off of your tongue but Matty had beaten you to it.

"Starbucks today, I see." The smirk on his face more evident than ever, his dark eyes landing on the coffee in your hand. You had left your store so quickly that you had forgotten you still had the beverage in your hand, squeezing the plastic cup a little tighter now.

"Okay?" Your voice already full of attitude, tilting the cup to try and hide the green logo despite the fact that he had already seen it. Matty's smirk grew into a smile as he shook his head, dropping it between his shoulders and shuffling his feet. You narrow your eyes. "What?"

Matty glanced up at you with a raised brow. "So we're avoiding Kian then?" 

You had already given him the satisfaction of letting him piss you off, you refused to give him the satisfaction of being right about this too, quick to try and change the subject. "Is there a reason you're smoking at nine thirty in the morning?"

"Okay, so we are avoiding Kian, good to know." Matty ignored your question as you had did to his, an arrogant look in his eye.

"I never said that, don't put words in my mouth."

"You're avoiding him just like you're avoiding my question, just admit it." Matty shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest.

You stared up at the boy before you, taking a deep breath and counting to ten before you let your internal thoughts win, the thought of smacking him was starting to sound more and more rational by the minute. "Anyways, back to you having cigarettes for breakfast."

"Fine, you don't want to admit that I'm right, we can change the subject." The arrogant smile had returned, the tone of his voice almost as if he was talking to a child. "What did you have for breakfast, Jewels?"

"First of all, don't talk to me like that." Eyes narrowing, mimicking him by crossing your own arms over your chest, annoyed by the fact that he had already crawled under your skin and ignited a fire within. "Second of all, stop fucking leaving your nasty cigarette in front of my store."

"Oo!" Matty held his hands up in defense, smirking and raising a brow. "Are you allowed to use that type of language, little missy?" bringing his hand over his heart in faux shock. "You wouldn't wanna throw off your chocolate, now would you?"

"Chakra." You corrected through gritted teeth, you knew from the laughter bubbling out of the tattooed boy that he was just trying to get a rise out of you, but you couldn't help how angry he made you. "It's pronounced chakra, chocolate doesn't even make any sense."

Matty shrugged, "It's stupid no matter how you pronounce it." You had counted to ten so many times since coming outside that you were forgetting how to count at this point. The two of you stood there staring at one another, annoyance filled your stare while satisfaction filled his, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. "Is there a reason you're still standing here? What do you want, Jewels?"

You had to close your eyes and take a deep breath before responding. "You're outside of my store, remember?" You could already tell from the look in his eye that he had a smart remark to make. "So I should be asking you why you're still standing here."

"Oh," Matty looked behind you, eyes searching through the glass wall at the front of your shop. "The lack of customers threw me off, I must have forgotten there was an actual store here."

"Why are you being such an asshole?" You scoffed, tightening your arms over your chest. After the other night, you weren't expecting the two of you to become friends but you definitely weren't expecting him to be so cruel still, especially after he had apologized for acting this way. What changed in the few days he was gone?

"I'm just stating the obvious here!" Matty shrugged, bringing his arm out to gesture towards your store, a condescending tone in his voice. "No one's breaking their neck to come buy some rocks, sweetheart." His head cocked to the side. "Seven Wonders? Where did that even come from?"

"For the millionth time, they're not rocks, they're crystals." You were growing more agitated by the second. You knew that he knew they weren't rocks, you knew he just referred to them that way because it got you like this. Yet, you always allowed it to bother you. You couldn't help it. "And Fleetwood Mac, dumbass." You scoffed, "As if you have the room to comment on the name of my shop, at least mine has a reference. What the fuck does 102 Tattoo mean?”

“I’d tell you, but I don’t know if your brain has the capacity to understand it, sweetheart." Matty mimicked your tone, eyeing you up and down.

You rolled your eyes, the fact that he had called you sweetheart in a condescending way twice in the past few minutes had you refraining from pulling your hair out, desperate to get under his skin as he had yours. " I don't see people breaking their necks to come get tattooed by you either." You brought the topic of discussion back to defend yourself, searching for a way to drop that smug fucking smile off of his face. "Why would they? Loud music, shitty artwork, oh! And the owner is a fucking dick."

You knew you were crossing a line by saying what you had about his artwork, knowing that it wasn't even true when you said it. From what you had seen, he was very talented. In fact, you wouldn't mind having some of it on yourself if it didn't mean having to be in his presence for so long. You regretted it as soon as it left your tongue, but judging by the dark look in his eyes, it was far too late to take it back now.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Jewels." Matty laughed softly, reaching into the pocket of his jeans and pulling out a pack of Marlboro's, opening the top to pick a cigarette from the pack before sliding it back in his pocket, bringing the cigarette alongside his lighter up to his lips with a raised eyebrow. "I have three appointments today, four tomorrow. In fact, the entire rest of the month is fully booked."

"Well-"

Matty cut you off with a step closer to you, towering over you and blowing smoke in your face. "Don't ever disrespect me or my business again." Matty's dark eyes intimidated you so close, you were too nervous to speak, you had definitely crossed a line. "Let's make one thing clear," Matty spoke, taking another step forward and causing you to stumble backwards, swallowing thick as you stared up at him. "my business is successful. It has a purpose. I get to create beautiful artwork for my clients, ones that they get to have on their bodies forever." You felt like curling up into a ball the more Matty spoke, wishing the ground would open and swallow you as his intimidating dark eyes pinned you to the concrete, the smoke from the cigarette in his hand invading your lungs. "You and your business are pointless." Matty smiled, but it wasn't kind, it was full of malice as he waved the cigarette around. "Your little hippie store is a joke." His words felt like a blow to your chest. "It's not real. It's all in your head." Bringing his pointer finger to his own head for emphasis as you stood there willing your eyes to not fill with tears. "Go get a job at a bank or something, do something with purpose." Matty shrugged, bringing the cigarette to his lips one last time before throwing it down the minimal space between your bodies, stomping on it with too much force that caused you to tense. "Grow up a little."

Matty stood in front of you for a little while longer, almost giving you time to respond. You couldn't, you had no idea what your response would even be. Matty scoffed, shaking his head before walking away, the absence of his cologne jump started your eyes to fill with tears. You felt so small. You needed to go back inside, but you were glued to your spot on the concrete, Matty's words ringing in your mind, hitting a nerve in you that he had no clue was so sore - his words were all too familiar to ones your father had said to you years ago.

"I want you to explain to me, slowly, why you would skip out on going to college." Your father asked from the head of the dining room table, elbows on the wood and hands folded over one another. "To instead open a little hocus pocus shop. I would love to hear your thought process behind this. Please enlighten me."

"Dad, I-"

"No." He laughed. "You're wrong."

"You haven't even let me defend my decision." You argued, looking over at your mom for some assistance, scoffing when you found her eyes staring down at her lap. "I'm passionate about this, you know this has always been a dream of mine."

"There's nothing to defend, passion has nothing to do with this. You need an income and money doesn't fall from the sky that holds the cloud of dreams, it comes from a stable job. With real purpose and benefits." You fathers gruff voice raised in volume. "Rocks and spells don't pay the bills, degrees that get you jobs do."

"But-"

"No." He interrupted sternly. "You're going to college or you'll get no support from us. And I mean it, don't even ask us for a cent."

"I don't need your money." You argued. "I can do it on my own."

"Oh, you don't?" You dad scoffed. "Do you even know how much starting a business costs? You have to rent the building, pay taxes, and buy inventory. You won't even see profit for the first year. Should I continue?" Your head had dropped between your slumped shoulders, eyes now focused on your laps much like your mothers still were. "It's not realistic, you have to know that. Grow up a little."

By this point, the tears were streaming down your face, the feeling of one of your teardrops hitting your wrist had you rushing to wipe them from your cheeks, bottom lip trembling as you took a deep breath. Matty had never gotten to you like this before, he had never made you cry.

It was the fear of him getting the satisfaction of looking out of his glass wall and seeing your tear stained cheeks that finally had your legs moving, carrying you inside of your shop quickly and locking the door behind you.

You hated him.

And you hated that you had allowed him to get you to this point. It wasn't fair. You didn't know what you ever did to make him hate you so much, the feeling wasn’t even mutual in the beginning, you had only started being mean back  in response to him. You don't know what went wrong. It had to be you, what did you do? What was wrong with you? What about you was so insufferable that Matty couldn't stand the sight of you?

This was one of those rare times you actually wished Matty had his music blaring, the fear that he could hear your audible cries through the shared wall was enough to have you covering your mouth but not enough to stop the tears from falling. It was all too much - what Matty had said, the memories of what your father had said, the reminder of how no one had ever believed in you but yourself. 

All the emotions running through you had you overwhelmed. You were angry. At yourself, at your father, at Matty. You had to get back at him.

You didn't understand why Matty was so against you going on a date with the nice boy from the coffee shop the two of you stopped by most mornings, but he had always seemed to have an issue with him. Always rolling his eyes or scoffing when Kian spoke to you. You recalled the smile on Matty's face when he called out the fact that you had thrown the cup with Kian's phone number in the trash, the image of his smile burning in your mind as you made your way over to the trash can he had found it in - thankful for your laziness for once when you remembered that you hadn't taken it out yet.

It didn't take long to find the clear cup through the napkins and receipts on top of it, wiping the last few tears from your cheeks and clearing your throat before typing the number into your phone - Kian picking up on the third ring. —

Matty fucked up.

He knew this. He knew as the words were coming out of his mouth that he was going too far, but he couldn't stop himself. He always did this. He had a terrible habit of self destructing.

He knew the night that he abruptly left you in your store that this would happen, the fear of almost indulging himself had him ready to destroy everything he had built with you that night. He couldn't let himself warm up to you, there was no way he was going to break his walls down and allow you to creep inside. Nope. No way.

He had always had a habit of taking things to the extreme with you, quick to drown the butterflies in his stomach in fire when you were around, but he'd never let it go this far before. He knew it was best to keep you at a distance, but he wasn't completely heartless. Believe it or not, he did care about you.

He had watched you stand outside after he had came back in his shop, beating himself up more and more the longer you stood there, closing his eyes and mumbling a "fuck me" when you turned and ran into your crystal store with a wet face.

Matty couldn't stop his feet from walking towards the shared wall, pressing his ear to the surface and scrunching his face up at the sound of you crying on the other end. Matty rested his forehead against the wall, bringing his hands up to his hair and pulling it out of frustration, the sound of your sobs had nausea rolling through his stomach.

Nice going, dick. You made the kindest, most amazing woman in the world cry.

"Dumbass." Matty mumbled to himself, shaking his head against the wall before pushing himself to stand up straight, glancing up at the clock. Matty brought his hands up to rub his face out of frustration, groaning before jogging out of his shop to make his way to yours, pulling on the handle multiple times when the door to Seven Wonders wouldn't budge.

After about the fifth time of trying to force the door to open, Matty smacked the glass out of frustration, no one to blame but himself, bringing his head to rest on the cold glass with his eyes closed. "Jewels, I know you're in there."

Silence.

Matty didn't expect much more.

His heart ached and he didn't like the feeling, why did he care so much about you anyways? He should be happy that you were probably never going to speak to him again, not feeling sick like he did right now.

After two more tugs to the door handle, wishing he was strong enough to break the lock, Matty gave up, turning around and sliding down the door, bringing his legs out in front of him and resting the back of his head against the glass.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, hoping that if he stayed, you would come out to speak to him. Matty was deep in thoughts full of regret and the sounds of your cries playing on a loop when he felt someone walk up beside him, towering over him and clearing their throat.

Matty opened an eye to squint at the man standing above him. "Are you Matty?"

"Who's asking?"

"Oh, well, um-" The stranger looked around uncomfortably, a sheepish smile on his face. "I have a tattoo appointment for eleven?"

"Oh, shit!" Matty was quick to stand on his feet, he had been sitting out there for longer than he thought, brushing the dirt off his jeans before offering his hand for the man to shake. "Justin? Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Yeah, man, all good." Justin smiled, accepting the hand shake with a warmer smile. "May I ask what you're doing out here?"

"Oh, just-" Matty stuttered, glancing at the crystal store behind him, hoping to catch a glimpse of you and deflating when he didn't. "Trying to apologize, you know?"

"Ah," Justin nodded. "Trouble in paradise, I get it, I made my girlfriend mad this morning too."

"N-No, ha, no, not that. I- uh-" Matty stuttered, trying to find a response but Justin's claim throwing him for a loop. "She's not my girlfriend." Matty laughed uncomfortably, bringing his hand to the back of his neck. "I just- you know what, it doesn't matter! Let's get you inside, man."

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming." 

"All good, no worries." Matty forced a smile, feeling more and more nauseous the further he stepped away from your crystal store. From you.

"Seven Wonders?" Matty heard from behind him, holding the door to his tattoo shop open while looking at Justin who was standing further back on the sidewalk and looking up at the sign above the door to your store. "What's a metaphysical store?"

"Uh, like spiritual shit." Matty replied, arm growing tired from holding the door open, narrowing his eyes at the man when he looked back at your store one last time before making his way over to Matty’s. "You know, witchy stuff."

"Like a hippie store? Weird." Justin questioned with furrowed brows, making his way inside. Even though Matty felt a little hypocritical, he knew that he had just called your store the same thing, but hearing the judgmental comment come from a stranger didn't make Matty too happy. Only he was allowed to speak about you that way, not some guy who didn’t even know you. He blamed how hard the door slammed on the wind and not his anger at the comment. "What do they even sell there?"

"Um-" Matty knew this, he had been in your store many times and had even helped you with inventory, why was he drawing a blank? "like tarot cards? A-and incense, stones, stuff like that.” Matty explained, an involuntary smile twitching at his lips at the memory of the items he explored in your store the other night, shrugging. “It's actually pretty cool, to be honest."

"Like rocks?" The judgment in his voice evident. Once again Matty felt like a major hypocrite, but in his defense he only called them rocks because it got a rise out of you and he liked the way your jaw clenched when he said it, which is exactly what got him into this mess in the first place. "If I wanted to look at rocks, I'd look in my backyard, you know what I mean?"

"They're not rocks." Matty huffed, agitated with the way Justin spoke about your store, feeling a strong urge to defend you to the stranger. "They're crystals. And what's it to you? If you don't believe in it, then don't, but don't shit on someone else for it."

Maybe Matty should listen to his own advice.

"Wow, I'm sorry." Justin's smile was back to sheepish, his hands raised in defense. "I didn't mean to step on any toes, you're right, it’s none of my business." Matty nodded, an action Justin followed. His eyes squinted slightly and a chuckle tumbled from his lips, raising an eyebrow at Matty before questioning. "You sure she's not your girlfriend, man?"

And if Matty's hand that he tattooed with was a little heavier than usual, he didn't feel bad about it at all.

—

Matty was exhausted.

The weight of his eyelids almost too heavy to carry, not feeling any lighter even as the hours of his morning progressed. He hadn't slept - up all night with his own words gnawing at his mind. The same words that had caused tears to fall from your eyes and a heavy feeling on his heart to form. He knew he had to make things right, he just didn't know how.

Matty had always had a hard time admitting when he was wrong, blame it on being a Aries, but he had always been this way. He didn't know much about astrology, but from what google had told him at three in the morning, he had finally found a blame to put the problem on.

Are Aries good at apologizing?

Aries are known for being bold, confident, and passionate, but they can also be impulsive, aggressive, and impatient. They often act before they think which can lead to arguments and misunderstandings. Aries hate to lose, so they will rarely admit that they are wrong or apologize for their actions.

Matty found truth in what he was reading, shifting in his bed at the fact that the internet had called him out. He found himself deleting the search bar and typing in a fresh next text, embarrassed that he even had to google it in the first place.

How to apologize to a girl?

Don’t just say you're sorry. Say it like you mean it. You should be able to tell her why you acted the way you did, and how you propose to fix the problem. In some cases, verbal apologies don't work, especially if the fight was too severe. You can opt for other ways to apologize, such as a grand or romantic gesture like writing her a love letter, or leaving flowers and chocolates at her home and place of work. Anything that shows how sorry you are about what you’ve done will help the reconciliation process.

Matty groaned, locking his phone and staring at the ceiling. A grand or romantic gesture? He needed advice on how to apologize to a friend - or more accurately, an acquaintance.

He groaned once more, ashamed at the fact that he had just googled how to apologize, knowing how disappointed his mother would be if she knew. Instead of thinking about how she’d scold him for his actions, he tried to wrack his brain for any advice she had given him in the past. Chocolate was her suggestion with Matty's high school girlfriend and flowers were the solution with the girlfriend after that. Matty groaned for a third time, bringing his hands up to scrub at his face out of frustration.

He fell asleep trying to focus on anything other than why his brain immediately remembered how he had apologized to his previous girlfriends when thinking of how to apologize to you. —

"Carmen, I'm not talking about this." You scoffed into the phone pressed between your shoulder and ear, hands too occupied with fumbling around in your tote bag, searching for your keys as you walked along the sidewalk towards Seven Wonders and holding your coffee in the other.

"You have never not told me about a date before." Carmen groaned while you cheered, finally grabbing your keys after far too long of searching. "Was it that bad?"

"It wasn't the worst," You sighed, slumping your shoulder and holding your phone in your right hand instead now that it was free. Kian was nice, you felt terrible that you hadn't enjoyed yourself on the night the two of you had shared. Almost as terrible as you felt about only going on the date in spite of the tattooed boy who you were hoping you wouldn't run into today. "but it wasn't the best either. I don't know, Carmen. I don't know what's wrong with me. He was perfectly sweet, a true gentleman, I just - it didn't feel right. Something was off."

You smiled at an elderly woman walking in the opposite direction, tightening the tote bag strap on your shoulder, the sign to your shop finally coming into sight. "Well, now I'm even more confused. If he was perfect, then why didn’t you enjoy yourself?"

"That's the thing, I don't know." You sighed, faltering footsteps when you came close enough to the front of your store to notice the man standing outside of it. So much for avoiding him today, I guess. You sigh, mumbling into the phone. "Hey, I've got to go."

"Fine." Carmen exasperated dramatically. "But you're coming over later and telling me every single detail."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." You mumbled into the phone, eyes locked on the pair of dark ones in front of you. "Bye."

You hung up, crossing your arms over your chest after locking the device, feeling a little light headed at the whirlwind of emotions that ran through you at the sight of Matty leaning against the wall of your shop, two coffees in hand - one more empty than the other. Anger, sadness, surprise and maybe even a little astonishment for how good he looked leaned against the wall - the sunlight hitting him just right.

Matty's smile didn't reach his eyes, the nervousness he felt almost radiating off of him. He shifted his weight between his feet, clearing his throat before speaking. "Morning."

You stared at him longer, too busy wracking your head around why he thought standing outside of your business that he had just shit on was a good idea to stop yourself from answering rudely. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh-" Matty cleared his throat once more, holding out the hand that was holding the full cup of coffee out to you, a sheepish smile on his face. "I got you a coffee."

You blinked at him, eyes falling down to the drink in his hand. The Tiger's eye ring on his finger shined in the morning sunlight, the sight made your stomach roll. "I have a coffee." You gestured to the one already in your hand, shaking the ice around in the cup, smiling tight and awkward. "So."

"Yeah, but you know this will be better than the Starbucks in your hand." Matty's voice was more playful than before, yet the nerves remained. Your heart skipped at the fact that he noticed that you hadn’t gone to Vienna for your coffee yet again, hoping he wouldn’t question why. "C'mon, it's an iced vanilla latte, your favorite." He sang, mimicking the action of shaking the ice around in the cup, enticing you to grab it. "I even remembered the oat milk."

You inhaled deeply, hesitant to reach out and accept the coffee from him, fingertips brushing against his own as you did. "You know my coffee order?" Eyebrows scrunched as you lifted the drink to your mouth, taking a sip of the new coffee and hoping that he hadn’t poisoned it. You allowed Matty to take the Starbucks from your hand, watching as he walked it over to the nearest trash can and tossed it in the bin.

"Of course I do?" Matty's voice grew in volume as he made his way back over to stand in front of you, crossing his leg over the other and leaning back against the front door of Seven Wonders, something flashing on his face before he cleared his throat once more. "I mean, uh - just from us always being at Vienna at the same time, you know?" You nodded, bringing the coffee up to your lips once more and taking another sip, watching the way Matty fidgeted with the Tiger's eye ring on his right hand. Matty spoke through a grimace, "So, uh, you're still avoiding Kian then? You know? The Starbucks."

Matty's joke fell flat, his forced laughter drifting off into the wind as your stomach clenched at the mention of the boy you had spent your night with. You had no plans of sharing any details about your night with the tattoo artist, despite him being the only reason you went in the first place.

"I kind of need to open shop, Matty." You were sure the smile on your face seemed as forced and uncomfortable as you had felt. It made you miss the arguing, much easier to communicate with him that way. Matty's face fell, shoulders slumping against the wall before he pushed himself off to stand straight.

"Jewels, wait." Matty spoke softly, but quickly.

"Don't." You sighed, shifting your eyes to look anywhere but him. The absolute last thing you wanted was to listen to the apology you knew he had on the tip of his tongue. You had spent all night trying to forget everything he had said to you, apologizing would just bring the memory right back to the forefront of your mind. And quite frankly, you were tired of thinking about it.

"No, please just-"

"I really don't want to hear it, Matty." You interrupted, finally finding the courage to look in his eyes. "Look, no hard feelings, okay?"

"But-"

"I promise." You interrupted once more, trying to sound confident despite how small you felt with him towering over you, blocking you from entering your store. "I know why you're apologizing, you're worried that I won't help you out with your sister's birthday gift anymore."

"Jewels, that's not why-"

"A deals a deal, okay. You helped me with inventory so I'll still hold up my end of the deal and help you pick out something nice for your sister." You shrugged, taking a moment to take another sip of your coffee as Matty stared at you with defeat and frustration written all over his face. "You're allowed to say how you feel and you did, there's nothing wrong with that."

"But that's not how I feel, I-" Matty spoke quickly, desperately trying to get a word in but you refused to let him.

"It's fine, Matty. We're adults and I think that after I help you, we should keep our distance. We don't have to pretend to like one another, we can be civil and share a wall without interacting, I think we'd both benefit from that." You smiled softly, taking a few steps forward towards the front door to your crystal store, sliding the key in the lock and turning it, opening the door ever so slightly before it was being slammed closed by his hand - the sudden closeness of Matty's face overwhelming you.

"Will you let me fucking speak?" Matty spoke through gritted teeth, squeezing his dark eyes shut and inhaling a deep breath before opening them again - less fire behind them now. "I'm sorry, I just- I don't want any of that. I don’t want to avoid you.”

You were too shaken up by the force of the door closing and Matty towering over you to speak, only able to raise your eyebrows in response. "Look, I fucked up, alright? I know that. I didn't mean any of the things I said. I-"

"I told you I don't want to hear any of this, Matty." Your head shook, trying to pull the door open once more but his hand remained on the glass, keeping it closed with one arm. You glare up at him, refusing to look at the way the muscles in his arm flexed as he held your door closed. "Let me in."

"Let me speak!" Matty laughed through exasperation, knuckles white against the door. "Please, just let me apologize." Matty begged, taking your silence as an invitation to continue. "I didn't mean it, I swear. It was the heat of the moment and I lashed out because I was hurt by what you said about me and I'm sorry. I think that what you've done is so admirable, you're so successful at such a young age and I think it was just me being envious because it took me longer to gather as much success as it took you. But it wasn't fair of me to take that out on you and I'm so fucking sorry. It was a total dick move, please let me make it up to you." Matty's eyes searched your face desperately trying to find any signs of forgiveness. "I-I'll do anything, I'll help you with inventory again, I'll buy your coffee for the rest of your life. Fuck, I'll come out here and pick up all the stray cigarettes, okay? Just - just please tell me you know how sorry I am."

By the end of his apology, your eyes were glued to the floor, trying to focus on the pavement and fight off the tears that threatened to pool in your eyes. You refused to cry over this boy ever again. Instead of responding, you tugged on the door once more, you knew you wouldn't be able to open in with his hand on it but you figured you'd give it a shot anyway. "Jewels, please."

You hated being an empath because half of you was screaming to just let it go, the desperation and sadness in his tone was enough to make you forgive and forget, but the other half of you was keen on replaying the harsh words that he had said to you on a loop and in the end that half had won the battle. "Please just let me go inside, Matty."

Matty slumped, head dropping down between his shoulders, his arm eventually falling from the door as he stood up straight - staring down at you with helpless eyes.

You didn't linger, too scared that you'd be too weak if you stared into his dark eyes for too long, going inside and leaving Matty standing outside of your store alone.

Matty's eyes remained on where you had been standing, feeling defeated. He seemed to be glued to where he was, standing there until the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket woke him up out of his daze.

Matty sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and seeing his sister's name across his screen, accepting the call with furrowed brows.

"Hey, what's up?" Feeling rather embarrassed by how sad his voice had sounded.

"Well, you don't sound too happy this morning." Poppy laughed into the phone. "What's wrong with you?" Matty sighed, kicking his feet against the pavement as he turned his head to look through the glass of Seven Wonders, watching the way you turned on the lights in the shop - setting up for the day. "Oooo wait, let me guess." Matty was already rolling his eyes before his sister had the chance to make the jab. "Girl troubles."

"Enough." Matty groaned, unable to pull his eyes away from you, huffing when he saw you wipe your face. "Fine, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I mean, she's not my girlfriend, but she is a girl - so." Matty sighed, bringing a hand up to his forehead and rubbing away the headache that was starting to form. "Why did you call?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, this is much more interesting." Matty rolled his eyes once more at the tone of his sister's voice, always more interested in her older brother's life than her own. "It's her, isn't it?"

"What?” Matty scoffed, quick to take his eyes off of you in fear that she was somehow able to see him staring at you. “Who?" 

"You know who." Poppy sang. "The pretty girl who works next to you, you know the one you're in love with?"

"I am not in love with her." Matty scoffed at the accusation, eyebrows more pinched than before as he started to pace back and forth. This wasn't the first time that Poppy had made that claim and Matty was almost positive it wouldn't be her last. "You're ridiculous."

"Okay, but it is her we're talking about, right?" Matty could tell even through the phone that Poppy was smiling on the other side, ready to gloat, almost making him want to lie but ultimately deciding against it.

"Yeah." Matty sighed. "Yeah, it's her."

"I knew it! What'd you do this time?" Poppy accused.

"Hey, why are we so quick to assume that it's my fault?" Matty defended, knowing the argument was weak but feeling the need to defend himself regardless. The silence on the other end spoke for itself. "Fine, it was my fault." Matty groaned through Poppy's laughter. "I was a dick. A major one. She won't let me apologize, I don't know what to do."

"You could leave her alone?" Poppy teased, Matty knew she was joking but it didn't stop his heart from clenching at the thought.

"Ha ha, very funny." Matty huffed. "Some actual help would be appreciated."

"I don't know what you expect me to tell you other than what I already have." His sister sighed. "You won't listen to me."

"What are you talking about? You haven't told me anything."

"Get over yourself and admit that you like her." Poppy spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Honestly, the world would be so much more at peace if the two of you would just fuck already and realize you’re meant to be."

“Poppy!” Matty gasped, cringing at the fact that his sister was talking about his sex life, quick to defend himself. "I do not like her." Matty scoffed, cursing himself when his eyes drifted back to you, watching the way you stood on the tips of your toes to reach a shelf that wasn't even the top one, his heart fluttering at the sight in complete contradiction to his claims. "And we are not meant to be, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Right." Poppy drew out, Matty knew without even looking at his sister that she was rolling her eyes, sighing. "Look, you know what mom would tell you to do."

As soon as she said it, Matty was reminded of the night before, how he had stayed up all night googling and remembering the advice his mother had given him in the past and both of them seemed to draw the same conclusion - a grand gesture.

But what?

Matty rubbed his right hand over his face in frustration, the cool metal from his ring soothing the heat of his skin from standing outside for so long. Poppy was drawing out a "Hello?" around the same time Matty had flipped his hand over to stare at his Tiger's eye ring in the sun. That's it.

"I've got to go." Matty mumbled into the phone, hanging up on his sister before she had the chance to say anything else, quick to open up safari on his phone and typing in something totally different than what he had been searching the night before.

Crystal Stores Near Me

• Seven Wonders: 0.1 miles away

• Magic Jewels: 8.7 miles away

Matty wasn't surprised when Seven Wonders had come up as his first option, not only was it the most popular one in town, but he was also standing right outside of it. Google probably assumed he was a big, ginormous idiot. But it would be rather hard to shop for the girl who owns the store he was shopping in.

Matty scrolled down, looking at the second option on the screen. Magic Jewels. Matty didn't need to look any further, Jewels being in the name was enough to have him taking off towards the parking lot, swinging his leg over his motorcycle and rushing in the direction of the metaphysical store - praying he wasn't about to make a fool of himself. —

Matty felt like a lost puppy.

The only metaphysical store he had been in was yours, so he felt uncomfortable now standing in the middle of Magic Jewels. He stuck out like a sore thumb, eyes scanning the room in search of anything that would call out to him. Matty remembered hearing you tell a customer that once, that if you didn't know what to buy, let the crystals choose you instead of vice versa and right now Matty felt like all the crystals in the world had somehow spoken to you and were also giving him the silent treatment.

"Hi, you look like you need some help." Matty turned his head around to face the voice that came from behind him, smiling at the elderly woman dressed in earth tones.

"Hi, I do." Matty chuckled, holding his hand out for the woman to shake. "Matty."

"Ethel." The woman smiled, shaking his hand. "Are you looking for anything specific?"

"Um - I guess? But not really? I-I'm not too sure." Matty chuckled alongside the elderly woman, running a hand through his dark hair and looking around at the various displays around the shop. "I don't know too much about all this stuff, just what Jewels -“ cutting himself off to correct himself, saying your name instead.”Y/N has taught me."

"So we're shopping for someone else, then?" Ethel smiled at Matty with a warm smile, never having had anyone who looked like him ever in her store before, she was intrigued. "Tell me more about her."

Matty couldn't help but allow his eyebrows to scrunch, why was she asking about you? He hadn't even told her that's who he was shopping for yet. Was she a psychic or something? Judging from the crystal ball he'd seen when he first walked in, he didn't think that was too far-fetched. "Uh, she's into all of this stuff, I'm sorry - forgive me, I don't want to be disrespectful. I just don't know how to word it."

Not wanting to offend the elderly woman as he did with you.

"You're fine." Ethel assured, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "She must be pretty special if she got you in a place like this."

"Yeah, she is." Matty agreed, clearing his throat when he registered what he had just said. What? "I'm just trying to get her something nice. Show her how sorry I am, you know? I just - I don't know what I'm doing. Or what anything means, other than this." Matty explained, holding up his hand that held the finger his Tiger's eye ring was attached to. "She gave me this, told me it was good for confidence? That's really all I know, honestly. She's told me more, it's just hard to remember. I don't know how you guys do it.” Matty spoke earnestly through a breathy laugh. “I have a hard enough time remembering where I place my different colored inks."

Ethel threw her head back in laughter. "You're a hoot." She smiled, hand coming out to grab Matty's once more, pulling the ring closer to her face. "This is beautiful, I wonder where she got this."

"Oh, she sells them!" Matty smiled, ignoring the sense of pride that swelled in his chest. "Yeah, she owns Seven Wonders, it's down by-"

"You're kidding!" Ethel exclaimed, dropping Matty's hand out of excitement. "When you said Y/N, I didn’t realize we were talking about her!" The elderly woman hit Matty on the arm lightly, smiling bright as ever. "Oh, she's an angel. I love her!” Her smile faltered slightly as she narrowed her eyes. “What did you do to that poor girl?"

"I didn't realize the two of you knew each other?" Matty smiled, feeling intimidated by the way Ethel was staring at him waiting on him to give her insight. "I guess I just figured the two of you wouldn't be friends, considering you're competitors."

"Oh, no competition in a field like this, we lift each other up not the other way around." Ethel smiled, grabbing his hand once more to admire the ring again. "I should have known this came from Seven Wonders, she always has the best jewelry pieces."

"Yeah, she does." Matty agreed, once more ignoring the pride swelling in his chest. Where the fuck was that coming from? "Think you can help me find her something pretty? I'm desperate here."

Ethel glanced up at Matty with a raised eyebrow, dropping his hand. "You didn't cheat on her now, did you?"

"What?" Matty laughed, almost choking on his spit, clearing his throat and running his hand through his hair again. "No - we aren't. She's not- no. No, I didn't.” Shaking his head and stumbling through his words. “We're friends, well, sort of."

Ethel nodded along with amused eyes and a soft smile, waving her hand in the air - signaling for Matty to follow her as she started to walk through the narrow aisles of the store. "I think I have something for you."

Matty was careful to watch his step through the store, ducking under decorations and tip toeing over things, not wanting to mess anything up - finally feeling at ease when Ethel stopped in front of a display that look like a wooden version of a tree, the branches holding up several options of necklaces. Ethel hummed along to whatever song was playing in the background as she searched through the chords, cheering when she found the one that was on her mind.

"Here it is!" Ethel smiled, carefully pulling the black chord free from the branch, holding the necklace out to Matty. "My intuition tells me this will be a perfect fit for her."

Matty's heart skipped a beat at Ethel's claim, the feeling of deja vu washing over him as he looked at the Tiger's eye necklace in his hands, the elderly woman's words reminding him of the ones you had said to him the day he saw the ring on his finger for the first time.

"You can put it on, my intuition tells me it'll be a perfect fit."

Matty's mouth suddenly felt dry as the memory washed over him, trying to stop himself from thinking about how he had claimed fate that day. Instead, he focused all his attention on the necklace in his hand, turning it around in the light. "This is beautiful, Ethel. I think she'd really like this."

"I'm sure she will." Ethel smiled, staring at him with knowing eyes that he didn't notice - too wrapped up in watching the stone shift in the light.

—

Matty thought about how to give the necklace to you his entire drive back to the strip where your two shops lived, weighing out the pros and cons of delivering it in person. He didn't want to push his luck and come to Seven Wonders for the second time that day, he didn't want to give you any fuel to push him away any farther.

In fear of making you any more angry at him, he ultimately decided it was the best idea to just leave it at the door of your shop.

Matty searched around his own tattoo shop, trying to remember where he had left the bandana he had forgotten on accident up here months ago, feeling proud of himself when he was able to locate the red paisley printed cloth.

Matty wrapped the necklace up in the bandana with shaky hands, he couldn't quite pinpoint why he was so nervous. He felt like a middle schooler giving his first girlfriend a Valentine for the first time. But this was completely different, why was he so nervous to give something to an acquaintance?

Matty walked over to his front counter, ripping a sticky note off of the stack and grabbing a pen, trying to make his hands as steady as possible as he wrote on the yellow piece of paper.

I'm really sorry, please forgive me.

Matty sighed, dropping the pen to the counter before placing the sticky note to the outside of the bandana that held the necklace. He stood in the middle of his shop contemplating whether or not this was a good idea or if this was going to do nothing but make things worse.

What's the worst thing that could happen, right?

Matty didn't dwell on all the bad things that could happen, carrying the makeshift present outside before he talked himself out of it. Matty glanced through the glass of the shop, making sure you weren't out on the floor to see him placing the red paisley cloth on your welcome mat.

Matty stood back up straight, staring down at his bandana that now laid in front of your door, taking in one last deep breath before walking away - crossing his fingers that you could find it in you to forgive him.

—

"Thank you so much for coming in today, I hope you enjoy everything you picked up!" You smiled at the girl who couldn't be any older than twenty, handing her the shopping bag over the counter. "And if you have any questions or need anything, you can stop by anytime."

"Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day." The younger girl returned the smile before turning on her heels and exiting Seven Wonders. 

She was one of the numerous people that had passed through your store today, alongside the handful that remained in there now. It was busy for the middle of the week, but you were grateful. It kept you busy, didn't give your brain the time to think about the boy next door. 

You hated to admit it, but what Matty had done that morning was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for you, it made you feel guilty for how you had treated him in return. He did truly seem sorry, you had heard half assed apologies more times than you could count coming from him and this was nothing like that. This seemed genuine and that terrified you. 

Why the sudden change? Why did he care that he hurt your feelings? Matty a few months ago would have loved to hear that you never wanted to talk to him again, so why was he fighting against that so hard now? It was confusing and it made your head spin. 

"Excuse me," The soft voice that came from the woman in front of you pulled you from your own thoughts. 

"Hi, sorry, what can I help you with?" You stood straighter, giving your attention to the customer as opposed to your next door neighbor. 

"Actually, I think I have something for you." The woman looked just as confused as you felt, your head tilting to the side ever so slightly with furrowed brows as you watched the woman set down the red paisley cloth on your counter. "This was sitting on your welcome mat, I think somebody left it there? I'm not sure how long it's been out there, but I wanted to give it to you before it got lost on the sidewalk or someone else picked it up. You know how some people are."

"Yeah." You weren't quite sure what you were agreeing to, you weren't even sure you had fully even comprehended what the woman had been saying to you, too focused on the recognizable handwriting on the sticky note that was placed on top of the cloth. "Thank you! I had no idea it was out there, I appreciate that."

"Of course!" The stranger gleamed yet lingered, you were expecting her to walk away and start looking around the shop but were surprised when she stood grounded in her spot, staring at you with waiting eyes. "Sorry, I'm just being nosey, I want to know what it is."

"Oh!" The exclamation coming out more breathless than you had expected it to, your hands felt more clammy than usual as you pulled the paisley cloth closer to you, trying to talk your heart down from racing as you started to unfold the bandana. 

"Oh wow." The woman watching exclaimed her fascination, taking the words that you weren't able to voice out of your mouth - only being able to form a gasp as the contents inside were revealed. "That's beautiful."

She wasn't lying. The piece of jewelry that laid against the red paisley was very pretty, shining in the light and contrasting beautifully against the cloth. You stared down at the Tiger's eye necklace with eyes that dared to get teary, too afraid to pick it up in fear that it would shock you.

 What did this mean? Why had Matty gone out of his way to buy you something so beautiful? So meaningful. Had he purposefully planned to match this to the ring you had given him? Or was this just the first thing he saw? This was too much. Your mind was racing.

How did we go from apologizing with a coffee to apologizing with a necklace?

"It is." You agreed, eyes sliding from the necklace back over to the sticky note, rereading the words written neatly on the yellow paper. 

I'm really sorry, please forgive me.

And how could you not?

"My advice?" The woman who was still standing before you spoke up, making you focus your attention on her instead of the gift before you. "Never let him go. He seems to really care about you."

Your head was nodding in agreement before you had time to process what she had said, the woman already gone from the counter before you could voice a "Wait!" to get more explanation as to what she meant by that. 

Your eyes fell back down to the necklace in a new light, Matty did really seem to care about you, despite how mean he could be. But why? The thought terrified you. What were you going to do now?

—

Hours had gone by since Matty had left the necklace on your welcome met, the time that passed did not help ease the anxiety that settled in his stomach since walking away from it. He really hoped he wasn't making a fool of himself and he hoped that you would understand that he wasn't trying to buy your forgiveness, he was just trying to show how sorry he was. He tried to not think about it too much as he tattooed the clients that passed through his shop throughout the day, but he found it nearly impossible to think of anything other than you - something that had proved itself to be quite difficult the past few months. 

You had consumed his brain and it was starting to make Matty feel like he was going mad. 

From the day he had met you, you had been at the forefront of his mind. It was concerning, really. When he first got introduced to you, Matty assumed the infatuation was due to the fact that you were a new person in his life so it was normal for him to want to know everything about you. But when the shift in your relationship went from friendly to the complete opposite, Matty blamed the obsession on annoyance and the fact that you knew just the right buttons to push to piss him off. But now? Now Matty wasn't entirely sure why he couldn't seem to get you off of his mind. It was terrifying, really. This had never happened before. 

Matty wished he could understand why he cared so much about you, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that made you so different from anyone else in his life. What were you doing to him?

The sound of the door to 102 Tattoo opening pulled Matty out of his spiral, speaking without turning around to face whoever just entered the tattoo shop. "Hey, what can I do for you?"

Matty shuffled through some papers on the counter, trying to find a blank information form for whoever had just walked in - making a mental note to file away the one from his previous client. Matty's eyebrows furrowed as he pulled the blank form from the stack of papers, confused as to why nobody had responded to his question, eyes rising to the front door and shoulders slumping when he recognized the person standing there. "Oh, what do you want?"

Kian shuffled his feet, looking around the shop awkwardly before clearing his throat. "Look, I know we don't necessarily get along, but you're by far the best artist in town."

Matty stared at the man for a beat, refusing to thank him for the compliment, voice sounding just as uninterested as he felt. "Okay?"

Kian huffed, shaking his head slightly. "I have a tattoo I've been wanting to get, I looked around at different artists in the area and I kept coming back to you." Kian explained. "Not only is your work incredible, but I think it'll help ease my nerves since I sort of know you." The blonde sounded nervous under Matty's stare, feeling uncomfortable that the artist had yet to speak. "Look, I know that you and Y/N don't care for one another, but you don't have to take that out on me. Can we please not allow personal relationships to come between professional settings?"

Now he had Matty's attention. 

"Why would what I have going on with Y/N have anything to do with you?" His voice dripped in confusion and malice. "What? Because we both go to your little coffee shop? Well, I don't know if you've noticed, man - but she hasn't stopped by in a few days."

Kian laughed breathlessly, "No." The anxiety that had been in his stomach all morning had diminished and was quickly replaced with something Matty couldn't quite pinpoint. "Because we went on a date last night and now whatever problems you have with her fall on me too because of that." 

Matty tried to ignore the way it seemed to feel like the ground just got pulled from beneath him. "She did not go on a date with you, man. Come on." Matty scoffed, shaking his head and staring at the blonde who was looking back at him with confused eyes. "She would have told me."

"Why would she have told you about that?" Kian laughed once more, each time making Matty feel smaller despite how he was trying to present himself. "You're not friends. She wants nothing to do with you."

Matty refused to believe that Kian was right, holding onto the fact that you had once shared with him that you had only flirted with Kian for the free coffee. Matty chose to focus on the memory of that conversation and the fact that he had found the coffee cup with Kian's phone number in your trashcan instead of what Kian was telling him now. Had you just been lying to Matty the entire time? "You're wrong."

"Okay, I'm wrong." Kian's voice dripped with sarcasm, clear that he just wanted to move the conversation back to what he came in here for. "Look, I didn't come in here to fight with you or make you feel like I was trying to start something, I'm not. I just really want you to do this piece for me and I don't want you to take your personal issues with Y/N out on me just because we're seeing each other."

Matty felt like his head was going to explode and if looks could kill, Kian would have been on the floor minutes ago. The foreign feeling that had filled Matty's stomach started to pool in his veins at the thought of what the two of them had done the night before.

Maybe it was the fact that at the end of the day Matty was a professional or maybe it was the way that Matty felt the need to prove to you that he wasn’t bothered about the date with Kian, but Matty found himself agreeing. "You're right, I'm sorry." The words felt like they were choking him as they left his mouth. "If you would do me a favor and fill out this information form, it's just basic questions - contact information, a detailed description of what you're wanting and what availability works best for you so I can try to get you in as soon as possible." The professional side of Matty overtaking, telling himself that he was just talking to a regular client, not the guy that you were seeing. "You can take this with you and drop it off when you get it finished, uh, my number is at the bottom if you have any questions. If I'm not in the shop when you're wanting to drop it off, you can just slide it under the door and I'll contact you after I review it and find an opening for you."

"Alright, sounds good." Kian's smile seemed genuine as he accepted the form from Matty, eyes scanning over the sheet. "Thanks man."

Matty nodded, waving with a tight smile as Kian walked out the door of his tattoo shop, waiting until the glass door was fully shut before he dropped the fake persona - groaning as he put his hands on the counter before him and dropped his head between his shoulders. 

What was happening to him? Why did he care so much that you went on a date with Kian? Matty shouldn't care about what you chose to do with your free time, so why did it feel like he was about to lose his mind?

The sound of his phone dinging on the counter pulled him out of his own head, grabbing the device with more anger than what was necessary - reading the text from his sister on the screen with heated eyes. 

Just trying to get an idea for a time that you're wanting to see me this weekend? I'm trying to make plans with my friends, but I want to have the plan with you settled before making one with them. 

Matty stared at the text, rereading the words and trying to pinpoint exactly why he was needing to make a plan with his sister for this weekend. A huff of frustration fell into the air when he remembered. Her birthday. Matty rubbed his free hand over his face out of frustration - he had completely forgotten about Poppy's birthday this weekend and the fact that he still needed your help with picking out a gift for her. 

I'm free whenever you are, just let me know what you're feeling. 

Matty's mind drifted back to you despite how badly tried to not allow it to. He still wasn't even sure you were going to speak to him, you had told him earlier that you would still help him but he didn't want your help if you were going to be distant from him the entire time. He was hoping you would be as comfortable with him as you were the night he helped you with inventory. But he had ruined that small relationship the two of you had built that night and he had no one to blame but himself. 

Would you be down for lunch on Sunday?

Matty glanced at the oversized calendar he had hanging on one of the walls of his tattoo shop to keep up with upcoming appointments, realizing that it was Thursday and the time was only continuing to dwindle. 

Works for me, see you Sunday :)

Matty locked his phone after Poppy responded with a heart, rubbing his hands over his face out of frustration. He only had two days to get his gift for his sister sorted out and he didn't know if two days was enough time for you to forgive him. He didn't want to push you, but you had promised to help him, so despite how nervous he was to see you he found himself walking out of his shop and entering Seven Wonders - noticing that the bandana he had left out there hours ago was now gone. 

Matty looked around the metaphysical shop, eyes scanning over the various customers in the store but not being able to locate you. After what felt like hours of searching but in reality was nothing more than a few minutes, Matty saw you near a wall of candles, body stretched as high as it could possibly go on the tips of your toes as you reached for an item on the very top shelf. Matty smiled to himself, making his way over to you quickly before you accidentally knocked a bunch of glass over. 

Matty came up behind you, steadying you with a hand on your back before reaching over you and grabbing the green candle you had been fighting for with little to no effort. Matty felt you tense under his hand before relaxing when you realized it wasn't a stranger who had been invading your personal space. Matty was quick to remove his hand from your back, the warmth from you lingering on his fingertips as he held the candle out to you with a sheepish smile. "Here you go."

You stared at him in astonishment, the feeling of his hand on your back remained as you accepted the candle from his tattooed hands. "Thank you." Your voice came out more quiet than you intended for it to. "What are you doing here?"

"I swear I'm not trying to avoid your request for space, I promise, it's just that Poppy's birthday is this weekend and I really need to get her gift figured out." Matty explained, trying to subtly look at your chest and feeling disappointed when he didn't see his necklace dangling there. Before walking in here he had told himself that if you were wearing the necklace then that was his sign that you were ready to forgive him and if you weren't, well, there was his answer. "If you could just point me in the right direction of what she might like, I won't even ask you to help me."

"No." Your quiet voice still seemed to boom in Matty's ears. No? "I promised you that I would help you with her gift in exchange for you helping me with inventory, I'm keeping my word."

"I don't want you to feel obligated to, I didn't mind helping you the other night, I kind of enjoyed the company." Matty shrugged.

"I don't feel obligated, I want to help." You assured, breaking eye contact to focus on the candle in your hand instead. "So did I."

"Oh." Matty's stomach flipped at your words, happy to hear that you had enjoyed hanging out with him that night as much as he did, even more angry at himself now for ruining it. “Okay.”

Matty watched the way you held up a finger at him with an apologetic smile before carrying the candle over to a customer who Matty hadn't even noticed was standing off to the side watching them. You talked with the customer for a few minutes, Matty assumed you were explaining all the ways the candle could be used, he remembered seeing the word abundance written in a pretty font on the front of the glass when he'd grabbed it off the shelf.

When the conversation came to an end, you sent the customer off with a smile before making your way back over to stand in front of him, fidgeting with something around your neck before crossing your arms. "I'm sort of busy right now, but you can come back later if you're free? Closer to closing time, that way you can kind of have the store to yourself, you know? Give you the freedom to look at everything without anyone being in your way or me having to leave to help someone."

"Yeah." Matty agreed, feeling some form of relief that you were actually speaking to him. "Yeah, that sounds good, I'm free."

"Perfect." You smiled softly while nodding, glancing behind him at the counter where someone was waiting to be checked out.  "I gotta go, but I'll see you later, yeah?"

You had already started to walk away but Matty wasn't ready for you to leave just yet, grabbing your arm with a gentle hand and blaming static on the shock he felt from the contact with your skin. "Wait, Jewels. I-I'm sorry about the necklace. It was a stupid idea I had, I-I didn't mean to overstep."

You pulled your arm from his grasp, laughing softly with faux confusion on your face. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't see-" Matty started to question if she had seen the bandana outside her door, but cut himself off when you raised your hands to your hair, pulling it up into a quick ponytail - the action making a familiar black chord visible. The top part of the Tiger's eye pendant peeking out from where you had it hidden under your shirt, an involuntary smile spreading over his face as a wave of relief washed over him at the sight of the necklace he'd bought you around your neck. There was his answer. "Never mind."

You failed to fight a smile of your own, arms now back at your sides, furrowing your brows and tilting your head to the side. "What?" Eyes narrowing at the dark haired boy playfully. "What are you smiling about?"

Matty huffed out a laugh, dropping his head and shaking it at the ground to give himself time to wipe the smile off of his face only for it to return when he lifted his head to look at you again. "Oh, nothing." You nodded your head, the way your eyes gleamed at him made Matty's legs feel rather unsteady. "I'll see you later tonight, then?"

"Yeah." You agreed. "I'll see you tonight."

Matty nodded once more before you finally turned to make your way towards the front counter, apologizing to the customer who had been waiting to be rung up for a few minutes now. Matty remained glued to his spot by the shelf of candles, watching the way you wrapped up all the pieces the woman had purchased, handing her the shopping bag with a smile. Watching you like this was not going to help his problem with thinking about you so much, this was so unhealthy for him, he was aware - but he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from you. Not when yours slid back over to him when the customer walked away, rolling yours playfully while shaking your head. 

All the months of you being at the forefront of his mind, all the nights of him trying to pinpoint exactly why he couldn't seem to keep his mind off of you, all the times unknown emotions he felt when Kian flirted with you in front of him, all the confusion and searching for an answer all came crashing down on Matty right in the middle of Seven Wonders.

Fuck. He was in so deep. 

—

"You can take the wrap off when you get home, just make sure you clean it really well with unscented soap and moisturize it with some unscented lotion and you should be good to go!" Matty shot a warm smile at the girl who was now standing up from the tattoo chair, nodding along to the instructions he was giving her. "If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to me, alright?"

"Yeah, of course, thank you so much!" The girl returned the warm smile, reaching into her purse and grabbing two twenty dollar bills out of it, holding it out to him. "This is for you."

"Oh, thank you, I appreciate that." Matty quickly removed the black gloves from his hands, gratefully accepting the tip from her. "Just give me a call when you figure out what you want next."

"I will!" The woman gave Matty one more smile before turning on her heels and exiting 102 Tattoo. Matty folded the cash and stuffed it into the front pocket of his jeans, he was always grateful when customers tipped him.

Matty let out a huff when he looked at the situation before him. He loved his job, he loved tattooing more than anything but he also hated cleaning up after tattooing someone more than anything.

Matty sighed, picking his discarded black gloves up and tossing them into the trash can across from him. He was quick to discard everything laying around, placing the things that weren't meant to be thrown away back where they belong and sanitizing the tattoo chair thoroughly. Since the girl he had just finished tattooing was his last appointment of the day, he figured he might as well take out the trash and sweep the floor too just so he wouldn't have to do it in the morning.

By the time he had finished, he needed a cigarette - or two. Now leaned against the brick wall of the side of the building, Matty watched the people walking around the strip - eavesdropping on random conversations within earshot while letting the smoke invading his lungs calm him down. The sound of laughter pulled Matty's attention to the side, head turning to see two girls who couldn't be any older than seventeen walking towards him.

Matty wasn't dumb, he knew they weren't coming this direction for him, teenagers couldn't get tattoos without a parents permission. No, he knew where they were headed. Seven Wonders. Matty held in a snort as he politely waved back to the blonde haired teenage girl, shaking his head as the two of them whispered and giggled before opening the door to the crystal store next to him. Matty shook his head once more, inhaling another breath of smoke before pulling his phone out of his back pocket to check the time. 6:39. Matty knew your store closed at 7:00, it wasn't like he was watching you or anything, the two of you just always seemed to be walking to the parking lot at the same time every night.

He remembered that you had told him to come in a little before closing time, the time changing to 6:40 had him quick to finish the rest of his cigarette - continuing to eavesdrop as he did. By the time the cigarette had burned far enough down to deem it done, Matty started to drop the remainder to the ground - ready to stomp it out and make his way inside. But as soon as he started to throw it down he thought of you and how worked up you always got when you noticed the stray discarded cigarettes all along the pavement.

Normally, Matty would have walked over to drop it right in front of your doorstep to stomp it out, loving to exploit anything that made you angry. Yet for some reason he found himself walking five stores down on the strip to the outdoor ashtray, shaking his head at himself as he put out the cigarette with his finger against the black hard plastic - wiping his hands on his jeans before making his way back down the strip to his own shop to lock the door.

By the time he was swinging open the door to Seven Wonders the time had just turned to 6:48. Matty took a step inside, letting the door slowly close behind him as he scanned the inside of the store for you - seeing the two teenagers from earlier near the display of necklaces in the process. Eventually he found you, over near the shelves of candles, seeming to be in deep conversation with a woman standing across from you - your nose scrunched as you laughed at something she said. Matty found himself making his way over to you. He wasn't trying to interrupt, he just stuck out in the store and thought he'd feel more comfortable being near you. As he made his way closer, you looked over the woman's shoulder and noticed him, giving him a welcoming smile before turning your attention back to her. Matty came to a stop next to you, fiddling with the ring on his finger out of nerves from the fact that both of you were now looking at him. Matty cleared his throat, an apologetic smile gracing his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just didn't know where to go, please continue."

"Oh my goodness, no, you're fine! I've been talking her head off for the past ten minutes." The woman laughed, turning to look at you. "I'm so sorry, when I get to talking I just can't stop."

"Don't apologize, I enjoyed the conversation." You assured, looking between the two of them before speaking again. "Amelia, this is Matty and Matty, this is Amelia." You gestured between the two of them while smiling.

"It's nice to meet you." Amelia offered a hand that Matty accepted in a shake, returning the sentiment. "I'm so sorry for keeping her tied up, I'm sure she'd much rather be spending her time with you." The sound of you clearing your throat distracted Matty from reading too much into what Amelia had just said. "We talked for so long that I forgot what you initially needed help with." You spoke through a giggle, "Do you remember?"

"Oh, you're too young to be forgetting things." Amelia teased, Matty watched the interaction with a small smile. "And I'm too old to remember. I have no clue what I even came in here for."

Amelia's statement sent you and Matty both into a fit of laughter, "Hey, that's alright, maybe you just needed to talk." Matty spoke up for the first time in a minute.

"You're right, I did. It was so nice to meet both of you. I'll look around for a little bit, maybe it'll help me remember what I needed." Amelia glanced around as she spoke.

"Of course, if you need anything else I'll be here." You chuckled, waving back at the woman before she turned to start browsing the store. You turned to Matty with slightly wider eyes, taking a deep breath before giggling. "You're early."

Matty felt his eyebrows scrunch. "Didn't you tell me to be?

"Well, yeah, I did." You shrugged. "But you're a man, I didn't expect you to listen." Teasing the tattooed boy before you, smiling when his dark eyes rolled. "I thought it would be 7:30 by the time I'd see you."

"Alright." Matty drew out, tone full of faux offense.

You smiled, looking quite proud of yourself, but soon your attention was pulled to the front counter. "Oh shit, let me go check these people out. You can entertain yourself with whatever while I'm gone."

You were gone before Matty even had the chance to respond, turning his head to look at what all was around him. "What the fuck am I supposed to entertain myself with?" Matty whispered to himself as he took in the sight of candles, tarot cards and crystals. His eyes drifted towards you at the front counter, watching as you apologized to the two teenage girls he had seen outside earlier for them having to wait.

Matty's feet were carrying him before he had time to process it and before he knew it he was standing in front of the orange counter, not thinking twice before turning around and placing both hands behind him to hoist himself up on top of it, only realizing that maybe that's not nice to do to someone else's property when he felt your eyes on him. Matty turned to you with a sheepish smile, shrugging his shoulders before folding his hands in his lap. Oh well, he was already up here now. Matty looked down at the counter to avoid staring at you any longer, choosing to look at what the young girls were purchasing instead. "So what'd you guys pick out?"

Matty glanced up when he was met with silence, the sight of the two teenagers' red faces had him looking back at you with concern only to be met with you shaking your head in astonishment at them. Matty remembered the way the two girls had blushed and giggled when he had waved at them and suddenly realized what was happening now. When you realized the two younger girls weren't going to speak up, you decided to break the silence yourself. "They got some pretty cool pieces of jewelry and a few tumbles, right girls?"

The two girls nodded along while Matty's face drew up in confusion. "Tumbles? I thought that's something that gymnasts did?" The look you fixed him with had him holding his hands up in defense, laughing along with the two girls even though they were probably laughing at his expense. "Sorry." "I'm sorry about him, he's not usually in here, I promise." You laughed breathlessly, gathering up the products placed on the counter and ringing them up. Matty didn't think it was the right time to speak up and say that the two of them would probably be more likely to come back if you had said that he was in here more often than not. Instead, he quietly watched as you placed the things the girls had bought gently in little mesh looking bags that were then placed into a bigger white paper bag that you folded the top of over before handing over to them. "Here you go, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night and I hope to see you both again."

"Thank you!" Matty was shocked to actually hear one of the girls speak. "Actually, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course." You smiled warmly despite the confusion radiating off of the rest of your face. "What's up?"

"Well, we just wanted to know where you got your necklace from?" Matty was watching you as the girl spoke, the way your eyes got slightly wider at her question had his eyes falling to your chest, a smile involuntarily spreading over his face at the sight of the necklace he had bought that you had hidden under your shirt earlier was now out in the open. Matty kicked himself for not noticing earlier. "We were looking around the whole store trying to find it and couldn't. We didn't know if it was out of stock or if you had bought it from someone else." Matty's smile had turned smug now that you were looking back at him, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked at you with squinted eyes. "Yeah Jewels, where did you get your necklace from?"

Your eyes were off of him before he could even finish his sentence, looking back at the teenage girls with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I don't actually know, a friend of mine got it for me."

And sure, Matty could have chimed in and gave the girls the name of the store that he bought the necklace from, but he was too busy staring at you with curious eyes and that same smug smile from before. "Oh, that's okay! Thank you for everything, we'll be back." The young girl smiled and then the two of them were out of the store before Matty had even noticed them leaving, leaving the two of you all alone now, Matty still staring at you with a smile that he couldn't seem to get rid of.

"And what the fuck are you so smug about?" Your voice pulled him out of his trance, your own arms crossed over your chest now, trying to appear upset but the gleam in your eye told him otherwise.

"Oh, nothing." Matty shrugged, "I just didn't know we were friends now. That's all."

Your eyebrows furrowed, a scoff falling from your lips. "What on earth did you hear that gave you that impression?" Matty was quick to straighten his back, looking down at you from his place on top of the counter, twirling an invisible strand of hair around his finger. "A friend got this for me." His voice was high pitched in a way to mock you, returning back to normal before saying. "So we're friends then?"

"Oh!" You drew out, tone full of faux confusion. "You got this for me?" Matty snorted, "What did you think little fairies brought it to your door mat or something?" folding a leg up under himself so he could turn his body to face you better but still being respectful enough to not put his shoes on your countertop. You stared at him for a beat, shaking your head at how comfortable he was making himself in your store. You thought about yelling at him for sitting on top of your counter but instead found yourself hoisting yourself up on top of the counter as well - folding your legs to be criss-crossed across from him, not caring about your shoes being on it. "No, not fairies." You scoffed, shrugging, taking the opportunity to tease the man. "I thought Kian bought it for me." You were lying. Of course you knew Matty was the one that bought it for you, but you also knew that for whatever reason Matty did not care for Kian. It was more fun to mess with him than to let him stare at you smugly. "Kian." Matty scoffed, accompanied by an eye roll. "What about him?" You questioned, leaning your elbows on your thighs and narrowing your eyes at the boy sitting on the counter across from you. "It had a note on it saying I was sorry, what would Kian even have to apologize for? Being annoying?" Matty grumbled while a thought came to his head, one that had his jaw clenching ever so slightly. "He didn't hurt you did he?" "You're the annoying one." You tried to tease, but the heat of Matty's stare made your joke fall flat, rolling your own eyes with a sigh. "No, of course he didn't hurt me, he's a gentleman."

The confirmation had Matty's cold face breaking, his head thrown back in a laughter that mocked the man that wasn't around. "Oh yeah, he's such a gentleman." The sarcasm dripped from his tongue, his eyebrow raising as he fixed you with an unimpressed stare. "I heard about your little outing, how'd that go?"

"Our date." You corrected, missing the way Matty scowled at the words, shrugging while playing with a loose thread that was at the bottom of your bohemian style pants. "It was good." And you weren't necessarily lying. The date itself was good. He took you to a very nice place for dinner and you had a good time. It just didn't feel right. You couldn't even really pinpoint why and that was starting to drive you insane. "I don't know why you're trying to force yourself into liking him." Matty scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm not forcing myself to do anything." You replied with squinted eyes, not sure why you were feeling so defensive considering he was right. "Okay." Matty shrugged. "You believe me?" You didn't even believe yourself.

"Fuck no." Matty laughed through a snort. "But I'm not here to argue with you, I'm here for my sister, so." "Oh, right, duh. I completely forgot." You were thankful for the change of subject, sliding yourself off of the counter and making your way over to the front door. You locked the door and flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED before turning the big overhead light off, the room being illuminated by some of the salt lamps and vintage lamps that were sporadically placed throughout the store. "You trying to wine and dine me?" Matty teased, referencing the lights. "Oh, please.” You snort, rolling your eyes playfully. “Anytime I stay after hours I always do this, you know how people are, they see the lights still on and they completely ignore the closed sign.” You shrug. “I don't want anyone to bother us." Matty nodded, "Makes sense. I had a guy knock on my door an hour after I had closed up shop once because he saw me sweeping and thought I might have had time for a walk in." You laughed at the story, shaking your head as you made your way back over to the counter, leaning against it instead of sitting on it this time. "So, what are you thinking?" "No, what are you thinking? I'm completely clueless in here." Matty spoke honestly, looking around the store and feeling overwhelmed by all the choices. "I was kind of hoping you'd do all the work and I'd just hand you my card to pay for it." "A typical man." You teased, giggling at the middle finger being raised in the air. "I'll be happy to find something for you, but I need some help from you. You said she's into all of this, but how into it is she? Like it is just the surface level of crystals? Or is she into manifestation, spells or like shadow work or anything?" Matty's dark eyes were wide and full of confusion. "I know she likes crystals, yeah. I'm not too sure about all that other stuff.” Matty shrugged before his face furrowed in bewilderment. “Did you just fucking say shadow work?" "Wait, so you're telling me your sister doesn't dance naked in the moonlight every full moon?" You tried to keep a straight face, but ultimately let the laughter bubble out of you when Matty's eyebrows scrunched further and his eyes grew impossibly wider. "I'm fucking with you." You assured, still laughing at Matty as he blew out a huff of air before smiling himself. "But yes, shadow work is where you discover unconscious parts of your personality."

"Okay, no, I don't think she's that deep into it." Matty answered skeptically. "Okay, what about tarot?" You questioned, glancing around your store to give yourself ideas of what you could offer him.

"Who?" Matty laughed breathlessly through the word, feeling like his head was whirling from never having been so lost in a conversation before. "Tarot." You repeated with a chuckle. "Like tarot cards? You know, the ones those crystal ball psychics use in TV shows." "Oh, the ones that predict the future, right?" Matty spoke, vaguely remembering a show he had fallen asleep watching once. "Eh, more or less." You shrugged, looking back at him. "Is that something she might be into?" "Does that really work?" Matty ignored your question in favor of asking his own. "Tarot?" You asked, Matty nodded in confirmation. "I don't know, let's see." You were pushing yourself off of the counter before Matty could protest. "Wait, I don't know about this. I don't think I want to know my future, Jewels." "Oh, hush, you'll be fine." You walked over behind the counter, grabbing your tote bag and digging through it until you found your deck of tarot cards, smiling brightly while holding them up before placing them on the counter. Matty reached out to grab the item while you hoisted yourself on top of the counter once more, pulling your legs into a criss-crossed position while watching Matty flip the white box around in his hand, reading the contents of it. "The Modern Witch Tarot Deck?" Matty read out loud, looking up at you through furrowed eyebrows. "You do not keep a pack of tarot cards in your bag, Jewels." "Of course I do." You stated it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, reaching over to grab the white box from Matty hands, ignoring the way he shook his head in astonishment. "You are something else." Matty leaned back on his hands, bringing his leg that had been dangling off the side of the counter up onto the orange surface to mirror how you were sitting. "What?" You laughed softly, opening the box and pulling the cards from it, raising your eyebrows and giving him a wicked smile. "You never know when someone might need a reading." Matty shook his head once more. "This isn't like ouija boards, right? This isn't opening me up to some demonic shit?" That pulled a louder laugh out of you. "No, Matty." You shook your head, looking at him with raised brows again. "What? Are you scared?""No, I'm not scared." Matty stated, yet shifted against the counter. "I just don't know anything about this." He shrugged, bringing a tattooed hand up to the back of his neck. "Isn't there a death card in there?" "Oh my god, you are scared." Your mouth dropped. "We don't have to do this, but if it makes you feel any better, the death card does not mean what the word implies. I promise. This isn't anything to be scared of. It's nothing to take seriously. They always say, ‘take what resonates with you and leave behind what doesn't.’ It’s harmless." Matty nodded along, fidgeting with the ring on his finger. You could have comforted him more, but instead you decided to mess with him further. "But if you're too much of a pussy then-" "Oh, okay." Matty nodded, his mouth open and eyes squinted. "I see what you're doing here." You shrugged, starting to slowly shuffle the cards in your hands. "I'm not doing anything." Dark eyes narrow at you, the two of you staring at each other for a beat before Matty huffs out a breath, rolling his eyes. "Fine." Matty agreed, shaking his head as you cheered in response, starting to shuffle the cards faster. "But if I find out something bad is going to happen to me, I'm blaming you." "Yeah, yeah." You brushed him off. "Do you want me to do myself first?" "You can do it on yourself?" You nod.. "Okay, yeah. I'll go after you." You nodded once more, Matty watched as you continued to shuffle the deck, a few cards flying out of the deck that Matty moved to pick up for you. "Don't."

You stopped shuffling, placing the cards left in your hand off to the side and gathered the cards that had fallen out yourself. "Normally I do this in a more cathartic way. Incense, crystals, all that shit." You explained while looking at the cards that had flown out of the deck to piece together the meaning. “But you don’t have to do it that way, this works too.” "Wait, I thought that you picked flipped over cards or something?" Matty asked, watching you observe the cards in front of you. "You can, this is just how I do it." You shrugged, looking up at him. "It makes me feel like the universe is picking the cards for me or something." Matty hums. "Okay, you wanna see what I got?" Matty nodded, leaning forward a little so he could see what the cards said, missing the way you smiled at him before explaining what everything meant.

"Okay, this is the Six of Pentacles." You held the card out for Matty to observe, smiling when he grabbed it from your hand and brought it closer to his face. "This card is about wealth, as you can assume by the coins. This card reflects a state of financial security and generosity, suggesting that you can generously use your wealth and abundance for the benefit of others." "Like your store." Matty nodded along, handing the card back to you. "Yeah, kind of." You smiled before grabbing the next card. "Funny that you say that because this card is The World." Once again, you allowed Matty to take the card to inspect. "This is comforting to know that I am succeeding and accomplishing things in my life. I'm glad that one isn't reversed." "Why?" Matty questioned, handing the card back to you. “What would that mean?” "That I was failing." You spoke softly, picking up the next card. Matty winced, remembering once again the nasty words he had said to you the other day. "And finally, this is The Lovers card." "Well that sounds straightforward." Matty chuckled, accepting the card from you to examine. "It is." You sighed. "It signifies relationships and choices. An existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners."

"Potential partner?" Matty questioned, trying not to think about who you were with last night.

"Kian, I guess." You shrugged, not sounding too delighted. "Why would it be him?" Matty tried to not to convey how you mentioning him instantly made his blood boil, willing his jaw not to clench.

"I mean, I just went on a date with him." You explained, eyeing him with suspicion. You knew in your gut that this wasn't right, you had always prided yourself on having good intuition and nothing in you was telling you that this applied to Kian - but you weren't quite sure what or who it applied to. "It's not like I have any other suitors in my life right now. Kind of has to be him."

Matty tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach, trying to blame it on something he ate earlier instead of admitting it was because this card was sounding an awful lot like the universe was rooting for you and Kian to be together, he needed a distraction from the thought. "Okay, my turn."

You nodded, gathering all the cards into one pile and shuffling them around once more, the only sound in the room coming from the cards as neither of you spoke. This time, you placed the deck down and spread them out. "Okay, pick three."

"Excuse me?" Matty's eyebrows furrowed, this was new.

"Pick three cards. Leave them face down and place them in front of you." You explained, smiling softly.

"Okay." Matty hesitated, bottom lip pulled between his teeth as he made his choices carefully. Placing the three cards face down in front of him as instructed, looking up at you with curious eyes.

"Okay, ready?" You asked, scooting closer to him so you could flip the cards over without having to stretch too far. When Matty nodded, you flipped over the first card. "The Hanged Man."

"Oh, come on.” Matty groaned, causing you to laugh. “What the fuck.”

"Stop, you don't even know what it means yet." You giggled, watching as he huffed and picked the card up so he could see the picture better.

"Well, it doesn't sound good." Matty replied, shaking his head as he placed the card back down and awaited his explanation.

"It's not necessarily bad." You tried to comfort. "Accept the consequences of your decisions. The Hanged Man usually indicates a lack of ability to help you through independent action."

Well, now Matty felt rather exposed, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck again. "So the universe knows I was being a dick then."

"Oh, she knows everything." You laughed to ease the tension.

"She?" Matty questioned, feeling more at ease seeing you smile and not angry with him anymore.

"Of course." You shrugged, flipping the next card over, your laughter filled the air as Matty curiously looked down at the card before him. "Okay, see now I think the universe is just bullying you."

"Excuse me, is that the fucking Devil?" You throw your head back, your laughter growing louder. "There's just no way that your cards were all flowers and how successful and wonderful you are and mine is The Hanged Man and The Devil." Matty picked up the two cards for emphasis. "Fuck me, I guess. Do I even want to know what it means?"

Once you had calmed yourself down from laughing, you picked the card up and explained to him. "Okay, you know how earlier I said I'm glad The World card wasn't reversed?" Matty nodded his head. "Okay, this card is reversed. It basically means it's just not upright when it flipped over. Reversed cards have different meanings than upright cards."

"How do you remember all of this?" Matty's head hadn't stopped spinning the entire time he's been in here. "There is so much to remember with all of this, names of crystals and their properties and now this? All these cards and there’s several meanings for each card, there’s no way."

"It's a lot of practice and studying." You explained. "I enjoy it though."

"I can tell." The two of you shared a smile. "Okay, lay it on me, fuck.""The Devil in reverse suggests that you enjoy creating chaos and resistance for no particular reason. Your motive may be vengeance or you are simply being an irritant." You explained with a raised eyebrow, titling your head to the side with a smug smile. “I mean, you are an Aries.”

"Fuck you." Matty laughed. "Is that what it really means?"

"I'm being serious. The universe is literally on my side." You smiled cheekily, laughing when Matty raised his middle finger up in the air once again. 

"So, let me get this right." Matty leaned forward, pointing at the cards. "According to these cards, I'm the devil and you're a perfect little angel?"

"More or less, yeah." Trying to suppress your laughter as Matty brought his hands to his face, rubbing it aggressively.

"I don't like tarot." His claim was muffled by his hands. "This is not fun like you said it would be.

"Oh, this is very fun for me." You assured, tapping his knee to get his attention. "Come on, you have one more card left, pay attention."

"If it's the death card, I'm leaving." Matty tried to joke, but truly was nervous of that being his final card. "Shut up." Your head shook as you flipped the final card, the air being knocked out of your lungs as you revealed what it was.

"Hey, you got that one, which one was that again?" Matty's voice was full of cheer, knowing that if it was a card you had also gotten, then it had to be a good one.

"The Lovers." Your voice is much quieter than it had been all night.

Why would you both pull this card?

"What, so now the universe is telling me I'm supposed to be with Kian?" Matty's joke thankfully had pulled you out of the weird funk that seeing that card had put you in, laughter pouring out of both of you.

"You are such an idiot and I hate you." You spoke through laughter. "No, not Kian, but someone.” You drew out, reaching out your foot to kick against his own. “I don't know, you know the women in your life better than I do.” You shrug. “Who's the lucky lady?" Your attempt at a tease would soon come and bite you in the ass. 

Matty forced a laugh. "No one."

"Oh, come on, don't hold out on me." You tease. "You can't seriously tell me there's no women in your life right now.” You roll your eyes, not believing him for a second. “No past hookups? Ex girlfriends?” You narrow your eyes. “No one you're even slightly interested in?"

Matty was quiet for a beat, staring at you for what felt like hours but in reality was only a few seconds, his heart racing in fear that maybe the crystals in the store had given you the power to read his mind. "No, there's no one." "I'm sorry, I just don't believe you." You weren't convinced, he was hiding something. You could feel it. Matty rolled his eyes, staring down at his lap. "This card is all about love. The scary, overwhelming feelings, the butterflies. All that jazz, you know?” You explain, kicking your foot softly against his own once more. “Who is she? The cards don't lie."

"I don't have anyone in my life right now.” Matty shrugged. “Just clients, my sister," His dark eyes reached yours once more, filled with nerves as he mumbled. "You."

The longer his dark eyes bored into your own the thicker the air in the room felt, growing harder to breathe with each passing second. Matty sighed, breaking eye contact. "Must be a fluke, I suppose. Doesn't resonate with me, isn't that what you said earlier?" Matty picked the card up, smiling at it but the smile didn't reach his eyes, cursing the universe for nearly exposing him. He was quick to try and change the subject, not wanting you to interrogate him any further. "I think I will buy my sister a deck of cards, I think she'd be interested in this."

Matty avoided eye contact with you as he slid off the counter, raising his arms above his head to stretch his body out, bones cracking filled the silence in the room. Once Matty had his body adjusted, he made his way over to the wall of various decks, you remained on the counter - watching him with curious eyes and an unknown feeling in your stomach. "Does it matter which one I choose? Or do they all do the same thing?"

"Pretty much the same, just different graphics." You replied to Matty's back. You turned your attention away from him while he looked at various decks, trying to find which one his sister would like best. Your eyes fell on The Lovers card once more, hands clammy as you picked it up off the counter, the image of the two cartoons standing next to each other making your throat dry out.

"Jewels?" Matty's voice and sudden presence made you jump, causing the card to fall out of your hand and behind the counter somewhere. You turned your attention towards Matty instead of finding the card, looking at what deck he chose to pick. "I just got the same one you used, I like the pictures on it."

"Okay, yeah, perfect." You took the deck from his hands, sliding off the counter, hesitating before walking over to the section that holds the various tarot decks.

"Where are you going?” Matty's voice carried through the store. “Did I get the wrong thing?" 

"No, you're good, I'm just looking for something." You assured, scanning the shelf next to all of the tarot cards, bottom lip pulled between your teeth as your eyes searched until you found what you were looking for, grabbing the teal book off the shelf.

You smiled as you carried the two items over to him. "Here, take these."

"What is this?" Matty's eyebrows were furrowed together as his eyes strained to read what the cover said in the dim light. "It's a guided tarot journal, it matches the Modern Witch deck." You gave Matty a small smile. "It's on me, both of them. Tell your sister I said Happy Birthday." "Jewels, you don't have to do that, I told you I would pay." Dark eyes filled with something foreign as he stared down at you, gripping the tarot deck and journal tightly in his hands.

"It's on me, seriously." You promised, smiling softly, "I feel kind of bad that my tarot deck bullied you, consider it my apology gift." Bringing your hand up to touch the base of the necklace Matty had bought for you, the pendant seemed to burn against your fingertips. "I deserved it." Matty smiled softly, another one that didn't reach his eyes. "I really am sorry for what I said the other day."

"I know." You nodded, not wanting to think about what happened ever again, you had moved past it. "It's okay, I promise.” You smile softly, squeezing the pendant of the necklace. “I forgive you." Matty nodded, a more genuine smile spreading across his face. "I'll tell my sister the journal is from you, but I'm taking credit for the tarot cards."

"Of course, I never doubted you for a second." You laughed breathlessly, thankful that he always seemed to ease the tension with a joke. "She'll see right through you." "Oh, I'm sure she will." Matty agreed with a soft laugh, watching as you went behind the counter to grab your tote bag and started to walk towards the front door of the shop, Matty followed blindly. "Thank you, by the way."

"You don't have to thank me." You sighed, unlocking the door so the two of you could step outside, waiting for the door to close before sliding the key into the lock and twisting it, pulling on the door handle to make sure it was locked up before turning around to face him.

"Well, I am." Matty shrugged. "Thank you. For everything. For forgiving me, for helping me, for tonight." Matty rambled, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "I had fun."

"Yeah, me too." You agreed, smiling softly at the tattooed man above you. "Let me know what Poppy says about the deck and journal, okay?"

"Yeah, I will." Matty nodded, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth and staring at you with a gaze that made you not even miss the jacket you had forgotten inside, despite the wind blowing your hair behind you. Your stomach flipped as his eyes gleamed, a faint rosy color tinted his cheeks, you blamed it on the cool air outside. "What?" You finally asked after a long pause of silence, no malice behind the word, just curiosity for why he was looking at you the way he was. "I just-" Matty cleared his throat, looking away from you and running a hand through his hair.

Your heart rate grew in speed when Matty's dark eyes landed on you once more before taking a step towards you. You were glued to your spot, standing on the welcome mat of your metaphysical store as Matty leaned in - the smell of his cologne still so strong despite it being the end of the day.

You weren't quite sure what you were expecting to happen, but it wasn't for Matty's arms to be wrapped around you, pulling you in closer to him. It took a split second for you to realize he was hugging you, but when you did you found your shaky arms coming to envelop him too. You were buried between the lapels of his leather jacket, just short enough that his chin rested perfectly on top of your head. You couldn't breathe under here, but not due to the lack of airflow, no that wasn't the issue.

"Goodnight, Jewels." Matty spoke quietly, squeezing you one last time. And if you weren't so in tune with him you might have missed the feeling of him softly kissing the top of your head. “Be careful driving home, okay?”

Then as quickly as you were wrapped up in him, he was gone. He didn't wait for a response before turning on his heels and making his way to the parking lot, not even turning around once to look at you.

The cold wind of the night seemed to feel like ice against the skin that the tattooed boy had just warmed. "Goodnight." You whispered to no one, Matty was long gone. You were glued to your spot. The only thing pulling you from your daze was the sound of a motorcycle engine revving up, your eyes spotting the taillights from a distance - ones that you knew belonged to Matty.

You finally released the breath you felt like you had been holding in for ages, tightening the strap of your tote bag, the action causing the keys to fall from your hands. "Shit." You mumbled to yourself, leaning down to grab the keys off the concrete floor, your heart skipping a beat at what you found on the way down.

Stuck to the bottom of your shoe - The Lovers card.

You should have laughed. What are the odds? This had to be some sick and twisted joke. But you knew. Deep down you knew. You were never one to believe in coincidences.

"Fuck me."

—

"Can you explain to me one more time why you're doing this?" Carmen voiced from the middle of your bed, staring down at you sitting on the floor with tarot cards in your hands with inquisitive eyes. "Didn't you just tell me that you did a reading on yourself a few hours ago with Matty?"

"Yeah, I did." You sighed. "But I'm doing it again because it has to be a mistake.” You explained, shuffling the cards between your palms, desperate to be proven wrong. “I'm just making sure."

Once you finally got yourself to move from your spot outside your front door - still stunned by the warmth of Matty's arms wrapped around you, you found yourself dialing your friend's phone number before you could even get the door to your car closed. You needed a distraction, some company, something. Anything to make you feel more sane than you felt right now.

"You're ridiculous." Carmen sighed, shifting herself to be closer to the edge of your bed so she could watch at a better angle. "And superstitious. A tarot card was stuck to the bottom of your shoe, so what? Big deal. I get shopping receipts stuck to the bottom of my shoes all the time and I don't take that as a sign to go shopping more."

"Yes, you do?" Looking over at your best friend through furrowed eyebrows. "You literally think any money being deposited in your account is a sign to go shopping."

"Okay, anyways." Carmen drew out with a roll of her eyes. "Would it really be so bad if it did mean what you're assuming it does?"

"Yes." The answer was short and sweet, not having the energy to voice the reasoning behind why you and Matty would never work. 

"But why?" Carmen questioned for what felt like the millionth time, starting to get on your nerves and you were slowly regretting inviting her over. "He's hot, he's tall, he’s funny. What's not to love?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that he intentionally spilled coffee on me once? And blamed it on me? Or the time he parked his motorcycle across the only two parking spots in the lot when it was pouring rain, leaving me to walk even further during the storm. I was soaked." Your voice grew more irritated the more you spoke. "And let's not forget the fact of that same day when the rain stopped, I was outside carrying inventory in and he was coming back from lunch and he intentionally swerved his fucking motorcycle to hit the puddle next to me - causing me to be soaked again."

"Okay, well I didn't say he was perfect." Carmen rolled her eyes, shrugging, hands up in defense. "But what about the time he bought you coffee? When he was leaned up outside of your store waiting on you?" You were already rolling your eyes. "And don't forget that he bought you that necklace. You know, the one dangling around your neck right now." The Tiger's eye pendant seemed to burn against your skin at the mention. "He hugged you. An hour ago he wrapped you in his arms, held you tight and kissed the top of your head.” Carmen reminded you, as if you could have forgotten. “That means something."

"All those 'nice' times were all his way of apologizing for him being mean." You remind, continuing to shuffle the deck. "That doesn't count. And it doesn't mean anything other than the fact that he had a guilty conscience and was trying to make himself feel better." You weren't really sure who you were trying to convince at this point. "And I probably imagined him kissing my head, he would never do that."

"Oh, please.” Carmen groaned. “Will you listen to yourself? If the roles were reversed and I was in this much denial, you would slap me." She pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "I think you're just searching for any reason to not admit that you like him."

You ignored Carmen in favor of shuffling the cards faster, laying them down in front of you and fanning them out like you had done with Matty, allowing your intuition to choose the cards. You took a deep breath before carefully choosing your cards, leaving them face down in front of you, staring at the backs of them for longer than you thought considering the impatient sigh that came from your friend.

"Well, turn them over already, I'm ready to get this over with so we can watch The Notebook or something." Carmen groaned, your friend had always had little to no patience.

You took one more deep breath, choosing to close your eyes before flipping the three cards over, allowing a beat to pass before opening them up to see what had been pulled, your stomach dropping at the sight.

"Okay, what do they say? You know I can't read from up here." Carmen asked, trying to lean down to get a closer look.

"The Empress." Your voice was quiet, shifting your eyes to the other card. "And The Lovers."

You ignored the third card, the other two were far more important. The sight of The Lovers card for the fourth time in one night was enough to make your head spin, unable to process that Carmen was questioning what the cards meant, your friend too impatient to wait for your explanation and choosing to google the meaning on her own instead.

"Okay, here we go." Carmen cleared her throat, holding her phone close to her face and squinting as she read from the screen. "The Empress. Let higher love find its way to you. Whatever your current relationship situation is, this is a sign that a gentle, nurturing transition will bring about a deeper understanding of the potential of caring intimacy."

Your ears were ringing, unable to take your eyes off of the two cards before you as Carmen continued to google the next card.

"The Lovers. If you receive the Lovers, there is a relationship in your life that could soon become more intimate. This card is a sign that you can make your feelings and intentions clear with confidence that they will be reciprocated." Carmen laughed softly while locking her phone and throwing it to the side. "I fucking knew it. He likes you."

The claim was enough to shake you out of your trance, shaking your head while gathering the cards back up and placing them back in their box, vowing to not touch them again for a while. "You're wrong."

"Are you serious?” Carmen scoffed. “Did you not just hear what I read? He's totally into you.” You continued to shake your head as your friend spoke, refusing to buy into it. Carmen shrugged. “It makes sense when you really sit back and think about it." "No, it doesn't." You laughed, but it was tense. "You don't belittle someone if you like them."

"If you're a man, you do." Carmen counteracted. "That's literally Men 101, if they're bullying you it means they secretly like you." She was just repeating what every girl had been told growing up. "Kind of a toxic thing to be taught though, when you really look at it."

You hated that she was making sense right now. Because she was right. If you really sit down and think about it, it gives the perfect explanation as to why Matty's feelings towards you seemed to shift overnight. When you first met him, you swore there had been a few times that he had been flirting with you, comments that he had made to give you that impression, faint touches that warmed the skin, lingering stares. But when the kind words turned cold you had just told yourself you were being delusional and forgot about them. But now..

"No." You whispered to yourself, turning to Carmen and making your voice louder. "Nope!"

"Come on, this-"

"Carmen, I love you, I do." You were quick to cut your friend off, standing up from your place on the floor and walking over to your bed to sit down next to her. "But please, let it go."

"Fine." Carmen groaned. "I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"I am happy." You spoke with a soft smile, despite all the thoughts in your head. You could feel pressure on the bottom of your foot, reaching down to discover what the reasoning behind it was, your heart dropping at the sight of The Lovers card yet again stuck to the bottom of your foot. You felt as though you were in the middle of the world's biggest cosmic joke right now. You grabbed the pillow that was behind you and brought it up and over your face, screaming into the cushion and refusing to see how Carmen was looking at you right now.

You tried to convince yourself it held no significance, but after seeing the tarot card for the fifth time in one night, you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and it was getting harder and harder to ignore that all signs seemed to be pointing towards the man you have loathed since he opened up shop next to you a year ago.

—

"Oh, this is so cool." Poppy gleamed, flipping through the pages of the tarot journal. "Thank you so much, you did not have to do all of this for me." Sunday came around faster than the blink of an eye and Matty was grateful for it. He was happy to have a distraction from the thoughts that had been keeping him up at night all weekend long, ready to get some fresh air after being holed up in his apartment for days. It was almost like Poppy had read his mind when she had suggested they go to a little cafe that had outdoor seating for her birthday brunch.

"Yes, I did." Matty rolled his eyes playfully. "You've done a lot for me, always been there for me, I wanted to show my appreciation."

"Ew, okay, enough sentiment." Poppy faked a gag, laughing as she placed the items back into the gift bag that Matty had brought it all in. "Thank you, I love everything."

"Yeah, well, I can't take credit for it all." Matty admitted, hands raised up in defense at his sister who was already looking at him with knowing eyes. "I had a little bit of help with the cards. And the journal is from Y/N, by the way. She told me to tell you she said Happy Birthday." "Oh, I figured." Poppy giggled. “There’s no way you could have picked this stuff out on your own.”

Matty’s mouth dropped in faux offense. “Wow, I’m so glad to know that you have such little faith in me.”

Poppy rolled her eyes, snorting before raising an eyebrow at him. "So, you two are on speaking terms now? That's new."

"Eh." Matty shrugged, bringing a hand to the back of his neck as his head shook softly. "I suppose you could say that."

"Well don't hold out on me, how did that happen?" Poppy spoke with wide eyes, leaning forward on the table with her head in the palm of her hand. "I never thought the war between the two of you would end? It's always been so bad."

"Well, it was for a while." Matty explained with a huff. "It got really bad recently, I said some things I didn't mean - some really hurtful things."

"Matty-"

"I know, I know, but I've apologized and we've kind of moved past it?" Matty spoke like he was unsure. "I think so anyway? I don't know. I-I haven't seen her in a few days, I've kind of been avoiding her."

"Okay, well I need you to tell me everything." Poppy decided, searching for their waiter in the crowd of people and flagging them down. "It's a long story-"

"Oh, I know, that's why I'm ordering us drinks." Poppy smiled.

"Drinks that I'm paying for by the way." Matty reminded with a pointed look on his face that Poppy shrugged in response with a gleaming smile. Matty rolled his eyes, it was her birthday after all. "You better get to looking at the drink menu fast, he's on his way over." 

Matty couldn't help but shake his head at his younger sister, accepting the drink menu from her to make his choice before the waiter arrived. Matty waited until the waiter made his way back with their drinks before sighing and explaining almost everything that had gone down between the two of you for the last few months - trying to remember all the parts so he wouldn't have to back track. By the time he finished, Poppy was fixing him with a face that showed nothing but disappointment.

"Go ahead and say it." Matty let out a huff accompanied by an eye roll, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You're a dick." He knew those words were coming, but they still hurt. "Mom would be so-"

"Yeah, I know, we don't have to bring her into this." Matty snapped back harsher than he meant to, sighing while running a hand over his face. "Sorry, I just-"

"Look, can I say something to you that you might not like? And you promise you won't get mad at me?" Matty shrugged and brought his hand out to her to gesture for her to continue, bringing it back to his chest so he could wrap his arms around himself tightly. "Have you ever sat back and thought about why you even hate her so much? I mean, do you even have a reason?" Poppy took the silence coming from her brother as a sign to keep talking. "I mean, that first day you were telling me about her, you spoke about her as if she hung the fucking moon. What the hell happened?"

Matty was quiet, his hands occupied with the task of twirling a fork around, dark eyes staring at how the sun reflected on the fork as he moved it around. Something was gnawing at him, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, he just knew it was the same feeling that kept his head whirling all weekend. Poppy watched her brother with a sympathetic smile, reaching over the table to place her hand over the one that was holding the fork, effectively stopping the motion and bringing his eyes to meet hers. "You like her, don't you?"

Matty dropped his eyes again, looking to the side and watching all the cars drive by, feeling the wind from them as they did so. He brought his hand up to his mouth, looking deep in thought before shaking his head and finally turning back to face his sister. "No, I don't like her." dark eyes falling to the white table cloth that flowed in the wind and basked in the sun, finding a loose thread to pick up as he found the courage to continue speaking. "I think I lo-"

"Shut up, stop talking." Poppy spoke over him, voice rushed and panicked with wide eyes looking over his shoulder.

"What?" Matty questioned with furrowed brows, starting to look over his shoulder but not making it very far before Poppy was yelling at him again.

"Stop, don't turn around?" Her voice in a whisper yell as her hand came out to slap his arm in punishment. “Why would you turn around?”

"Ow, what the fuck, Poppy?" Matty groaned, ignoring the side eye he received from a mother across from them, dramatically covering her child’s ears, Matty rolled his eyes at the sight. "What's going on?"

Poppy ignored him in favor of smiling and waving at whoever was approaching. Matty continued to stare at his sister in confusion, following her order and not turning around. "Y/N!" Matty's stomach dropped as your name fell from his sister's lips, his body shifting in his seat to sit up more straight as he prayed his sister would look at him to see the wide eyes on his own face trying to signal her to not call you over there. His efforts were deemed useless considering only a few seconds later you were standing at the side of their table with a smile on your face. Matty glanced up at you, giving you a tight smile in return before focusing his attention back on the tablecloth in front of him. "I thought that was you, what a small world."

"Yeah, yeah, small world." You agreed, glancing over at the boy clad in leather and avoiding eye contact with you. "Hey, Matty."

Matty cursed the way that his name sounded coming from you had his stomach in knots, he didn't turn to face you, just lifted his hand off the table to give a half-assed wave. Thankful for his sister for speaking in his absence. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in so long!" "Yeah." Matty could feel your eyes lingering on him, almost like you were waiting for him to actually speak to you instead of just waving, but ultimately giving up and turned your attention on Poppy. Matty felt like he could breathe a little better now. "Yeah, it's been so long. I've been good and you?" "Oh, I'm good, yeah." Poppy nodded, Matty glanced up at her at the same Poppy glanced over at him. "We're just out for my birthday lunch right now."

"Yeah, Matty mentioned that to me the other day." The feeling of your eyes on him returned, making Matty feel like he was getting more of a burn from them than he had been getting from the sun all afternoon.

"Thank you for the journal by the way." Poppy spoke up once again, lightly kicking her brother's leg under the table, Matty’s eyes shooting up to hers at the feeling. "That was very nice of you."

"Oh, you're welcome." Your eyes back on Poppy, a small smile on your face. You lingered, waiting to see if Matty was going to speak to you, or even look at you for that matter, feeling a low simmering anger in your stomach when he did neither. "Well, I better get going, so.."

You hadn't even made it two steps away from the table before Poppy was yelling out, "Wait!" Her words caused Matty to kick his sister back under the table, staring at her with wide eyes. What the fuck was she doing? "Why don't you come sit for a minute? I'd love to catch up."

Matty could feel your eyes on him once more, he assumed you were waiting on him to agree that he wanted you there, but he was too busy staring at Poppy with wide eyes, ones that she returned. "I would love to, but I'm running late."

"Oh, that's okay!" Poppy turned her eyes back on you, kicking Matty under the table once again while shooting you a bright, wide smile. "I'm sorry for keeping you held up. I just wanted to say hello."

"No, you're fine!" Matty hated that you were always so nice and understanding. Why couldn't you just throw a drink in his face and go on about your day? "It was nice to see you too, Poppy." Matty didn't miss the way you purposefully excluded him in that, that gnawing feeling came rushing back in his head. "I wish I could stay, but Kian is waiting for me, so."

Matty didn't feel your eyes on him this time, but the fire from which you delivered the other guy's name told Matty that everything he needed to know. His mouth was opening before he even had time to register that he was probably about to make things even worse, finally looking at you for the first time since you first walked up - his heart clenching at the sight. "You're going out with him again?"

"Oh, look at that, he can speak!" You laughed in a mocking way, cutting your eyes at him as you shook your head, taking in a deep breath before looking back at Poppy with a forced smile. "It was nice to see you, but I have to go."

And you were gone before Poppy or him had the chance to protest this time. Matty brought his hands over his face, scrubbing hard before dropping his head to the table out of frustration. He knew he had just fucked everything up. Again. His sister voiced exactly what he was feeling.

"You're such a fucking idiot." Poppy laughed in disbelief.

"Yeah," Matty's agreement was muffled due to his face being down on the table. "I know."

—

Matty and Poppy parted ways soon after, he wasn't really in the mood for celebration anymore. His thoughts gnawed at him, eating him alive as he walked down the street towards the direction of where he parked his motorcycle. He didn't understand why you affected him the way that you did. He's pissed off more girls than he could count in his lifetime and he never cared. So why were you any different? What made you so special?

Matty's thoughts came to a halt, swearing that he heard his name being called down the street. He shrugged, continuing to walk, he made it a few steps further before he heard it again, glancing over his shoulder this time and fist involuntarily clenching at the sight. "Oh, for fucks sake." He mumbled, quickly facing forward and picking up the pace of his steps, but it didn't take long for the voice to catch up to him.

"Matty! Matty, hey man!" Kian panted softly through a laugh. "You're a fast walker." Matty nodded firmly in response, continuing to walk. "Hey, wait up!" Matty sighed before stopping in his tracks, turning around to face him with what he was sure was an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, I've been waiting to catch you at Vienna, but I haven't seen you in a few days." He paused to wait for an explanation, but when Matty didn't give him one, Kian continued. "I haven't heard back from you about making an appointment for my tattoo? Just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgot about me." Kian wasn't insinuating anything with his words, he was actually being rather nice to Matty, which was surprising because Matty has never returned the sentiment back to him. He kind of felt bad, he knew Kian never necessarily did anything to him, but he was an accomplice. An enemy in Matty's eyes. One thought of you sitting in his car was enough for Matty to speak up. "Yeah, I uh- I'm sorry, man. I don't think this is gonna work out."

"Huh?" Kian laughed uncomfortably, trying to decipher if Matty was messing with him or not, his back straightening when he realized Matty wasn't joking at all. "You're being serious?"

"I am." Matty replied firmly. "I don't think I'm the right guy for you. For this tattoo, I'm sorry."

"I literally told you the other day that I had done a bunch of research of my own and that I was certain that you were the right guy for this tattoo, so I'm just confused." Kian's head tilted to the side and his eyes squinted. "So what's this really about?"

"I can refer you to a friend of mine, his work is really-" "This is because of her, isn't it?" Kian cut him off with a bitter laugh. "I should have known."

Matty stood up a little straighter, jutting his chin out, daring him to speak your name. "Who?"

"Y/N." Kian laughed again, running his hand through his hair. "That's what this whole thing is about, isn't it? That's why you don't like me?"

Matty stared at him for a beat, anger coursing throughout his veins the longer he stared at the blonde. "You know what?” Matty laughed bitterly. “Yeah, it is." He nodded with venom on his tongue, tilting his head to the side with narrowed eyes and a biting tongue. "I don't like the two of you together."

"Can you get over yourself?" Kian laughed maniacally, staring at Matty like he was crazy. "Why are you taking your hatred for her out on me? Just because we went on a date or two doesn’t mean that should put me in the middle of whatever fucking war the two of you have going on. That's not fair to me."

"Oh, it's not fair?" Matty whispered through a laugh of his own, shaking his head and staring up at the sky. "You don't get it." "I don't need to get it!" Kian argued. "I don't need you to explain to me why you hate her so much, I don't care about that. Why can't we both be adults and realize that your feelings towards her have nothing to do with me?"

Matty chuckled, lowering his gaze to meet Kian's, shaking his head. "You're just as dumb as she is, man."

"Excuse me?" Kian's tone and body language shifted, enough to tell Matty that he needed to finish this before Kian did something he would soon live to regret, Matty didn’t feel like getting physical today. It wouldn’t be much of a fair fight, he’d have Kian on the floor in seconds. 

"I have the right to refuse business to anyone I please." Matty spoke calmly despite the anger bubbling in his stomach.

"Then I have the right to do the same." Kian countered, referencing the coffee shop Matty assumed. "It'll be much more pleasant seeing Y/N every morning without you lingering behind her."

Matty nodded, trying to calm himself down, he had no plans to return to the coffee shop anyway. But your name falling from Kian's mouth had his heart rate picking up and fist involuntarily clenching once again. Matty continued to nod, looking around at his surroundings, trying to remember where he parked his motorcycle. In his search for the metal, his eyes found you. Of course they did. If Matty didn't have wonderful vision, he wouldn't have even seen you, sitting on a bench in the distance on your phone. Once he realized that you were most likely sitting there waiting for the man standing in front of you. Matty looked away, turning his focus back on Kian, giving the blonde a tight smile while cracking his knuckles before rearing back and landing a punch right across Kian's face.

"What the fuck?" Kian cried out, holding his face in his hands, bent over on the sidewalk.

Matty rolled his eyes at the dramatics, shaking his hand as he scanned for his motorcycle again, he'd be damned if his eyes didn't land on you once more in the process. But this time, you were staring back at him. Matty chuckled, shaking his head before finally locating his motorcycle across the street, allowing his legs to carry him towards it without another glance towards you or Kian. Swinging a leg over his bike and not even bothering to take the time to put his helmet on his head before driving off, allowing the blood on his knuckles to dry in the wind.

—

Matty didn't drive home, he couldn't drive home. He knew as soon as he was alone with nothing but his thoughts he'd go crazy. No, he needed to keep his mind busy. He found himself turning down the familiar street he would drive down nearly every day, the one that led to 102 Tattoo.

He pulled into the parking lot, turned the key in the ignition of his bike off and sat there, staring at the nearly empty lot around him, almost all of the shops on the strip were closed on Sundays. He sighed, pulling the key out and glanced down at his hand, turning it in different directions so he could see the dried blood on it. He couldn't help but smile to himself, shaking his head before swinging himself off the bike and making his way down the sidewalk and towards his tattoo shop.

He almost never came in here on Sunday, deeming it his one day of rest, he wasn't even sure what he was expecting to do with himself now, he just knew he'd rather be here than anywhere else. Flicking the light on in the studio and tossing his keys to the side, not even bothering to lock the front door since no one was hanging around here anyways. Matty sighed, staring at the empty room before him while bringing his arms above his head to stretch, once again catching sight of the dried up red on his hands that he realized he should probably clean off.

Matty hummed to himself as he made his way towards the bathroom at the back of the shop, flicking the light on and turning the hot water knob on so it could start warming up as he stared at himself in the mirror. He fixed what few stray hairs had fallen out of place on the drive over here, leaning in closer and running his one clean hand along his face, noting to himself that he should probably shave soon. He noticed the steam coming from the sink below him and realized he had given it more than enough time to heat up, turning the cold water knob slightly on to make it the perfect temperature before placing his hands beneath the stream.

He sighed, wetting his palms before pumping a few drops of soap into them, spreading the suds around his hands and scrubbing rather hard to make sure to get all of Kian's blood off of him, wanting no trace of the blonde left on him. Watching the evidence go down the drain, Matty allowed his thoughts to take over.

Sure, maybe it was immature and a dumb move to punch another grown man over essentially nothing, but Matty had his reasons. He didn't even necessarily have a problem with the barista, it wasn't his fault that he got dragged into the middle of this. Whatever it was that this was. Matty didn't even know. He was so confused. He was so lost. All he knew was that nobody has ever driven Matty quite as crazy as you have. You were the only person that made him mad quicker than a flash of lightning, someone who could make him laugh at the drop of a hat, a girl that he has not stopped thinking about since the first day he had met you.

It was overwhelming, really. The first time he saw you. He nearly folded right then and there. Literally. He almost tumbled off the ladder the first time his eyes landed on you, so overwhelmed by the sight that his own legs couldn’t hold him steady any longer. Matty couldn't help but give himself a pity laugh standing now at the sink remembering that day, washing down the blood of the boy occupying your time.

And really, that's what the issue was. Yes, he was a nice guy, but what made Kian so special? He was just an average looking blonde guy who served coffee in a boring brown apron. He was nothing to write home about. And the most annoying part is that you agreed. 

Or so he thought.

That day he found the coffee cup discarded in your trash can and the two of you had shared a laugh about how you only flirted with Kian for the free coffee, Matty couldn't help but feel relieved. But then you were turning around and going out on a date with him, it was confusing. Why were you choosing to spend your time with a man you didn't even like? It made no sense to him.

Matty found himself shaking his head, grabbing a few paper towels to dry his hands with and gave himself one last look in the mirror, smiling to himself in a victorious way. The sound of the chimes falling against his front door loudly banging had his eyebrows furrowing for a split second before falling back into place, he sighed, he didn't even have to peek out from the doorframe to know who was coming inside. The speed at which it had been opened and judging by how loudly the chimes were still ringing told Matty all he needed to know.

"Well, it took you long enough." Matty spoke loudly, voice echoing off the small bathroom walls as he turned the light off before exiting. Walking out into the open area of his tattoo shop, his eyes immediately fall to you standing in the middle of it, arms crossed with eyes full of a glare that he was thankful couldn't kill.

"What the fuck is your problem?" The heat in your tone matched the one behind your eyes.

"Did you get stuck in traffic, or?" Matty tried to joke to ease the tension, walking closer to you but not too close in fear of what you might do to him if he got close enough, crossing his arms over his chest and giving you a sly smile. "We should have carpooled."

"Oh, so this is a joke to you?" Disgust written all over your face, scoffing. "I can't believe you right now."

"Oh, what, Jewels?" Matty laughed, trying not to let his anger boil over. He didn't want to take it out on you. Not this time. Not anymore. "What's the matter?" "Don't call me that." Narrowing your eyes, clenching your jaw, glaring at the tattooed boy.

"Go on, lay it on me.” Dark eyes rolled as Matty released an over dramatic sigh. “I'm a big boy, I can handle it."

Your eyes squinted as your head shook in what Matty could only assume was disappointment. "You don't even feel sorry at all, do you?"

"No, I don't." Matty shrugged, squinting his eyes back at you. "Why should I?"

"Matty, you just punched a man. In the middle of the street?" You laughed in astonishment at how casual he was being about all of this. "And over what? Because he told you he wouldn't serve you coffee anymore?” You stared at him in bewilderment, scoffing. “Grow the fuck up."

"Oh my god, I feel like my head is going to explode." Matty murmured, bringing one of hands up to massage one of his temples, dark eyes piercing your own. "You can't really believe this is what this is all over, right?"

"Oh, well I'm not sure what I believe." Tone full of sarcasm. "I don't even know if I have the ability to think for myself." You laughed with a raised eyebrow. "Because I'm too dumb, right?"

Matty winced, cursing Kian for telling you what he had said, feeling the need to jump on his motorcycle and get a few more blows in on him. Matty sighed, eyes apologetic. "Jewels, you know I didn't mean it like that, I-"

"I told you not to call me that." You interrupted him, straightening your back and hugging your crossed arms tighter across your chest.

"This is all just a big misunderstanding." Matty tried to defend, hoping he wouldn't have to explain himself any further, wishing you'd just take that as enough explanation and start smiling at him again. "Alright, fine, I'll humor you. What is it then?" Matty's response was furrowed brows and a tilted head. "You said it's not that, so what is it? Why did you punch him?"

"I am not having this conversation with you." Matty chuckled, shaking his head and moving to walk around you, more towards where the tattoo chair sat. He could hear the sound of your feet following behind him. "You don't even like him, I don't know why you care." "Just because I don't like him doesn't- " "Finally!" Matty interrupted you to cheer, stopping in his tracks in front of the tattoo chair and turning around to face you again. "Finally you admit that you don't like him. Jesus Christ, it's like fucking pulling teeth around here." You huffed out of annoyance, starting your sentence over. "Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I want him to get mistreated."

Matty felt like he was going crazy and laughed to match it. "Oh, so now I'm mistreating him?"

"You are!" Your voice grew in volume. "You punched him Matty and for what?" At this point you were on the brink of yelling, talking with your hands to help get the point across. "What the fuck was the reason? Why do you hate him so much?"

"Jewels-"

"Call me that one more fucking time." You spoke through a clenched jaw, eyes on fire. Matty should have been embarrassed by how intimidated he was by that.

"Y/N-"

“Please fucking tell me because I'm pretty sure he's just as clueless as I am." You interrupted once more and caused Matty to clench his fist. "I can't if you won't let me fucking speak." Matty's voice growing in volume now. "You always do this, you pick a fight with me and then won't let me fucking defend myself." "Don't act like you didn't start this, don't try to start putting the blame on me." Pointing a finger at him with squinted eyes, huffing before wrapping your arms around yourself once more. "Okay, talk. Defend yourself. Let's fucking hear it." Matty stared at you for a beat. Or two. Or three. Trying to collect his thoughts and stop himself from word vomiting. He didn't want to accidentally say too much, but he also knew his patience was wearing very thin, it always did when the two of you fought like this. He didn't know how much he had left in him before he snapped. Matty sighed, running a sweaty palm through his hair and shrugging. "It's complicated." "Oh, it's complicated?" You were laughing again, bringing your own hands up to your temples to massage them, feeling a massive headache coming on due to the fact that this conversation was going absolutely nowhere. "You bitched at me not letting you speak, not letting you 'defend yourself' and that's all that you could come up with?" You mocked him, putting air quotes around some of the words, walking closer to him, close enough to notice his clenched jaw twitching. "What's so complicated about a morning coffee? If you don't like him, then why keep going to Vienna? That's the only time you ever see him so what gives?" The silence in the room did nothing to lower your anger, only heightening it. "I'm giving you the opportunity to explain yourself, Matty. I'm listening." Your voice was quieter now, staring at the tattooed boy with eyes full of emotion, desperate for the man in front of you to just speak. "Is it because of me?" "God, you're so fucking conceited." Matty laughed, trying to deflect from the fact that your question had his heart starting to race. "Not everything is about you, the world doesn't fucking revolve around you!" "Stop it, you know that's not what I think." The hurt in your voice had Matty feeling guilty, he knew this wasn't true. You were the most selfless person he knew. He was just trying to find a way to get under your skin like you were doing to him. "What is it then? Because I know this attitude against him isn't because he got your coffee order wrong one time." Matty had to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting the truth, trying to change the subject again before he slipped up. "It happened more than once." "Will you stop trying to change the subject?" He should have known you would see right through him. "I'm not as dumb as you think, I know that's not why you don't like him. So what is it? What's the reason?" "I don't think you're dumb." Matty mumbled, heart racing and palms sweaty. "Matty, I'm begging you to stop changing the subject." Your voice is desperate, running a hand of your own through your hair, huffing. "Please just talk to me, tell me what the fuck happened." "Leave it alone." Matty mumbled the warning through grit teeth, turning around to try and distract himself by adjusting the settings on the tattoo chair in front of him. However, it didn't last long, almost as soon as Matty turned around, your hands were on his shoulder turning him back to face you. "Why can't you just fucking man up and tell me that you don't like him because of me?" Your eyes were wide and voice pleading. "Come on, you said earlier that you were a big boy, fucking admit it." Bringing your hands up to his chest in an attempt to shove the dark haired man, but Matty caught your wrist on its way up, gripping tightly.

"You're delusional.” Matty seethed before releasing your wrist and throwing your hand to the side. “Why would this have anything to do with you?" "Because you hate me!" You cried out, hating that your eyes were in fact starting to fill with tears. “You always have.” Matty couldn't help but laugh at the fact that you couldn't be any farther from the truth. "You know, for you to claim to have a third eye, you sure are fucking blind." "What did I ever do to you?" You pleaded, swallowing the lump in your throat and begging the tears to not fall from your eyes, too focused on that to notice what Matty had said. "I have tried and tried and tried with you, Matty. And I don't fucking understand why it never works." "What are you going on about right now?" Matty's voice grew in agitation as he fixed you with a face plastered in confusion. "I have tried so hard to get along with you." You laughed breathlessly, bringing a hand up to rub against your forehead. "And you're just - you're so - UGH!" Matty's eyebrows furrowed deeper at your exclaim, taking a step closer to you with narrowed eyes and a dark tone. "I'm so what?" "Indecisive!" You yelled, finally allowing your anger to take over and release itself. "You are so fucking wishy-washy with me. One day you’re being nice and laughing with me and the next you’re making me cry.” Matty’s stomach rolled at the reminder that he had made you cry. Several times. “From the day I met you, I have done nothing but walk on eggshells around you and I'm so tired of it." "Indecisive?" Matty repeated through a laugh, shaking his head. "You really are delusional, Jewels." "No, I'm not. Stop trying to gaslight me." The anger inside of you continued to boil up every time the tattooed man spoke. “And stop fucking calling me that.” "Gaslight you?" He repeated once more through a laugh, turning his head up towards the ceiling. "You are-" "One day you're being nice and welcoming and the next you're blaring music and littering outside of my store." You interrupted, watching him as he shook his head up at the ceiling. "One day you're hugging me and the next you won't even look at me." Tone more aggressive that time, referencing how he had blatantly ignored you earlier at the restaurant. That got Matty's eyes on you again. "How did we go from that to this, Matty? I-I don't understand. I never have." "Please, just drop it, Y/N." Matty's voice probably sounded as defeated as he felt. "I can't!" Your voice rose in volume again. "I feel like I deserve an explanation. Something. You have made me feel like this since the day I met you. What gives?" "Y/N-" "Fuck, Matty, what did I do to you?" Your hands collided with his chest in a shove, causing the tall man to stumble back slightly, tears starting to swell in your eyes once more. "Things were so good between us when we met and then all the sudden you were giving me the cold shoulder and starting a war between us." Matty stared down at you with wide eyes and a racing heart. "This past year you've given me nothing but hell and for what?" Hands coming out to shove his chest again. "Y/N, stop." Matty warned, chest starting to burn from you shoving him and aching the sight of a stray tear falling from your eye. "What the fuck did I do to you?" You yelled, not even trying to hold back the tears anymore, bottom lip trembling and voice breaking. "Y/N-"

"Tell me!" You yelled again, shoving his chest once more with more force behind it than before. "Come on, you're a big boy, right?” You mocked through tears, shoving his chest again. “Fucking man up and tell me." "Stop." Matty warned once more, jaw clenched as his heart raced against his rib cage, his ears starting to ring. He could feel his walls tumbling down with each and every shove of his chest. He hated seeing you like this, hated knowing that he was the reason for it, hated that he couldn’t find the courage to tell you how he felt, hated that you couldn’t just open your eyes and see for yourself. "Say it, Matty!" You yelled through a sob, bringing your hands up to shove him one more time, but his hands were catching them in a halt before they made contact, sending shockwaves down your arm at the contact. "I don't hate you." Matty spoke softly through a clenched jaw, towering over you as he tried not to grip your hands too tight, staring down at you with desperate eyes. "Leave it alone." "God, you're such a fucking pussy." You spoke through a laugh, ripping your hands away from his hold. "You can't even admit it."

"I don't-" Matty attempted to defend himself again, but you were quick to interrupt him. Again. "It's fine, Matty. We don't have to be friends, we don't have to talk, we don't have to even look at one another.” You scoff. “I'm done." "Y/N-" "I can't keep trying with you. It's like we take one step forward and three steps back, I don't get it.” Your words made Matty's throat feel dry, heart pounding so intensely that he was surprised he could even hear you still. “You don't like me and that's fine." "That's not how-" Matty felt desperate to get a word in but you wouldn't let him. "But now you're taking it out on Kian and that's just not fair to him at all. He has absolutely nothing to do with this and I just think that you’re being really fucking immature and-"

You would have kept talking, you had more to say, more to get off your chest. But talking was deemed somewhat difficult when your mouth was occupied with something else. Matty’s strong hands warmed your face as he gripped your face and held you in place, his middle and ring finger digging into the pulse point on the side of your neck as his soft pink lips hungrily trapped your own between his. Matty kissed you as if it was the last thing he'd ever do, desperation pouring off of his tongue that had slipped its way into your mouth when you gasped, holding your face impossibly tighter as he kissed you aggressively, pouring out all of the pent up frustration from the past few months into one heated moment. 

If his goal was to shut you up, he had definitely achieved that, sure that you wouldn't even have any words left to say as Matty had taken them all away. You had been frozen in place, allowing Matty to lead the way, the feeling of his lips against your own was enough to make your brain melt. But the feeling of Matty's teeth grazing your bottom lip was enough to make you feel coherent enough to bring your own hands to his neck, allowing your fingers to spread through his dark hair while the kiss started to grow more heated as Matty sucked your bottom lip into his mouth, his teeth tugging it back and soothing the pain with his tongue. You moan into Matty’s mouth as his fingers dig into your jaw, kissing you passionately, as if his life depended on it. However, the feeling of you touching him seemed to wake Matty up out of the daze, his warm hands and lips pulled away from you just as fast as they had been placed there, dark eyes wide in shock as he stumbled backward to put some more space between the two of you. His reaction had your eyebrows furrowing in confusion as you took a step towards him. "Matty-" The sound of your voice seemed to break whatever trance he was in, the tattooed boy was quick to turn on his heels and make his way towards the front door, his long legs allowing him to make it in just a few strides. Matty didn't even turn to look at you before grabbing his keys from where he had tossed them earlier and walking out the front door, leaving you to stand alone in astonishment once again.

The sound of the chimes ringing against the glass door as it closed seemed to be the only thing grounding you right now, the memory of Matty's lips against your own was persistent and not fading away as you thought to yourself, what the fuck happens now? 

[noacfslut]

lover leaver blurb of the first time they say i love you?

this is part of the lover, leaver universe, if you haven't read both parts, then you probably should <3

lover, leaver / taker, believer / other blurbs within this au

minors do not interact! (no smut but alluded to at the end)

the first time matty says i love you (in true lover, leaver fashion it happens in the middle of a fight only a month into the relationship bc duh!)

3180 words

You storm into 102 Tattoo in a blind rage, as fury filled as you had more times than not in the past year. The chimes at the top of his door clang loudly against the glass as you burst through it, a carcass of a cigarette held between your ringed fingers and fire on your tongue that matched the blaze behind your eyes. 

Matty’s head is quick to pop up at the sudden noise, concern written all over his face from thinking that it was a client storming into his space that quickly faded when his dark eyes landed on you instead. 

His face was quick to soften, a smile spread easily on his face as he leaned back in the chair at his desk that he was currently sitting at while drawing up a design for the appointment he had in an hour. 

“Hey, baby.” Matty’s voice is gentle, soft, warm. It matched his eyes that scanned over your frame in a familiar way that normally had butterflies fluttering in your stomach, but now had your blood boiling to a degree that had you gripping the familiar object in your hand that much tighter. 

Matty pushes his desk chair back, easy to do with the wheels attached to the bottom, and spreads his legs in a way that could only be an invitation for you to come take a seat on his lap and distract him from the work he should definitely be doing. 

And while it was tempting, especially when he pats his thigh before opening his arms for you to come join him, the sight of him sitting so casually and acting as though everything was normal only pissed you off further. 

And whether it was the lack of you in his lap or the silent stare you were fixing him with, Matty’s thick eyebrows finally came together in a way that portrayed a different type of concern than before. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks in the same gentle, soft, warm voice as before. Innocent and unaware. It makes you snap. 

“What is this?” Your voice comes out surprisingly calm yet still has an underlying edge that only deepens Matty’s brows further. 

You hold up the carcass of an all too familiar object for Matty to see and his dark eyes fall to it easily. Matty doesn’t stare at it for more than a second before his face twists in confusion, his dark eyes squint ever so slightly before shifting his gaze back on you - staring at you in a way that seemed as though he was trying to figure you out.

You could tell that Matty was hesitant to answer, wracking his brain for the right response that wouldn’t piss you off any further than you already were, unsure of why you were asking him to name the object held between your fingers but willing to do so anyway. 

A beat of silence lingers between the two of you as Matty opens his mouth and hesitates before speaking, slow and unsure. “A cigarette?” 

And something about the way he answers, the confusion as if he doesn’t know, it has a new wave of anger washing over you.

“Don’t be fucking smart.” You throw back with a bite in your tone, glaring at him in a way that had him breaking eye contact with you so he could stare at the cigarette held in your fingers instead, though the heat from your stare didn’t burn him any less. 

“A burned cigarette?” Matty tries again in the same slow and unsure way as his first guess, his head shaking softly when you just continue to glare at him in response. His face twists up in some form of disgust as the confusion in his tone still lingers. “Where did you get that?”

You shut your eyes and take a quick, deep breath in a poor attempt to calm your shot nerves. 

“Yes, it’s a cigarette.” You speak calmly, through a tight jaw, slowly opening your eyes to stare down at your boyfriend who was waiting for you to answer his questions that only made you angrier because you were sure that he already knew the answers. “I found it. Outside my door, thrown next to the welcome mat.” 

Matty nods slowly, seemingly following along, but even more confused now as to why you were standing in front of him holding it and staring at him as if you wanted to blow him up. 

“Okay?” Matty speaks in a soft, gentle tone, clearing his throat as he shifts in the chair under your heated gaze. “Why are you holding some stranger’s cigarette?”

Your jaw ticks while the hand that isn’t holding the stray cigarette on display clenched involuntarily at the fresh wave of frustration that washes over you at his blatant cluelessness. 

You couldn’t help the attitude that overtook your previously calm tone as you shot back at him. “I don’t know, why was it thrown in front of my store?”

Matty’s dark eyes squint ever so slightly, in a way that only deepened the confusion written all over his face. He was fighting to figure you out, starting to feel as though you were testing him and realizing that he might already be failing. 

“..I don’t know?” Matty shakes his head through an unsure reply, his thick eyebrows pulled together as he repeats your question back to you with far more confusion than the attitude it possessed when you asked. “Why was it thrown in front of your store?”

And if it weren't for the fact that you were holding the stray cigarette in your dominant hand, you would have slapped him for pretending to be so clueless when you know that he knows how/why it got there.  

You deliver an equally icy sting of, “Matty.” spoken through a tight jaw and eyes that your boyfriend was thankful couldn’t catch fire. 

“What?” Matty shoots back, tilting his head to the side ever so softly. 

And maybe it was the new angle he was staring up at you in, maybe it was the way you said his name in a way that felt like a blow to the chest or maybe it was the way you looked as though you were holding the cigarette between your fingers as if it some sort of life line to prevent you from dropping it and slapping him that finally had the realization dawning on Matty. 

“You think I put it there?” Matty asks in a surprised tone with a raised brow, staring at you in bewilderment and taking your silence as a good enough answer to scoff and squint his dark eyes further. “Really?”

“I know you left it there.” You correct, all calmness faded from your demeanor now that Matty was staring up at you in a way that you couldn’t help but think was a challenge. “Who else would have?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe one of the hundreds of people that walk by our shops everyday.” Matty says as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world, laughing through a scoff as he shakes his head and holds a hand out in the direction of the door that leads outside. “It’s a public sidewalk, Jewels. It could have been anyone, take your pick.”

The nickname blows into your chest harder than Matty’s name did to his own. Matty had dropped the snarky nickname when the two of you finally got together, replacing it in favor of pet names that always made you blush. 

You hadn’t heard Jewels falling from his tongue in so long that the six letters felt so foreign to you now. 

You were sure that it was only coming back up now that Matty was angry and arguing with you, some sort of reflex that has him falling back into his old ways and has you ready to slap him all over again. 

“But it wasn’t just any stranger walking down the public sidewalk, Matty.” You shoot back in a tone of voice that drips with attitude. “It was you.”

Matty shifts in his desk chair once more, his dark eyes squinting further. “I’m sorry, why am I automatically getting the blame for this?” 

“Oh, you’re right, I’m sorry for assuming!” You laugh in astonishment. “It’s not like you haven’t done it daily for the past year or anything.”

“It’s not like-“ Matty cuts himself to mirror your laughter from before. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Are you?” You spit back, tossing the stray cigarette down on his desk and clenching your jaw when you watched Matty’s dark eyes glance at the object before rolling and glaring up at you. “We’ve been together for a month, I thought we were past this.”

“So did I?” Matty bites back, shaking his head softly, the dark strands of his hair with it. “I can’t believe you think I would do that.”

“Because you have done it.” You remind through some form of a scoff filled laugh, pinching the bridge of your nose out of frustration.  “Multiple times, actually.” You correct, removing your hand from your face so you could wave it around as you speak. “You would always deliberately leave your cigarettes in front of my store just to piss me off and now I’m supposed to suddenly think that someone else is doing it instead?”

“And what part of you thinks that I would still want to do that now?” Matty tilts his head to the side, raises an eyebrow, waiting on a response. “Please explain that to me, I’m so curious.”

And standing above your boyfriend right now with a tight jaw, clenched fist and veins that boiled with anger - you couldn’t help but feel like the girl you were a few months ago who would have given anything to share a wall with anyone but him. 

This was the first real fight that the two of you were having since the night you two broke down that wall and finally got together. And while you knew it was inevitable, you didn’t think the nature of your fights would be so similar to before.

The condescending tones, the low blows, the obsession with the way his jaw flexed when he clenches it. Your stomach flips now at the sight, as it always had, but now you could actually act on it. You had all the power to just end the argument, jump his bones and forget it all ever happened - a freedom you craved for the past year. 

But now that you had the opportunity, the freedom, you didn’t want to take it. You wanted him to admit it, you wanted to argue, you wanted to be right.  

“I don’t know!” You exasperate through a laugh. “That’s just who you are.” You blink. “Or were.” Shaking your head before rolling your eyes and sighing. “You were an annoying asshole who thrived on making me mad.” 

You remind Matty, mentally cringing at your choice of wording as your stomach rolls with nausea at the sight of his eyes narrowing to hide the hurt behind them. 

“Yeah, I was.” Matty agrees, shaking his head slowly to match as his dark eyes zero in on you. “But am I not allowed to change?” The underlying tone of hurt behind the attitude that Matty was trying to mask it with rang through your ears and maybe you were starting to regret this. “Or am I just forever going to be the asshole who you blame for everything?”

“Until you stop being the asshole to blame, yeah you are.” You bite back, and the words taste vile as even as you speak them, not even sure why you were saying them in the first place.

You didn’t mean it, of course you didn’t. But this is what always happened when the two of you fought, Matty would go low and you couldn’t help but go even lower, saying things that you didn’t even mean in desperation to crawl under his skin like he was doing to you. 

A defense mechanism that you had picked up a few weeks after meeting Matty and clearly hadn’t beaten yet. 

“Wow.” Matty speaks the word simply but it impacts you in a way that makes you feel as though the three letters had just shot you in the chest. “Okay.” 

A wave of nausea rolls in your stomach at the sight of Matty looking away from you in favor of staring down at his lap for a beat of silence, rubbing his hand over his chin as if he was deep in thought before tilting his head and staring up at you again.

“You really don’t think I've changed?” Matty asks with furrowed eyebrows, shaking his head softly as he expresses. “I haven’t shown you that I've changed? I haven't proven that to you?

“I didn’t say that.” You argue in a weaker tone, picking at the skin around your fingers. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“But that’s what you’re implying.” Matty replied with an accusatory tone that made your stomach roll. “That I’m just some dick who purposefully took my smoke break outside of your shop and deliberately tossed my cigarette on the sidewalk just to piss you off.”

And suddenly you weren’t feeling so guilty anymore, the anger that boiled in your veins drowned out any of that.  

“Am I really that crazy for thinking you did it?” You scoff, throwing your hand out to emphasize the power behind your argument. “What have you been doing for the past year, Matty?” You ask, giving him only a second to respond before answering the question for him. “Exactly that.” And Matty just rolls his eyes at your words. “You were doing exactly what you just said, so why would I not think that it was you?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I'm your boyfriend?” Matty’s voice full of anger, so deep and raspy that you felt it shoot straight down to swim between your legs that dared to clench at the sight of his jaw flexing. “Maybe because I care about you?” Matty shrugs, talking to you as if you were some child that needed it all laid out and explained to you. You couldn’t help but feel so small. “Or maybe because I'm in love with you so I would never intentionally-“ 

“What?” You cut Matty off with a racing heart in a voice that wasn’t much more than a whisper, but Matty heard it loud and clear anyways. 

“What?” Matty snaps back, not even registering what he had just said, fully assuming that he had somehow said something wrong again. But when he takes in the sight of your pale face, your wide eyes and half open mouth as you stand above him fighting to remember how to breathe - it dawns on him. 

You watch his hard face full of a scowl slowly drop into a soft panic, the color from his face fading as quickly as the anger did from his veins. Your heart pounds against your rib cage, ears ringing as your lungs fight for some air as you wait for Matty to say something, anything. 

“I mean- fuck.” Matty sighs, shaking his head as he covers his face with his hands, scrubbing the area out of frustration as he mumbles behind his palms. “I-I didn’t mean to say that.”

Anything but that.

“Oh.” You try to hide the hurt in your voice, hopeful that Matty couldn’t hear your heart dropping and breaking into a million pieces. “You didn’t mean it?”

“No.” Matty scrubs his face one last time before dropping them in his lap out of frustration. “I mean, yes.” He shakes his head as he corrects himself. “Yes, of course I meant it.” Matty says, glancing up at you with eyes full of nerves that makes your heart suddenly heal and jump to your throat. “But I-I didn’t want to tell you like that.” He sighs. “I’m sorry, please don’t freak out. I-I know it’s only been a month and I don’t want you to feel pressured to say it back or anything.” Matty was word vomiting at this point, terrified that he had just ruined everything when it had barely even started. “We can just forget it ever happened, just ignore me, I think that-“

“You love me?” You cut him off in a slightly louder tone than before, yet it was still not much more than a whisper. You could barely even hear yourself over the ringing in your ears, the pounding of your heart. 

You and Matty stare at one another for a beat, feeling as though the world had stopped spinning and was frozen in time just for the two of you at this moment. You hold onto every breath Matty takes in, waiting for him to answer, to confirm. 

You felt as though you could fly when Matty finally opened his mouth and admitted through a slow nod and a breathless tone. “So much.”

And god, you couldn’t take it anymore. 

You were quick to finally accept Matty’s invitation from when you first initially stormed into 102 Tattoo, climbing onto his lap and kissing him as though your life depended on it. 

And maybe in some sick and twisted way, it did. 

Maybe kissing Matty was your life line. As if you would wither away if it wasn’t for his tongue that traced along your own in a battle he was sure to always win, his teeth that nipped and tugged at your lower lip just so he could swallow down a moan of yours, his fingernails sported by black chipped nail polish that dug into your hips to support you from falling off of the chair in his lap as you kissed him messily, hungrily, desperately. 

Matty smirks into the kiss before pulling away just far enough to remind you of how you ended up here in the first place, his voice full of a condescending, smug tone as he pinches your hip and says. “I thought we were fighting?”

And maybe it was the way one of his hands left your hip in favor of sliding behind your back and slipping under your shirt, maybe it was the way his lips were already swollen from the filthy kiss he just pulled away from or maybe it was your desperation to show him that you felt the same way that he did. 

Whatever it was, you found yourself pulling off your top without a second thought and tossing it off to the side to be found when you could find it in yourself to care, a smirk of your own graces your face when Matty’s eyes immediately fall to your bare chest and the silver piercings in your nipples that dared to wink at him in the light. 

His blunt fingernails dig into your skin and jumpstart you to wrap a weak hand around his neck just so you could pull him back into a kiss that was even messier and filthier than before. “Shut the fuck up.”