#v.02 ★ in our idle town

[lawrising-a]

@pseudoneiric voted : whole group is sitting together, all ten of them, so it’s a rowdy table. especially with nikita and roi right there, who are poring over the menu looking for the most disgusting thing nikita can dare him to eat, while ro looks on with an expression that seems like half-awe and half-fear. meanwhile, manny’s being normal, by which he means he’s getting a little obsessed with how he and mat just both happen to be ordering steak. and once mat orders, manny’s left looking at him in awe. “wait, you take your steak medium? that’s, like — there could be blood in that. ohmygod, that’s, like, so brave.”

agreeing to dinner with your friends is usually followed by a calm, reasonable night for most -- but for a certain friend group, it happens to be quite the opposite. after joey cautiously asked him in the most roundabout way possible, matthew knew what would transpire. but despite that, the detective can't help but loudly sigh when the antics actually begin. he makes a point in ignoring roi and nikita, avoiding eye contact while easily pretending they're not there as he converses with teala ; who sits near him. it's quite hard to maintain a topic on their current predicament at the station when he keeps hearing jc egg roi on in the background, or when his ears perk because of the occasional thud from colleen's hands slamming on the table. but he's managing, really. usually he thrives in environments like this, jutting forward a limb or high note to pool in some attention for himself, yet matthew doesn't really feel compelled to try today. unusually withdrawn from the group.

when it's time to order, he gives his with a polite smile aimed the waitress's way -- focusing more on her name tag ( cindy, huh? ) rather then his peculiar order. it's only when manny's voice rises up, breaking the fog lingering around mat's brain, that the detective's dazed eyes seem to fall to him. medium? oh, yeah, he supposes he did! it's a habit now to order his steak medium ; it's more chewy that way and matthew's fond of the excessive juices that come with the pink-centered meat. what's the real kicker, though, is that he normally orders it that way to see if it brings forth any comments ... which it's never really have before. until today, apparently! the one time mat isn't particularly searching for the highs of attention.

( and from manny, no less! that added bonus does make him preen ; straightening his back and barely holding back a wide grin )

“you know there is blood in it, right? that's the whole deal! when it gets here, i'll show you -- if it doesn't, hah, gross you out or anything.” his hand gestures outwards, casual motions for the sake of movement. “and it's not particularly brave --”

quickly, the detective stops himself short. he's more than a little flattered manny thinks so highly of him simply for ordering his steak weirdly, so he's floundering in the conversation from being caught off guard. matthew takes a movement to collect himself. doing his best not to overanalyze the amazed look in those green eyes, because if he does he'll get caught up in it. being viewed with awe is a rush like no other and it's easy to get lost in it. especially from someone with raw talent, like his record producer friend at the table. he decides to not sell himself short, because why should he? if manny thinks it's brave, what's wrong with feeding into that claim? when he mans up enough to make eye contact again, there's a fluttery sensation in his stomach -- and his own mud eyes look more grounded then before, more bright.

mat chuckles, “actually, i guess it is brave, huh? i'm guessing you don't order your steak that way?” clearly he didn't pay attention to the other's order. but at least he appears genuinely curious now.

around them, their table continues on with obnoxious chatter and movement. yet it easily becomes static background noise when matthew's interest is strongly held.

#» yellow tainted views ( answered. ) #v.02 ★ in our idle town #pseudoneiric #( its the way i responsed to this so fast ajskaks ) #( i just like. group settings. okay ... ) #( and and. this was so normal i had to )