#mattyrome

Late 2017

Rome awoke in a bed that wasn't his.

The golden sun beamed through the soft green curtains. He blinked a few times, his vision slowly adjusting to the light. He could hear sounds of sizzling coming from the kitchen. Then, a laugh that he couldn't quite place. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. It was hard to believe that a day ago he was in his old bedroom, 7 thousand miles away.

Everything was unfamiliar. Excitingly unfamiliar.

He plucked his gold-framed glasses from the nightstand and stood, taking a second to stretch out his arms. Facing the mirror, he attempted to smooth down his disheveled pastel pink hair. He donned a plain black hoodie and sweats, then heard a light knock on the door.

"Come in"

"Hey", came Matty's voice. "Didn't mean to wake you"

"No, it's okay; I've been up for a minute"

"How'd you sleep?"

"Good"

"That's good. George came over. He's makin' breakfast", he nodded his head towards the kitchen. "Eggs and toast."

"Sounds good"

The pair headed to the kitchen, where George was by the sink scrubbing burnt residue off a frying pan (He didn't make eggs very often).

"Morning", Rome said to George.

"Good morning", George smiled at Rome. "I laid out a plate for you."

Indeed, next to Matty's already half-eaten plate, was another plate crammed with slightly burnt eggs and perfectly browned toast. Matty plopped down into his chair, slathering a generous amount of butter over his toast. Rome sat in the chair next to him. He and Matty ate in comfortable silence. After he finished with the pan, George sat down to join them.

"So, Rome", George started. "Nice to finally see you in person!"

"Yeah", Rome said. "You too."

Rome had seen George countless times over video calls with Matty. He knew that he was tall, but he didn't expect him to be a full foot taller than him. He might have been a prominent presence physically; Rome was sure George could knock him to the ground with one swift punch, but he was the opposite of intimidating. He had a bright smile that squinted his eyes, and long, medium brown hair that curled at the ends.

"How was the flight? Matty didn't bother you too much, did he?", George playfully glanced at Matty, who rolled his eyes in response.

Rome smiled. "It was long. 20 hours. Nice to have someone else there."

"I bet."

"Hey", Matty cut in. "Want me t' show you around the house later? I was so jet-lagged yesterday that I wasn't able to give you a proper tour"

"Sure, that would be nice", Rome replied.

After they finished eating, they piled their dishes in the sink. Matty had already whisked Rome away to the living room to begin the tour (much to the detriment of George, who was 90% certain he only left that quickly to avoid dish-duty).

_________________________

"And this", Matty threw his arms out, gesturing to the expansive (but rather empty) space, "Is my office area. It leads to outside." A round wooden table sat to the right, just beyond two arched windows that occupied the greater portion of the wall. Apart from the odd potted-plant or wood accent table, Rome noticed that everything was concrete. Minimalistic. He liked it. Sure, it could have used a little more color, but when you entered every room with hair as bright as a highlighter, you tended to think that often.

George, on the other hand, voiced his opinions of disdain towards Matty's house in quite a strong manner. He had abandoned the dishes a few minutes ago and was now filling Rome in on the details of Matty's old flat.

"I liked that place a lot more. The walls were filled with paintings, and there were plants everywhere. It was cluttered, but like, a good cluttered. And it didn't look like a dungeon."

Matty scoffed. A smile crept on Rome's face.

George pointed to a spiral staircase that led downstairs. "And those are the stairs to hell. I haven't been down there in a year at least. Don't even know what he does down there. Nothing good, probably"

Matty elbowed George in the ribs. "Well now you're just making it sound like a sex thing!"

"I'm not. Where did I even mention that? You did that all yourself, mate."

"Oh, piss off."

George walked back to the kitchen.

Matty faced Rome. "Sorry, he's being extra annoying today. Hasn't had his coffee with ten sugars or whatever", he raised his voice on the last part, making sure George heard him too.

From his spot at the kitchen table, George threw up the middle finger.

_________________________

The studio was a short drive away from Matty's home. Matty, George, and Rome had left 5 minutes past 1. They stopped for McDonald's on the way there, because George insisted that they'd need something to eat, in case they got hungry in the studio. That, and he also craved a caramel frappuccino.

The sky was a bright azure. Rome sipped his mango smoothie, watching from the backseat as trees and brick houses and unfamiliar street names blurred past him. It was one of those late-summer days where a breeze was present, but it was bearable enough that you could still wear a t-shirt.

Matty pulled into the parking lot of the studio. He twisted around to look at Rome.

"You'll love it in here"

They entered the building.

The first thing Rome noticed was the dark wooden beams that stretched out across the room overhead. Streamlined white lights hung at even distances between them, while warm brick covered the expanse of the back wall. The floors creaked as they walked on them. It felt more like a home than a studio.

Matty led George and Rome to the entrance of a smaller room. The door of the room was bare; save for blue, compact lettering that displayed the numbers 345. It was odd, Rome thought, since none of the other doors were numbered. In fact, all of the other doors in the room seemed to look different than this one.

Once in the room, Matty sat down on a spinning black chair with wheels.

"So", he said, rolling over to the keyboard. "I was thinking we'd start with the song I last sent you"

Matty and Rome had been sending each other demos several months prior to meeting up in-person, so they already had a general sense of what they were each drawn to musically.

"The one with the Jay Park sample?", Rome questioned.

"Yeah"

"Sure, let's do it man."

_________________________

A few hours had passed, and they had a song...well, half of it anyway. George tinkered with the vocal samples, face buried in his computer monitor, while Rome and Matty shared a rapidly emptying bag of caramel popcorn as they attempted to configure the lyrics.

"So, for the pre-chorus, right?", Matty said through a mouthful of popcorn. "Y'know how it goes like..."

He proceeded to hum out the melody.

"What if part of the tagline was 'she told me I'm a narcissist doing it again'. I know you mentioned liking how the word narcissist sounded."

"Yeah. That sounds great. For the first part, I'm thinking we make it specific. Give it some imagery. Maybe something like...'345's where we stayed'?"

Matty's eyes lit up in recognition. "Like the door number?", he pointed his thumb in the direction of it.

"Yeah."

Matty replayed the entire line in his head.

345's where we stayed, she told me I'm a narcissist doing it again

"I love it."

"Awesome!" Rome smiled.

"Funny story about that door, actually...you may have noticed it looks different from all the others in the studio."

"I did"

"Well...it's uh. It's because of me. I was playing a riff in here one time and I was getting really into it," he mimicked playing the guitar with his hands to emphasize his point. "And I was going so hard that I accidentally bashed the door in with the headstock"

Rome burst out laughing. "No way. You're serious?"

"Dead serious! It was so fucking funny...well not for the studio owner, that is", Matty was laughing too now. "But now we needed a new door, and luckily the apartment across the street was doing renovations, so they had left out some spare ones. Me an' George picked out that one and screwed it on ourselves. I always did like how the numbers were in chronological order."

"And now it's in a song forever."

Matty grinned. "Exactly. Preservation of my dumb decisions."

"Believe me though, we've not even scratched the surface of all the stupid shit Matty's done in this room", George chimed in, amused.

Matty rolled his eyes. "George, please don't tell him about that."

"Oh, I will", George smiled with raised eyebrows. "One time, Matty brought a leaf blower into the studio...now I know what you're thinking: what could one possibly do with a leaf blower in a music studio? Well..."

_________________________

9:15 pm. They had left the studio an hour ago. George had headed home for the night, leaving Matty and Rome together at Matty's house. They were sprawled out on Matty's grey couch, eating instant ramen that Matty had found in the back of his cupboard.

Matty sighed as he flicked through Netflix for something to watch.

"How come there's never anything good on here? I pay like 20 euros for this shit"

Rome snickered. "We could watch Cowboy Bebop", he suggested.

"What's that?"

Rome took the remote, and Matty eyed his chipped pink nails as he pressed the buttons, searching for it in the search bar.

"This", Rome gestured the remote in the direction of the TV. An image of an anime character with mussed dark brown hair holding a cigarette appeared on the screen. "It's my favorite."

"Looks cool. Who's he?"

"That's Spike. I think you'll like him. Actually, now that you mention it—he kinda looks like you a little"

Matty cocked his head to the side. "Ehh. Guess I could see that."

Rome clicked play.

They watched in silence, apart from Rome occasionally chiming in to comment on specific plot points. Matty wasn't really listening to him. The most valuable input he gave was deciding on which characters were hot.

An hour and a half had passed, and both of them grew sleepier.

"I think I'm gonna turn in for the night", Matty said, placing what remained of his cold bowl of noodles in the sink.

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Matty stood in the doorframe of his bedroom. "I'll take you to meet the other guys tomorrow. They'll love ya."

The corners of Rome's mouth turned upwards. "Okay"

"Night, Rome."

"Goodnight, Matty."

_________________________

As Rome lay in bed, he felt happy. A relaxed, satisfied sort of happy, like every aspect in his life was finally falling into the place where it should be. He had dreamed about this for so long. To have a figure like Matty in his life, who he could learn from and lean on, was one of the main reasons why he had flew out here in the first place. It hadn't even been two days, but it was already starting to feel like home.

The series follows Matty and Rome's time together, from moving in to Matty's house to 2am writing sessions in the studio. As they get to know each other, Matty begins to fall for Rome. But, in typical Matty Healy fashion, his emotions soon become a tangled mess...

I'm planning to make it about 15-20 chapters long. Hopefully I can sustain it for that long lmao

As a baseline, I'm thinking a new chapter every week. But don't quote me on it because I'm a master procrastinator and will def be late sometimes.

Everything I write is FICTION. If anyone comes into my ask box and tells me how I'm a horrible person for shipping real people together, I will actually rip my head off

I plan to base this on their general timeline (so late 2017-early 2021). I'll be putting the dates throughout the fics to make it more clear

At the beginning of the fic, Matty is 28 while Rome is 20. While it is technically acceptable since they're both adults, I want everyone to know that I find age gaps such as this icky irl

There will be smut because i'm a whore, but if that makes you uncomfortable feel free to skip it

Any other partners (such as the girls matty dates...and yes he will be dating other people throughout the series for the sake of gay yearning) will be fictional. I'm not going to be out here writing gabriella brooks or something bc that's stupid and crosses a line that i'm not comfortable with

This oneshot that I wrote is not officially apart of the series.

The day was ending. The last of the sunshine leaked in through cracks in the red drapes that shrouded big glass windows. Rome shifted on the bed, replaying the melody on his computer for what must have been the 100th time that day. He yawned. He had been here for a full 5 hours.

Matty paced around the room, going from doorframe to doorframe. He had only arrived 30 minutes ago, but he already found himself growing restless. He had come here to accompany Rome, maybe share a drink, but so far all it seemed like he had shared with him was track advice.

"You need help with anything?" he suggested.

"Good for now."

"Mmkay"

Despite his demeanor, Matty usually did enjoy watching Rome work. He found it cute how his eyes darted around the computer screen, or how his fingers flitted as he scrolled down the page. But today, those fingers rendered as more of a threat, silently making swipes at his heart with every new movement. He couldn't help but wish they would depart from the touch pad and caress his face instead.

Matty warily perched on the edge of the bed, fiddling with his hands and trying to appear distracted. He eyed the clock. 7:15 pm. He had been here for 40 minutes now, and Rome hadn't said more than a few distracted words to him.

He knew how it felt to get lost in a track. In fact, it was something that happened to him incredibly often. Rome deserved some leeway; after all, Matty had given him the same treatment countless times before.

He didn't want to sound needy.

But still, He thought. Would it kill him to acknowledge my existence?

He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to convince Rome to step away from his computer somehow.

Coax him into it.

He slid flush beside Rome, a hand reaching up to ruffle his unkempt blue hair. Rome gave him a glance of slight suspicion, but continued on with his work. Matty began making slow circles with his thumbs on Rome's shoulders, massaging him gently. Then, he replaced a thumb with soft kisses that trailed down his bicep.

"Hey, love," he started, his voice more doting than usual.

"I know what you're doing", Rome stated blankly.

"Issit working?" Matty looked up at him with big eyes, chin in the crook of Rome's arm.

"Well...I suppose it is time for me to take a break. My eyes are all strained." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes heavily.

Matty's lips pulled into a smile as he leaned up to remove the headphones on Rome's neck, placing them on the end table.

"Eager, aren't you?" Rome raised his eyebrows.

"A little."

"Soo," Rome mused, leaning on the bed with his side. "What do you want to do?"

"You know what I want to do."

"That's what I thought. Is it your life mission to have sex in every hotel room we stay in? Because it's starting to feel that way."

"Who knows? Maybe it is."

"If there's anyone in the world who's always horny, it's you."

"And? What are you gonna do, stop me?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Anyway, c'mere"

Matty leaned over and wrapped his arms around the bridge between Rome's neck and shoulders. Rome lay in his lap while Matty combed his hands through his hair. He kissed his head, once, twice. Then, he skimmed his hand down his body until it was met with a black waistband. He began to pull at it when he was stopped by Rome's voice.

"Wait, we should probably move the computer out of the way"

"Should we? Could be useful."

"For what, exactly?"

Matty's face was a guarded sort of hopeful as he leaned over the computer, opening a new tab on the screen. He typed the music program in the search bar and created a blank project.

"Okay, so...I had this idea. Now you don't have to agree to it if you don't want to, but I was thinking we could maybe...record some stuff? Only if you're okay with it, that is."

"What do you mean? Recording as in...audio? Of us...having sex?" Rome was sitting up now.

Matty began to backtrack. "I-It's completely fine if you don't want to, I didn't mean to pressure you or anything, I just-"

"Matty, relax," he held up a hand. "I'm not opposed to the idea, but it'll only be for us, right? Because I don't know if I feel comfortable with-"

"Well obviously. I'm not gonna record myself getting laid and spread it all over the internet, now am I? Who the fuck do you think I am?"

Rome laughed. "Fair, fair."

Matty's face suddenly turned serious. "I was also thinking maybe I could listen to it when I'm touching myself without you? You know, when we finish touring and stuff," his gaze drifted from the conversation awkwardly.

Rome didn't know what to say to that. A tinge of sadness washed over him at the thought of not being able to provide Matty with pleasure whenever he requested it. But he was right; while these last few months of tour had been fun, they would soon be back in their own beds, a long drive across London separating the two of them.

"Yeah. Of course, baby, that's completely fine. But let's not think about that too much right now, okay?", he said, caressing Matty's chin.

"You're right," Matty agreed. "So you'll do it then?"

"Anything for you."

Matty swore he could melt at that. He smiled, eyes shining as he clicked 'record' on the screen.

Then, it was like a light flicked on inside of him. He turned around and pressed his lips onto Rome's hungrily, melting into them with passion. Hot breath was exchanged between them as their mouths parted and crashed back. Matty's tongue coasted the palate of Rome's mouth, eliciting a faint moan from him.

As they kissed, Matty's hands gripped Rome's shorts and pulled them down. It came as a bit of a surprise to Matty when he looked down and saw that he wasn't wearing boxers beneath them.

Matty quickly slipped out of his own shorts and eased at the relieved tension he felt in his cock. Rome's fingers brushed over it tenderly, and Matty felt his eyes drift closed.

Rome made his way off the bed, resting on his knees beside it. He spat into his hand and massaged it thoroughly over Matty's length. Matty's brows knit together as he licked his lips, relishing the sensation.

Rome leaned down, mouth right before Matty's cock. He took his time; tongue drawing circles around Matty's tip, occasionally slipping it into the slit. Matty breathed through his nose in mild frustration.

"Stop teasing."

Rome smiled at him impishly. He sucked on the tip for another few seconds before hollowing his cheeks and taking Matty into his mouth fully. Matty sighed at the contact, wiping sweat from his brow. His calves were pressed against the bed, heels digging into the carpet.

Matty fucked into Rome's mouth, slow and assertive. Rome took it with a practiced ease. His lips were taut against Matty's cock, every motion Rome made tightening the tension in his stomach.

"Fuck, you're doin' so good for me. Takin' it so well," Matty cooed.

He closed his eyes and relaxed into it. His hands tugged Rome's hair lightly.

Matty's base was now coated in hot spit, which Rome's hand dispersed over what he couldn't take in his mouth. His touch caused Matty to quicken his pace, and Rome narrowly avoided gagging as Matty made quick thrusts into his mouth.

He hit deep into Rome's mouth, and a whine escaped out of Matty. The audio picked it up, a tall spike appearing on the screen. He threw his head back, breathing becoming quicker by the second.

"Rome," he said, more breath than voice. "I'm close."

Rome moaned around Matty's cock, sending heavenly vibrations up his spine. It was all it took to push Matty over the edge, hands threading into Rome's hair as he came. Ecstasy consumed his body. His eyes fluttered as he reveled in the feeling.

Rome spluttered, ridding his mouth of cum using a spare towel. Matty came down from his high, leaving him with shaky breaths and a carnal desire to return the favor to Rome. He made easy work of lifting him off the floor with his arms, then switched places with him.

Rome trembled as Matty's index finger ran his length, stroking him up and down.

"Gonna be loud for me, yeah? Be a good boy n' say my name?"

Rome nodded, blown pupils fixed only on him. Matty had complete control over him now.

"That's right," Matty thumbed his tip, and Rome swallowed hard.

Matty's hand was then replaced by his mouth. Smugness exuded from his eyes as he took his entire cock, all the way to the back of his throat. Rome might have scoffed at Matty's showing off if not for the divine surges of pleasure that came with it.

"Matty...feels so good..."

Matty worked around him like it was the only thing he had the capacity to do. His mouth was warm and wet, and his tongue danced with heavenly precision across his length. All the while, his nails dragged softly over the skin of his thigh, only heightening the feeling.

Matty swallowed around him, and Rome gasped, feeling Matty's mouth tighten around him from all sides.

"Matty, please..."

Matty's lips dragged over him back and forth, seeming to inch further every time. Rome's body tensed. He was so close, he could practically taste his high.

"God, Matty," his hand had found the back of Matty's sweat-damp head, and he used it to fuck deeper into him. The inside of Matty's mouth felt superimposed to him.

"Don't fucking stop, I'm gonna-"

Rome's vision swam, movements staggering as each new wave of his high hit him with vigorous intensity. Rome moaned Matty's name again and again, savoring every burst of pleasure. Cum leaked down Matty's tongue, and Matty, ever-so-eager to please, made a show of it, letting it drip all over his mouth and chin. The sight only seemed to make Rome's high draw out longer.

After finally crashing back to Earth, Rome steadied, breath regaining its regular pace. His eyes flicked over to the audio track, which was now penetrated by a row of spikes.

"I did that," Matty remarked, wiping his mouth.

Rome swiped at him playfully. "Fuck off."

Matty stood back up, dusting off his knees. Then, he promptly lifted Rome up, who, judging by the little gasp that left his mouth, was slightly caught off guard by it. His legs wrapped around Matty's waist as Matty navigated them to the bed.

Matty laid Rome down on the soft surface, sucking at his neck and leaving faint pink marks on the delicate skin. He meticulously traced the outline of Rome's neck tattoo with his tongue, occasionally taking stops to gaze at him like he was some kind of celestial being.

"You're so fucking pretty, you know that?"

"You are too."

Matty brushed his cheek. "I love you"

He kissed his forehead once, then turned to get the lube stashed in the drawer. The substance trickled from his fingers like honey before he inserted one into Rome. Rome made a whimpered noise, muffled by a pillow. He added another finger, knuckles curling into him slow.

The sight of Rome made Matty weak. He didn't have the patience to wait any longer. His cock was throbbing, and he ached for relief. He needed him now. He removed his fingers quickly and slid into Rome even quicker. Pleasure painted Matty's face as he felt Rome clench around him.

His thrusts were deep, not paying much mind to rhythm, just doing whatever he possibly could to reach his high. His indulgence didn't just serve himself, though, because Rome's back was arched, head slicked with sweat. Rome moaned into the pillow again, and his mouth left behind a wet spot.

"Matty, please," Rome begged. "Need more..."

Matty's entire body felt like it was on fire. Sweat dripped down his body and stuck in the creases of his skin. He bit his bottom lip when he jolted his hips into Rome, who constricted around him again.

"Need you." Matty breathed out. "Need you s'much"

His pace grew desperate and messy. Fuck, he wanted it so bad. He rolled his hips into him with a groan, desiring release with every single inch of his soul. He was right on the edge...

The next thrust sent Matty to heaven. He saw stars behind his eyelids. He didn't dare open them, riding it out for as long as his body physically allowed him to. A groan ripped from Rome's mouth as he worked his way through his own high.

They gradually came down, muscles relaxing as they gained control over their bodies again. Matty enveloped Rome into a sort-of hug as he collapsed onto his back, both still chasing their breath.

Matty pulled out slow, fingers making contact with his cum. Without a second thought, he extended his arm out and slipped them into Rome's mouth. Rome sucked the two fingers sedately.

"That's it. You love this, don't you? Love my cum in your mouth"

Rome hummed around his fingers happily. When Matty pulled away, they were shiny with saliva.

They lay beside each other for a moment, arms caressing each other, before Matty took notice of the audio track again.

"Hey, look at it now" he pointed to the near-constant spikes on the screen. "I'm a sex god!"

"We're sex gods," Rome corrected him, sitting up. "Not just you, you know. Are you so spent that you forgot how many times I got you off? I must be incredible."

"I hate you," he kissed Rome's forehead. "Anyway, I'm gonna go send this to myself, then delete the file. Wouldn't want George or someone accidentally opening it."

February 2018

Matty took the train home from the studio. It wasn't something he usually did; he was far more accustomed to maneuvering the London side streets in his sleek black car. He had the quickest route home memorized like the back of his hand. But his car was at the mechanic overnight for repairs, and he knew that none of his friends would appreciate a call at 1am asking for a ride home. So the train it was.

He stepped on the platform and popped in his airpods. He didn't really have an idea of what he wanted to listen to, but anything was better than the persistent chatter that buzzed around him. Having just left his favorite place, the talking felt like war on his ears.

The train arrived with a gust of air. He walked in and grabbed an overhead handle to steady himself.

He was 2 minutes into some shitty comedy podcast when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Removing his airpods, he turned around and was met with the sight of a girl with piercings and smudgy black eyeshadow. Her eyes were wide, hand over her mouth.

"...You're Matty Healy from The 1975, right?"

Matty smiled. "Yes, that's me love." Fan encounters always brought him the utmost amount of joy.

She looked ready to explode.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. No way. I'm like the biggest fan of you guys. Look—I-I have the box tattoo"

She pulled up her sleeve and revealed the ink; a box decorated with pink flowers on the corners.

Matty leaned in to get a closer look at it. "Oh, that's sick. I love the flowers!"

The girl beamed. "Thank you! Would you mind it if we took a picture? My friends are going to freak out about this."

"Not at all, we can absolutely take one."

After they took the picture, she flicked her eyes to the train window. She saw the station name and scrunched up her face in annoyance.

"Well, this is my stop. It was so nice to meet you! Love your hair, by the way."

Matty's hand flew up to his newly bleached-blonde hair. "Yeah, wanted to try something different", he laughed. "Never dyed it before. It's still strange to me."

"Yeah, I'm sure", she grinned, then waved him goodbye as she made her way onto the platform. Matty waved back through the window as the train accelerated forward.

He rode the rest of the way home in silence. When he reached his stop, he strode out into the black night. He was exhausted. He had spent the last 15 hours in the studio, and all he wanted to do now was collapse onto his bed.

Matty turned his key in the door and leaned against the table in his foyer. His eyes darted to an ash tray. A cigarette wouldn't hurt.

He fished out a cigarette and a lighter from the pocket of his jeans, positioning the cigarette between his lips. Just as he lit it, he heard shuffling coming from down the hall. He peeked his head over and there Rome was, presumably heading back to his room.

"What're you doing up?", Matty questioned.

Rome flinched, caught off guard by his voice. "Oh, I was just in the bathroom", he rubbed his eyes. "Why are you up? And smoking at 2 in the morning?"

"Jus' got home from the studio. And I don't know. I felt like it, I guess."

"Sounds like you. I think I'll join you—spare me one?"

"Sure", Matty said, handing him the last one in the pack.

Rome took it, situating it in the corner of his mouth.

Matty lit it for him. Rome smiled a thanks.

They stood like that for a while, bags under both of their eyes while smoke billowed into the air. It reminded Matty of a time from a few months ago, when Rome had first started living with him.

_________________________

Late 2017

The afternoon was drawing to a close. The violet sky was permeated by thin brushings of rosy pink clouds. Matty had taken Rome to meet Ross and Adam in person for the first time. They drove up to a virtually empty dive bar tucked just outside the city. Matty had his objections about going there; he much preferred the bustling energy that came only from a bar in the heart of the city, but Ross had coaxed him into going by telling him that they offered free cigarettes with your first drink (they didn't).

Matty parked in the small lot, muttering something about always having to drive out to the middle of nowhere as he did. Ross stood at the entryway in a band t-shirt while Adam lingered a few steps behind. Ross waved them over.

Matty and Rome made their way across gravelly parking lot terrain.

"There you are!" came Ross's voice. "Thought you'd gotten lost in the woods or something"

"Hey—I'm perfectly capable of driving 45 minutes outside of the city, thank you very much", Matty retorted.

"Here", Ross held a half-empty cigarette pack out to Matty.

"Thanks", Matty said, snagging it from him. "What for?"

"I lied about the whole 'cigarettes with your first drink' thing", He nodded at the pack in Matty's hand. "To make up for it."

"Why thank you. That wasn't half of the reason I came out here in the first place at all, why do you ask?"

"I gave you your cigs, didn't I? You ingrate."

Matty threw a dismissive hand over his shoulder.

"Anyway, Ross and Adam; meet Rome." He looked at Rome with pride, clearly keen to show off his new friend to them.

Ross smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Rome."

"Nice to meet you too", Rome replied.

"I've heard lots about you"

"Good things, I hope."

"Oh, 'course. Matty's always going on about how amazing you are", he laughed. "Says you're like, a musical genius"

Rome gave a flustered little chuckle.

Adam waved at Rome. "Hi." He seemed shyer than Ross, but just as friendly.

"Hey"

His eyes darted to Rome's head. "Nice hair. I like the pink."

"Thank you", Rome said, grinning.

After the introductions were out of the way, the group shuffled into the bar. They were cast in mellow, golden lighting. The surfaces were made almost exclusively of cherry wood, most of which looked like it had been worn and scuffed. Black barstools sat along the length of the countertop that wrapped the back of the bar.

A disproportionately large TV was mounted to the left wall. A football game was on, and Ross already looked positively lost in it. Matty sighed. So that's why Ross wanted to come here. Figures. He made his way through the maze of chairs and tables before taking a seat on one of the stools. Rome sat to his right, and Ross, eyes still glued to the TV, sat on his left. Adam sat next to Ross. George had opted out of this one, as he had some production work he needed to finish up back at the studio.

Matty peered at the menu, scanning his options. Whiskey, beer. Whiskey, beer. Whiskey, more beer.

"Do they have anything other than fucking whiskey and beer?", he leaned over and whispered to Ross.

Ross pointed to a second menu. "Wrong menu, dumbass."

Matty scoffed. He ordered red wine, to nobody's surprise.

Rome, meanwhile, had ordered a pink, fruity cocktail with bubbles. Matty smirked. Cute.

They got to discussing music, weather, cars...anything that came up, really. Ross was occupied with the game, and he kept informing Adam about the scores. While Adam didn't care much for sports, he was too kind to object, so he entertained Ross's jabbering.

A few drinks in, Matty shifted in his seat. He craned his neck, eyes on the door.

"I'm gonna go for a smoke", he said to no one in particular.

"I think I'll join you", Rome offered.

"Yeah?" Matty raised his eyebrows. "Sure then, c'mon."

_________________________

"Didn't know you smoked", Matty said, back against the bar's uneven brick facade.

"Mm. Picked it up in high school. You?"

"Even earlier than that."

"I expected as much."

Matty clicked the lighter. The flame emerged lustrous in the inky wake of the night.

"Wait", Matty said, gesturing to Rome's cigarette. "Put it here."

Their cigarettes touched, and Matty lit them both at the same time.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing."

They stared out at the virtually empty parking lot. Noises of cheering and clinking came from the bar. Smoke curled around their heads.

"So how was your drink?" Matty asked.

"Hm? Good, why?"

"No reason."

"...I saw your face. You thought it looked girly, didn't you."

There was no point in denying. "Well...yeah, a little. I'm not judging", he held up his hands. "It's just, most guys wouldn't be caught dead ordering a drink like that."

"Oh, I couldn't care less about that, honestly. It looked nice, so I bought it."

"Is that your measure of how good a drink is? How it looks?"

"No...but it does influence my decision." He winked. "Also, you can't talk —you ordered wine. At a dive bar."

"I wasn't in the mood for beer, okay?"

"Who even does that though?"

"Me. And I'll be the first to admit it", he sniffed.

"You do know everyone probably thought you were the snootiest one there"

"So? It's part of my irrefutable charm, isn't it?" He flashed a grin.

"Oh, of course", Rome snickered. "Fine, comment on it all you want, but whatever was in my drink was strong, okay? I'm having trouble seeing straight over here."

Matty gave an amused huff. Then, an idea popped into his head.

He strode over to his car and stuck his head through the open window. He started scrolling through a playlist on the radio monitor.

"What are you doing?"

"Playing music. Any suggestions?"

"Nah. I wanna see what you like"

"You should be warned that 'what I like' is an extremely broad spectrum. Oh, we could start with this though."

A soft guitar melody emanated from the speakers. Rome recognized it instantly.

"Never Meant by American Football? I love this song!"

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites"

"Their entire first album is gold."

"Oh, you get me. I'll queue it up."

The lyrics rang out louder than they should have for such a quiet night.

Let's just forget everything said

And everything we did

They swayed along to the music, cigarettes burning vividly in the air. Matty hopped on the curb and began strumming air guitar.

Best friends and better halves

Goodbyes

And the autumn night when we realized

"Hey Rome, c'mere"

Matty grasped Rome's arm and playfully spun him around. They were both giggling, tipsy and bumbling around like idiots.

I just think it's best

'Cause you can't miss what you forget

"Hey, I've got an idea."

Matty took his cigarette between his teeth and used his arms to heave himself onto the hood of his car. He offered Rome a hand and tugged him up with him. They cautiously inched their way towards the roof and dangled their legs off the side. Rome's head fell to Matty's shoulder. Matty felt a blush creeping into his cheeks. He told himself it was just because of the wine.

So, let's just pretend

Everything and anything

Between you and me

Was never meant

At that moment, it felt like they were the only people in the world. Rome leaned back, face to the star-spotted sky as he took another drag of his rapidly shrinking cigarette. He blew the smoke up into the air with one quick exhale.

"So nice out here", he sighed.

"Yeah", Matty agreed.

_________________________

They were about halfway through the album (But All The Regrets Are Killing Me, to be precise) when they heard the swinging of the bar door. Ross stood before them.

"Hey, you guys okay out here? Oh, haven't heard this song in a while!"

"We're fine. Just bathing in our melancholy", Matty said, not looking up from his spot on the car.

Ross shook his head with a grin. "Wow. It's like you're back to your teenage self again. Now all we need is to find you a pair of those chunky tortoiseshell glasses"

"Oh, please don't bring those up"

Ross laughed. "Anyway, I think it's about time we head home"

"The game ended?"

"The game ended."

"Thought so. It's the only reason you'd suggest going home."

"You know me too well. I'll go get Adam. Be warned, he's drunk."

"Aren't we all?"

"Yeah, but he's like, proper sloshed."

Matty laughed.

A few minutes later, Ross came back out with Adam, who was clinging to his arm like a baby monkey.

"I'll be fineeee", he dragged out his syllables. "'M not that drunk. 'M okay, swear"

"Really? Alright then." Ross let go of Adam for a moment, and panic filled Adam's eyes.

"No! Don't move, I can't stand right w'thout you"

"Point in case." Ross steadied Adam with his arm again.

"Okay, I might not be as drunk as he is, but I'm not about to drive 45 minutes back home in this state either", Matty said.

"Yeah, same with me", Rome concurred.

"Well neither can I", Ross

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Matty pulled his phone out and started tapping away at the screen. He held it up to his ear.

"George?"

"What?"

"So you know how I said Ross was taking us to that bar in the middle of nowhere, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And how I said I wouldn't get drunk so that I could drive everyone home?"

He could hear George sigh loudly on the other end of the line. "Why am I not surprised..."

"No, wait, it's okay though! You could just take the train here and drive us home in my car"

"Does the train even have stops that far out?"

"No clue"

George groaned. "You're sure none of you can drive? Not even Adam?"

"Oh, especially not Adam."

Matty could hear a muttered fucking hell. "Fine, fine okay. I'll do it. But if anyone vomits on me, I'm leaving you guys stranded"

Matty gave a thumbs up to the group.

"Thank you"

"Whatever. I'll be there soon, dickhead."

_________________________

February 2018

"Matty? Matty, hello?"

Rome's voice snapped Matty out of his reverie.

"Matty, are you okay?"

"Sorry. Just...got a little distracted. What were you saying?"

"I said my cig's finished, so I'm gonna go get some sleep. You should too."

"Yeah, okay then. Night."

Matty walked to his room, sighing. It wasn't the first time he had replayed that memory. In fact, lately, it felt like it was nestled in the back of his brain at all times.

He mulled it over. There was no doubt about it; from a musical standpoint, he and Rome bounced off each other impeccably. He had mentored artists before. He knew what it was like to feel that strike of inspiration from collaborating with someone who brought new ideas to life. But this time felt different. Personal. Like something was growing. Something that he had no control of.

He found that he really liked being around Rome, above anything else. There was an inexplicable sense of ease that washed over him whenever it was just the two of them. It was a fascination of some sort—Matty wanted to listen to Rome talk, watch him closely, study him. He scarcely left Matty's mind.

He knew what this feeling was. He knew it so well. And the truth?