Backdated: Matt and Scott

[x-daredevil.livejournal.com]

Post-Fury, Matt ventures up to visit Scott and help him adapt and fare better with being blind than he had been. Competition ensues.



Matt headed up to Mr. Summer's apartment two of his canes shoved in the back pockets of his pants to check in on his teacher and team leader. Knocking on the door softly, he was glad he hadn't been on that mission. It had been horrible from everything he had heard, and that was without any details. He was also sure that whatever they had faced had taken down some of their most heavy hitters without much of a problem, so he was glad he hadn't been there. He wasn't exactly their strongest in terms of ability or experience.

Scott had been confined to his apartment for days now and was slowly going crazy sitting there doing nothing, he'd settled himself on the couch with the radio playing in the background as he scratched at Desdemona's head while the tablet infront of him recorded the latest report he was dictating. Scott knew that eventually he'd get used to his new situation, and figure out what he was going to do now, but at this minute, he could barely move around the apartment he knew like the back of his hand without falling over furniture so for now he had just confined himself to the couch and was trying to make do the est he can.

"Scott?" Matt called through the door, "It's Matt. Is it unlocked?" He could pick the lock if he had to, but it wasn't polite. Better to ask and then try the knob.

"Hey Matt," Scott called back dropping the tablet which had been frustrating his efforts at work, "Come on it, the door's unlocked," in case he wanted to go out, not that there was anywhere he'd actually want to go at the moment.

Entering, Matt paused to orient himself in the apartment since he didn't come here often. "Mind if I sit down on the couch?" he asked, finding both a chair and the couch, but with Scott on the couch, he didn't want to assume things. He was also intentionally moving a little slower than he usually did, giving Scott a chance to adjust to his presence and the noises he made as he moved about, plus, he included verbal directions instead of assuming so Scott wouldn't be taken by surprise.

"Sure," Scott smiled in what he hoped was Matt's direction and indicted the other end of the couch, "I could use the company," he noted nodding in the direction of the tablet, "It's not like I'm getting much work done here."

Taking a seat, Matt pulled the folding canes out of his pockets, "Here, take this," He said, pushing one into Scott's hands. "This is one of my canes. It'll help you until you can get one of your own and get to O&M classes. Being blind takes some getting used to, but it's not the end of the world and your cane gives you a lot more freedom and mobility."

Scott ran his hands over the stick, no the cane Matt had pushed into his hands, "O&M classes?" Scott only knew what he'd gleaned from helping Matt sign up for his classes, other than that he had no idea what he was doing. It had been a long time since he'd felt that way.

"Orientation and mobility," Matt clarified, "I took mine at Lighthouse International in New York, but there's probably something closer. Maybe a private thing," he wasn't sure, he hadn't much needed them in Westchester, "They teach you how to navigate, how to use a cane, cross streets safely, that sort of thing. It sucks kinda having to relearn it all, but it beats being stuck on the couch all the time," he had very little pity for Scott. "There are also occupational therapists who teach cooking, banking, laundry, all those life skills you need, too. And with all the voice-text programs now, you barely need braille except maybe to make sure you're using the men's and not the women's bathroom."

"Not a situation that had even crossed my mind," Scott remarked dryly, "Are you speaking from experience here, or just one of the horror stories that you hear about during O&M classes?" As he spoke Scott slowly twirled the cane between his fingers trying to get a feel for it's weighting, "to be completely honest I'm still trying to get used to this," Scott motioned towards where his eyes had been, "I haven't even gotten around to thinking about anything beyond that yet."

"I did that once at school. Girls shrieked like banshees, I thought they would beat the crap out of me!" Not one of his better moments, but more embarrassing at 12 than it was now. He chuckled at the memory, then nodded to himself, getting up, "Come on then," he reached for Scott's hand, touching the back of it with the back of his before turning it around, "Let's get up and move. You're Scott Summers, you don't sit on the couch like a lump. This is not the end of the world. So, to start, you usually get a cane that doesn't fold, but I don't have that kind. Let the cane unfold by itself and then tap the end on the floor to make sure the pieces are locked in place," he did it with his own cane as well.

"Just promise to keep me out of any girls bathroom's and we'll be good," Scott replied a ghost of a smile flickering around his face, Matt was right, it wasn't like he could just lie on the couch for the rest of his life, no matter how much he wanted to right then. "You have that much faith in me huh?" The elder man pushed himself to his feet if Matt was willing to come all the way up here then the least he could do was try. "How long did it take you to get used to making your way around after your accident?"

"But I thought you liked the girls bathroom!" Matt retorted cheekily. "They had a cane in my hand before I left the hospital," he explained, "Even if I didn't know how to use it yet, just like you. So, the cane is kinda like your eyes. It extends how far you can reach and what you can touch without having to bend down and be all awkward. So just standing there, what can you find?" Himself, the couch, the coffee table, there were a number of things in easy reach for Scott, depending on which way he wanted to move. In the middle an space, it could even be used to center or ground a person so they could better find a marker to use for a guide. A cane was incredibly useful to a blind person.

"I have a wife who can literally see every thought in my head," Scott pointed out with a wry smile, "As far as embarrassment goes I have a pretty high threshold these days." As he spoke Scott let the cane slid forward along the floor swinging it to the left and right as he'd seen actors in the movies feeling their way around. Scott's attempts to situate himself resulted in a yowl of displeasure from Desdemona and a solid thunk as the cane collided with the table leg. "That sounds solid," Scott noted trying to match the sound with the image in his head, "So I'm gonna say it's the table there."

"And a displeased cat," Matt agreed, amused at the cat. "The apartment door is one step to your right and about 6 feet in front of you. See if you can get there. Use the cane just like that so you don't bash your shins," He wasn't concerned with proper technique, that was for the specialists if this was long term. Matt just wanted to get Scott a little more comfortable and open up his options.

Scott shuffled to his right and then forward, never quite lifting his feet off the ground but rather dragging them along the ground as he swung the cane out in front of him, "It's ok she normally gets unhappy when she's not the centre of attention," he told Matt nodding in the direction of Desdemona's hiss as he inched towards the doorway, The cane waving, while effective with furniture didn't prepare Scott for the rug, the edge of which caught on his foot causing the man to stumble a few steps forward before he managed to catch himself. "Not as easy as it looks." "Practice," Matt replied, instead of pointing out the obvious. He'd lived for years blind without his powers and even after he was at Xavier's and learning how to use them, he'd relied on the cane to help. It was only fairly recently that he'd stopped carrying it at the school entirely. "You're doing pretty good though. Let the cane just barely graze the ground and when you step with your right foot, check the path on your left and opposite when you use your left foot. You're almost there though." He bent down to give the cat appropriate attention.

Scott smiled at the sound of Desdemona's contented purr, "Be careful," he warned the younger man, "If you let her get you wrapped around her paw like that she's going to end up following you all over the mansion looking for attention." Scott swore that sometimes Desdemona would try to follow him into the Danger Room if he let her.

"I can use a minion," Matt joked, giving her belly rubs, "boost my self esteem and all that. It's not like anyone else thinks I'm super-awesome, so....cat works." And that was more depressing than he had intended it. Still, he was beginning to wonder when he would ever get a date again.

"Minions are pretty useful like that," Scott agreed with a smile as he reached the door, reaching out a hand to guide himself to the wall which he leaned against. "I'd say you're pretty awesome, you came all the way up here to come and help me out. That makes you awesome in my books."

"You're blind. I'm blind. Gotta stick together, yo. And adapting to it sucks balls, but....you gotta do it. Kinda like math homework," he grinned, it was not his favourite subject. "And it's kinda fun to teach the teacher for a minute. Keep the cane, keep practicing with it in here and stuff. You'll figure it out and then you'll go to O&M soon enough and get better."

"Awesome blind ass kickers of the world unite eh, we should start a club," Scott told Matt with a smile, raising his new cane like a sword, "Don't get too used to the whole, teaching the teacher thing, I have a few years of catch up to do, but mark my words, I'm gonna catch up, and surpass you before you even know it." he told Matt his smile morphing into a grin.

"I can see you dominating at blind judo," Matt agreed. He had never actually taken it, but it was a paralympic sport. "I dare you to try. Give me a challenge," Ha! That was a great attitude!

"That's it, you're on," Scott accepted with a laugh, "I hope you're ready to eat those words lying on the mats cause that's the only way this is ending" he informed mat as a smile played across his face.