fic; 'Save Me (From Myself)', X Factor 2010 RPS; Aiden/Matt; [1.5/2]
Note: Okay I seriously don't know what is wrong with me, but I was just re-reading my original posts for this fic and I somehow managed to miss an entire two scenes out. What the hell, self. Learn to copy-paste, Jesus. Anyway, rather than edit the posts and potentially screw them up, I just thought I'd post this as like a 'deleted scenes' type thing, and then edit in a link in the original posts. The chronology makes much more sense with these scenes. I don't even know how this happened. /fail
Aiden ends up at another Seven Summers gig. He begins to feel a little creepy, and has the ‘upcoming events’ page of their website bookmarked. But he cannot bring himself to stop, so he tries not to feel guilty as he’s queuing up outside the pub on Sunday evening.
Have you proposed yet, Louis’ first text asks, when Aiden has just sat down with his first beer.
Aiden ignores him and watches the band set up. Over their set, Louis texts him seven more times, most of them consisting of innuendos and suggestions of pulling techniques and one-liners. Aiden is too busy engrossed in Seven Summers’ performance to reply to any of them, and has a feeling he will be grilled for this later.
After the band is finished, Aiden begins patting down his jacket pockets, ready to leave. He doesn’t know how he’s going to approach Matt, but he has to. He notices that there are people moving around, preparing for another act to gig which he hadn’t realized would happen.
“Hello again.”
Aiden almost trips over his chair as he spins around. Matt is standing there, grinning, and holding two beers. “Mind if I join you?” he asks.
Aiden can only nod and gesture expansively to the table. Matt sits down next to him, passing him a beer. “For the other night,” he says. “I never got to say goodbye or anything. I guess you had somewhere to be?”
“Yeah,” Aiden says. “Um, sorry for taking off like that.”
“S’alright.” Matt gives him an easy smile. Aiden thinks he could just look at Matt’s smile all the time.
The next set is starting, and Aiden has to stop looking at Matt. It’s more difficult than it should be.
“That’s Rebecca,” Matt tells him, tipping his glass in the direction of the stage.
Aiden sees a woman about Matt’s age, with her hair pulled into an elegant knot at the crown of her head. She is wearing a sparkly dress that makes her shimmer as she moves, and she smiles almost apologetically at the crowd as she is introduced. She looks like she’s nervous. But then the music starts and she begins to sing. It’s beautiful, husky and deep and rich, and Aiden wonders what twist of fate brought him here, listening to singers who are better than him and make a fraction of what he does. He feels bizarrely guilty.
Aiden loses count of the number of songs she sings. He cannot tear his eyes away, and he’s dimly aware that he’s holding his beer but hasn’t drunk any of it yet.
“She’s amazing,” Aiden says, because she is. Matt looks proud and happy and Aiden tries not to be jealous.
“Yeah. She doesn’t think so, but... she is.”
After Rebecca’s set is over she smiles and thanks the audience before slipping discreetly away. Aiden almost misses her but Matt’s standing up, waving and calling. “Hey, Becs, over here.”
Rebecca disentangles herself from a knot of well-wishers and approaches them. She’s even prettier up close, and her eyes crinkle up in a smile when she sees Matt.
“Hello,” she says, and accepts Matt’s hug. “I didn’t know if you’d make it.”
“Of course I made it. You were fabulous as always.” Matt gestures to Aiden. “This is Aiden, I told you about him.”
Aiden bumps his knee as he rushes to stand up. His thoughts are mess of elation - he mentioned me! He fucking told someone about me! - and worry - please don’t recognize me, please, please -
“Oh!” Rebecca says, looking startled. “Oh, hello! This is a surprise.”
“You know each other?” Matt asks, looking confused.
“No,” Rebecca laughs. She looks a bit flustered again, and Aiden wants her to go back to being calm like she was with Matt before. “It’s Aiden Grimshaw!” Matt still looks nonplussed, so she continues, “He’s that new singer, signed with Monell. Really fantastic voice. You know his songs, you’ve heard them on the radio.”
Aiden ducks his head. “Um. Thanks.”
“I wouldn’t have realized,” Rebecca says. “But Lilly has a poster of you in her room.” She flashes him an apologetic smile.
“He’s the one your kids are obsessed with?” Matt asks. Aiden can feel himself flushing uncomfortably as both Rebecca and Matt turn to study him.
“Um,” Aiden says. He hates this part of it, when people expect him to be a pop star in real life only to be disappointed.
“I knew I recognized you.” Matt shakes his head. “Wow.”
“Yeah, it’s not a big thing.” Aiden tears up the beer mat in his hands anxiously. “Seriously. I was just spotted in a club, like a year ago. I’m not born-and-bred. I should be at uni now.”
Rebecca’s name is called from the stage, and she waves at somebody. “I have to go,” she says, and turning to Aiden, “It was lovely meeting you. Good luck with the concert tour.” She gives him a kind smile. Matt kisses her on the cheek and she squeezes his arm before she goes. Aiden looks at his hands. It figures that Matt is taken. But Rebecca is gorgeous, and nice, and Matt had sounded affectionate when he’d mentioned her children.
“Becs is great,” Matt says. He’s leaning with his palms flat on the table, not looking at Aiden. “She’s my best friend from ages ago. I’ve known her since I was twelve, she’s like my sister.”
Aiden wonders if his thoughts are being broadcast across his forehead. “Oh,” he says.
“Well.” Matt glances at him.
“This is weird now, isn’t it.” Aiden pulls a face. “Things are always different when people realize.”
“Yes,” Matt says slowly. “I guess things are different.” He scratches his neck, looking bashful and Aiden feels his heart swell stupidly, and what is up with that really? “I mean, I was going to ask for your number, but... it’ll sound like I’m just doing it because you’re famous, now.”
“Oh,” Aiden says, and then, “Wait, what?”
Matt’s turning red and he readjusts his huge glasses, not really looking at Aiden but side-eyeing him. “Well, I may have been misreading your signals, but - I mean you’re clearly pretty awesome. And I was going to ask if you’d like to get coffee with me some time.”
“Yes!” Aiden blurts before he can stop himself. “I mean, I would say yes, if you asked me. Um.”
Matt laughs. “Well, then, I’m asking.”
“And I’m saying yes.” Aiden grins because he can’t help himself. Matt’s laugh is too infectious, and it feels so good to just not worry.
“Good. Well.” Matt straightens up and glances over to where Rebecca is talking to his bandmates. “I should go. I’m their ride.” He jerks a thumb in his friends’ direction. Then he pulls out his mobile. “Want to just exchange? It’d be easier wouldn’t it?”
Aiden fishes out his own phone and hands it over. He concentrates very hard on putting the right digits down on Matt’s phone - which is distractingly warm from Matt’s jeans’ pocket - and trying to keep his fingers from trembling.
“I’ll call you,” Matt says as he does up his jacket. He makes it sound like a promise. “You’re in town for the next few days right? You’re not... touring or anything?”
Aiden smiles and wraps his scarf around his fingers. “No. I’m here for a while now.”
“Okay.” Matt smiles back, and Aiden’s pretty sure they’re both just standing there grinning stupidly at each other and it’s getting a bit weird. Then Matt nods, sort of pats Aiden’s shoulder awkwardly and goes to join Rebecca. Aiden exhales with a gasp and realizes he’d been holding his breath.
Aiden is standing outside the pub wondering if he should just call for a Monell car - easier, faster, free - instead of risking a taxi again when his phone buzzes. He flips it open, expecting a reprimanding text from Louis or Harry. Instead it says: Message from Matt Cardle. Aiden’s fingers slip in excitement as he presses ‘receive’.
Hey, I know this is probably breaking every dating rule out there and that it’s so uncool, but I’m still thinking about you. It’s only been an hour. Do you want that coffee tomorrow? First thing? xx
Aiden sends the fastest text of his life in response. Yes. McDonalds okay? 8? Call me tomorrow. :) Then he calls for a car.
--
Because Aiden has no sense of self preservation and is apparently is a bit of a masochist, he tells the One Direction boys about his ‘date’. He texts Harry, needing to tell someone. Harry of course tells Louis and when Louis knows everybody knows. They are waiting for him when he gets to his flat.
“How could you not tell us you were actually stalking him?” Louis demands as soon as he opens the door. All five of them are parked on his couch, with Party Wars on mute and a bowl of popcorn that Aiden had been saving for next weekend perched on Niall’s lap. They’ve obviously been there for hours, which raises some questions in and of itself.
Aiden drops into a chair. “Because that would be factually incorrect. I’m not stalking him.”
“You went to see him again!” Louis thumps the couch’s arm. “When I was texting you I thought you were just in a room somewhere eating Galaxy bars and weeping. I didn’t think you were actually in the field.”
“You don’t need to know everything I do all the time ever,” Aiden points out even though he knows that this is only the case in the Real World, not on Planet Louis, so it is therefore irrelevant.
“We could have come with you for backup. Moral support. We could have tag teamed him until he gave in and went out with you.”
Aiden grins. “No need for that.”
Harry whoops. “Get it, Aid.”
“Did you have to coerce him?” Louis wants to know. “Was the lure of your fame and fortune enough?”
Aiden ducks his head. “Actually, he was going to ask for my number before he realized who I was.”
“It’s true love,” Niall declares, face in the popcorn bowl.
Aiden just smiles and smiles, until Louis chucks the remote at him and tells him to stop being smug.
Back to Part 1
Part 2
Aiden ends up at another Seven Summers gig. He begins to feel a little creepy, and has the ‘upcoming events’ page of their website bookmarked. But he cannot bring himself to stop, so he tries not to feel guilty as he’s queuing up outside the pub on Sunday evening.
Have you proposed yet, Louis’ first text asks, when Aiden has just sat down with his first beer.
Aiden ignores him and watches the band set up. Over their set, Louis texts him seven more times, most of them consisting of innuendos and suggestions of pulling techniques and one-liners. Aiden is too busy engrossed in Seven Summers’ performance to reply to any of them, and has a feeling he will be grilled for this later.
After the band is finished, Aiden begins patting down his jacket pockets, ready to leave. He doesn’t know how he’s going to approach Matt, but he has to. He notices that there are people moving around, preparing for another act to gig which he hadn’t realized would happen.
“Hello again.”
Aiden almost trips over his chair as he spins around. Matt is standing there, grinning, and holding two beers. “Mind if I join you?” he asks.
Aiden can only nod and gesture expansively to the table. Matt sits down next to him, passing him a beer. “For the other night,” he says. “I never got to say goodbye or anything. I guess you had somewhere to be?”
“Yeah,” Aiden says. “Um, sorry for taking off like that.”
“S’alright.” Matt gives him an easy smile. Aiden thinks he could just look at Matt’s smile all the time.
The next set is starting, and Aiden has to stop looking at Matt. It’s more difficult than it should be.
“That’s Rebecca,” Matt tells him, tipping his glass in the direction of the stage.
Aiden sees a woman about Matt’s age, with her hair pulled into an elegant knot at the crown of her head. She is wearing a sparkly dress that makes her shimmer as she moves, and she smiles almost apologetically at the crowd as she is introduced. She looks like she’s nervous. But then the music starts and she begins to sing. It’s beautiful, husky and deep and rich, and Aiden wonders what twist of fate brought him here, listening to singers who are better than him and make a fraction of what he does. He feels bizarrely guilty.
Aiden loses count of the number of songs she sings. He cannot tear his eyes away, and he’s dimly aware that he’s holding his beer but hasn’t drunk any of it yet.
“She’s amazing,” Aiden says, because she is. Matt looks proud and happy and Aiden tries not to be jealous.
“Yeah. She doesn’t think so, but... she is.”
After Rebecca’s set is over she smiles and thanks the audience before slipping discreetly away. Aiden almost misses her but Matt’s standing up, waving and calling. “Hey, Becs, over here.”
Rebecca disentangles herself from a knot of well-wishers and approaches them. She’s even prettier up close, and her eyes crinkle up in a smile when she sees Matt.
“Hello,” she says, and accepts Matt’s hug. “I didn’t know if you’d make it.”
“Of course I made it. You were fabulous as always.” Matt gestures to Aiden. “This is Aiden, I told you about him.”
Aiden bumps his knee as he rushes to stand up. His thoughts are mess of elation - he mentioned me! He fucking told someone about me! - and worry - please don’t recognize me, please, please -
“Oh!” Rebecca says, looking startled. “Oh, hello! This is a surprise.”
“You know each other?” Matt asks, looking confused.
“No,” Rebecca laughs. She looks a bit flustered again, and Aiden wants her to go back to being calm like she was with Matt before. “It’s Aiden Grimshaw!” Matt still looks nonplussed, so she continues, “He’s that new singer, signed with Monell. Really fantastic voice. You know his songs, you’ve heard them on the radio.”
Aiden ducks his head. “Um. Thanks.”
“I wouldn’t have realized,” Rebecca says. “But Lilly has a poster of you in her room.” She flashes him an apologetic smile.
“He’s the one your kids are obsessed with?” Matt asks. Aiden can feel himself flushing uncomfortably as both Rebecca and Matt turn to study him.
“Um,” Aiden says. He hates this part of it, when people expect him to be a pop star in real life only to be disappointed.
“I knew I recognized you.” Matt shakes his head. “Wow.”
“Yeah, it’s not a big thing.” Aiden tears up the beer mat in his hands anxiously. “Seriously. I was just spotted in a club, like a year ago. I’m not born-and-bred. I should be at uni now.”
Rebecca’s name is called from the stage, and she waves at somebody. “I have to go,” she says, and turning to Aiden, “It was lovely meeting you. Good luck with the concert tour.” She gives him a kind smile. Matt kisses her on the cheek and she squeezes his arm before she goes. Aiden looks at his hands. It figures that Matt is taken. But Rebecca is gorgeous, and nice, and Matt had sounded affectionate when he’d mentioned her children.
“Becs is great,” Matt says. He’s leaning with his palms flat on the table, not looking at Aiden. “She’s my best friend from ages ago. I’ve known her since I was twelve, she’s like my sister.”
Aiden wonders if his thoughts are being broadcast across his forehead. “Oh,” he says.
“Well.” Matt glances at him.
“This is weird now, isn’t it.” Aiden pulls a face. “Things are always different when people realize.”
“Yes,” Matt says slowly. “I guess things are different.” He scratches his neck, looking bashful and Aiden feels his heart swell stupidly, and what is up with that really? “I mean, I was going to ask for your number, but... it’ll sound like I’m just doing it because you’re famous, now.”
“Oh,” Aiden says, and then, “Wait, what?”
Matt’s turning red and he readjusts his huge glasses, not really looking at Aiden but side-eyeing him. “Well, I may have been misreading your signals, but - I mean you’re clearly pretty awesome. And I was going to ask if you’d like to get coffee with me some time.”
“Yes!” Aiden blurts before he can stop himself. “I mean, I would say yes, if you asked me. Um.”
Matt laughs. “Well, then, I’m asking.”
“And I’m saying yes.” Aiden grins because he can’t help himself. Matt’s laugh is too infectious, and it feels so good to just not worry.
“Good. Well.” Matt straightens up and glances over to where Rebecca is talking to his bandmates. “I should go. I’m their ride.” He jerks a thumb in his friends’ direction. Then he pulls out his mobile. “Want to just exchange? It’d be easier wouldn’t it?”
Aiden fishes out his own phone and hands it over. He concentrates very hard on putting the right digits down on Matt’s phone - which is distractingly warm from Matt’s jeans’ pocket - and trying to keep his fingers from trembling.
“I’ll call you,” Matt says as he does up his jacket. He makes it sound like a promise. “You’re in town for the next few days right? You’re not... touring or anything?”
Aiden smiles and wraps his scarf around his fingers. “No. I’m here for a while now.”
“Okay.” Matt smiles back, and Aiden’s pretty sure they’re both just standing there grinning stupidly at each other and it’s getting a bit weird. Then Matt nods, sort of pats Aiden’s shoulder awkwardly and goes to join Rebecca. Aiden exhales with a gasp and realizes he’d been holding his breath.
Aiden is standing outside the pub wondering if he should just call for a Monell car - easier, faster, free - instead of risking a taxi again when his phone buzzes. He flips it open, expecting a reprimanding text from Louis or Harry. Instead it says: Message from Matt Cardle. Aiden’s fingers slip in excitement as he presses ‘receive’.
Hey, I know this is probably breaking every dating rule out there and that it’s so uncool, but I’m still thinking about you. It’s only been an hour. Do you want that coffee tomorrow? First thing? xx
Aiden sends the fastest text of his life in response. Yes. McDonalds okay? 8? Call me tomorrow. :) Then he calls for a car.
--
Because Aiden has no sense of self preservation and is apparently is a bit of a masochist, he tells the One Direction boys about his ‘date’. He texts Harry, needing to tell someone. Harry of course tells Louis and when Louis knows everybody knows. They are waiting for him when he gets to his flat.
“How could you not tell us you were actually stalking him?” Louis demands as soon as he opens the door. All five of them are parked on his couch, with Party Wars on mute and a bowl of popcorn that Aiden had been saving for next weekend perched on Niall’s lap. They’ve obviously been there for hours, which raises some questions in and of itself.
Aiden drops into a chair. “Because that would be factually incorrect. I’m not stalking him.”
“You went to see him again!” Louis thumps the couch’s arm. “When I was texting you I thought you were just in a room somewhere eating Galaxy bars and weeping. I didn’t think you were actually in the field.”
“You don’t need to know everything I do all the time ever,” Aiden points out even though he knows that this is only the case in the Real World, not on Planet Louis, so it is therefore irrelevant.
“We could have come with you for backup. Moral support. We could have tag teamed him until he gave in and went out with you.”
Aiden grins. “No need for that.”
Harry whoops. “Get it, Aid.”
“Did you have to coerce him?” Louis wants to know. “Was the lure of your fame and fortune enough?”
Aiden ducks his head. “Actually, he was going to ask for my number before he realized who I was.”
“It’s true love,” Niall declares, face in the popcorn bowl.
Aiden just smiles and smiles, until Louis chucks the remote at him and tells him to stop being smug.
Back to Part 1
Part 2