🍓🍓🍓

୨⎯ "𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆" ⎯୧
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : can I be him - James Arthur
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there, will you be there?
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

dt louis-core bc obvious hit 2 mil reads 💕

Matt's hand flexed on the wheel anxiously as he came to a stop at the red light, the sun had dipped behind Boston's city skyline allowing the last of its rays paint the sky a brilliant orange. Music provided background noise to Chris and Nick's conversation as Matt halfheartedly listened to the two of them going back and forth.

"Chris just play a fucking song!"

Chris kissed his teeth as he scrolled through his Apple Music whilst Nick sat in the back impatiently "Every song I've put on you've complained about!"

"That's not true"

" 'Chris change this one, no Chris I don't like this one, Chris this one is so bad' " Chris mocked

"I don't fucking sound like that"

"You literally do"

Nick leaned as far as he could in his seat to try to swipe Chris' phone, earning a slap to the chest by the youngest triplet "Don't grab my fucking phone, just tell me what you want to listen to"

Nick threw his hands in the air "I'm trying to look!"

Matt let the bickering blend into the lyrics making their way through the van's speakers, not bothering to involve himself. Instead he focused on the road and Google maps. They were still half an hour away from the venue since they had stopped for food on the way and even though they would be arriving earlier than the rest of the crowd traffic was still starting to pile up the further he drove into the city.

He merged lanes in an effort to somehow get through traffic quicker only to find that it pushed him back further. Sighing, Matt leaned back into his seat, his unoccupied hand come up to his face to rub at his brow.

"Kid we're not going to be late" Chris spoke

Matt shifted his gaze to his brother "I'm not worried about being late, this traffic is just so fucking annoying"

Chris finished typing something on his phone and then locked it "Jose said that we can park near the back of the venue we just have to show security ID"

Matt nodded and slowly came to a stop at a yellow light "yeah Gem told me before we left. She said to text them when we're five minutes away so that someone can be waiting to come get us"

Chris nodded as he listened and changed the song again "How is Gemma?"

Matt looked over to his brother questioningly "... She's good? Weren't you talking to her this morning?"

Chris merely shrugged in response and Nick placed his own phone down to involve himself in the conversation

"No but like how is she?"

Matt looked to the rear view with his eyebrow cocked, not understanding Nick's question. They had all spoken to her and Jade this morning when they were talking about what time they had to be at the venue tonight.

"What do you mean? She's good, you know this because you spoke to her today"

Nick rolled his eyes and Chris shifted in the passenger seat so that he could look at Nick, the two of them mirroring eachother's is he serious expression.

Matt refocused on the road as the light turned green and he flicked the indicator to make a turn, Chris rolling his eyes in Nick's direction.

"No like, how is she?"

Matt huffed in mild annoyance "I told you she's good, I don't know what you're fucking asking"

Before Chris could speak again, Nick put his hand on the shoulder of Matt's seat to bring himself as forward as he could with his seatbelt on "How is she in terms of, like, how are you and her? Like together. As a pair."

Matt quirked the top of his lip and furrowed his brows, understanding starting to wash over him "She's good, we're good, all is good"

Chris and Nick side eyed eachother

"Like... you're good good? Or just good"

Matt rolls his eyes and quickly spares a glance at his brother in the passenger seat as he tried to bite back a smile "we're good good, Chris"

Nick and Chris both broke out into smiles and looked at eachother, Nick excitedly leaning back in his seat as he spoke "okayyyy Matt"

Chris nodded along "about fucking time"

Matt shook his head briefly "we're not like, together. We're just good. You know?"

Chris nodded understanding and Nick squinted in suspicion, but went along with it anyway. Chris and Nick picked a few songs they both agreed on and qued them up, soon the van was filled with nothing but music and the late July air coming through the rolled down windows.

Matt, surprisingly, hadn't been anxious to finally meet the aces. His hand still figured against the wheel and the traffic made him more frustrated than anything but he felt good, like someone had melted his insides and left the flame flickering. It was a feeling he wanted to keep forever.

In his opinion, there was nothing quite like it. The exciting, butterfly inducing happiness that came with meeting some of his closest friends for the first time; it was like the universe had done him one massive fucking favour and to be honest, he couldn't be more grateful than he is right now.

His emotions must be all over his face because he sees Chris grinning like an idiot in his peripheral vision.

"What"

Chris continues to grin as he shakes his head and casts his attention back to his phone "nothing, you just look really happy"

Matt nods but keeps his attention on the road "I am"

Chris and Nick share a secret look and smile to eachother "that's really good"

Matt nods again but with more understanding this time. Chris and Nick have seen first hand the doubts that have come with whatever he's got going on with Gemma, so to finally be able to sit with ease and just enjoy the little moments like this one.

"You might want to wipe the stupid look off your face or you'll scare her off"

Matt's face drops momentarily at Chris' comment "Shut the fuck up and text Josie, we're almost there"

Chris and Nick laugh in synchronicity

"I'm being serious"

"Chris. Shut the fuck up."

"Thank you, Nick"

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

The nervous feeling he got while parking the car was bad enough for Matt but now as he's standing directly in front of the aces' dressing room door, he can't tell if he wants to turn around and throw up or burst into the room.

Chris had called Josie and did the whole awkward I Can't Say What I Want To Say Because I'm With My Brothers phone call which left a suffocating silence hanging in the car, neither Matt or Nick wanting to question Chris' tone. The tender state of his relationship with someone who Matt would consider to be a really good friend was now beginning to become more apparent to himself and Nick and really, neither of them can help unless Chris wants help.

Chris goes to knock when the door swings open, leaving Chris' fist hanging in the air. Avery stands in the doorway, phone in hand and shocked before jumping straight into Nick's arms.

She takes Nick by surprise and doesn't let him process what's going on until she's letting him go and pulling Chris into a hug just as tight "Oh my god! Hi! I didn't know you guys were here already"

Jade and Josie each stand up from the brown leather couch they were sitting on and stride over to greet the triplets at the door. Matt meets Josie half way as she reaches for him to pull him into a hug, out of the corner of his eye he sees Jade affectionately ruffle Chris' hair as she throws an arm around Nick's shoulders.

Matt let his eyes briefly scan the room in hopes to find the one person missing, not noticing Jade appear in front of him.

"She said she left her phone on stage after we finished up soundcheck, she's not too far away" Jade winked and then grinned, pulling Matt into a warm embrace.

He pulls away flustered that the thought that he got caught obviously looking for Gemma "I have no idea what you're talking about Jade"

Josie hears Matt and Jade's conversation and smirks at the look on Matt's face, opening her mouth to say something when a voice echoed in the hallway.

"AVERY! Did you take my water bottle? I have no idea where it went and I swear I've looked for it everywhere!"

Gemma stopped suddenly and she looked between Nick, Matt and Chris in momentary shock, clearly not expecting the three of them. Nick, who was closest to the door, wasted no time holding his arms open for her and she excitedly stepped into them, giving him a squeeze.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it! I didn't know you were here already"

Jade opened a bag of chips and spoke up from the table she had taken a seat at "Yeah because Josie forgot to tell us that Chris had called her"

Chris pulled Gemma into a hug and turned his head slightly to look over at Josie and roll his eyes "So typical Jose"

Josie rolled her eyes back and waved him off, connecting her phone to the Bluetooth speaker that was sitting on the table next to where Jade was standing. Gemma pulled away from Chris and gave him a small, appreciative smile before making eye contact with Matt who was stood a little bit away from the commotion.

Matt couldn't hold back his smile any longer when Gemma opened her arms and beckoned him forward with a grin. He went willingly and her arms wrapped around his neck as he leant down slightly to loop his own arms around her waist.

"Hi sunshine"

"Hi Matty" Gemma was soft as she spoke into his ear and Matt could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest. It felt like this moment, just the two of them, was something of their own little secret, like they had an inside joke that no one knew about. He had been waiting to see her for what felt like a lifetime. The endless late night calls, early text messages and FaceTimes were incomparable to the real thing. To see her smile and to hear her say his name in real life was something that he didn't think he could ever get tired of, he knew that this was a memory he was going to hold onto forever.

Gemma pulled away and her hand came to rest naturally on Matt's shoulder as she spoke to her bandmates "Doors will be opening soon and we've still got to do a few things"

Josie, Jade and Avery all nodded their heads and began to shuffle around the dressing room grabbing phones, water bottles, mic packs and anything else they needed before saying their quick goodbyes and heading out the door. Gemma turned to Matt

"Sorry to rush off but Johnny should be back from wherever he is in about five minutes, you're welcome to have anything from the fridge and if you need anything else just text me!"

Matt smiled and nodded his head as Gemma patted his shoulder and smiled at Chris and Nick, waving as she exited the room. Matt turned back to his two brothers who sat on the couch, taking Avery and Josie's places

"It really is all over your face"

"Nick shut the fuck up"

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

Matt, Nick, Chris and Jonny all stood in the wings watching the Aces perform. They were all stood at their mic stands as the lights dim and then turn a brilliant shade of midnight blue, the flashlights on the crowd's phones making the venue look like a night sky.

Avery clears her throat and waiting for the crowd to go quiet before she spoke "This one is one of our favourites off the album! here is better than feeling lonely!"

The crowd cheers as Avery opens the first verse with Josie harmonising

"Hate to say it's true, but I can't get you off my mind, I'm thinking 'bout your body, how it feels when it's on mine" Avery sang out to the crowd with a wide smile on her face

"I know all you're gonna do is sit and waste my time, and every word you say to me is probably a lie" Josie joined her on the second half of the first verse with Jade taking over

"So look me in the eyes, tell me that you want me, tell me pretty lies, tell me I'm the only, even if you don't mean it, touchin' you is holy, maybe fake love is better than feeling lonely" Jade sang with Gemma harmonising with her before letting the crowd take over the pre chorus.

Matt watched as Gemma's face lit up with joy and content while she listened to the crowd sing to her, he couldn't take his eyes off her as he watched her do what she loves. His eyes wandered to the crowd and he just watched in awe and fondness as the people in the front row of the pit swayed together in unison, Gemma and Avery copying them on stage.

As they finished up the song Gemma pulled away from her mic stand and turned slightly to face her four friends on the wings, giving them all a little wave before turning back around to face the crowd of adoring fans "Boston! How are we feeling tonight?!"

People scream in response to Gemma's question which makes her smile twice as wide and Matt feels himself smile as well.

"Well tonight we have three very good friends here with us so can you please give a big hello to Matt, Nick and Chris?"

The crowd screams and Gemma then full body turns to face Matt in the wings, throwing him a wink and a cheeky smile. Matt rolls his eyes and steps forward with Nick and Chris, giving the crowd a wave before retreating back to their places. Josie smiles and gestures towards them "They get a bit of stage fright so lets give them one more hello before we move onto the next song!"

Out of his peripheral vision, Matt can see Johnny with their camera in his hand and he walks around the three of them filming them and the girls from the stage. When Avery walks over to retrieve her water bottle, she takes the camera off him and walks it over so that she can get up close to the people at the front of the pit. She skips around and then turns the camera so that the lens is facing her and the girls, Josie and Jade smile and Gemma waves before Avery runs back to the wings to hand back the camera.

"Alright! this next one is called She's all I wanna be!" Josie announces with her arms out by her side.

Nick, Matt, Chris and Johnny all cheer and begin to bop to the beginning of the song, Matt's eyes never leave Gemma despite the fact that Jade starts this song off.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

As their set comes to a close, all four girls take a bow and walk to the edge of the stage. Jade and Avery both take sunglasses out of fan's hand and put them on, laughing at eachother whilst Josie takes a film photo of a group of girls at the very front before turning it around and taking a selfie with them. Matt can see Gemma crouching with a younger fan, getting in close to her to listen as the fan speaks. He can't see her face from where he stands but he already knows what she looks like.

He knows that she's got a soft smile and that she's making eye contact so that they know she's listening, he knows that she's nodding her head reassuringly as she leans in to press a feather light kiss to the girl's cheek.

Watching the interaction leaves Matt with a very confronting thought: that he is really serious about Gemma.

He thinks about how the songs they perform are about people that aren't him, and how he wants that to change. He wants to know what it feels like to have someone care so deeply about you that the only way they can express it is through writing and he wants people to know that she cares enough about him to write those songs, to tell the world that despite saying she wasn't going to put herself through that again, she did anyway. For him. He wants people to know that he makes her happy even if they aren't together right now.

He wants to know what it's like to be loved enough to be written about.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

He's sitting in the dressing room with his brothers when the Aces burst through the door excitedly, Nick and Chris stand immediately and meet them halfway but Matt sits back for a few seconds pretending to fiddle with the phone charger he's got in his hand. As he goes to stand Gemma appears in front if him, a wild smile plastered on her face. Her cheeks are slightly red from performing and she plays with her necklace whilst speaking to him.

"So how did you like the show? Was it up to standard?"

Matt tilts his head slightly and impulsively brushes a stray strand of hair away from her face "You guys did awesome, best show I've been too"

Just when Matt thought she couldn't smile any bigger, she somehow does. He watches her eyes crinkle with delight and loops her arm in his "C'mon, grab your stuff and we'll go back to our airbnb, we can order a late dinner"

Matt leans down to grab his phone, charger and keys as she begins to walk them both out of the venue "Airbnb? weren't you guys staying in a hotel?"

She nods her head "Yeah but only for the first night, we're here for two weeks so we didn't want to be cooped up the whole time"

He nods his head understandably as she practically walks him to the minivan, not once unlooping her arm from his. When they get to the drivers side door, she looks back over her shoulder to see Nick and Chris splitting off from Jade, Josie and Avery before turning back to Matt "I'll text you the address"

Matt unlocks the van and pulls his door open "Cool, I'll see you then"

Gemma tilts her head slightly and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear before smiling, nodding and walking towards the car her bandmates are piling into. Matt watches her walk away and playfully hit Chris before getting in the van and buckling his seat belt to pull out of the car park when his phone pings

iMessage
sunshine🌞 shared a location with you

iMessage
sunshine 🌞
don't get lost Matty :)

matty boy 🍓
can't make any promises :)

ⁱⁿˢᵗᵃᵍʳᵃᵐ !

theacesofficial

theacesofficial Thank you boston !! 🤍
tagged gemmaevans , averypicketttt , josiegordon , jadeyfrench

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user BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE THANK U SM

nicolassturniolo SLAYED

nicolassturniolo you guys did so amazing

user YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING

matthew.sturniolo you guys did so well

christophersturniolo BEST NIGHT EVER

💌
Matt in chapter 8: I'm just getting to know Gemma!!!374)2&!
Matt in this chapter: I wanna be loved rn

Me when I started writing this chapter weeks ago and am only now publishing it lol sorry I've rewritten it like 3 times

Also if u listen to 5sos and tswift what r ur fav songs?
Mine are Maroon, You don't go to parties, bad omens and best friends!!!

Thank u for reading! Hope you have a good week <3