#taserdevil

“Yeah, totally. Are you?” she asked, feeling somewhat awful for forcing a clearly blind man to help her because of her absolute clumsiness.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

“Do you mind if I ask about--” she began, but he already seemed to know what her question would be.

“My other senses are heightened, I could hear you were in distress,” he explained. “I’m Matt, by the way. Matt Murdock.  I don’t think we’ve officially met.”

“No, we haven’t,” Darcy laughed nervously. “I’m Darcy Lewis.  Pleased to meet you, Matt. Sorry if my distress was distressing.”

“Not at all.” He held out his hand, and she took it, shaking it up and down before dropping it again.

“Are you alright? Did you fall or something?” she asked.

“Frowning, he shook his head. “No, why do you ask?”

“Oh, it’s just that you look a little banged up… there’s a cut on your forehead and like… bruises…”

“Oh right. I ran into a door. The building was unfamiliar to me. Happens all the time.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she said, reaching out to touch his arm.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine,” he assured her. But he reached up to squeeze her hand all the same.  She dropped it to her side and then folded both in front of her.

She took a step back, unsure of what to do now, so she simply asked, “Can I help you get inside or--”

“If you don’t mind.” He held out his hand and she took it, informing him of doorways and steps until he made it to the elevator. Darcy wasn’t exactly sure how to lead him, but she had to guess that he knew where he was going, since he’d lived here a while.

“I have to confess, I know how to get into this building like the back of my hand, but it was nice to spend a little extra time with you, Darcy,” he smiled a little, blushing even.

Darcy wasn’t even bothered in the slightest.

“Well, I mean, you did save me from certain death.”

“I doubt that having your scarf stuck in the door would have equated certain death, but I was happy to save you, regardless.”

It was her time to smile.  To grin, really.  Beam.

“So what do you do, Matt Murdock?” she asked. “Besides saving silly girls from their outerwear.”

He chuckled. “I’m a lawyer, actually.”

Her eyebrows raised, but of course, he couldn’t see that.  “Really?” she asked. “What firm?”

“Nelson and Murdock.  We’re a small firm. And we make next to no money because we usually get paid in pies. Sorry to disappoint, but--”

“Oh no,” Darcy interjected. “That’s… that’s better.  Like.  Pies are amazing.”

“Pies are amazing,” he agreed, laughing again.

“Do you like coffee with your pie?” she asked.

“Always,” he replied.

“Because I’m told a make a really great lemon meringue pie, and I could bring that over with some coffee sometime…”

He blushed a deeper red, dropping his head for a moment.  “I like lemon meringue.”

“You’re gonna love mine.  Where’s your apartment?”

“I’m in 205,” he replied.

“Are you free on Saturday?” Darcy asked.

“I am free that afternoon,” he replied.

“I’ll see you then?” She was practically bouncing in excitement.  She was baking a pie for the cute guy in her building.

 Pineapple Jalapeño Smash - pineapple chunks and juice, vodka, jalapeño, lime

Strawberry Basil Margarita - basil, lime, tequila, cointreau, fresh strawberries

Summer Watermelon Sangria - watermelon, lime juice, vodka, white wine, sparkling water

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade - bourbon, blackberries, lime juice, cinnamon, tangerine lemonade, rosemary

Sex on the Beach - vodka, peach schnapps, creme de cassis, cranberry juice, cherry and orange slice

Paloma - grapefruit and lime juice, tequila, simple syrup, club soda

Southside Fizz - gin, lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, club soda, fresh mint

Old Fashioned - bourbon, bitters, sugar cube, orange slice and cherry

White Peach Cooler - peach puree, peach vodka, lime juice, club soda, fresh mint

Blue Hawaiian - light rum, vodka, blue curacao, pineapple juice, sweet and sour mix

Jack and Cherry Coke Slush - Jack Daniels, Cherry Coke, maraschino cherries, extra ice

Caribou Lou - 151 rum, pineapple juice, Malibu rum

Cosmopolitan - citrus vodka, cranberry juice, cointreau, lime juice, lemon rind

Lemon Drop - vodka, triple sec, superfine sugar, lemon juice, lemon slice

Blueberry Mojito - blueberries, mint, lime juice, white rum, club soda

Blackberry Bourbon Smash - blackberries, mint, lime juice, simple syrup, club soda, bourbon

Moscow Mule - vodka, lime juice, ginger beer, lime

Manhattan - whiskey, vermouth, bitters, maraschino cherry

Limoncello - lemons, water, sugar, Everclear

Peach Bellini - sliced peaches, champagne or sparkling wine, peach schnapps

Hurricane Punch - limeade concentrate, frozen orange juice, fruit punch, light rum

Ron-Ron Juice (as seen on Jersey Shore) - watermelon, cranberry juice, blueberries, cherries, vodka

Orange Dirty Shirley - orange vodka, grenadine, Sprite, orange slice and cherry

Mai Tai - white rum, dark rum, amaretto, lime juice, pineapple juice, grenadine

Fire at Sea - rum, peach, falernum, lime, ginger beer, habanero

Pirate’s Float - rum, cola, root beer schnapps

Long Island Iced Tea - gin, rum, vodka, tequila, triple sec, sweet and sour mix, cola

Kamikaze - vodka, orange liqueur, lime juice

Whiskey Sour - whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, maraschino cherries

Matt brought his mouth to her ear.  “Fisk and his fellas still talkin’ shop over there, huh?”

She raised her eyes to the fat cat in the crisp suit in the corner opposite the band, a small crowd of lackeys and parasites assembled around him.  Wilson Fisk was holding court as usual, his latest flame, a woman named Vanessa, draped over him much the way Darcy was with Matt.  His voice boomed loud enough, but the music played just a little louder, so the words didn’t come quite so easy to Darcy’s untrained ears.

“Looks to be the case,” she sighed and gave her drink an absent stir.  She wouldn’t be here if Matt didn’t need to keep under wraps, wouldn’t be all dolled up and dropped in his lap if they didn’t need more information for the case they were building against Fisk.

In short, she musta been a glutton for punishment, going this far for a man who could never love her the way she loved him, who had no idea what she felt about him.

“Hey,” he said quietly, like he could sense the change in her demeanor.  “We finish these drinks, you feel up for a dance with me?”

“A dance?”

“I might step on your toes.”  He chuckled, and she became painfully aware of the hand at her waist, his long, dexterous fingers meandering back and forth over the thin fabric of her dress.  “But I got a feeling you look too damn good not to ask to dance tonight, Darce.”

“I don’t wanna be brash here, boss,” she said, turning to glance at him, those gorgeous, hazy amber eyes hidden behind the dark of his glasses, “but how would you know how good I look tonight?”

“I know you look good always, Miss Lewis.”  They stood up together, the hand not on her waist gliding down her wrist to lace their fingers together.  “Just waitin’ for the right chance to tell you.”

In spite of herself, she could feel the heat in her cheeks pulling at the corners of her mouth.  She guided Matt toward the dance floor, making sure to keep his back to the area where Fisk and his men were congregated.  Her arms found his shoulders, and when the singer began to croon out something too gorgeous for a night like this, Darcy could nearly feel herself melting into him.  “I gotta say, Mr. Murdock, you have a way of makin’ a girl blush.”

Now, it’s not that Matt’s blind that he doesn’t care about the suit.  No, even if he could see the little shreds of cream that coated the damn thing, he wouldn’t care.  Because he’s just that nice.

Trish will call her a kiss-ass for doing it, but the final class before the exam, Darcy wraps up a new suit - nothing fancy, no Armani or Prada - and places it carefully in front of her laptop.  She checks her phone for the time; he should be coming in any minute now.  Any minute…

“Morning, Darcy.”  One hand loosely holding a cane and the other wrapped around a travel mug of hot coffee, he arrives fashionably early, and loads his messenger bag onto the front desk.  “You feeling pretty set for the exam?”

“I think so.”  Her voice comes out higher than she means it to.  She also forgets to ask him how he knew it was her, but assumes it has to have something to do with the perfume she always wears, or some other obscure thing that he’s impeccably observant about.  “You feeling all set for summer break?”

He pops open the latch to his messenger bag and ruffles around inside while he answers.  “Won’t be too much of a break.  I think I’m going back to full-time lawyering for a bit.”

“No more teaching, then, huh?”  She plucks up the courage to stand, and to press the small package onto the desk in front of him.  “You’ll be missed around here.”

“You will, too.”  From within the bag he procures a small plastic box.  “I, uh…got you a graduation gift, actually.”

“I guess I got you one, too.”  Their hands brush in the exchange; Darcy swears her heart’s beating out of her chest like a Looney Tune.  “Thanks, Matt, this is really…”

“Open it.”  He smiles, his finger dancing along the little pink ribbon she’d tied around his gift.

She pops the lid open and can’t help the easy laugh that leaves her mouth.  A small silver pendant in the shape of a bagel dangles from the thin chain.  When she looks closely, she sees her initials stamped into the bagel.

“This is awesome, Matt…thank you so much.”  Throwing caution to the wind, Darcy wraps her arm around him, holding him long enough to inhale the delicious smell of fresh linens and something like vanilla.  He’s got on his sheepish smile when she finally lets go.

“I hope it’s not too inappropriate.”

“Just inappropriate enough.”  She nudges the gift in his hands.  “You should open yours.  Not nearly as cool or personal as this, but hopefully I got it right.”  Darcy’s breath catches as he rips into the wrapping paper, and again when he traces the seams of the suit with his fingertips.  “I know literally nothing about men’s clothes, so I just asked the lady there to help me out…I hope it all fits.”

“You didn’t have to do this, Darcy…” he trails off, but his voice is not regretful.  On the contrary, he sounds like he’s waiting.  For her to fill in the blanks, or for her to say something that doesn’t sound like verbal diarrhea.

“I wanted to.”  And because she’s already said fuck-all to the universe and what is and isn’t appropriate for student-teacher behavior, she leans toward him and presses a mostly chaste kiss to his cheek.  “And I’m sorry if that’s too inappropriate, too.”

He makes a face that can only be described as a smirk, one that would feasibly melt her panties directly off her if they weren’t in public at the moment.

“Don’t be.”