Here is part 2
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As his eyes roamed across the bodies of his friends, he locked back on Taliesin who had pulled something out of his bag and had turned around, keeping whatever it was behind his back, slowly making his way back over to Matt. Matt started to feel a small shadow of that black, thick cloud of fog creep into his brain again, and he rubbed his hands over his face, trying to scrub it away. When Taliesin got closer, he brought out the object that was behind his back: it was the strip of rope and collar that usually has Matt going gaga.
Except this time, it doesn’t, the exact opposite happened actually. Once Matt catches sight of those two items, the fog, buzzing and twitching comes back full force, hitting him like a freight train. Immediately, he blanks, and starts shaking full force. In a panic, he calls out “RED!” Soon after, he brings his knees to his chest, rests his face into it with his eyes closed, and wraps his arms around his knees, shaking uncontrollably. As soon as the safe-word was called, everyone stopped, their breath held. They turned to look at the source of the voice, and saw Matthew; shaking, head in his knees, and soft sobs coming from him. Everyone looked at each other, a shocked and bewildered look gracing each one of their faces. They had never had a complete breakdown like this; little calls of yellow or hard no’s to certain things established beforehand, but never something like this. They remain in their stunned silent state for another minute or so but then all look to Marisha to start figuring out what was going on, seeing as she was the one most likely to get through to him. She nods to the rest of them and slowly crawls towards Matt, speaking softly. “Babe…Matt, what is going on?”
His only response was to curl in tighter on himself, sobbing a bit louder. She kept her eyes on him and kept speaking to him in that same soft, calm voice, “Matt, you are ok. You are loved, you are safe.” She kept murmuring softly to him, saying those same phrases, “You are loved. You are safe,” as she moved closer to him. With each successive time the phrases were muttered, they could see that Matt was shaking less and less, but still wouldn’t lift his head. Once she got close enough to touch him, she sat on the floor, and asked him, using that same soft tone, “Baby, can I touch you?” They all could see that her voice was penetrating whatever darkness was surrounding him in that moment.
After a couple minutes, Marisha asked the question again, “Matt, Baby, can you be touched?” He hesitated for a moment, before nodding his head slightly. She gave a soft sigh of relief before gently uncurling his arms from around his legs and wiggling into the space between them. She wrapped her left arm around his lower back and nuzzled into his pectoral muscle. His shaking seemed to have slowed down if not outright stopped and his arms slowly wrapped around her, leaning his head on hers.
“Matt,” another feminine voice called quietly, not breaking the eerie calm that circled the group. Matt’s head lifted off Marisha’s and turned towards the voice, his eyes not opening, but his head coking to the side like he was waiting for her to continue. Laura cleared her throat before murmuring, “Can we all touch you?”
Matt seemed to hang his head in thought before nodding slowly. Laura then softly moved towards Matt’s left side, before gently shimmying under his arm, mirroring Marisha’s position. Her right arm wrapped around his lower back, following the same yet opposite pathway as Marisha’s, before linking hands with her. Both of Matt’s arms wrapped around their shoulders and he found his hands grasped by the other hands of the ladies, rubbing small circles into the skin between his thumb and forefinger. Matt felt someone slither up to his right side, legs pinning his leg against Marisha, and left arm wrapping around his waist, right below the women’s limbs. A slightly tremoring hand started rubbing soft circles on his left hip, clueing him in to the fact that it was Taliesin’s body pressed against his right side, lips kissing his shoulder. Taliesin’s other hand reached around and gripped Marisha’s hip, also rubbing soft circles as a sign of encouragement and a job well done in starting the process of calming Matt down. A similar sensation was felt on his left side, with a body pressed along his side from shoulder to ankles, crossing one over his. Another arm reached around his back, this time going above the two women’s and playing with the hair at the base of his neck. A pair of lips with slight scruff kissed his shoulder, clueing him into the fact that it was Liam on that side. From the same general vicinity, he felt a large hand be placed on his knee, again rubbing circles. It must be Sam, who was currently sitting in Liam’s lap, Liam’s left arm wrapped around him. Finally, he felt two muscular legs slide behind him on the couch, before they gave way to a large muscular torso pressed into the arms weaved around his back. Travis had moved from his position on the other end of the couch, to straddling Matt, Liam, and Taliesin sitting up on the couch. He then slid down to the floor so his legs were spread wide enough to encircle all of them and his chest pressed up into the arms around Matt’s back. Travis’s huge arms encompassed as much of them as he could for a quick hug before returning them to the edge of the couch. Matt leaned his head back and nuzzled into the broad chest, inhaling the smell of Travis’s aftershave. He felt warm safe and loved nestled into the warm cocoon of the bodies of his loved ones. They sat like that for a little while, about ten minutes or so, each of them basking in the warmth of the others when suddenly, Marisha’s hesitant voice breaks the silence.
“Matt, may I kiss you?” He brings his head off the pillow of Travis’s chest, and “looks” down at Marisha, eyes still not open. He thinks about it for a moment, before nodding his head. Marisha shakes hers before softly saying, “Use your words, Baby. May I kiss you?”
Matt’s eyebrow raises at the command, but soon his throat starts working to make sound. Marisha waits patiently until she hears a barely-audible “Yes”. She smiles and unlinks her arm from Laura, and releases his hand before pushing up to meet his lips with hers in a soft kiss. It isn’t passion-filled like the kiss they shared earlier, but he nonetheless feels warmth and sunlight stream through her kiss, almost if the power of nature comes through her lips to his. When they break apart, a small smile crosses her face, as Marisha’s head lays back on his chest. Next, it is Laura’s voice he hears breaking through the silence, “Matt, may I kiss you?”
A similar soft-spoken “yes” is heard from his throat, and soon her lips are on his. Her kiss is similar to Marisha’s in the amount of passion, but he still feels that wild-like nature mixed with a sweetness that is both the wine she was drinking as well as uniquely her. When her lips left his, he hears a soft baritone to his right mutter, “Matt, may I kiss you?”
The same gentle “yes” was given, and soon Matt feels intense curiosity and darkness, tempered by safety and affection that could only be given by someone as complex as Taliesin. Once he pulled away, a similar baritone to his left clearly stated, “Matthew, may I kiss you?” Once the previous answer had been given, Matt was swept away by the sensation of soaring high to escape the depression and twinge of gloom below that only kissing Liam could give. Once they broke apart, a chuckle was heard from the same direction before a voice was heard asking, “Matthew Mercer, it would be my honor if you would let my lips caress your own?”
This drew a chuckle out of the group and the first smile out of Matt since the fog overwhelmed him. After the required answer was given aloud, Matt, still smiling, was drawn into a playful dance over his lips. While it went no further than just a kiss, Matt could feel the lightness and tomfoolery that was Sam. Once those lips left his, it was the low bass voice above him that asked, “Matt, may I kiss you?”
After the requisite reply, Matt found himself in an upside down kiss with Travis, who radiated power and protectiveness; a true gentle giant. After Travis pulled away, for the first time since he started shaking, Matt opened his eyes to take in the looks of concern, warmth and love radiating at him from his friends surrounding him. Marisha was the first to notice and commented softly, “Hey Baby, welcome back.”
Matt blushed, and tried to hide his face into the women’s hair but they weren’t having it. “I’m sorry I ruined our night,” he spoke sheepishly, guilt playing in his face.
“You did no such thing,” Laura declared, punctuated by a small playful slap to his chest.
“We are sorry we didn’t notice that you weren’t in a good headspace,” Liam added.
Matt shrugged and muttered, “I didn’t want you to know. I wanted us to have fun tonight.”
Travis let his arms down to hug the group again, his voice booming over them, “But that’s what we are here for. Sure, all of that was…is…tons of fun. But at the end of the day we are still your friends. Friends are there for you no matter what.” He squints down at Matt, giving him a soft glare, “Surely you know that?”
Matt sighed before looking down and replying, “I do. Thank you all for taking care of me.”
Sam spoke up, “So, where does that leave us? Do we just want to cuddle pile and watch a movie? There are some good ones out on Netflix right now.”
Taliesin retorted, “That’s up to Matt.”
Matt looked around at his friends’ faces before closing his eyes, trying to see where his headspace is. Not finding any trace of either the black fog or the general blah feeling in his brain anymore, he opens his eyes and meets everyone else’s. Without warning, he turns to his right and catches Taliesin’s lips in a passionate kiss, one that betrays his true intentions. Taliesin, too shocked to do much except kiss back, breaks away and looks at Matt in the eye asking, “Are you sure?”
Matt looks around the room again, meeting the questioning yet slightly hopeful look in everyone’s eyes before saying one word, “Green.”