Tragic Kingdom (80s/90s imagines)

83: Matt Dillon

For Dramionelover07

Kinda based on "Miss Missing You" by Fall Out Boy bc reasons

On your shelf sat a photo album you hadn't opened in years. If you had, you would have seen the pictures Matt took that summer. It was really a year, but every day felt like summer with him.

There was a photograph he had taken of you, sprawled out on a sidewalk, highlighted only by the streetlight. You had spent the whole day swimming at the city pool.

"But there's so many people there," you had protested.

He smiled. "No one swims on Mondays."

He was right. The lifeguards didn't even set up since you two were the only ones there.

The smell of the chlorine that clung to your skin and hair was what you remembered most. He had leaned in for a kiss, and you thought you were drowning the scent was so strong.

Another picture was of you sitting in front of someone's gate. There was a white picket fence surrounding the greenest grass you had ever seen, and the house looked like it belonged to the Cleavers.

Matt had stopped in front of the house. "This is it."

"What?" But you had to follow him out of the car, as he had parked and gotten out.

"Being with you is like getting my white picket fence dream." He turned to see your stunned face but said nothing else.

There were plenty of close-ups of your bloodshot eyes and drunken expressions. He loved to break out his camera after you had had a few drinks.

"You look beautiful," he announced behind the camera as he shot another photo.

You stumbled towards him, trying to focus on the lens. "You're damn right I am," you'd said before deciding you were done for the night.

You stopped looking at the pictures after it stopped hurting. It couldn't last forever. You both knew, but you missed him for a long time. And then you slowly put yourself together again. Seeing those pictures would only hurt.

But nothing would hurt you more than seeing that face your brain had learned to blur out of memories. A knock on your door had you wanting to kick bricks out of your rebuilt foundation.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see."

Your eyes held no tears. "I don't miss you anymore if that's what you mean." There were none to shed.

He licked his bottom lip and met your eyes. "Do you remember when you used to sing to me?"

"Matt-"

"Did you love me?"

Your eyes focused somewhere else. His hair, his shoulders, his fidgety hand. "I don't know, but I miss missing you now and then. It felt real."

Your album would stay on its shelf, and Matt would leave again. He'd find his white picket fence with someone else, and you would sing sweet hymns to another. There would be no photographs of this moment.

Lsnejakens ppl should NOT give me so much freedom w these. I only write angsty shit apparently.

Thank you for trusting me so much 😅 I hope this didn't totally throw you off (your rhythm). I appreciate you guys requesting!!

M'kay.

~Mariah