xp_logs | log: Matt & Darcy

Matt goes to visit Darcy after his post. No decisions are made

"It's open," Darcy called out at the sound of Matt's distinctive knock. She was curled up on the couch, laptop perched on the end table as she annotated the files in her lap by hand, but she looked up with a fond smile as he came through the door. "Let me finish this file up while the thoughts are fresh, you know how it is." The pointed lead in her pencil scraped across the paper as she talked. "I thought it'd take you a few more minutes, but sleep clothes and no pants is pretty easy for dressing, I guess. Do you want to sit out here or in the bedroom?"

Matt had taken the no pants rule to heart and was wearing boxer briefs and a Lila Cheney concert tshirt that had clearly seen better decades. But he was technically dressed. Technically. "Whichever. This isn't alcohol levels of drama," it had been sometimes when he was younger, but it was too old and worn of a drama to be that bothersome anymore. "Want me to make tea?"

"Good thing, because I'd have to send you to Clint's for the vodka and skittles if--actually no, wait, I've got the concoction Gabriel made me for Christmas, but I haven't tried it yet." Darcy put her pencil down and flipped the file closed, freezing for a second as Matt mentioned tea. "Y-yeah. Sounds good. Or instant coffee, if you'd really rather. Kettle's got water in it." She shut her laptop down quietly and stood, dropping her blanket on the couch and leaving her in a camisole and shorts. "Loving the Lila Cheney concert tee on you."

"Instant coffee is the devil," Matt retorted automatically, going to the little kitchenette and starting the water as he pulled out a couple packets of instant coffee. "Oh, yeah," he grinned, "I got tickets back in law school? Undergrad? A while ago. Was worth all the pain the next day in classes."

"And yet it's your choice over perfectly good tea." Darcy joked as she pulled mugs down. Her fingers teased the hem of his shirt as she slid her arm around his waist, pressing against his side with a brief hug. "Soft too. That well worn and many washed stage. Milk or creamer?"

"Well, it's coffee," the answer was obvious. He would drink coffee tar over tea, if he had his way. There was a reason he was not always allowed to have his way. Reaching back and down to wrap his arm around her, Matt buried his nose in her hair for a moment, "You smell good," he murmured, "And creamer, if it's flavoured. Gotta drink my tar like I'm fancy."

"I would hope so. Someone made sure I had plenty to smell nice with, as long as I didn't dump the whole basket on myself at once. If it's vaguely honey and citrus, it's shampoo and body wash you're smelling." Darcy tilted her head back, pushing up on her toes to brush a kiss across his cheek. "Mocha creamer it is. Instant needs all the doctoring I can give it."

Humming briefly in agreement, Matt went to get the kettle as it began to whistle, pouring water into two mugs, one with and one without an instant coffee packet. If she wanted instant coffee she could add the packet herself. Or get something else. Options! "Mocha works," he agreed. Not his preferred, but certainly not the worst flavour option there was. "How goes your lawyering? Or should I not ask?"

Darcy stepped away to grab the creamer, setting it next to his mug before grabbing a packet of her sleep blend tea and letting it steep. "How much detail do you actually want since, y'know. Snow Valley and everything that encompasses in actuality? High level, it's mostly fine and I'm doing more analysis than actual law, but getting used to having a team instead of.." she trailed off as she searched for a word that wouldn't be insulting. "Being the naggy assistant for a team? That's been a bit of an adjustment."

"Don't break confidentiality," Matt replied easily, he wouldn't do it for her, he didn't expect it from her. "But I can see that. You're ready for it though. You're pretty kick ass and they all respect you."

"Obviously not." Darcy took a sip of her tea, deemed it fine, and tossed the bag into her trashcan before moving back to the couch. "The part where I have to do a lot of physical activity just in case is less great, but I knew that'd be the worst going in. Not sure about the respect, either, but that takes time. My turn to play pillow, unless you'd rather take the other end."

Taking a seat in the corner of the couch, Matt reached out with his free hand, drawing Darcy in to sit between his legs and lean against his chest, "Nah. Not that you aren't a good pillow. But I'm good like this," he was already reaching to play with her hair as he sipped his still too hot coffee.

"You just want easy access to my hair," Darcy teased, reaching forward just far enough to pull her blanket over their legs before settling against him and giving his leg a squeeze. "You want to tell me which mysteries of the past you're considering giving a poke?"

"Exactly," he agreed, running his fingers through it before taking a section to braid. "My mom. She.... left when I was an infant. My dad didn't like talking about her, but he was never mad at her either. She just.... was gone like she hadn't existed. I assume they were married, but I dunno. Anyways. I was considering trying to find her. Again." He'd never gone through with it before either.

"Ah. Yeah, I see why that might cause some indecision. Do you know any information at all, or just the name on your birth certificate and what you've told me?" Ultimately it'd be a choice Matt would have to make for himself, but Darcy was happy to ask questions or just listen to his thoughts. She took a slow sip of tea as his fingers moved through her hair, thumb rubbing small circles just above his knee.

"I know she's not on Facebook," Matt offered, "At least not under the name Grace O'Malley Murdock, which is what is on my birth certificate. Or any combination thereof. But no. Nothing else. Not a great start, I know," he could try to find Grace O'Malley, marriage certificate, see if there's a death certificate or other information at least dating before she knew his dad. School records. But that wouldn't necessarily find her.

"I think checking social media and doing a basic online search before you commit to anything more official is smart, especially as much information as some people leave public. Why spend money up front when you can do that check yourself first and not waste much time?" The question was mostly rhetorical, but she wouldn't let Matt put himself down for doing the logical first step and then being indecisive about more. "Checking legal announcements in old newspapers or going through vital statistics would probably be my second step, depending on a personal time versus cost analysis. Assuming New York publishes those things--obits are pretty universal, but some community papers also do births and marriages. Divorces too, sometimes."

"Yeah...." he sighed, "That's where I'd need help anyways. It might be digital, but it might also be microfiche, depending on how they were storing records back then, if they'd switched. And microfiche is a mortal enemy," Matt tapped his eyes. Digital could still be problematic depending on various factors, but he was utterly thwarted by microfiche. "I'm less concerned with that though as opposed to what I might find. If she's dead, if she's not. If she has another family. That stuff."

Darcy leaned forward to set her mug down, then twisted slightly so she could slide her arm between Matt's back and the arm of the couch for a hug. "Can't tell you what you should do, but I can offer my help and support if you ever decide you want to know," she said quietly. "Clint and Foggy too. You wouldn't have to find out alone. And if you decide you don't want to know, we'd do what we could to help you make peace with that decision instead."

He nodded. That was no less than expected honestly and he appreciated it, "I need someone to tell me what to do," he mock-moaned, both meaning it and also, not. It would be easier, but this was not a decision he truly wanted taken away from him either. "All of you are too damn supportive and unhelpful. I swear, it's like you care or something."

"You wouldn't love us nearly as much if we tried to impose our wills on you for the important shit." She poked him in the side. "Make a pro/con list. Figure out how the bad case scenarios will make you feel against just not knowing. I think asking yourself those questions and answering them honestly will lead you to your answer."

"I've been doing that since I was 16," Matt admitted, "The answers have changed over the years, but....yeah. Still so far, the overall not doing anything has stayed the same. Am I just complacent?" It was a possibility.

"I think you're understandably nervous about what you might or might not find out, hon." Darcy was lucky in that respect, having family who were able to tell her stories about her parents as children and young adults. She could probably find out the information easily and sit on it until Matt decided what he wanted to do, but in this case.. better to let him ask for that, if he ever considered it as an option. "That's not complacency. You're still trying to figure out which decision is best for you. I can listen and ask you questions, but at the end of the day you're the one that has to live with your choice."

Huffing a sigh, Matt tilted his head back and closed his eyes, not that it made any difference. "I'm going to be old and gray before I decide," he moaned, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"What, you're gonna skip full silver fox and go straight to old and gray?" Darcy teased, reaching up and rubbing her thumb along his jawline. "Grow out the beard, sit on your stoop and yell at the kids for playing stickball in the alley?"

"Damn straight," Matt agreed, taking her thumb in his mouth and sucking on it a little, "Maybe balding. Who knows? There are plenty of terrible options. You will never do any of that. You're going to grow old gracefully and look stunning."

"Matt." Darcy's voice had a noticeable hitch in it as his tongue swiped over her thumb. "You're being an awful tease right now." She was absolutely certain his enhanced senses could tell how she felt about this development, not that there were any complaints on her end. Well, maybe one small one. "You know, you can kiss me instead of my hair or teasing me by playing with my hands. That's allowed."

Enhanced senses could sometimes be a benefit, "It's not teasing if I intend to follow through," Matt murmured into her ear, before kissing it, nibbling her earlobe. "Unless you're not interested in foreplay and want to move straight to the main course?"

"I'm sure there will be a time for skipping to the main event, but I'm very interested in your follow through." Darcy's fingers scratched lightly over the hair at the nape of his neck as she leaned in for a quick kiss. "Take me to bed, Murdock." Her voice was low and teasing as she slid off the couch, hands tugging Matt along with her.