020. ━━━ ❛ MOSTLY. ❜
real life. . .

"SO AFTER KEEPING your literal double life a secret for as long as i've known you, you're telling me you suddenly need me there on the sidelines for you?"

"basically." matt let's out a sigh at maisie's choice of wording, the two of them still sat in place on their barstools. he analyzes her stubborn features, her expression which grows dubious staring at him, and tells her simply, "it's not my choice."

immediately, her brows scrunch together even further than they already were and matt knows he's made a mistake. "what the hell does that mean?" he has to refrain from sighing again.

matt sucks in breath, finally turning his head to face her instead of continuing to stare ahead instead. he purses his lips momentarily to think of his next words and maisie raises her eyebrows expectantly, awaiting an answer. eventually, he exhales and hates that he has to explain: "they think you're my girlfriend."

he's not very surprised when her first instinct is to burst out laughing. of course she's not going to take this seriously, that would be too easy for him. he exhales much heavier at the sound of her giggling, turning to narrow his eyes at the amusement present on her features. "it's not funny, maisie," he tells her seriously, resulting in her pressing her lips together. "that's how you got dragged into my shit."

his words seem to get her to perk up, her eyebrows shooting to scrunch together. "they're the ones who want me there?" she assumes, her heart dropping to her ass when matt reluctantly nods his head. fear takes over her immediately, every possibility of what dangers getting this involved in his lifestyle could get her into suddenly flooding her mind. but all at once, her strongest concern lies with another. "and what about sunny?"

matt kisses his teeth, causing her to frown before he even replies, "what do you think?"

instantly, the corner of maisie's lips shoot downwards. "you're kidding," she responds blankly, wishing he would tell her he's only joking. he remains stoic, however, and she breaks their eye contact. matt silently watches her stare at the liquor decorating the walls behind the bar, able to tell there's a million thoughts running through her head. almost thirty seconds pass before she turns back to him, curiously asking, "well, what if we just don't go?"

"i don't know," matt admits with a sigh, seeming to make her look even more worried. he only shakes his head. "i don't wanna think about that."

maisie narrows her eyes at his vague sentence, instantly questioning, "why?"

slowly looking back to her, he wishes he didn't have to fill her with such concern, but he has to be fully truthful now. "they think you're a weakness of mine," he explains to her gently, maisie's eyebrows furrowing. "i don't want them to try and come after you because of me." usually, he would dodge any chance to say something letting on the way he cares about her, but this is a conversation he never wanted to have in the first place. getting her involved in his mess was never part of the plan.

maisie's lips press into a thin line, her weakly mumbling an "oh" before she reaches for her sprite. matt watches her take a few gulps and feels the need to reach for his already refilled whiskey. as he drinks, she watches him and processes what this means for herself. eventually, after he sets his drink down, she asks, "so is there anything else?"

matt falls silent for a short moment, seemingly trying to think over anything he might've missed. he can't come up with anything and answers, "i don't think so."

maisie squints. "you don't think so?" she repeats.

matt nearly rolls his eyes before assuring her, "if anything else comes up, i'll tell you." and he means that—well, he's pretty sure he does.

she's silent for a moment to assess his features before eventually deeming him genuine enough. she simply hums, "mkay."

matt hums in response, raising his eyebrows just slightly at her as he still hasn't gotten the answer he's hoping for yet. "so?" he pries.

maisie sighs, straightening her posture in her seat before she responds, "so i'll go."

matt attempts not to seem so relieved. he's definitely surprised at the lack of an argument, however, and raises his eyebrows further. "just like that?" he questions.

maisie shrugs, going on to explain, "i had no idea what i was getting myself into when i started coming with sunny to see you guys, but after the texts started, i had a clue it wasn't anything good," she admits to him, him silently nodding his head. it takes her some balls to say her next words aloud, but she manages it and tells him, "i can't exactly blame you for this when i chose to stick around in the first place."

matt hums, implying that he understands before an upturn grows at the corner of his lips. "so why did you stick around?" he then asks, his voice low and curious.

the quietness of his talking allows her to focus more on the music playing, resisting from smiling when she recognizes the opening of collide by howie day. she thinks of an answer and glances over his features. "sunny."

"yeah?" his half-smirk only grows, causing maisie to press her lips together as she watches him. "sunny?"

slowly, she lets out a breath. "mostly," she then responds nonchalantly, earning the most subtle raise of his brows.

"mostly," he repeats carefully, trying to keep his sudden amusement under wraps. she can spot the uplifting at the corner of his lips, however, and tries to keep hers from doing the same. she manages to simply nod her head and watches as he mutters, "interesting."

maisie toys with the straw in her empty glass, registering the beginning of the song playing through and suddenly looking back to matt. she casually suggests, "we should dance."

matt's eyebrows raise far enough on his forehead to make her feel slightly stupid. "huh?" he questions, genuinely not sure if he heard her correctly. "we should what?"

maisie immediately takes offense to his bewilderment, leaning back in her barstool and sighing. "hm, okay, i see," she starts, matt's head already tilting at the sarcasm lacing her voice. "mister illegal boxer is too tough to dance," she causes him to scoff in exasperation, egging her on to continue, "i get it."

matt rolls his eyes, attempting to come across annoyed, but his amusement is palpable. he gives her a shrug, vaguely remarking, "i don't dance, mason."

maisie hums, glancing over the features of his face and observing his expression silently before she stands up from her seat. "you really want me to come to your fight, matt?" she bats her eyes at him, now stood in front of him as his narrow in response.

he takes a moment to debate within himself internally before eventually giving in with the shake of his head. "okay," he mutters, standing up while he keeps his eyes on her. "i dance."

"that's what i thought." she grins in victory, turning on her heels and feeling his eyes hot on her back as she walks a few feet away.

he sucks in a breath, his eyes scanning over her figure before he quickly takes one last swig of his drink. he then sets it down on the bar, turning to find maisie standing expectantly waiting for him. he contains his grin when he's stood in front of her, and waits to let it spread across his face until he is able to wrap his arms around the low of her back. he slides his arms underneath her huge jacket to feel the familiar warmth of her skin on his, and he watches her face change as she gets more comfortable in his embrace. when she moves her hands to the back of his neck, he notices her difficulty to maintain his eye contact. he can't help but tease, "oh, don't get all shy on me now, mason."

her defense is automatic. "shut up. i'm not shy," her eyes snap up to his, causing the side of his lips to raise in a half-smirk. she then lets out a breath, glancing around them at the few people sat in the booths and muttering, "just busy hoping no one here is secretly a freak."

"pfft," matt laughs at her failed excuse, causing her eyes to jump back to his. he thinks he's doing a pretty good job at keeping them swaying, but he's never really done this before, so he hopes she's not focusing on his movements too much. "they'd just think we're in love."

"right," she agrees, taking one last glance around them before she focuses back on him for good this time. she resists from smiling at her own joke before saying, "they'd never guess that you participate in an underground fightin—"

"shhhhhh," matt cuts her off by hushing her, looking at her like she's crazy although he's also clearly amused. he shakes his head slightly before lowering his voice to remark, "you talk too much, has anyone ever told you that?"

"yeah, if they're looking to get punched," she responds flatly, the corner of matt's lips turning upwards. he subconsciously squeezes her hips, and as the gesture makes her stomach drop, maisie wonders if he even realizes he just did that.

"that'd just turn me on," he replies unashamedly, grinning when maisie rolls her eyes at the predictability of his response.

"i know it would," she sighs.

he smirks, liking how she knows him. "you know," using his hands under her jacket, he pulls her close to him with his hold still on her back. "i've been trying so hard not to say anything about your skirt all night." his voice is low and playful, and he feels satisfied at the reaction he gets from her with the instant reddening of her cheeks. she tries to hide how he affects her, but it's always written all over her face when he teases her.

he smugly watches her press her lips together, enjoying how visibly she processes his words. "and you were doing so good, matt," she eventually replies, blinking up at him blankly.

he can only shrug, no defense built up for himself. "it's not my fault you're a walking distraction," he argues.

she tilts her head at him. "do you actually want me to punch you?" she squints.

"maybe." he grins. he then gets to watch her roll her eyes, his amusement not faltering. he decides to use this time as an opportunity to ask, "can i ask you a question?" watching her eyebrows scrunch together, he vaguely adds, "something i've been meaning to.."

when she processes his words, she hums, ultimately giving him a skeptical look. "wasn't this my night to ask questions?"

matt should've known she'd be her stubborn self. he resists from rolling his own eyes now, and offers, "you can ask me one more if you let me ask one." he can see her think on it as soon as it leaves his mouth, so he continues, "a question for a question, yeah?"

slowly, she narrows her eyes at him. "don't you think i've already asked you all of mine?" she quips.

he sees her point, but he also knows her better than that, so he gives her a look. "i'm sure you can come up with another."

maisie falls silent for a moment, holding their eye contact as he can almost see her thoughts behind her eyes. eventually, she hums, "you're right." matt smiles immediately at her words; of course he does. "i can."

"perfect." she doesn't trust how enthusiastic his response is. just as she squints slightly at him, he nods his head. "you go first," he tells her.

"what!" she instantly scoffs in disbelief, leading him to chuckle. "it was your idea," she reminds him dubiously.

"and what about it?" he responds without faltering, causing maisie to resist from sighing in frustration.

she knows she could fight him on this and eventually get him to go first, but she doesn't feel like it's worth the time. "fine." with a groan, she gives in. instantly, she can feel matt perk up as he leans slightly closer to her. ignoring how this seems to heighten maisie's stupid nerves, she carefully brings up: "carolina," matt's eyebrows instantly raise at the mention, his playful eyes swirling with curiosity before she continues with, "why'd you write it?"

a beat of silence where matt waits for her question to extend further follows her sentence, and he eventually lets out a breath after waiting for too long. "that's it?" he says questionably, getting his answer in the way she sighs loudly in response. resisting from chuckling, he amusedly mumbles, "what a question, mason."

"shut up and answer it," she demands, matt's expression still playful.

"i think you know why i wrote it," he suggests knowingly, maisie's tongue visibly poking her cheek—a habit of hers which matt enjoys.

"go ahead and specify for me then," she tells him, matt continuing to stare at her. she bores her eyes into him, batting her eyes before she sarcastically pleads, "please."

matt chuckles dryly, amused with the way she's attempting to pry at his feelings, but not wanting to give her the satisfaction of getting to hear the words. "because i wanted to," he specifies vaguely.

"hm," maisie hums, shaking her head just once before simply responding, "not good enough."

he scoffs at her confidence, although he knows damn well it only attracts him more. he narrows his eyes at her before giving in and blurting, "because i couldn't get you out of my head." he never would've said such a thing without her forcing it out of him, but the immediate change in her face which follows makes it feel plenty worth it. he then sighs, trying to determine if it's a softening action that he sees in her eyes. "is that what you wanted to hear?" he cocks his head slightly.

maisie's eyes linger on his for a few seconds before she breaks and looks down to their feet she can see between them. "depends," she says, eventually peering back up at him. "is it the truth?"

if it was anyone else he was dealing with right now, he'd feel himself grow annoyed with the continuous questioning about his first answer, but it's maisie, and all he's ever known is her stubbornness. he gives her the same look he's already been giving her. "well, i'm not a liar."

her eyebrows shoot to her forehead and he quickly realizes how that's not even completely true. "and you expect me to believe that?" she asks questionably.

matt presses his lips together, deciding to throw her previous words back at her. "depends," he replies, taking notice of the way her eyes shine in the light. "do you?"

she goes silent for a noticeable moment, a few prolonged seconds passing before she hums, quietly mumbling a short, "still deciding."

a half smile forms on matt's face. "okay," he says, sighing as he straightens his posture and adjusts his grip on her waist. they remain swaying back and forth, and he assumes since she hasn't said anything so far, that he must be doing okay. "my turn."

maisie's eyes widen just enough for matt to notice, and she mumbles, "forgot about that part."

he can only grin, taking a good look at her face before suddenly leaning in close enough to her for her to give him a weird look. he sees her wide eyes follow him until they can't anymore, his mouth finding its way to her ear. he feels her hands still connected at the back of his neck tense up as he whispers, "when you told me it turns you on when i call you mason, did you mean that?"

when he pulls back to catch her reaction, he's immediately pleased with what he sees. her eyes widen comically, and the pink tint that spreads across her cheeks is quick to spread a cheeky grin across his face. she's hesitant to meet his eyes, and when she forces herself to finally do so, she coughs before she's able to speak. "when did i say that again?" she feels hot as she asks.

matt slyly tilts his head at her. "you know when," he says in that same knowing voice he's been using on her all night.

she presses her lips together, feeling ashamed in the way she's seriously struggling to hold eye contact with him right now. he's the only guy that can make her feel like such a fool. "i choose to forget," she ultimately replies.

"right," matt clicks his tongue, glancing over her features as her struggling clearly hasn't gone unnoticed to him. "you still haven't given me my answer, mason." his nickname for her feels especially hot with the way this conversation is going.

"oh, i haven't?" she replies mockingly, leading him to momentarily roll his eyes as she purposefully looks to their surroundings. "strange..."

"come on," matt's voice does a thing that unfortunately causes maisie to look back at him, sighing at his boastful yet pleading expression. "just tell me," he emphasizes, his eyes dropping down to her lips when he catches her pull her bottom lip between her teeth. he then glances back to her eyes, continuing quietly, "does it?"

maisie's jaw ticks as she stares back at him, facing the same dilemma he had to earlier when she struggles to tell him what he wants to hear. deciding to hold this off for as long as she can, she narrows her eyes. "are you gonna let me drive your car?"

matt's instantly taken aback. "what?" his face scrunches up completely, pulling away from her slightly.

"you're tipsy," she states, having been paying attention to how much he drank tonight. "so let me drive your car and i'll answer."

when he processes what she's saying, his face transforms into one of disbelief. instantly, he scoffs. "you're kidding." when she simply grins, he groans loudly. "that wasn't the deal, mason," he immediately fights.

she mockingly frowns, readjusting her manicured hands around his neck. "well, that's unfortunate."

he narrows his eyes at her for a short while and when he realizes he's not going to win, he visibly rolls his eyes. "for fucks sake, maisie, fine," he gives in, her face instantly lighting up with satisfaction. "you can drive," he tells her reluctantly, now separating from her to dramatically throw his hands out. "now tell me what i wanna hear."

she steps back and continues to victoriously grin at him for a lingering moment before it finally drops from her face with the tilt of her head. she then simply answers, "maybe."

he nearly scoffs, immediately repeating her single word, "maybe?"

she hums, giving him an easy nod of her head. "maybe," she locks in as her final answer.

matt falls silent long enough for him to look stupid standing there with his lips parted, and after he's had enough time, the corner of his lips raise. he seems to decide he's satisfied with her answer, but just when he steps towards her, she spins around and turns the other way.

he scoffs aloud, standing there like a fool for a second and watching her begin to walk away as if she's just decided they're done here. his eyes follow her before he snaps out of it, eventually becoming hot on her trail as he calls out, "hey!" she looks back to him just as he reaches her side, clearly enjoying the downwards twist of his lips as they walk towards the exit together. "i was about to kiss you then."

maisie's as surprised as she usually is when it comes to his boldness, but she hides it rather well this time when she giggles. "i know," it's her turn to surprise him with her response, watching an offended crease form between his brows form after she's spoken. she then explains, "i don't like the taste of whiskey."

when matt finds himself smiling at her words for no particular reason, he realizes he's been doing that a little too much tonight.

💌

oh wow look who said she was going to lock in and then changed her mind after school started and said she would take a break from writing just to miss it the second she said she'd stop and then update within a week afterwards. yeah guys i'm ashamed so let's just skip this part pls n ty 👋👋👋

LOOK HOW SOFT THEY'RE GETTING 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 if i hear any of u hate on the song choice....... i'll be throwing hands cus i've been convinced it's my wedding song since i was a BABY like it's pure nostalgia

#wereadyforangsttho?????

if i disappear after this i'm #sorry also #justagirl

just in case i do 😄 matt n maisie's drunken night together is now available to read on my tumblr (#angelbrainrot) so there's ur present bye (#the#ismy@)

<3
jaden