pairing: matt jackson x reader

plot: matt's been going to the cafe you work at for years now. it's his favorite, and not just because of the food. you've shared lots of small talk and are practically already friends. only now though did he summon up the courage to finally ask you out.

genre: general

warning: n/a

word count: 2.3k

author's note: this concept is so cute, thank you to the anon who requested. just wanna be a little batista sometimes y'know?

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it was a monday today, a very busy day for the cafe you worked at. while maybe some would probably complain about the increased number of customers that the day brought on, you loved your job. you loved seeing faces, both new and familiar, loved the peacefulness and quaintness of it.

it was quite interesting, really, how you could guess a new customer's order simply by looking at them. in order to make the job a little less boring for your coworker - a twenty one year old arts student -, you suggested a game. whenever there was a new customer, you would guess what their order was gonna be - there was no price, just simply bragging rights - and you couldn't be beat. at this point, you didn't know if you were unconsciously stereotyping these people, or if you were just that good at your job. you weren't complaining though, it's not like you were hurting anybody.

another thing that you found interesting was when your regular customers would change up their usual orders and based from the small talk you would usually strike up, it seemed like almost every time, there was a reason other than simply them wanting to change it up.

sometimes there would be a college student who usually ordered a caramel macchiato ordering an espresso. you would soon learn it was finals season. sometimes it would be a parent whose usual is an americano, ordering a frappe. turns out they were celebrating their wedding anniversary and they left their child with a babysitter go on a well-needed vacation.

there were also rare times - and by rare times, there were five times, from what you could remember, anyway - that a well-known celebrity would come to your cafe. and while that would probably be the highlight of most people's cafe careers, much less their whole lives, without a sliver of a doubt, your favorite customer was one matt jackson. you didn't know his last name at first but the both of you chat fairly often and you learn some things, some things that were simply a google away.

"yeah i was born in rancho cucamonga but i live in hesperia now. i hated my parents when we first moved. i feel really guilty thinking about it now, my parents always chose the best for me and my siblings. it's just that me and my brothers had something really special back in our old home." memories, maybe? that  would be the obvious answer. perhaps a girl? you soon found out it was much more than that.

"i kinda travel a lot. personal reasons. it's tiring, but nice. it feels nice to just be a tourist when we get to fly out in new york city or something, you know? i've never really left california, just went to vegas a couple of times when i was a kid with my family" there was a sparkle in his eye that let you know that this matt character wasn't just a tourist. there was something more to his love of traveling.

at first, it bothered you that you wanted more, that you were actually interested in this person's life, they were just another customer, after all. luckily for you though, it seemed like he was interested in you as well. he probably wouldn't have kept on coming back to the cafe and wouldn't be the one starting the small talk if that wasn't the case, right?

his order was usually an iced coffee, or a cold brew if you were out of that. one day though - it was on march thirteen, if you remembered correctly. given the fact that you were so weirdly smitten by this stranger though, it wouldn't surprise you if you did actually remember correctly - he had something different. something sweeter and on the more extravagant side. the drink was definitely not something that was ordered often because it was unreasonably pricey. "eh, just thought i'd indulge on my birthday."

one day, though, after the usual short talk with you, he sat in his seat - a window seat on the right side of the room which at this point should've just been labeled "matt's seat" since that's where he always sits down - two young girls approached him. they looked like they were in their early twenties, twenty four at most. at first, you thought that it was family members, until they asked him to sign the shirts they were wearing, asked him to take a photo with them before leaving the cafe, not buying anything. he looked at you apologetically - not that you minded the girls, you just weren't expecting it - smiling sheepishly and exposing those dimples of his before returning to his phone.

both of the girls were wearing black shirts with a white rectangle across the chest and inside the shape was "the elite" in all caps. you noticed that it was the same shirt matt always wore. up until that point, you just thought that it was matt's favorite shirt but now, much to your dismay, you started to dig a bit, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"matt elite rancho cucamonga"

"elite matt california"

"matt march 13"

"the elite matt philadelphia"

then you found out what matt was doing in philly a few days ago. he was extremely happy as he told you about it - though he did not specify he wrestled - which again, fueled your ever-growing curiosity about the man with the long, brown hair and a matching set of gorgeous brown eyes.

the way he talked about wrestling, the way he talked about how wrestling made him feel made you not have any odd thoughts about the sport. while some people's first impression may be "isn't it fake?" "it's not a real sport" "it's ridiculous. just watch mixed martial arts instead! ufc is so much better." you couldn't. how could you when wrestling was able to make people feel such incredible and intense emotions? maybe the sports aspect of it was scripted but the way it made the fans feel certain emotions was the furthest thing from fake, you have matt to thank for that realization, like how you can thank matt for always being the highlight of your day.

turns out, you didn't have to bring wrestling up the next time matt stopped by, he brought it up himself. "hey, do you watch professional wrestling?" he had two toned and tanned arms on the counter, slightly leaning forward, enough for it to tell you that he's interested in your answer, but not enough for it to be weird.

you did technically watch the video of him in philadelphia, as well as some other ones, including the videos on their channel, being the elite - him and his brother nick jackson were spectacular. you had no idea where they picked up such a talent. kenny omega too, they were untouchable in the ring and charismatic on the mic - but really does that count as you watching professional wrestling? you decided to say no. after all, what were you supposed to say after that? "yeah i kinda watch professional wrestling. only your matches though, after i searched you up on google and found out that you're a wrestler." while it was correct, it still wasn't something you wanted him to know. it wasn't exactly something you prided yourself on.

"i mean, i've watched a few episodes of wwe back then. does that count?" you shrugged at him as you put on the cap of his iced coffee, now about to go to the counter display to get the egg sandwich he ordered. iced coffee and egg sandwich, that was his usual.

he hummed at you as a response. "i guess it does, technically." he let out a chuckle that was quite frankly, too cute for words. goddamnit, why did you have to get a crush on the man? he's famous and probably has millions of girls lining up to his hotel room. there was no way the ship was going to sail.

"you don't watch anymore though?" he asked as a follow up.

you stayed crouched by the pastries for far longer than you had to. you knew that your face would betray you if he saw you at that moment. you made a conscious effort to keep your voice level as you responded with a "nope", popping the p at the end.

finally, with the trusty egg sandwich in hand, you pushed that - along with the coffee - towards him muttering a "here's your order."

he took it, his hand grazing yours momentarily. you couldn't help but to pull your hand away quickly, the jolt of electricity that ran through you startling you. you wondered if he felt it too. he didn't seem too bothered if he did though. the realization set into you that he probably did not and you hated how disappointment settled in your stomach because of that.

"that's a shame. i would have loved to have another mind to talk to about wrestling," he looked down at the wooden counter, then to the windows, the sun shining brightly though them, painting matt in a glorious golden light. he looked like an angel. "talking to the same wrestlers get old. i wanted fresh, new ideas."

"i could start watching again. do you wrestle?" you pipped up with a small voice. that was a smart idea. you would be able to talk to him about his wrestling while not revealing that you searched him up cause he would reveal it for you. you almost patted yourself on the back right then and there for that idea.

"no, you don't have to do that." he waved you off, picking up his food as well as a straw and starting to stand up from his seat in front of the counter. you had a nagging feeling he was gonna exit the cafe instead of hanging around in his usual seat.

"it's no bother at all, matt! i would love to watch you wrestle!" was that too far? you didn't know, but the honest words flew out of your mouth before you even realized it. you were a second away from cringing at yourself before he turned around then with a smile on his face. "you sure about that, [y/n]?"

nodding at him with a small smile on your face, you responded. "yeah of course. where'd you like me to start?"

it got you excited. now, you could keep up with matt's career without it being weird. it wasn't a stalker thing, it was a "this person is so nice and i want to see them as they succeed." kinda thing, and he wasn't bad to look at either.

he walked back over to the seat in front of the counter - now a bit further away from you, just to make sure he wasn't in the way of your customers that are gonna order - before he talked to you about wrestling some more. you could listen to him speak for hours, even if it was about something you were particularly interested in. you were now interested because of him.

he told you that wrestling was the reason he wasn't around as often as he'd liked. "trust me, [y/n], if i lived an ordinary life and was here in this city everyday, i would go here every day. you guys seriously have the best coffee." he said as he took another sip. you took pride in that. one time he told you that he was a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur and that he (playfully) fought his friend kenny about your coffee being the best as his fellow wrestler was a vietnamese coffee supremacist. you couldn't help but blush and look down smiling ridiculously.

he told you that the thing he was talking about that was so special in rancho cucamonga that they had to leave behind was a wrestling ring in their backyard. you couldn't help but be in awe at how supportive their parents were, you knew that matt felt the same way. who else could say that their father - with them helping out - built them a wrestling ring? not many people.

he told you about the ups and the downs of the business, how some people were desperate for interactions and clicks that some wrestling media outlets would paint them in a bad light, especially in their earlier years as wrestlers, as clickbait but was happy to find out that they were able to capitalize off of that. you felt a strange wave of pride when you learned about it. the young bucks took the phrase "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" to a whole 'nother level.

his phone rang in the middle of him telling you about how they used to run their own shows - which all started in their backyard - named high risk wrestling - or hrw, for short - though. he cursed lowly when he saw the caller id.

"talking to you was great, [y/n]. i'm afraid i have to cut it short, though." he pursed his lips before continuing, seeming as he was thinking about his next words, you had no idea why. was he going on another tour in japan - he told you they could get long and brutal - that was gonna keep him there for a long time?

"do you wanna hang out with me sometime? like, a date?" and your heart was caught inside your throat, but managed to shake out a nod - you hoped it didn't look overly enthusiastic - and he smiled.

you regained your composure as he stood up to answer the call and leave. "anything but coffee".