holdplease | ( closed to fightlikehell. )

[Soon enough. For now though, basic human decency and Murdock charm are at work. His fingers are laced together as he leans against the counter. He smiles and nods at the young lady.]

You're a very smart young lady.

[Young to be sure. The deduction of the problem and crayons mean she must be at the very most seven.]

Thank you. I really appreciate it. I uh also have a little problem with my reader. This had happened before a few years ago. I dropped it. I think it just needs a few things tightened.

[The second object is long, flat with small holes that alter to let Matt read the Braille.]

[ The guy is definitely that. Tony's really hoping that Morgan isn't going to pick up on it. She and Pepper have been conspiring to get him a date. He's outnumbered. It's terrible. ]

Daddy's the smartest. [ There's a small scoff in jest and Tony frees up one hand to ruffle her hair gently. ] I'm pretty sure I know somebody smarter.

Of course. [ He sets the clock to the side so he can get a better look at the display. ] Yeah, I can definitely get these taken care of for you.

Do you need them soon? I can probably rush it. I just don't want to tell you inside a week and you need it in like a day.

[Daughter and father team, they really are just adorable. Matt smiles and pushes his glasses up on his nose.]

Maybe smarts just...run in the family.

[Happy medium. No one asked him. He wets his lips.]

Oh uh. I mean, I'd appreciate having them before the week is out if that's possible. I have other means. It is just easier to have separate devices verses relying on my phone for everything. The voice command isn't reliable.

[And the whole flat screen where he can press many things he doesn't need.]

[ He doesn't know the half of it. Tony offers a huff of a laugh in agreement. Humming a moment, he sets the refreshing display back down. ]

Could be, yeah.

[ He looks it over, and then mentally goes over his on hand inventory for a moment. He should have all the parts without having to call anything in. Even if he has to, he can talk to a few people he has pull with if he needs something else. Perks of being him, despite shunning the throne. ]

I can definitely do that. How about I give you a call tomorrow and I can let you know where I'm at with them? Just to keep you in the loop. I don't see me needing to have them here longer than Wednesday.

[ He said that even though the week's only just started. ]

[Not a clue no, though a capable tech minded fellow and an observant little girl. Quite the pair.]

Really? That's--thank you! [This is not at all the way he had thought this was going to go. Matt beams and feels so much more optimistic about how the rest of the week will roll. The suit makes him look stuffy and serious. When he smiles the way he does it peels back the layers.]

So you need a deposit now? Or I just pay upon pick up?

[One frustration is that it seemed like the pricing was all over with no posted fees.]

Edited 2019-08-12 22:11 (UTC)

Yeah, it's not a problem at all. [ The guy is just trying to get by. Tony appreciates that in people. It's part of why he's got this little place far away from the empire his family built.

It's better this way, he's sure. ]

I don't really do deposits, so yeah just pickup works. How's, uh, $200 sound?

[ Please, it's probably his favorite assclown who just didn't like him for making him pay the market price when he tried to take advantage of his good will. Tony doesn't appreciate that kind of bullshit. ]

[Matt shifts his stance to get his wallet out of his back pocket.]

So that's half now, half later?

[Really two hundred dollars for custom repair on two pieces of machinery? That's not done. Reasonable prices or not that is just insanity. This is New York City after all. The rent is ridiculous.]

Card okay?

[He can verify a check written. Matt doesn't carry that much cash ever.]

No, it can all be when you pick it up. I'd rather make sure it fits what you need before we do any kind of payment.

[ Tony reaches over Morgan to get to his actual clipboard for keeping client contact information. He pulls the pen from where it is behind his ear, and starts to write down the basics of the items dropped off. ]

Matt Murdock, right? Can I get a phone number so I can call you back?

[His expression still stays bright as he returns the wallet to his pocket.]

Certainly. Thank you. I've been having a devil of a time trying to find a place to take these. I'd just replace them but....

[A shoulder shrugs. That whole working internship is going to be a running leap into his future. Though that means that he is not making enough to have money to burn on new equipment with rent.]

Yes I only have a cellphone but you can reach me at this number almost all the time.

[Is that pouring it on thick? Matt clears his throat. Jeez. A little brains, a little sense of humor, a little tenderness and he's gone? How is he that easy?]

[ It's little things like that which make it easy to not change his policies on how he deals with the public. He knows he's helping here. Serving the public in a way that he doesn't believe he'd really be able to at Stark Industries. Charity wasn't really Obie's style. ]

I can't imagine there's a lot of places that would know the first place to start with them, honestly.

[ He writes down the number when he gives it to him, and tucks the pen back behind his ear. ]

Got it. I'll give you a call tomorrow, let you know how it's going.

Yeah. [He scratches the back of his head just thinking about the time he has had.] Google can find almost anything. I wasn't sure if this would be an option either.

[Don't you dare say thank you again Matt or else he's going to think that you're seriously poor or something.]

That's--wow. You must have a work force here.

[There are two heartbeats in this office outside of Matt's. Not true. Maybe they've got late hours? Maybe here is a machine that does the trick.]

That's for sure. I'm glad you found us, though.

[ He wouldn't think that. He'd only think you were grateful. Most people would be. ]

Nah, just me. I keep odd hours. Benefits of living above the shop if I can't sleep.

[Somewhere in the room is a very clean piece of electronics. It's a hum. Not very loud at all. Soothing and constant.]

Just you?

[His brow furrows in sympathy. A business with raising a kid that's a serious undertaking.]

I hope that your work ethic still allows you to rest and relax when an opportunity comes up.

Just me. It's all good though. I get to spend time with this one when she's not in school.

[ Plus there are the hours and hours of working on their own experiments outside of homework. Gotta get those science fair ribbons. She has high aspirations already. ]

It does. We make time for the important stuff. [ Like juice pops! ] Yeah, like juice pops.

Juice pops...do sound like they're pretty important.

[Not that he has had one. The exuberance from the little one cannot be denied.]

Well in that case. I look forward to your call. I uh...

[He remembers that he has business cards now and reaches for it.]

I don't know if you'd ever need any legal services but--[It feels like Tony is doing him an enormous favor.]

They are. This one's always got them on her mind. Pretty sure if I looked in her ear that's all I'd find. Juice pop sticks.

[ A giggle and a no! She gives a small smack to his arm. ] Oh, ow, hey. I don't know I might need some getting so viciously attacked here.

[ He takes the business card to tuck away with his files. Well, the files Pepper so graciously organizes and keeps. Obie would be seething if he knew Tony would rather work with someone outside of the company. ]

The brutality.

[He feigns surprise, complete with the hand to his chest. Matt is smiling all the while.]

Thank you, sir. Miss. You both have a wonderful day.

>[The cane extends and he feels over the counter top for his shoulder bag now empty of his broken electronics.]

[ Repairing those particular electronics had been a bit of a challenge, mostly cause Tony hadn't every worked on them before. He had to teach himself what he needed to know, and then there was making sure it did what Matt needed it to when he picked it up. Still, it only ended with running into him when it was time to give him back his stuff, and the few minutes it took to go over it all and make sure he was happy with it.

Tony can admit he wouldn't have minded just ---finding an excuse to talk with the man for any other reason.

Today is a new day, though, and he's at the Chelsea Water Park with Morgan cause it's too hot to be at a regular one or just cooped inside all day long. He's one of maybe a few adults that actually ever gets out there, chasing after her and being chased. It ends with both of them drenched from head to toe, but it's totally worth it. Daddy, can we go over there for lunch? They have cheeseburgers.]

Yeah, baby, let's find out shoes and head over, okay? You cooled off? Huh? Who won that splash fight. You? No way.

[Running across Tony was really a treat. Out and about with his items no less. Well, that was just kismet. A few moments of breezy conversation. It was just what he needed after a brutal day in court. The energy this man exudes is so refreshing. His positive nature and curiosity. They haven't known each other very long but he can say without hesitation that Tony is not like anyone else he has ever known.

The hot weather was challenging for everyone. He wasn't the type to stay indoors as it was. L and Z said go to Chelsea and see a client. On the way back he was hungry for stimulation, food and something easy going. A water park? Why not.

Kids laughing, clear and dirty water beat the stench of sweat in Hell's Kitchen. So he's waiting for his order. There's a small voice in the distance. It's...familiar. An adult voice answers.]

[ Tony helps Morgan get her shoes on, and brushes her hair back out of her face. It's easy to do it up in a ponytail for her so that it doesn't stick to her face and neck. His own hair is a bit of a wreck until he can get it looked at, not that he minds it sticking up at the ends. Holding onto his daughter's hand, he heads across the street to one of their favorite little trucks. ]

What time is it? [ Cheeseburger time! He chuckles and swoops her up into his arms, and then up and over his head so she can sit on his shoulders. ] That's right, cheeseburger time!

Hey, Joe. [ He greets the guy who owns the truck with a smile. ] Our usual. No rush.

[ Morgan taps at his cheeks gently. Daddy, the man from our house is waiting! Can we go sit with--- And before he can manage to try and persuade her otherwise, or explain that he might want to eat on his own---]---Can we sit with you?

[The distinct smell of water over shampoo and soap it's all starting to be familiar. Strange. Though the closer they are he straightens. Tony. Tony and his daughter. He turns his head and feels his face heat. Should he try to go over to them? No, no. That's not subtle.

Either Morgan is psychic or very intuitive, at any rate Matt is removed from his dilemma.]

Oh...sure. There's plenty of room.

[It is after all just one table in the shade. Matt has his tie loosened and his jacket off. The weather is not working with the suit life.]

[ He wouldn't be lying if he didn't say that he wasn't happy to run into Matt again. That he wasn't glad that Morgan decided to take overthinking out of the equation cause she liked the guy that came into the shop as well. He'll also try not to overthink the conversations they have. Ones that usually ask if he likes anyone, or if he ever wants to do things like go on dates, etc.

He tries to avoid those conversations, not because he doesn't want to share it, but because it's difficult to explain. Not just for Morgan, but for allowing himself to get so close when there's a lot at stake for him. Still, she seems adamant that something needs to give, and here they are. Again.

Once they get close enough to the table, he lifts Morgan up off his shoulders, and sets her down on the bench. ]

Thanks. Lunch break? [ He can hazard a guess from the loosened tie and ditched jacket for the moment. ] Don't see how you can manage in that outfit in this heat. It's insane.

[Children are fearless. Social engagement is cut and dry. Matt has lost that breezy ability. Studying law has made verbal exchanges a kind of warfare. All is fair in love and war. Playing close to the vest keeps himself secure. The last relationship he had was catastrophic. He almost didn't make it out in one piece. Navigating attraction is messy business. And that was as a college co-ed. He has never seen someone with a child or had a same sex relationship longer than a fling.

And yet here we are.]

I'm on a field trip. [At least taking the work on the road.] Professionalism never plans for weather. It's a lot warmer than I thought it would be. That didn't stop the two of you though.

[Two heartbeats. That strange metallic noise once more. It's a humming and yet not.]

[ Tony was never really that kind of kid. Not naturally, at least. It was always cameras and talk shows and ridiculous get ups and stop fidgeting and stand up straight. Still, despite it all, he wishes that his parents could have been around to meet Morgan. The last fling he had was before Afghanistan.

His life hasn't exactly left a very open place for another person that wasn't already there after surviving that. ]

Field trip, huh? Send the intern off for the hard stuff in the heat. Sounds a little like hazing. [ We did a field trip. We went to the zoo. Is that where you went?

Joe takes a moment to come out of the truck and bring them all their food, and gets a chorus of thank yous from the two of them. ] No, it didn't stop us. We had to get out of the house for a bit. Daddy was staring too hard at circuit boards.

[From a very young age Matt was fearless, a smart ass and observant to boot. Jack said that some day he was going to get put in his place. If not by himself than by life itself. That hasn't happened yet. Hit but not knocked right down.

Matt rubs at his forehead.]

That did cross my mind.

[The delivery has him perk up. His thanks blending in with Tony and Morgan. He's very glad he got a frozen lemonade too.]

How long is too long?

( closed to fightlikehell. )

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