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Aug. 8th, 2021 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daredevil posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsBackdated to August, Matt and Darcy go on a date? A friend date? An almost-date? They go on something. And there's goats.
Darcy knocked on Matt's door, yoga equipment stuffed awkwardly into her bag. She still wasn't sure about this yoga thing, but there were supposed to be baby goats, so she was tentatively excited about the whole thing. "Let's get this show on the road, Murdock," she said with a jangle of her car keys and a smile. "I want to pet the baby goats."
Matt was still plenty banged up from his recent adventures with biker gangs and demons, that he did not want to repeat, thank you, but he was well enough to handle some yoga. He hadn't done it in a while, it wasn't really his preferred method for working out, but he had done it variously over the years and knew the poses well enough. "Coming!" he called through the door, opening it as he walked past, then headed straight to the couch to get his shoes on. Even though they would likely be barefoot, he still wore a pair of sneakers for working out that he needed to lace up. "I am sure the goats are ready to be petted, too."
"You sure you're up for it?" She wanted to try it, for him and the goats, but he still looked rough. "I don't mind waiting until you're healed up from demon fight club." She aimed for levity, wincing when her voice shook.
"I'm fine," it was an utter lie, but physically, he could do a little yoga. Physical was the least of his issues. Slipping his glasses on, he grabbed his bag and keys so they could head out, "Want me to drive?" he offered.
"I call bullshit, but will accept that you're fine enough for yoga." She waited for him to lock up, following him down to the cars. "I'll drive this time, you can tell my phone the directions?"
Details. "I've got it set in my phone. Despite all the really cool mutant powers, I am still thwarted by technology without the right accessibility options turned on," and there was no way her phone had them set up how he needed. That was fine he had his own. "And I think I promised you food after."
"Yeah, probably not set up well enough for more than casual use. I use the voice assistant, but it's not always reliable." Although if Matt was going to be using her phone ever, it'd probably be smart to ask which accessibility options would help. She got the car started, backing out smoothly once they were both buckled in. "Food after sounds great. Lead the way, Bruce Wayne."
It wasn't a long drive though as they got closer, the windy roads made payi attention to the GPS more important. Thankfully, the arrived with only one wrong turn and time to spare, to a neighborhood where each house sat on a few acres. There was a sign in front of the one they needed declaring goat yoga and directions for parking.
The goats were in a large pen behind the house, happily doing their goat thing as a few others milled about with their yoga mats.
"Darcy and Matt?" a woman asked, holding a clipboard. "Great! We're just waiting on one more then!"
Soon enough everyone had arrived and they were rolling out their mats in the fenced enclosure. The goats were rambling about as they went over breathing exercises and a few standing poses, but started getting closer as they moved into positions that put their hands in headbutting range.
They were in cow pose when one of the goats jumped on Darcy's back. "Oof, little friend, you're heavier than you look."
The teacher had warned them that the goats might take an interest in them - that was why they were there after all - and come investigate or jump or stand on them depending on the pose. Really, they were there for the goats, the yoga was mostly secondary. The goats, being goats, also pottied where they wanted, which Matt did not enjoy. Not that it was on or near him, but he was too much a city boy. Even if his city was also disgusting. "Making friends?" he asked, "Or need help?" he had no doubt Darcy could remove a goat if she needed to, but he was attempting to be on good behavior.
"Friends, I think. Maybe also eating some of my hair." She laughed as the kid nosed against her neck and gently dislodged it, rolling into a sitting position so she could give him? The tag said Freddie, so probably a him, some quality pets. "Don't eat that, dude!"
Two of the goats were trying to sneak up on Matt, and Darcy bit the inside of her cheek to keep her giggles in. "How you holding up, city boy?"
It was difficult to sneak up on Matt, but he let the goats do it anyways. Not only was he pretending to be fully blind, but it was more fun to let them have their fun and see what happened. "I'm being assaulted by two kids," he laughed, yoga abandoned. Most of the other people had also abandoned their practice, though a few were determined to hold out. Weirdos. There were goats! "Hopefully, they just mug me for my wallet and that's it, but I suspect they want more!" He reached behind to pat one of them awkwardly.
"Real cute ones too," Darcy agreed. Her goat had wandered off, so she moved to sit next to Matt. "If they run off with your wallet I'll actually laugh at you, but I think they just want to be the center of attention."
"That's why it's in the car!" he laughed, though he did have his cane laying nearby. He cuddled one that practically curled up in his lap, leaning against him. "Just make sure they don't get my cane. Anything else is fair game," he had spare canes and he didn't technically need one, but it was a bad idea to lose them if he could avoid it. They were expensive.
"If you tuck it between us they probably won't be able to get it. Wait, actually... does that particular one collapse? I could stick it in my bag til we're moving around again if you're really worried. The top zips as long as my yoga mat's not in it." She reached out to the kid in his lap, giving it gentle pats along the side.
"Oh, yeah, it folds," Matt had just left it be, there was no reason to fold it when they laid their mats out. He rarely bothered with his cane at the mansion, but had unfolded it as a habit when they exited the car earlier. Reaching over, he deftly broke it into pieces and folded it up, using the attached wrist strap as a holder around the pieces. "Okay, no eating my hair, it's short enough without your help," he gently shifted the curious goat that was nosing at his head with his other hand. Yoga class? What yoga class?
"I don't know, I think your new friend is telling you it's time for a trim," Darcy replied, lightly resting her fingers on the hand holding his cane. "Bag or good?" The volume around them picked up as yoga ended and the happy hour to just pet the goats and chat began.
Automatically, Matt lifted a hand to check his hair length. He kept it professionally short and reasonably tamed mostly out of a need to look professional and not wanting to fuss with it. "It's fine, I just got it trimmed a week ago? Two?" something like that, what was time? "Uh, bag," he was good with or without it, it was just about keeping up appearances.
"Want me to take your picture?" the lady running things asked, coming up to them. "You make a lovely couple."
"Just bros!" Darcy blurted as she looked up, cheeks pink. "But I don't mind a picture if Matt doesn't." She shifted until she was more at Matt's side instead of facing him, spluttering when one of the goats decided to lick her cheek.
"Bros before hoes," Matt intoned solemnly, then smiled for the camera. His own goat bleated in protest at being held and tried to jump down, so he released it. He was in no shape to fight a goat. Not even for a picture. "Though, my ho wouldn't mind, you know."
"The picture, or the coupling? Actually. Hold that thought, I don't want to get thrown out. Ready to get some brunch?" Her stomach grumbled as she mentioned it. "Obviously I am, but I can wait for you to get your fill of goat snuggles."
Foggy would probably chortle in glee at being called a 'ho.' Matt would likely tell him later. They had an usual relationship in some ways, certainly non-traditional, but it worked for them. "Both. Either," he said after the lady returned the phone and left hearing range. "And yes, food. Goats are great, but they are better as cheese on a brunch platter. I'm half surprised they didn't try harder to eat me."
Darcy let her first two thoughts go, finally settling on "Well, you're definitely a snack, so they must have realized they'd get turned into goat curry if they tried more than a nibble." She nudged him with her shoulder as she moved to pack up her supplies. "You want your cane for the walk back to the car, or nah?"
Reaching out, he took her shoulder, "You can guide me. Just don't run me into a tree!" not that he thought she would do something like that intentionally. Or that he would let himself run into a tree. He had enough bruises right now. "Goat curry does sound good though. Do they make that? Can you?" Not now, but in general.
She laughed and started moving towards the car. "Well, if we run into a tree you'll have the advantage of landing on me, at least. Not how I'd want to add to your bruise collection, mind." Her face heated up at the idea. "And yes, goat curry exists. Last time I had to eat it with bread, because it had scotch bonnets in it. I'll find a local place and take you sometime." The car beeped as she unlocked it, and she stepped to the side. "Onward, to brunch!"
Brunch required spending a few important minutes cleaning themselves up since even in the early morning it was humid enough and they were active enough to sweat a bit. Then a short google map trip later, they arrived at a nearby farm that took farm-to-table very, very seriously. Then again, after goat yoga, it only made sense. They had a reservation to sit outside on the patio and Matt only hoped that they weren't too grungy from their goat friends. Then again, it was absolutely worth it. The goats were cute.
"Well, the food smells amazing," Darcy said as they walked to their table. They were tucked into the corner of the patio, and once Matt was seated she took the seat adjacent so she was less likely to be in the way of people moving around the patio. "Goat farm, food farm. Sure you're a city boy?" she teased.
"I googled just for you," Matt laughed, "Trust me, this is more than my monthly allotment of fresh air. I might break out in hives if I'm not careful," the waitress came to introduce herself and he immediately ordered them mimosas, then paused to make sure it was okay with Darcy.
"One should be fine, it's not like we're going to rush," she approved, asking for a green tea as well. Once they were alone again she tilted her head in Matt's direction. "So... uh... Both, hm? How's that.. I mean, I know the logistics, but how does that work in... context. Both? Either? Some combination?"
"Foggy and I are best friends," Matt began, a little awkwardly, unsure how to explain things, "We've been together off and on since college. And we've both been with other people depending on various things. Less break up, more....on pause? We're open about who we're seeing with each other. He's been seeing Marci recently. Again. She's another on-again, off-again from college. Not with me, only with Foggy," Matt couldn't picture him and Marci ever hooking up unless it was for hate sex. They didn't hate each other, but they were much too alike in some ways and not enough in others to ever be close. They both agreed that they loved Foggy though. "So, Foggy isn't a reason not to go out, if you're interested. And if you're not interested, well....I'm still buying brunch and you're still my ride back."
"I'm interested," Darcy said cautiously. "I..didn't want to make it weird. And you weren't single, so I just. Kinda put you in the same box as most of the people in the mansion? Bros, light flirting, no romantic expectations." She bit her lip, reaching fingertips out to tangle with his. "And I assume you wouldn't have said that if you weren't interested?"
Matt nodded slowly, that made sense. And he was interested. The waitress came back with their drinks and they paused to order, "I'd like to get to know you better. See where things go," he agreed, "You're fun. Have a good head on your shoulders, but clearly, you're as insane as the rest of us, take that as you will," all important qualities.
She chuckled at the sentiment. "That's our real secret, we're all a little mad here?" She sat back, sipping her mimosa. "I like seeing where it goes. So, no sharing Marci, but does that mean you and Foggy share sometimes? Have in the past?" A pause, and "..I'm being nosy, you don't have to answer."
"If Foggy wanted it, Marci and I would probably try, if it was his birthday or something," Matt mused, but clearly it wasn't something he was fond of. It wasn't that Marci was a woman so much as she was Marci. "And actually....no. I've never been in a ménage a trois. Did you know that there's a fetish for blind people? Makes it all sorts of weird. Why? Have you?" he knew she didn't have that fetish, she didn't act like she did, but more than that, she didn't act like she was trying to suppress it either. He could always tell from heart rate, blood pressure, and other tells that most people didn't think of.
"I'm online enough to quip that there's a fetish for everything, if you're willing to look hard enough," Darcy's voice was dry. "I've always found fetishizing people distasteful. A preference is fine, but.." she trailed off as their food was delivered, humming appreciatively at the smell. "And yeah I've been in.. a few." She was reluctant at the admission. Not from shame, but because they were touching on conversation that might be deep for what was practically a first date. "I forget you're blind more often than I want to admit. I'm trying to be better about not letting my face hold a different conversation than my mouth, at least when I'm talking to you."
Chuckling, Matt glossed over her admission, details weren't needed, and instead appreciated the comment about forgetting he was blind, "My powers make up a huge part of that gap," he agreed. And in learning to control them and focus, he'd learned to navigate the world almost as if sighted, "but expressions are beyond me. I can tell if someone's embarrassed or aroused or angry, the bigger emotions, because there's a physiological component, not just voice or expression. I can't tell colours, either. I remember them, but more abstractly at this point and nuance in colour is lost on me," at this point, he'd been blind longer than he'd been able to see.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when he mentioned the physiological bit. "How much emotional whiplash do you get around me? And what's your opinion on spicy food, because this huevos rancheros is really good and you need to try it."
He shrugged, "I mostly ignore it as background noise really. Unless there's a reason to focus on it. Kinda invasive otherwise. And I've lived in NYC my entire life, I'd go crazy if I didn't," and that was just from the city, nevermind the people in it. "I like spicy," he preferred more mild spice, but sometimes it was good to challenge that. Obligingly, he learned forward and opened his mouth.
"I.. don't mind you being a little invasive, if it's just us." She scooped up a bite and slid the tines of her fork into Matt's mouth. "It's not mouth scorching, just warm."
Wrapping his lips around the food to pull it off, Matt chewed thoughtfully. Well, pseudo-thoughtfully as his mouth lit up with tingles. Not scorching, definitely not fire, but more than 'warm.' Then again, he was something of a spice-wuss and just didn't like admitting it. "Not....bad," he managed after he swallowed, then took a long sip of his previously-ignored water glass. That helped. "If you ever want good Indian, Foggy can hook you up. I don't mind Indian, but they need to dial the spice way, way down for me."
"This is about my tolerance limit unless I work up to hotter," Darcy confessed. "But I do love good Indian, right until the heat punches me in the throat. The guac is helping here, but I'd probably add some crema if I made it at home. Lime crema?" Her voice trailed off as she examined her plate with a critical eye. "You could taste test, if you want. How's yours?"
"Delicious," he debated sharing. It wasn't that he was against it, it was just that it was good, "Want to try?" He'd gotten the Smoke Salmon on Ciabatta like the good New Yorker he was. Cutting off a piece, he offered it with his fingers, it wasn't entirely fork-food. "To put this in perspective, he took Punjabi in college because he wanted to order his meals correctly. And he still does it. But once the spice is dialed down for me, it's great."
Darcy's lips wrapped around his fingertips as she took the offered bite, bottom teeth lightly scraping the pads of his fingers as she drew the bite into her mouth. She pulled back, chewing thoughtfully as the flavors rolled around her mouth. A swallow of her mimosa followed it down before she gave a verdict. "Delicious. Not enough that I regret my order, but enough to consider getting my own next time. Foggy learned an entire language to order his food correctly? Dude. That's some kind of food love, right there."
"He loves food," and living in New York City meant there was always an option for something delicious, depending on your preferences. "And his Punjabi is pretty entertaining," apparently, his accent was atrocious, but understandable. It made for interesting times at Indian restaurants, especially when they didn't know him. "What about you? Any entertaining things from college I should be aware of?"
Darcy thought the question over as she chewed. "I'm pretty... I did touring choir as part of my scholarship, got the appreciation for some spicy food when I was in New Mexico with Jane. One of my roommates did fetish photography and was able to talk me into being part of her portfolio as long as my face was obscured or out of the shot, and that led to a few paid offers with the same stipulations. What about you? Foggy learned Punjabi, I followed an astrophysicist around... what sort of shenanigans did college Matt have?"
Matt snorted, "College Matt used to run around in black pajamas beating people up," okay, so it was black under armour. Still. "It started out more as testing out my powers once I wasn't at home. In secret of course. So, rooftops. I already had martial arts training and Clint was off being a spy or whatever, it was hard to ignore people when they cried for help. So I didn't."
"How ninja boy scout of you." Darcy's tone was dry, but her twitching lips turned into giggles a few seconds later. "The terror that lurks in the night.. in pajamas," she managed to get out through her laughter, fork clattering on her plate as she covered her face with her hands. "Oh my gosh, my mental image of this is too good."
"I went with what I had!" Matt protested, "I was a poor, innocent, blind boy, I didn't know anything about gyms or sneaking or anything, really!" he didn't even try to make that sound remotely plausible. "But I did upgrade to under armour and then body armor pretty quickly once Clint found out what I was doing. If anything though, at least I didn't follow random scientists around! You're lucky she didn't turn into a mad scientist that tried to take over the planet!"
Darcy mouthed 'poor, innocent' to herself, still getting the last of her giggles out. "You'd need to worry about me more for that, probably. Janey's always loved the stars more than paying attention to the happenings on earth. And ruling a whole planet seems like a lot of paperwork and minimal free time, so I'll pass. As for poor and innocent.. well. I'll be nice, this once."
Discreetly, he flipped her off by pretending to itch the side of his nose. "You done?" he asked as a waiter came to take their plates and retrieve their check. "Of course I was poor and innocent! Catholic orphan, I was practically a Dickens character!" Other than the bit where he was adopted by his two fabulously gay uncles, but whatever got Darcy to laugh. And anyways, being a little ridiculous was fun. "You should have seen me at my first college party. Foggy dragged me there and I got so shitfaced. It was terrible. But I was trying to fit in. No idea now how I managed to keep that swill they called beer down."
"Yes yes, gruel for breakfast, stale bread for lunch, gruel and mushy peas for dinner." Her cheeks were starting to hurt a little from laughing, but every time she started to wind down Matt would say something that set her off again. "What sort of drunk are you? I'm generally just... whatever mood I started in, but even more. And handsy, so.. fair warning, I guess?"
"Oh, I am a very handsy drunk," Matt assured her, wiggling his fingers at her. It was really no surprise that he turned into an octopus when drunk, he wanted to touch everything, even if his primary sense when it came to understanding his environment was hearing, "And yes. Same. I know my limits, so I try to stay in the 'happy drunk' range and avoid the 'depressed drunk,' because no one likes that. Including me."
"Team octopus unite for touchy-feely shenanigans," Darcy replied with a laugh. "Better depressed drunk than angry though, at least when I'm sad I'm just existential and crying, not throwing things and fighting. We ready to head out?"
"You are the driver," he agreed, getting up and making sure he had put his credit card away. His dad had been angry, though not usually when drunk. It was how he had gotten into boxing; as a way to work the anger out. The 'devil' inside him. Matt had it too, he understood the need to just....punch something. And a punching bag was better than anything else. His dad had been a depressed drunk too, and Matt hated that he remembered that. He was glad he did, it was something he knew directly about his dad, but it wasn't a happy thing.
"Don't want to rush you," Darcy replied, stretching to press a kiss to Matt's cheek. "You set a high bar for a first date."
Darcy knocked on Matt's door, yoga equipment stuffed awkwardly into her bag. She still wasn't sure about this yoga thing, but there were supposed to be baby goats, so she was tentatively excited about the whole thing. "Let's get this show on the road, Murdock," she said with a jangle of her car keys and a smile. "I want to pet the baby goats."
Matt was still plenty banged up from his recent adventures with biker gangs and demons, that he did not want to repeat, thank you, but he was well enough to handle some yoga. He hadn't done it in a while, it wasn't really his preferred method for working out, but he had done it variously over the years and knew the poses well enough. "Coming!" he called through the door, opening it as he walked past, then headed straight to the couch to get his shoes on. Even though they would likely be barefoot, he still wore a pair of sneakers for working out that he needed to lace up. "I am sure the goats are ready to be petted, too."
"You sure you're up for it?" She wanted to try it, for him and the goats, but he still looked rough. "I don't mind waiting until you're healed up from demon fight club." She aimed for levity, wincing when her voice shook.
"I'm fine," it was an utter lie, but physically, he could do a little yoga. Physical was the least of his issues. Slipping his glasses on, he grabbed his bag and keys so they could head out, "Want me to drive?" he offered.
"I call bullshit, but will accept that you're fine enough for yoga." She waited for him to lock up, following him down to the cars. "I'll drive this time, you can tell my phone the directions?"
Details. "I've got it set in my phone. Despite all the really cool mutant powers, I am still thwarted by technology without the right accessibility options turned on," and there was no way her phone had them set up how he needed. That was fine he had his own. "And I think I promised you food after."
"Yeah, probably not set up well enough for more than casual use. I use the voice assistant, but it's not always reliable." Although if Matt was going to be using her phone ever, it'd probably be smart to ask which accessibility options would help. She got the car started, backing out smoothly once they were both buckled in. "Food after sounds great. Lead the way, Bruce Wayne."
It wasn't a long drive though as they got closer, the windy roads made payi attention to the GPS more important. Thankfully, the arrived with only one wrong turn and time to spare, to a neighborhood where each house sat on a few acres. There was a sign in front of the one they needed declaring goat yoga and directions for parking.
The goats were in a large pen behind the house, happily doing their goat thing as a few others milled about with their yoga mats.
"Darcy and Matt?" a woman asked, holding a clipboard. "Great! We're just waiting on one more then!"
Soon enough everyone had arrived and they were rolling out their mats in the fenced enclosure. The goats were rambling about as they went over breathing exercises and a few standing poses, but started getting closer as they moved into positions that put their hands in headbutting range.
They were in cow pose when one of the goats jumped on Darcy's back. "Oof, little friend, you're heavier than you look."
The teacher had warned them that the goats might take an interest in them - that was why they were there after all - and come investigate or jump or stand on them depending on the pose. Really, they were there for the goats, the yoga was mostly secondary. The goats, being goats, also pottied where they wanted, which Matt did not enjoy. Not that it was on or near him, but he was too much a city boy. Even if his city was also disgusting. "Making friends?" he asked, "Or need help?" he had no doubt Darcy could remove a goat if she needed to, but he was attempting to be on good behavior.
"Friends, I think. Maybe also eating some of my hair." She laughed as the kid nosed against her neck and gently dislodged it, rolling into a sitting position so she could give him? The tag said Freddie, so probably a him, some quality pets. "Don't eat that, dude!"
Two of the goats were trying to sneak up on Matt, and Darcy bit the inside of her cheek to keep her giggles in. "How you holding up, city boy?"
It was difficult to sneak up on Matt, but he let the goats do it anyways. Not only was he pretending to be fully blind, but it was more fun to let them have their fun and see what happened. "I'm being assaulted by two kids," he laughed, yoga abandoned. Most of the other people had also abandoned their practice, though a few were determined to hold out. Weirdos. There were goats! "Hopefully, they just mug me for my wallet and that's it, but I suspect they want more!" He reached behind to pat one of them awkwardly.
"Real cute ones too," Darcy agreed. Her goat had wandered off, so she moved to sit next to Matt. "If they run off with your wallet I'll actually laugh at you, but I think they just want to be the center of attention."
"That's why it's in the car!" he laughed, though he did have his cane laying nearby. He cuddled one that practically curled up in his lap, leaning against him. "Just make sure they don't get my cane. Anything else is fair game," he had spare canes and he didn't technically need one, but it was a bad idea to lose them if he could avoid it. They were expensive.
"If you tuck it between us they probably won't be able to get it. Wait, actually... does that particular one collapse? I could stick it in my bag til we're moving around again if you're really worried. The top zips as long as my yoga mat's not in it." She reached out to the kid in his lap, giving it gentle pats along the side.
"Oh, yeah, it folds," Matt had just left it be, there was no reason to fold it when they laid their mats out. He rarely bothered with his cane at the mansion, but had unfolded it as a habit when they exited the car earlier. Reaching over, he deftly broke it into pieces and folded it up, using the attached wrist strap as a holder around the pieces. "Okay, no eating my hair, it's short enough without your help," he gently shifted the curious goat that was nosing at his head with his other hand. Yoga class? What yoga class?
"I don't know, I think your new friend is telling you it's time for a trim," Darcy replied, lightly resting her fingers on the hand holding his cane. "Bag or good?" The volume around them picked up as yoga ended and the happy hour to just pet the goats and chat began.
Automatically, Matt lifted a hand to check his hair length. He kept it professionally short and reasonably tamed mostly out of a need to look professional and not wanting to fuss with it. "It's fine, I just got it trimmed a week ago? Two?" something like that, what was time? "Uh, bag," he was good with or without it, it was just about keeping up appearances.
"Want me to take your picture?" the lady running things asked, coming up to them. "You make a lovely couple."
"Just bros!" Darcy blurted as she looked up, cheeks pink. "But I don't mind a picture if Matt doesn't." She shifted until she was more at Matt's side instead of facing him, spluttering when one of the goats decided to lick her cheek.
"Bros before hoes," Matt intoned solemnly, then smiled for the camera. His own goat bleated in protest at being held and tried to jump down, so he released it. He was in no shape to fight a goat. Not even for a picture. "Though, my ho wouldn't mind, you know."
"The picture, or the coupling? Actually. Hold that thought, I don't want to get thrown out. Ready to get some brunch?" Her stomach grumbled as she mentioned it. "Obviously I am, but I can wait for you to get your fill of goat snuggles."
Foggy would probably chortle in glee at being called a 'ho.' Matt would likely tell him later. They had an usual relationship in some ways, certainly non-traditional, but it worked for them. "Both. Either," he said after the lady returned the phone and left hearing range. "And yes, food. Goats are great, but they are better as cheese on a brunch platter. I'm half surprised they didn't try harder to eat me."
Darcy let her first two thoughts go, finally settling on "Well, you're definitely a snack, so they must have realized they'd get turned into goat curry if they tried more than a nibble." She nudged him with her shoulder as she moved to pack up her supplies. "You want your cane for the walk back to the car, or nah?"
Reaching out, he took her shoulder, "You can guide me. Just don't run me into a tree!" not that he thought she would do something like that intentionally. Or that he would let himself run into a tree. He had enough bruises right now. "Goat curry does sound good though. Do they make that? Can you?" Not now, but in general.
She laughed and started moving towards the car. "Well, if we run into a tree you'll have the advantage of landing on me, at least. Not how I'd want to add to your bruise collection, mind." Her face heated up at the idea. "And yes, goat curry exists. Last time I had to eat it with bread, because it had scotch bonnets in it. I'll find a local place and take you sometime." The car beeped as she unlocked it, and she stepped to the side. "Onward, to brunch!"
Brunch required spending a few important minutes cleaning themselves up since even in the early morning it was humid enough and they were active enough to sweat a bit. Then a short google map trip later, they arrived at a nearby farm that took farm-to-table very, very seriously. Then again, after goat yoga, it only made sense. They had a reservation to sit outside on the patio and Matt only hoped that they weren't too grungy from their goat friends. Then again, it was absolutely worth it. The goats were cute.
"Well, the food smells amazing," Darcy said as they walked to their table. They were tucked into the corner of the patio, and once Matt was seated she took the seat adjacent so she was less likely to be in the way of people moving around the patio. "Goat farm, food farm. Sure you're a city boy?" she teased.
"I googled just for you," Matt laughed, "Trust me, this is more than my monthly allotment of fresh air. I might break out in hives if I'm not careful," the waitress came to introduce herself and he immediately ordered them mimosas, then paused to make sure it was okay with Darcy.
"One should be fine, it's not like we're going to rush," she approved, asking for a green tea as well. Once they were alone again she tilted her head in Matt's direction. "So... uh... Both, hm? How's that.. I mean, I know the logistics, but how does that work in... context. Both? Either? Some combination?"
"Foggy and I are best friends," Matt began, a little awkwardly, unsure how to explain things, "We've been together off and on since college. And we've both been with other people depending on various things. Less break up, more....on pause? We're open about who we're seeing with each other. He's been seeing Marci recently. Again. She's another on-again, off-again from college. Not with me, only with Foggy," Matt couldn't picture him and Marci ever hooking up unless it was for hate sex. They didn't hate each other, but they were much too alike in some ways and not enough in others to ever be close. They both agreed that they loved Foggy though. "So, Foggy isn't a reason not to go out, if you're interested. And if you're not interested, well....I'm still buying brunch and you're still my ride back."
"I'm interested," Darcy said cautiously. "I..didn't want to make it weird. And you weren't single, so I just. Kinda put you in the same box as most of the people in the mansion? Bros, light flirting, no romantic expectations." She bit her lip, reaching fingertips out to tangle with his. "And I assume you wouldn't have said that if you weren't interested?"
Matt nodded slowly, that made sense. And he was interested. The waitress came back with their drinks and they paused to order, "I'd like to get to know you better. See where things go," he agreed, "You're fun. Have a good head on your shoulders, but clearly, you're as insane as the rest of us, take that as you will," all important qualities.
She chuckled at the sentiment. "That's our real secret, we're all a little mad here?" She sat back, sipping her mimosa. "I like seeing where it goes. So, no sharing Marci, but does that mean you and Foggy share sometimes? Have in the past?" A pause, and "..I'm being nosy, you don't have to answer."
"If Foggy wanted it, Marci and I would probably try, if it was his birthday or something," Matt mused, but clearly it wasn't something he was fond of. It wasn't that Marci was a woman so much as she was Marci. "And actually....no. I've never been in a ménage a trois. Did you know that there's a fetish for blind people? Makes it all sorts of weird. Why? Have you?" he knew she didn't have that fetish, she didn't act like she did, but more than that, she didn't act like she was trying to suppress it either. He could always tell from heart rate, blood pressure, and other tells that most people didn't think of.
"I'm online enough to quip that there's a fetish for everything, if you're willing to look hard enough," Darcy's voice was dry. "I've always found fetishizing people distasteful. A preference is fine, but.." she trailed off as their food was delivered, humming appreciatively at the smell. "And yeah I've been in.. a few." She was reluctant at the admission. Not from shame, but because they were touching on conversation that might be deep for what was practically a first date. "I forget you're blind more often than I want to admit. I'm trying to be better about not letting my face hold a different conversation than my mouth, at least when I'm talking to you."
Chuckling, Matt glossed over her admission, details weren't needed, and instead appreciated the comment about forgetting he was blind, "My powers make up a huge part of that gap," he agreed. And in learning to control them and focus, he'd learned to navigate the world almost as if sighted, "but expressions are beyond me. I can tell if someone's embarrassed or aroused or angry, the bigger emotions, because there's a physiological component, not just voice or expression. I can't tell colours, either. I remember them, but more abstractly at this point and nuance in colour is lost on me," at this point, he'd been blind longer than he'd been able to see.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment when he mentioned the physiological bit. "How much emotional whiplash do you get around me? And what's your opinion on spicy food, because this huevos rancheros is really good and you need to try it."
He shrugged, "I mostly ignore it as background noise really. Unless there's a reason to focus on it. Kinda invasive otherwise. And I've lived in NYC my entire life, I'd go crazy if I didn't," and that was just from the city, nevermind the people in it. "I like spicy," he preferred more mild spice, but sometimes it was good to challenge that. Obligingly, he learned forward and opened his mouth.
"I.. don't mind you being a little invasive, if it's just us." She scooped up a bite and slid the tines of her fork into Matt's mouth. "It's not mouth scorching, just warm."
Wrapping his lips around the food to pull it off, Matt chewed thoughtfully. Well, pseudo-thoughtfully as his mouth lit up with tingles. Not scorching, definitely not fire, but more than 'warm.' Then again, he was something of a spice-wuss and just didn't like admitting it. "Not....bad," he managed after he swallowed, then took a long sip of his previously-ignored water glass. That helped. "If you ever want good Indian, Foggy can hook you up. I don't mind Indian, but they need to dial the spice way, way down for me."
"This is about my tolerance limit unless I work up to hotter," Darcy confessed. "But I do love good Indian, right until the heat punches me in the throat. The guac is helping here, but I'd probably add some crema if I made it at home. Lime crema?" Her voice trailed off as she examined her plate with a critical eye. "You could taste test, if you want. How's yours?"
"Delicious," he debated sharing. It wasn't that he was against it, it was just that it was good, "Want to try?" He'd gotten the Smoke Salmon on Ciabatta like the good New Yorker he was. Cutting off a piece, he offered it with his fingers, it wasn't entirely fork-food. "To put this in perspective, he took Punjabi in college because he wanted to order his meals correctly. And he still does it. But once the spice is dialed down for me, it's great."
Darcy's lips wrapped around his fingertips as she took the offered bite, bottom teeth lightly scraping the pads of his fingers as she drew the bite into her mouth. She pulled back, chewing thoughtfully as the flavors rolled around her mouth. A swallow of her mimosa followed it down before she gave a verdict. "Delicious. Not enough that I regret my order, but enough to consider getting my own next time. Foggy learned an entire language to order his food correctly? Dude. That's some kind of food love, right there."
"He loves food," and living in New York City meant there was always an option for something delicious, depending on your preferences. "And his Punjabi is pretty entertaining," apparently, his accent was atrocious, but understandable. It made for interesting times at Indian restaurants, especially when they didn't know him. "What about you? Any entertaining things from college I should be aware of?"
Darcy thought the question over as she chewed. "I'm pretty... I did touring choir as part of my scholarship, got the appreciation for some spicy food when I was in New Mexico with Jane. One of my roommates did fetish photography and was able to talk me into being part of her portfolio as long as my face was obscured or out of the shot, and that led to a few paid offers with the same stipulations. What about you? Foggy learned Punjabi, I followed an astrophysicist around... what sort of shenanigans did college Matt have?"
Matt snorted, "College Matt used to run around in black pajamas beating people up," okay, so it was black under armour. Still. "It started out more as testing out my powers once I wasn't at home. In secret of course. So, rooftops. I already had martial arts training and Clint was off being a spy or whatever, it was hard to ignore people when they cried for help. So I didn't."
"How ninja boy scout of you." Darcy's tone was dry, but her twitching lips turned into giggles a few seconds later. "The terror that lurks in the night.. in pajamas," she managed to get out through her laughter, fork clattering on her plate as she covered her face with her hands. "Oh my gosh, my mental image of this is too good."
"I went with what I had!" Matt protested, "I was a poor, innocent, blind boy, I didn't know anything about gyms or sneaking or anything, really!" he didn't even try to make that sound remotely plausible. "But I did upgrade to under armour and then body armor pretty quickly once Clint found out what I was doing. If anything though, at least I didn't follow random scientists around! You're lucky she didn't turn into a mad scientist that tried to take over the planet!"
Darcy mouthed 'poor, innocent' to herself, still getting the last of her giggles out. "You'd need to worry about me more for that, probably. Janey's always loved the stars more than paying attention to the happenings on earth. And ruling a whole planet seems like a lot of paperwork and minimal free time, so I'll pass. As for poor and innocent.. well. I'll be nice, this once."
Discreetly, he flipped her off by pretending to itch the side of his nose. "You done?" he asked as a waiter came to take their plates and retrieve their check. "Of course I was poor and innocent! Catholic orphan, I was practically a Dickens character!" Other than the bit where he was adopted by his two fabulously gay uncles, but whatever got Darcy to laugh. And anyways, being a little ridiculous was fun. "You should have seen me at my first college party. Foggy dragged me there and I got so shitfaced. It was terrible. But I was trying to fit in. No idea now how I managed to keep that swill they called beer down."
"Yes yes, gruel for breakfast, stale bread for lunch, gruel and mushy peas for dinner." Her cheeks were starting to hurt a little from laughing, but every time she started to wind down Matt would say something that set her off again. "What sort of drunk are you? I'm generally just... whatever mood I started in, but even more. And handsy, so.. fair warning, I guess?"
"Oh, I am a very handsy drunk," Matt assured her, wiggling his fingers at her. It was really no surprise that he turned into an octopus when drunk, he wanted to touch everything, even if his primary sense when it came to understanding his environment was hearing, "And yes. Same. I know my limits, so I try to stay in the 'happy drunk' range and avoid the 'depressed drunk,' because no one likes that. Including me."
"Team octopus unite for touchy-feely shenanigans," Darcy replied with a laugh. "Better depressed drunk than angry though, at least when I'm sad I'm just existential and crying, not throwing things and fighting. We ready to head out?"
"You are the driver," he agreed, getting up and making sure he had put his credit card away. His dad had been angry, though not usually when drunk. It was how he had gotten into boxing; as a way to work the anger out. The 'devil' inside him. Matt had it too, he understood the need to just....punch something. And a punching bag was better than anything else. His dad had been a depressed drunk too, and Matt hated that he remembered that. He was glad he did, it was something he knew directly about his dad, but it wasn't a happy thing.
"Don't want to rush you," Darcy replied, stretching to press a kiss to Matt's cheek. "You set a high bar for a first date."
