One year later...

"George, did you get the dog food?" Matty calls out when he hears the door of the flat he shares with his boyfriend creak open, not bothering to walk into the main room to greet him since he's busy struggling to button up his jacket which stubbornly seems to be refusing to cooperate.

"Oh fuck me - I forgot," George's deep voice answers.

"Really?" Matty whines back, "but I have to leave for work now, and Allen doesn't have enough for breakfast in the morning."

"I'm sorry love," George apologizes as he enters the bedroom, a smile tugging at his lips as he watches Matty fighting with his clothing, "my meeting ran long and it completely slipped my mind to stop by the shop after. Not sure if I'm a fan of this promotion since I can't make my living from the sofa anymore."

"Oh sod off, you love it, and you deserve it yeah? Not to mention I already told everyone that my boyfriend is the main editor of a famous magazine, so don't you dare back out now," Matty teases, a proud smile tugging at his lips even when George rolls his eyes at him affectionately, his previous frustrations with him evaporating instantly in his presence.

"Well the extra money isn't bad, and I guess it is nice for the most part, but I miss being at home."

"You're still here more than I am," Matty points out, keeping the argument going just for the sake of it. He knows George is pleased with his new job title, they both do, but Matty likes to continuously remind him how wonderful it is that he had been chosen for it. This is a huge opportunity for him, and Matty is so pleased that he managed to achieve a prominent position with Mojo magazine at such a young age, even if he forgets to do the shopping more often than he used to. "Speaking of, I'm already late, and the club opens in a few minutes, so do you mind driving me?"

"Yeah, of course, I can get Allen's food on the way home, and I'll pick you up later if you want?" George offers.

"Won't you be asleep?" Matty queries, finally getting his jacket fastened correctly, tugging on his comfortable trainers since he's left his nice boots in the dressing room at Menswear.

"Nah, I'll stay up. I'm off for the next few days remember, we are going to go visit your mum and help her with that bookshelf she can't seem to get together."

"Oh fuck - that's next week isn't it?" Matty groans while tying his laces. "I swear to god this month has disappeared, like the clock sped up on me or something."

"Well, you know the saying, time flies when you're having fun," George smirks, dragging Matty in for a quick kiss as soon as he straightens up.

"So you're to blame then?" Matty grins when George releases his mouth.

"Mhmm," George mumbles, dragging Matty back in before he has the chance to catch his breath, kissing him deeper this time, leaving Matty dizzy and a bit lightheaded when he finally pulls away.

"Stop kissing me and take me to work chauffer," Matty giggles airily, smacking at George's arm when he pouts sullenly. "You'll have plenty of time to ravage me afterward with your time off."

"Not true since we'll be staying at your mum's," George points out.

"You are allowed to kiss me there too you know, my mother won't faint."

"Wasn't talking about kissing," George answers lowly, but Matty refuses to be distracted for any longer.

"Then we'll make sure to fuck twice as much before we leave, but come on now, Jamie will kill me if I'm late again," Matty groans when George begins nipping at his neck lightly.

"You know he won't, he loves you," George replies, but he does finally make his way toward the door, grabbing the keys to their car as he goes while Matty follows behind him closely. "What time do you think you'll be off tonight?"

"Probably around two, oh - also before I forget, Nick and Harry want to meet up for drinks soon, and we have to find them a wedding gift as well."

"We will do, we've got time," George nods, opening the door for Matty so he can duck out first, locking up their flat behind them, "and you can plan a day and let me know, I'll make sure I'm off for it."

"We assume we have time, that's what I thought about this visit, but look at me now, before I know it, it'll be Christmas," Matty sighs in exasperation. "Is this me getting old, am I losing my mind already?"

"You're not old love, just busy, but don't worry, we'll find them something perfect soon, maybe we can even go shopping with your mum while we are there," George soothes him. "I've never been to a Christmas wedding, I really am looking forward to it."

"Well, it's not actually on Christmas day, but it will be wonderful I'm sure. Harry's been going mental with the planning, think he's driving Nick a bit up the wall from what I can tell, although it's odd mostly talking to them through text and not face to face," Matty muses.

Both Harry and Nick had quit dancing not long after they had decided to get married, not that they didn't like it, but Nick had finally gotten an opportunity to work in radio like he'd always wanted, and Harry found a job at a bakery that he instantly fell in love with.

Initially, they'd meant to work double to pay for the wedding expenses, but they found that it was easier on them as a couple to stop stripping and focus more on themselves, which had Matty wondering if he might do the same eventually.

He doesn't plan on leaving Menswear soon, he adores it still, and unlike Harry and Nick, he isn't sure what he would do if he did quit. He's a dancer, that's what he's always been. Maybe one day he won't be, but for now, it is still his favorite thing to do, and getting paid to do it makes it that much more enjoyable, even if certain people choose to look down on him since he is technically a stripper.

George doesn't though, he's just as understanding about why Matty stays there as he was when they initially got together. A few things have changed since then of course, Matty no longer does private dances, or anything besides stage shows actually, so he makes much less money, but with George's income added to his own, he no longer has to worry about that.

His monetary problems are now a thing of the past, in fact, almost all of his old worries and fears are. He's truly happy now, mostly thanks to George, and it seems that George feels the same.

They had moved in together barely a week after they became official, and even though Matty had been fearful that he had been pushing George too quickly after months of treading cautiously, everything had clicked into place so easily that Matty felt a bit silly for ever having any doubts.

There was one awkward instance where they had run into Kyle while leaving together not long after George was settled in with Matty. Kyle still lived in his old place of course, so it was bound to happen at some point, but Matty had been so fearful that seeing him would make George regret everything, causing him to lose his newfound source of joy.

Kyle had been bitter and cruel, spouting harsh words at George, accusing him of cheating on him as well since he'd obviously gotten over him so quickly, but George had brushed him off much to Matty's surprise. Afterward, he'd assured Matty that he was fine, that Kyle no longer had the power to hurt him, and his opinion didn't matter to him, because they both know the truth.

They haven't had another encounter with him since, although Matty occasionally sees him around, and he's sure George does too, but like George said, he's unimportant. He doesn't want to focus on the past, because he has George now, and Kyle doesn't. George obviously seems content with his decision, he never gives Matty any reason to question their relationship even a year later, so Matty isn't going to cause issues where this is none.

And there really aren't any problems with their current situation. As cliché as it sounds, Matty thinks that he and George fit together like two halves of a whole. He makes sure to support George in whatever he does, to listen to him and not push him aside like he knows Kyle did to him for so long, and George does the same to Matty. He didn't judge him or grow upset when Matty stated that he wanted to keep dancing, they just had a chat about what George was comfortable with and how things would shift now that they were together.

Matty wants to make sure that George doesn't feel like he's cheating on him in any fashion after everything he's been through, but George knows that. He seems to be the only one who truly gets Matty, maybe even better than he does himself.

And in moments like this, when they are discussing domestic things like family plans and upcoming weddings, Matty is positive that he wants to spend the rest of his life with George. They haven't talked about marriage or anything like that, but when he looks to the future, George is always there by his side.

Matty thinks that George feels the same, he always includes Matty in everything, including his decision to take his newest promotion, but also in little things like what he wants for dinner. They've even joined their bank accounts already on George's insistence, which feels very much like something married people do, although Matty knows George did it so he would stop feeling guilty about how much less he makes compared to him.

But for now, Matty is ecstatic with where they are. He's in no rush to tie the knot, because in a way, he knows nothing would change besides a piece of paper. George is the love of his life, he brightens each of his days already, and Matty will let whatever happens next unfold in its own time. For now, he's simply going to enjoy each day as it comes.

"We're here love," George speaks, breaking Matty out of his internal musings with his deep voice, and sure enough, Matty sees the flashing sign announcing that they've arrived at Menswear. "I'll see you later yeah, maybe we can even stop by our McDonald's if you're hungry after your shift."

"That sounds good," Matty smiles, leaning over to kiss George quickly before he opens his door, "and don't forget the dog food."

"I won't," George promises, waving to Matty as he walks backward for a few steps so he can keep George in sight, his heart beating rapidly when George smiles at him just like it has done ever since he met him.

Matty doesn't think he'll ever stop feeling this way around George, he's still so bloody smitten with him, and it takes more effort than it should to tear his gaze away from him.

"Love you," Matty calls out, earning himself a flash of George's teeth as a reward.

"Love you too, now go wow everyone," George encourages him.

His words have Matty grinning so hard his mouth aches a bit from the cold, but he can't stop, even once he gets inside. Matty remembers when he thought no one could ever care for him because of his profession. Before George had come along, he had mostly given up on finding love, but George has proven him wrong.

He might have an unconventional job, but that doesn't matter to George, because he loves Matty, all parts of him, not just the dancer. He sees each aspect of him that intertwine together to make him who he is, and he adores him, which is more than Matty ever thought he'd receive from a partner.

Matty pulls his phone out of his trousers as he changes, his affections for George inspiring him to open their messages briefly as he kicks off his trainers. He originally intends to send George a message that says he loves him, but George knows that, not to mention he just said it, so he types out the words "DOG FOOD" instead, ending the message with a ridiculous amount of heart emojis.

George messages him back as he's about to walk out into the main area of the club, so Matty glances at it before he exits the dressing room.

It's a picture message, and when he pulls it up, it's a photo of George with Allen's favorite brand of dog food held in one hand, as well as a box of Special K in the other. George is making a hilarious face that Matty thinks is supposed to be him blowing a kiss although it sort of looks like he's about to be sick, and the caption at the bottom simply says "memories".

God - Matty had almost forgotten about that day, but George obviously hasn't. Matty didn't think he could feel any more love for George than he had in their car ride over, but now his heart feels full to bursting.

Matty can't think of a proper response straight away, he's too overcome with affection for his boyfriend, so he puts his phone back down, a permanent grin plastered on his face as he heads out to do what he loves, even though he's tempted to keep messaging George for just a little while longer.

But for now, Matty has a show to put on, and when he's done, his boyfriend will be there waiting for him just like he always is.

So this is the end.

I never meant for this story to become so involved or for it to take me as long as it did to finish it but I do adore it.

Thank you to everyone who read this whether you have been here from the beginning or you started this after it was completed. All of your votes and comments mean the world to me and I'm so honored to receive them.

This might be one of my favorite things I have written so far and it feels amazing to finally have it up in its entirety. I am toying with the idea of perhaps publishing this one day but for now just having it on here is so satisfying in itself.

My reader's eternal patience and support helped me push through to the end of this even when writing felt impossible for me so once again thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I love you all so very much xxxx

Goodbye for now and I hope to see you on my other stories.

- starr