Matt Murdock was not nervous. He had navigated his life blind, lived as an orphan not much later after that, fought off ninjas, dated a slew of insane women, and put Wilson Fisk behind bars. Therefore, it would be unreasonable for him to be nervous about meeting Peter Parker's aunt and his practically adoptive father, Tony Stark. Unfortunately, there was an easy rebuttal to this argument. For example, the way he kept un-tying and re-tying his tie. Or the way that Matt kept pacing while he was waiting for Peter to get to his apartment so they could arrive together. Perhaps the notion of Matt wringing his hands while he was pacing would also be a compelling argument. No, accusations aside, Matthew Murdock was not nervous about meeting the two most important people in his boyfriend's life. He was labeled the "Man Without Fear" as it so happened, and he would live up to that title.
As soon as he could hear Peter's footsteps approaching the apartment complex, he knew that he had been wrong about his opening statement. The brisk and almost graceful steps had sent an array of worry towards Matt in tidal waves. There was a good chance that Stark would hound him with questions, and he already knew that May had her doubts about him. She worried that her nephew was dating someone a bit too old for him, and she worried Peter might be dating the rumored Daredevil. He resented that, the idea that he could be kept from Peter due to what he chose to do with the gifts he'd been given. Though he loved Peter, he knew that he would be unable to give up the mantle for him if he had to choose between the two of them. The devil was a part of him, just as wings are a part of a bird. Whether he wanted it or not, it was a part of him that helped him thrive. It helped him to survive.
He was torn from his thoughts by the sound of a tentative knock at his door. The familiar medicinal smell mixed with cheap soap and what was probably day old pizza and tic-tacs told him it was Peter. He could still recall the first time he'd been in the same room as Peter. He wondered why a twenty-six year old man still ate like a broke college student. It would turn out that Peter Parker still made the earnings of a poor college student, what were the odds? Opening the door, he allowed himself a fond smile, "Hello, Peter." He could practically hear the smile in Peter's voice when he chirped back a "hi" in return. Just like that, they were headed out of the apartment and to Stark Tower. He was not nervous, not even when they got into the cab. Matt listened as Peter went on about how his day was and what had happened since they last met. The attorney was happy to simply listen and nod, Peter's retelling of events never failing to amuse him in some way. Though some seemed to be a bit embellished, they were still entertaining and allowed Matt to just listen to the sound of Peter's voice.
Unfortunately for Matt, his joy was cut off by the end of the drive. They paid the driver and got out, Matt pausing as he took in his surroundings. The slight increase in Peter's heart rate, the passing of cars behind them, the chatter of people around them. Not to mention the plethora of smells: the somewhat polluted air, street food, traces of the perfume May wore when they accidentally met. At least that gave him some time to mentally prepare himself for what lie ahead once he stepped foot in the home of Tony Stark. He was already trying to pick out arguments and questions the two parental figures could throw at him. He was sure that May would bring up his job, the Daredevil rumor, and all the other things he had heard Peter discussing with her over the phone. Stark, however, would be the wild card. Stark could ask any multitude of questions, ranging from if he drank and why he thought he was good enough for Peter. Both were questions he knew were meant to be traps, and he could anticipate Stark asking the second one invariably.
He took a deep breath, followed Peter inside, and prepared for the worst. There was a standard exchange of greeting, shaking hands and hugs for Peter, before they moved into an area that had a large enough table and chairs. It had a faint scent of past meals lingering around it, though nothing strong enough to have been recent, so Matt was left to assume this was where Tony had meals when he had guests. Wonderful. An awkward silence hung in the air as they ate, Peter too nervous to start up a long lasting conversation, Stark too busy staring holes into the side of Matt's head, May deciding to enjoy her meal before the interrogation began, and Matt electing to follow May's lead. The longer he had time to form arguments and rebuttals in his mind, the better. He would be the first to admit he didn't have the intellect of Stark, but he could still do his best to prepare to defend himself. It was what he did for a living, after all. With the drop of Stark's fork, he knew that he was in for a bombardment of questions.
"So, Magoo, what about Pete makes you wanna spend time with him?" The avenger started, Matt immediately picking through appropriate answers in his mind.
He gave a polite smile in Tony's general direction, "Well, Peter is an amiable person. He's kind to others, and he isn't shy about letting people know how he feels. Most importantly to me, he doesn't treat me any differently than any other person, even if I am blind. That may sound like a minor thing to you, but normally, people treat me like I'm made of glass. Peter, however, doesn't go out of his way any more for me than he does with other people." He could hear May hum in consideration and was vaguely aware of Stark leaning forward a bit, but Matt didn't so much as blink.
"What do you do for a living?" May asked, her tone calm yet unyielding.
"He's a defense attorney," Peter chimed in, gaining some sort of look from May that he couldn't make out. He could, however, detect the slight distaste in her reply.
Matt closed his eyes behind his glasses for a moment before he got on with his explanation, "It isn't what you might be thinking, Mrs. Parker. Not all who are accused of crimes are guilty, and that's where I step in. I promise you that I have never defended someone who didn't deserve it." He could feel Stark's eyes on him, as if waiting for him to step out of line, to falter and make a mistake. Like hell would he let that happen.
"I wouldn't worry, May. He seems to be fairly familiar with his job. Hell, I'd say he might even be good at it. I mean, he did put away Wilson Fisk. And listen to him, he's practically defending himself on the stand right now," Tony said easily, as if he were trying to provoke Matt in some way.
May's expression tightened, "Well, while we're on the note of Wilson Fisk, we might as well continue on to the rumors about you, Mr. Murdock. There's been talk about you being this so called "Daredevil" in Hell's Kitchen. What do you have to say about that?" Another leading question, from May, no less? Matt internally shook his head. She wasn't leaving him much room to say much at all and he could feel Stark's gaze on him.
"It's nothing more than a hoax, Mrs. Parker," His polite smile never wavered as he spoke, "I assure you that I bring people to justice within the law, not out of it." She seemed satisfied with this answer, choosing not to ask another question for the moment.
He could pick up on the slight hint of amusement in Tony's voice as he began to speak, "Final question for 1,000 points, what makes you worthy of dating our special little guy?" Behind the joking tone, there was a clear hint of resentment and annoyance, though that wasn't too different from Stark's normal voice. Maybe a bit less nasally, Matt mused to himself.
"If I'm being honest, I'm not sure yet. When I first met Peter, I had no idea what would come next or that I could ever come to admire someone as much as I admire your nephew and surrogate son. There's a chance that I may never be worthy of Peter's affection, and I can accept that. However, we can't be sure until we've tested out the waters. What I'm trying to say, is I'm not sure if I am worthy of Peter, but I hope to be someday." There was a bit of a stunned silence that followed, and Matt wasn't sure if it was an indication of something good to come, or something he'd rather not experience.
He was soon answered by a relieved sigh from Peter's aunt, "I was skeptical at first... but I think that Peter made a good decision in bringing you home with him." Tony muttered the opposite sentiment under his breath, but Matt took in all in stride, a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Mrs. Parker."
"Please, call me May."
