Log: Apologies - Danny and Maddy (2024) Characters: Danny Rand and Maddy Berry NPCs: --- Location: Heroes for Hire offices, Maddy’s Apartment Timeline: Not long after their disastrous reunion Description: Danny still feels bad a few days later Rating: Low
Danny was muttering to himself, something he’d started to do a lot when he was at work. Sitting at his desk, he poured through an account book, then an address book. With a triumphant whoop, he turned back to his computer, looking up local florists. He still felt bad about upsetting Maddy at their disastrous dinner reunion, so he’d decided that to make it up to her, he’d send her some flowers. Ones that didn’t mean anything to either of them, scrolling through all the displays, he picked the bunch of sunflowers, calling up the florist and ordering them to be sent to her home. He’d found her address through the company accounts, which was probably not the most legal thing, but it was for a good reason, Luke wouldn’t mind. He sent a short card too, “To Maddy, some sunshine as thanks for the ice cream, Danny”. Relaxing back in his chair, feet up on the desk, he decided to take a nap while it was quiet.
The flowers delivered to her apartment had been a pleasant surprise. Conflicted, but pleasant. She took her time deciding where to put the flowers so that they would get the most sunlight and stay fresh for a long time. She couldn’t remember when was the last time someone had sent her flowers… She couldn’t remember when was the last time her heart started fluttering and her stomach started knotting.
At first, she decided to give Danny a call to say thank-you, but that had been rather impersonal. She quickly made her way to the Heroes for Hire office, hoping that they hadn’t close for the day and that Danny would still be there. She would like to talk and thank him in person.
A defeated sigh came out of her when she arrived at the front office, only to see that the sign had read “Closed” hanging from the window. So she guessed it would have to be a phone call then. She stood outside the office, fishing into her purse for her phone.
Danny had dozed most of the afternoon away at work, business had been slow the last week or so, and a few of their jobs had only required one or other of them. Their office was a small building, and theirs was the only occupied tenancy, it was safer for others, even if it pushed their rent up a little. The phone hadn’t rung all afternoon, Luke had been and gone to another job, or to see his sister, Danny couldn’t remember.
Grabbing his jacket and pulling it on, he grabbed the last of the coffee from the percolator, tipped it into a travel mug and headed down the stairs. He was almost at the bottom when he heard the phone ringing upstairs. He paused, debating heading back upstairs in case it was important, but decided it was out of office hours, and either the answer machine would catch it, or they’d try the out of hours number. Pulling his phone out as he reached the front door, he dropped Luke a text to remind him to switch on the out of hours phone. He almost barrelled into Maddy as he stepped out of the door. “Oh!”
The line just kept ringing, and Maddy turned to glance at the Closed sign one more as if it would have suddenly flipped over to the other side and the door would unlock. At the fourth ring, she hung up. Even if the phone would connect to a machine, it didn’t feel right leaving a message thanking Danny for the flowers. It wasn’t a business call, and she didn’t want just anyone listening to that message.
Instead, she scrolled down her contact list, trying to call Danny on his mobile but it hit her like a truck when she realized she didn’t even have Danny’s personal number. Every time they met, they’d met through Luke or through the office phone. She hadn’t even thought to ask him for his number over dinner.
Maybe some things really weren’t meant to be.
She was debating if she could leave a note (there was a mail slot through the door), but again, that ran the risk of someone reading the message, and she would rather keep this between Danny and herself. She’d been rather deep in her thought that she only reacted when she heard the door opening behind her (nearly hitting her in the back!) and spun around with a surprised gasp.
“Oh!”
Maybe the universe just worked in mysterious ways.
“Sorry! I didn’t think anyone was still here.” She pointed at the Closed sign awkwardly, as if trying to defend why she was lurking outside the front door. “Are you just getting off work? I tried to call but the phone kept ringing and - I didn’t mean to be a bother. I just came by to say thanks. For the flowers. They’re really pretty. You shouldn’t have...”
Danny actually didn’t know what to say initially, he was too shocked to find her stood outside the office. He smiled a little as she babbled on, just like she used to. “Just finished, I was halfway down the stairs when you rang, and you’re not a bother Maddy.” He smiled at the comment about the flowers, shrugging a little bashfully. “You’re welcome, I’m glad you like them.” He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, she seemed happier than when he’d left her after dinner. Danny couldn’t quite believe she’d come over to thank him. “Did you walk over? I can walk you home if you want?”
“Oh!” Maddy held up her phone and quickly tried to explain why she’d called the office so late. “I wanted to call and say thanks but I realize I didn’t have your number. Your personal number. So I called here, but I guess I was too late and I didn’t want to leave a message since it’s not really work-related and it’s just… ugh, it’s embarrassing, but I’m glad I ran into you, so I could say thanks in person.” She chuckled sheepishly then offered Danny a smile. “I guess it worked out in my favor… Uh, that’s all really why I stopped by. Thank you. Really. That’s really sweet of you.”
When Danny, being the nice person that he was, offered to walk her home, she debated whether to accept the offer or not. It’d been an impulsive move to come all the way over there to just say thank you; she didn’t know what, if anything, was there to talk about with Danny. Their dinner had ended on a sordid note, and she sure didn’t want a repeat of that.
“Are you sure? It’s kinda far… I don’t want to keep you...”
“I don’t mind, I’m only heading home anyway.” Danny didn’t want to pressure her, so he left the option there. He also wasn’t sure if he should offer to give her his phone number, it seemed a little too forward after the other evenings debacle. Giving a slight bow, he smiled. “It’d be my pleasure, after all this isn’t the nicest neighbourhood, at least let me walk you into town safely.”
Maddy appreciated the gesture even if she thought Danny was being silly. "I am a SHIELD agent, Danny. I think I can handle a bad neighborhood... but thank you... I'd like that."
The walk to Maddy's apartment wasn't too long, and they managed to have a non-awkward conversation, talking about their respective days at work and whatever they happened across along the way. She took the lead up to her building and stopped at the front entrance that was barred by a locked door. Turning to Danny, she smiled, sheepishly and maybe just kinda disappointed that it hadn't taken them that long to get here.
"Well, this is me. Thanks." She kept smiling, as she tried to think if her apartment unit was in a presentable state. Pointing at the front entrance, she gathered the courage to ask, "Do you wanna come in? For some coffee or tea? Oh, and you can see the sunflowers for yourself... I mean, if you want."
“You’re welcome.” Danny smiled as they arrived, glad the walk hadn’t been awkward, in fact it had been pleasant. He glanced up at the door as she gestured, trying to figure out if agreeing to tea or coffee was the best course of action, given their last attempt to reconnect with each other. However, he knew personally he felt more comfortable now he’d gotten everything off of his chest. “Sure, I’d love a cup of tea.”
Following her up to her apartment, Danny made a mental note to think before he said anything, no matter how trivial it might seem. He’d been fairly sure, after the other night, that Maddy wouldn’t want anything to do with him anymore, so he wasn’t about to jeopardise that again. He’d missed the pretty, redhead, even just as a friend. “This is a lovely building.”
"Thank you. I like it. It's quiet and the neighbors are nice. The rent isn't that bad either." Maddy unlocked the door and invited Danny in, secretly very happy that she got off her butt and cleaned the apartment a couple of days ago so her place didn't look too messy.
The apartment, as expected of Maddy, was simple and felt tranquil. Bookcases full of novels, both old and new, lined the wall, indicating her love to read hadn't faded through the years.
"Do you want tea or coffee? I also have water and apple juice. Oh, and wine, too, if you want that.” She gestured for him to make himself comfortable in her cozy one-bedroom apartment before she fiddled into the small kitchen and rummaged through the space to locate the various beverage choices. "Make yourself at home. Sorry about the mess. Working at SHIELD doesn't really give you time to tidy."
“Tea is fine, black with no sugar please.” Danny looked around, chuckling softly, the apartment wasn’t at all messy. “This is a mess? Remind me not to invite you to my place, you might call the Health Department..” He grinned at her from the sofa where he’d settled down to wait for his drink. In truth his apartment wasn’t a whole lot different from hers, and it wasn’t much messier. There might be a bit of washing up in the sink, and maybe a few empty pizza boxes, but he did usually tidy up.
Maddy chuckled as she prepped the tea like how Danny wanted it. It was a simple tea bag - nothing brewed fresh, and she was a little embarrassed because of that. Once the tea was done, she carried them over on a tray and set them gingerly on the coffee table.
"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't report you to the authority. I will, however, give you a Yellowpages so you can find a good cleaner." She smiled and took a sip of her tea when she suddenly had a rush of memories. It was years ago, when they were still in high school, but she'd remembered helping Danny tidy up his room and how fun that had been. Not the cleaning part, but the part where she got to be around him and how happy he'd made her.
Thinking about the past stole the smile on her face, so she tried to switch the topic.
"Do you live alone? Somehow, I always imagine you living with Luke. And with a cat. I don't know why a cat."
“I clean, just… maybe not as often as I should.” He chuckled, sipping his tea and relaxing. The memory of Maddy helping him clean was a fond one, and he smiled as he drank. It struck him that getting too upset about what they used to have together only made him say things that upset her so he was trying to remember it happily and just accept that perhaps it wouldn’t ever happen again. That was the painful part, though, and he stopped smiling a little.
Looking up, he shook his head. “Luke and I lived together for a bit,a proper bachelor pad, but since he and Doreen got serious we decided it wasn’t working. I actually can’t believe they’re getting married… It feels like only yesterday we were all at school.” He managed to stop himself from saying anything else, deciding that was definitely the wrong thing to say. He chuckled a little at the cat comment. “I have two stray cats that visit for treats, I have to admit. Other than that its just me. What about you?”
It was better not to dwell on the past, Maddy reasoned. It wasn’t doing either of them a favor. She would rather try to focus more on how they were now and got to know the Danny now instead of clinging onto the idea of him from years ago. Who knows? Maybe she would like the current Danny more than she liked the past version of him.
“So I was kinda right.” She leaned back into her couch and tried to make herself a bit more comfortable. She hadn’t have any plan for the evening, so she wouldn’t mind if Danny wanted to stay around for a moment longer. “How did it go? Did they kick you out or did you take the hint and get out of there before you were playing third wheel?” There was a teasing smile on her face; she’d gotten bolder with her mannerism through the years. “Oh, I know. I can’t believe Luke didn’t say anything to me. I’m going to have to give him a talking to.”
The smile did fade a bit at the mention of the school years, though it was Danny’s sudden switch of the topic that caught Maddy the most. It was probably safer talking about non-consequential things like stray cats and living arrangement.
“Ah, so I was kinda right, again.” She gestured to her cozy apartment and shook her head. “Just me. Sometimes I think I might be happier with a roommate. Or a pet. II would love to have one, but…” She shrugged and pulled a pout. “Work. Then again, if Clint can do it, I probably can too.” She chuckled a bit at the end, looking Danny in the face. “It’s nice getting to talk again. I miss this.”
“I just figured it was time to give them some space, plus Monkey Joe liked to bury nuts in my chest of drawers. The cats are good company, I’m not sure I could move, if I had to, without taking them with me. You get kind of used to a six a.m. cat alarm.” He smiled fondly, thinking that the pair of them were probably snoozing away the evening on his balcony seat, waiting for him to go home and feed them.
“I’ve missed it too,” Danny smiled, looking around the apartment, it looked homely and lived in, even though it was almost spotless. “I’m sure we could think of something you could get as a pet? Nothing too dependant, but at the same time, something that likes attention. Pet rock?” He chuckled.
“Oh, I bet that’s adorable. I could use a six a.m. cat alarm myself. They can make sure I don’t get to work late.” Not that Maddy was a frequent tardy worker, but the thought of waking up to cute cats sounded very doable. A little hesitant at first, but she built up her courage to ask, “I’d love to see the cats if I can. I mean, if they don’t mind a strange woman who might squeeze them and take them home.”
She matched Danny’s smile, happy with the way the conversation was turning out so far. It felt natural and comfortable. There wasn’t any expectation or tension. Just two friends catching up and enjoying each other's company.
“Now that’s an idea,” she laughed along to the pet rock joke and shook her head. “But I like to cuddle though and I heard rocks aren’t really cuddlers. Maybe a pet cactus. They’re kinda cute.”
She slid her finger along the handle of her cup and thought about her next move. It was a bold offer, but with the way things were going so far, she thought it was worth a shot. A re-do.
“Hey, um, are you doing anything tonight? Do you want to grab something to eat?” She shrugged sheepishly and chuckled. “I think I skipped lunch today.”
“I’m sure they’d be more than happy to put up with a fuss, it doesn’t usually bother them.” He smiled, nodding. “I’ll have to have a quick tidy before you come over though.” He chuckled, it was a good sign at least, that she wanted to see his apartment, even if it was just to see the two stray cats.
Smiling, Danny nodded. “How about take out? I’m sure there’s somewhere nearby that would deliver or I could go pick it up.” He didn’t want to put the pressure on them both of another sit down meal in a forced environment, relaxing in either of their apartments over a plate of junk food seemed much more normal. A short google search threw up a few options and Danny called in an order, looking forward to a relaxed evening with one of his friends.