Matt Murdock Shorts

Asexual

"You know, now that you and Matt are living together, I'm excited to share all our stories from college with you," Foggy says from his spot opposite to you at the table you snagged at Josie's.

"Why now?"

"Because now I know your relationship is more solid. As fun as our college days were, Matt got around."

"Oh, Foggy." Matt lets out a light laugh.

"What? I don't hear you denying it."

"Would it matter if I did?"

"Denying it isn't going to change the past, buddy. Besides, you were young and single. It's what you're supposed to do."

Matt tries not to grimace. You came out as asexual to him pretty early in your relationship. It wasn't an unpleasant surprise. It wasn't pleasant either. He wasn't sure how to feel. He had to decide whether that was something he was okay going without for however long your relationship lasted. It didn't take him long to realize that he wanted you for the foreseeable future and that was all that mattered to him. It hasn't been a problem so far. At least not between the two of you. He knows Foggy didn't mean anything by that comment but he feels the need to fix it anyway.

"It's what a lot of people do. There are plenty of other ways to live out your youth."

"Right, of course." He doesn't know where Matt's going with that— if anywhere— but he goes along with it before turning back to you. "But I'm serious; there are some great stories." He clicks his tongue as he winks.

—0—

"You sounded nervous on the phone," Jessica states as she comes into your apartment. "Am I going to have to beat up a blind man?"

You know that comment was her keeping it light, despite her tone. "No, Matt's been great. But that is what I needed to talk to you about."

She furrows her brows as she leans forward in the chair she's claimed. "What's going on?"

"Well, you know I'm ace. Like disgusted by sex, want nothing to do with it, ace."

"Yeah." She trails off, not unkindly. "Is he trying to pressure you into sex? Because I swear to god—"

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Foggy— his best friend—"

"Yeah, I know him. He's Luke's lawyer, comes around the apartment every so often. When you have two people with super strength living together— and one of them is me— you need to have a lawyer friend. Or two."

"Fair. Anyway, every time we go out for drinks, he tells us all these stories of his and Matt's college days. They're fun stories, but I didn't realize how much sex Matt had before he met me. The way Foggy tells it, it was like half the girls he met."

"And you feel like you're holding him back."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Yes it would, because most guys break it off when they find out that you don't ever want to have sex. Anyway, it's not all that different from any other relationship. People fuck around— some more than others— until somebody comes along and makes them want to settle down. Have you talked to Matt about this?"

"No, because, as I said, he's been great about all this. Even before I told him, he took his cues from me, he never tried anything. Then I told him that I'm ace. He said that he really liked me but he'd have to get used to the idea. A few days later, he told me he doesn't mind the idea as much as he thought he would."

"But you think that's still something he wants."

"Well, it's sex. 99% of the world wants it."

"That's still over 75 million people who don't." She shrugs.