That 000000 & ffffff || Matty Healy

For Crying Out Loud

/ / F O R C R Y I N G O U T L O U D / /

I wake up with a searing headache and minimal understanding of all that's happened last night. I try to move but my limbs are pinned to the bed. I pry my eyes open and glance down to make out a tuft of dark brown hair splayed over my shoulder. Anna's hands are wrapped around my waist and her head is pillowed on my midriff. When I turn my head, I note that I'm not exactly on pillows either. I had been resting my head on Matty's chest, though he was laid adjacent to me. I groan slightly when the light streaming through the curtains intensified my headache.

There's a soft chirping noise and it takes me a minute to realize it's my phone. I don't remember taking it off vibrate, but I ignore the persistent twittering.

I'm too spent to try and place out where we are exactly, so instead I turn sideways, and pause slightly when Matty shuffles. I let out a sigh when he rests his hand in my hair and I snuggle closer to Anna. She's warm and smells of sweets but before we get too comfortable, a door slams open and we all shoot up.

"Sorry to disrupt the orgy," Ross grimaces, "But there's a fire." Anna blinks, rolling - literally, rolling - out of bed and on to the floor before picking herself up and hauling ass to our fire extinguisher. She pushes Ross out of the way, rubbing at her bum like she ha bruised it somewhere.

I rub my face, looking up at Ross, "Hi," I mumble and my voice is utterly hoarse, it's disgusting to my own ears. My phone goes off again but it's easy to ignore when Ross continues speaking.

"George bought a flat ten blocks away," is what he tells me instead of a greeting.

"What?" Matty answers this time and it startles me because I had nearly forgotten he was in the room.

Ross scrunches his nose, "Sorry, I should have eased in to that."

"What did we do last night?" I wonder, holding my head.

"Besides the tattoos on all of our asses," Ross shrugs, leaning against the door frame, "George bought a flat, the red haired girl and the Joker got engaged, and Jamie told us he's scared of ferns. He swore us to secrecy. That's probably why we have the tattoos."

"Louise and Lane got engaged?" Matty mumbles "Wow, congratulations."

"Tattoos?" I squeak, "On our ass?"

Ross grins and I wonder slightly when he's gotten so sardonic. "Matching ones too."

When Ross exits the room I turn to Matty and he grins lazily, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" I narrow my eyes at him and he lifts his eyebrows. I sigh and lay across his lap.

"Oh Jesus," George says, eyes wide and face stricken, he quickly turns back, not even stepping foot over the threshold of the room. Matty had been tugging my shorts down at the same time and I figure it probably looks a lot worse than it is. Matty lets out a loud laugh, falling back on the bed. His body jolts and his voice goes, his face turns red and I fear he can't actually breathe. I bite my lips to stop my own laughter and bury my face in my arm until we've both calm down.

"You good?" I ask him. He nods his head and runs a hand through his hair, fingers catching in his curls.

"Shit, yeah. George. What a loser." I giggle at this, reaching to shove his shoulder lightly but he catches my wrist and holds it by the small of my back. My pulse quickens at the position I'm in and my body tenses when Matty tugs my shorts down. "Jamie's scared of ferns?" Matty asks, conversely.

"Pteridophobia," I say quietly after a beat too long, too focused on Matty's fingers lifting what I can only assume is the dressing covering the tattoo. "Remember one day, you asked what his problem was? If Anna was a pyro and I'm scared of germs - well, Jamie's terrified of fern plants." I wince a bit as his fingers probe lightly. "How are you sitting, doesn't yours hurt?"