Visiting the Bartons (for @streetlevel )

[hawk_shot]

Honestly, Kate figured that flying with a pony would have been way harder than it turned out to be. But between Matt's first class charm put to full power and everyone at the airport being captivated by Frodo? Despite of how their trip to Ohio had started at an ungodly early hour, it also seemed to be the beginning of one of the most pleasant of adventures.

It was a short flight, one in which Kate shamelessly claimed Matt's shoulder as her own personal pillow. Obviously, they were on first class, but domestic flight seats were definitely not as roomy as international were. But it was comfortable enough for Kate to still feel pretty refreshed once they made it back down to land. In Ohio, a car with a trailer to carry Frodo was already waiting, taking him for a drive that took at least another hours before they made it to Clint's farm. 

On their way, Kate described Matt everything that she saw. The crops, so tall they would probably be completely lost in them if they decided to make their way through them byt feet. A land full of greens on all kinds of shades. Horses grazing afar, sheep with  their growing lambs. The sun was bright and Kate could tell it would become even warmer as hours passed.

She was so excited to finally see Clint and his family again. 

The green land was interrupted by a path of dirth that lead to Clint's house, a three-stories home of that looked like something straight out of the fantasies of anyone who might have ever dreamed about living in the countryside. As they approeached, Kate leaned over Matt to see better through his window, spotting the tractor and Clint's van in the distance. The ducks near the pond.. You could tell this was a family home, as on their way to the house there was toys scattered all around. Bikes, footballs, dolls and a swing made with a tire.

Finally, by the house, Kate spotted Laura. She was filling some buckets of water with a hose, looking in their direction as she held a hand over her eyes, shielded the sun off her face. Squinting now, she held her hand well above her head to wave in their directon as the car and trailer finally reached the house.

With a heavy step that clearly said it all about how she had a start just as early as the one they had, Laura aproached the car as it came to a stop, Kate almost instantly hopping off. Running towards the older woman, they captured each other in a tight hug as they shared words about how glad they were to see each other again. 

While the driver got out and quietly greeted Laura, he headed back to take care of the trailer. Still holding Kate by the shoulders, Laura went straight to their other guest. "You must be Matt."  

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[hawk_shot]

"Don't say that in front of Laura or she'll think you're siding with Clint," Kate joked as Matt showed his loyalty towards his favorite Beatles. Clint's wife? Definitely a Ringo kinda woman who had been very vocal about it. There was a reason why their rooster was named after the drumer. "You don't wanna bomb that friendship when she's about to share all her herbal secrets."

Giving Elton some good scratches under his jaw, she was surprised as Matt started musing some thoughts aloud. A memory about his dad. A song Kate didn't think she'd ever heard, or, one she at least did not recognise by the title. Almost sensing she was lost, Matt pulled out his phone and allowed the music to speak for itself.

Kate crouched, paying attention even as she picked some long grass to keep doting on the donkeys. Silent, curious. Glancing at Matt as he sung along. Her heart skipping a beat when his hand found his. When the meaning of the lyrics hit her. Her jaw dropping as their gaze's met, even though he was not seeing her with his eyes.

For a moment, it felt like he did see her so very clearly.

Maybe the Lord indeed worked in mysterious ways. Maybe Clint's donkeys were just spoiled and aware that Kate would be happy to deliver.

But, trying to reach the grass she was still clutching, both Dixie and Elton craned their necks, bumping onto Kate and pushing her against Matt's chest, until she was sandwiched between him and the fence.

Kate stared up at him as Elton (John) continued singing about the hardships and beauty of the city they both loved.

"Did I..." She was a little flustered, there was no denying that. But Kate? Didn't move from the spot. Or let go of Matt's hand. "Did I tell you these guys were a little shameless?"

[streetlevel]

No. He didn't want to bomb this friendship.

Were they speaking of Laura still?

Turn around and say good morning to the night. Had he ever known one from another?

They know not if it's dark outside or light.

This Broadway's God, it's got a lot of songs to say. That was the problem, wasn't it? He'd gone his way so long, sewn so many seeds on his own for a garden of many.

'Don't fuck this up, Matt.'

Stick, warning him against Kate? His father, towards her?

Matt stepped forward. He held her cheek like she was precious. Not delicate, but precious. A moment in time, to gloriously share before she went on to be hardened by time and pressure into something greater. Into something other. He held her like she was nothing but his best friend. Kate.

She was night and day. That in between that held the promise of everlasting glory and grief. His heart hammered.

Elektra. Who stepped up and took what she wanted. Was he learning from his lost love, with what to do with the next?

She was a story he might share.

Kate's heart was true.

He saw her as promise. Grandpa Nelson and Mills.

Was he a good man? Maybe not. But he did thank the lord for her. Maybe it mattered more to happen on her home turf, where she was empowered. Where she had people who loved her purely, rather than the devil who nipped at heels.

Very gently, very slowly, Matt held her chin. He leaned in and kissed her. Softly. Slowly. Was it a mistake? Maybe.

I grew my own, my own seeds shall be shown in New York City.

[hawk_shot]

It was Matt's silence that spoke louder than words could. There, between a wooden fence and the man that lingered to her thoughs late at night, but still worked early hours in her mind as she woke up. Kate's body felt a little stiff as she realized her shoulders were tense, her breath held as if her instinct told her she ought she to brace herself for something unknown.

Matt was silent, his brown eyes as gentle as always. Staring, as if he could see straight into the face of that which hid in broad daylight. Maybe he could. Matt had a way of understanding things, like he could sometimes spot those threads of that tapestry Father Lantom had spoken about. His hand came to her cheek, warm. Kate became aware of it. At that very moment, one of those threads was being sewn before her very eyes.

She could smell it in his palm, the same grass she felt under her feet as Kate curled her toes. One of Kate's hands came to his chest, as if they were getting ready to dance, Elton John singing to them in a loop. Reminding Kate of home, letting her see New York in the way only Matt could. He had quoted the words for a reason, his thoughts having wandered there.

I thank the lord there's people out there like you.

Was this actually happening? One of the donkeys nibbled the back of her head, which only encouraged her to let out a shy chuckle as she pushed, whoever that was, out of the way. Again, Kate could breath, but her heart was trotting like a free stallion.

It was those eyes. Matt was shielding the sun, which shone like a halo above his head. And his eyes, they were as gentle and as full as love as they always were.

"Matt..."

Even with a chorus of cicadas singing their own song and with the donkeys stomping their feet and braying, Kate couldn't think of anything that made her melt as much as that simple gesture did it. Matt, holding her chin, silently encouraged her to tilt her head up, her eyes shutting slowly as she closed her gapped lips. Kate welcomed the kiss, cocking her head as her brain tried its hardest to process what was happening.

This is happening,

It is really, actually happening.

Matt's chin, his cheek, it scratched her in a deluightful way with his stubble, the corners of Kate's lips pulling into a soft smile as she cupped Matt's cheek in response. She kissed him softly at first, little by little allowing herself to grow more enthusiastic as the hand on his chest moved down to his hip.

She kissed Matt, eager to let him know that his lips tasted of little, ordinary miracles.

[streetlevel]

The sound of his name on her lips felt like something he'd never heard before. Not in that way. A recognition as well as a claim. He liked hearing her say it. It sounded all the sweeter for the taste of her that followed. He could detect everything in her lipstick, all that she'd eaten that day. Her toothpaste. Beneath all of that, the natural flavor that was uniquely hers. The sensory data danced upon his tongue as he kissed her in return. It was slow at first, light and gentle, as though he was afraid anything too much would break this moment. As though he was giving her every chance to pull away, to think better of right now.

Only she didn't. Kate met him with her own hungry enthusiasm, His hands settled at her waist, head bent down to reach her. It wasn't too far of a lean. She felt like a perfect height for this moment. Everything about it, from the cellphone music in the background to the bugs and donkey braying, it was nothing like he'd imagined. Maybe that was the point. Maybe life was at its best in moments of improvisation. Or at least, he wanted to tell himself that. He wanted to think that this time his impulsivity wouldn't bite them both in the ass.

His nose bumped hers and he huffed out a small breath. A little laugh. In a husky voice he said, "Sorry," before kissing the tip of her nose. "I guess we still have some practicing to do." He could feel his heart hammering alongside hers. He moved one of her hands over his chest, so she could feel what he could hear. He licked his lips and added, "I won't pretend I haven't thought about doing that." All the fears of ruining their friendship, of being in different life stages, it hadn't suddenly evaporated. Yet how could he be the man without fear if he didn't face them head on?

[hawk_shot]

It was a leap of faith, Kate knew.

Diving into some deep water. Letting it surround you, losing your sense of orientation. But trusting, trusting that you'll come up for a breath. Enjoying the moment, feeling weightless as you trust yourself upon this force of nature.

As Kate's nose bumped against Matt's, she came up for that breath.

Like him, she huffed a quiet laugh, her smile widening and reaching her eyes as Matt delivered a sweet kiss to her nose. "Can't say I'd mind practicing a lot more of this," she admitted with antother laugh as Matt guided her hand to his chest. His heart. The message was clear.

"Really?" Kate's head tipped up at the confession. The message might have been clear, but that didn't mean it couldn't be a little surprising too.

"I mean, I thought..." Flexing her fingers, they closed around his shirt, holding onto Matt. "Like, I'm not gonna deny there was moments when I thought it could happen." That time on her couch, when Matt had allowed her to touch his face? She had touched hers in return and they were so close to each other. They had shared a perfect day together. And how he had told her he'd protect her life with his own? Something had been going on, she knew.

Kate licked her lips, then sucked the lower one into her mouth. She allowed herself to backtrack for a moment.

Matt had imagined this before.

"For the longest time I thought -- Like, that I wasn't your type or whatever." For so many reasons.

[streetlevel]

"I don't know that I have a type. Except maybe complicated." A beat. "Or maybe that's just how all relationships are." There was never going to be a situation where everything was perfect, he knew that much. He gave a small shrug, admitting, "I didn't know if I'd be good for you. History shows I haven't been for those with me in the past. Plus we're partners and friends." There was a lot at risk and on the table to be lost, should things turn sour. Kate had become an integral part of his life, someone he talked to every day. To risk losing that was terrifying. It was much easier to take a chance when his heart wasn't yet really involved.

Though, at the same time, it also made this moment all the more exhilarating because of how he felt about her.

Reaching up, he let his thumb lightly run against her lower lip, then had his fingers cup her cheek. "I didn't want to risk losing you. In the moment though, I just... it felt... right." He tried the word out, finding it truthful as it slips through his lips. His head tilted towards her, a silent question on how she felt about it. He could tell from her heart that her physical reaction was the same as his, but her thoughts? He knew those two things didn't always align. "How did it... how does it feel for you?"

[hawk_shot]

"You're a great partner and friend," Kate was quick to point out, feeling deeply protective of what they already had, but also over what they had the potential to be. "I don't know why that should change if we..." What? Add sex to the mix? More? She wasn't exactly sure of what Matt wanted here, it's not like he was spelling it outloud. And he did mention having friends with benefits before.

But, would he be this nervous about risking things only for sex?

No. You don't kiss someone around donkeys if you only want to seduce them. You're just too nervous, Kate. Second-guessing the obvious because it feels too good to be true.

Kate shook her head. "You won't lose me." The hand still on his waist reached over to his lower back, holding onto him more firmly as the one over his head slid it's way up to the side of his neck, finding another source to his pulse. God, he had so much game. How come a gesture as simple as touching her lip could send shivers through her body?

"It's - It's weird," she admitted. But, quickly, with a little amusement, Kate clarified. "Not in a bad way! No, it's just..." She shook her head, shrugging. "It feels like a lot changed but at the same time nothing did? Like... I'm finally able to be more honest with you."

That hand on his neck moved up, cupping his cheek and stroking it with her thumb.

"But, you're the same Matt. And I've been feeling this way about you for a while now."

[streetlevel]

Matt's body responded to Kate's touch. His back arched when her hand found his lower back, and his head tilted into her fingers when they cupped his cheek. Matt wasn't starved for touch from his loved ones, but he always craved that contact. It was definitely one of his love languages along with acts of service. Her skin felt soft against his own hand as he lightly brushed her cheek. He could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, the faint stray hairs that had escaped being pulled back. It was a face he'd memorized by now but one he didn't think he could ever get sick of sensing.

"No, I understand. It is different in some ways. One less thing to hold back." They had danced around these feelings for months. At first he hadn't wanted to admit to having them, and then he hadn't been certain what the right thing was to do about them. He licked his lips and gave her a small smile. A confident once that, despite his nerves, he managed, because he did know that this moment right now didn't feel wrong. "You're right, though. In the ways that matter, nothing's changed." She was still his partner and friend. He just couldn't mess this up.

A beat, his head suddenly raised and tilted. He let out a small sigh and said, "Dinner's about to be ready, they're calling the kids to finish setting the table. ... I'm gonna guess that this isn't appropriate dinner conversation. What just happened." Clint was gonna kill him when he found out.