"So..." Matty clears his throat roughly while George is busy doing the dishes despite Matty's earlier protests stating that they could wait until later, "did you have any plans for today?"

George bites on his lip for a moment in favor of speaking, because he can't quite tell if that's Matty's way of suggesting that he stick around for a bit or if he has something to do and he's trying to discover when George is going to leave so he can get on with his life.

"Not really," George finally answers honestly, toweling off the last plate slowly as he watches Matty carefully from the corner of his eyes. "Probably get some work done if I can manage it, but that won't take long."

"Well if you'd like, I'm going to get that dad tattoo I mentioned later this afternoon, and if you're not busy, I'd love some company."

George hesitates for a second time, waging the now-familiar battle with himself regarding what he should do in this situation. He wants to go of course, in fact, he'd like nothing more than to spend the entire day with Matty, but he isn't sure if that is beneficial for either of them in the long run.

"I-"

"You don't have to honestly," Matty barrels over the start of George's sentence before he can get another word out, "I just don't like getting a tattoo alone, which is silly, I mean, it doesn't even hurt all that bad, but I like having someone else there to focus on if that makes sense, but it doesn't have to be you. I can ring up my friend Gem and see if she's free, so if you'd rather not, I totally understand."

"Matty, calm down," George chuckles softly, resisting the side of him that is tempted to pull Matty into his arms and stroke his askew curls until he remembers to take a breath again which is getting progressively harder to ignore the longer he stays near the other man, "I'll come with you, just give me a few hours to make some progress on my article and I'll be ready to go."

"Really?" Matty looks so thrilled at the prospect of George joining him that George isn't sure what to say, so he just nods instead, which has Matty grinning cheerily as he rushes over to George's side, embracing him so quickly that George doesn't have a chance to reciprocate the affectionate gesture before Matty's pulling away. "I'm so excited, you can meet Jesse, he's my artist. He's lovely, in fact, he's letting me get this for free as long as I tip him a bit. I probably should check in with him to make sure we're still good for today, but he does amazing work if you ever want a new piece, although you might already have a shop you go to, I never really asked, but you probably do, I mean, your ink is much better than mine."

Matty continues to ramble on as he scrambles around supposedly looking for his phone, and George lets him, simply bobbing his head and humming at appropriate moments as he observes Matty. George thinks he seems a bit uncomfortable, or nervous maybe judging by the way he's running his mouth and he keeps bumping into things as well.

George reacts in a similar fashion when he's out of his element, but he doesn't understand why Matty's behaving so oddly in his own home, leaving him to wonder if he has something to do with it, which could be good or bad depending on the why behind it all.

"Well how about I let you phone him up and I'll head back to mine for a bit. You can pop down there whenever you're ready, you remember the number right?" George suggests when Matty fails at finding his phone, although George is positive it's still in his room since he hadn't seen Matty bring it into the kitchen with him, but he's sure Matty will figure that out once he's left.

"Yeah, that sounds good, I'll probably be there around three if that's alright. I just need to walk Allen and run a few errands first."

"That's perfect," George grins, daring to step closer to Matty in the hopes of receiving another embrace, but when Matty only smiles at him weakly, George ends up waving awkwardly instead. "I'll see you soon then."

George grabs his keys and exits Matty's flat before things grow any more tense, patting Allen goodbye on his way out when the dog bumps against his legs as if to query about where he's going.

George internally curses himself for being so stiff when he and Matty had been getting along fine earlier as he descends the concrete stairs, but he's still doing his best to figure out how to act around Matty now that he's admitted to himself that he properly fancies him, and Matty seems to be feeling the shift in their friendship as well.

George isn't sure if agreeing to go with Matty to get his tattoo is the best idea he's ever had, but it's too late to back out now, and really, being around Matty is the only thing that helps him forget about the persistent ache in his heart that makes an appearance whenever he's alone, so he's not going to second guess himself like he has the terrible habit of doing.

Yes - George likes Matty, and maybe he shouldn't be spending his entire day with him so soon after his fight with Kyle, but George also doesn't really care how bad this would look if Kyle could somehow see him now.

George is almost positive that he and Kyle are close to their end anyway, and even if they aren't, he's not going to cut Matty out of his life because of his feelings for him, he cares too much for him to lose him.

But that has George wondering if he's being selfish all over again, which he can never seem to decide on. He knows he deserves to be happy, John had assured him of that, but is this right for Matty? That's George's real concern, because unless he's mistaken, Matty has at least a small crush on him as well, either that or he's simply this kind to everyone, but George thinks it's the former.

That deduction should have George walking on air, because he wants Matty to be smitten with him, fuck - he'd do almost anything to be given the chance to treat Matty with as much tenderness as he's shown him, but what if he's being cruel to the dancer by providing him with false hope, if he even wants to be with George that is, he has to keep adding that on in case he's falsifying emotions that don't exist.

George could end up staying with Kyle, even after this whole mess, it's still a possibility, because Kyle is quite skilled in the art of convincing George to forgive him no matter how awful he's been, and George knows they could make up once Kyle returns home. He's determined to stand up for himself more often no matter what happens, but he doesn't have very much faith in his internal strength if Kyle comes back with a genuine apology and starts acting like himself again.

By the time George reaches his door, he has half a mind to bang his head against the dark wood until his mind stops spinning, even if that will only give him a headache to match the dull pounding in his chest, but maybe if he gives himself a concussion he'll be incapable of mulling this over for any longer.

George doesn't though, mostly because his neighbor walks out just then and he's forced to duck inside so he can avoid conversation with the talkative woman. George feels a bit guilty for avoiding her, because she is quite nice overall, he's just not in the mood to pretend to be interested in the antics of her grandson today when he's busy dealing with his own personal crisis.

George forces himself to open up his laptop once he's toed off his shoes, clicking on his documents as he tries to remember what article he has due next. His vision blurs as he stares at the files, and he can tell it's going to be one of those days in which he'll be lucky if he gets a few hundred words typed out before he gives up on the piece entirely.

It's hard to focus on anything besides Kyle or Matty right now, and George can't decide which one he should dedicate his thoughts to. He's so tired of being split in two, and really, the answer to his dilemma should be simple.

George obviously isn't in love with Kyle anymore, and he treats him like shit, so he should leave him and see where this thing with Matty goes, but that involves actually breaking up with Kyle, and George can't quite bring himself to do that just yet.

George does get so far as to pull out his phone, hoping to see a missed call or even a new text from Kyle although the last one had hurt more than anything else, but there's nothing. George thinks that is a sign that Kyle no longer cares how George is feeling, but then he remembers that he never responded to Kyle's earlier message either, so the blame for his silence rests partially on his shoulders as well.

George debates on if he should ring him or not for much longer than he cares to admit, but in the end, he opens up his conversation with John instead, typing out an abridged version of his evening with Matty coupled with an "I'm so fucked John" to summarize his life right now.

John gushes over Matty almost as much as George does when he finally messages back, demanding that he meet him soon so he can see who George is so smitten with, although George cringes at the thought of letting John and Matty anywhere near each other. John knows more about George than anyone else, and he's sure his friend would manage to embarrass him somehow which he'd never be able to live down.

George finally puts his phone away when he notices that it's already two in the afternoon and he's done basically nothing, telling John he'll call him later with more details before shutting his phone off entirely so he can attempt to concentrate.

That doesn't work nearly as well as George hopes, and instead of working, he finds himself replaying the entire morning with Matty in his mind, but it lifts his mood at least, so George counts that as being productive.

~~~

George is currently spinning around in the chair he situated himself in earlier while Matty's busy getting his tattoo, his eyes roving over the walls coated with posters and various tattoo designs that are getting blurrier by the second.

Matty's conversing with Jesse at the moment as he cleans his arm, leaving George feeling a bit out of place, and maybe also slightly jealous due to the large hug Jesse had greeted him with when they'd walked in the door.

George isn't sure when his affections for Matty had amplified to such an intense level that a small embrace from a friend has him feeling stroppy and left out, but they have, and no matter how ridiculous George is being, he can't help but wish he could hold Matty that closely without needing some pretense for doing so, but maybe with time they'll reach that level of friendship even if nothing romantic ever happens between them.

Matty is a very affectionate person after all, and George is sure he wouldn't mind if he hugged him more often, but George would know that he's got an ulterior motivate in doing so, which is why he refrains from acting on the numerous things he'd like to engage in with the other man, one of which involves holding Matty's hand which is stretched out over the armrest limply, his fingers flexing every few seconds in a way that manages to draw George's attention each time they come into his line of vision.

At least he's not worrying himself sick about what Kyle's doing at the moment, which George is sure he would be if he was left to his own devices, so that's something, although a part of him is wishing he hadn't come at all if he's going to spend the entire time watching Matty chat with someone who obviously has a much better relationship with him than George does.

"George?" Matty calls his name like this isn't the first time he's uttered it, causing George to drag his feet so he can stop his circular motion, pulling the chair to a halt with a dizzying jerk.

"Sorry - what's up love?" George bites his lip a second too late, because no matter how casual the nickname typically is, George's stomach still jumps whenever he uses it on Matty, and he isn't sure if the sensation is caused by guilt or adoration, although it's probably a mixture of both if he had to guess.

"Jesse wants to know where you get your work done," Matty giggles quietly, "and he'd like to see the peacock, apparently my description isn't good enough for him."

"Oh uh...I don't really have anyone specific I go to anymore, got most of these in uni actually, but um...here." George rolls up the sleeve of his white jumper so he can show off some of his ink, letting Jesse examine the pieces closely before he returns his attention to Matty's half-finished tattoo.

"Those are quite good actually, they haven't faded much at all," Jesse hums under his breath as he presses the needle back to Matty's skin, causing the other man to wince slightly which has George shifting closer to him instinctually before he can stop himself. "If you're free after this, I can fit you in as well if you've got something in mind. I'm bored as fuck in this shop, my last one got a lot more business, but the boss and I had a falling out so I ended up here."

"I'm sorry about that," George responds lamely, not really sure if he was even supposed to answer or not, "but yeah, I wouldn't mind getting a little something," George adds on when everyone stays silent, his eyes dancing over the numerous designs on the wall, hoping one will stand out to him so he won't have to spend hours pondering the decision.

George never really puts that much thought into his tattoos, he usually just gets things that appeal to him at the time, and in the past, he'd often let friends test out new techniques and such on him, but he sort of wants something to remind him of this point in his life, of this moment with Matty which he never wants to forget even if he's torn up inside and he isn't sure what any of this means.

"I'm almost done here, so I can get you as soon as I'm finished with Matty's kinky as fuck tattoo," Jesse grins, earning himself a groan from Matty and a slight gasp from George.

"Shut up Jesse," Matty all but screeches, "it doesn't say bloody daddy or anything, and it's for Allen, so just sod off and stop insulting my completely innocent tattoo."

"Whatever you say Matty, but honestly, you are much too attached to that dog," Jesse chuckles lowly, missing the sullen pout Matty is shooting in his direction since he's busy outlining the 'A' again.

"You think my tattoo is lovely, right George?" Matty asks in a whiney tone that has George immediately wanting to agree with whatever Matty says even if a part of him does think that getting a "dad" tattoo for a canine is a bit ridiculous overall if it was anyone besides Matty receiving it.

"Of course mate, Allen is going to love it."

"See Jesse, two against one," Matty smirks, sticking his tongue out at the artist even though he still isn't looking at him.

"Your boyfriend's opinion doesn't count since he's obviously going to side with you," Jesse remarks casually, leaving George choking on nothing as Matty blushes so fiercely that George swears he can feel a slight rush of heat emanating from his red face.

"He's not - we're just friends," Matty belatedly stutters out while George is too busy trying to get his lungs to function again to respond.

"Oh, sorry mate my bad."

Jesse sounds truly surprised at the fact that they aren't together, which shouldn't please George as much as it does, but he can't deny that his heart swells noticeably because of the assumption, especially when Matty leans in his direction while Jesse brings the needle back down in a way that doesn't prove his statement at all.

George shifts the tiniest bit closer until Matty's head is resting on his shoulder, pretending not to notice the subtle weight even when Matty pushes against him in a manner that almost seems grateful.

George lets his eyes wander again as Jesse wipes the excess ink from Matty's tattoo, his gaze alighting on a simple design gracing a sheet posted near the door that seems to resonate inside of him although it's really just a few lines that squiggle upward haphazardly.

"Alright Matty, you're all good," Jessie announces after a few more finishing touches. "You know the drill, keep it clean, put on lotion, don't get come on that spot if you can help it until it heals -"

"Fucking hell Jesse," Matty groans, "I hate you, honestly shut the fuck up before I smack you."

George loses control of himself then and breaks into a peal of laughter that has Matty scowling at him as well, but the sour expression quickly melts away when George pushes against Matty in the form of a silent apology, his shoulders bouncing up and down with his chuckles which has Matty's body shaking slightly in time with his movements.

"So you getting anything mate?" Jesse asks as he finishes wrapping Matty's arm, his question breaking George out of his hysterical fit for long enough to draw in a proper breath.

"Uh...I like that one there with the three lines," George points to the symbol he'd spotted earlier, backing away from Matty slightly as he speaks although he'd much rather press into him instead. "Maybe on my thumb if you can make it fit."

"Let me see your hands." George spreads his fingers and flexes his knuckles as Jesse examines him. "Oh yeah, I can do that. You got at least thirty quid on you?"

George digs through his wallet briefly before nodding, taking Matty's spot on the long chair when Jesse shoes Matty out of it so he can start getting George ready for his tattoo.

Matty hovers close to George the entire time Jesse's preps his tools and changes out the needles, his comforting presence leaving George feeling relaxed and content just like it always does.

George suddenly realizes how lucky he is to have befriended Matty at that moment despite all of the conflict he unleashes within George due to his attraction toward him, because if it wasn't for him, he'd be at home moping alone, but he's not. He's out getting a new tattoo, he's enjoying himself, and it's all because of Matty.

George isn't able to recall the last time he'd been with Kyle and had such a lovely time, which is sad but true. They're always bickering lately, or not bothering to do anything at all, and even if this is just a small event with someone who is technically nothing more than a friend, George is so fucking glad he'd agreed to join Matty today.

"Why'd you decide on that one?" Matty asks just when Jesse initially touches the needle to George's skin, his voice emitting in a hushed manner as if he's almost afraid to ask.

"It just seems to fit me right now," George explains lamely, not wanting to delve into how the three crooked lines remind him of himself, Kyle, and Matty, or how the way they twist and almost intersect is so similar to their lives and how they are all running parallel right now even with their difference, or how he hopes the two that are touching at the top will soon be him and Matty.

"I like it," Matty smiles down at him fondly, his eyes glittering brightly as he meets George's gaze for longer than is strictly necessary "and I'm really glad you came with me today."

"So am I."

Why is this the only thing I can write for lately I'm such a mess but idc I love this story sm.

I'm gay.

George loves Matty.

This is a bit short but honestly I just wanted Matty to get this tattoo and I was too knackered to delve into the next plot point quite yet.

How are you all?

Votes and comments are my favorite thing besides Matty and George so I'd be very happy if you feel like leaving some.

Love you lots xxxx

- starr