Clarity
summary: Reed ponders if he can make the same kind of awesome memories with Mattie. [Reed-centric; ReedMattie]
central character(s): Reed Hellstrom, Mattie Ashby
notes: This is just something I thought of while I was taking a nap. Usually, when I write things like this, it's long and intricate. This one? Not so much. I'm surprised this is under 2,000. Hmm. This is something I needed to get out of my system. I'll get back to my longer stuff.

The Lair isn't a real lair. At least, in theory.

On second thought, Reed can't say that only because it's at Steph's house. Reed knows she's about 60 percent dark, 35 percent non-smiling bitch and 5 percent decent person. At least, that's how Steph breaks herself down and no one will try to challenge her. Stephanie Larsen is also one of his closest friends so Reed knows that she's capable of more personality-worse. Johnny and Katie like her from the handful of times she comes over. They think she's weird but it doesn't stop them from liking an getting used to her when she comes around.

Reed thinks he and Steph are really cool friends because they are the only ones who know that it's like to have spotlight expose a whole family while getting the fuck away from it. That's what he and Steph do more than times than anyone. Steph is the middle child of the Governor of Wisconsin. She has two older brothers who leave the house and two little sisters who aggravate her enough to retreat here. When Reed is a member of the royal family of Genoa City, it's not hard for him to sympathize. Chances are Grandpa and Grandma have been here for one reason or another to represent the Newmans or something.

It's another Friday night. It's another weekend party at her family's house since her parents are gone for another two weeks. According to Steph, they're gone to some old island in England with her little sisters. The Lair is a place of bean bags, black beads at the door, dark blue carpet and a brown couch worn with them being here so many times. On the walls are a couple of paintings that gives Reed nightmares. The Closet is in the Lair is the unofficial place for hookups and where all of the drinking and experimenting with stuff goes down. Tonight, Mom gives a curfew of midnight, tells him to have fun and do anything stupid that will make her blood pressure shoot up. Of course, because Mom needs to be chill even though she won't be. He can only hope she'll try and hope Billy will come through for her there. Brash and Sassy has her messed up and sometimes, it has him feeling the same.

More than anything, he's confused. Reed thinks if he and Mattie try anything, the beef between Mom and her dad can't touch them. They don't have a choice where their parents are concerned and he doesn't intend on being into her but he is. Mattie gives him a sign that says she might to feel the same. Their move date goes pretty great. Even regardless of the fact that he screws up the show times. Even then, he laughs and talks with her and he realizes he likes getting to know her.

When he drives her home, Reed isn't expecting anything, much less a kiss. He can't help how she looks with her bright smile and her eyes, warm and pretty. So, he does it.

He kisses her. Reed kisses a lot of girls and no, he isn't a virgin.

However, kissing Mattie makes feel weird as she does even when she smiles as her. It's not the awkward that annoys him or the kind that makes want to die until it passes. It's the good kind of awkward that tells him she's on the page as him where they are concerned. It feels great. Pretty fucking amazing.

When he fast-forwards to the day after, Reed stops being annoyed with Charlie and chooses not to give a damn. He doesn't care if the angry douche eats Wheaties or glass for breakfast. Why the hell should care about Charlie wants especially when it's about Mattie? He knows how tight twins are because he's got siblings of his own – four of them, especially since Johnny, Katie, DJ and Leah are all younger than him. Mom and Uncle Nick aren't twins but might as well be. So, yeah, he's not ignorant there. However, Mattie is her own person.

When he sees Mattie again, he's trying again, a little more hopeful because of last night but he plays at the Underground without her in the audience. She doesn't text him as much as she used to. Says she's busy with her internship and well, Reed has to deal with that. It's why he's here at another house party.

Being here makes sense to him when Mattie doesn't anymore.

—

Reed isn't going to drink and drive, but nothing's stopping from having a good time and a smoke. Nothing's stopping him from chilling with his people. Steph. Jensen. Lou. Corrine. Him. Together, they're five weirdos. Five misfits who don't give a fuck. Seriously, that's what they're known as The Misfits. They're all close like that.

It's why Steph can appear out of nowhere, walk up to him, take his cigarette and smoke it before she puts out the rest of it under her boot.

"What the hell, Steph? That was one my last one!"

Steph glares at him and pulls him off the hood of his car. She's a lot stronger than him.

"Shut up. Follow me."

"Um, am I going to die today?" he asks, half joking. It's a semi-serious question because Steph is not known for saying much. That's only because a good chunk of the people in their grade fear her so she doesn't have to speak. They know not to fuck with her. Steph continues to yank him along, stomping in the direction of The Lair until he sort of stumbles through the beads of the opening.

"Sit," she simply orders, so he listens not sure if his life is in danger or not. She plops down next to him, still looking at him. Not with that scary ass glare anymore. Steph stares at him like he has extra heads on him he can't see. She looks at him like she needs answers from him. How the hell can he answer when he doesn't know the question? "Whatever is wrong with you deal with it, Reed."

"Nothing's wrong," he answers, automatically, looking her in the face. He even shrugs because he really doesn't want to dwell on the subject of Mattie when he doesn't know how to approach it himself. Whether she's concerned or annoyed with him, he can't tell but either way, he knows she's serious when she's not calling him Baby Morrison. He looks away from her and sighs, playing with one of his rings. "Shit's weird, Steph. I don't know anymore."

Steph raises an eyebrow. Oh, one of them is pierced. That's new.

She combs a hand through her dark streaked hair and sighs, "Figure it out. Life will come at you faster than my fists ever will if you don't."

"How?"

"Write her a fucking sonnet," Steph suggests, sarcastically and then turns serious. "Listen, if you want this girl bad enough and you're not sure what's happening, go talk to her like a normal person. If her brother continues to give you shit, send him over my way. I'll handle him."

Reed doesn't like Charles that much. Correction, at all. However, let Steph deal with him is something he won't wish on his worst enemy. The last person she handles has a deathly phobia of spiders. How she manages to get a tarantula or how she manages to slip it into Carla Malone's locker is something Reed doesn't want to know.

"Um, I hate the guy but not enough to watch you break his psyche."

"You'll change your mind one day, Baby Morrison," Steph counters back with a grin that terrifies him sort of. Her blue eyes have a look in them that can scare the shit out of a normal person. Reed concedes that hey, he's not that normal. She stands, walks over to her special hiding place in a wall and removes a painting. She opens it, pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Reed watches her put the painting back and throws him a lighter. "Have a smoke and then, get out. Go get her."

There's a shadow of a rare smile on her lips.

"Whoa," Reed marvels, cigarette between his lips. He flicks the lighter and touches it to the end of his cigarette. It glows orange and he gives himself that nicotine buzz. He takes a drag of it and exhales a stream of smoke. He smiles at her. "That cold dead heart grew like two sizes."

Steph narrows her eyes, blue eyes taking on their usual coldness. Ah, there she is.

"Watch it or I'll break your guitar hands."

"No, you won't," Reed volleys back with a grin. "You're the best, Steph!"

"Shut up!" she yells over her shoulder, her usual husky voice carrying as she stomps away.

He continues to smoke, reclined on a couch that carries a lot of good times. Those good times are loud, have someone drunk, and others high but they are memories that Reed will carry forever. Genoa City isn't bad anymore. Genoa City is home.

As he continues to drown in nicotine and cigarette smoke wafts around him, Reed ponders if he can make the same kind of awesome memories with Mattie.

He inhales more nicotine and anticipation and exhales his nerves.

Reed pulls out his phone, scrolls through his contacts and calls her.

—

fin.