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[byrned]

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[cravating]

[Nate just sits there, silent as Sally bull rushes over the conversation. As she heads out the door he calls out:]

Hi, Sal. Bye, Sal.

[His gaze turns back to Matt and fuck if he can't resist that smile of his. It makes his own lips curl up in a little one of his own.]

A bit, yeah. How are the folks?

[byrned]

[ It's only a bit of a smile from Nate, but fuck if Matt doesn't always love that smile. ]

Oh I'm in the good books. Thought my da had had a personality transplant. He even wanted me to go down the pub with him. We didn't even argue once.

[ It should be good, shouldn't it, all of it. It should feel good. But it doesn't, not if he's honest. ]

[cravating]

That's great, mate. Sounds like a good trip all around. Got the girl. She met the family. What more could you want?

[He's still not very good at this. It still makes him emotional. But he manages to just push through it and cough to cover the tightness in his voice.]

Luce says hello. She was by last night.

[byrned]

[ What more could he wants? To be happy? For things to be easy? Things are never easy. He can see the way Nate doesn't really like this line of conversation. It's so fucking clear now, has been ever since Luce took him aside once and told him Nate had a thing for him. She said she was telling him because Nate never would. It didn't help anything though, how could it?

Since that little trip they had a year ago, Matt had pushed himself so far inside the rabbit hole he's practically having lunch with Alice in Wonderland. ]

Oh yeah? She was? Fuck I've not seen her in too long. [ Largely because given Sally knows they used to have a relationship of sorts, she soon knocked them seeing each other at all on the head. ]

So I wanted to ask you something.

[cravating]

[Lucy had given Nate ample time to do it on his own. And he still has no idea she said anything. If he knew, he wouldn't be here. He'd be mortified and probably just move back home. Easier than dealing with all of this head on.]

Sure. You can ask me anything. You know that.

[byrned]

Well we haven't set a date yet or anything. And you know we're probably not going to rush into it. But you're my best mate, always will be. So will you be my best man? Stop me being a prick on my wedding day?

[cravating]

[This shouldn't come as a surprise to him but it does. Nate just starred, his mouth partly open. It takes him a good 15 seconds to find his voice.]

I... Well, yeah. Of course. I'd be honored.

[And he is. He really is. But it's also breaking his heart.]

[byrned]

Thanks mate. Couldn't do it without you, you know that.

[ He looks at him a long moment, his gaze lingering. Why doesn't this feel easier? ]

Aoife hated Sal by the way. Littlest sister's getting some attitude, let me tell you. I think you'd have got on. [ He smiles a bit, wry. ] Come on, I know you can't stand Sal.

[cravating]

I don't hate her. I just don't like how she talks to you.

[byrned]

She doesn't mean to. It's just how she is. [ he makes excuses for her, the same sort his ma makes for his da. ]

But she's a good girl, really. And she's exactly what my da always wanted for me.

[cravating]

Yeah. [Nate doesn't want to argue about it, honestly. It doesn't do any good.]

You hungry?

[byrned]

Famished, mate. Ravenous. Pizza?

[cravating]

What else. [It's just their thing. He picks up his phone to make the order.]

Need help unpacking her 700 suitcases?

[byrned]

[ He starts to laugh and shakes his head. ]

Yeah because how you want to spend your night is folding my girlfriends blouses.

[cravating]

[He shrugs]

If I don't help you with it, you'll do it wrong and I'll have to hear about it tomorrow won't I?

[byrned]

What am I going to do when you're not there to clean up my messes, eh? Come on, you get one case, I'll get the other.

[ He taps him on the arm and grabs a bag to take to his bedroom. ]

[cravating]

[He grabs the other suitcase and lingers back, his sad expression harder to hide when he's bringing up the inevitable. Matt will get married and married guys don't live with their best mates, do they? No, this is the beginning of the end for them- at least in this sense.

But he can't linger in that thought, so he just follows after Matt to get Sally's clothes put away before their pizza arrives.]

So when's the big day?

[byrned]

Fuck mate I dunno. I mean not yet. Not until after uni and I've got a job earning decent money. [ theres something in that that says maybe not his dream job, maybe chasing that when he's going to get married is a stupid idea. Still, finish uni, get the degree. At least do that. ]

I'm not rushing to anything.

[cravating]

[It makes him feel slightly better about things, knowing that it's not going to happen any time soon.]

That's good. Just didn't know if I needed to start looking for another flatmate.

[He tries to make it lighthearted but he's sort of bummed about the whole thing.]

[byrned]

[ It's odd but it makes him almost panic. It's hard to imagine not living with Nate, and frankly the thought of someone taking his place makes him feel sick ]

Fuck no. You're not getting rid of me yet. I'd stay here after the wedding if I could but not sure the Mrs would appreciate. [ telling, Matt, very telling ]

[cravating]

Trade in your honeymoon for pizza and crap tv, yeah? Wouldn't be so bad. [But that can't be their life and he knows it. Instead of dwelling on it, he busies himself with putting clothes away.]

[byrned]

Now that's my kind of honeymoon. Just with, you know, lots more sex.

[ He lifts the suitcase onto his bed, hissing a little in the process like the effort somehow hurt. It won't be something he draws attention to. Instead he just opens up the case and starts unpacking Sally's things and putting them in his wardrobe (his own tend to get relegated to the drawer or the back of a chair). ]

[cravating]

[Nate turns and gives Matt an odd look.]

You alright, mate?

[byrned]

What? No I'm fine. Just pulled a muscle.

[ Lies, all lies. The funny thing is, it isn't the first time Matt's come back from Ireland having 'pulled something', only usually it's something to do with his dad. Not this time. But it wasn't like his dad. She didn't mean to, did she? She didn't mean to hurt him, she'd just been emotional. It's fine. It'll be fine. ]

[cravating]

[Nate's brow creases with worry.]

I'll get the ice. [He assumes it was his dad. Even if Matt says the visit was good, it has to have been his dad, right? But Nate knows not to push Matt to tell him the details, but that doesn't mean he won't take care of him.]