* 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 / 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 .

     ⌠   HARRIS  DICKINSON  .   HE/HIM  .   CISMALE   ⌡     ―     watch  out  ,  MATTHEW  “MATTY"  HART  has  crash - landed  into  roswell  !!   he  looks  TWENTY-SIX YEARS OLD  and  celebrates  his  birthday  on  DECEMBER  13  .   he  is  from  roswell  ,  resides  in  NEPTUNE AV  and  is  currently  working  as  a  MEDICAL  RESIDENT  AT  ROSWELL  COMMUNITY  MEDICAL  .

‘  oh  shit  -  ’   bambi  eyes  flicker  back  into  the  conversation  ,    she  clearly  spaced  out  .    ‘  uhm  ,   yeah  .   no  .   you  should  totally  drop  them  .   they  sound  like  a  dick  .   you  deserve  better  .   ’    fake  it  until  you  make  it  ,   right ? 

        the week of christmas. it really was the week of christmas, huh? she would admit - with all that was going on with her and her family, this was one year where it just didn’t seem like christmas. at this point, there was only one thing to do - hope for a better chance of feeling the holly and jolly next year. with her hands in her pockets, she watched her mother mess around with cloudy, a small smile forming on her face. her grandmother opted to stay behind and rest - her flight from england leaving her jetlagged. hearing someone walking, she turned around and noticed someone. “ oh, look out! ” she called out, her hands around her mouth so that the sound echoed loudly through the woods. she could only hope that she got to them in time before disaster strikes.​

no  matter  how  much  life  changes  ,  or  how  cold  the  weather  gets  ,  matty  sticks  with  his  morning  routine  religiously  .   and  it  includes  morning  jogs  .   though  it  is  certainly  more  challenging  with  a  puffy  jacket  on  ,  airpods  on  both  ears  ,  drops  of  sweat  dripping  in  his  eyes  and  shallow  breaths  .   he  can  barely  hear  his  questionable  music  taste  over  the  loud  beating  of  his  heart  .   thus  ,  the  warning  simply  goes  unheard  .   it’s  only  after  his  forehead  collides  with  a  tree  branch  and  the  wireless  earbuds  fly  around  that  he  hears  her  .   “  oh  ,  fuck  -  ”

seth is hard at work at the food stall. although it requires them to stand outside in the chilly weather, they believe it’s a great idea for the holiday season: offering fresh, hot food to passersby. his family doesn’t find it so brilliant, but psh, they just don’t appreciate his business acumen. when he finishes telling a patron in iloko about their NAIMAS TI MAKAN (delicious food), they spot their next potential customer. switching to english this time, he says, “hey! hi. it’s pretty cold out here, right?”  pots of ilocano dishes emit coils of pale steam in front of them. he gestures towards them. “can i interest you in some 100% authentic, affordable, lovingly cooked food?” they say, “i’ll pick a dish for you based on your vibe!”

it’s  not  that  matty  hates  the  current  weather  ,  but  he  surely  doesn’t  enjoy  wearing  winter  clothes  .   heavy  jackets  just  aren’t  his  style  ,  and  he  embraces  any  and  all  opportunities  to  remove  them  .   thus  ,  going  inside  mangan  tayon  had  been  the  plan  all  along  ,  but  he’d  stand  under  the  chilly  weather  for  a  few  more  minutes  to  humor  the  other  .   “  is  that  right  ?  ”   a  pause  ,  gaze  lowers  to  the  pots  between  them  .   “  and  what  kind  of  vibe  do  i  give  off  ?   honestly  -  there’s  no  wrong  answers  here  ,  i  eat  just  about  anything  ,  but  i’d  like  to  know  .  ” 

“it’s been one hell of a day.” the brunette mutters, letting out a sigh. staring for a couple of minutes at the dark bitter coffee, hoping for the time to go by faster so she could finally make it home. “were you around to watch the whole thing go down with the guy who was caught cheating by his wife? she practically stormed in, and we had to call security because she caused a scene.” 

EMILIA HUFFS BUT SHE DOESN’T PULL AWAY, mostly because her legs still feel like jelly from the alcohol, and it’s easier to stay in one place. it’s hard to say no to matty’s clear blue eyes as well, like a mood ring in how easy it is to read his emotions through them. it’s obvious he knows he messed up, and emilia doesn’t want to be fighting with one of her best friends on her birthday. her arm is limp against his when he pulls it up to spin beneath it, and while the sight of him poorly dancing makes her want to smile, she can feel her lips tugging in the opposite direction.   “ you are an asshole, ”   she mumbles, but emilia can feel herself being won over. it’s easier to stumble back into the stool than it is to leave the bar, so that’s exactly what she does. her butt hits the chair and she lets out a hmph.   “ i was serious when i said i didn’t want to hear your shit, ”   she tells him seriously, brown eyes meeting blue.   “ i love you, and i want to be there for you, but i can’t with this. it hits too close to home. ”   not something she’d admit if she wasn’t drunk—the first AND last part. 

        ‘  you  just  need  to  get  over  it  ,   matty  ,   i  can’t  even  remember  why  the  two  of  you  hate  each  other  anymore !  ’    and  don’t  get  them  wrong  ,   they  adore  the  man  that  stands  in  front  of  them  but  HOLY FUCK  ,   sometimes  there  were  some  things  she  would  just  never  understand  about  him  .    ‘  actually  ,   yes  .   now  i’m  curious  .  ’  

brook blinks, following the considerably older guy’s outburst. he tried, really did. he tried not to look disgusted. but his attempt at a friendly face flickers. still, he makes an effort to soften his voice. he tells the stranger with whom he’s been conversing, “i’m sorry. that’s just my neighbor. i’ve known him for years. he seems rude, but he’s just going through something right now.” he pretends to whisper, but it’s more of a shout-whisper than anything. ‘secretively’ pointing towards matty, he says, “he’s been suffering from a highly explosive case of diarrhea. hope you can forgive his behavior.”

it  takes  all  that  he  has  not  to  punch  brook  right  there  and  then  .   still  ,  with  a  puffed  chest  ,  he  takes  a  silent  step  closer  to  the  other  .   matty  knows  he’s  moving  into  dangerous  territory  with  brook  ,  but  the  other  really  had  this  much  effect  on  him  .   he’s  fueled  by  jealousy  ,  by  the  sheer  fear  of  the  role  this  man  took  in  his  absence  ,  of  the  role  he  might  always  have  in  his  children’s  lives  .   and  he  hates  it  .   he’s  absolutely  selfish  enough  to  want  wanda  and  daisy  ,  as  well  as  sabrina  ,  as  far  away  from  him  as  possible  .   “  and  this  proves  my  fucking  point  .   you  learned  that  one  in  recess  ,  huh  ,  brook  ?  ” 

“c'mon, i wanna know” she was curious to her about what her friend had gotten up to, during the recent holiday. hana took another swig from her beer bottle, listening, “that sounds like a fun night” she replies, “what did you go as again?”. hana’s cheeks flush pink slightly as she remembers logan, “no ailens this time round. but i might’ve kissed a hot gaston instead” . 

theodora is very grateful she wasn’t asked to work this party. partially because she was now able to participate in it, but also because it seemed like a NIGHTMARE of an event to bartend. it gave her the freedom to be social, but someone standing beside her was making that quite difficult. “am i your caretaker for the night, or what? usually you ditch me the second we get to a party. what, was emilia busy or something and couldn’t make it?”

❛ MATTHANIEL, IS THAT YOU? ❜  avi feigns surprise, brows furrowing in such a way that screams ‘why are you talking to me?’  ❛ i couldn’t see you over THAT GRUDGE you just mentioned. ❜  a smile ( sickeningly sweet ) pulls at the corner of their lips.  ❛ now, is this your attempt at an OLIVE BRANCH? and if it is, should i ask if it comes with a martini & a refund for the past two minutes? ❜

EMILIA’S DRUNK, BUT SHE’S NOWHERE NEAR GONE. therefore she has enough wits about her for this conversation to completely sink into her system, understanding the severity of it, and understanding that matty should know better than to bring this up to her on her birthday.   “ are you fucking kidding me ? ”   and just like that the bubble of her good mood has officially been POPPED, sitting up straight in her stool and swiping another shot from the bar. he knows her well enough to keep the drinks coming, but apparently it starts and ends with that.   “ ‘m leaving, ”   she mumbles, holding onto the bar as she slowly hobbles to her feet. emilia doesn’t realize how long she’s been sitting there until she stands up.   “ you’re killing my birthday buzz with your stupid fucking drama. go run back to sabrina while you’re still here, matty. ”

           there’s  a  bit  of  a  pit  in  their  stomach  ,    and  it’s  most  certainly  jealously  .   jealousy  of  matty  getting  time  with  the  girls   (  without  her  )  ,   jealousy  they  got  along  all  so  well  ,   without  her  .   as  if  the  girls  will  suddenly  decide  they  don’t  NEED  her  ,   that  they  would  prefer  their  father  ,   that  none  of  this  would  end  up  good  .   they  take  a  deep  breath  ,   plaster  a  smile  on  their  lips  ,   and  reaches  out  to  shuffle  up  daisy’s  hair  .  purposely  doesn’t  look  at  matty  as  she  speaks  to  her  children  ,   going  on  her  knees  so  they  can  both  hug  her  properly  ,   and  she  can  press  her  lips  against  both  of  their  temples  .    they do look like a family  ,   and  anyone  passing  by  would  notice  .    ‘  i’ll  always  be  here  ,  ’   she  says  ,   tapping  their  noses  as  they  giggle  up  at  her  .    ‘  and  you  know  i’ll  never  say  no  to  a  free  meal  .  ’  

        it’s  clear  their  children  are  happy  ,   content  .   and  when  stands  back  up  ,   he  looks  at  sabrina  while  pushing  hair  from  their  face  ,   sabrina  can’t  help  but  lock  eyes  as  he  does  so  .   electricity  ,   no  denying  that  something  in  them  ignited  that  last  night  together  ,   and  she  knows  she  has  to  ignore  it  .   it’s not worth it  ,   they’ll  have  to  remind  themselves  ,   though  the  thoughts  are  almost  always  pleading  ,   begging  to  not  follow  common  sense  .   it’s  hard  ,   for  they’re  drawn  to  each  other  and  they  know  it  and  the  amount  of  self control  that  goes  to  keeping  their  hands  to  themselves  is  astronomical  .   sabrina  will  be  hyper  aware  ,   though  ,   attention  on  every  move  he  makes  ,   on  every  passing  touch  ,   and  it  will  truly  feel  like  she’s  in  high  school  again  ,   just  a  teenager  with  butterflies  .  

         wanda  and  daisy  sit  next  to  each  other  before  sabrina  can  stop  them  ,   leaving  matty  and  sabrina  to  sit  next  to  each  other  .   her  gaze  lands  on  him  ,   before  shrugging  and  taking  their  seat  .    ‘  so  what  did  you  and  your  dad  do  today ?  ’   she  asks  the  girls  ,   almost  robotic  ,   as  she’s  never  done  this  before  .   and  it  feels  …  weird  .  

     it  surprises  him  ,  the  ease  to  which  he  slips  into  the  role  of  a  father  in  their  little  family  .   and  even  more  that  his  heart  flutters  against  his  chest  as  sabrina  interacted  with  their  daughters  .   he  gets  momentarily  forgotten  ,  but  couldn’t  care  less  .   matty’s  the  only  audience  to  their  moment  ,  and  what  sabrina  and  the  girls  have  -  it’s  what  he  strives  to  achieve  .   and  when  they  giggle  up  at  their  mother  -  that’s  it  ,  he’s  done  for  .   he  adores  his  children  .   and  maybe  ,  just  maybe  ,  he  is  enamoured  of  sabrina  .   he  wants  to  ignore  it  ,  wants  to  believe  what  they  did  was  harmless  ,  but  it  nags  at  the  back  of  his  skull  .   he  can’t  escape  her  .

     it  is  hell  .   and  he  wonders  if  it’ll  ever  go  away  …   this  invisible  pull  .   she  moves  ,  and  he  instinctively  follows  .   an  impulsive  draws  to  be  close  as  consciousness  urges  him  farther  away  .   he  never  learned  to  perform  this  dance  -  post-sex  civility  with  the  mother  of  your  children  .   and  it’s  so  awkward  ,  so  uncomfortable  .   daisy  and  wanda  have  to  come  to  their  rescue  with  content  smiles  .   ‘  we  went  to  the  movies  and  watched  home  alone  ,  ’   daisy  answers  ,  excited  tone  never  faltering  .   and  matty  is  trying  ,  really  trying  ,  to  keep  from  smiling  like  a  god  damned  idiot  .   but  the  girls  have  seen  this  movie  before  ,  and  yet  -  they’re  happy  all  the  same  .   and  he  hopes  it’s  because  of  him  .   ‘  and  then  we  went  to  the  park  and  had  some  hot  chocolate  …  ’