lock and key (matthew gray gubler fanfiction)

chapter fifteen

warnings: none!
word count: 3.5k

MATTHEW

"you've gotta give me a minute!"

"we don't have a minute," i shout up the staircase, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

kendall finally comes running down the stairs, holding garment bags over her head and a duffel bag in her free hand. "we're taking a road trip. it's not like we're catching a flight."

"but i'd still like to arrive before midnight," i say as she gets to the bottom of the stairs. i take everything from her hands and she beams at me. "i'll put it in the car and you can finish up and lock the door."

i do as i said, hanging up the garment bags on a hook in the trunk and put her duffle bag the passenger seat. i watch from the drivers seat as kendall locks the door to her house, scurrying down the driveway to get to my car.

"are you gonna be good to drive?" she asks as she settles in. "i could take over if you need me to."

"i'll be okay, ken. it's only six o'clock." i back out of the driveway and we start on our road trip to las vegas. we stop and get something to eat for dinner and get on the highway.

kendall starts off mostly by staring out the window, her hand reached over the center console to rest on my thigh, squeezing softly. when we are stopped in traffic, i lift her hand to my lips. "are you excited?"

kendall's head rolls over into face me, smiling softly albeit a little tiredly. "yeah! i actually really love weddings and i'm excited to spend some time with your family."

i cup her face in my hand, sliding my thumb across her cheek. "you look really tired, angel. why don't you take a nap? it's gonna be a long drive."

"that's not fair to you. i—" she cuts herself with a loud yawn, eyes watering up with the intensity of it. "i just had a long day at work."

"so then get some sleep," i grab a pillow from the backseat and set it in her lap. "don't worry about it, ken."

she obliges, surprisingly. she sets the pillow against the door and knocks out almost immediately. i've seen her sleep countless times but she always looks so peaceful and soft and delicate. i had moved her hand from my thigh and placed my own on hers, holding her tightly as we travel to my home.

she wakes up halfway through the drive, rejuvenated and ready to have lots of conversation. so we tell stories and sing songs and listen to podcasts through the last three hours of the drive. when we arrive to my home in las vegas, we aren't even tired.

we unload the car and i even help kendall steam out all the dresses she made. she had to teach me how to do it properly but after that, we sat in my living room and played a random movie as we steamed dresses. and watching kendall sitting there, steaming, dressed in sweats with her hair completely messy, feels massively domestic and stupidly sweet. it makes my heart flutter against my chest and my palms get sweaty.

we sleep far too close to each other that night. our bodies are still damp from our separate showers and kendall giggled when her shaved, lotioned legs brushed against my hairy ones. she fell asleep way before me and left me to lay awake with her on my chest, wondering how the hell i got here in vegas with kendall as my date to my cousins wedding. how the hell did this happen?