fightlikehell | At the Office

(Yes, Matt needs to see a doctor. But how to explain all his injuries and scars? They're going to need to think about that. And eat more good food in the meantime.)

"Mm, lucky me." The tour's a lucky break too, but mostly she's enjoying the feel of their hands together. He's soft and lovely to touch. Even the rough parts are soft and lovely to her. Holding hands is a good start, a safe way to make sure she's paying some attention to the office when she's supposed to be. The motivational posters get a few amused sounds.

"You know, motivational posters are the number three reason I refused to work in an office for so long?" Verity leans her head on his shoulder while they're stationary for a moment. "They're Foggy's contribution, I'm guessing."

(His past injuries, fractures and scars those are going to be hard to sweep under the rug hence his procrastinating. Until then, eating well and being more careful have been enough. For now.)

"It's not nearly as big as it looks." Or so he's told. "This isn't exactly a lobby but this is our entry way. There should be a poster with eagles on it. Right there on your side. Yes, they are Foggy's contribution." And there is a trio of eagles staring at them. Perseverance with a subtle something about pride. That is mighty important.

"I think I'd feel something similar if I could see it every day." He laughs and gives her hand a squeeze. The kitchenette is to the left. Karen pokes her head out a little to smile at Verity. Matt leads Verity to the conference room so that Foggy and Karen can finish up there. "This is were we meet with clients or have our crunch sessions." Right now it's empty.

(Maybe they can find a doctor who understands the lifestyle. That would probably require going to SHIELD, though...)

"I think it's the perfect size," she assures him softly. "Lobbies and waiting rooms are impersonal and make people feel disconnected from the people they're trying to see. Being right on hand like this will make your clients feel more welcome." The eagle poster might work better if the eagles didn't look so grumpy in the snow.

She laughs too. "Yeah, you're pretty lucky you can't see them." It's a dangerous joke to make, but she's pretty sure they're comfortable enough together to get away with it. If they're not, well, she'll make her apologies repeatedly and mostly in private until he's forgiven her. "Your office is really nice. Lots of windows and light, it'll make people feel better. Good choice."

(Involving major organizations, questionable and legal alike, are things that really need careful consideration. He's a strong, healthy lad right now. So. The priority isn't around the top at this juncture.)

"And the one with the bigger space just... wasn't in the budget of our dream." Matt smiles at the logic anyway. He laughs. "We wanted offices with windows specifically. L and Z just really felt stifling." For many reasons as he's explained a time or two before.

Dangerous? Oh no. She gets a laugh that he tries to down play. They pass Foggy's office, door open with dinosaurs on the desk. A trash can that looks and smells like it is going to need to be taken out before the day is over. He has a bobble head of Dwight from the Office. It's a cruise by. "I had a good feeling about this place." Verity hits the nail on the head.

Karen's desk is between Matt's and Foggy's. Funny enough she gets the most of the light from the windows. Her desk is neat. She's got a plastic flower that sways in sunlight. Matt's grown accustom to it's repetitive squeak. Her coffee is getting cold.

"It's not terribly decorative. No place I have is... I hate to tell you."

(So that's no to SHIELD and the mob. Good to know. She'll keep plugging away at her alchemy lessons.)

"It's a good space for you. You've all got your own areas to work in, but you aren't isolated." Keep saying things like that, Mattie, and you'll find out just how much optimism she can wring out in your defense. Protip: it is all the optimism.

He should never try to downplay his laughs. She loves them too much and they are too precious. Foggy's office gets a glance; dinosaurs, trash can, references she doesn't understand. She'll try and remember the dinosaurs when it's time to help Matt buy him presents.

Karen's desk doesn't give away much. The flower, though, Verity can run with that when the time comes. And there's time to pick up on other things before she's helping Matt with his Christmas shopping. "Well, you're still settling into these new places. It takes time to decorate really well. And lucky for you, I've been getting a crash course in decorating lately, so... we'll work on it."

If he wants to let her help. She knows it might be overstepping to assume she'll be allowed to just show up with things and start putting holes in walls. On the other hand, she already has ideas. Little ones, cozy ones. Things everyone should like, or at least tolerate, but mostly they're for Matt. (Marci can do Foggy's office, and Karen's capable of taking care of her own space.)

(Too many involved and too far on one end of the spectrum or another. And really, too many people at risk of knowing. Matt still is very much in the heroic shadows as much as he can be in this neck of the multiverse. Any and all help from those he trusts most is appreciated of course, Verity's that extra element of TLC that puts him at ease... that's before even considering her alchemy or magic.)

"Yes, and who knows. Someday we might be some place bigger. We're small but mighty." That he believes. There's sunshine in her tone and all good and true points. She really is so sweet to him. Good food and a good, sly pep talk. It's like she had an idea of what they needed here. "Thank you," her hand gets a kiss. "I still have so much to learn from the master. I'm very lucky."

Their tour finally leads to Matt's own office. "Please don't stifle your yawn. I'm working on it, I promise." There's a desk, a shelf and two chairs. He leans on his desk which is scattered with pending paperwork. "Here we are." The light from the window is the most decorative thing, really. "My apartment is a little better. I think that's worth seeing." Sometime. And soon.

He listens to her move, speculating at what she's looking at. "What brings you to the neighborhood? I know you didn't come for a tour. Maybe the view?"

(They'll keep the circle small. But it will eventually have to include a real medical professional.)

"It's the right size for right now," she amends. "It's good to grow." Where is this sunshine coming from she doesn't understand. Except it's obvious, it's all his fault. He's just going to have to learn to live with that. The kiss on her hand is so gentlemanly, and yet so intimate. Her knees go weak for a moment and she catches herself on his arm. "Mm. Pretty sure I'm the lucky one. But if you're lucky too, even better."

The tour finishes exactly where she wants to be. "Oh, honey, I love it. You're comfortable here, and that's what matters most." She looks around, taking in everything--the books on the shelf, the pattern of scratches on the corner of the desk. All of it. In the end she claims his desk chair like a throne, half sprawled and entirely inviting. "I want to see your apartment. It's only right, since I have a key now."

"The view, yes. I came to see you." No reason to pretend otherwise. "I miss you and I decided it's time we start carving out more chances to see each other. Since you're so busy, it's only fair I come to you sometimes."

(Eventually. Yes. Matt is holding off for now. Hospitals are one of his least favorite places in all the world for one. And another he doesn't want to fathom what kind of things would be uncovered from previous injuries to perhaps unknown complications due to his heightened senses.)

His arms are hers to do whatever she wishes. "Good to grow, that's the phrase I was looking for." Two more employees tops and they'll have to get another office or have Karen's space divided into quadrants. Matt has mulled that over. You're supposed to think about the future when it comes to businesses, when it comes to life. He is still learning that. Verity makes the future seem more real.

Matt lightly pushes the door, it doesn't close but is more closed than when they started. The blinds are drawn but not obscuring them. Just enough privacy. "That chair is the best place to be." Specially cushioned, ergonomically correct. It sounds nice under Verity. She sounds inviting so he has to come closer.

His expression softens, is brow relaxes and tension eases from his jaw. "I miss you too." A confession like that is more meaningful in person rather than text. He removes his glasses. "It's very fair. I just hope to not bore you with this part." Fingers vaguely gesture around. Matt perches on his own desk, back to the door and the window to their lobby. Foggy and Karen are in the conference room and trying to play it cool and not steal glances.

(The longer he waits, the worse it'll get. Or maybe not, since he's dating a healer. All those long backrubs can have some added benefits.)

Someday, he'll need a bigger office, yes. Verity's absolutely convinced that he and Foggy can build the next great New York law firm. But that's no reason to not decorate this place. It's like the advice to dress for the job you want, not the job you have: decorate for the business you want. When it comes around, it'll be more inclined to stay.

A little privacy can go a long way. When Matt moves closer she reaches out with a foot to brush against his leg. "You never bore me, my dearest. I love you. I love all of you." She emphasises this by leaning forward and reaching up. His tie will make an excellent grip to pull him down into her lap for a kiss. His chair really is comfortable and she's not ready to give it up just yet; plus, they're safer this way. Just by a little. "I love that you have a job and an office and a secretary who's gossiping about me with your best friend. I love that you have your... charitable work. I love when you come home and let me hold you and kiss everything better." Each sentence is punctuated with a kiss. For emphasis, and for love.

"And if loving you means I have to wait a little longer for you to come home some nights, it makes the time we have together all the more precious. So I'm thinking, a couple times a week, I'll come steal you away for lunch to make up for it."

(The risk is indeed greater the longer the wait carries on. Though with a healer girlfriend and a friendly, dutiful nurse he is in the best condition he can be considering. Those backrubs are indeed magical.)

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. Matt's ambition is for more, but he would never dismiss the comfort that this small office space has for him. This is their home. This is where something big starts. Their principles and practices will make Nelson and Murdock an institution that Thurgood Marshall would be proud of.

The pressure of her foot and the pull directly coincide with the size of his smile. He's pulled, so happily pulled to balance just enough on the desk. The rest of him, on the inside, is falling deep into her kisses living from one to the next. It's been days. Almost a whole week hasn't it? Matt sighs out happily close to her mouth. "I love you." Three little words to her confession, it may never seem to be said enough. "I'm sorry I've been away. I think about you all day." Now she's getting a dose of her own medicine as he slips from his perch on the desk to brace his arms on the chair. "What's she doing? How did she do her hair today? Is she happy?" Each question Verity could answer... only after she's dealt with her own barrage of kisses.

"You can't steal me if I want to go with you." Leave it to a lawyer to point out. "I already know that lunch will be delicious."

(He's never had it so good.)

Ambition is a fine thing, but so is knowing when and how to be happy. Matt is a good man, kind, generous, and determined. Anyone would be proud of him. Big or small, Nelson and Murdock will be a cornerstone of Hell's Kitchen, and something for him to be proud of.

Almost a week without him. A truly crushing lapse. Now that they've been honest with each other and don't feel like they have to play at being uninvolved, she's finding she can't. She just can't do it anymore. Too many nights have been spent crying out her loneliness for her to give up this chance of happiness. For all her playfulness, there's an ache in her chest when he apologizes.

"I know." She'll never be tired of hearing him say those words. His moving forward prompts her to lean back in the chair again, releasing his tie to press her hand flat against his chest. Not to stop him, but to feel his heartbeat. All those questions can be answered, when they take another break from the kisses. But she's not feeling rushed to do that.

"Hmm, right, well then. Even better." One last kiss before she begins the recitation. "I am sitting in the office of the man I love wondering why I've let him stay away so long, and I'm very happy, and you can find out what I did to my hair today in your own good time." The twist back leaves him plenty to play with while he's figuring out the rest.

"I should let you eat before..." before they talk of less pleasant things. "Before Foggy forgets to leave you anything."

(Never ever has he had it as good as he has it now. It is known.)

Matt has put so much of himself into Hell's Kitchen as it is. Without family for so long, without prospects that he has now, it was only a vague idea of how to assert his ideals into something productive. Nelson and Murdock is a realization of that dream and promise to use his head instead of his fists... while still using his fists. Both of them are solutions to the same problem. The true happiness is coming from the connections he's made from these solutions. Foggy, Karen and now Verity... he would never think to be as happy as he is right now without any of them.

What is a dismaying, real factor is that nothing can stay standing without effort. He still must put on a suit one way or the other and try to save the day. It's less time for friendship, less time for love when he fights so hard to keep both. Almost a week is too long he's decided being in her presence and thinking so much in her absence. His own nights have been restless on principle. Without her there was no sense of settling in after the heavy, hard hits. Matt touches his forehead to her's.

"I love you. I'm sorry it's been a long week," repetition never hurt anybody. And God knows he means it. His heart is beating steady and strong against her hands. Each answer to his questions makes him feel lighter, less pained by the guilt the distance of days brought on. As usual her hair is a sculpture to appreciate. "You've got the patience of a saint."

He's so caught up in her that Matt actually forgets food. "He better," and Matt even sends a look across the office knowing where Foggy stands. Chances are he has no idea what they're talking about. Pressing glances aren't good so he turns quickly to Karen in the conference room. "You've had your share I hope? There's no telling what's left so far."

(It'll keep getting better, if he plays his cards right.)

Problems of this magnitude, problems that involve politics, society, the economy, religion, health, and everything all knotted together like this, are going to require multiple problem-solvers coming at it from multiple angles. Nelson and Murdock work at it from the legal angle. Daredevil is more of an emergency stop-gap, dealing with the most immediate emergencies until other help can be arranged. He's like a first responder. Verity knows how desperately Hell's Kitchen needs its guardian devil.

But she needs him too. She closes her eyes when his forehead meets hers, taking a long slow breath to settle herself. He smells too good. How is she supposed to think when he's wearing that cologne? Her hands slide down to his waist, exploring the feel of his body under his clothes. "I love you too. I'm really not that patient. I can't go this long without seeing you, so, you're going to have to get used to my visiting more." Such a dire warning.

Matt trying to give Foggy a look makes Verity giggle. "I brought plenty," she assures him. "But come on, let's get you fed." He's going to have to be the one to let her up, and she's not in any real rush for that. She has to remember that there'll be time for more after they eat.

(He'll play as best he can. Already this is about the top most of goodness. Someone who loves and cares about him and cares for him? Then factor in magic healing.)

Knots can be undone with patience, hard work and of course time. His involvement in Hell's Kitchen has pulled him away from the wonderful puzzle of fitting their lives together. Matt is thankful it's one that he can come back to, one that isn't an emergency at all times. The emergency outside of the longing. But yes, he is pulled here and to Nexus by invisible strings. This is not a competition, how unfair it would be if it was...

Matt needs Verity. That much he knows. That whole being in love detail, wanting to be with her, wanting to talk to her... powerful stuff. This close he also thinks she smells divine. Is that stuff they made on Valentine's Day? Whatever it may be he arcs into her touch like a cat. "I'm standing firm on my patience verdict. ...you can see me as much as you like. I'll have to pay you back the best I can, try and make it worth your while." If that's a warning, sign him up!

"Plenty for Foggy might require more than what you get for me." He pushes off reluctantly and offers his hand to her to help her up.

(It's not like he allows himself to be benched for long.)

It's not a competition, no. But it is a problem, or it could be if they're not careful. One she's been letting him shoulder alone for too long. She had her reasons and she knows he understands, but that doesn't mean she's going to keep waiting for him to solve everything. She's a big girl and she's allowed to go out and get what she wants.

If that means shouldering some of his problems, that's only fair. She's not much of a hero, but Hell's Kitchen needs help and Matt needs her, so. He's going to have to help her figure out what to do. There's no 'How to Date a Superhero' handbook.

She's wearing her special perfume, yes. Of course! She always wears it for him. The way he moves under her hands makes her breath hitch. Could it be any more clear that her appetite isn't for food anymore? "Don't make promises you can't keep, Matthew Michael Murdock. We both know we need our jobs for annoying things like paying the bills." She tries to keep it light, but there's a frisson of real frustration. They both know it isn't the bills that keep them apart.

"I brought extra in case there were clients here." There's a split second where she almost doesn't let him go. But go they must, and she'll take his hand with a sigh of pleasure. Whatever's left in the kitchenette, she goes for the bundle of pussy willows first. One branch is delicately separated from the others before she turns to tickle his cheek with the fuzzy nub at the tip. "And I was pretty sure he wouldn't eat these."

(It's true, it's so true. One of these days he'll just come down with a cold or something and have to wait it out. Severe head congestion is his real enemy. Could that be magicked?)

Ah, it's wise to just jump in. Verity is a smart and independent woman. Matt just has a tendency to assert himself and assume that he'll be able to work it all out on his own. There's no vote of disbelief in her at all. His drive also is fueled by trying to trouble her or anyone he cares about the smallest amount... which also ends up causing problems. Go figure.

If she were to ever say something like not being a hero he'd have to tell her that she's his. And there is no guide to dating with an alter ego or having inter dimensional relationships. ...is that still long distance?

Special perfume, specific tempo of heartbeat it's like he's playing with matches. "I don't write checks that bounce. And that's not because I find it to be problematic from a religious standing point." With their hands clasped together again, Matt smiles at her. "Now that you're here, you're not leaving any time soon." The frustration is mutual. It's a state of being he had once accepted and conditioned himself to take. And then his head and heart got all turned around in the best kinds of ways.

"Mr. Gupta did tentatively make an appointment," he confesses. There is enough left, Matt can't hide his surprise. There's at least enough for two and a half people more. "Verity..." he's starting to thank her again when the fuzz against his stubble tickles a smile. "Ambiance?" With just the two of them he can arrange his plate without any exaggeration.

(Yes, and she'd give him the cure even if she wishes she could keep him home for cuddles and soup instead. Maybe that's the favor she'd request in turn.)

The wisdom of jumping in is one that usually eludes her. But for Matt, she can be brave. For Matt, she can be anything. They'll learn to assert themselves together, making themselves stronger than the sum of their parts. Worry will be a source of strength too.

It's as long a distance as they allow it to become.

He's playing with fire. He took her past the point of matches and there's no turning back now. Ver rubs the back of his hand with her thumb while they walk, smiling when he talks and snorting when he demands. "Oh, I'm not? You're getting demanding, my love." But of course, she's not going anywhere. Where could she possibly want to go now she's with him?

"Then Mister Gupta's in for a happy surprise." The fluffy nub works long his jaw before darting up to bop the tip of his nose. "Something like. You bring me flowers, so I brought you something to enjoy." Something tactile more than visual. "And they'll look nice on your desk." He can arrange their plates while she arranges the stems in their vase. It isn't much, just a small offering, but one of so many to come.

(That seems like a more than fair trade. His illness time would be sliced to nothing. One night of true rest and more sleep? Sometimes, sometimes, there is rest for the wicked.)

Without a doubt they are the best together. His bravery kindles hers. Knowing that Verity is waiting has helped him try and organize his time with greater precision. She doesn't need to engage in street fights to get his worries and concerns in her direction. How he ended up with someone this good, something this good again?

"I'm willful to put it lightly, honey." And the sky is still blue they say. The small, soft touch to the top of his hand gets his attention. They can't get anywhere close as he would like them to be so he is living for the little details.

"Do you frequently surprise strangers and friends alike?" The bop gets Matt to wrinkle up his nose under the touch. The willow is far more sturdy and long lasting than flower petals. Even in her teasing it's another point of contact to breathe his wants into. "Ah, now there's the reason. I was wondering." A plant he can't kill. She is always so, so thoughtful. "Thank you." For an afternoon that is brighter than how the day had begun, awash with gloom.

Her food is the stuff of dreams. Foggy had tried to take his time. The first few bites he even counted on how many times he chewed in order to length his enjoyment. Except Matt and Verity were being too cute for too long. His plate was cleaned. And there was still more to go.

For a moment he just leans in the door frame of the kitchen watching Verity wrap Matt further around her finger. This could raise the heckles of many-a best bro but it puts Foggy at ease knowing that it's someone that has no desire to stab anyone or do anything crazy.

He clears his throat so that both of them can now he's in there. "Mind if I uh squeeze in here?" With an up nod to the spread of course.

"Is that what those were for?" Decoration and cheek tickling pussy willows. "I thought for a second my amateur pallet was just not prepared."

(Rest for the wicked or not, Matt's a good man who should sleep the sleep of the righteous.)

Matt won her heart by taking the time to thaw her out. Loving and losing a frost giant left her colder than she'd been before, and more brittle. Matt's love and care and kisses have been a balm and his smiles are the warmth of the spring sun long awaited.

They'll get closer later, just as soon as she can get him somewhere really private. For now, it'll be little touches and whispered promises to be collected on later. "If you're going to be willful, it's a good thing I'm willing."

The willow will endure with less tending, it's true, and can survive being handled more. When its charms have faded, she'll find something new to adorn his desk. "Generally, but not always in such nice ways." She sways in place, bumping her hip against his; another sign that she's smiling and teasing. Which is really the absolute best time for Foggy to interrupt.

Well. He was bound to see her blushing eventually.

"Yes, they're for decorative purposes only. Sorry, not everything I bring will be edible." But if he's very good, he'll get on her Advent candy list. And maybe some Easter candy too. Catholics have all the best candy holidays; pity they build up to them with fasting. Ver brushes a hand against Matt's arm to let him know she's stepping away before moving out of Foggy's way. "Enjoying it so far?"

(Should sleep the sleep of the righteous. That's one more bit of self improvement he needs to place into motion.)

Just because she had loved and lost didn't mean she was beyond help. So few are in Matt's opinion. It's naive and exhausting ideology to attempt to save everyone, it's true. But Verity could be and deserved to be out of the winter that she was left in.

Really private? The apartment will have to do. The office isn't going to be vacant any time soon. Matt sighs and bumps against her accidentally on purpose. "Oh, hey, buddy." Even with his head tilted to Foggy's direction he can feel the heat radiating off of Verity's face. It makes his own a very goofy smile.

"She's not going to trick me into eating anything I shouldn't. Not with everything else." Matt gestures to the plates. He allows Verity to pass. This office really is not so big.

Foggy reaches out an arm to touch Matt's to let him know where he'll be standing. Directly next to him. He still has his plate and loads it up again. "As long as most of what you bring is edible. I mean look at him. Wasting away. Poor Matt Murdock."

Matt hunches his shoulders and shakes his head like he has so man other times under teasing. It's always a give and take. "Do you have a sister or something, Verity? Did we get that far in the questioning? This is not a formal interrogation but it is good that you have your lawyer present."

(She's happy to help with that one. Very happy.)

Naive and exhausting and wonderful. However scared she is when he goes out at night, however furious she gets at him for scaring her, she'll always want him to be the big damn hero. It's the love/hate part of her love for him. Anyone who can save her from the Fimbulwinter in her heart deserves all her patience.

The apartment will be private enough for what she has in mind. She suspects there's a lock on the door and a bed someplace inside.

Ver leans in the doorway where Foggy had been. She doesn't mind a bit of do-si-do; tight quarters demand it and it's better than being crowded by someone she doesn't know yet. "I know. I try to feed him, but he's so stubborn sometimes. We'll just have to keep looking after him since he doesn't have the good sense to do it himself."

Does Foggy know yet that she knows? Has Matt told him about her? These things will need to be clarified. "I have two half-sisters, but they're in grade school and I've never actually met them, so I don't know if they can cook. Matt can't be my lawyer for the purposes of this informal interrogation. I'd never ask him to choose between his best from and me anyway. I'm inexperienced, not daft."

He will save her from anything that he can Fimbulwinter, Ragnarök and whatever else that comes. It's helpful to be a big damn hero in that case. Fists or no fists. Those late night calls and texts are what he uses to try and push back the fear.

Listening to his friend and his girl have an exchange makes him beam with pride. "You both know I'm right here. I can hear you." He could hear them a building away that's beside the point.

The plates are done but he stays still until Foggy is ready to move. When Matt said it was serious he let on that he can talk to Verity about everything. Everything. "Foggy!" The sister comment is a given but the rest?

Edited (how could i forget foggy jeez) 2016-03-20 03:48 (UTC)

"Matty, the grown ups are talking." That's what he gets for talking up. Foggy is satisfied with his spread and turns to the doorway continuing the traffic jam.

So she knows. But does she know? It's not Foggy's responsibility to warn or prepare Matt's girlfriend for what she might find. Still there's a kind of hope that she'll bring to him some locking and screws that were knocked loose from his dear friend's brain.

"You're spicy! Ahaha! And uh I'm not really into that child bride thing. Guess I'll just have to add it to my Tinder wishlist." Okay now Matt gives him a solid thump from his dress shoe to Foggy's.

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this log is a direct excuse to cherry pick DD scenes to creep in on N&M. ilu ;-;b

iu2 bb <3

:3

❤◦.¸¸. ◦✿

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" Ü "

(★^O^★)

-^^,--,~ (fox!)

✧ʕ̢̣̣̣̣̩̩̩̩·͡˔·ོɁ̡̣̣̣̣̩̩̩̩✧ that fox is so cuuuute omg

龴ↀ◡ↀ龴

<333

c[○┬●]כ

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@_'-'

☜(˚▽˚)☞ that snaaaail! that icon! too many cute things 1/2

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=͟͟͞͞٩(๑☉ᴗ☉)੭ु⁾⁾ 1/2

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AHHH This show. :O

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