cassie could barely even enter the plane without getting panic. alex called the window seat, which was more than fine by cassie. the three sat by the same row, matt in the middle.
she rested her elbow against the arm rest and chewed on her thumbnail, trying to think of something else. however, as she looked at all the people seated around them, she realized that she and alex had seen way too many movies about plane hijackers.
"cass?" matt murmured and nudged her body with his.
"hm?" she answered and turned her head to him, putting her hand back down against her thigh.
"are you sure you're alright?" he asked with a little giggle and raised his eyebrows cutely.
"i'm perfectly fine. just a bit nervous, that's all." she practically forced the smile on her face, which he could see right through.
"are you really that afraid of flying? if it helps, maybe you should listen to music and pretend you're sleeping in your bed." he shrugged and then realized how little that helped.
"wow, thanks. i feel so much better now." she said sarcastically and refrained from rolling her eyes.
matt would've replied if the captain didn't start speaking to the people. cassie shot her eyes forward and swallowed, watching the flight attendants placing themselves in their seats and buckling their belts.
"you'll be fine, cassie." alex butted in and sent her a wink. "the hours are just gonna' pass by before you know it."
"it's a nine hours flight!" cassie retorted and gave her a look. "who knows what might happen during these nine hours."
"okay, calm down." matt chuckled and gently seized her hand, lacing their fingers together. normally she'd pretty much hate that, but it was needed at the moment. "nothing's going to happen. you'll probably be sleeping through half the flight."
"fine, i'll sto– holy shit, we're moving." she stared out the window and fidgeted in her seat.
"i think you mean, oh my holy shit." he corrected her with a teaseful smile.
cassie looked at him and cracked a laugh in the middle of her panic. she glanced down and squeezed his hand, rubbing it with her thumb as if he needed reassurance.
"you're right, that's more me. matthew, we're about to fly up in the goddamn air any second now." she mumbled whilst the pace of the plane sped up profoundly.
"and we'll be just fine." he reminded her and looked out the window, then back at her.
cassie had her eyes closed and tried to focus on their hands instead of the flight. she opened them after a while and locked eyes with matt, who only smiled in an attempt to keep her calm.
"i hate this feeling so much. and the fact that this piece of metal can carry us in the sky is still a big question mark to me. god, i would never ever step foot on air force one. that plane has an elevator! imagine how heavy it is, jesus christ." she rambled, only making him smile wider until his teeth were showing. "why are you– what's that look on your face?"
"i just love how you're handling this." he laughed and barely shrugged.
"just keep holding my hand and let me ramble, and it should be fine." she smiled and leaned her head against him.
matt did exactly that for the most of the flight. cassie did sleep through half of it — just as the other two did. when she didn't sleep, she found topics to talk about so that she wouldn't look out the window and freak out all over again.
needless to say, the moment they got to step off the plane was one of the happiest moments of her life.
cassie deeply expected to go directly to their parents, which they did. she stood behind them, a bit nervous, and fiddled with her fingernails. when the door opened, alex hugged her mom tightly.
their parents — richard and christina — were lovely people to cassie. she adored them, even if she had only met them a few times.
"cassie, you're here too!" christina exclaimed just before wrapping her arms around the brunette.
"hi, mrs. daddario." cassie laughed and hugged her back, glancing at matt who just smiled.
"how many times have i told you to call me by my first name, love?" the mother playfully hit her arm and took a step back.
"enough times, i know." cassie smiled and looked up at richard.
"the same thing applies to me." he stated and gave her a short hug too.
"we just finished dinner. are you kids hungry?" christina asked whilst everyone stepped inside and took off their jackets. cassie didn't want to though, it was freezing.
"well, if you've made dinner, we'll eat." alex shrugged and looked over at her friend, slowly frowning with an amused smile on her face. "do you want to borrow a sweatshirt or a hoodie?"
"yes please." cassie answered quickly with a nod.
alex laughed as she dragged her friend with her up to her old room. matt turned around when a third voice called, grinning as he saw cat jogging towards him.
"hey!" he smiled when she hugged him tightly.
"i've missed you so much." she smiled and folded her arms together. "why are there way too many bags in the hallway?"
"oh, right, we brought someone." he answered after looking behind his shoulder. when he gazed back at her, her eyes were a bit widened and she had a huge smile on her face.
"matt... did you bring your new girlfriend?" she asked, causing him to press his lips together. "you did! i can't wait to meet her!"
"okay, calm down." he laughed and grabbed her shoulders. "yes, i did, but you should know it's c–"
"we're ready to eat!" alex cut him off loudly as she practically jumped down the stairs.
"god, you need to stop thinking about food all the time." cassie came after and locked eyes with the third girl in the room.
"cassie? what are you–" catherine began but then stopped herself. her mouth fell a bit agape and she then covered it with both hands. "you're his girlfriend? i can't believe none of you told me!"
"catherine!" cassie laughed and embraced her in a quick hug. "it's been a while."
"how did you two end up together? i mean, matt had quite the crush on you. did he finally tell you about his feelings?"
"cat, please." he mumbled and stared down at his sister.
"oh lord, did you tell him first?"
"perhaps we could discuss that later." cassie suggested with a laugh and glanced at the parents. "let's eat now, please."
"sounds great to me." alex grinned before moving towards the dining room, catherine following closely beside her.
"so you had quite a crush on me, huh?" cassie teased matt and hurried after everyone else.
after dinner — one that consisted of a lot of catching up and memory talking — matt and cassie helped cleaning the table and doing the dishes, which was very appreciated.
she decided to change into her usual hoodie and plaid, soft shorts because it started to get late, cold and the family wanted to watch a movie.
cassie placed herself beside matt and tucked some hair behind her ear. everyone else were still doing whatever they were doing, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and parted his lips.
"wow. this day just flew by." he uttered, receiving a weak glare from her.
"was that supposed to be a funny pun, because it wasn't."
"what? because we flew all the way over here? then no pun intended." he chuckled and pecked her cheek. "but do you feel better since we stepped of the plane?"
"yes, and you're right. this day really passed by quickly. i can't believe we're going to bed soon already." she sighed and looked up at him.
"well, you're going to be here for a week, so don't worry."
"this is the first time that i won't celebrate christmas at home. i mean, christmas eve."
"sorry about that. but you'll celebrate new years eve with them, right?"
cassie nodded and twisted in her seat, slowly looking down and then back at him. matt frowned and caressed her arm with his fingertips, noticing that she had something on her mind.
"i'd like to ask you something, and it would be really nice if you say yes. since you invited me here — and i know you're free by then — would you like to celebrate new years with us? it would be fun, and alex is probably coming too." she asked and sat more straight with her back.
"i would absolutely love to." he answered without hesitation and smiled at her.
"great. then it's settled." she grinned and closed her eyes as he pressed his lips against hers.
"i like you a lot." he whispered and kissed her upper lip.
"i know." she smirked and leaned her body against his.
"ew." alex grimaced as she jumped down on the couch too, pulling her legs up against her chest.
"i'm so glad to see the happiness you share with us." matt deadpanned and raised his eyebrows.
"okay, tell me your story now." cat joined them and sat down on the carpet, legs crossed.
the couple shared a quick look before vaguely telling cat their brief story. they didn't have to tell her about the masquerade since she already knew about that.
christina and richard joined them too after a while, with some snacks and drinks. cassie mostly stayed quiet beside matt, partly because she enjoyed listening to the family.
cat got to choose the movie for the night, alex the next night, matt and then cassie. the day before christmas eve, matt did as promised and took her to the national gallery of london.
fortunately, the whole family went into town the same day in case they needed to buy something, but also to simply hang out.
cassie walked around the building with him by her side, in awe over all the paintings. she sat down on a pretty bench in front of a huge painting and smiled.
"this is so amazing. thank you, matt." she mumbled as she turned her head to look at him.
"well, what kind of boyfriend would i be if i didn't show you the places you adore?" he shrugged and caressed her cheek with his palm.
"i think i'll let that comment pass because we're here." she laughed and averted her eyes back to the wall. "i'd never have my work up here. this is way too fancy."
"don't say that. i thought you were the optimist." he nudged her shoulder with his and weakly smiled.
"i'm also a realist. anyway, i heard that there's always free entrance to the brittish museum. shall we?" she asked as she stood up, offering her hand to him.
"why not?" he smiled, accepted her hand and stood up too.
matt pulled her closer, just to place a quick yet soft kiss on her lips. cassie stupidly rolled her eyes and followed him out of there, taking a last glimpse at all the paintings that they passed.
the two found a way to the museum, matt texting his family about their little change of plans. cassie always stayed close to him; she had never been to london before, and the city was populated with many people.
the part of the museum that they stayed the longest by was the egypt part. she stood there, literally staring for the longest time on the mummies, and fiddled with her fingers. everything else was of course fascinating too, but not as much as this part.
"what if they come alive?" he mumbled from behind her, a weak smirk on his face.
"stop." she answered blankly.
"imagine if they suddenly sat up and–"
"stop."
"–just started terrorizing this place."
"shut up."
"it could happen. haven't you seen the mummy?" he asked, even though he knew she liked those movies.
"of course i have." she muttered and glared back at him. "okay, let's leave. you freaked me out."
cassie followed him out of there, looking to the side at some people walking by. she hugged her own elbows so she wouldn't freeze that much and eyed all the more old-fashioned designed buildings around them.
matt guided her around the city, purposely taking a longer way than necessary. he talked too during their walk, not being able to stay away from a discussion.
"aliens are way better than predators."
he scoffed and looked at her with an unconvinced expression.
"and here i thought my boyfriend was smart." she joked and crossed her arms together. "matt, predators are so much more advanced and much better than an alien. they're so dumb."
"but if you strip predators of their weapons and technology, they've got nothing. they'd lose in a heartbeat against the aliens."
"how does one strip predators of their weapons?" she made a face and shuddered when a cold breeze hit them.
"no one knows because they don't exist, love." he chuckled and fixed her red winter hat.
"okay, smartypants."
when they got back home, matt sat down with his family and spent time with them. of course cassie had to convince him to, since she felt like they hadn't hung out enough yet.
cassie happily sat in alex's room, drawing sloppily until christina knocked on the door and entered. the younger one smiled softly, putting away her things.
"why are you up here alone?" she asked with a weak frown.
"well, i like being alone sometimes. and you guys–"
"oh no, cassie. come down with us, you're practically part family already. dating my son only makes everything better."
"i just don't want to be a bother." cassie shrugged and pursed her lips.
"you're not even close to being a bother! these past few days have been really, really fun, and you fit in so well. everyone loves you. now come down, it's christmas tomorrow and we've made special sandwiches and tea for everyone."
"i have no response to that other than following you downstairs." cassie smiled and stood up from the bed.
christina smiled in satisfaction and re-joined the others in the living room. cassie did the same after changing clothes to her comfortable ones, intertwining her hands against her stomach.
"and where have you been?" alex asked with raised eyebrows.
"in your room."
"you missed playing some games earlier." cat pouted and mixed the cards in her hands.
"don't worry, i heard you guys. and you take these games way too seriously." cassie laughed while she placed herself beside matt.
"it wouldn't be fun otherwise." richard butted in as he leaned his body against the doorframe, arms crossed.
"that's true. although, at some point i thought you'd kill each other." she smiled and scratched her upper arm.
the two sisters laughed quietly and matt just raised his eyebrows at her. cassie shrugged shamelessly and pulled her fingers through her messy hair.
"while playing card games, do we have some music or a movie in the background?" cat asked and looked at everyone.
"you kids decide and we'll get the food." christina stated before entering the kitchen with her husband.
"i vote music." cassie raised her hand and glanced up at matt. he seemed to think for a moment before pointing down at her.
"so do i."
"what a stupid vote when there's four of us." alex snorted and pursed her lips. "but... i say movie, a funny one."
all eyes were now focused on cat. she made a face, knowing she was the one to decide, and sighed loudly. cassie suppressed a smile by pressing her lips together and fiddled with matt's fingers.
"alex, i love you, but i vote music too. we've watched a movie every night."
the parents returned with sandwiches and a tray with cups of tea on it. all ate with some christmas music in the background and talked, thankfully not running out of topics.
on christmas eve, alex woke her roommate up by tossing a pillow on her. cassie groaned and turned her back against her, pulling the sheet up above her head.
alex rolled her eyes before getting up from her own bed, turned cassie on her back and then straddled her with a smirk on her face.
"i swear to god if you don't get up–"
"it's christmas!" alex squealed and tied her hair up in a ponytail.
"i know that." cassie deadpanned and crossed her arms together.
"so, you can't be mad at me. get up, please."
"i can't get up if you're sitting on me."
"fine."
the blue eyed one carefully stood up instead, allowing cassie to sit up and stretch her arms. the two walked downstairs together, already smelling a delicious breakfast.
cassie noticed matt standing by the doorframe and holding a book in his hands. with a frown, she averted her eyes upwards, stopping by a mistletoe. she rolled her eyes, knowing she had to pass him, and then slowly did so.
"the book's upside down, honey." she mumbled, causing matt to actually look at the book and sigh.
"you caught me." he chuckled and gently pulled her back.
"well, you're quite dumb sometimes." she smiled and peered up. "i'm not gonna' kiss you just because there's a mistletoe up there."
"now i'm hurt." he said, a hand dramatically against his chest.
"i'm going to kiss you because i want to." she laughed before colliding her lips with his, not really caring if anyone saw.
matt grinned as he kissed her back and put a hand against her lower back. she rested her palm against his cheek and pulled back after a brief moment, dropping her hands smoothly.
"merry christmas, cass."
"merry christmas." she pecked his cheek and dragged him to the kitchen with her, where everyone later ate breakfast.
the family made the choice to watch a random movie which was shown on a channel while gathering by the christmas tree. cassie had actually bought them small gifts — she would feel awful if she didn't — and matt had gotten her something too. her gift to alex was simply two video games that her friend had been wanting for the longest time now.
her gift to the family were movie tickets, the most easy thing she could think of. and also a cool painting that they liked more than she expected.
her gift to matt was a lot more complicated and harder to get. she handed him the box and bit on her thumbnail as he opened it carefully, parting his lips in surprise.
"cass...?" he mumbled and let out a laugh of disbelief. "how? what?"
"this is probably the hardest gift i've ever made, you know." she grinned while looking down at the american football, signed by tim tebow. "i had to talk to mason about this, and he helped me set this up. tim is a very busy man. but i know you look up to him, so..."
"cassie, this is absolutely amazing. thank you so much." he thanked her as he hugged her tightly. he just couldn't believe she went through all that trouble, just because he had mentioned his sport idol once or twice.
"you're welcome." she laughed and pulled her legs up against her chest when they stopped hugging.
"no, really. thanks." he smiled, which she returned. "my gift to you is a bit more childish, but i think you'll like it."
"alright." she frowned and watched as he handed her a smaller box.
"remember when you gave me your mockingjay pin? here's a little something about one of my favorite movies."
cassie opened the box and laughed quietly when she laid eyes on the little necklace in it. it was silver, but with a special logo on it.
"transformers is one of your favorites?" she asked with a stupid smile and picked up the necklace.
"oh god, you and those movies." cat mumbled and rubbed her temples.
"they're good, okay. despite michael bay's stupid flaws and his objection of women." matt defended and turned to look at his girlfriend again.
"yeah, i read about how he treated megan. what a jerk." cassie grimaced and examined the necklace. "so, which side is this? the good or the bad one?"
"it's the autobot logo. i figured you're more of the good side." he shrugged and frowned with his lips. "i also got myself the same necklace, but with the decepticon logo because... well, i've never found these before."
"good to know i'm a good guy in your eyes." she mused before clasping it around her neck.
"the thing is though, i bought you something else before i bought these. i discovered the necklaces, like, two days ago. so you'll also get a black tee with the same logo on it."
"let me guess, you've got the same shirt but with the decepticon logo on it?" she smirked and raised her eyebrows.
"... yes." he mumbled slowly and refrained from laughing.
"aw, aren't you two just so cliché and cute." cat teased and clasped her hands together.
"hate to say it, but we are." cassie moved her head to the sides and puckered with her lips to the side.
"yeah. you're the autobot to my decepticon."
"oh my god, we're that couple who uses sickly lines but with transformers."
"yes, yes we are. happy holidays, my love."
-
a/n
what even is that gif omg
oh and i just finished season one of reign, which was amazing, i love it
bye