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† matthew lynch | n/a

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WHO: Matthew and some other people
WHERE: Various places in De Chima & Heropa
WHEN: Throughout September!
WHAT: Catch-all things! PM this journal if you'd like a specific starter. Matthew can hang out in Heropa as well as De Chima now!!
WARNINGS: N/A, will edit to add if necessary!

I. HEROPA, XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR IMPORTS, OPEN

[ Matthew doesn't get intimidated by new places easily, not because he's particularly bold or fearless--he is neither--but because he has no idea what it feels like to not belong somewhere and he's really too dumb to worry about it. He isn't nervous about his first day at a new school, just a bit sleepy from having to get up earlier to accomodate the extra travel time from one city to another, and pleased that he managed to navigate the Porter and then Heropa itself by himself.

So he's in his usual cheerful mood throughout the day, eager to learn and meet everyone and not end up accidentally sitting in on the wrong class, not that it'd be the end of the world if he did or anything (he knows from experience.)

When classes are finished for the day he decides to hang around for a little longer, for the purposes of exploration, poking his curly head into empty classrooms or classrooms that aren't empty and offering the person or persons inside a friendly wave and a-- ]

Hi, I'm Matthew! I just started today.

[ One might also catch him distractedly staring at sheet music in the music room, or following a butterfly outside on the grounds, or curiously checking out the books in the library. ]

II. DE CHIMA, CLOSED TO MINT

[ They ran into each other a few times at the park, and then Matthew began to almost expect her there. The last time he went, he even brought snacks.

Well. He brought a stale package of cookies from the house. Mint was not overly impressed.

Somehow that conversation ended with an agreement to meet up and bake cookies of their own, cookies that will surely be way better than the crummy store-bought ones and the baking and consuming of which will not result in property damage or food poisoning. Definitely.

He has her address and he shows up on time, ringing the bell and bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet as he waits to be let in. ]

III. DE CHIMA, THE MEADOWS, CLOSED TO NOAH

[ The day started off perfectly, so of course by the time Noah and Matthew finished goofing around in the kitchen, got lunch packed into a cooler, and decided on a spot for their picnic, it began to rain. More of a drizzle, really, hardly enough, in Matthew's opinion, to cut short their first official date.

He's ridiculously cheerful as he takes the blanket they brought out to sit on and tosses it over a low-hanging tree branch, stretching it out into a decent little tent. ]

If it gets bad we'll run to the barn, [ he promises, making some adjustments to the blanket before ducking inside the cozy little dry space himself. It's still a hot summer day in spite of the rain, and the humidity is doing crazy things to Matthew's hair, but he doesn't care. He scoots closer to his boyfriend and pops open the top of the cooler, as the rain whispers gently in the grass and the leaves above them. ]

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[ man all I'm saying is that it's a good thing that Mint now lives with a robot who probably has a fire extinguisher.

As the bell rings, Mint practically scampers to the door. She wasn't going to do anything by halves! She had the ingredients (hopefully), had all the necessary equipment (she thought) and, most importantly, had aprons for her and Matthew. Mint's was dark blue with a little bit of ruffles, Matthew's was an understated green (man, she hoped he liked green).

Opening the door, she grins widely. ] So! Are you ready to start?

[ He grins back, bright and cheerful. ] Yeah, definitely!

[ He steps right in as soon as he can (not thinking to take his shoes off, but he'll do it if Mint asks), and glances around the room with a pleasant, mild sort of curiosity before his attention returns to her. ]

Nice apron!

[ It's a genuine compliment; the ruffles totally suit her. ]

[ Yeah, Mint can't help but have a moment of horror at the shoes before no, she shouldn't push this point, this is America she's got to learn how to do American things, even if they are heathens who wear shoes in the house. ]

Thank you! I got one for you as well! [ Turning towards Matthew, she offers him the second apron. ]

[ Sorry Mint, at least his shoes are nice and clean, and not the ones he wears for doing Farm Chores. ]

Whoa, thanks!

[ He is totally charmed by the fact that she has an apron for him and he pulls it on right away, pleased with the color. ]

So we're still making cookies, right?

[ He looks around some more as he distractedly ties the apron behind his back in a rather lopsided but effective knot. ]

Of course! [ said with a BIG WIDE GRIN. ]

I've got the ingredients set out in the kitchen as well as the bakeware!

[ At least, she hopes she's got all the ingredients. Mint's confident enough in her buying but it's entirely possible she forgot something like baking soda. ]

Shall we start?

Yeah! [ Baking soda? What does that even do? They probably don't need it. He follows her to the kitchen, where as far as he can tell she's got everything set up and perfectly ready to go.

The sight stirs up some warm memories. ]

I used to help my mom with stuff like this.

[ "Helping" his mother involved a lot of hanging around, chattering happily at her and popping chocolate chips into his mouth until it was time to lick the bowl, which she always let him do. ]

[ Mint can't help but be a bit sad when Matthew says that. She loves her parents, but honestly? They had a butler and a pastry chef. She never really made food with her mom or anything like that. ]

What's your mom like?

[ she asks, as she flips to the right recipe and starts measuring out the flour. ]

[Noah looks positively over the moon at the set-up, even with the rain starting to patter against the treetops.]

I don't mind. I like rain.

[It's become one of his favorite things about being alive, actually. Getting to feel it on his skin and in his hair is a blessing he never knew he had missed.

Grinning, he pushes a little closer, until their arms are pressed against one another.]

[ Matthew flashes him an utterly delighted smile, pleased by both his words and the closeness.

This is dating. This is what having a boyfriend feels like. It might not look much different from how they were together just a week or two ago, but Matthew is so happy he can hardly contain himself, not that he tries too hard. In a burst of demonstrative affection he ducks in to plant a kiss on Noah's cheek, laughs a little at himself, and then resumes digging their lunch out of the cooler. Sandwiches, sodas, a bag of Twizzlers, a makeshift tent, and each other. It's more than enough for him. ]

It's nice when it's like this, [ he agrees somewhat belatedly. The air around them is already full of that earthy rain smell. ]

[The cheek kiss just makes Noah smile even harder, and he responds by nudging his own bare foot against Matthew's.

As he reaches for the snacks - ] Are you gonna judge me if I put Twizzlers on my sandwich?

[ Matthew has never judged anyone for anything in his entire life.

Except Kavinsky, perhaps. But those are special circumstances.

That said, he does wrinkle his nose a little as he considers the question, already chewing a rather large bite of his own sandwich. ]

Does that actually taste good?

[ He sounds a little curious. ]

It's just like eating a sandwich and a Twizzler, but it takes half the time.

[A perfect, childlike efficiency.]

[ Matthew just laughs again, tickled by this explanation, though he'll probably leave it to Noah to actually eat the Twizzler sandwiches because he's quite enjoying his own the way it is. ]

We don't have to hurry though, right?

[ He's asking because of the "half the time" comment. The fingers of his free hand brush softly against Noah's and he thinks he really doesn't want to have to rush. Even a distant rumble of thunder fails to stir any kind of urgency in him; the rain is still falling straight and steady and soft and he's enjoying every moment. ]

[Stretching out his legs, Noah tilts over to lean more fully into Matthew.]

We've got the whole day. I took tonight off work.

Edited 2016-09-26 01:56 (UTC)

[ Matthew beams, delighted by both the closeness and the prospect of getting to spend more time with Noah, without distractions or interruptions.

That's the plan, at least. ]

Great! Oh, hey--

[ He thinks of something, and then performs a complicated maneuver to get the phone out of his back pocket without disturbing his boyfriend or dropping his sandwich. ]

Take a picture with me.

[Noah matches that adorable, sunlit grin, and scoots over to put his head on Matthew's shoulder.]

There can never be too many couple selfies. The others need to figure that out, so we can have a whole album.

[ Matthew tips his head to rest against Noah's, feeling the softness of Noah's hair against his cheek, and stretches his arm out until the camera catches both of them--two unreal boys feeling perfectly real at the moment, all boyish youth and silly jokes and uninhibited affection. ]

I don't know if that's gonna happen.

[ He's trying and failing to imagine Ronan actually taking selfies. And then letting other human beings see them. ]

We could always take one while he's sleeping, and pretend he just blinked.

[He laughs right along with Matthew's mental image.]

He'd be so pissed, [ Matthew laughs, allowing himself to be amused by the thought because there's no way they're actually going to do that. He gives the screen of his phone a few distracted taps with his thumb and then sets it down on his leg so he can concentrate on another bite of his sandwich.

It takes him a moment to realize what he just did, and he stops chewing. ]

Uh-oh.

["Uh-oh" isn't something you want to hear during a date, and it definitely catches Noah's attention. He looks over and up, one eyebrow tilting up.]

What is it?

[ Matthew picks up the phone again. He's not freaking out or anything, but he definitely looks concerned. ]

I think I just sent Ronan that picture.

[ They were talking about him, and Matthew wasn't thinking, and he just-- Crap. ]

[Noah's eyes go wide, and he almost drops his sandwich.]

Maybe if we climb a tree, he won't be able to find us.

[Matthew lowers his gaze to the ground for a moment. He doesn't think they'll have to climb a tree (at least, he certainly hopes they won't have to climb a tree), but he does feel terrible, and then he notices something. ]

Oh, wait--

It didn't go through.

[ He exhales, slowly. At first he's just relieved, but then something else trickles through him like cold water. He actually rubs the back of his neck with his free hand, to make sure the rain isn't leaking through their makeshift tent, and then repeats himself, a bit stupidly. ]

It didn't go through.

[ It's like he knows it means something--and he does know it means something--but he doesn't want to grasp that meaning. ]

[It takes Noah a few moments to comprehend the change in Matthew's tone, and the horror behind it. Without speaking, he grabs his phone from his back pocket with one hand, and reaches over to lace his fingers through Matthew's with the other.

He punches out a short message: hey asshat text your brother

One breath. Two breaths.

Message failed to send. Retry?.]

Shi-

[No, no, okay. Keep it together. No freaking out in front of Matthew.]

Okay, alright. [What does he even say?] Do you have a signal?

Yeah, [ Matthew says quietly, holding Noah's hand and staring, staring at his phone.

His number isn't connecting. This is what happens.

That's what Adam said, when Gansey got Ported out.

This is what happens. ]

You tried too, right?

[ He's not thinking about their date anymore, and the rain no longer seems quite so calming and pleasant. ]

Mm-hmm.

[Noah shifts his phone between his fingers, his brow furrowing anxiously.]

But maybe it's not... [-that. He can't even say it.] Maybe he doesn't have service. We shouldn't worry yet.

[Coming from Noah, it's a crock of bullshit. He's the master of worrying. He practically makes it an Olympic sport. But it's a sport that Matthew doesn't need to participate in, not when they're trying so hard to have a peaceful, ordinary, teenage day. This was supposed to be a milestone that would make them smile in days to come, not a tragic anniversary to keep.]

Wanna head back to the house?

[ Matthew imagines going back to the house now, maybe running into Adam or Gansey and having to explain that they came back early because Ronan's phone isn't connecting. He remembers their faces when he woke up the first time, the way they looked at him and then at each other, completely bewildered. ]

Not really, [ he admits, squeezing Noah's hand. ] But-- [ His tone turns apologetic. ] If we stay here, you might have to help me get back.

[ And that's when he finally pulls his gaze away from the phone and looks at Noah, his expression somehow full of certainty and uncertainty at the same time.

This is what happens.

It's happening now. Noah says they shouldn't worry but Matthew can almost feel the dizzying pull of oblivion, like he's standing at the very edge of a pit and waiting for the breeze to carry him forward. Ronan's gone, and Matthew can't exist without him. There's really nothing they can do.

This is what happens, too. ]

Edited (I keep using the same icon sjdka;lf) 2016-10-15 02:19 (UTC)

[Panic pulls in Noah's chest, and his breath stutters. Something's wrong - something's horriblly, devastatingly wrong - and for a moment Noah can't figure out what. But then he searches Matthew's eyes, tests the waters behind them, and he knows. He knows that oblivion. It's been tearing at him since the moment his vision went dark in the forest, seeping into him like water. And now, feeling it in this beautiful, sweet dream of a boy...]

Matthew-

[It comes out weak, nearly lost to the breeze. The treetops are slowly growing visible through Noah's face, as horror and grief take hold.]

Don't go, please don't go.

[ Matthew's eyes grow rounder than usual when he sees what's happening. ]

Noah, you're--

[ Disappearing, but he doesn't want to say the word so he just tries to take Noah's face in his hands, a bit desperately, twisting around to face him better. ]

I--

[ He swallows, wishes for a moment he could pretend this isn't happening. ]

I don't think I can make it stop. It was like this before, and it's like this with mom--

[ He lowers his eyes suddenly and bites his lip. ]

[Hanging out in random classrooms was absolutely fine, right--when you've loaded up a tray of food from the cafeteria that had no holds barred on how much food you took. There had been no-where to sit inside the cafeteria itself that looked comfortable to the straw-hat wearing pirate, so he found himself in one of those aforementioned empty classrooms with a great place to sit.

Cross-legged on one of the teacher's desks.

Let's also not mention the fact that he actually didn't attend any classes--having gotten bored with the first one and just walking out about ten minutes in. It was a pretty great start to nothing, just about.

But when he's greeted by a really friendly guy, what else is there to do but grin and wave right back at him, holding up a chicken leg instead of being polite to stop eating when someone is talking to you.]

Hey, yeah! Me too! [Just started, that is.] I'm Monkey D Luffy. It's nice to meetcha.

[ Luffy definitely has the right idea about the all-you-can-eat cafeteria. Matthew isn't even gonna judge him if he talks with his mouth full; that chicken leg looks delicious. At the enthusiastic return greeting, he steps fully into the classroom and shoves his hands into his pockets, bouncing a bit on his heels, eager to make himself a friend. ]

Same here! [ Nice to meet you, that is. Matthew glances from Luffy to the desk and then back again, trying to work out the scene. There could be lots of reasons Matthew didn't see the other guy in any of his classes, but just in case-- ]

Are you a teacher?

[ Ha. Ha. Ha. ]

[Well, this meeting is going absolutely fine so far. He looks more than ust pleased, waving his hand to invite this guy into the room a little furthur. Maybe if he's really nice, Luffy would share said piles of food with him.

But first, that question. It's met with an absolutely weird, absolutely loud and pealing laugh. Shishishi.]

Me? A teacher? No way. I don't have the patience for that kind of stuff.

[A student, then. A student.]

...

Why, are you a teacher? [You don't look like a teacher.]

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