Log: Matt & Rachel

[x-daredevil.livejournal.com]

Running into his favourite insomnia buddy Friday morning - Matt actually possibly gets Rachel to hang out with him in the daylight!



Arriving back at the mansion later than he had anticipated, Matt paid the cabbie and headed down the long drive to the school on foot, duffel bag bouncing gently as he walked. He'd gone out after his aerial classes tonight and by the time he'd taken the train back to Westchester and gotten a cab at the station, he had wished that he’d gone to crash on Amanda's couch. Too late now. Way too late.

Instead of heading to his suite and his shower since he was hot, sweaty and nasty, he headed to the kitchen for a snack and drink. He'd done both after class, but that was nearly two hours ago and he was a growing boy!

When the kitchen door swung open and the newcomer did not bother flipping the light switches, Rachel did a brief telepathic sweep to identify him before dropping her chin back down on the kitchen counter. She was lying sprawled over it like a boneless amoeba, a glass of milk loosely clasped in one hand.

“Up late again, huh?”

"Just getting in," Matt replied. He'd recognized Rachel's heartbeat before he'd even entered the kitchen. "I was beginning to think you didn't like our midnight trysts and weren't coming back," he grabbed a glass to get water and see what was good for a snack. Matt very purposefully didn't comment on her laying on the counters.

She snorted, and turned her head so she was at least looking in the vague direction he was in, pressing her cheek against the cool marble. “What are you saying? I live for our night-time rendezvous.”

"Oh, I can tell," Matt assured her, reaching out to pat her shoulder, before pulling a bowl of grapes out, "I tend to have that effect on women. So, since I didn't break your heart and kick your puppy, who did?"

“It’s a looooooong story, Casanova,” Rachel replied with a sigh, eyes slipping shut as she shook her head. “Pretty fucked up too.”

"Usually are," he agreed, popping some grapes in his mouth, "Wanna share anyways? Or should I just feed you grapes like the goddess you're lounging like?"

“My mission succeeded, but the outcome was fucked up. There,” she summarised succinctly, waving her free arm about in the air. “Now, I will have them grapes.”

"So, basically, the status remains quo," Matt agreed, dropping a grape into Rachel's mouth. He leaned against the counter next to her, "You wanna see how many colours a person can turn?" he asked. "I've developed a new secondary mutation in bruises."

She chewed and swallowed, then gestured behind her at the light switch. “Sure. Can’t see how that would be a useful skill to have, but heeyyy. One doesn’t pass on entertainment that’s hard to come by. Flip the switch, won’t you?”

"So wait...you're laying on the kitchen counter in the dark at..." Matt paused to check his watch, "1:15am? Rachel, that is new levels of emo, even for you," he went to flip the switch regardless though, pulling his shirt off as he headed back to her. He didn't have that many bruises, but there was still a good rope burn circling part of his waist as well as several bruises in various stages of healing across his upper arms and torso.

“Shut up. I’m going through a ‘my life fucking sucks phase’ and no one will let me wallow,” she groused, forcing herself upright so that she could shuffle around to face him. The redhead arched her brows and tilted her head, reaching a finger out to poke at a purpling bruise. “Dude, are you into that whole S&M kink?”

Yeah? So? Wasn't everyone? "Ow," Matt replied blandly, "Why? You wanna dominate me?" he snorted, shaking his head, "Nah. I'm taking aerial arts classes in the city. Which is why I smell like the gym right now," he needed to shower, "And a trainee X-Man. So I model all the latest in bruises. That long one on my side is a rope burn and the one on my arm is from not blocking properly," he grinned, "You gotta come to my show in a couple weeks."

“The strong, badass X-Man trainee wants me to dominate him?” Rachel laughed and traced the line of the rope burn before losing interest and throwing his shirt at him. She swiped his grapes and popped another two into his mouth, leaning back against the counter to retrieve her glass. “Well, no clue what aerial arts are, but it sounds interesting enough.”

Laughing, Matt messed Rachel's hair, "I said nothing about me wanting you to," he pointed out, tugging his shirt back on. "Aerial arts. You know, circus stuff. I've done gymnastics for years and then started on trapeze and parkour last year, this was just a natural progression. And I can always run off and join the circus if being a college student doesn't work out," seemed like a good idea.

“That was definitely an invitation, punk.” Rachel tossed her head back with an annoyed sound and the short strands fell back into place around her face. “Sounds fun. If I’m around at the time, I’ll drop by,” she said. Who knew where she would be in a week, nevermind weeks. “Never been to the circus before.” Or to college. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if it beats studying.”

"You bet it was," Matt agreed, "And you better. It's not a full on circus show, just the beginner and intermediate people," well, he was intermediate, most of the others were beginners, but they didn't have his background either. "We could go to the real circus sometime though. If it's in town. Or Coney Island."

“Wow. I’m not sure if I’m ready to take our relationship to the next level…” Rachel shot him a faux concerned look, then spoiled it by taking a big gulp of milk that left behind the beginnings of a milk moustache. “Don’t you think it may all just change once we’re out there, together, at a time not past the witching hour?”

Munching some grapes as he thought about it, Matt finally grinned, "So you're trying to convince a guy who can't see daylight that our secret affair would go poof with the sun? Really?" he stuck his tongue out at her, "Try harder. I'm not buying."

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she replied amicably. Given the going ons in her life at that point in time, this was probably the most relaxed she had been in a long, long while. It felt good, truth be told and the small smile curling the corners of her lips would stand testament to that. “And you’re totally buying.”

"Uh huh. Tell you what. I'm going to shower so I stop smelling like eau du gross and then I'm gonna sleep. After that, I expect you to be looking like you weren't being emo-queen 2013 and we'll go see if we melt in daylight or not." He closed the container of grapes to put it back, "And I'll buy. Whatever you want to eat."

“I like the whatever I want to eat part,” she replied, swiping the grapes from him and popping the lid before he could put it away – clearly having no intention whatsoever of leaving the sanctuary of the kitchens any time soon. “But whether or not I go around looking like my world just collapsed around my ears or not really depends on the company I’m with, y’know?”

"So what? You think I don't care what you look like?" Matt tsked at her, "I require you showered and looking comfortable. Anything beyond that is on you." He picked up his duffel bag and shoved his shirt into it, "But your world didn't collapse entirely. I'm still here. And there are others. So we do what we also do. We rebuild, piece by piece."

Rachel blinked at him for a long moment, hand frozen mid-way to her lips as she tried to figure out how she should react to his statements. It sounded almost as though Matt knew… And that made it a little difficult for her to breathe.

Finally, the redhead shook her head and finished popping the fruit into her mouth, reaching a hand up to tap at her chest, as if that would help her heart settle in. She needed to stop being spooked out by the littlest of things – it was almost embarrassing.

“Good night, Romeo.”