6003/Black Sky: A Not So Happy Birthday

Black Sky: A Not So Happy Birthday
Date of Scene:	16 December 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	It's Matt's birthday, Kate brings wine. They talk and discover real dating is harder than the fake kind and that what's dead doesn't always stay that way.
Cast of Characters:	Daredevil, Hawkeye (Bishop)
Tinyplot:	Black Sky

---

Daredevil has posed:
Matt wouldn't have remembered it was his birthday if it wasn't for Foggy and Karen dragging him out to Josie's. Growing up most of the kids at St. Agnes just assumed Matt was born on Christmas, since few at he orphanage had bothered to mark his birthday with it being only ten days before the big holiday. Besides the orphanage wasn't exactly rolling in dough, so he couldn't fault them on wanting to cheap out on celebrations. It wasn't what they were there for. Really, if it wasn't for Sister Maggie, making sure he had a cupcake on the 15th, he would have believed he was born on Christmas too.

As it was Matt begged out of his party to head back up to his appartment, he claimed he was sick, and that wasn't far off the mark. Ever since Stick arrived to tell him about Elektra, he hadn't been able to focus, at the same time it wasn't like he was going to tell his friends the story of how is dead girlfriend might be a zombie. Foggy and Karen lived in the real world, they didn't need that in their lives.

Either that or Matt just didn't want to go through the pain of telling them.

So pouring a healthy dose of bourbon into his egg nog, Matt makes his way to the couch where the christmas presents he'd bought lay half-wrapped where he left them to invite Stick inside.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate knew it was Matt's birthday even before Karen and Foggy invited her out to join with them. As it happened, though, she had a client to work for that evening - another run of the mill cheating husband as it happens. 'Why can't they be cheating wives every now and then' she'd muttered to herself on the way to the stakeout the other side of Gotham. 'Just to break up the monotony'. Only to arrive and find the wife sneaking in to the hotel room to meet with her husband.

Kate didn't quite get it, but she figured JJ was getting paid regardless. Only it did mean that Kate had wasted an evening. By the time she'd gotten back home.. Lucky needed a walk. And there were other errands that needed doing. And by that time, it was late, and Kate was tired.

In fact, if it weren't for the small matter of someone's Christmas gift to her sitting on the end of her loveseat, Kate might not have left her apartment again that evening.

Only, there it was. Staring at her. A great blinking light of: I told you so. See? Told you.

Grabbing the traitor thing, and a handful of bills from her wallet Kate makes a stop at the local bodega before showing up at Matt's door, knocking loudly.

Daredevil has posed:
The fact Matt doesn't hear Kate coming to his door, let alone smell what she bought from the bodega speaks to the sort of headspace Matt's in. Though at the knock on his door Matt's head lifts and he turns towards the door letting his senses in past the fog of emotion.

All those things that are Kate rush in he gives his head a shake. He stands, grabbing a present and tucking the ends of the paper in then he tosses the gift onto the coffee table and heads to the door.

He opens it. "Hey Kate," he says stepping out of the way. "Did I miss a date?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate waltzes in, without so much as a how do you do, and once she hits the middle of his room turns about to face Matt who is still at the door. And... he can be forgiven for not smelling what she brought with her, unless it's the the oil and wax used on the bow, because other than that, all Kate has is a bag full of several bottles of cheap plunk. (That's wine for you heathens)

"No, you didn't miss a date, but it's your birthday, da-- uh.. It's your birthday. And we're going to celebrate, because that's what couples do."

Her tones are defiant, as is her stance, and she puts the bag of wine down, and leans her bow up against the end table. "We don't need glasses unless you feel fancy. I'm feeling like swigging straight from the bottle. Twist off caps are great don't you know. And uh.. guess I missed your birthday by like half an hour. Sue me."

Kate? Is in a mood.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt might not catch the smell but the clink of bottles, that he hears once he's at the door. He turns as Kate walks in, his senses following even if his uncovered eyes remain aimless.

There is a tired grin from Matt as he closes and locks the door. "I guess they do," Matt says of couples. "When's your birthday by the way?" he asks her. "And da-?"

He wanders back to the living room "No. From the bottle is fine. What'd you bring?" those twist tops kept a good lock on the bottles so little enough scent escaped even if he could tell which bodega she'd bought them from by the smell of Al's cologne that clung faintly to the bag.

"And most people miss it entirely, so for thirty-minutes, I'll miss filing a suit," he says easily as stands by the couch. "Anyhow, it's good you came."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"I was /supposed/ to be working tonight. Instead I find out that our clients get off on being watched." Kate makes a sound of disgust. "I would have been at your party otherwise. And I have no clue what I have."

Kate pulls a bottle out of the bag - yes, it was Al's Bodega, so very cleverly named after Al who owns the bodega - "Looks like Flatbush Red. We have a real winner here. And da.. you know. D. A. M. N. It's your birthday that it."

She makes a face at him and shakes her head like he's supposed to put two and two together and come up with Damn It. It's your birthday Damn It, don't make me say it. Made all the more ridiculous by the face that he's blind. Even if he can 'see' in a way.

She pulls a second bottle of the Flatbush out of the bag and sets it on the coffee table where Matt may be sitting? She'll make sure he gets it regardless. She, herself, sits down on the other end of the couch.

"Figure I can sleep on the couch tonight. Give the peepers something to talk about if they're even paying attention anymore. There are a few more bottles where that one came from, so drink up."

Kate takes a swig from her bottle, and nearly chokes on it. "Oh, gosh. This is probably not even worth the 3 bucks a bottle I paid."

Yes, Kate really did just bring a bag filled with 3 dollar wine to Matt's place.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt makes a face along with Kate. "Got to admit I never got that kink, being watched. So, what they paid you to peep on them?" And here he thought he saw strange shit working as a lawyer. "And no worries, I bailed out early, didn't feel like being out in public."

There's a snort for Kate's expectation of him putting two and two together there. "Bit late for puzzles," says the man who solves crimes all night. "And I'll take the couch," he gestures at the windows, which he assume is flooded with light from the billboard. "I understand all of that makes it hard to sleep. Maybe anyone peeking in will think we're living together and I somehow ended up in the dog house."

A faint smile. "Not that I'd do anything wrong."

His nose wrinkles at the smell of the wine. "It smells like three dollar wine," he says though that doesn't stop him from grabbing a bottle, twisting off the top and taking a long swallow. "Figure best way to beat the smell," he pulls a face. "And the taste, is to get drunk enough not to care."

He plops down on the couch, pulling a leg up after him, "Grab a seat."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"No darn way you're taking the couch." Kate, it would seem, wants to own her miserableness. "And yeah. Wife hires us to catch her husband cheating. I get all set up at the stakeout, and there she is, sneaking in, wearing nothing but a trench coat and a smile. It was weird."

Again with the noise of disgust.

"What a waste of my evening."

She's already grabbed a seat, sitting at the other end of the couch, but since he's getting comfy, so is she, pulling her legs up and sitting cross-legged and facing him now. More of the horrible Flatbush going down. "At 3 bucks a pop, we're going to get very drunk. I bought a lot of them. You weren't planning on going anywhere were you?"

Daredevil has posed:
Matt takes another big gulp of wine. "No way. If I don't get any sleep no big deal, I'm home, you have to get home in the morning," he says of the whole sofa debate. "Though," he sloshes the wine in his bottle. "This stuff might make it moot and we'll both end up passed out on the couch."

He gives a chuckle about the case, "Don't mention that to Foggy, he might give up the law to go into the PI business," he says chuckling. "But yeah, I can imagine there are better ways to spend an evening."

"And no, wasn't planning on going anywhere, figured I'd take the night off, or wander over to the gym, but drinking half-a-bag of wine sounds like a much better option," he says with a smile. "So, why the wine? Not that I'm complaining."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate just peers at Matt. "You're not suggesting Foggy is a voyeur are you? Because that's just weird." And not something she needed to know about Foggy. Then again, she is several gulps of wine into a very cheap bottle of plunk, on an empty stomach.

"I'd say I'd wrestle you for the couch, but you're probably right. I don't care." She looks at her bottle. "You know, I probably should have asked for some brown paper bags for these. Gone whole hog with the pity party. And it's stupid, that's why the wine. Just stupid."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt just laughs, "No, no, but I think the idea of being paid to see naked women would appeal to him," he says of his friend. "I don't think he's into peeping." That was also something he didn't need to know about his friend, if it were true.

"We'll figure out where we're sleeping later," Matt agrees his lips forming a concerned line. "Want to talk about the stupid?" he asks her.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"You just watch, Matt Murdock, or I'm going to tell him you said that." Kate does manage a small laugh, though, at the picture Matt paints of Foggy's non-existent love life.

Then they were back to talking about the stupid, and she frowns, glance falling upon Clint's old bow - a bow that was now hers.

"The stupid." She says it like it could cover a multitude of sins. "Christmas is what's stupid. Stupid present exchange. Stupid boys. Stupid cute looking girls who do everything better than I do." (Okay, that last one was just Kate being surly). "He gave me his bow. His first Hawkeye bow. Who does that? Who does something so stupid anyway?"

Another liberal swallow of the Flatbush goes down. "You know, half a bottle in, this stuff doens't taste so bad. I think I see its charm now."

Daredevil has posed:
Like Kate, Matt's mood was lightening he'd already laughed, and now he grinned. "Tell him? He'd be the first to admit it," he says, ahh the effects of wine and good company. "And watch it?" he teases. "Low blow."

His attention moves to the bow as he takes another long pull from the bottle. "Thought that was your replacement for the one from the other day," he says at first, then when she explains it's origin, he nods, "So, it's /his/ bow? Huh," Matt says suddenly understanding it all. "So, what was the deal with the gift? What'd he say?" he ignores the bit about the girl.

"And not bad, I think my taste buds have gone numb so it's definitely improving."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"I can't feel my toes," Kate admits. Her cheeks are already rosy. The dangers of cheap and fast on an empty stomach. "He said he meant to give it to me a long time ago and hadn't gotten around to it. Told me I'd earned it and it was time it went to its rightful owner."

She draws a knee up and hugs it one armed. "All this time, he's never seen me, you know? I mean, I knew it, but I never *knew* it. I kept hoping. Like somehow if I were as good as him or something he'd look over one day and realize I was what he'd been looking for all along. Only truth is he wasn't looking, and if he was, it wasn't at me. It was never going to be me."

She sighs and takes another swallow of her Flatbush. There's a half grin as her brain catches up to his words. "Heh. You caught the blind joke there, huh? I thought it was funny."

Yeah. Kate is toasty.

Daredevil has posed:
"Hey no fair losing sensation in your toes already," Matt says nudging one of her feet with one of his. "You're not making me drink all this wine," he says, not that either of them was really obligated to. Still, he takes another swig.

There's another face from Matt, this time it's not the wine, but sympathy, "Ouch," he says face scrunched. "That's brutal," He could imagine it, being so head over heels for someone only for them to just not notice and likely never would. "I'm sorry Kate, guy doesn't know what he's missing. You can take it from your fake boyfriend, you make life brighter."

"And what's the plan? Keep on keeping on?" he asks her.

The last part though gets a laugh out of Matt, mostly because he realizes just how toasty Kate is. "I did and it was, want me to grab something to eat out of the fridge, I think I've got some pizza, or there's a Chinese place that does late night delivery..."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate grins as her toes are nudged. "I think the baby toe is still in business. And not my fault you're a slow drinker. We're supposed to be getting .. wait. Aren't you supposed to be celebrating? Why didn't you stay at your party?"

Now Kate peers at him.

"Why aren't you drunk already?"

She hasn't any plans, though. Not yet. Right now she's made it as far as wallowing. It had been a big step admitting what she'd always secretly known. "You said she's nice. I mean, I guess I'm glad in a way. I just wanted it to be me, you know? I think I'm nice. I think I'm pretty. I'm smart. I know how to do things. I'm rich for gosh sakes - why can't I get a boyfriend? What's wrong with me?"

Her shoulders slump, and she lays her head on the back of the couch. "I spent all my cash on the stupid wine. I can't even afford delivery for your birthday. I'm sorry, Matt. I even messed this up."

Daredevil has posed:
"Well, you need to do something about that," Matt says nodding in the direction of Kate's bottle. "Leave no toe un-numbed," he says pausing, "That's a word right?" he asks.

As to why he left his party, Matt just tries to breeze past it, saying, "Fine, fine, I'll catch up," and knocking back a good quarter of his bottle, struggling to swallow it down. "Might not have numbed all my taste buds yet." There's a snort at that and another, smaller, swallow. "Better?" he asks.

There was some colour rising in his cheeks now. "Anyhow it takes me a lot to get drunk, I'd say it's the Irish in me but really has more to do with being friends with Foggy. Half the time I wonder how we managed to graduate." Not that Matt didn't manage it anyhow, and Summa Cum Laude to boot. Well, between Foggy and Elektra...

That last thought has him finishing his bottle and setting it aside. "Toss me another, and drink up."

As to Kate's remarks. "Yeah, Skye is good, and they're happy, but that doesn't make things suck any less for you," he says. As to those other questions Matt says, "You are nice, Kate. And smart. As for pretty I don't really know what you look like, but I like the sound of your voice," he offers with a self-depricating smile. "There's nothing wrong with you Kate, seriously. You really do make things brighter just being around." Even when she was moping.

"Anyhow you bought the take out on our first date remember," he says meaning the story Kate had told him before they met her parents. "So technically I owe you."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Of course she's nice," Kate complains. "And pretty. And everything else to boot. And you still haven't said why you left your own party. They're your friends, and I found you hiding in your own apartment, not even the slightest bit buzzed."

He'd taken care of that, at least. Though his request for another bottle is met, Kate downing the remains of her own and grabbing another bottle for herself. She untwists the thing and *snaps* the cap towards the kitchen, hitting the sink. The clatter of the thing spinning around the metal sink echoing. "Not as aerodynamic as a beer cap, but I still have it," she says with satisfaction. "Chinese would be good," she mutters sullenly. "But I think we only pretended I bought dinner. Does that still count?"

All of this made more amusing by the fact that Matt was filthy rich, and if Kate cared to raid her trust fund, so was she.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt snorts, "Sure, she's those things," he says, it was odd to think of Skye that way given how young they were when they met. Part of him still conjured images of the lonely, angry girl he knew back int he day when he thought of Skye.

There's that question again. It conjurs Elektra back up into his mind, that little burning spark of hope that sat in his gut that maybe somehow she could be brought back to the person she was. Though that spark was coupled with the cold dread that she couldn't be turned back and he'd have to watch her die a second time.

"It's complicated," he answers truthfully if not helpfully. "Not even sure what I think of half of it," he says, then taking the bottle of wine he says. "Just sort of looking for a normal sort of night and none of those reasons are normal."

He's more than happy to jump on the shot with the cap to change subjects. "Good shot, sounds like it hit the sink."

Then he cracks his lid and flips it in the same direction. It hits the counter arcs but overshoots and lands with a distant click on the kitchen floor. "And you said I wasn't drunk."

He takes a swig of his wine. "Totally counts," he says feeling around for his phone. "What do you like for Chinese?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Of course I hit it," Kate says smugly. "I'm drunk, not an amateur." Which only maker her giggle and repeat the word, slurring it in her mouth to feel it. His shot misses, and Kate snorts. "Noob. What good is all that spidey sense if you can't even hit a sink at 20 paces with a cap not meant to be flipped to begin with?"

Her scoff is most definitely teasing.

"Uh.. one of everything," Kate declares of what she wants, quite possibly underestimating how many things might be on the menu, or overestimating her hunger. Odds are she's just being flippant. It's hard to tell.

"And of course it's complicated, but this is True Confessions time," she tells him, taking a swig of her bottle, and then waving it at him. "Like the old magazines. Dear Edna, I kissed a boy who wasn't my boyfriend and now I'm afraid he'll find out. The trouble is I like them both. How do I choose?" She looks over towards the sink. "I wonder if any of those were real letters anyway. Can you imagine? Dear Edna, the man I love thinks I'm his kid sister. He might have well patted me on the head. I really have to let this go, don't I? Trouble is, my pretend boyfriend is in love with someone else, too. Am I going to die a virgin?"

Kate heaves a sigh and takes a long, long swallow of wine.

Fine. It's a guzzle. This is a pity party after all.

Daredevil has posed:
Kate's giggles are contagious and Matt finds himself giggling to. "Amature," he tries to say, but only ends up screwing up the word himself. "Let's stick with noob. I think we can both handle noob." He takes another swig, "And I know Spider-man, his senses are totally different than mine, but" he grabs a cap from one of their previous bottles and tries to make his way to standing on the couch. His senses were all askew, but he's always had great balance so he manages to stand bottle in one hand, cap in the other. "I'm gonna make the shot," he declares, and sends the cap spinning across the room. It pings off the sink then hit's the floor. "Damn it. If I can't make the shot, I'm moving the goal posts, I was aiming for the floor the whole time," he says, nodding sagely before dropping back down to the couch, making it shake.

Back on the couch he picks up his phone and starts searching through the contacts. "Sure, one of everything, who are you Danny Rand?" he asks with a chuckle. "There was a time he- anyhow nevermind, but I think I'll order the dinner for eight, that should be as much everything as we can stand."

"That'd be quite a letter, if they still do those columns. Or those radio shows, like Love Talk, one of the nuns in the orphanage loved that crap." He says before he asks, "And you're not really a virgin, are you?" he asks chuckling. "I mean I know you said boys were dumb but I didn't think they were that dumb."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate continues to giggle as Matt can't say the word. And laughs outright when he misses the sink and lands the floor. "Suuure, that's what you were aiming for all along. I believe you." In tones that say completely opposite that.

when he sits heavily, she slouches back in her corner of the couch, both knees pulled up now, and used as a bottle rest between swallows of Flatbush. "Not Danny Rand. I think he came to one of my father's parties. I'm not sure, though. They're boring and stuffy and I usually try to find an excuse to hide in the coat room." In other words, avoid them like the plague whenever possible. "Dinner for eight sounds good," she agrees. "Not sure what you're eating, though."

"You really grew up with nuns?" Kate asks, even though she'd found all that out on her own by checking him out (one of the advantages to being a PI). "I think they're all made up. And Hey! that's personal." Her status as a virgin, that is. "I'm not, but it's not anyone's business but my own. Unless you're my dad, in which case I so totally am." Kate chuckles and sips, remembering, "Hey! You're still avoiding the question. What's complicated? This whole birthday party thing. You can't still be down in the dumps about your lady, huh? I mean, I know she died, but they're your friends. And it's your birthday, right?"

Daredevil has posed:
"Something about how you say that makes me think you doubt my aim," Matt says with a smirk as she taunts his shooting. Then down on the couch he says, "Yeah, I figured he'd be around in your world. Good guy despite that, really down to Earth," he says. "Taken by the way, if you were wondering," he adds oh-so-helpfully.

Matt brings a finger to his lips then, and says, "Shh," teasingly before he makes the call for the dinner for eight. Then with a smile, adds, "And an order of spring rolls," he puts his mouth over the phone. "So there's something for me," he teases before making the rest of the delivery arrangements and hanging up the phone.

Yes, he did really order the spring rolls just to sell the joke.

With the phone down, Matt says, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I really did. St. Agnes Orphanage down the way there," he gestures vaguely south of where they are sitting now. "And wait, you think nuns are made up? They're not the Loch Ness monster, with only a few grainy pictures for proof, I mean I can show you some tomorrow, or hell, tonight if you want to see pissed off nuns," he says smiling at the last thought.

Then he laughs, "God, tell me your father really doesn't ask about that stuff," he says. "And if he does, what did you tell him about me?" he asks taking a sip of his wine and toootally dodging the question again. He even doubles down pointing with his bottle of wine, "By the way, that gift over there, the tube shaped one, that's for you, Merry Christmas."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Oh! We really should go," Kate grins. "I've never seen nuns in their natural habitat." She says it like she's picturing the orphanage as some kind of zoo where they keep the nuns on display for the public. "We could make it back before dinner arrives."

Her giggle is lost in another sip of wine. "Not interested in him, thank-you very much. Though I wasn't aware of the down to earth part." She might have been interested had she known.. and there wasn't the taken part. The taken she'd already knew about.

"Matt Murdock, I swear, There are Three? I think three. or is it.. nevermind. There's a lot more wine. Don't make me feed it all to you to get the story. Quit avoiding the issue." Though she is distracted by the mention of a gift. "Hey, what'd you do that for." Because, yeah, she forgot, and all she brought him was lousy Flatbush Red.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt gives Kate a /look/ though not a real /look/ given the smirk threatening on his lips. "Did you seriously say /habit/at?" he asks making the very pun he's accusing her of.

There is a smile at her thoughts on Danny Rand. "Wait if rich, I assume good looking and down to earth isn't your thing what are you hanging around me for?" he teases mostly on account of the wine, before he follows it with another swallow. "Cuz' I'm the more stable Danny Rand now, what with the money."

Matt doesn't even need to glance at the bag. "Four," he says, "And wait one," he pounds back the rest of his bottle before he lowers it. "And sure, give me the next one."

When she brings up the gift and why did he do that. "Because you're my fake girlfriend," he says. "And also before you get too worried about if your gift of three dollar wine measures up, open it first. Trust me."

He chuckles. "I think you'll find I hit the mark."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Oh, ouch. Who is making bad jokes now," Kate laughs of 'making the mark'. "And you said Habitatitatit-tat." Her own bottle is downed and set aside, and a wobbly Kate gets up and reaches for his empty one, putting a full one into his hands. "For Monsieur, a bottle of our finiest brown paper bag special. We recommend you do not inhale the vapors as they have been known to blind 3 out of 4 test subjects.. but wait, I joke."

Kate wweaves her way over to her gift, and picks it up, weaving her way back, coming to sit next to Matt, not making it back to her own corner of the couch again.

"If this is a paper towel tube I'm going to .. No. It's too short. Wrapping paper tube?" Then she laughs. "Is this some kind of a joke? The paper is all inside out."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt chuckles, "You think it's bad now, just wait," he says of his making the mark joke.

He takes the bottle pressed into his hands and cracks the lid off, this time, he throws it directly at the floor near the couch. "Another perfect shot!" he declares with a laugh then takes a swing. "And I didnt use that many tats I don't think," then as mind wanders through word association he asks, "Got any? Tats I mean?" he asks. "You don't seem like the type, but I can never tell, just doesn't show up in my senses."

Then given Kate's warning he gives the bottle a sniff, which sets him to coughing because cheap wine and super-senses are not a good combo. "Oh god I'm one of the three," he manages between coughs, just managing to avoid spilling wine on Kate. "Oh sure, sit in the splash zone," he says even as the bottle changes hands and he puts an arm around Kate's shoulder.

"Shh, it's two paper towel rolls," he says. "How cheap do you think I am?" a beat. "Don't answer that, and two, really? Damn, I'm never sure with these things. Thought that counts?" he asks.

If the paper is removed, what's inside are stack of archery targets all rolled up. If Kate was worried about dollar value, the wine probably edged it out... if not by much.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate collapses into laughter against Matt as his 'gift' is revealed. "If these are used, I am so going to kill you," she tells him, and tries to tuck them in beside her on the couch, but failing miserably and only managing to drop the roll onto the floor where it wanders under the coffee table. "I'll get them later," she says, leaning in under that arm across her shoulders.

"No tats. Never really saw the need. I guess if I felt strongly enough about something, maybe. And you're still doing it, you know? Not talking to me. I'm going to keep asking till you tell me to mind my own business or you 'fess up."

The crumple of wrapping paper from his gift is considered. "You know, if you had tape, I could wrap your gift." Snickering to herself. "What? You can't see the paper anyway. And you're just going to rip it."

Deadpan. But she must be joking, right?

Daredevil has posed:
Matt smiles, some people would be offended by laughing at their gift, not Matt, and not this gift, that was exactly what he was aiming for. Get it, aiming for...they write themselves. "Wow, used, should have thought of that," he grins. "Actually I figured we could shoot at them sometime, you know, give you the gift of losing to a blind man," the smirk across his face is very smug.

"Same," Matt says of the tats as he takes another swallow of wine as he shifts himself so Kate can lean in more easily. He was surprised by how nice it felt, how needed. Though, it wasn't going to last. There was that question again and he could say it was none of her business, but at the same time he wanted to talk to someone about it...

"Smart ass," he says about the wrapping. "Gift first, then I'll tell you. I am enjoying all of this too much."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"You're drinking your gift," Kate retorts easily. In truth, she'd forgotten. All it did was remind her that she had to take another hit on her trust fund and get some gifts for her friends. Little momentoes would do, but even those cost.

She's enjoying the closeness, too. In a platonic sort of way. It does make her think, though. "Matt? Kiss me?" Because she's curious about something.

Daredevil has posed:
"Right, forgetting what your gift is, not usually a good sign unless, that gift is booze, then I think it's a vote in it's favour," Matt reasons with a laugh. "Thanks," he says.

The request? It catches him off guard. "What? Why, what's up?" not the best response to the question, but an honest one.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate realizes belatedly Matt meant Kate retrieving her gift from him from under the table, not her wrapping the wine bottle in the discarded wrapping from her gift. It's a sign of just how much wine the pair have drank.

Her thoughts are interrupted by his questioning her request for a kiss. "Huh? Uh.. nothing's up. I just wondered something." It seemed silly now. Besides, they had kissed before. Sort of.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt found himself floundering in conflicting thoughts. On one hand they'd kissed before, but then that had been for show and if two fake lovers kissed and there was no papparazzi to see it, did it make it real? Then there was Elektra and the news he'd been pointedly not sharing. All of that... it was hopeful and terrifying and confusing... she was dead, or she was not dead, or she could be saved, or she'd need to be killed again. It all felt like too much, especially with the war and everything else going on. Kate though, was real, she was here and she made him felt good.

"Sure," he says about the kiss. "But I have to tell you about the other thing," he hesitates. "After."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
It's the hesitation that does it. If he'd just said he'd tell her after, Kate might not have gone ahead with the kiss. Somehow the hestiation made her think it was necessary. That maybe he was having odd questions too, though she wasn't really sure what her question was. Something something about was there anything? Or..??

It's awkward at first, the kiss. Because of course it is. Pretending was fairly simple. People pretended things all the time, and Kate was a consumate liar when it came down to it and when it was necessary. This, however, was completely different.

She's not sure what she's looking for, but she tries anyway, deepening the kiss.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt wasn't sure what he was after by agreeing to the kiss, the moment he leans into do it, it feels like free fall, with his stomach doing flips, not out of anticipation, but uncertainty. Was this right? Was he betraying Elektra? Was this fair to Kate?

The awkward initial contact of their lips, is taken in stride and when Kate moves to deepen the kiss, he does the same, cupping her face before sliding his hands through her hair. The closeness felt good, the idea of someone wanting to kiss him to find some connection. Even if the connection wasn't there.

And it wasn't. Whether that was Elektra or Clint or just them not clicking he wasn't sure but he didn't feel a spark. Slowly he pulls away and feels normality pulling away with it. Leaving him back where he was, alone and surrounded by the insanity of everything else in his life.

"Sorry," he says in the quiet that followed.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
He's not the only one to feel it. Or not feel it as it happens.

Oh, all the bits and pieces are there, and the motions are all right. It even feels good when he deepens the kiss with her, and cups her face, threading fingers through her hair. And it wasn't even that it wasn't Clint - because about the same moment she realizes that sure, she could fall into bed with this man here, but it would just be perfunctory, and rather more like mutal masturbation than anything else, she also realizees as much as she's wanted to believe she's been in love with Clint this whole while, loving him wasn't the same as being in love with him. That this kiss would be just the same with him.

And not just because Clint didn't love her.

It was a sobering thought on many levels.

"No apologies," Kate says quietly, sitting up, and making to move away. "It's exactly what I felt, too. Nothing. I like you and all, but you're.." She shrugs. "You make me laugh and want to relax, but I don't want to fall madly and passionately in love with you, or tumble into your bed and never come out again." She sighs. "And I don't think I want to with Clint, either. Which is weird, because I thought I did. Only now what do I do? I've spent all this time mooning over him, and.."

She tilts her head at him. "Got any friends you can set me up with? Because I have to tell you, I think I am really bad at this dating thing."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt finds himself thinking much the same that he could take Kate to bed, and it'd be fun, but there wouldn't be more to it than that. A year ago, he might have been okay with that. He liked Kate, she knew his secret, she was a vigilante, on paper it should work but there was no spark. Not the way he felt with Elektra.

"I really wanted there to be something," Matt admits. "I like you Kate, but apparently not like that, because you're right, I don't feel those things either." He makes a face, before offering a tired smile. "But at least you've got some clarity."

There's a barked, 'heh', at the asking about friends. "There's Foggy?" he suggests with a laugh. "All the other guys I know mostly wear masks..."

He shakes his head. If nothing else this did bring some clarity to him as well. He needed balance, he couldn't just be the guy in the mask, the lone warrior like Stick had intended, he needed friends, people in the real world he could connect to.

"Can I tell you the thing now?" he asks.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"I wanted there to be something too. With you. Or Clint. Something. It's not even just he doesn't see me. I think I built it up in my mind because I wanted him to see me, and when he didn't, it just kept getting bigger. And when you were kissing me, I was trying to picture it being him and.. nothing. It was so weird."

She still wasn't sure how to take that. Not after coming here tonight because she thought she was so heartbroken that he didn't love her, only to find out it was all because like most dreams we have when we're younger, we have to grow up sometime, and sometimes that was painful.

"I might not wear a mask, but you're kind of my people," Kate says softly, then nods. "Sure. You can tell me the thing. You listened to me whinge all evening. Only fair I return the favour." A grin. "What are friends for, anyway?"

Daredevil has posed:
Matt sits back and listens drinking another long swig of his bottle leaving his senses swimming. Still Kate's words come through clearly. "I can understand that. It just keeps building up and up in your mind until it's an unreachable thing."

There is a faint smile from Matt though, a glint of teasing in those aimless eyes of his, "And I'll try not to be offended that you were imagining kissing someone else."

For Matt's part, there was clarity, he had been hoping for an escape, a chance for something approaching normal, a relationship not mired by wars, fantatical mentors and ancient ninja cults. Something, happy. The word sounded foreign and wrong.

Matt hehs, at the masked set being Kate's kind of people. "I'll keep my eyes open," he jokes.

Then there they were, at the moment he had to put to words the thing he hadn't spoken since Stick had brought him the news: Elektra, she might be..." he didn't have the word. "She might not be dead."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Oh like you weren't thinking about someone else, too," Kate quips with a short snort of sound. Teasing, mostly. Only she can see it when he speaks, that she's actually hit on something there. A thing that's confirmed when he speaks of Elektra. Only what he says has her blinking in disbelief.

"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't she die? I mean, you went to her funeral, right? All the papers wrote about her death. You inherited her fortune for gosh sakes. Are you serious? She faked all that?"

Because that was the only reasonable and logical explanation. Elektra had faked her own death.

Daredevil has posed:
There's a moment of hesitation and guilt (of course) before Matt says, "I actually wasn't. Well not exactly."

He'd been thinking of her but not /thinking/ of her. Or something...

Then they're wading into the murky waters of the Hand.

"She did, she died. I was there when she died, I felt her die, but the Hand, they've dug her up, done something to her body, so it's walking around and killing for them. Stick said she doesn't remember who she is, but he's looking into a way to save her, I should be looking into a way to save her too. It's just been..."

His head raises towards Kate, his eyes, wet with tears. "It's too much. She was gone, and I was getting used to that, but now she's back or something's back and I don't know if I should be happy or disgusted or both. It's not something I was ready for, I thought we'd won, that all of it meant something. Now the Hand has their weapon and I'm left with... the impossible."

He lifts a hand to wipe his eyes. "I swear, a part of me wants to grab enough money to live on and just go. Leave it all behind. It's too much Kate. How am I supposed to deal with this?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate opens her mouth to protest this is all a bunch of hooey - that people don't come back from the dead, unless it's a really bad horror movie, or some fantasy novel, but she sees the look in Matt's eyes, and it really doesn't matter what she believes. He believes this. And it's tormenting him.

"I.. uh.. wow. And they don't know." Of course they didn't. How was he going to tell them this? Most of his friends were glad the woman was dead and gone. They'd likely be on the 'hunt her down and kill her again' wagon - provided the woman really had been resurrected. Which Kate still wasn't sure what to think about. It was just too weird.

"You could go on a vacation?" she offers hopefully. "I don't know, Matt. Maybe you don't deal with it. Maybe it's the kind of thing you can't deal with. You leave it to other people to..."

Which she already knew he wouldn't. It was written all over him. He'd go down trying to save her or kill her again, but he wouldn't back off and let someone else deal with what had been Elektra. Not if he could help it.

Kate sighs. "How can I help?"

Daredevil has posed:
Matt can sense her reaction to everything he's said and he can't blame her, he'd gone through much the same thing.

He nods, "You're the first person I've told," he says. "Because how do I even tell them? Or make them understand? Stick, the guy from the tunnels he knows, and I need to track down Dragon and let him know, but the rest, for now, I want to keep this close, until we know more." If Elektra let him keep it close, the wrong encounter and it'd be out there that she's back.

Matt had barely opened his mouth to say, he couldn't take a vacation before Kate discarded the idea herself and instead offers her help.

He considers his answer, "Right now? Staying here, not that I am going to kick you out after all that wine, I need a friend. After that, I don't know, but this has helped, the wine, the talking, hell even the kiss, it's helped me keep my mind off of this. Off of her."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Great," Kate drawls, almost laughingly. "I'm a distraction. And not even a good one at that."

She's not really upset, though.

"I get why you didn't tell anyone. It's a lot to take in. And, sure, I can stay. I wasn't heading home in this state anyway, and we still have Chinese coming and a couple more bottles of wine to go. We're going to be hung over anyway. May as well enjoy the heck out of how miserable we're going to feel."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt shakes his head, softly chuckling. "Not a distraction, a friend. Trust me there'll be more for you to do, once we know what the hell we're going to be doing in the first place."

"Chinese?" Matt asks. "Oh right the food! Almost forgot, yeah you've got your dinner for eight to eat, and I've got my spring rolls," he says with a faint grin. "And yeah, with that many bottles down, plus food, tomorrow is going to be a write off."

He turns back to Kate, "Thank you for listening to me, Kate. I appreciate it."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Bah," Kate brushes it all off. "What are friends for? And.. maybe I'll share some of my dinner for 8, if you give me a couple of those spring rolls. Have to tell you, though, I prefer egg rolls."

She laughs. "The things I do for people I like."

Which is to say, it's all good.