Somehow, he had managed to do it again. He made a royal mess of everything. There was very little chance of cleaning it up too; at last, cleaning it up the right way. Danny Rand, grand slam at screwing it up!
Wouldn't you know it, there was really only one way for him to fix it, and that involved a lot of pride swallowing and trying to get forgiveness. Last time they had left it, hadn't she called him something like a "shallow, privileged white boy"? No, that lacked some of her classic, venomous and colorful vocabulary. There must have been more. What were they even fighting about this last time? He couldn't remember for the life of him.
Danny ruffled his already mussed blond hair and gulped down his pride. No use prolonging the pain, he needed help, and Misty Knight was the only one who could do it.
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Danny easily knew the way to her apartment, which she shared with Colleen Wing. He'd been there tons of times before, but he didn't like going there when he and Misty were on the outs, even if he needed Colleen's help with weapons info or level-headed detective stuff. This would be maybe only the third time he'd ever gone there when he wasn't dating-slash-seeing-slash-something-ing with Misty. Plus, he wasn't going to see Colleen, he was going to see Misty herself.
Danny steeled himself at the door to her apartment. There was still an indentation from last time, when Misty opened the door to see him and Colleen on the couch. She'd screamed at him to get out, and thumped the door soundly with her metal fist to emphasize her point.
Not that he had been any better. He'd yelled plenty enough, to be honest, at Misty and pointedly. He didn't know why they inevitably started to fight when they were around each other for too long. The first time Jessica met Misty, she and Danny were together, so when they next split up, Jessica offered her own two cents:
"You're too alike."
Danny had grumpily asked what the hell she meant, and she coolly responded, "you both run hot. Neither of you are great at keep your emotions on a lease. You let them go wild as soon as you feel them.
"I mean, there's something to be said for that, speaking as an emotionally constipated person, but it also ends up making every single fight that much more painful. For everyone involved."
Luke has kissed her forehead tenderly, commenting how smart she was. She shrugged it off; "not smart. Just observant enough."
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Danny lifted his fist to knock on the door, but before he even could, Colleen answered the door. "Oh," she blinked her eyes slowly, study Danny standing there, awkwardly tousling his own hair. "Hello, Danny."
"H-hey, Colleen."
She pulled the door open wider, gesturing him in with one arm. "What do you need?"
"What makes you think this isn't a friendly house call?" Danny smiled, trying to joke to cover up his discomfort.
"Because I know you, and I know your patterns, and I know Misty dumped you, like, two months ago." Her eyes slit, as they often did when she made dry jokes at him.
"Fair enough." He stood awkwardly in the center of the living room, hands shoved into his pockets.
"Sit." Colleen instructed. "Avoid the sword on the coffee table. Please, don't touch."
He sat down, keeping his hands in his jean pockets still. Colleen sat down next to him. "Can I get you a drink?"
"No, I'm good."
They sat in silence for a while. "You need Misty."
Danny frowned and nodded.
"Come with me." She stood and waved her hand at him, leading him to Misty's door. She stepped back and nodded at him.
He tapped hesitantly on the door. Misty's voice came from the other side. "For the last time, Colleen, I am not going to get that's asshole's-" the door flung open, and Misty stopped mid-sentence, staring at Danny, her mouth slightly agape.
"Hey, Mist-" the door slammed in his face.
Danny looked back to Colleen, who rested against the wall, observing silently. She shrugged and pointed at the door again.
Danny sighed and turned back to the door, knocking again.
There was silence.
Danny knocked again. "Come on, Misty, I need your help."
Silence.
"Please. I'm really sorry."
After another moment of silence, the door opened, and Misty stepped back from the doorway. "You should be." She crossed her good arm across her chest-her metal arm wasn't attached, but the implication of displeasure was pretty clear.
Colleen nodded and turned back the doing whatever she was doing with a sword on the coffee table.
Misty sighed. "Come in."
Danny followed her into the mess of her room. She picked her metal arm up off the top of her bureau. "Thanks."
She sat on her bed, fiddling with the metal fingers for a bit before speaking. "What do you need my help with?"
Danny sat on the chair next to her closet, being careful not to sit on any discarded clothes. "There have been some rumblings in the, like, 'criminal underground' about some villains getting together again and...doing, you know, like another villains' for hire jam."
Misty side-eyed him. "And?"
"Well, last time, you had been sort of involved in the whole thing..."
"So you think I'm involved again?" She raised an angry eyebrow at him.
"I think you might know who is. Or might be able to find out." He said defensively.
"Couldn't you ask Dakota North or something?" Misty clicked her arm into place.
"Come on, only Matt really knows Dakota. And she's weirdly scary."
"Right, for a little waif." Misty scoffed softly.
Danny nodded. "So? I mean...are you for hire."
Misty smirked. "Only if you'll pay me."
