[ closed ] i can't shake this feeling i've got

[pyms]

WHO: HANK PYM + MATT MURDOCK
WHERE: Nonah
WHEN: 06/06
WHAT: Playing catch up during a baseball game.
WARNINGS: None


[ It was Friday and Hank was good on his promise. He took one Matt Murdock to Nonah and they were going to get a taste of what this universe's baseball league has to offer for them.

Baseball season had just started and everyone in the stadium are rustling with excitement. There were a lot of chatter, of who to root for, who'll actually win, what player will shine. The stadium wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either; the seats beside theirs were empty but there were still a few people in their row. None of the other spectators asked for autographs and the like, only stared as they passed by. Thankfully, they were away from the core crowd of people in a spot where the sun directly beams down at them.

Hank hovers close to Matt as they got to their seats, lending a shoulder to Matt should he need it. His hot dog was in one hand, and two beers were in the other. And Hank, being that type of guy who would collect memories, has the baseball cap of the home team - Nonah Tiger-Cats. ]

...Well, these seats aren't that bad.

[ Said, grinning, with the ease of someone who doesn't get sunburned but rather collects farmer's tan during the summer months. ]

Comments

[notdaredevil]

[Matt has a hat, and sunscreen, and he has even done the extremely unattractive thing and smeared his entire nose with zinc. And still, although he can't see the freckles starting to pop up on his arm, he can feel the sun clearly on the back of his neck, and his arms, his legs, no matter how he tries to shift out of the sun.

It's not that he doesn't spend a lot of time outdoors. That's part and parcel of being a superhero. But he spends a lot of time outdoors in suits. Or in his Daredevil costume, which covers everything. This sort of sitting in direct sun in a hot humid frying pan of a stadium...not so much. Even getting stranded out on a lifeboat or on the beaches of a tropical island with Misty Knight didn't produce this sort of effect.

He might be blind, but he can tell Hank finds something about this humorous, and Matt hopes that's not laughing at him. Really, what else would happen to a man with a name like Murdock?]

We could have sat up at the top and it'd be all the same to me, you know.

[He takes a beer out of Hank's hand, and presses it to the side of his neck, which is already starting to look a little red.]

[pyms]

[ Maybe it's a little funny, seeing the usually cool and collected Matt Murdock, who doesn't even breaking a sweat in the most fierce of situations, tagged with a spot of white on his nose and turn increasingly pink. But Hank enjoys the sun and the mid-range view with the sound of the excited crowd buzzing in the background. It's almost normal and they do take what's normal for granted these days.

Hank takes a look at Matt and pats the man on the shoulder. ]

If it gets too much for you, say the word and we'll move up and sit in the shade.

...And I'll let you keep that bottle.

[ It looks like Matt will need it more than him. ]

[notdaredevil]

You mean it wasn't for me?

[Matt looks at him- or what passes for a look, with him, his face inclined in generally the right direction and his attention on Hank. As much as it is on everything around them, from the players on the field to the birds that fly overhead to the guy twenty rows back having a loud conversation about Import politics to his neighbor.]

By the way, I also expect running commentary on what's down on the field. It's only polite.

[pyms]

Well, I thought I would sample some of the local brewery before going into the business... [ It was for Matt actually. There's a hint of sarcasm in there that didn't translate well because Hank reasons. He adds, a second later. ] Alright, it was for you.

[ Looking out at the field, he muses how he can make baseball as outrageous as the thumb swipe of white on Matt's nose. Hank leans back and observes. ]

Oh, that's rude of me. You're not missing much right now but the bases were hovering. They are just setting down now and— Oh and would you look at that! The players hover too, it must be their shoes. You ever thought of hover shoes? Good lord, they love their hovering technology here.

[notdaredevil]

I know. That was a pretty terrible lie, and you're not a very good liar, Hank.

[He can hear all of the things that spell out kind of lame at that sort of thing. But that's ok. It's one of the things that's kind of endearing about Hank.]

It seems a little excessive. [Matt sips his beer, blank gaze turned towards the field, as though he can actually see it.] Is there really a whole lot of exercise to be had with that? Actual skill?

[pyms]

Says the walking polygraph test.

[ That's unfair. Almost as unfair as putting the ginger under a midday sun. So, he calls them even and leans back in his seat. The players aren't actually wearing hover shoes and the plates don't have hover plates but at the rate they're going, they might as well be. It's not fast, the players seem to mosey along, taking hops instead of leaps. Hank makes it interesting for himself and takes another sip of beer. ]

Well, it gives the players a bit more room to maneuver in. The playing field is less two dimensional with hover shoes, though of course [ Dramatic hand waving! ] it would make sense seeing as the balls are filled with a helium core. There has to be employment of skill when you're wear shoes that allows you to hover.

[notdaredevil]

It's a compliment, Hank. It's something I like about you.

[If he'd been a better liar, it would be worrying. Hank makes mistakes, but at least this way, they all know what they are. It concerns him, sometimes, the things he's seen in his other friends. When the ambiguity starts to slide into everything, and the waters get muddy.]

All I'm imagining is a field full of Iron Mans. [Oh god, if there were an entire team-] But less dysfunctional than the reality of that would be.

[pyms]

Matt, I already got you tickets and a beer. Unless you want my car too, you really don't need to turn the charm on. But thank you.

[ He's joking. Yet it does, admittedly, hits him in the "oh boy you've done good, Hank, old boy!" part of his brain. A common reaction to being complimented but it also acts as a reminder to never play poker with Matt. Hank sets his feet up on the back of the seat in front of him and leans back, watching the baseball game finally get a little fired up and the noise pick up. ]

You never know, a field full of Iron Mans might be their idea of a circus. [ He chuckles, imagining the look on Tony's face. He's a good friend and that's exactly why he's laughing at that. ]

[notdaredevil]

Would you really give your car to a blind man? That's brave of you.

[Although, when the blind man is Matt Murdock, that's not half so dangerous as it sounds. Still, given that the last car anybody gave him will be crashed through a train car, it would not be a wise decision.]

I'd watch that game. Assuming they could all agree on how to play in the first place, and who was in charge. I feel like Tony is the sort of person who wouldn't get along with himself at all.

[And despite his asshole behavior, recently, Matt still has some fondness for him. For the man he will be, eventually.]

[pyms]

I have a simple rule in life, one I just made up right now; If I can trust you with my life, I trust you with my car. Even if you are blind as a bat.

[ Hank Pym, making bad decisions. Nothing new here. Although, it is Matt. And he means every word in that first bit. In fact, he might trust Matt more than anyone here. That doesn't say much, considering how few of them — people from their world, people he knows he can trust — are here.

There is Tony, of course. But Hank is still miffed that Tony would cut him out, even if it was a Skrull impersonating him. ]

You'll have to ask Tony himself if you want a proper answer. Frankly, I don't know if he's ever pitched a ball or swung a bat without his armor on before. And I've been friends with the guy for eons.

[notdaredevil]

That's a good rule. And that's also the most appropriate phrase to describe my blindness anyway, I think.

[Given the radar and all, Matt's probably safer driver than most people. But he's aware of the measure of trust conveyed. However it happened, Matt's glad of it, and he trusts Hank implicitly with almost anything. Enough to place his own life in Hank's hands. Foggy's life.]

He went to private school, right? I bet you he played something like cricket. Or whatever that one you play with sticks while on horseback. Polo? I never could understand what my classmates thought was appealing about that.

[Matt's joking; he doesn't really think that at all. Tony is not a sports guy. Tony is a mechanic, a scientist, a thinker. It would be nice if he could come joke WITH them about this instead of being such an ass, right now.]

...how's he doing, by the way?

[pyms]

I'm sure you hear that one a lot from the ones in the know. [ The corner of his lip curls up and he leans over to Matt for a moment. ] Hey, if you ever feel like you need another identity, the Bat is free, isn't it?

[ Joking aside, Matt's ability has been more than useful in the past. He doesn't doubt that'll be the case in the future. Being in this line of work though, it wears them out. They've had this conversation and Hank trust that Matt knows his limits. Still, he'll have to remember to get season pass for both of them. In true Hank nature, it would be a check-in poorly disguised as a gift.

There's an audible ping and a crescendo of cheers from the crowd. A ball comes flying up the sky and towards the stands. Hank peers at it, a hand sheltering his eyes from the sun. He waits until gravity to take hold before speaking. ]

He's Tony. Anything that comes out of his mouth seems like it is infallible. His ego is out of this world but that's not a real surprise. Not for who he is then, or should I say now? But anything that goes up must come down. [ A beat. ] You don't think it's going to hit us, do you?

[notdaredevil]

[Matt doesn't look up. Of course, he couldn't see it anyway, but he doesn't even bother to incline his face in the correct direction of the ball. There is beer to be sipped. And sun to endure.]

The trajectory's wrong. It's going to hit three rows back. The kid with the too much gel in his hair and the pretzel. I don't know how anyone can stand to use Axe, I could be on the field and still smell that.

[Another sip of beer. And then, back to regularly scheduled conversation:]

At this point, I don't think I could use another name. It'd feel wrong. For better or worse, I am who I am. It's out there, and I have to live with that. Trying to keep it secret ruined my life, Hank, more than once. I won't try to hide it any more. Not even behind another identity.

[pyms]

Well, it's that or human odor. I don't know which you prefer but I know what I only like smelling sweat on certain people.

[ Hank watches the ball fall, half-amused at the poor kid with the odor problem. He couldn't decide what was more amusing, that or Matt's glow. He follows suit and sips on his own beer. ]

You know it's odd. It never seemed like a big deal with me, identities and alter egos. I never felt like I had anything to hide. And bad things and people seems to find their way into my private life either way.

[notdaredevil]

Certain people and certain circumstances.

[That's not a dirty thing to say in the slightest, except for how it is. And how it is one hundred percent true. And he doesn't even feel weird admitting that to Hank, at all.]

They can't take away your degree for being a superhero. They can't stop you from doing science. [He presses his beer to his forehead, but it's not for the heat. Just to dull the momentary headache, the stress.] And no offense, Hank, but it's different, when you don't spend most of your time with other heroes. I never wanted that to be my entire life. I like being an attorney. I never wanted to be disbarred. I didn't want the people I loved to be so easily found that they'd be in danger all of the time just because they knew me.

[pyms]

[ He looks away from the game and turns to Matt. His brows knit together then he looks away, drinking from the bottle before speaking. ]

I'm not saying we're exactly the same. We are very different people and we definitely took different paths. But I think there's one thing we do have in common; we don't want people we love to be in harm's way because of what we do. And it happens, anyway. We try and try and it still happens. Who helps us when we're in a spot?

[ Laying on the cheese and ham so thick they won't need much of a lunch. ]

Our friends, Matt. Don't think you have to do everything yourself. If there's anyone here that you think I could help, I'm always happy to lend a hand.

[notdaredevil]

[Ah, Hank. It's cliche, but it's the sort of cliche Matt maybe needs to hear. He's always had a problem with solitude, with being alone. Matt's not a team player, and he doesn't really want to be. It drags other people into his messy baggage, and he knows (when he's being honest) that he can be difficult to work with. Territorial and judgmental and unyielding. But still, it's good to have friends. Good to have someone else's perspective at times.]

You've got a lot on your plate, Hank. You can't shoulder the burdens of the world all on your own either.