Matt/Lydia/Freya/Gabe
You’d think Matt would’ve learned his lesson about Camelot parties by now.
The problem was, they always seemed to happen right when he and Gabe got back from a mission. Always. How that worked, he had no idea, but in years past, he’d been grateful for it. These parties were practically designed to be a way for members of Camelot (and Combat in particular) to safely let off some steam. The food was spectacular, the booze and the romance flowed freely, and there wasn’t an enemy in sight – what wasn’t to like?
For Matt, the answer was simple: the hosts.
Camelot parties lost their shine for Matt after he and Lydia broke up. Part of it was wanting to avoid her, of course, but the bigger part was wanting to avoid her enormous family, who just happened to be the leaders of Camelot and some of the hardest partiers of the whole bunch. The politest partiers, too. Always trying to make sure everyone was having a good time, even the guy who unceremoniously broke it off with their notoriously cranky sister. Honestly, the whole thing was unbearable.
But… Gabe liked the parties. And after the way their last mission went, Gabe really needed this party. And so, here he was. At the party. On… the dance floor.
He could blame Freya for that one. She met them here and almost immediately dragged them to one of the smaller halls where the light was lower (but also flashier?) and the music louder (and computery-er?). Matt made excuses the whole way, even going so far as to cite Gabe’s mostly healed concussion as a reason why he couldn’t possibly get jiggy with it, but no dice. Freya was relentless, and it was kind of hard to say no to her. And it wasn’t like Gabe was any help in that department, either. Matt could already tell the two of them together was going to mean trouble for him later, and a lot of it. Just what he needed.
But, in the end, it wasn’t so bad. Matt didn’t especially like dancing around people, but it was impossible to stay self-conscious about it after he got a couple beers in him. He knew none of the songs but followed Freya and Gabe’s lead and danced like he did, because, as it turned out, he needed to let loose just as much as anyone. Go figure. Before long, he was having such a good time not giving a shit for once that he even forgot to be afraid of the thing that usually kept him from these parties in the first place.