Indiscriminate Illusions (Misc. Oneshots)

Comfort And Abandon (Gatty)

Pairing: Matty Healy/George Daniel

Rating: Explicit

Triggers: Brief mention of self-loathing

George was enjoying an early morning walk in the park with Allen when his phone went off, the muffled sound causing Allen's ear to twitch slightly before he returned his attention back to the particularly interesting bush he had been sniffing around for the past few minutes.

Letting out Allen's lead so he could continue his exploration of the foliage, George settled down on a nearby bench, pulling out his phone only to see a new message from Matty, who George wasn't expecting to hear from until later on since he was supposed to be doing an interview to promote their new album which had recently been released.

George had managed to get out of going, because although he loved many parts of the band, interviews weren't really his forte, and Matty had agreed to take Adam instead although he had pouted a bit when George suggested that initially.

It was just a link, so George clicked on it curiously, waiting for what felt like ages while the page loaded before he was taken to what was apparently a review of I Like It When You Sleep...

George barely even skimmed through the first paragraph, deciding to close it out entirely when it became obvious that it was mostly hate with very little substance. George didn't want to read it, not that it would overly upset him, but because it was rubbish, and he wasn't keen on sullying his day with someone's attempt at creating controversy.

George had bigger things to worry about than a random journalist's opinion anyway, mainly Matty's reaction, because the fact that he had sent this to him meant that he had been bothered by it, and although Matty put on a brave face in public, George knew that Matty didn't hold up well in the face of negativity, especially when it was applied to his music.

This album meant so much to Matty, he had poured his entire heart and soul into it. George had personally witnessed the process, hell - he'd been a major part of it, and he considered it to be one of their greatest achievements as a band yet, but he was also better at brushing things off than Matty was.

As much as George wished he could protect Matty from all of the hate in the world, the only thing he could do was be there for him and pick him back up when all of the burdens he placed on himself dragged him down.

George jumped slightly when his phone vibrated again, signaling another text from Matty. He had forgotten to reply to the original one since he had been lost in thought, and being left on seen probably hadn't helped Matty current emotional state at all.

"Did you read it?"

"I saw enough," George replied, "you coming home soon?"

George knew it would be pointless to attempt to cheer Matty up through messages, so he didn't bother. Matty responded best to touch and verbal reassurances, so he would have to wait until they were together again to comfort his boyfriend properly.

"Yeah, we're just wrapping things up."

"Alright, see you soon then," George typed out hurriedly, waiting for a few moments to see if Matty was going to send anything else before standing up quickly.

"Come on Allen, let's get back," George called out, tugging gently on the leash until Allen reluctantly trotted over to his side.

George had planned to stay out a bit longer, but now that he was aware of Matty's distress, he wanted to arrive home before his boyfriend did, that way Matty wouldn't be left alone for even a few minutes, and George had learned from experience that sometimes that was all it took for Matty to spiral into a breakdown.