wanderlust | m.m.

eight.

when i returned to the couch with watson's doritos and a snack for myself, he grumbled that it took me too long. i had just rolled my eyes and sat down on the couch next to him. a few moments later, mat took a seat across from us.

we all made small talk with each other as we snacked. after i had finished my food, i comfortably rested my head against watson's arm. he and mat were talking about various behind the scene things such as the mechanics of the show and how mat chose the setlist.

i listened to their voices. one was very familiar, the other not quite. both had a comforting affect on me. i didn't fight my eyelids as they slid shut and i relaxed, more of my weight now leaning onto watson. as i started to drift off, i heard him chuckle. "she's asleep," he said quietly.

just as my brain was about to shut itself off for a while, the distinctive sound of a phone ringing filled the air. the sudden noise caused me to flinch and my eyelids shot open. "fuck."

the curse had fallen from mat's lips. he was fumbling with his phone, looking from it to me, an apologetic look on his face. he answered the phone and had a short conversation, thanking whoever was on the other end. "sorry," he sighed as he ended the call.

i shrugged and pushed a few stray strands of hair out of my face. "it's okay."

mat nodded, though he still wore a slight frown. "that was security. they said the crowds gone, but there are still some paps hanging around." as he spoke, he moved around the room towards the dressing table. he grabbed a black hoodie off the chair and tossed it towards me. "put this on and pull the hood up."

"why?" i asked, furrowing me eyebrows, though i did what i said and pulled the fabric on over my head. it smelled of cigarettes and cologne. it smelled like him.

"well, to keep you warm. but most importantly, to keep your face from being visible. i don't want a recognizable picture of you being plastered all over the place titling you as my new fling, or whatever bullshit they'll come up with."

"oh."

mat nodded, then ushered us out of the dressing room. "i was going to ask you guys to come to this party with me, but i think you'd rather get home and go to sleep," he said as he led us through the hallways towards the door watson and i had come in earlier.

"yeah, i think that would probably be best," watson laughed, nudging me gently. "thank you for the offer though."

"mhm" mat hummed. we had reached the door and i recognized the security guard from earlier. i was assuming he was there to guide us safely outside. "yeah, so since i had thought we were all going to the same place, there's only one car. it's no problem, though. we can just swing by your places and drop you off."

"um, are you sure?" i asked. "we don't want to make you have to go out of your way."

"it won't be a problem," mat said, turning to me. he then reached up and lifted my hood over my head, pulling it down over my face. "now, keep your head down and stay close." this is said in a softer tone of voice, and only to me.

i nodded. seeming content with that, mat turned on his heels and gestured to the security guard who then pushed the door open. almost immediately, we were met with blinding camera flashes, which made keeping my head down easy.

soon we were at the car, the door being held open for us and closing with a thud behind us. mat quickly explained the situation to the driver and had us give our addresses. fortunately, both of our apartments were on the way to mat's final destination, but we would come up on watson's complex before my own, so we planned to go to his first. it wasn't long before the car was moving and we had left the venue and paparazzi behind.