#matt devlin x reader

He turned away, moving back to the cooker so he could finish the breakfast he had been preparing. As you watched him for a moment you couldn’t help but smile as you heard him sing the song playing on the radio under his breath. 

You let out a little chuckle which made him stop, a little redness flushing to his cheeks. “No, no, don’t stop.” you smiled as you walked over to him and pulled him towards you by his waist. After a moment of silence between you and a look in your eyes, he gripped you closer to him. “You didn’t have to stay, you know.”

Matt freed one of his hands and placed it on your cheek, “ I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.” he whispered with a smile and kissed you deeply again but you soon had to force yourself to push him away.

“Matt, something’s burning.”

“Shit, the toast.” he replied quickly removing himself for your grip and going back over the the counter of the kitchen. He managed to get the toast from the toaster and held up the very burnt bits of toast which made you laugh once more. “I’m a disaster in the kitchen, aren’t I?” he asked as he threw it in the bin.

You knew he was looking for attention, and that was a little quirk of his that you loved. “I mean you’re no Gordon Ramsey but...” He silenced you with another kiss but again, you broke him off, “Matt, as much as I love your kisses, you’ve got other food on the go and I’d hate to be having to call the firemen out because you’re getting distracted.”

Still, alternative styles evidently were not a popular sight in the The Crown office, because as Saylor walked down the aisles of cubicles, eyes zoned in on her. She tried to remind herself that this was not the first time she’d faced stares over her appearance and that it no way detracted from her professionalism or ability to do her job. That’s all that mattered, and she would remind them all of that in due course. 

Arriving at a standard looking office that overlooked the city, she met DI Natalie Chandler who went over all the necessary debriefing and documentation with her. The woman’s kind nature lifted some of the nerves rattling through her and she hoped she would get to work with Ms Chandler in the future.

Natalie then led her over to the middle of the bustling office to a set of desks where two men had their backs to her. 

“Guys! This is our new tech master, Saylor Clarke.” 

Both of them swung around in their chairs, the older gentleman who sat to the right and she shared a warm smile with him, but what caught Saylor’s was the young man on the left. “I’d like you to meet DS Ronnie Brooks and DS Matthew Devlin.” She smiled, meeting both their gazes in greeting. 

“She’ll be taking over from Angela from today.” Before Natalie walked away she gave both of them a pointed stare. “Be nice! Look after her.” 

“We’re always nice!” Matt called after her playfully then turned on Saylor and she forgot her own name for a breath. “Hey, Mathew Devlin but you can call me Matt.” He held out his hand for her to shake.  Worried her hand would be sweaty due to the first day nerves and her body’s response to meeting someone as striking as Matt before, Saylor hesitated, but suddenly she realised how rude that would look and slipped her hand into his. It enveloped hers and she hoped he didn’t hear the way her breathing jittered at the contact and noticed the electricity that skated up her skin leaving goosebumps in its wake, and she truly hoped he didn’t feel the slight moist covering on her hand. If he clocked onto anything at all, he never let it show as he gave her a friendly grin and returned to his desk. 

With ocean eyes that shamed the carribean shores, sunkissed skin that enhanced every muscular valley in his bare forearms and bone structure that rivaled the godly marbled statues she’d seen at the A&E, it was fair to say Matt might have been the most mesmerizing man she’d ever laid her eyes upon. 

One word came to her mind. Shit.

How was she going to stop herself from crushing on Mr Devlin?

“Ronnie Brooks,” The older man stated, waving a hand. “don’t worry you’ll settle in right away. If you need anything though don’t be afraid to ask us. Me and Matty will be happy to help.” They both offered her bright and reassuring smiles and she felt instantly welcome in their company.  

“Thank you, guys. It’s nice to meet you both. I guess I better go log into my computer, and get it all set up.” Ronnie pointed out her desk which was a little way across the room from theirs, she thanked him and made her way over, cursing herself on the way for being so awkward.

Her first day seemed to flash by, and before she knew it, it was dark outside and people started leaving the office in drips and drabs. Nothing too exciting had happened through the duration of the day. It wasn’t as though she had expected to be thrown straight into the middle of the chaos on day one, but admittedly, lack of productivity had her itching in her seat. 

However, her day was pleasant nonetheless; she had managed to set up her computer almost exactly the way she liked it, she’d gone and spoke to some of her other new colleagues around the office to get to know who she would be working with and had been pleasantly surprised at the warmth she was met with. She shouldn’t have assumed they would judge her based on her looks, she needed to squash that insecurity. 

But mostly, she had chatted with Matt and Ronnie. Apparently, not much was happening in the way of cases, so they had time to tell her about some of their most interesting cases and how tech had helped them catch their criminal in the end. She looked forward to being able to be a part of that team and process in the future. 

Both men were incredibly charming and sweet. She counted herself lucky that she’d been put in an office with such lovely company. Ronnie was instantly like a father figure to her, he seemed gentle and caring and she was in no doubt that he’d be the first to her aid if she needed it. Matt on the other hand spoke to her in a more flirtatious manner, which of course she could never honestly say she minded. It was actually an honour to have such a beautiful man trade playful banter with her, but she had to remind herself that this was her work place now and no matter how she may want to, nothing past friendship was to be permitted between the two of them. 

There was only one person she met in that office that first day that made her uncomfortable; Mike had walked up to her desk, and she could tell right off the bat that this man was typically shy. Knowing this feeling all too well she greeted him warmly, but as soon as he started speaking she got an unsettling feeling from the interaction. She couldn’t, however, put her finger on what exactly it was that was making her so uneasy about the man who had only said one word to her. 

After the single interaction though, she didn’t see him for the rest of the day so she brushed it off and buried herself in customising her systems to her personal preference. 

At the end of the day, she was at her desk switching everything off when she felt someone approach her from behind. She sent a silent prayer that whoever it was, it wasn’t Mike. Regardless, of the lack of action she’d seen through the day, she still felt drained from all the information she’d had to retain and had no energy left to try to understand him.

“How are you getting home?” 

Turning, a jolt of excitement spiked through her fatigue when she saw Matt standing a few feet from her wrapping his scarf around his neck. “Not to sound creepy or anything, I just thought It would be decent of me to offer you a lift seen as it’s pitch black outside and you said earlier that you live on the other side of London.” 

She smiled not only at how genuinely adorable this man was with his slight pout, but also at the fact he remembered when she’d idly said where she lived. Then she quickly reminded herself not to overthink his basic capacity to listen to information. She couldn’t let her head run amok. “Thank you Matt, that’s really nice that you thought of me. But I have my bike.” 

“Bike? As in a peddle bike? I mean I could probably fit it in the back of my car. London traffic in the dark isn’t the nicest to people on bikes.” 

“Erm, no, my motorbike.” Matt looked taken aback at this. Saylor simply laughed at his surprised expression.

They both started for the door. “Okay this I have to see!” She looked at him confused but she couldn’t hide the amusement on her face. “Oh no I didn’t mean you riding a motorbike I meant the actual bike.”  

 “Sure! You can come meet Alvin.” 

Matt stopped in his tracks in the middle of the foyer, Saylor stopping a step in front of him, eyebrows raised. “What?”

“You named your bike after a chipmunk?”

She burst out laughing at the remark, envisioning the small rodent in question. “No.” she shook her head. “I named my bike after the Glam Rock star Alvin Stardust, a childhood favourite.” Sniggering to herself as she walked out of the revolving doors. 

Matt was close on her heels as she walked to where her bike was parked on the side of the street. Stopping in front of it, she reached inside of her jacket to grab the key for the little storage box on the back of the bike.

“Matt meet Alvin, Alvin meet Matt.” 

“Wow, such a beautiful bike.” Matt slowly walked around observing every detail of the vehicle. 

“Thanks. I try to keep him in tip top shape.” Matt paused again looking over the bike to Saylor who had finally freed her helmet from the box. 

“You do maintenance on the bike yourself?” 

She looked up to find Matt staring at her in something akin to awe. “Yeah, I won't let anyone else touch him.” 

She got up on the bike and started up the engine. Itroared to life.

Putting on the helmet, she turned to Matt one last time. “If you’re lucky one day I might let you ride him, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She winked at him, closed the visor and as Matt walked back to the pavement, he watched as she safely pulled out and sped off. 

The last look on his face said it all; maybe she wasn’t the only one that was going to struggle toeing the line between friendship and something more. 

...............

The next morning was uneventful, but Saylor didn’t mind too much. It gave her additional time to settle in and socialise some more. Which included Matt.

When she got home the previous night she couldn’t shake the smile from her face. Her interactions with him the previous day had left her feeling like a campfire had ignited in her stomach and set a flock of butterflies into a frenzy above. 

“Hey, a few of us are heading out for something to eat tonight if you would care to join us?” She turned in her chair to find Matt and Ronnie stood behind her with hopeful smiles on their faces. 

“Sure, why not.” She leaned back in her chair and grinned at them both.

“I hope I’m invited too.” 

As if out of nowhere, Mike appeared beside Saylor, that uneasy feeling came back to her. She shifted in her chair then glanced at Matt who seemed to sense her unease. He moved to perch himself on the corner of Saylor’s desk, putting himself between them. She looked up at him and gave him a silent ‘Thank you!’

“Sure. Everyone's invited.” Ronnie chimed in. 

Saylor and Matt both snapped their heads to Ronnie. Obviously, he hadn’t read the room, but it was too late. Mike said he would meet them at the pizza place later and had walked off.  

Unable to pinpoint exactly what it was about Mike that gave her the creeps, she felt a little bad, but every time he was near her, the hair on the back of her neck would stand up and she had the greatest desire to be as far away from him as possible. 

“Jeez, Ronnie, why’d you invite him? Can’t you see that he makes Saylor uncomfortable?” 

Ronnie looked at Saylor, confused. 

“Does he make you uncomfortable? I can go over and uninvite him?” Ronnie started walking to Mike's desk but Saylor reached out an arm and stopped him. 

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m probably just overreacting, he’s probably a really nice person, I have to give him a chance. Besides this is only my second day, he barely said two words to me. Can’t be making enemies straightaway, can I?” She smiled at them both, trying to be as lighthearted as she could. Ronnie said a simple okay as he walked back to his desk.

“Did you bring the bike today?” Matt said still perched on her desk, she swung back round to face her computer. 

“I got a cab today actually, I never ride when it’s raining.” She chuckled to herself. “One of my mum's rules, actually. I understand though. Plus, I’d rather not turn up to work drenched.” 

“So, you’ll be getting a cab home?” 

She just nodded as she typed away on the keypad. If someone would have asked her what she was working on she wouldn’t have been able to answer. It was hard to concentrate when she had such a handsome man distracting her. 

“Or I could give you a lift after the pizza place, I mean I’m the designated driver so....” 

She stopped typing and looked up, catching his eye. “Sure, I guess it saves me some money. Unless you want gas money which I will happily provide.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just buy me a coke at the pub.” He snapped his finger and pointed at her with a wide grin.

“You got it.” She tilted her head as she looked at him, matching his grin. 

“Great, I guess I’ll meet you back here when it’s time to leave.” Nodding again, she watched as he got up from the desk and walked away with the biggest smile on his lips.

Sighing, she knew she’d spend the rest of the day trying not to overanalyse said smile and tame the butterflies wreaking havoc inside her.

By the end of her second morning she’d already made some amazing friends. She just hoped that it would stay like that, that she wouldn’t ruin this job for herself like she did the last one.

No way would she let that happen again.

Time ticked by ever so slowly. Every time she looked at the clock, only mere minutes had passed. Now and then, she’d peer over to Matt’s desk. Most of the time he’d have his back to her, but sometimes he’d be talking to Ronnie and would catch her eye, a dazzling smile appearing on his face.

She didn’t have the adequate vocabulary to describe how adorable Matt Devlin truly was.

After her lunch, she’d been given some work to do which she became immersed in, completely forgetting about the time and what was happening around her. She only became aware of her surroundings again when Ronnie placed a warm hand on her shoulder. 

“You ready?” 

She looked up to him smiling down at her, she saved her work and switched off the computer. “More than ready.” Grabbing her bag and jacket, she met Ronnie by the door. 

“Matt just had to go drop off some paperwork, he said he’d meet us by the car.” Nodding, she followed Ronnie out to the back parking lot. 

Less than a minute later, Matt came strolling over to them smiling, swinging his keys around his finger.

Ronnie let Saylor ride shotgun, even though she insisted she would be fine in the back seat.  “It’s the most gentlemanly thing to do.”  He smiled as he got into the back. She looked at Matt over the roof of the car rolling her eyes but got in the font anyway. 

When they reached the little pizza place, they found a booth near the back and settled in. Once Matt had taken his coat and scarf off, he got the drink orders and went to the bar. 

Ronnie and Saylor were having a full blown conversation when the bell above the door chimed, indicating that someone had entered the restaurant. 

Both looking up at the noise, they could see four people entering and looking around. Saylor only recognised one of the people. Mike.

“Oh god.” 

She shook her head and looked to Ronnie.

“What is it?” She enquired. 

“That women behind Mike, she’s from the evidence team. Completely obsessed with Matt, finds any excuse to come up to the office to see him.” He sniggered, evidently amused.

“Honestly, can’t say I blame her.” Saylor laughed at the surprise on Ronnie’s face. 

“I’ll remember that remark!” He jokingly threatened her, but before Saylor could reply, the group had reached their table, and the women who Ronnie had pointed out sat down next to Saylor. 

“I’ll go help Matt with the drinks now we have more people.” Ronnie got up and headed to where Matt still stood at the bar. 

Saylor just stared after him in complete disbelief that he had left her with a bunch of strangers. 

Not even a second after Ronnie had left his seat, Mike slid in the booth next to her. She tried her damn hardest not to shift away from him when he shuffled in closer to her. 

Finally, the two men came back from the bar, hands full of drinks and distributed them out to everyone. She caught Matt's eye when he handed her, her drink then his eyes shifted to both sides of her. His eyes showed concern but he mouthed a ‘sorry’ to her. Replying with a gentle smile, she let him know she was okay. For now. 

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. My name is Alice! and this is Chase, we work in the evidence lab.” Alice held out her hand which Saylor shook, then proceeded to shake Chase’s hand as well, of which he held onto her hand a second longer but then just smiled at her and sat back into the booth. 

“Saylor, I’m the new tech wiz in the office.” She changed her attention back to Alice who was now sizing her up. 

“Oh, lucky you. You get to be in the office all the time and be around Matt.” Saylor looked to Matt who was conversing with Ronnie and tried to think innocent and professional thoughts. 

“He’s an amazing person. I mean I’ve only known him for two days and he’s been nothing but kind to me.” 

“He’s more than amazing. Have you seen him? He’s so yummy. If only he could see how amazing I am, I’d take him straight home and do nasty things with him.” Saylor was taken aback by the way Alice was talking about one of her coworkers. 

All she could do was laugh uncomfortably and turn away hoping to end the conversation but she forgot that the person on the other side of her was Mike. She was trapped. 

“Don’t take no notice of her, she has no filter and has been completely obsessed over Matt for years.” Chase reached over and moved Alice out of his way so he could sit next to Saylor. “I’ve heard way worse come from her mouth about that man.” Saylor gave the man a ‘oh god’ look but smiled at him anyway, glad that finally she was sitting next to someone she could converse with normally. 

The rest of the meal was relatively normal. Although she missed the time with Ronnie and Matt, she found that Chase was also someone she could see herself calling a friend in the future. He’d also saved her when Mike shifted unbearably close to her so again, but then Chase switched seats meaning she was back next to Alice, and she’d take that over sitting next to Mike any day.

When they were getting ready to leave, Chase also offered her a lift home but she had to decline, looking up to see Matt waiting for her by the door, his sparkling eyes dancing in the candlelight. “Thank you, that’s really kind, but Matt already promised me a lift home. Thank you for saving me tonight, twice!” She laughed. 

“No problem. Anytime.” Then he did something unexpected. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. She didn’t know how to react so she just smiled and waved her goodbyes. 

“You ready?” Matt smiled at her, opening the door. 

“Yes.” She walked out into the rain, Ronnie trailing behind her and the three made their way to the car parked just outside. 

They dropped Ronnie off first and bid their goodnights to him, and then for the first time that night, it was just the two of them. 

Saylor gave him the directions to her flat before any conversations started. 

“Seems you have many admirers already!” 

Saylor chuckled and turned to look at Matt, the streetlights highlighting his sharp features as they drove. “That's funny because I hear you have admirers too!” 

“Urg, if you’re talking about Alice, I don’t want to hear about it. She’s a nice person and I respect her but agreeing to go on a date with her was one of the worst decisions I've ever made.” He glanced at Saylor in the passenger seat to see her beaming at him.

“You went on a date with her? I bet that was eventful!.” 

“Oh! it was, but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of hearing about it.” Saylor huffed out a ‘spoil sport’ and went back to facing the front of the car.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” 

“I did, everyone’s so nice. Shame I didn’t get to speak to you and Ronnie much. I was kind of trapped between Alice and Mike, who, for some reason I can’t put my finger on why, but he gives me the creeps.” She shivered in her seat. 

“Yeah, I could see how uncomfortable you were with him earlier.” 

“Luckily Chase was there to put a barrier between us.” She didn’t look but she could tell he was glancing at her. 

“Ah Chase! think he has a thing for you.” They both looked at each other when Saylor laughed out loud. 

“Yeah well nothing will come of it. For one, he’s a nice guy, but I don’t feel any attraction towards him. And secondly, I promised myself long ago not to date coworkers.” Matt's face fell, and for a moment she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes, but it was only a flash. 

She couldn’t say anymore though as he pulled up to her apartment. 

Looking up at her door, she sighed. She’d told Matt that about coworker relationships, but every time they were close, all she wanted to do was be in his arms and just feel his arms wrapped around her.  

She opened the door but turned back to Matt. “Thank you for being so kind to me in my first few days and for dropping me off home.” 

He smiled in reply and she wondered if she’d ever get tired of that smile. She doubted it.

Without time to think it through, she reached over the centre console and kissed him on the cheek. Once she realised what she had done, she moved back a bit to read his reaction, but all she saw was shock and happiness all mixed together,  and gods, she really wanted to kiss him. She could see he wanted the same as his eyes travelled down to her lips. 

But she couldn’t let it happen. 

So, she pulled back further and finally got out of the car. 

There wasn't just a large cut to your head, red marks and bruises covered your face and body. “I'm not safe.” you mumbled out, “He can't know I'm here, he'll kill me.”

Ronnie frowned, but Matt always had an instinct about your boyfriend, Tom. “He did this to you?” Matt fumed, but his voice was as calm as he could manage. He always had a good judge of character; he met him once at the pub and you weren't allowed to speak to anyone that night. Matt picked you up and took you to one of the rooms they use for less formal interviews and set you down on one of the soft chairs. Following closely behind was Ronnie with a first aid kit and passed it to his partner.

Like you always did, you had a reflex to hide the evidence of Tom's beatings but you knew it was no use now. Matt stood over you and carefully moved the strands of your hair, checking the deep wound in your head.

He got a large piece of dressing and pressed it to it, “I think that might need stitches. What did he do to you?” he asked and you took a deep, shaking breath before looking up to him and bursting into tears at his kind face. Putting the medical things in his hand down, he crouched slightly and hugged you carefully, “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Tell me when you're ready, okay?”

You nodded as he broke away and took the wipe from it's packaging and moved the other chair next to you. After a little silence, you had to fill it with something, and you ha to tell someone what has been happening, and you trusted Matt and Ronnie more than anyone. “Tom was always controlling, but when I started working here, he got violent. He used to say that because I was a Police Officer, I wouldn't tell anyone about what was happening. He would manipulate me, telling me I'd lose my job.”

Matt briefly stopped with a little frown but allowed you to speak, “Turn your head, sweetheart.” he requested first.

You turned it with a little wince and he placed his hand to your jaw to steady his own up and your face, “I was late getting back from here and he seems convinced that I have someone else. But why would he when he won't let me leave.” your voice broke as you looked at Matt who had finished cleaning the blood from your face.

He was reluctant to move his hand from your jawline as his eyes searched your face. He was angry, you knew that; but he would've been for anyone, even if it wasn't you, so you didn't read anything into it. “Listen to me, you are safe, he won't hurt you any more. Right, Ron, we're gonna get him, aren't we?”

Ronnie nodded, leaving his head lowered to the ground as he walked a few steps forward, “Of course, but you need to give us a statement, tell us everything.”

After Matt had to take evidence pictures of all the bruises you had but had to bring a female doctor in to take a look at some of your bruises that were in a more private place. Then you were taken to a proper interview room, which Matt had tried to argue against, worried it was too much and too formal for you.

It was strange to be the other side of the table but you relaxed when Matty walked in on his own and sat on the other side of the table. He tried to present himself less as a police officer than he usually would and you were grateful for that. Matt liked to write things down, despite it being on tape and video; he just always needed his handwriting - that nobody else could even read - in front of him even referring back to cases. Giving a little gesture with his head, you knew he was ready to listen so you took another big shaky breath.

"Tom has always been controlling. We met 5 years ago on a case; he was a paramedic. Tom was the kind of guy that believed woman shouldn't be bringing in the money, they should be at home, cleaning or cooking; he was a sexist pig." you recalled and then waited for Matt to finish scribbling on the page.

He looked up, the room making the blue irises of his eyes pop and licked his lips sadly. You could tell that he didn't want to be the one doing this, but had no choice, "What happened tonight?" he asked after clearing his throat.

You cleared your own and grabbed the cup of water. Until then, you were unaware of how shaky you actually were as the cup violently wobbled in your hand, "The DCI assigned me an open and shut case, all I had to do was charge them and do the paperwork. I was almost done and didn't see the point in leaving it so I stayed to finish and I got home late. Tom hated it, thought I had stopped off to meet a guy or something so he beat me until he felt like stopping."

Matt didn't want to hear no more, but he had to, he didn't want anyone else to be doing this, "You, er, have bruising in other places. Why?" he questioned, hating himself, but fuming with Tom more than anything.

There was a lump in your throat, sickened by the thoughts, "He would force me to have sex with him to prove I still loved him. He was rough about it because he was angry. It would hurt, Matt and I couldn't stop it because he would think that I was getting it somewhere else if I didn't do it."

"He raped you?"

You shook your head, "He never saw it as rape. He always used to say that you couldn't rape your own girlfriend. I would scream no and he would cover my mouth with his hand, he took pleasure in it because I was his." your voice broke but you quickly tried to compose yourself while Matt wasn't looking.

He had finished writing on the page but hesitated to look back to you. Matt was the kindest person you knew and it was empathetic, feeling the pain others did and you could tell that he was feeling it more than ever right now.

Matt turned off the tape, unable to hear anymore and stood from his chair. Gesturing you to stand with a quick upwards flick of his hand, you did so before he wrapped you up in a warm, safe hug that almost felt like a bubble had been put around you for protection. Matt Devlin was that bubble.

"Guess what?" his voice mumbled. Breaking away, tears began to escape your eyes and Matt pressed his hand to your cheek before wiping your tears away with his finger, "We're gonna charge Tom with GBH, assault and rape."

"Seriously?" you wept, wanting to burst into tears.

Matt nodded with a little smile, "He's being brought in now. Neighbours have heard a lot of what's gone on. Given statements." he confessed and this time you did burst into tears which made Matt hug you again. "You're free. He can't hurt you now."

"What if he can? Send people after me?" you panicked.

His palm returned to your cheek, "I won't let that happen, I will protect you. Always." he said and you wanted his little safety bubble forever but Matt thought it was best to get out of the room. As you did, Tom came through, handcuffed as he was man handled by two officers.

"[Y/N], what have you done?!" he screamed angrily and you suddenly didn't feel safe again and Matt and Ronnie could both tell that so placed a comforting touch to you.

Ronnie looked ahead as Tom was dragged out of shot, "You're safe now." he assures you before walking off to talk to Tom.

Matt tried to lunge forward, seething at seeing Tom trying to blame you. "Matty, no! Just don't." you begged him and he stopped and looked back to you. Your pleaded eyes were enough to make him step back to you and he looked into your eyes. "Take me home?"

Towards the bottom of the box, a tree ornament had caught your attention; a distant shape of an angel, barely coloured but it was clear what it was. You turned it over and saw ‘Matthew, aged 4′ scrawled in childlike handwriting.

A smile widened on your face, “You did this?” you asked and he turned away from the box he was sorting through and walked over, standing behind you. 

Taking the ornament out of your hands, he examined it and chuckled, “I thought my mum broke this.” he admitted and looked at it more carefully, “She glued it up, I can see the breakage.” he continued and hung the ornament on the bare tree.

He walked back to the box he was looking through and reached the bottom, another piece of tinsel was pulled out - gold in colour -  before he wrapped it around his neck. One last thing remained; a piece of mistletoe that had been slightly flattened. As you distributed the different decoration to separate piles, he quietly came back up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and bringing his head to your shoulder, resting his chin on it.

This caused the tinsel he had donned to brush against your cheek a little, making you flinch a little. “Look what I found.” he grinned, holding the mistletoe in front of you both and lifting his arm in the air a little higher. 

You turned your head a little, pecking him on the cheek but he rolled his eyes.

“No, that’s not good enough, come here.” Matt said, pulling your waist so he could turn you towards him. He didn’t waist any time to pull you closer for a more passionate, deep kiss with the mistletoe above you both.

The kiss broke away, and you grinned at each other, “Right, we’ll be here all day if we hang about kissing each other.”

“I can’t help it, you’re far too irresistible.” he replied and you looked back at him; your eyebrows slightly raised and he sighed, “But, you’re right, this needs to be done before Christmas, and not after.”

He took a moment to scan his eyes over the bare skin of your back ahead of him before grasping the zip at the bottom of your spine and slowly dragging it up the length of your back. “Why would you think that? I asked you for a reason.” he replied. You turned slightly back to him and handed him a necklace which he brought around the front of you and fastened it at the back. “There's nobody else I would rather take.”

Once the necklace was in place you turned around to face Matt and he noticed the uncertainty in your face as you looked back down to your outfit, still deciding whether it's what you wanted to wear. As you looked down, Matt slowly brushed some hair that had fallen down back behind your ears and kept his hand on your skin, lifting your head by his hand, “Are you sure this looks okay? I don't want to come with you to your sister's wedding looking like a state.”

“Listen to me, you can be wearing a binbag, and I’d still want you.” he admitted and your cheeks flushed a warm sensation while you tried to hide the smile that started to form on your face. “I'd always want you no matter what, no matter where.” He picked up the other small flower that he had placed on the bed and pinned it to your clothing. You noticed that Matt's tie was slightly out of place so you tightened it a little more as you straightened it for him, but he stopped you by taking your hands in his and he placed a kiss to them.

“You can still take Alesha if you wanted, you know.”

“Why do you seem to think that I don't want you?” Matt sighed, “I'm in love with you, since the moment I first met you. I've known Alesha much longer, if I wanted her, I wouldn't have chosen to be with you right now.” he admitted and you lowered you head shyly again but Matt wanted to look into your eyes so he lightly held your chin before lifting it up so your eyes could meet once again.

The softness of his skin still to yours made you feel as if the safety net around you both tightened as you got more comfortable as he started to slowly move his thumb over the skin of your cheek.

“Matty!” you screamed, feeling you throat get sore just by screaming so loud.

Everyone surrounding the court crouched to the deck in fear, you looked towards where the gunshots came from but the car had already gone. You rushed straight over to Matt not thinking of your own safety, you knew the gunman could still be on the loose, but you had to help him. You took off your coat, despite it being your favourite one, and immediately apply pressure to his gunshot wound. There were two, so you tried your hardest to apply the same amount strength to both gunshots, “No, no, no, no.” you panicked as blood starting escaping from his mouth. “Alesha, call an ambulance.” you tell her, she didn't respond, frozen in shock. “Alesha. Ambulance.” you reiterated, snapping her back into the real world and her shaking hands took out her phone and called the emergency services.

You saw Ronnie rushing forward out the corner of your eye, all of your strength was on the wounds but the bleeding wouldn't stop, “I can't stop the bleeding, Ron.” you sob but your hands didn't move. His chest was still moving up and down, but you knew his breathing wasn't normal, it was laboured and he was struggling more with each breath. Ronnie moved one of your hands away helping you try and stem the bleeding, “Don't you dare give up. Don't die on us.” you pleaded, your voice was almost garbled due to the fact that you couldn't stop crying. You had no idea where the ambulance was and you was starting to get frustrated that they weren't getting here quicker to help Matt.

Matt's eyes closed, and his breathing slowed, his chest was barely moving as opposed to the breathing his was doing moments earlier. “No no, come on Matty, you gotta keep those eyes open.” Ronnie instructed him, you could barely see him with the tears clouding your vision but you had to let these bout of tears fall just to clear your eyesight.

Seeing his eyes close just made the tears fall from your eyes even more. You felt the pulse in his neck, it was there, but incredibly weak. He needed medical attention and fast, and you knew that you and Ronnie wasn't providing it. “Matt.” you spoke, he didn't respond causing you to look at Ronnie. You wanted to scream louder than probably humanly possible but you couldn't, “Matt, please. Come on.” Ronnie tried to find his pulse and though he could also find it, it was still horribly weak; and it was getting weaker by the second and you knew he probably didn't have long left. The ambulance needed to get here.

The ambulance had arrived a few minutes after Matt closed his eyes, arriving at the hospital was touch and go. They managed to get him breathe with help but he was far from out of the woods, and he was likely going to need a blood transfusion too, not to mention surgery to remove the bullets in his chest.

The blood still covered your hands, the coat you used to stop the bleeding was still draped over your arm but you couldn't hold it any more; it was just a reminder of what happened, a reminder of what could still happen. It wasn't a certainty that he was going to make it. You dropped the coat to the floor and something clanged to the ground, a silver chain poked out from underneath the coat. Picking it up, you knew it was Matt's St Christopher necklace, despite the fact the medal was covered in his blood. You felt the tears pool in your eyes, people wear them to keep them safe, and now Matt was in such danger, more danger than you could bear. You tried to wipe some of the blood off but a lot of it had dried and set within intricate design of the medal; just like the blood had begun to dry on your hands, caked in the lined crevices and around the fingernails.

Your whole body slumped to the floor against the wall and Ronnie rushed over. Ronnie seemed more composed than you were, but inside, he was just as broken. Matt was like a son to him, a son that wanted to be a part of his life, unlike his daughters who decided to keep their distance. Your cheeks were covered in the moisture from your tears, tears that wouldn't stop falling. Ronnie joined you on the floor, groaning in his advancing age. He didn't say anything, he knew nothing would make you or him feel better and empty promises wouldn't do anyone any good. Your hands sat in your lap, one hand tightly squeezing Matt's necklace and your free hand was soon taken by Ronnie and he just held it comfortingly.

You didn't know how much time had passed, it felt like hours and it probably was that long. The doors at the end of the corridor opened. A single nurse came out and you both stood up, you couldn't speak, it was still like a bad dream, “He made it through surgery.” she informs you both and you breathe a sigh of relief and the tears started to fall again as you sat yourself down on the bench. “He's not out of the woods yet. We've removed both of the bullets from him and we've also had to carry out a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood he lost.”

The door opens again and bed is wheeled through with Matt on. You knew you weren't able to see him yet, but seeing him that way was horrible. He looked pale and wires came from many different places; he was hooked up to a ventilator with a tube escaping from his mouth to help him breathe overnight, a chest tube was insert to try and make sure that blood, fluid and air didn't surround his heart and lungs. Not only that, IV drips were placed in his arm.. The panic set in, seeing him that way made it more certain that his chances weren't looking good, “What are his chances?” you asked, squeezing his necklace even tighter making the chain leave an imprint on you palm.

“It's very hard to say at this stage. I wouldn't like to guess.”

“What about in the long term?” Ronnie questioned the nurse.

“Again, it's very hard to say until he's woken and we can monitor his condition more thoroughly. While he's in the condition he's in, it's incredibly difficult to even speculate any long term damage.”

You had stopped taking things in once Ronnie asked the question; you could see Matt through the doorway, another nurse tending to him. But you noticed when she stopped talking, “Can we see him?”

“Of course.” the nurse nodded. You didn't mean to appear rude when you pushed past the helpful woman, but as soon as you were able, you wanted to get to Matt; you wanted to hold his hand, hoping he knew you and Ronnie were there.

As soon as you reached Matt's bedside, you took his hand in yours and placed his St Christopher in between your hands. Matt wore it constantly, so you thought it would be nice for him to have it back. You looked at him, at least he looked peaceful being able to sleep despite what he's going through. All of a sudden, all of the memories you have with Matt came flooding to you. Your desk was opposite his at MIU and you remembered all the fun times you had together and you couldn't imagine never having them again, there was so much life he had and it's almost being snatched away. “What if he doesn't make it, Ron? What am I – I mean 'we' gonna do without him?”

Ronnie came behind you and placed a hand on your shoulder, “He's a fighter, our Matty. We just gotta wait just like the nurse said.”

“Yeah,” you mumbled. “I just... It's just... Seeing him like this...” you sighed. Your eyelids felt heavy as the time approached 3am, you didn't want to sleep, you couldn't. Ronnie goes to another chair as you stay in the position you've barely moved from. You didn't want to let go of his hand, but you knew nothing was going to happen tonight; he wasn't going to wake up, and you just had to pray nothing else happened. You shuffled the chair closer, and made sure your fingertips still touched Matt's skin and you allowed yourself to sleep for a little while.

The smell of coffee made it's way up your nostrils and you immediately woke up. You followed the arm attached to the cup, and Ronnie smiled, “Thank you.” you said, wiping the sleep out of your eyes. Hospital coffee wasn't the greatest you had tasted, but it will do for now.

You hoped that yesterday was some kind of horrible nightmare that you just hadn't woken from but once you had woken up and you reassessed your surroundings, it was obvious that it was very much real. Looking over to Matt, his ventilator was still doing the breathing for him and wires still attached to him like he was some kind of piece of electrical technology. You had remembered that the ventilator was only for overnight use and they were later going to try and take him off of it; it worried you. Not just because it might not work but in some ways, it worried you that it would; not knowing the long term damage that he could have suffered by the shooting.

Matt's St Christopher shined in the sunlight that burst through the window. It was draped over his hand that sat palm down by his side, and the medal kept sliding off the plastic clip on his finger that measure the oxygen in his blood. His breathing was more normal but you knew it wasn't really him doing the work, the machine was doing it for him but at least it was an improvement on before. Sitting at Matt's bedside made time feel like it was much slower than usual, and there wasn't much you could do but just sit and wait.

“Come on, Matt. We need you back.” you spoke softly grabbing his hand once more.  Ronnie watched as you spoke to Matt, watching for any movements he might make. It was the same thing he did almost every waking moment, “What are we going to do without you, eh? I'm gonna need to back opposite my desk; making jokes about Ronnie's eating habits, moaning about whatever it is you moan about – which is more than you realise you do.”

Ronnie scanned Matt's body, he thought that him being spoken to might provoke some kind of reaction from him. The nurse had said that he could hear. A twitch came from Matt's finger as you spoke, but Ronnie wasn't sure if he was imagining it, so he waited.

“But I also want you back because I lo --” his finger moved again, more so this time.

“[Y/N]!” Ronnie interrupted, almost yelling. Your head turned abruptly, looking at him worryingly. “His finger moved.”

“What?!”

“Talk to him again. Tell him how really feel about him.” Ronnie tells you. You frowned, and turned to Ronnie again, “Come on, you really think I didn't know?” he paused and looked at you, the same way your dad did whenever you were upset. Ronnie could see the hurt in your eyes whenever you looked at Matt, even when they weren't it was like a constant pain that Ronnie could see. “He knows too. Tell him. Even if you don't tell him that, say something to him.”

Your eyes lowered back to Matt's hand and you draped his St Christopher back over it, “Remember when we first met? The first time I walked into MIU as a DC on transfer. One of the first people I saw was you. You were talking to the DCI about some case, and I was introduced into your office and the only empty desk was the one opposite you. So that's where I sat, where I still sit. The way you kept looking at me was in a way nobody has ever looked at me before. You know, the first case that you had when I joined, I solved and you looked at me when you realised I was right; you looked at me with such awe that I could solve the case. It was like you were surprised, but --”

Matt's finger moved again, followed by another quick movement and this time you saw it. Ronnie knew this time he had to get someone, so he rushed out, finding the nearest nurse he could. He rushed in, followed by the nurse on duty on the desk. “It could just be an involuntary muscle movement.” she states as she checks his eyes. “But seeing as we plan to take him off the ventilator today. We could try and do it now.”

The nurse left and brought two doctors with her and you and Ronnie moved to the corner of the room. You almost wanted to shout at them to stop, you couldn't help but worry that he'd stop breathing all together. The nurse made her way over to you, she could see both you and Ronnie were worried, “What if he stops breathing altogether?”

“Mr Devlin was put on a ventilator overnight with sedation and we've been gradually withdrawing it overnight without any problems. The majority of breathing he's been doing over the last hour or so has most likely begun to be his own work. We also managed to perform a few checks on while you've been out of the room or asleep. We believe he's ready.”

You were unaware that Matt had been getting weaned off the ventilator, it must've been happening while you weren't totally with it. It gave you a bit of peace of mind that Matt shouldn't have any problems but you couldn't help but cling to Ronnie like a small child as they started to fuss around him. You wished you could just hold his hand while it was happening, but neither of you wanted to get in the way.

You could hear the two doctors performing checks once again to make sure Matt was ready to be taken off the machine. Eventually you saw them remove the tube from Matt's mouth that had been down his throat and they fixed a nasal cannula instead. They also moved his bed so he was sat up more rather than being lay down flat. “How long until he wakes up?” you asked.

“Could be anything from 10 minutes to 10 hours or more.”

“Thank you.” Both you and Ronnie said with a smile. Now it was just a case of waiting for Matt to wake up. You sat by his bed and grabbed his hand once more. Ronnie sat on the other side and you both watched Matt like a hawk. Your eyes barely moved off him making sure that his chest was moving with each breath, the only times your eyes did move was when you checked the screen of machine next to him making sure that his heart beat was normal.

Your head had found it's way on to the bed as you were uncomfortably bent over in your chair. A tickling sensation brushed against your cheek that woke you up, you thought it was a strand of your own hair or part of the cover that was over Matt. But it wasn't, Matt's finger had slowly been caressing your cheek.

Sitting back up in your chair, you looked over at Matt whose eyes where slightly opened and he smiled at you. “Matt?” you beamed. Ronnie jumped up from his own sleep and immediately leaned forward.

“Hello.” he rasped in a light whisper but he still managed a little smile. His voice sounded like he hadn't had a drink in weeks, and it made you feel a little sad. It was nice to see him awake, and that little smile made it even more worth it.

“Hey.” you grinned back, squeezing his hand. He squeezed it back for the first time since you held it whilst you've been at the hospital. “I would ask how you're feeling but I think I can guess.”

Matt chuckles and quickly grimaces when he realised it was a bad idea. “Well...” he begins as he attempts to shuffle in the bed. You stand up, and try to carefully help him sit more comfortably, but you knew you had to be careful. “Ouch. I feel like I've gone many rounds in a boxing ring and gone out for drinks with the lads from football all at the same.” he laughed again, but it was hushed, barely any sound escaped his mouth. “So, what happened then?”

“You don't remember?” Ronnie asked.

“I remember leaving the court with [Y/N], Alesha and Kaden. Then nothing.” Matt wasn't wearing a shirt as several bandages covered the majority of his chest. “I'm guessing this has something to do with it.” he continued as he tugged gently at the bandage.

“You were shot. Twice in the chest.” you told him and Matt's face turned to shock. He looked as if he honestly had no idea that is what had happened.

“So that's why it feels like the world's strongest man has used my chest as a trampoline?” It was encouraging that Matt still felt able to have a joke. Matt directed his attention to Ronnie, “Shouldn't you be going to see you daughter?”

“Daughter? Is she okay?” you asked, looking back up to Ronnie.

“Yeah, she's fine.”

“She had a baby, Ron. I remember you telling me that.” Matt says.

“Well, why didn't you say anything? You could've gone to see her. ” you told him. Ronnie slightly shook his head. “Go. Now.”

Ronnie looked at you, before looking over at Matt who smiled wearily, “I'll be alright, Ron. Go.” his hushed voice rasped. “Besides, I'm hardly going to be here totally on my own am I?” he said before turning and smiling back at you.

He looked hesitant to leave. He knew that Matt was in the best place possible and that Matt would be glad to have you there with him but he still didn't want to leave the room. Ronnie grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and made his way out of the room, giving you a kiss on your head and shaking Matt's hand as he left. “Don't let him get up to any mischief, will ya?”

“Oh, yeah, I'll be running riot through the halls before you know it.” he jokes. He winces in pain and again attempts to shuffle in his position to make himself more comfortable. Ronnie gave another small smile before leaving the room and going to see his daughter and new grandchild.

Ronnie hadn't long left and you thought he'd be tired enough to sleep, but if he was, he wasn't going to take that opportunity this time, “Was it really bad?” he asked. You didn't want to answer, you didn't want to relive it, and you didn't want Matt to remember any of it. You looked down and Matt moved his hand, directing you to take hold of it which you did.

Your thumb caressed Matt's hand as you held it. You didn't know what to say but the silence was worse. “We almost lost you, Matt. It was – It was horrible.” your voice almost broke by the end of the sentence and Matt could see that it distressed you. He didn't realise how much you had seen, how much anyone had. Upsetting you by bringing it up was the last thing he wanted but a part of him needed to know what exactly happened, though he was willing to wait for the answers.

You remembered Matt's necklace was now in your pocket, “I have something of yours.” you told him as you took the necklace out and passed it to him. You didn't want him to see the blood on it so you cleaned it up earlier before giving it to him.

He took it off you and looked at it, “These are supposed to keep you safe.” he scoffed. Matt's comment made you feel sad; he was right, they were, that's why people wore them and he was the one hurt. He didn't put it back on, instead he just put it on the table next to his bed. You couldn't help but look at it as it sluggishly was placed on the desk. The fact that he didn't even feel like wearing it anymore when he had wore it for longer than you have known him; and the fact the didn't feel like it could keep him safe any longer when it had just failed him.

“But you are safe. You're here.” you said with a quiver in your voice. You had to try and keep the emotions hidden. It didn't matter when he was asleep, he couldn't see how you felt. It wasn't just the sadness of what had happened to your friend, but to you, he was more than that; you loved him.

Matt's eyes lowered, and his jaw jerked; a little tick you noticed he does when he was sad. He licked his lips, another nervous, sad tick of his, “You said I almost died, [Y/N].” You hated hearing Matt talk like this. He was right, you did somewhat say that, but you weren't going to lie to him.

“Yeah, but I – I wasn't going to lie to you, Matty.”

Matt's head lowered to his lap once again, “I know.” he mumbled. Raising his eyes back up to you, he licked his lips again to try and return some normality to his voice, “I'm glad you told me.” he smiled slightly.

Whenever Matt tried to move, the discomfort and pain became unbearable, but whenever he stayed in the same position for too long, the stiffness he started to feel was even worse. Shuffling again, a few groans escaped his mouth and you got back up to help him move around in the bed. Despite the pain relief, he still felt the soreness from the surgery he had; it was throbbing through him like several drummers pounding around his wounds.

He finally managed to feel comfortable again and after a few deep breaths to help get through the pain, he settled back down. “What were you going to tell me anyway?” he asked before taking large gulp trying to take away some of the dryness in his throat from the ventilator.

“What? When?” you asked.

“I don't know. I'm just sure I heard your voice. But I don't remember when.”

Matt saw you when you frowned but he waited for you to speak before he said anything, “I was speaking to you earlier but you were still unconscious. You heard that?”

Matt shook his head and shrugged lightly, “I dunno, maybe.” he whispered, but not by choice; it was only the dry throat from the ventilator that was still making his speaking sound rough. “What did you say?”

You didn't know whether you wanted to tell him what you planned to say but you wasn't sure what to tell him either. “I was just reminding you of when we first met. Ronnie thought it might provoke a reaction from you.”

“Oh, yeah.” Matt chuckled, “Ow.” he said immediately after, realising again that laughing was a bad mistake. “I was making my way back from interviewing a suspect with Ronnie, and I stopped to talk to the DCI. You were waiting to be assigned on transfer and they – unfortunately for you – sat you in front of me. You stole our thunder and solved the case.” his voice rasped.

You laughed in disbelief, “I stole your thunder?” you scoffed. “You should be lucky I was there.”

Looking back at Matt, he smiled at you and used his thumb to weakly stroke your fingers as your hand was still in his. After a few moments of looking at each other, “We were very lucky.” he smiled. Matt turned away and lowered his head sadly, “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, course.” you replied with a little smile.

“Who was there? When it happened?”

Your little smile quickly faltered and you , not wanting to remember what had happened, but you also didn't want to lie to him. “Me, Alesha and Kaden. Ronnie was talking to another officer and he was walking out when the gun went off.”

“Then what?”

“You pushed Kaden out of the way, got hit. I ran over, took off my coat and used it to try and stop the bleeding, but I couldn't. Ronnie came over too and helped but it still wouldn't stop. Then the ambulance arrived.”

Matt frowned, his head tilted slightly, “So... I'm still alive because of you two?”

“I kept checking your pulse. I wasn't – I couldn't let you go.” your voice cracked through the emotion and Matt could see the tears gather in your eyes. “But, the hospital did all the work. They're miracle workers.”

He slowly grabbed your hand and squeezed it lightly and even managing a little smile - it was always something Matt did – especially when he knew you needed it the most. This time it was his little way of apologising for making you upset; he knew that it must've been a horrible thing for you to witness and he would've felt the same way if he had just watched anyone he cared about being shot.  

“Come up here with me.” Matt requested as he shuffled closer to you as he sat in the bed and you were next to it in the chair.

You let out a little chuckle, “What? I can't.” you replied, not knowing if he was being serious.

“Why?”

“There's quite a few wires for starters.”

“Don't be silly. I'll move more this way, you come on this side, there's less here.” Matt tried to move a little bit more, being careful of his injuries but he did grimace a couple of times when the pain ached through his chest.

You eventually agreed to Matt's request and you made your way around to the other side of his bed and you climbed up to lie next to him on his right. You weren't really sure the best place to put your hands but Matt soon took hold of the one closest to him and lifted it up and you did the rest, allowing him to carefully snuggle next to you. The hand closest to you slowly made it's way to sit on your thigh; the back of the hand was covered in medical tape that held the IV line needle in place. Matt was quiet and he barely spoke, and only hummed when you asked him questions. It was a little unusual to hear him so quiet; he'd usually have some kind of joke to crack or some sarky comment about something but since you joined him on the bed, you could only hear the distant chirping of the birds outside the window, and looking down at him briefly, you saw the sadness in his expression.

His fingers bent slightly as he moves the tips slowly and caressed the material of your trousers in small circular motions. The feel of his body slowly rising and falling against yours was calming but his silence was speaking volumes. You moved your hand over to his and your own fingertips gradually ran across his free knuckles and towards his own fingers and your interlocked yours loosely with his. Matt was sat lower than you, his head settled on your shoulder facing towards your chest. As you lowered your head towards his hair, you placed your lips through it and planted a kiss on his head.

You heard him let out a shaky breath and his fingers moved loosely through yours, being careful of his IV. Asking him if he was okay felt futile, you knew he wasn't and you wished you could make it better but you hoped that simply being there was enough for him to feel a little less scared a lonely. Matt started to move a little in the bed and sat more upright instead of being slouched towards you, “Sorry.” you said.

“No, no, it's not you. I just can't sit like that for long it seems.” he responded. His eyes met yours and the sea blue colour of his irises seemed brighter than usual, and his eyes shined in the glassy appearance of them and you knew he had been trying to stop himself from letting his emotion show too much. The look lingered and you chuckled nervously as you looked away. Matt lifted his hand carefully and used his finger to lightly turn your face back to him before his finger moved slowly to your cheek and he caressed it.

It was a rather calming feeling. The way the palm of his hand cupped your jawline as his fingers glided over the skin of your cheek. You were lost in the moment, being able to briefly forget everything that had happened, even if it was just for a moment. Lifting up your own hand, you allowed it to meet him. Your own fingers settled on his collarbone briefly before travelling upwards and you ran them along his own jawline, it seemed less refined than usual but you just allowed your fingertips to slide up and down his jaw and neck.

“You asked me earlier what I said to you when you weren't awake.” you started, and Matt stopped caressing your skin and frowned instead, “Before Ronnie cut me off, I was trying to – I was – I was going to say that... That I love you.” you blurted out, almost as if you weren't in control of what the words.

Matt took a few moments while he just looked at you, making you immediately regret your brain's decision to blurt it out. A smile soon slowly began to form on the detective's face and his hand moved to caress your cheek once more. After a few light strokes of your cheek from the gentle skin of his hand, he leaned his face closer and your lips met, pressed together for a passionate kiss. “Thank god.” he said after breaking it off, “I thought it'll be up to me to say it first.” You both chuckled and it was the first time since this happened that he seemed to give a genuine smile of happiness.

You both mutually leaned closer for another kiss, though it was cut short when the door started to open. Alesha came through the door and she saw a glimpse of the kiss, smiling to herself. “Look who I found outside.” she announced as she held the door open and James walked into the room.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” James asked Matt as he placed his coat at the end of his bed.

“I'm not too bad, despite the two bullet holes in my chest. But, I've had decent company the whole time so I guess it's been worth it.” he responded, flashing a smirk your way.

While Ronnie was spending some precious time with his Grandson, James and Alesha stayed for a few hours before leaving. When they left, Matt tried to encourage you to go home and sleep in a proper bed, but you refused. He made you join him back on the bed again, and when you did, you looked at him and the corners of your mouth turned upwards as you began to smile. “Well, if you're not going to go home, you could at least let me offer you half of a bed.”

“Okay, I can accept that.” you grinned.