Chapter Text
His second life was nothing like he expected.
Not that he remembered much from his first life, aside form what his creator had told him. And Doctor Snoke wasn’t exactly the type for long chats about where matt’s various parts had come from.
He mostly spent days inside, avoiding direct sunlight so he wouldn’t have to face up to the fact that he looked less than alive
You work in the First Order university library, and you graciously offered to take the overnight shift during exams season, which is how you meet Matt
He stumbled in one December night trying to get out of the cold, and the wind
You were manning the front desk. Not so much manning as occasionally glancing up from your essay to make sure no one needed anything.
When he came in you looked up as the door banged open in the wind, frowning a little at the sudden noise and then softening when you saw him, a shivering boy wrapped up in a coat much too thin for this weather, with a mop of curly blonde hair sticking out from the hood
“Can I help you?”
He shook his head nervously, he still wasn’t used to speaking and your lovely eyes on him seemed to rob him of all ability of speech.
He was still shivering as he settled into one of the many tables with a book, nonfiction, The Unabridged History of Urban Legends.
One thing about the brain Doctor Snoke has picked out for him, even if it wasn’t the best talker and sometimes not a great mover either, was that it was fast. Blindingly fast sometimes, his mind took in details so quickly and he never seemed to forget anything.
Of course I can remember everything he thought I have all this room. My memory’s not clogged up with.. with a life.
Before he had time to make himself sad (a new thing entirely, that he was still grappling with) you came past with an armload of books and paused at his table
“Are you done with this?” You asked, resting your hand on The Unabridged History of Urban Legends, as he had already moved on to European Folklore Through The Ages.
“I— yes, quite finished. Thank you.”
You gave him a surprised, curious expression upon hearing him speak. His voice wasn’t quite accented but his manner of speaking was intensely formal and nearly made him sound like he was from another time.
“You know, if you’re into real life ghosts and monsters or whatever-“ his eyes flashed nervously at the word monster , he hated it and the sudden change his expression made you pause, “uh, there’s a few good documentaries around I could show you”
“I would be most obliged of you” he said, body betraying him by nearly jumping out of the chair he was in, sending you back a step and almost toppling over. A strong arm lashed out and caught you, managing to keep both you and your stack of books upright, “my apologies” heat rose in his cheeks
“No worries, I’ve gotta re-shelve these though and I’m only on for a few more minutes, I work the same shift tomorrow though, if you’re free again?”
Matt nodded vigorously and your smile made his heart squeeze in his chest, and not the way it usually did for being slightly the wrong size.
After you had walked away Matt rushed to one of the computers and clumsily typed into the search bar
Elevated heart rate, extreme bouts of happiness, general warm and fuzzy feeling the results came up and he sighed, then noted that excessive sighing was also a symptom.
Diagnosis: in love