"What are you doing?"

The campus cafeteria was bustling during the dinnertime rush — the tables and lounges full of chatty, animated students. But there is only one that holds Alex's attention at the moment. Matt is at the same egg-shaped table -the one tucked into the farthest corner of the room, because Ezekiel doesn't like feeling exposed and this is the only way Matt could get him to leave the room and eat with the group- sitting in between Ezekiel and the empty chair he always leaves for Alex. As per normal, he is leaned back and balancing like a trapeze artist on two of the chair's legs. Again, this is nothing new, it is as much of a habit for him as it is for Alex to tuck her feet under her bottom — Maya had joked that her feet touched the ground just about as much as a helium balloon, which was apparently not often.

Matt furrows his thick brow before responding to Alex's question in a slow, monotone voice, "Eating cheese puffs." He looks down at the bag in his hand, as if he's confirming the obvious. Alex shakes her head and rounds the table to her chair. After curling her legs up onto the seat, she turns to face Matt fully.

"I see that," she arches a brow and adds, "but with chopsticks?" Her eyes dart over to the slender sticks of bamboo perched within his long, slender fingers, now frozen mid-air with an unnaturally orange puff in its grasp.

"Uh, yeah. I don't want orange fingers," he shrugs, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. But this is Matt they were talking about, "weird" and "normal" are one and the same for him. "I asked the grumpy lunch-lady if I could use her tongs and she handed me these. Works out better anyways, the tongs would have been too bulky."

Alex still has her brow cocked, "but why?"

Matt lowers his chair, smiling and shaking his head. "Oh sweet little Violet," he speaks like he is humoring a young child. He sets the bag and the chopsticks onto the table before he lifts his hands in front of Alex's face, "See these hands?" he waits until Alex nods, "these hands are my most important tools. I must keep them pristine and in perfect working condition at all times." Alex chuckles, shaking her head while Matt picks up snack and continues eating.

Not long after, Alex notices something else, "what's with the paper and the rubber bands?" She gestures limply at the back end of the chopsticks, where it looks like Matt had shoved a giant spit-wad and anchored it with little neon hair bands.

Her question makes Matt blush and he dips his head sheepishly. "Oh...well. I don't actually know how to use chopsticks, but look!" He grabs an unopened set from the table and waves it in front of her. She can see that the sleeve has something printed on it -pictures and maybe some words- but it's a blur thanks to Matt's wild movements. "It came with instructions for kids, so I thought, 'why not?'"

Most of the group had been ignoring them, too caught up in their own conversations -or in Ezekiel's case, his permanently attached laptop- but now Annabel snorts a laugh from across the table. "Of course you did! Because you," she points her fork at Matt with narrowed eyes, "are a man-sized child! If happy meals came with more food, that's all you'd ever buy!"

Matt puts his hand to his chest, as if Annabel's words had physically struck him, "hey! Some of those toys are awesome. You're just jealous that I have the whole Happy Meal Pokemon set and you don't."

Annabel's eyes narrow even further into thin slits, but the tilt of her lips belies her amusement. Alex smiles and leans towards Matt, without pause he wraps his long arm around her and tucks her into his shoulder. She'll never get used to Matt's crazy antics, and she never wants to. Often, she wishes that she could experience the world the way he does...maybe things would be different then. Maybe she wouldn't secretly feel like she's fading away, little by little. Just being around Matt seems to relieve the ache, and she knows she is a better person -more alive, more present- with him...trying, at least. He makes her forget just how bad she is at even the simple things in life. He makes her worry a little less about needing medication to function, because he likes her all the same. Even when she is in the slump of withdrawals, he hardly notices. One smile from him could brighten her dullest moments. Tilting her head to gaze at him with watery eyes, she has his full attention when he looks down at her, "do you know how much I love you?"

"To the moon and back, baby." He winks when he answers. His full lips are pulled tight into a swoon-worthy grin. He's so confident, so sure of their love, and it shines outward like a beacon in a dark and gloomy night.

Maya breaks the spell Alex was under when she flops into the seat on Annabel's other side. Her tray clanks against the polymer table, loud enough that Ezekiel darts his dark eyes away from his computer -a first in the entire time he had been there- to glare at her for a millisecond before darting back to the screen. Matt silently tilts his bag of puffs in front of Alex in offering, probably noticing her lack of food. She plucks one out of the bag to placate him, even though she still isn't hungry. They both sit in contented silence and watch as Maya meticulously picks through her chef's salad, discarding anything un-vegan as she goes.

"I should file a complaint," she huffs, "you'd think with how expensive this bloody school is, they'd at least have one vegan item on the menu!"

"It might be one of the best Art schools in the country, but it's still a part of the deep south," Annabel teases, "it's either fried in fat or full of butter. You're lucky they even have salads!"

Maya laughs and jokingly elbows her friend. She picks at the salad a little more before her amber eyes scan the group, "so I hear congratulations are in order for you lot." Her tone is almost accusing and she glares at each of the group before her mouth splits into a grin, "lucky bastards, getting a spot in the showcase! How exciting!"

Alex groans, exciting is not exactly the word she would use. Determined, maybe, but in a "preparing for battle" sort of way, not a happy and excited one. To her relief -and sparing her from a possibly awkward conversation- Matt excuses the two of them from the table, leaving the rest to chat amicably about the event. He leans down to whisper something in Ezekiel's ear that makes him glare daggers at Alex, but he nods his head once and focuses back on the screen. Alex blushes, having a little bit of an idea of what Matt was asking. He doesn't say anything as he leads them to the dorm rooms. Alex's notion is confirmed when he moves to the door next to hers, instead of her own.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Matt's dorm room is, essentially, the same as hers. A simple living room is the first thing to greet you after entering, with a sleek gray couch, white polymer side tables, and a low oval coffee table. On the opposite wall is a large flat-screen television and floating shelves. It doesn't have the brightly colored throw pillows like Alex and Annabel's, but rather littered with empty snack bags and drink cans. Matt was usually a bit messy, but not even Ezekiel is free from blame with this one, although his mess is in the form of books and manuals strewn about haphazardly. Matt doesn't slow down as he pulls Alex through the second door at the back of the room, where the beds are.

Typical of most dorms, the small beds are situated against opposite walls, with a bedside table to the side at the head of the beds and a small writing desk at the foot. Or at least, that's how it's supposed to be. Ezekiel had done some rearranging when it came to his side of the room, having hoisted his bed up an extra 2 feet off the ground so that he could install a mini fridge and meticulously organized storage system. If there was one thing Alex has learned about Ezekiel in the two years she has known him, it is that he strives for efficiency above all else. He had told her once that anything less was a distraction from his art and his art was everything to him. In a way, she understands what he meant, with her almost pin-point narrow focus on her own life goals, she has also weeded out the things that threatened to pull her away from that. Her first roommate was a prime example, bringing nothing but chaos and drama into what was supposed to be her little sanctuary. But if it wasn't for her, Alex would have never have moved in with Annabel and transferred to the room next to Matt. Not by chance, mind you, Matt had manipulated the situation using his pull at the Counselor's office. He wanted a chance to get to know the girl that had caught all of his attention the first day of school. He not only got to know her, but made her fall madly in love with him.

Matt moves on to his bed, back against the wall with his long legs dangling over the edge, he motions Alex to him, having her lay her head in his lap. She stares up at him while he combs his fingers through her smoke-gray hair. This is another habit of theirs, despite it being against dorm policy for her to be there. That doesn't seem to stop them from spending almost every night together, sometimes talking into the early hours, sometimes curled up sleeping, sometimes curled up more ...intimately. Alex can tell with Matt's penetrating gaze that -at least for now- they will be talking.

"So what do you think about the project?" He asks after a while. It's like he had a sixth sense when it came to Alex's emotions, he always knows when something bothers her, and more importantly, when she needs to talk about it privately. With how happy everyone else is about the project, she felt weary about her inability to reciprocate.

"I don't know, Matty. I can't help feeling like I got the shit draw from the hat. I mean really, 'bitter winter'? That's the theme he gives us? How do I work with that? I'm not like Maya, I can't just paint a snowy landscape and call it a day, you know?" Alex is frustrated, some things come easy to her -most things, really- and she has never been short of inspiration. ...until now, when it matters the most.

"You'll figure it out, babe," Matt's smile is soft and encouraging, "I have faith in you." This was the side of Matt that only a few ever saw. Like a costume, he has shrugged out of the boisterous juvenile part of himself, and exposed the world-weary old soul underneath. Alex loves both sides equally, because they are both woven together to make Matt the amazing person he is.

"I'm glad you do, 'cause I sure don't," she grumbles, "what about you? Are you going to carve a snowman out of Styrofoam?"

Matt chuckles, "good idea, but no. You'll find out at the showcase," he winks. Alex gets no privileges with her boyfriend when it comes to school — and more specifically, his sculptures. That man liked to keep his cards close to his chest, not because he worried about being outdone or cheated, but because he lived for the suspense. Alex has always been more of the 'instant gratification' type, so his antics tend to drive her a little crazy. The joy he gets from it though -the eager, mischievous smiles- are all worth the twitch she gets in her eye when he does it. She loves him, annoying quirks and all.

With that thought warming her insides, she lifts her head and kisses him. She tangles her fingers in the short strands of his inky black hair, pulling him further down to her eager lips. Everything else about her might be sharp angles and stiff lines, but her lips are full and pillowy-soft, a fact that she revels in as the kiss becomes heated. They stay fused together, mouths moving in a frenzied exploration of each others, as they paw and peel off their clothes. Maybe it's because they were so sweet with each other outside of bed that this happens, but every time they have sex, it's raw, primal, and all-consuming. Her nails latched into his shoulders, his hands bruising her hips, nipping, biting, drawing blood. It's brutal and euphoric all tangled up in one chaotic moment.

They spend the whole night like that, tearing into each others souls and making stars explode. Ezekiel stays in the living room, with his laptop, earplugs, and a scowl.

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Word Count: This Chapter- 2,244, Total- 3,731