𝓀𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒶

life is too short, don't let ugly souls ruin the beauty within yours. ᥫ᭡

‎ꫂ᭪݁ karla. matt's angel. sweetheart w green eyes. minor. spring. hugs. flowers. quality time. silver jewellery. bronzer. lip liner. nyc. fashion killa. flare jeans. ysl. sweet scent. music. the weeknd. drake. yes baby.

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all parts here !!

summary: matt can’t see any good at all, but sunshine sees the good in everything

warnings: fluff, slow burn, smoking, tension, comfort

“wait-“ sunny stopped and slowly turned around, watching matt, who got closer to her. “what did you even want?” he asked quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “…it’s not important.” sunny said quietly. matt frowned a little. “really?”

she watched him for another second before tugging nervously at the sleeves of her long-sleved shirt. “it’s just…” she mumbled. “aubrey told me she had an album here for me.”

matt stared at her for a second before silently walking in the back. sunny followed him. matt crouched behind the counter, looking through a stack of records.

“taylor swift, i assume.” he stood back up, holding the vinyl in one hand. sunny smiled. “oh…yeah. that one.” she immediately reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet.

before she could even unzip it, matt simply held the album out toward her. she blinked. “but—” “just take it.” his tone wasn’t rude, it was firm. “for helping me earlier…i guess.” he avoided looking directly at her, pretending to organize something behind the counter instead.

sunny looked between him and the album. “…really?” he only shrugged. “it’s not a big deal.” a huge smile spread across her face. “thank you, matt!” her excitement slipped out naturally.

matt looked at her for half a second before quickly looking away again. “…yeah, whatever.”

he turned off the lights inside the shop before locking the door behind them. the evening air had gotten colder. sunny stood beside him quietly while he shoved the keys into his hoodie pocket.

he glanced down at her. “you need a ride home?” she smiled politely. “no…i can walk.” matt raised an eyebrow. “you’re not a scaredy cat?” “…no.” she lied. she absolutely was.

she hated walking alone at night. she hated storms. she hated horror movies. she hated dark hallways. she even hated looking out of windows after midnight. but admitting that felt embarrassing.

“alright then.” he started walking away. sunny watched him disappear toward his car. after only three steps she panicked. “matt!”

he stopped and slowly turned around. he looked at her and then sighed. “…get in.” sunny couldn’t help smiling. she hurried over before he could change his mind.

the inside of his car smelled faintly like cigarettes, old leather, and some kind of cologne she couldn’t recognize. it strangely suited him. she carefully buckled herself in.

the ride started quietly. not awkward. just…quiet. sunny kept looking out the window while secretly stealing glances at him every few seconds. he kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting beside the gear shift.

after several minutes, matt finally spoke. “i gotta stop by my house first.” sunny looked over. “okay.” “just dropping off some boxes from the shop.” she nodded. “that’s fine.” the silence returned. this time it somehow felt comfortable.

a few minutes later he pulled into a quiet neighborhood. the houses looked ordinary. warm porch lights. flowers. parked cars. kids’ bikes left on driveways.

matt stopped in front of one house. “be right back.”he climbed out. sunny stayed in the passenger seat. she watched him through the windshield. he grabbed several heavy boxes from the trunk. then another. then another.

after watching him struggle for nearly a minute, she sighed. without thinking, she climbed out. “need help?” matt looked over. “…yeah.” that surprised her. no sarcastic comment. no complaining. just…yeah. she picked up two of the lighter boxes.

“thanks.” he motioned with his head. “this way.” he unlocked the front door and hey stepped inside. before sunny had time to look around—

“sunny?!” she jumped. aubrey sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket while chris lazily stretched across the other end, both of them watching a movie. “hi!!” sunny smiled brightly. aubrey immediately looked between the two of them.

then at matt. then back at sunny. a grin slowly appeared. “…oh?” chris smirked. “interesting.” matt sighed so dramatically it almost made sunny laugh. “she’s helping me carry boxes.” “sure she is.” “absolutely.” “totally believable.”

matt rolled his eyes. “you’re both insufferable.” sunny felt her cheeks heat up. she quickly followed matt upstairs before the teasing could continue.

“don’t be too loud!” chris yelled from downstairs. sunny nearly tripped. “…i’m going to kill him,” matt muttered under his breath and opened the bedroom door.

the room was dimly lit by a single lamp sitting beside the bed. it smelled like cigarettes, weed, and his cologne. oddly enough…it wasn’t unpleasant. it just felt…like him.

there were records stacked everywhere. books. hoodies tossed over a chair. guitar picks scattered across the desk. it looked messy. but lived in.

sunny slowly turned in a circle, quietly taking everything in. she hadn’t noticed matt standing in front of her until he gently touched her wrist. she flinched. their eyes met. “sorry.” he carefully took the boxes from her hands. “you kinda zoned out.”

“i’m sorry…i was just…” “looking.” she smiled sheepishly. “…yeah.” he set the boxes down. then leaned against the wall, watching her continue exploring the room with curious eyes.

it felt strange. his room had always felt dark. empty. quiet. but somehow…with her standing there…it didn’t anymore.

“those are mac miller albums?” her voice pulled him from his thoughts. he nodded. “yeah.” she walked closer. her eyes immediately widened. “wait…” she reached toward one. “you have ‘i love life, thank you’?” she looked back at him with genuine excitement.

“i’ve been trying to find this forever.” matt walked over and picked it up. he held it toward her. “take it.” she stared. “…what?” “take it.” “matt, no.” “why not?” “because it’s yours.” he shrugged. “so?”

she looked completely speechless. he gently took one of her hands and placed the vinyl into it. their fingers brushed together. neither of them moved. for just a second…everything felt incredibly still.

sunny forgot how to breathe. he was standing so close. and unlike usual…he didn’t seem annoyed. he looked calm. soft.

his eyes stayed on hers for a second longer before he suddenly stepped back. almost like he’d realized how close they’d gotten. sunny blinked. then smiled so brightly it nearly made his heart stop.

“thank you!” before he could react—she hugged him. completely out of nowhere. matt froze. his brain completely shut off. then, almost immediately—sunny pulled away.

“i’m sorry! i’m so sorry! i just got excited and i—” “hey.” he interrupted. “you’re good.” she looked up. “really?” “yeah.” “…okay.” she smiled again. “thank you.” “you’re welcome.”

she started walking toward the door, but then stopped. “…what are you doing?” matt had already climbed onto his windowsill. he looked over. “going on the roof.” “…the roof?” “it’s nice.”

she blinked. “…oh.” he climbed out effortlessly. then looked back. “you wanna come?” “…i don’t know if i can.” he smirked. “don’t be a scaredy cat.” she immediately frowned. “i’m not!” she carefully climbed onto the windowsill. one nervous look down. “…okay maybe i am.”

matt laughed quietly. he reached out his hand. “come here.” she hesitated. then placed her hand in his. his grip was warm. steady. he easily helped pull her onto the roof.

“there.” he smiled just a little. “…thanks.” “i got you.” for some reason…those three words stayed in her head.

they sat beside each other. the neighborhood stretched beneath them. streetlights glowed softly. the sky was filled with stars. everything felt peaceful.

after a few minutes, a cold breeze swept across the rooftops. sunny wrapped her arms around herself. matt noticed immediately. “cold?” she nodded.

without saying another word, he pulled his hoodie over his head. for the first time… sunny saw him without it. a simple black t-shirt. tattoos covering his one arm. she stared for a second.

“…here.” he held the hoodie toward her. “you’ll freeze.” she carefully slipped it on. it was huge. the sleeves covered her hands. it smelled exactly like him. “…thank you.” he nodded. then pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

before lighting it, he glanced over. “you mind?” she shook her head. “go ahead.” he lit it. silence settled between them again. comfortable. easy.

after a while she looked at his arms. “…i didn’t know you had tattoos.” “yeah.” she kept staring. curious. he noticed. “…you can look.” he held out his arm. she carefully reached over.

her fingertips lightly traced the outlines of one tattoo. she looked fascinated. “they’re really pretty.” he smiled. “pretty?” “yeah.” “…they’re probably bad for your skin though.”

he looked at her. then laughed. “again?” she blinked. “what?” “first cigarettes.” he held up the cigarette. “now tattoos.” she immediately covered her face. “…sorry.” “you really worry about everything.” “…i don’t mean to.”

he watched her for another second. “…it’s kinda cute.” she looked up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. “…cute?” she laughed.

he instantly regretted saying it. “shut up.” his ears turned slightly red. sunny laughed even harder. “…you’re blushing.” “i’m literally not.” “you are.” “…stop talking.”

she smiled so warmly that even matt couldn’t hide the small smile growing on his own face. they stayed there for a long time after that. sometimes talking. sometimes simply sitting in silence. watching the stars. neither of them noticed how late it had gotten.

when matt finally drove her home later that night, the ride was just as quiet as before. sunny held both albums carefully in her lap. she wore his oversized hoodie. he didn’t ask for it back. the silence wasn’t awkward. it wasn’t uncomfortable. it was peaceful.

and somehow…neither of them wanted the drive to end.

all parts here !!

summary: matt can’t see any good at all, but sunshine sees the good in everything

warnings: smoking, mild language, slow-burn romance, anxiety

the sun was shining through the few clouds, making the midday feel warmer than it had all morning. a gentle breeze blew through the school courtyard, brushing strands of sunny’s blonde hair across her face as she walked toward the big tree where she usually spent her lunch break.

students were scattered around the grass, laughing with their friends or finishing their lunches, but sunny paid little attention to them. she was simply enjoying the warm weather. she reached the tree and was just about to sit down when she heard someone calling her name.

“sunnyy!!” she turned around and immediately spotted aubrey making her way over with a bright smile. sunny smiled back and gave her a little wave. “hii,” she greeted warmly.

aubrey didn’t waste a second before wrapping her arms around sunny in a quick hug. sunny giggled softly before hugging her back.

“you need something?” sunny asked curiously once they pulled away from each other. “well…” aubrey smiled. “i wanted to thank you.” sunny looked at her in confusion. “for what?”

“matt.” sunny blinked. “yesterday, after his break, he wasn’t grumpy at all.” aubrey laughed quietly. sunny looked surprised. “we were just talking…” “then you should do that more.” aubrey smiled. sunny couldn’t help smiling too.

“and as a thank you…or just because you’re a good friend…i have a taylor swift album for you.” sunny’s eyes instantly lit up. “you’re kidding???” she almost shouted. aubrey laughed. “nopee.”

“seriously??” sunny asked again, unable to hide her excitement. “come by the music shop after school.” aubrey smiled. “i’ll give it to you then.”

sunny nodded quickly, a huge smile spreading across her face. “thank you so much!” “you’re welcome.” aubrey laughed. “bye, sunny!” “bye!!” sunny waved excitedly as aubrey walked away. she turned around, still smiling to herself.

that’s when her eyes landed on someone across the courtyard. the black hoodie.

matt.

without even thinking about it, sunny hurried after him, weaving between groups of students until she saw him disappear into the narrow alley between the school and the library.

it was quieter there. cooler. the sounds of the school almost disappeared.

matt was sitting against the brick wall, one knee bent while the other leg stretched out in front of him. his hood was pulled over his head. he didn’t notice her. “matt!!” her cheerful voice echoed through the alley.

matt flinched so hard that he almost dropped the cigarette between his fingers. he immediately looked up. when he realized it was only sunny, his shoulders relaxed.

“are you crazy?” he said, clearly irritated. sunny blinked. “i thought you were one of the teachers.” he let out a long sigh. “god…sunshine.”

he took another drag from his cigarette. only then did sunny fully register what he was holding. her eyes widened. “you…” she stared at him. “…you’re smoking…”

he looked at the cigarette before holding it toward her without much interest. “want some?” “no!!” sunny yelped immediately. she looked around the empty alley. “you can’t smoke here!”

matt ignored her completely. instead, he leaned his head back against the wall. “what do you want, sunshine?” he asked, already sounding tired.

sunny hesitated. “i just…” she looked down at her hands. “…wanted to talk.” for a brief second, matt looked at her, then he looked away again.

“look.” his voice stayed flat. “i don’t have time for another conversation about nonsense.” sunny’s smile slowly faded. it wasn’t obvious. she made sure of that, but something inside her quietly sank. just a little.

she nodded. “okay.” there was a tiny silence. then she forced another smile. “bye, matt.”

she gave him a small wave before turning around. she walked back toward the school with slow steps. her chest felt strangely heavy. she couldn’t explain why. they barely knew each other. and yet…

his words stayed with her for the rest of the day.

the sun had already started setting by the time sunny hurried down the sidewalk toward the music shop. golden light reflected off the windows around town.

she had completely lost track of time after spending hours in the library, getting lost inside a book she had found tucked away on one of the highest shelves.

“i hope i’m not too late…” she whispered to herself and pushed open the shop door. the tiny bell above it rang.

“we’re closing!” a familiar voice called from somewhere in the back. sunny looked toward the storage room. matt was crouched beside a stack of cardboard boxes, sorting through records without even looking up.

she carefully stepped closer. “i said we’re—“ “matt?” his sentence stopped and looked up. “…oh.” he sighed. “what do you want?”

“um…” she smiled awkwardly. “is aubrey here?” “no.” he stood up. “she and chris left like…thirty minutes ago.” “oh…” sunny looked at the floor. before she could say anything else, matt grabbed another box.

“whatever it is…” he muttered. “…i don’t have time, sunshine.” he went back to organizing records. sunny stayed standing there. she watched him quietly for a few seconds.

then she spoke. “do you…need any help?” matt paused and looked over at her. then at the mountain of boxes surrounding him.

“…” finally, he sighed. “open that box.” he pointed toward one sitting near the counter. “put the albums on the shelves.” “alphabetically.” sunny’s face immediately brightened. “okay!” she smiled so widely it almost made matt regret asking. almost.

she carefully opened the box and began sorting through the records. they worked from opposite sides of the shop. the only sound was the occasional shuffle of cardboard. every few minutes one of them would quietly place another album onto a shelf.

slowly…they ended up working closer together. until there was only one album left. both of them reached for it at the exact same moment. their fingers brushed.

sunny immediately pulled her hand back. “i’m sorry!” she apologized quickly. matt simply picked up the record and handed it to her. she accepted it carefully.

“…mac miller.” she smiled while reading the cover. “i’ve never bought any of his albums.” “i have all of them.” sunny looked up. “really?” he nodded once.

for a second…they just stood there, looking at each other. until matt looked away first. “you know…” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “…i could play it.”

sunny blinked. “if you want.” her face immediately lit up. “really?” instead of answering, matt walked toward the old record player sitting in the back corner.

he carefully placed the vinyl onto it. a quiet crackle filled the room, then the music started. they listened in silence for a moment. “this one’s my favorite.” matt said unexpectedly. sunny smiled. “i like it too.”

they continued carrying boxes together while the music played through the empty shop. well…matt carried them. sunny tried. she picked up one of the larger boxes before immediately realizing how heavy it actually was. “um…” she struggled to keep it balanced. “…matt…”

he looked over. she was barely holding onto it. he walked over without saying anything and lifted it out of her hands effortlessly. “okay.” he smirked ever so slightly. “this isn’t for you.”

sunny laughed quietly. “i tried.” “i noticed.” “is there anything else i can do?” “no.” he adjusted the box in his arms. “just these.” sunny nodded.

instead of getting in the way again, she sat down on the wooden floor nearby, resting her chin on her knees. she quietly watched him move around the shop. after a minute…matt noticed.

“…are you seriously just watching me?” he asked without looking at her. “something like that.” she smiled innocently. he rolled his eyes.

“you’re weird.” “thank you.” she answered proudly. he couldn’t help letting out a tiny laugh under his breath. the music continued playing. sunny softly hummed along.

after another verse she quietly sang, “she hates that she cries when she is all by herself…” matt glanced over and small chuckle escaped him.

sunny immediately covered her mouth. “sorryyy…” “you’re fine.” he shook his head with the smallest smile.

a few minutes later the last box was finally empty. matt carefully removed the record from the player and slid it back into its sleeve. the shop had become almost completely silent again. he walked back toward sunny.

“thanks…” his voice was quieter now. “…for helping.” “you’re welcome.” she smiled up at him. there was another small silence. “see you, matt.” she turned toward the door. “bye, sunny.” she smiled one last time before stepping outside. she had barely taken two steps…“wait—”

all parts here !!

summary: matt can’t see any good at all, but sunshine sees the good in everything

warnings: loneliness, social anxiety

the classroom was already almost full by the time sunny finally walked in. conversations were filling the room, people laughing with their friends before the teacher arrived. the morning sun streamed through the large windows, making the room bright, but somehow it still felt even brighter the moment sunny stepped inside.

she smiled politely at a few people who looked at her while hugging her books against her chest. her blonde curls bounced softly with every step she took as her blue eyes looked around the classroom.

almost without thinking, her eyes searched for one person. matt.

he was already sitting in the very back like yesterday, wearing the same black hoodie with the hood resting over his head. his backpack was thrown carelessly beside his chair while he looked down at his desk, completely lost inside his own thoughts. he didn’t seem to notice anyone around him.

sunny smiled to herself before walking toward him. she carefully placed her books onto the desk beside his before sitting down. “hii..” she said softly as she settled into her chair. matt didn’t react. he didn’t even lift his head.

for a few seconds sunny simply sat there, unsure if he heard her or not. but she refused to let the silence make her uncomfortable.

“i found this little coffee shop across your music shop yesterday…” she started with a small smile. “i’ve never been there before so…is it good? have you been there? do they have latte? because i really wanted to try it after school but i wasn’t sure…”

the questions left her mouth one after another without her even realizing it. she looked at him hopefully. nothing. matt still stared down at his notebook. his expression didn’t change. he didn’t answer.

sunny’s smile slowly became smaller. “…oh.” she looked down at her own desk. “i’m sorry…never mind.” feeling slightly embarrassed, she quietly opened her textbook and tried focusing on today’s lesson instead.

a few seconds passed.

then…

“it’s good.” sunny immediately looked toward him. matt still wasn’t looking at her. his eyes stayed on the desk while he spoke in his usual quiet, rough voice. “they do have latte.”

for a second sunny simply stared at him. she honestly didn’t expect him to answer. then a bright smile immediately spread across her face. “really?” he gave the smallest nod.

“thank you.” matt finally glanced at her for just a second. she was smiling at him like he had just told her the best news in the world. he looked away again almost immediately. sunny smiled to herself before opening her notebook again. this time, she couldn’t stop smiling during the whole lesson.

later that afternoon, the little coffee shop across from the music store was busy as always. the warm smell of freshly made coffee mixed with sweet pastries filled the entire café. people quietly talked at nearby tables while soft music played through the speakers.

outside, autumn had fully arrived. orange and yellow leaves slowly drifted down from the trees while the afternoon sun painted everything with a soft golden light.

inside, matt sat with chris and aubrey near the window. they had stopped there during their break from work at the music store.

“okay…okay…you’re right,” matt sighed while taking another sip of his coffee. a small grin appeared on chris’s face immediately. “i’m always right.”

aubrey couldn’t help laughing. chris looked at her. “what?” she only laughed harder. “what’s so funny?” she shook her head, trying to stop laughing, but it only made chris more confused. even matt let out a quiet chuckle before looking back down at his coffee.

aubrey wiped a small tear from laughing before looking toward the counter. then she suddenly froze. “sunny.” both boys looked at her. “what?” aubrey smiled. “she’s here.”

chris immediately looked toward the counter too. sure enough…there she was. standing in line with her blonde curls resting over her shoulders, wearing another oversized sweater with a short skirt and little ballet flats. she looked around the café curiously while waiting for her drink.

matt sighed quietly. aubrey noticed immediately. “what?” “nothing.” “matt.” he leaned back in his chair. “i just had enough of her during physics.” chris looked surprised. “she sits next to you?” matt nodded once. “didn’t really have a choice.”

aubrey smiled. “it’s only been one class.” before matt could answer, sunny picked up her drink from the counter. she turned around…and almost immediately spotted them sitting by the window.

her whole face lit up. without hesitating, she walked over. “sunny!” aubrey smiled brightly. “hii!” sunny smiled back before looking at everyone. “hi chris…hi matt.” chris smiled. matt simply looked at his coffee.

“sit!” aubrey said excitedly. “join us.” sunny looked toward matt for just a second. he didn’t seem to care either way. so she carefully pulled out the empty chair and sat down.

“what are you guys doing here?” she asked while wrapping both hands around her warm cup. “break from work,” aubrey answered. sunny nodded.

for the next several minutes, the conversation never stopped. mostly because of sunny. she talked about school. about the little bakery she found. about how pretty the town looked. about the café.

chris happily joined every conversation, making jokes every few minutes that made aubrey laugh. matt…barely spoke.

he quietly stirred his coffee with his spoon over and over again while looking out the window most of the time. every now and then, though…his eyes drifted toward sunny.

she smiled every time she talked. used her hands while explaining something. her eyes sparkled whenever she got excited. it was impossible not to notice.

after almost ten minutes, chris looked at the time. “break’s over.” he stood up first. aubrey followed and matt slowly stood too.

“matt,” aubrey said. “you still have ten minutes.” “i know.” “then stay.” he shrugged. “i’d rather go back.” chris sighed dramatically. “you got here later than us.” matt looked toward the door.

then…he noticed sunny watching him quietly. waiting. hoping he’d stay. he sighed once more. “…fine.”

aubrey smiled proudly. “good.” she and chris started walking toward the exit. “bye sunny!” aubrey waved. “see you tomorrow!” chris smiled. “bye!” sunny waved happily.

a few seconds later…they were gone. silence suddenly filled the table. sunny slowly looked down at her coffee. she suddenly felt much shyer. it was just her…and matt. she wondered if he even wanted to stay. he probably didn’t. he was probably only there because chris made him stay.

she took another sip from her latte. matt quietly cleared his throat. “so…” she immediately looked up.

“is the coffee good?” sunny smiled. “yeah.” she looked down at her cup. “really good, i ordered pumpkin latte.” matt looked at the cup.

“i wanted regular latte…” she continued. “…but then i saw pumpkin on the menu and i’ve never had one before so i thought maybe i should try something different.”

matt gave a small nod. “good choice.” sunny smiled proudly. “i think so too.” another quiet moment passed. then matt spoke again. still not looking directly at her.

“so…” he tapped his fingers lightly against the cup. “you like taylor?” sunny’s face immediately lit up. “yeah! the most.”

matt finally looked at her. “really?” she nodded excitedly. “she’s my favorite.” then she started counting on her fingers. “and the marias…olivia rodrigo…i really like mac miller too…”

matt looked slightly surprised. “mac?” she nodded. “yeah.” he looked down at his coffee again. “i mostly listen to bands you probably don’t know…but i like mac too.”

sunny blinked. “really?” he nodded. “he’s good.” her smile somehow became even bigger. “he has amazing songs.” matt nodded quietly.

another few seconds passed before he spoke again. “i heard the marias are touring.” sunny’s eyes widened immediately. “i know!” she almost groaned. “but the tickets sold out so fast.” “yeah.” she sighed dramatically.

for the next ten minutes, the conversation continued surprisingly easily. mostly because sunny never seemed to run out of things to say.

she talked about music. books. coffee. the town. matt still spoke much less than she did. but unlike yesterday…

he actually answered. he listened. sometimes even asked small questions. and sunny noticed every single one. she smiled after every answer he gave.

eventually, matt’s phone suddenly started ringing. he pulled it out of his pocket. “yeah?” he answered. after listening for a few seconds, he sighed.

“alright.” another pause. “sorry.” he stood up. “i’m coming.” he hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “that was chris.” he grabbed his cup. “i have to go.”

sunny immediately looked guilty. “oh…yeah.” she quickly stood up too. “sorry…i kept talking.” matt shook his head. “not your fault.”

for a second they simply looked at each other. then matt adjusted his hoodie. “see you tomorrow, sunny.” sunny froze for half a second. sunny. he called her sunny. a huge smile spread across her face.

“bye matt!” she waved excitedly. he gave one small nod before walking out of the coffee shop. sunny watched him leave through the window. then looked down at her coffee, and smiled to herself again.