˙⋆✮ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔱✮⋆˙

the midnight man— matt sturniolo

part two ⭑ estes method

(part one)

(sam and colby x sturniolo triplets x reader)

⋆˙⟡ in which: the midnight man is after you. (ominous oooo)

a/n: again, i’m taking creative liberties so from here on out, it will not be like the yt video at all (except for some conversation, jokes, etc)! the estes method answers will be mainly unique, and more about reader, since the midnight man is after her because she dropped her candle and it went out. ty for understanding!

not proofread

cw: cursing, mentions of possession and religion, creepy shit.

“Are you fucking kidding me? No way. We are not continuing this. Y/n could be hurt, she could have a concussion.” Matt paced around the bathroom, candle in hand.

After you had fallen, Sam, Chris, and you had gone back upstairs. The camera had new batteries and was ready for further investigation— but after telling the others about your candle and your fall, Matt was pissed.

“I told you, Matt. I’m fine. It’ll be less safe if we don’t close the ritual properly.”

You were set on finishing this. You needed to know why the Midnight Man wanted you. Why you felt his presence and his pain before the candle ever went out.

Why it felt like you were connected.

Nick piped up. “Matt, if she’s telling you she’s okay, I believe her. If she was really worried, you know she would’ve stopped this by now. I’m surprised she even wants to continue. But if she’s okay, then what’s stopping us?”

“I don’t know, maybe the fact that she could get fucking possessed?” He threw his hands up incredulously.

“I probably already am,” You said, only half joking. Matt glared at you.

“I just don’t get why you won’t let her make her own decisions. You don’t control her, Matt. She’s an adult woman and 100% capable of making her own choices.”

“Oh, so now it’s a crime to care about my friend?”

“No you just— sometimes you don’t act like she’s your friend.” Chris said gently.

But it didn’t land that way.

“What the hell does that mean?” Matt’s eyes narrowed, the volume of his voice growing louder.

You interrupted before either of the other two triplets could respond— before things got uncomfortable. “Look, I vote we do what Sam and Colby have planned. The dual estes method. I have the rosary until I can get saged later.”

Matt groaned in frustration. “Fine. But you’re not going under.”

Before you could argue, Sam shouted. “Oh, fuck!” You jumped, and Matt caught your waist with his left hand.

“What? What?” Colby asked desperately.

“The mic just came detached from the camera. It’s never done that before.”

“You just gave me a fucking heart attack at the ripe age of twenty two.” Nick said, clutching his chest.

“Pussy.” Chris snickered. You glared at him and he shut up.

You looked down and realized Matt’s hand was on your waist— and his thumb was rubbing unconscious circles into your side. You quickly cleared your throat and stepped away from his reach. He pretended not to notice, but you could see the slight shift in his demeanor. Suddenly the room was much warmer.

But apparently it wasn’t just you that felt the rise in temperature, because Colby piped up. “It just got like really hot in here.”

“Yeah, the heat feels, like, intimate.” Nick joked. Everyone laughed heartily except you and Matt, whose chuckles were more weary. At that moment, you were sure Nick had seen Matt’s hand holding your waist seconds earlier.

“Could also be a sign that the Midnight Man is with us.” Sam suggested, which made you shiver despite the suffocating warmth. “We should get going with the dual estes method. We need to split up.”

You nodded. “Okay, Sam and Chris, we can go downstairs. Nick, Matt, and Colby, you stay up here.”

Matt began to protest but Chris cut him off with a sharp look that you couldn’t read. Maybe a “give her some goddamn space” stare. You hoped that’s what it was, because you couldn’t take any more of Matt’s worrying about you. You were already worrying about yourself enough for the both of you.

Minutes later Sam and Chris were set up in the old editing room against the wall. Chris had the noise-cancelling headphones and blindfold on, spirit box in hand.

You held the camera, across from the boys, recording them.

“Is anyone with us?” Sam asked. The classic first question. No answer.

“Is there someone here who would be willing to talk to us?” He tried again.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a shadow flash across the doorway. Judging from the look on Sam’s face, he saw it too.

Then Chris said, “Doorway.”

You gripped the camera tighter and stared at Sam. “There’s no way.”

“It could’ve just been the flickering from the candles,” Sam suggested, offering a debunked version of the event that just occurred.

“No.” Chris said.

“Ohhh-kay then!” You sang warily.

“Are you the Midnight Man?” Sam asked.

No response for a few minutes. And then:

“You wanna know?”

You shivered. “Yes. I do. Why are you after me?”

“Candle.” Chris responded. Sam’s eyes widened, like he couldn’t believe this was happening. Their answers had never been this clear before.

“Yeah, I know my candle went out. But that’s not why you want me is it? There’s something else.”

“You.” A pause.

And then: “Understand me.”

You were freaking out internally, but trying to stay calm, especially since your voice was on camera— and none of this was going to be cut out. “Are your intentions negative?”

“Perhaps.” Chris/The Midnight Man responded.

Sam gestured for you to hand him the camera, and you did, pulling out the rosary in your pocket. Whatever God was up there, you hoped it didn’t fail you now.

“You cannot attach to me. You may not touch me, you don’t have permission. I am protected. I do not claim your negative energy. You will stay away from me.” You felt a shiver up your spine, as if something was trying to touch you, but couldn’t.

“Boyfriend.” Chris said. You looked at Sam, brows furrowed. What the hell?

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend.” How was that even remotely relevant?

“Middle of three.”

Huh?

Sam tilted his head at you, confused. You were equally as surprised as he was though, and you offered no answers.

“Take.” Chris said. You gripped at your leggings, palms sweating.

“Can’t save you.” Chris said, matter of factly. Your eyes widened in horror.

Suddenly, a REM pod near the staircase went off, and your heart dropped. Your brain went completely into overwhelm mode, and you began to freak out.

“No— no! Stay away. Get the fuck away from me.” You said hysterically. Sam noticed your rigid fear and put the camera down. He scooted over to you and put his hand on your shoulder, looking down on you comfortingly.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’ve got you, you’re safe. Want me to wake Chris up?”

You nodded desperately and put your head in your hands. Sam shook Chris lightly, who took off the headphones and blindfold. As soon as he saw you, he was reaching out to you.

“Oh my God, you’re shaking. What the hell happened?”

You and Sam explained the answers you had received from the Midnight Man. Chris looked terrified for you.

“Matt was right. This isn’t safe. We should get you to a fucking church right now.” Which was weird coming out of Chris’s mouth, because he wasn’t even religious.

“I’m fine.” You insisted. “Just a little thrown off.” Your face was numb. Your hands were shaking. You didn’t feel normal. But you didn’t tell them that. You couldn’t.

next part coming soon!!

a/n: tell me why i’m lowkey scaring myself writing this. TwT

(dividers are not mine)

taglist (ask to be added!): @sturniolobananas1 @pawmpkinnn @courta13 @iluvchr1s @starryeyedivy @babyt0matoes @matts-babytomatoes @sturnsobsessed21 @sturniolo423 @munkincakes @starrysturns @thecrawlys @sabprincess @sorrybirds @xoxbunni @lyingonchris @urfavvbilliemunch @luvmeholdme @writtenbychrissturniolo @chrepsi @lara1girl @larixsturn @winniethepooh326 @rosierthorn @amandapanda2

Makes me so sad cause I love writing/reading sad or cute things but if it doesn’t involve a dick then it just kinda gets pushed to the side…. Fluff and angst writers, I SEE YOU.

Don't blame me chapter 4

Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of blood and death, grief, mafia,

Dove had been in Matt's estate for exactly three hours and forty-two minutes.

Not that she was counting.

Okay, she was counting.

The place was enormous. Every hallway seemed to lead to another hallway. Every room looked like something out of a magazine. Dark wood, expensive furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking acres of land.

It was beautiful.

And intimidating as hell.

Dove stood in the guest room, staring at the last of her belongings she'd unpacked.

Some clothes

Her favorite sweater.

A framed photograph.

A necklace that had belonged to her mother.

That was all she'd brought.

The realization settled heavily in her chest.

This wasn't a visit.

She was hiding.

Living out of a guest room while trying to figure out who murdered her parents.

Years ago she'd had a home.

A family.

Now she had questions.

And grief.

Lots of fucking grief.

A knock sounded against the open guest room door.

She looked up.

Matt stood there.

Black dress shirt.

Sleeves rolled up.

One hand resting against the doorframe.

"You settled in?"

"As settled as someone can be when they're living in a mansion."

His mouth twitched.

"It's not a mansion."

Dove laughed.

"You're insane."

"It's an estate."

"It's a mansion."

"It's an estate."

"Its twice the size of my estate."

That earned the smallest smile.

Matt glanced toward her unpacked bag.

"You need anything?"

"I'm good."

He nodded.

"I'll be in my office."

"Working?"

"When am I not?"

Fair point.

Matt started walking away before pausing.

"If you need anything, come find me."

Dove crossed her arms.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"What if I get lost?"

A rare amusement flashed across his face.

"Then definitely come find me."

She smiled despite herself.

Then he disappeared down the hallway.

---

After twenty minutes of staring at the walls, Dove decided she couldn't sit still anymore.

She wandered.

And wandered.

And wandered some more.

The estate seemed endless.

She found a sitting room.

A music room.

A balcony overlooking the property.

A dining room that could seat twenty people.

Who the hell needed a table that big?

Eventually she found herself standing in front of a pair of massive wooden doors.

One was slightly open.

The library.

"Oh my God."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling.

Ladders.

Leather-bound books.

New books.

Old books.

Hundreds.

Maybe thousands.

It reminded her of the library in the beauty and the beast.

Without thinking she stepped inside.

The smell hit her immediately.

Paper.

Wood.

Coffee.

Comfort.

For the first time all day, she felt herself relax.

Maybe because books had always been her safe place.

Even after her parents died.

Especially after.

She wandered slowly through the shelves.

Running her fingers across spines.

Fantasy.

History.

Politics.

Business.

Psychology.

Everything.

Apparently Matt collected books like she did.

Which felt strangely personal.

Most people saw the blood.

The power.

The money.

They didn't imagine him spending evenings reading.

But here was proof.

A smile tugged at her lips.

Who are you, Matt?

Her attention landed on a title near the top shelf.

One she'd been looking for for months.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Of course it was on the highest shelf imaginable.

Dove stretched upward.

Nothing.

She stood on her tiptoes.

Still nothing.

She reached again.

A little higher.

Almost—

A hand appeared beside hers.

Large.

Tanned.

Strong.

The book slid effortlessly from the shelf.

Dove froze.

Her heart nearly launched itself out of her chest.

Before she could react, the person behind her stepped closer.

Close enough that she caught the familiar scent of cedar and expensive cologne.

Matt.

Slowly she turned.

And suddenly there was almost no space between them.

The breath caught in her throat.

Blue eyes.

That was her first coherent thought.

She'd forgotten how blue they were.

The kind that had probably been the last thing plenty of men saw before they died.

Matt was looking down at her.

The book still in his hand.

Neither of them spoke.

Dove became painfully aware of everything.

How close he was.

How broad his shoulders were.

The warmth radiating from him.

The way her pulse had completely lost its mind.

For a second she thought he looked just as caught off guard as she felt.

Then his gaze dropped briefly to her lips.

Shit.

The realization hit like a truck.

Tension filled the space between them.

Thick.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

And neither of them moved.

A heartbeat.

Two.

Three.

Matt cleared his throat.

The sound seemed to break whatever had settled between them.

His jaw tightened slightly.

Then he held out the book.

"You looked like you were struggling."

Dove accepted it.

Trying very hard not to notice their fingers brushing.

"I had it handled."

"You absolutely did not."

She rolled her eyes.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The corner of his mouth lifted.

Just barely.

And somehow that was worse than if he'd smiled fully.

Because it felt rare.

Like something only a few people ever got to see.

---

They spent the next hour talking in the library.

Not about her parents.

Not about death.

Not about investigations.

Just talking.

Books.

Childhood memories.

Things they'd missed while growing up apart.

Dove learned Matt read constantly.

Matt learned Dove could spend an entire day inside a bookstore.

At one point she caught herself laughing.

A real laugh.

The kind she hadn't heard from herself in weeks.

Then guilt slammed into her immediately.

Her smile faded.

Matt noticed.

Of course he noticed.

Nothing seemed to escape him.

"You okay?"

Dove stared down at the book in her lap.

No.

Not even remotely.

Her parents were dead.

Someone had murdered them.

She still woke up expecting to hear her mother's voice.

She still reached for her phone wanting to call her father.

Every day felt like she was drowning.

It didn't matter how long ago they had died. She was convinced dove would always feel like this. Grief doesn't go away it just gets better.

But saying that out loud felt impossible.

So she nodded.

"I'm fine."

Matt didn't call her out on the lie.

Which somehow made it worse.

Because she knew he knew.

The silence stretched.

Then quietly he said,

"You don't have to pretend with me."

Dove swallowed.

Hard.

Her throat suddenly felt tight.

Matt looked away first.

Giving her an escape.

Giving her room to breathe.

A gentleman.

Always a gentleman.

Even with blood on his hands.

Even with bodies buried somewhere in his past.

The contradiction made her head spin.

How could someone be both?

How could someone be dangerous enough to make grown men terrified...

And kind enough to make sure she felt safe?

The answer scared her.

Because she was starting to care.

And caring got people hurt.

---

Later that evening Matt was called away for business.

Dove heard fragments while passing his office.

Raised voices.

Discussions about shipments.

Territory.

Money.

The kinds of conversations that reminded her exactly who he was.

A mafia boss.

A dangerous man.

A man capable of ordering deaths.

And yet when she walked past the office doorway, Matt looked up from his desk immediately.

His expression softened the second he saw her.

"You need something?"

The question came instantly.

As if whatever criminal empire he was running could wait.

Dove smiled.

"No."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You got lost again."

"Maybe."

A rare laugh escaped him.

Low and warm.

God help her.

She liked that sound.

Far too much.

And as she walked away, heading back toward the guest room, one terrifying thought followed her the entire way.

For the first time since her parents died...

She felt safe.

But she wouldn't allow herself to feel that way for long. Feeling safe means being vulnerable. Dove learned early in life that in the world she lived in vulnerability would get her killed.

pairing: ghost!reader x matt sturniolo

summary: matt talks with Sam and Colby about what to do

warnings: none

authors note: I'm sorry this is so short! I'm sorry I'm just going through some stuff but I wanted to put something out for yall! Thank you @keys-onthetable for editing this for me I love you so much and shout out to my irl friend for helping me come up with ideas, I don't know her tumblr url

part one | part two | part three | part four

main masterlist

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

warnings: depression, thoughts, anxiety, loneliness, emotional distress

sunny was never late. if anything, she was usually early. she liked having time to settle down, organize her things, and prepare herself before classes started. that was why rushing through the crowded hallways of a brand-new school on her very first day felt like a complete disaster.

she hurried down the hallway, holding her bag tightly against her shoulder while trying not to trip over her own feet. her heart was beating fast from both running and nervousness.

first day. new school. new people. new everything.

after a quick meeting with the principal, she finally found the classroom she was looking for.

physics.

taking a deep breath, she straightened her sweater, fixed her skirt, and gently knocked on the door. “come in.” sunny pushed the door open. the classroom immediately fell silent.

the teacher stopped talking. every student turned to look at her. for a moment, sunny felt completely frozen. she offered a nervous smile.

her blonde hair rested neatly on her shoulders, her blue eyes quickly scanning the room while she tried not to panic. she looked confident on the outside, but inside she could already feel anxiety twisting in her stomach from all the attention.

“um…good morning, i—”

“you must be sunshine.” the teacher’s voice interrupted her. sunny blinked. “oh…yes. i’m sorry i’m late, i—”

“go sit down.” his serious tone made her stop immediately. “okay.” she nodded politely and smiled again before looking around the room.

there was only one empty seat left. all the way in the back. her heart sank. she hated sitting in the back. she always preferred sitting near the front where she could focus and hear everything clearly.

but she didn’t have much of a choice. carefully, she walked between the rows until she reached the empty desk. someone was already sitting beside it. a boy wearing a black hoodie. hood up. head lowered.

for a moment sunny wondered how he wasn’t getting in trouble for wearing it in class. but she quickly pushed the thought away. she never liked judging people she didn’t know. quietly, she sat down and then she smiled at him.

“i’m sunshine.” the boy slowly turned his head. his face was pale. tired. his dark eyes met hers for a brief second. then he simply looked away and turned back toward the front.

sunny blinked. but she didn’t take it personally. instead, she smiled to herself and opened her notebook.

the boy’s name was matt. most people didn’t know much about him and honestly, matt preferred it that way. he wasn’t the type to start conversations. he wasn’t the type to tell people what was happening inside his head. especially not now. he spent most of his days moving through life quietly. helping people when they needed something. being there when someone asked. listening when others talked.

because he knew what it felt like to need help and not know where to find it. but when it came to himself…he never asked. not out loud.

a few minutes later, matt felt gentle tap on his shoulder. he turned. sunny was smiling again. this time she looked slightly embarrassed.

“um…do you have a pen i could borrow?” her voice was soft and polite. matt looked down at his desk. he only had one. his only pen. without saying a word, he handed it to her.

sunny’s face immediately brightened. “thank you.” she smiled before returning to her notes. matt didn’t answer. he simply looked forward again.

he didn’t care that he couldn’t write anything now. it didn’t seem important. nothing really did.

a few moments later, he glanced toward sunny. she was carefully writing in a pink notebook. her handwriting looked neat and organized.

a few strands of blonde hair kept falling into her face while she focused on the teacher. every now and then she would tuck them behind her ear before continuing to write.

she listened carefully. completely focused. completely unaware that matt was watching her. there was something strange about her. something bright. something warm.

her floral perfume lingered faintly in the air around them. it was distracting. far more distracting than the lesson. matt looked away. yet somehow he found himself glancing back again.

and again.

and again.

eventually the bell rang. chairs scraped across the floor as students started packing their bags.

sunny carefully placed her books back inside her backpack. before leaving, she turned toward matt. she held out the pen.

“thank you.” he took it. sunny smiled one last time and then she left the classroom.and somehow the room felt a little emptier after she was gone.

later that afternoon, matt walked through the front door of the house. he barely made it inside before hearing laughter.

“chris, stop that!” aubrey was laughing uncontrollably while trying to push him away. chris only laughed harder. then he noticed matt. “look who’s finally home.” matt sighed immediately. “how was your day?” chris asked.

“leave me alone.”

“wow. somebody’s grumpy.”

aubrey giggled. matt grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen.

“seriously brother,” chris continued. “what happened today?” matt took a long drink. “people.”

“people?” chris asked and matt sighed. “people who act like life is just sun and flowers.” aubrey and chris exchanged a quick look.

then aubrey smiled slightly. “speaking of sun…” matt already looked annoyed. “there’s a new girl at school.” chris raised an eyebrow. “oh?”

“sunshine or something.” the second aubrey said her name, matt immediately rolled his eyes and looked away. aubrey noticed instantly.

“ohhhh.” chris looked at her in confusion. “what?” aubrey pointed toward the kitchen where matt was standing. “matt, you’ve already met her.” for a second chris stared blankly. then realization suddenly hit him.

“ohhhh.” a grin spread across his face. “new girl for matt.”

“shut up, both of you.” matt immediately grabbed his water bottle and headed toward the stairs. behind him, aubrey started laughing. “i think she seems nice.”

“you should talk to her.” said chris to aubrey. “maybe i will.”

meanwhile, matt closed his bedroom door and leaned against it. for some reason, he could still remember her smile.

across town, sunny sat beside her bedroom window. the evening sun painted the room with soft golden light. her diary rested open on her lap. she had been writing in it every day for almost two years.

every memory. every thought. every feeling. carefully preserved on paper.

she smiled while writing about her first day. the new school. the new classroom. the teachers. the students.

the strange boy in the black hoodie who barely said a word. she wrote that the day had been wonderful. she wrote that everything was fine. that she loved her new school. that she was excited for tomorrow.

but when she paused and reread the page, she frowned slightly. because the truth wasn’t quite that simple. the teacher had been annoyed with her. someone laughed when she spilled juice on herself at lunch. the boy beside her barely acknowledged her existence. and she had spent most of the day feeling nervous.

so why was she writing that everything was perfect?

was it really perfect?

or was she trying to convince herself that life was always supposed to be sunshine and flowers?

she didn’t know.

so she closed the diary and stared out the window instead.

in another room across the city, matt sat quietly beside his own window. the house was silent. the evening sky had already turned dark.

he stared outside for a long time. lost in thoughts he couldn’t explain. thoughts he never shared. for weeks he had felt trapped inside his own head.

exhausted.

alone.

unable to see anything ahead of him.

but today had felt different. not because anything important happened. not really.

for the first time in a long time, matt found himself wondering about tomorrow. wondering what would happen if he stayed. wondering if maybe there was still something left worth waiting for.

author’s note: i already love them !! 🤍 let me know if you want to be on taglist

Sunday, june 7th

Monday, June 8th

Tuesday, June 9th

Wednesday, June 10th

CANDY SHOP: M.S. in which. . .emo!matt gives cherry a taste of a different type of candy (requested by @courta13)

warnings: smut, oral (m receiving), cherry is innocent, making out, dry humping, dirty talk, cum eating, humiliation, hints at food play->0.7k

you ran the flat of your tongue over your cherry lollipop, your third one of the day to be exact. you were over at matt's apartment, lounging on the couch with your feet in his lap as some shitty rom-com played on the TV.

i saw a post about this nd i rlyy didn’t like the way the post looked so here u go !! comment if u don’t like to be tagged or if u prefer to be tagged (it’s not weird if someone who wasn’t tagged comments pls i’d like that!!) .. i love tag games ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

1. height

2. age

3. shoe size

4. do you smoke?

5. do you drink?

6. do you take drugs?

7. age you get mistaken for

8. has tattoos?

9. want tattoos?

10. has any piercings?

11. want any piercings?

12. best friend?

13. relationship status

14. biggest turn-on’s

15. biggest turn-off’s

16. favorite movie

17. i’ll love you if…

18. someone you miss

19. most traumatic experience

20. a fact about your personality

21. what i hate most about myself

22. what i love most about myself

23. what i want to do when i get older

24. my relationship with my sibling(s)

25. my relationship with my parent(s)

26. my idea of a perfect date

27. my biggest pet peeve

28. description of someone i fancy

29. description of the person i dislike the most

30. a reason i’ve lied to a friend

31. what i hate most about school/work

32. what my most recent text message says

33. what words upset me the most

34. what words make me feel the best about myself

35. what i find attractive in women

36. what i find attractive in men

37. where i would like to live

38. one of my insecurities

39. my childhood career choice

40. favorite ice cream flavor

41. who i wish i could be

42. where i want to be right now

43. the last thing i ate

44. random fact about anything