"Foggy! Foggy! Foggy!"
Matthew awoke with a painful groan, hiding his face even as he reached out for his phone. The couch shifted under him and he suddenly found his phone placed in his hand. His groggy mind snapped to attention and he realized Constantine was pinned under him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Morning, devil boy. You should probably answer your friend's call."
Matthew scrambled off them, clutching his phone, mouth agape. The phone fell silent only for it to start screaming Foggy's name again. "Hey, hi," he said after answering. "What time is it?" Constantine stood as he talked, stretching their arms up to the ceiling before rounding their back to touch their toes. The two were at least still dressed, Matthew noticed, as they headed to the kitchen and set the coffee pot to work. "Shit. Okay, I just, forgot to set my alarm. I'll be there as soon as possible." He hung up then stood there, a deer caught in headlights.
"I managed to talk you out of your shoes and suit jacket, but the rest was a bust," Constantine said, a playful teasing in their voice. "I can drive you home if you'd like to pick up some fresh clothes. Or I might have a white shirt big enough to fit you. I definitely have a tie that won't look like a strangled snake."
"Ti, I'm so sorry," he stuttered out, a hot blush of embarrassment on his face. "I didn't realize, I mean, I just, I was drunk and –"
His spiel was interrupted by Constantine's bright laugh and he tilted his head towards them, anxiously waiting. "Relax. So you passed out on top of me," Constantine said while grabbing milk and sugar along with two cups. "Call it even now," they added with a grin. "Coffee should be ready in a minute or so. You can go raid my closet to see if you find something that fits. There's an iron and board in there too, if you prefer to give your current outfit a quick press. If you iron it, you give yourself time to get some toast and jam, too."
Matthew ran his hands over his shirt and tie, realizing how wrinkled the items were. "I'll, uh, yes. Iron, I'd appreciate that," he said and headed off to Constantine's bedroom. As he stripped, he attempted to recall the night before. He knew he had rested his head on their shoulder and they had sat in silence for a bit. He had thanked them and then… He couldn't remember. Setting up the ironing board, mortification flooded him again. They had been under him. How did they end up in that position? Matthew shook his head roughly and focused his attention on the job in front of him. He was late for work and he was showing up in the same outfit as the night before. It would be pressed, but Karen and Foggy would notice it was the same clothes. They always did. It also didn't help the fabric still smelled like Josie's.
"Here," Constantine said as they stepped into the bedroom. It wasn't the first time they had seen Matthew in boxers, but something about the current situation made him shift awkwardly. "Coffee's done. I just put in the toast so it won't be cold when you finish with your clothes, hopefully. Strawberry or peach jam?"
"Uh, peach," he said as he took the coffee and set the iron down for a moment. "Ti, I didn't, you know, say or… do anything weird, right?"
Constantine took a sip of their coffee and hummed. "You mean like confessing some deep dark secret or make a move on me?" they asked, that not-so-subtle amusement back in their tone. When they noticed his anxious posture, they softened their voice. "Unless more apologies count as deep dark secrets, you're fine, Matty."
"How did we even end up, like that?" he asked in a halting pace.
"With me being used as a pillow?" they asked. "I tried to lay you down when I noticed you were slipping into sleep, but you weren't having it. So I figured saving your neck from a crick by lying down with you would be the better option than sitting up all night."
"I wasn't having it?" Matthew asked with caution.
"Yeah, you kind of just, clung to me," Constantine said with a wave of a hand. "You were mumbling at the same time, but I couldn't make out what you were saying."
He winced and exhaled loudly. "I'm sorry."
"Stop with the apologies. I told you, you're fine. You have work to get to and your toast needs to get jammed," Constantine said as they pushed off the door frame to let him focus back on the ironing.
Matthew sighed again and made quick work of the rest of his clothes, dressing before heading out to the living room with his coffee and searched around. "Did I have a briefcase with me? God, I really hope I didn't leave that in the taxi," he groaned as he walked around.
"It's on the table by the door, along with your cane. You put it on the ground when you first got here and forgot it when you walked into the apartment," Constantine said as they set two pieces of toast with jam on a plate. "Trade you. I have a to-go cup for your coffee. I'll switch it while you eat."
"Thank you," he said, exchanging the coffee for the plate. "Seriously, Ti. Thank you. It's really hard for me to understand," he continued, struggling with the words. "That is, after the way I've treated you, you're still… here."
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, devil boy," Constantine joked as they headed to the island to pour the coffee into the insulated travel mug. "And, I mean, we're friends, right? Relatively new friends, I guess, but still. I can't think of another reason why you'd show up at my house at three a.m. drunk just to apologize if we weren't comfortable enough with each other."
Karen's comment from the night before echoed in Matthew's head. It wouldn't hurt to widen his circle, and Constantine had told him they'd chosen to join his world. So it was a mutual relationship, wasn't it? "Yeah, we're friends," he said with a small, genuine smile.
"Good. I was going to take away your coffee otherwise," they said with a bright smile of their own. "Hurry and eat. I called you a taxi while you were ironing. They should be coming soon." Constantine set his prepared coffee at the edge of the island and picked up a piece of toast for themselves.
"Oh. I almost forgot," Matthew said, digging into his suit jacket and pulling out his phone, holding it out to Constantine. "Would you mind?"
Constantine's head tilted as their brows drew together. "Would I mind what?"
"I was hoping you'd put your number in there," he said, his laugh sounding a little nervous now. "You know, friends have each other's numbers, right? I imagine it's an easier way to keep each other updated as to our breathing statuses." Constantine took his phone and put their number in.
"Is this your way of saying I shouldn't step foot in your office again?" they asked casually and couldn't help the peals of laughter when they noticed his expression change from contentment to panic. "Oh no, I'm joking, I'm joking!" they said, waving a hand at him. "I swear I know that's not the reason why you're doing this. Also, I sent myself a text to have your number. I think." Constantine grabbed their own phone when it sounded off and smiled. "Well I just sent a comma somehow, but that works."
He was about to speak when Constantine's phone went off with another alert. "Taxi?" he asked.
"Taxi," Constantine confirmed as he practically shoveled the rest of the toast into his mouth. They handed him the travel mug and walked him to the door. "Don't forget this," they added, handing him the still unfolded cane.
"Thanks," he said, taking it as he tucked his briefcase under his arm. Even after Constantine opened the door for him, he stood waiting as he struggled to untangle the new thoughts in his head. "I'm grateful, that we're friends. And I'm even more grateful you allowed me in, despite the state I was in last night. And I'm sorry for using you as a pillow," he added with an embarrassed laugh and a blush. "Okay. I'm going."
"I'm glad we're friends, too," Constantine said, smiling softly as they leaned against the door. "Have a good day, Matty."
The ride to the office was a mixture of confusion and euphoria. If his emotions were a mess before, this single night caused a complete obliteration of any rational thinking. His drive seemed far too short, and he was now heading up towards the office. He reached the office door and his head tilted suddenly as he caught a subtle, barely-there scent from his shirt amongst the smells of beer and smoke from Josie's.
Constantine's scent.
It sent goosebumps down his arms and he allowed himself a slow, deep breath before heading in. "Good morning," he greeted when Karen looked up at him, clients already waiting. "One minute and I'll be ready." He didn't miss the quick sweeps her eyes were making on his outfit and he tried not to cringe. Still, there was a lightness in his step as he headed to his own office, and he finished reading his paperwork before a knock came to the door. "Come in."
"Mr. Killen is your first," Karen said after popping in. "Nice suit," she added before opening the door wide for the client. Matthew didn't miss the disguised teasing in the compliment.
Lunch time was on them faster than Matthew expected and he readied himself for the remarks that were going to come his way. "Mexican today," Foggy said as he walked into Matthew's office. "I'm ready for some piping hot tortillas," he added, rubbing his hands together. "And I'm more than ready to hear about your night." Matthew groaned as he grabbed his cane. "Come on, you knew it was coming. Same suit with the smell of Josie's reeking off it? Dead giveaway." Matthew made to give an excuse but Foggy stopped him with raised hands. "No, no. Karen is totally going to want to hear this, too. Let's go, bud."
The trio headed out into the street, walking to a restaurant nearby. "So," Karen drawled after they were seated with drinks. "My guess is you went to apologize."
"It must've been accepted since he didn't sleep at home," Foggy added and took a sip of his drink. "So much for resisting the Murdock charm."
"Alright, we have to clarify here," Matthew said with a sigh. "I admit, I made a dumb choice while drunk," he paused and allowed a small smile to peek through. "But, Constantine did accept my apology, which I probably didn't deserve because I immediately made a fool of myself after and ended up blacking out on their couch. It is the last time I take shots with either of you, by the way."
Karen laughed and nodded. "I'm with you there. My head is still pounding," she said with a slight pout. "Was it bad? I mean, before they forgave you?"
"It wasn't, surprisingly," Matthew said after a slight pause. "They just accepted my apology. No questions asked. We're not really close friends, despite the fact we've seen quite a bit of each other, so I suppose that may be part of it."
"You've seen quite a bit of each other?" Foggy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Foggy," Matthew sighed.
"I joke, I joke. It could also be they're genuinely a nice person," Foggy noted and paused when the trio's drinks arrived. "Nicer than me, anyway. Really, though, I'm glad you took our advice. When do we get to meet them? For more than a couple of seconds, that is."
Matthew shifted in his seat, hesitating. "I'll have to ask Ti. They're a bit of a private person, so I don't want to make that choice for them."
"Alright, save that for another time, then. Now, let's dig in," Foggy said, rubbing his hands together. "With the day we have ahead of us, we'll need all the fuel we can get."