Clint gave a small smile because Kate did know him well. "That is at the top of the list, yeah." He adored the family he'd created with his wife and he wouldn't trade the time they all spent together for anything, but there weren't enough hours in the day for them to get as much time just the two of them as they wanted. "What I'm hearing is that you're gonna come babysit so I can take her away for a weekend," he teased Kate, knowing that she probably would do it if he genuinely asked. The kids weren't babies anymore anyway, so babysitting them now wasn't a constant panic that they'd swallow a grape or bang their head on a corner.
Hearing Heather's name buzzing on his phone, Matt achingly started to get to his feet with a groan. "I have to take this." He wasn't trying to hide anything, he really wasn't. He just knew Heather's stance on his friendship with Kate, and he didn't want to have anything said that might hurt Kate like an aside saying Heather was glad Matt wasn't staying with a 20 year old woman. Which he wasn't. He was staying at Claire's. It was different.
Claire stood up and helped Matt to his feet, letting him limp to her living room to read his message. Clint watched after him. The last he'd known, Matt was dating Karen Page. That had been a year ago, though. "So Murdock's got himself a new woman. Sounds about right." He'd meant it teasingly, because Matt always seemed to be with someone new. Matt was in some relationship far more often than he wasn't, but it was never with the same person for long. Clint had no idea about Kate's feelings for Matt, so he thought nothing of making the joke.
"I'm going to make up the sofa for him," Claire told the other two. It was a nice sofa. Matt had bled on many times in the past. "And Clint, if an air mattress is all right with you, you can help me inflate that later."
"You got it," he assured Claire, wondering where the hell she would sleep. "Only you can take the mattress if you've only got one. A chair is fine with me." He wasn't leaving Kate tonight.
Claire gave him an amused look. "I'll tell Luke to bring some sleeping bags. I feel like I'm thirteen again having a sleepover."
"Well, my hair isn't long enough to braid but I'm great at prank phone calls," Clint deadpanned, making Claire laugh as she went into the other room.
She lightly touched Matt's arm. He was just standing there, looking conflicted. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." Matt nodded and managed a smile. "No, I'm good. Just... trying to figure some things out." Like how he was going to hide his Daredevil suit at Heather's apartment. He really hadn't thought this move in through, had he. "Do you need help?"
"I need you to sit," she said with a wry look. "But I learned a long time ago Matt that we don't always get what we want."
"Wants and needs aren't the same thing."
"Are you seriously being pedantic at me right now?"
"No, I'm..." Matt floundered for a beat then straightened up. "I'm saying... what you need matters to me. I can be what you need. For what's going on right now. All this."
A quiet moment passed where Claire looked at Matt thoughtfully. She took his head in her hands. "You're a pain in my ass, Matt. You always have been. But you have always been there when I've needed you." She kissed his forehead. "Now help me make the sofa."
Inside the bedroom, Clint set his boots to the side and slid out of his jacket. "Got some new arrows to show you. But that can wait until morning."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-04-29 11:02 am (UTC)Hearing Heather's name buzzing on his phone, Matt achingly started to get to his feet with a groan. "I have to take this." He wasn't trying to hide anything, he really wasn't. He just knew Heather's stance on his friendship with Kate, and he didn't want to have anything said that might hurt Kate like an aside saying Heather was glad Matt wasn't staying with a 20 year old woman. Which he wasn't. He was staying at Claire's. It was different.
Claire stood up and helped Matt to his feet, letting him limp to her living room to read his message. Clint watched after him. The last he'd known, Matt was dating Karen Page. That had been a year ago, though. "So Murdock's got himself a new woman. Sounds about right." He'd meant it teasingly, because Matt always seemed to be with someone new. Matt was in some relationship far more often than he wasn't, but it was never with the same person for long. Clint had no idea about Kate's feelings for Matt, so he thought nothing of making the joke.
"I'm going to make up the sofa for him," Claire told the other two. It was a nice sofa. Matt had bled on many times in the past. "And Clint, if an air mattress is all right with you, you can help me inflate that later."
"You got it," he assured Claire, wondering where the hell she would sleep. "Only you can take the mattress if you've only got one. A chair is fine with me." He wasn't leaving Kate tonight.
Claire gave him an amused look. "I'll tell Luke to bring some sleeping bags. I feel like I'm thirteen again having a sleepover."
"Well, my hair isn't long enough to braid but I'm great at prank phone calls," Clint deadpanned, making Claire laugh as she went into the other room.
She lightly touched Matt's arm. He was just standing there, looking conflicted. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." Matt nodded and managed a smile. "No, I'm good. Just... trying to figure some things out." Like how he was going to hide his Daredevil suit at Heather's apartment. He really hadn't thought this move in through, had he. "Do you need help?"
"I need you to sit," she said with a wry look. "But I learned a long time ago Matt that we don't always get what we want."
"Wants and needs aren't the same thing."
"Are you seriously being pedantic at me right now?"
"No, I'm..." Matt floundered for a beat then straightened up. "I'm saying... what you need matters to me. I can be what you need. For what's going on right now. All this."
A quiet moment passed where Claire looked at Matt thoughtfully. She took his head in her hands. "You're a pain in my ass, Matt. You always have been. But you have always been there when I've needed you." She kissed his forehead. "Now help me make the sofa."
Inside the bedroom, Clint set his boots to the side and slid out of his jacket. "Got some new arrows to show you. But that can wait until morning."