The first thing that caught Tom's eye about Matt was his looks. It's not like there was much else there, he told himself. He was nothing but a pretty face. A pretty face he found hard to block out. He lived in the same house, after all. But Tom swore that Matt would purposefully grab his attention, do things just for him. Of course, that couldn't be the case. It was just Tom's mind making stuff up.

The thing that stood out to Matt when he saw Tom was how ~~attractive he was. Matt, being Matt, was more qualified then anyone to say that.~ was how sad he looked. It was more than sad, Matt could tell. He looked angry, and grumpy, and he just wanted to see Tom smile. So he made a game out of it. Matt would try to get Tom to smile every chance he got. Sometimes he was successful, but more often than not he wasn't. Matt was okay with that. He didn't expect to succeed every time, and when he did get that smile out of Tom, it was worth it.

Tom swore that it wasn't in his head, those times Matt would look at him and grin (it was an attempt to coax a smile out of him; almost never successful but always worth a shot) or he would do a favor for Tom without being asked. It was weird, but nice, Tom guessed. Though he had to ask why. Why would Matt be doing those things for him? He has to have better things to do, right? Tom decided to wait it out (he tells himself he doesn't like these things, that he doesn't like Matt, but that couldn't be less true) and Matt would eventually get bored.

Matt did not get bored. He felt he could never get bored of seeing Tom smile. Better yet, he was the cause of those rare smiles. It made him giddy. He didn't notice that when he let his mind wander it would go to Tom. If he did, he thought nothing of it. He liked Tom as a friend, and friends keep friends in mind, right?

Tom was beginning to get frustrated. It had been over a month since this started and that ginger idiot still hadn't gotten bored. Every day Matt would get him to smile. Every single day now! It didn't matter to him how nice it felt to smile at him, nor did he care for how happy with himself Matt always looked when he did. Tom wasn't one to smile, and he'd like to keep it that way. He didn't like change, even if that change was something as stupid and small as smiling once in a while. Tom had began avoiding Matt. He hated the warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach when he hang out with him. It felt like he was drunk, except he didn't get to drink the alcohol.

Matt continued to do little things for Tom. Maybe he was out shopping and he saw something that reminded him of Tom, or he saw that Tom was having trouble with something and went to help. Just stuff friends did for one another. Why would it be anything else? For a good few months it wasn't anything else - just Matt being a good friend. But then a problem arose; his actions and thoughts became more than that. Matt was a pretty feminine guy, and as such he enjoyed a good chick flick every once in a while. While he was watching one he found himself thinking things that struck him as odd. The leads kissed, he imagined it was Tom and him. They held hands and were happy together; Matt wished that was he and Tom. Weird. He didn't think of Tom like that. He just.. didn't. I mean. He did care an awful lot about Tom, more than Edd or Tord at least. But it wasn't Love by any means. Just a few off key thoughts.

Tom had decided the warm fuzzy feeling had to be some new brand of hatred that he was yet to experience. Sure, it felt nice and he actually kind of liked the way it felt, but he couldn't think of any other explaination. He couldn't even sit near Matt without feeling like that. It made him want to puke. The only other time so much as seeing someone evoked  so much emotion was with Tord, and his burning hatred for the norski. As mentioned before, Tom had began trying to avoid Matt every chance he got. It seemed the more Tom avoided him the more he wanted to see him. If he went too long without seeing the ginger, Matt would become the only thing he could think about. It was ironic and not at all funny to Tom.

Matt had begun to notice how Tom was avoiding him, and quite frankly, it hurt. It shouldn't. It was Tom, he was an ass to everyone, he should be over it. But he wasn't. The less he was around Tom the less happy he was. Additionally, if he wasn't around Tom, he couldn't make him smile. His smile. Matt liked that smile a little more than what was reasonable. He missed it, but there wasn't anything he could do. Tom would leave rooms he entered or ignore him when he spoke. Matt knew he should say something to Tom about it but he found that he just.. couldn't. If Matt was bothering him that much, Matt was willing to leave him be for a while.

Tom was actually.. upset, that Matt left him alone. That's what he wanted and yet it made him feel bad. He badly wanted to tell Matt to persist and continue to try and talk to him, even though Tom's behavior would never let on to that. Tom thought many times of going up to Matt and talking, acting as though nothing had happened. He did not do that. Tom instead sat moping in his room (though he would never call it moping.)

Matt was getting mad at his thoughts now. Spending so much time away from Tom made him think things, and they got more and more romantic each day. He liked Tom as a friend and that was final. Even though he wouldn't mind if Tom were to come up and kiss him, or hold him close or... This had to stop. Matt decided to talk to Tom. He wouldn't leave him alone until he said something, anything. If he talk to Tom these thoughts would calm down to what they were like before Tom started avoiding him. Speak of which, he'd have to ask about that. Nothing could go wrong.

Tom was now being talk to by Matt. Part of him was so excited; Matt was going to talk to him again! He could feel the warm fuzzy feeling inching up in his gut. The conversation was pleasant before Matt asked one question: why did Tom start to avoid him. That's where the other part of Tom came in. He was anxious and upset that Matt was talking to him, and after that question, these feelings worsened. What was he supposed to say? "I can't handle the way you make me feel so I avoid you"? Honestly, that'd be better than what he had chosen to say instead.

"You make me sick." The statement wasn't wrong. Matt did make Tom feel sick. He made his stomach do flips and it made Tom want to puke. It was unpleasant. It made Tom hate Matt something fierce. But at the same time it made Tom feel wonderful. It made him feel warm and safe and comfortable. He wanted to grab Matt and never let go. But Tom chose to focus on the negative, no matter how amazing the positive was.

Upset did not describe the flurry of emotion Matt was hit when Tom said those four words. First, he was stunned. He didn't understand. He searched Tom's features for an explanation. He didn't really mean that. He couldn't really mean that. Matt felt like something was being excluded from his answer. There had to be something missing. Next he was hit with a wave of hurt. His stomach felt uneasy. It was like the polar opposite of the high Tom usually gave him. It felt awful. Matt wanted to leave, but he couldn't. He managed out a single confused "What?"

Tom repeated himself, firmer this time. Matt made him sick. He made him sick in so many ways. Matt was tearing up and that made Tom feel terrible, more terrible than Matt had ever made him feel. He sniffed. Matt got up and excused himself.

Matt went up to his room and began to cry. His tears became heavier the more and more he thought about Tom. He felt stupid for crying. He had become attached to, and dare I say fell in love, with Tom. He should expect this. He was so so stupid. It hurt more than it should. He cried until he was able to calm himself down. He looked like a wreck. Matt spent the next hour or so fussing over his appearance. It made him feel better.

Tom spent the next few hours drinking and feeling bad. It was like most nights, except he felt worse somehow. God, he hated Matt. He hated him so much. How dare he make Tom feel. After Tom was quite drunk he decided he was going to apologise and explain. Okay, the second part was optional. He'd decide when he got there. He stumbled up and walked to Matt's room. He knocked.

"Who is it?" Matt called through the door, his voice a tad hoarse from crying earlier. At least he looked better now, his eyes being less puffy and his clothes straightened.

"I'm so sorry, Matt," Tom slurred back. It was immediately evident to Matt that he was drunk. Matt pushed aside how hurt he felt to hopefully help get the man outside his door to bed. He stood, and made his way to the door. The moment he opened it he was hugged. Tom continued to slur out various apologises.

The contact made Matt's heart flutter despite himself. He hesitantly put an arm around Tom and began to pat his back. He was more drunk than Matt had first thought. Matt told him it was okay, it was fine, please calm down Tom. Tom did calm down to where Matt could understand what he was rambling about. He was elaborating on his previous statement.

Matt made him sick. But a good sick! It made Tom feel so good but at the same time absolutely terrible. He couldn't handle it. That's why he was avoiding him and he's sorry, Matt, he so so sorry. He didn't mean it.

It took Matt a second to realize what Tom had said. A good kind of sick..? He wasn't quite sure what Tom meant. Matt asked if he could be a bit more specific. Though the tears neither had noticed Tom was crying, he gave an explanation: Matt made his heart flutter, made his stomach toss and turn, and made Tom so happy. He wanted to hug Matt so bad and he final got to. Matt figured it out pretty quickly after that. He was immediately happy (he wanted to hug and kiss and hold Tom and-), but his logical thought came crashing in: Tom's drunk. Who knows if he means what he says. Matt shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to kiss Tom. He took a moment to consider the consequences and came to the conclusion Tom probably wouldn't even remember. Also meaning no consequences. He lifted Tom's head, and quickly kissed and squeezed him before shoving Tom off and retreating into his room.

Tom sat outside confused as to why Matt had stopped kissing him. He liked that! He tasted ... Tom didn't know but it was good. He knocked on Matt's door again. No answer. And again, no answer. Tom gave up and trudged back to his room. He liked Matt, why did he go. Once he h
Reached his room he drank a bit more, think of Matt, and fell asleep.

Tom did actually remember what happened the next day. How could he not? It made him feel wonderful, and he badly wanted to do it again. But he shouldn't. And wouldn't! That's not him. He doesn't.. nope. He had more important things to worry about, like his pounding headache for example. His stomach growled. He has to eat too. Both things that are much more important than Matt, and that kiss, and how he felt and- shut up. He stumbled out of bed and down the stairs and made some shitty cereal. Matt was thankfully not up yet. If he ate quick enough he wouldn't have to see him.

Matt woke up a good twenty minutes later. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched. He let his mind wander as he got up, applying the things he needed to let set. It wasn't that big a surprise when his mind wandered to Tom. Tom and the kiss. His heart fluttered and he felt happy, so happy. And then he remembered that he'd never be able to do that again. He pushed that aside. At least he got to kiss him once, right? Right! He went down stairs, still in his pajamas, and began to make himself a small breakfast.

Tom was still down there, finishing up his cereal. It took him a second to register that Matt was there. He looked quite relaxed. Matt sked if Tom got to bed alright, since he was rather drunk last night. He said yes, he did, though he felt like he should make some clever quip. Matt smiled at him. Tom's heart felt light. He finished up his cereal and went upstairs, as far from Matt as he could get. He didn't need that ginger asshole to kiss him again.

He really wanted that ginger asshole to kiss him again. That's the uneasy conclusion he came to after spending hours attempting to distract himself. Okay, hours might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly felt like it had been that long. Nothing kept his mind off of Matt or the kiss for long. Playing guitar? I wonder how nice Matt's singing voice is. Browsing the internet? I bet Matt would do really well with some beauty profile. Staring at the fucking ceiling? Isn't Matt just the prettiest face you've ever seen. It was frustrating. The longer he sat up there the more those thoughts bombarded him. He drew the line when all he could think was "I hope he kisses me again." He was going to talk to Matt about this. It was his fault. So he trudged down the hall to Matt's room that he had since returned to.

Matt was half way through fixing up his hair when an angry knock followed by Tom shouting his name. When Matt didn't immediately answer (he had to finish one thing ok) Tom called his name again. "Okay okay," Matt replied, getting up from his spot in front of the mirror to answer the door. What the hell could Tom want?

Tom didn't have much of a plan for what he was going to say to Matt. Confront him about kissing him? No thanks. Scorn him again? He didn't have the heart for it. If Tom was to be honest with himself, he was hoping Matt would kiss him again. He was, of course, not near being honest with himself. So when Matt opened the door Tom had nothing to say. He stood there like the idiot he was. He told himself to say something but he was distracted with Matt's pretty blue eyes, and just finished hair. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Matt asked if everything was alright.

"Yeah," Why wouldn't he be alright? Oh yeah. He was standing there like an idiot. Who, by the way, still had no clue what he was doing there or what to say.

"Okay," Matt replied. He looked a tad nervous. He was shifting his weight from one foot to another, rubbing his army awkwardly. He seemed like he had something he really wanted to say, and he did after a few moments. "Do you... Remember, anything last night?"

Tom definitely did remember last night, even if he wished he didn't. He's really happy that he remembers but Tom tells himself he hates it. Tom's face got warm without his consent as he replied with a simple "Yes."

Matt looked even more nervous. "Tom, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He looked so... It made Tom feel bad, really bad. He wanted to see Matt smile, and laugh, and- oh shut it! Tom was itching to hug Matt. He really wanted to, and he wasn't quite sure why. ('Cause he wants to comfort him but Tom's an idiot.) Tom told him it was fine. They sat in awkward silence for a while, before Tom reached forward and hugged Matt. He gave in. It was quick but it was something.

Matt was stiff when Tom hugged him. That was the first thing he noticed. It was actually the only thing he had time to notice before he pulled away and ended the hug he had started. Matt was looking at him, confused. Tom looked away. His face was getting hotter and his stomach felt uneasy again. Matt said his name. Tom excused himself, turning to go. He didn't have the chance as Matt grabbed his chin, pulling it so Tom was looking at him. "Can I?"

Tom couldn't reply. His heart and head felt so light and his stomach was tossing worse than he could remember it ever being. Matt took Tom's silence as a yes and kissed him. Matt tasted good. Like some kind of fruit. It took Tom a second to return the kiss. Kissing Matt was bliss, to Tom. He loved every second and it ended too soon for him. It had been so enjoyable that Tom had forgotten to be critical of it. When they separated both were breathing heavier than before, and Matt's freckled cheeks were dusted with red. He was smiling, and the sight of it made Tom smile too.

Tom is really awkward for the coming moments, as is Matt. They both don't know what to say or do. Eventually they kiss again, and they talk for a bit. They decide to be together.