Yeah, [ Matthew agrees, a simple answer from a simple boy. He kicks his feet up over the back of the couch and flops backwards, imitating Noah's posture. When he settles, they're close enough for their shoulders to be touching.
The truth is, his imagination is not that great, so he can only sort of imagine it for himself, but what he's got in his mind seems pretty nice. ]
So this is why you have "kiss ten people" on your list.
[Noah watches this extravagant repositioning, gently amused, and grins when Matthew finally settles in next to him. Their hair, soft and golden, looks like sunlight together on the cushion.]
I mean, I guess ten was kind of ambitious. But yeah, it's just about my favorite thing.
[ Matthew laughs a little again and wiggles his feet on the back of the couch, like a happy kid that just can't sit still. Ten sounds pretty ambitious to him, but Noah clearly has moves (or something. It sounds like he knows what he's doing, at least.) ]
How many are you at now?
[ He's genuinely curious, because he genuinely cares about Noah's bucket list. ]
[ Matthew is practically giggling now. It's not just the ridiculousness of talking about Noah asking their housemates for bucket list kisses. It's the whole conversation. It's just--
It's silly. He feels silly. He feels like a teenager, a real one.
He turns his curly head toward Noah, and they are very close. ]
[ Matthew is not an over-thinker. He pursues the things that make him happy like a flower reaches for the sun; it's all very natural and easy and doesn't require much thought.
But if he wanted to, honestly, he could think of a lot of worse things than being one of Noah's bucket list kisses. ]
I don't know, [ he admits without a trace of discomfort; in fact he's trying not to laugh again. ]
I mean-- It's been a month and you're still at zero.
[ Any actual game would likely be lost on Matthew anyway. He just looks at Noah for a moment, his mouth still stretched in a wide, easy smile. He's still not overthinking this. Does he want to? Mm, in the moment, yeah, he really kinda does. Did Noah just give him an invitation? That's what it sounded like.
There's a little thrill in his stomach when he decides to just do it, to roll onto one shoulder and lean in and plant what would no doubt be the world's most innocent kiss on Noah's mouth--one down, nine to go. Except Matthew doesn't get that far. In fact, the exact moment his body even suggests the movement an energetic little bundle of soft fur and puppy limbs and puppy teeth attaches itself to his head. ]
Hey-- Max!
[ Matthew immediately bursts into laughter again and almost slides onto the floor in surprise; Max is chewing on his curls, which were apparently too great a temptation to resist, the way he was draped over the edge of the couch. ]
Max, come on, cut it out!
[ There's a happy little 'woof!' from the floor and everything is now 110% excitable puppy. ]
[Between the speeding of his heart and the sudden gray blur of Max, it takes Noah several seconds to realize what's just happened. All he knows is that he was about to kiss Matthew Lynch, and right this moment, he is very much not kissing Matthew Lynch. Which, of course, is totally fine. It's not like he's ever felt the desire to before, so he shouldn't be disappointed now. In fact, he probably shouldn't be disappointed at all! He doesn't need another reason for Ronan to be mad, and making a move on his little brother definitely seems like a step in the wrong direction.
But when he looks over at Matthew - at his blond curls and his bright smile - he still feels... weird.]
Hey, boy! [Noah reaches down to scratch Max's ears, trying to ignore how his shoulder is still pressed up against Matthew.] What have you been up to?
[ See, Noah, that right there is overthinking. The thing that Matthew does not do. He's still laughing when he rolls over and sits up, jostling the other boy in the process, and then-- ]
Whoa.
[ He probably shouldn't have stayed upside down for so long; he's immediately dizzy, which just makes him laugh again. After Noah's had time to give Max a sufficient ear scratch Matthew leans over and scoops him up into his lap (the dog, that is), settling back into the couch, thoroughly distracted now from their conversation. Including the kissing part. Max isn't content to stay in one place and it's not even two seconds before he's squirmed away from Matthew and trying to climb all over Noah, oblivious, as all puppies should be, to what he might have just interrupted. ]
[Noah obliges, sitting up on his elbows to get a better hold on Max, but he finds it difficult to look over at Matthew without the warmth in his cheeks spreading again. He focuses on the dog's wet, bouncing nose, trying to put the almost-kiss fully out of his mind.]
He does smell like peanut butter, [ Matthew agrees, still laughing, still at ease, pulling his feet up onto the couch, oblivious to any and all tension or awkwardness. As an afterthought he digs his phone out from where it fell between the cushions, and this is the first time he's seeing the alert for the Majority Report. ]
Oh.
[ His smile fades as he checks it out. ]
Dorian Gray saw the thing about me and Lucy.
[ One can tell from his tone that Matthew would have preferred just about anybody else's seeing it. He stands up. ]
I should take care of this.
[ Somehow. Sorry Noah, definitely no kisses happening now. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
YOU JUST COULDN'T SLEEP WITHOUT A LITTLE MORE CUTE FIRST
The truth is, his imagination is not that great, so he can only sort of imagine it for himself, but what he's got in his mind seems pretty nice. ]
So this is why you have "kiss ten people" on your list.
it's truuuuue
I mean, I guess ten was kind of ambitious. But yeah, it's just about my favorite thing.
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How many are you at now?
[ He's genuinely curious, because he genuinely cares about Noah's bucket list. ]
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I'm still at zero. It turns out actually finding people to kiss is the hard part, here. It seemed easier at Aglionby.
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[ He 'hmm's again, thinking about it, tapping a finger on one of his own ribs. ]
What about anybody here?
[ He laughs, because it's a silly suggestion. Most of the people in their house are dating each other already.
... Most of them. And he's really got no reason to think Noah might want to kiss any of the ones who aren't. ]
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Dude. [He tilts his head backwards until he's looking at the room upside down.] No one here'll say yes.
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It's silly. He feels silly. He feels like a teenager, a real one.
He turns his curly head toward Noah, and they are very close. ]
Well, it just has to be the one kiss, right?
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Are you volunteering?
[It's half teasing, but half... curious.]
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But if he wanted to, honestly, he could think of a lot of worse things than being one of Noah's bucket list kisses. ]
I don't know, [ he admits without a trace of discomfort; in fact he's trying not to laugh again. ]
I mean-- It's been a month and you're still at zero.
[ It could be weird. Or it could be nice. ]
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Well, I mean - [Woah. There goes all the game Adam thought he had.] Only if you want to. You have to want to.
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There's a little thrill in his stomach when he decides to just do it, to roll onto one shoulder and lean in and plant what would no doubt be the world's most innocent kiss on Noah's mouth--one down, nine to go. Except Matthew doesn't get that far. In fact, the exact moment his body even suggests the movement an energetic little bundle of soft fur and puppy limbs and puppy teeth attaches itself to his head. ]
Hey-- Max!
[ Matthew immediately bursts into laughter again and almost slides onto the floor in surprise; Max is chewing on his curls, which were apparently too great a temptation to resist, the way he was draped over the edge of the couch. ]
Max, come on, cut it out!
[ There's a happy little 'woof!' from the floor and everything is now 110% excitable puppy. ]
no subject
But when he looks over at Matthew - at his blond curls and his bright smile - he still feels... weird.]
Hey, boy! [Noah reaches down to scratch Max's ears, trying to ignore how his shoulder is still pressed up against Matthew.] What have you been up to?
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Whoa.
[ He probably shouldn't have stayed upside down for so long; he's immediately dizzy, which just makes him laugh again. After Noah's had time to give Max a sufficient ear scratch Matthew leans over and scoops him up into his lap (the dog, that is), settling back into the couch, thoroughly distracted now from their conversation. Including the kissing part. Max isn't content to stay in one place and it's not even two seconds before he's squirmed away from Matthew and trying to climb all over Noah, oblivious, as all puppies should be, to what he might have just interrupted. ]
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You smell like peanut butter.
[To the dog, not Matthew.]
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Oh.
[ His smile fades as he checks it out. ]
Dorian Gray saw the thing about me and Lucy.
[ One can tell from his tone that Matthew would have preferred just about anybody else's seeing it. He stands up. ]
I should take care of this.
[ Somehow. Sorry Noah, definitely no kisses happening now. ]
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What'd he say?
[His voice is laced with concern.]
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[ Matthew makes a face. ]
You know.
[ Dorian Gray, Noah. ]
I guess he thinks it's true.
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I've gotta tell him it's not true at least. Otherwise he might go spreading it around.
I don't want it to cause Lucy any problems.
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Just don't take it personally if he spreads it anyway. People'll believe you over him.
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I hope so.
[ He turns away, planning to head to his room and deal with this by himself. If he's gotta talk to Dorian Gray he probably shouldn't be distracted. ]