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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

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DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

finale - devil on my shoulder

tags: @astrobees @americaarse @dusstory @johnmurphys-sass @ironprincessstranger @ahoytherebean // nine // bonus chapter // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Reader (Matt x Reader)

Word Count: 11,816

Summary: Daredevil, Exodus, and Elektra v. The Hand. Three go in, two go out and nothing is quite the same between the ones who remain.

You were lying on Matt’s living room floor after tying up Stick, at Matt’s request. He told you to hang out on the couch or in one of the chairs but you waved him off, saying you’d hate to stain them. You were flat on your back instead, mask sitting at your throat and hands folded over your stomach.

What you thought was funny about that moment was that neither of you had actually told the other your secret, yet you were so comfortable around each other it was like you already knew.

“Do you even have a plan?” Stick challenged.

Matt was quiet as he thought for a moment. You turned your head to face him, partly wondering the same thing.

“I’m working on it.” He answered finally.

“You got me.” You called from the floor. “That’s a start, no?”

He offered you a small, grateful smile. “Yeah.. Yeah it is.”

“While you’re working on it, do me a favor and pull your head out of your ass. The Black Sky-“

“The Black Sky is the same type of manipulative, peer pressure tactic that was used on me growing up.” You cut in, sitting up quickly and almost instantly regretting it. “I used to think that whatever made me good at this-“ You shook your wrists. “-meant it was who I was always gonna be. Then I learned that it just takes the right people and some effort.”

“You think love and therapy are gonna help Ellie?” Stick mocked. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

“And I would care why?”

“You’re just as naive as he is. What are you two going to do about the war?”

“What I’m good at.” You shrugged and got to your feet. “Because it’s my choice. And El should get to choose too.”

You left after that, heading up to the roof to check on Elektra. You found her standing on the ledge, and if that were anyone else, the sight would’ve been startling.

“Came a long way since college, eh?” You tried as you came and stood beside her. When she turned to face you, you gestured to your suit and tugged your mask lightly. “Never would’ve seen me in this back then.”

She cracked just the smallest smile and it only lasted a second.

“How can you be so calm?” She asked in gentle disbelief. “I’m the Black Sky!”

“And I’m a Black Widow.” You countered. “I’ve probably killed more people than you have. I’ve had to leave everyone at some point… Yet we both ended up here, in Hell’s Kitchen, with Matt. Gotta admit, could be a point to it.”

“You think Matthew can save me?”

“I think he’ll try… He tried like hell to change me. I went for months with this little voice in my head, the Devil on my shoulder, chirping at me to do the right thing.” You chuckled slightly. “And I swore I’d never get mixed up with him again, yknow? Try to keep safe from that little Devil. He just knows me so well that he kept looping me back in… Everytime I think I’m free, he’s calling me and pulling me right back in.”

“But he gave up. And eventually, he’ll give up on me.”

“He won’t.” You gently put a hand on her elbow. “You are different to him than I am. In this suit, I’m not… I’m not the person he knows. You are still Elektra, whether you’re in this outfit or a dress or a t-shirt.”

“I really wanted to be better, for him…”

“I get it. And I’m not saying it’s the wrong reason to change but, El, what do you want to do for yourself?”

“I don’t know…” She said sadly.

“Can I give you an opinion?”

“Everyone else has.” She sighed heavily.

“I think that Matt brings out the good in both of us. He sees something in each of us that maybe we don’t always see in ourselves. But at the end of the day, I do this to protect people. What I think you need to figure out - Black Sky or not, doesn’t matter right now. You need to decide why you draw your sword. Why do you put on that mask? Is it for you or for them?” You gestured to the city.

“You still love him?”

“That’s not what this is about.”

“But you do?”

“I could say the same thing about you.”

“Everything you’ve done has been for him.” She chuckled slightly, almost like she was in awe of you. “Coming back here. This vigilante persona. All of it was to be close to him.”

“None of that matters now, because it’s not up to us who he chooses to be with. As much as I’d rather it be me than you, I can’t make that choice for him.”

“You could.”

“Let me rephrase. I won’t.” You answered firmly. “El, I don’t want to make this about my feelings for Matt.”

“He’d be better with you than me.. I think he likes you better.”

“Elektra.”

“You know it’s true..”

“It’s not my decision.”

“When this is over, I won’t come back.”

“You can leave him like that?”

“I’d want him to come with me. Would you.. Would you be able to let him go?”

You were quiet as the thought of Matt leaving you settled deep in your stomach. All you could do was nod.

“You won’t even fight me on that?” She exclaimed in disbelief.

“It’s up to him. It’s his future..” You shrugged, though the thought dug daggers into your heart. “Just like your future is up to you.”

“Leave us alone, Matthew.” She grumbled, not moving from the ledge.

“Am I interrupting?” He asked, trying to make light.

“A bit but it’s fine..” You nodded with a small smile. “I think we were coming up on a circular argument anyway.”

Elektra scoffed lightly in clear annoyance.

“Whatever you’re feeling, it’ll pass.” Matt tried.

“What do you know about what I’m feeling?” She challenged.

“Just consider the possibility that there’s no such thing as a Black Sky… That it’s all mysticism, yknow? It’s nonsense.”

“I’ve been trained to kill it since I was a kid.”

“Maybe everything they taught you was a lie.”

“It’s not that easy.” You admitted. “I’ve been away from the Red Room for a long time and it’s still carved into my brain like a prophecy… It still makes me question who I am. You watch me struggle with it every night so you know that.”

“He told me I had a gift… The special kind, the kind very few people have.” She insisted.

“Dreykov told me basically the same thing… That I was different, that if I could harness my gift I’d be a revolutionary. He told me the world didn’t deserve me, but he would teach me to be worthy of that gift… But at the end of the day, that man was abusing helpless little girls and using them to fight his war.”

“Training children to fight a war is easy when you’re using cookie cutter wisdom that sounds good to them.” Matt added, standing on Elektra’s other side.

“Some of what the Hand does defies explanation.” Elektra urged and you had to give it to her on that one.

“Just because I don’t understand something doesn’t mean I’m ready to chalk it up as some fairy tale.” He reasoned.

“I’m sorry, is this coming from the Catholic altar boy?” You teased and he rolled his eyes at you.

“True or not, legend says once they have the Black Sky, they’ll be capable of anything.” Elektra explained. “It’s not about what I’m willing to do. Even in a cage, I’ll be their false idol. They’ll do terrible things in my name because they think the Black Sky makes them invincible.”

“They can’t have you. You don’t belong to anyone.” He shook his head.

“You’re incredibly smart, strong, and powerful.” You said honestly. “You are Elektra Natchios. No one can tell you what to do, who to be, or what to be. It’s all up to you… Always has been.”

“We can take them down. Not Stick’s way. We can do it our way… The three of us.”

“You would trust me after all I’ve put you through?” She asked in disbelief, but deep in her chest, you felt those sparks. Matt was bringing back something Elektra thought was long forgotten and you couldn’t help but feel that if she asked him to leave with her, he would.

“The Hand can mask their heartbeats… But yours has always been loud and clear.” He leaned around Elektra. “Yours too.”

“Oh, bullshit.” You shook your head. “You can’t read me.”

“Not completely… But I’m starting to figure you out when you let me.”

You scoffed lightly with a small smile as you turned back to Elektra. “You could’ve killed me earlier and I would’ve let you… Mieux vaut mourir à la lame d'un ami que à la lame d'un ennemi… But you didn’t. Personally, I think there’s some merit in that.” (Better to die at the blade of a friend than the blade of an enemy.)

“Some stories say Nobu has lived three lifetimes, a criminal record that goes back decades. True or not, he’s the head of the snake.” Elektra explained. “He’s our best chance at taking down the Hand.”

“It’s a simple job then.. Find Nobu. And finish him.” You shrugged.

“No. We get him away from the Hand without alerting his troops.” Matt countered.

You groaned quietly and rolled your eyes.

“Killing him only makes him a martyr.” He reasoned. “I wanna dethrone him. Show his cult that their holy man is nothing but a guy.”

“An empty throne is an invitation for someone else.” You warned. “But if you’re sure…”

“We’ll have to find him first.” Elektra sighed.

“I say we head straight into the lion’s den. The last thing they’re expecting is us to hit back at them right now.”

“You’d risk everything for me?”

He simply smiled back at her.

“So how do we do it then?”

You sighed to yourself and stepped back off the ledge. You had wondered, when Elektra came back into town, just got much of Matt still belonged to her. In times of crisis, he only belonged to her. But if you could really defeat the Hand, would he still put her first? Could he really be okay with the ease she killed with?

And even though Matt said he wanted balance and so nearly confessed he wanted you, maybe there would always be an exception for Elektra, a hope that somewhere deep down they really can make it work.

You also wondered - if only for a moment - if he only accepted Exodus as a friend and ally because you reminded him of Elektra.

“Not alone… We do it together.” He explained before turning towards you. “That means you too, Ex.”

“Huh? Yeah.. Yeah, I’m in.” You nodded.

“You don’t sound sure.” His head tilted.

“It’s nothing, we’re good.”

He took a step to turn his body fully towards you. Elektra turned too, offering a slightly concerned expression. You looked between the two and ran through a thousand scenarios, of who Matt would pick. Where he and Elektra could go. What a life together could look like.

“Ex?” He tried and your attention focused back on him. “I need you with me.”

“I know.. I’ll be there.”

He flashed you a thankful smile and you relaxed a bit. You knew that he was still unsure what distracted you and it worried him, he knew better than to press for a confession.

“C’mon.” He took Elektra’s hand, though dropping the topic was by no means an acceptance of what you said. “We gotta go see Melvin.”

“Who’s Melvin?” Your brows furrowed since as far as you knew, Matt didn’t know a Melvin.

“Guy who made my suit and made that.” He gestured to you.

“Oh.. Make sure you tell him thanks then.” You nodded and headed back to the door to Matt’s apartment.

“You’re not coming?” Elektra asked.

“Don’t need to.” You shrugged. “I got this.” You tapped one of the plates of your top. “I got these.” You shook your staffs. “I don't need anything else… I’ll just go home and reload.”

“Exodus.” Elektra tried and you couldn’t tell why.

“It’s getting a little too… romancy.” You gave her a pointed look. “Just call when you’re ready, Red.”

You went home and tossed your mask on your table on your way into the kitchen. You washed your hands in the sink, ringing out your gloves and watching the sink be stained red before you threw some leftover pizza in the microwave. As the food warmed, you headed to your bedroom and pulled your case out. You put a couple more shock discs in your belt and checked the charge on your Bites. You switched your bloody knives for new ones and packed another wire cartridge. You stopped in the bathroom to wash the blood off your face before heading back for your food.

You sat at your table, taking a deep breath and blowing the steam off your pizza.

Jumping right back into a fight with the Hand wasn’t how you want to spend your night. You wanted calm, peace to process and begin accepting some of your grief. But it felt like you were running from it, same way you ran from everything else in your past.

It’s what you do best, right?

Maybe running from it made it less real. If you could get away from those feelings, even just momentarily, you could pretend it didn’t happen. You could pretend that you could pick up your phone and call Frank, see if he was able to get a drink. You could just exist without looking over your shoulder and throwing a punch.

But you chose that life, the vigilante life. Things wouldn’t be simple so long as Exodus existed.

The sound of your phone going off made you jump slightly.

“Ready?” You said, a mouthful of pizza.

“Are you eating?” He laughed slightly.

“Yeah, leftover pizza. You want some?” You said sarcastically. “Where are we meeting?”

“I need you to meet me at the 15th precinct first.”

“For?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Be there in five.” You threw on your mask and damp gloves before hurrying out your fire escape and into the city.

As you got to the precinct, you found Matt and Brett outside on the fire escape.

“The masked vigilante is the only one I can trust.” He said sarcastically. “And his little friend.”

“Я заслуживаю большего признания, чем это.” You rolled your eyes as you stood beside Matt. “Why am I here?” (I deserve more credit than that.)

“What happened?” Matt asked Brett.

“Knew it was just a matter of time till you two showed up… Again.”

“Speaking of time, you’re wasting ours.. Can you get to the point?” You sighed.

“This ain’t the first time some asshole roughed me up. This job, it ain’t easy. But then he said they got eyes on my mom. Said they were gonna kill her, even put her on the phone.”

“Who?”

“No idea… Worked for someone big though. They wanted everything we had on you two.”

“Couldn’t be that much.”

“You’d be surprised to know that we do keep track of two things really well. Incident reports-“ He glared at you. “-and records of people you put away.” He focused on Matt. “They wanted to know everyone you saved.”

“They’re making it personal now.” You realized quietly as Matt seemed to realize the same thing.

He grabbed your hand and took off, dragging you behind him and leaving Brett on the fire escape. As you two were running, you were quickly trying to remember any names that stuck out. Anyone that you could track or could try to get to first. But the faces, the names, everyone blurred together.

Until one face stuck out. One familiar face.

Karen.

Matt seemed to have the same thought because you two were easily moving in the same direction. He broke down the plywood that had been put up over her busted windows and found the place empty, and her phone on the floor.

You couldn’t track her without it.

You let out a short string of curses as something caught Matt’s attention on the wall. Turning, you saw the long strokes of a sword. You were quick to check the floors and other walls for any blood splatters, bloody prints, or rogue drops but you saw nothing. You put a gentle hand on Matt’s shoulder.

“Let’s get to the roof.” You said gently. “I have a terrible idea.”

“Yeah?” He said tightly but followed you nonetheless. “What’s that?”

“Y’know how I can read people’s emotions? Usually I block it out so it doesn’t overwhelm me but I’m gonna open up to everyone until I find her.”

“Are you sure that’s smart?” He tried, genuine concern lacing his words.

“Should be fine.”

“Ex.”

“Matt.”

“That’s not fair.” He gave a lazy smile. “I don’t know your name.”

“You will soon.” You nodded, speaking before your mind really processed what you were saying. “When this is all over.”

You knelt on one ledge while Matt on the other one. You took a deep breath and opened yourself to everyone. You were hit with a wave of… well, everything. Opening yourself to that many emotions at once meant you would absorb everything without a filter, but it also meant there was more for you to tap into later.

Anger. Fear. Regret. Happiness. Loss. Lust. Pride. Envy.

You clenched your jaw and tried to focus. You thought of your memories with Karen. You remembered her reaction when you first told her the truth, how she worried about you both before and after she found out, the way the walls she tried to put between you two crumbled. The comfort you felt when she finally accepted things the way they were. You focused on your friendship.

Vaguely, you heard Elektra talking to Matt in the background but you were too close to tune in. You had found a small cluster of fear and panic, interlaced with calm arrogance. You willed your powers to work harder, to find Karen specifically because if she wasn’t there then you weren’t going.

Your eyes snapped open and you saw the faintest glowing ball in front of you. It called to you, asking you to follow it. It was a strange manifestation, but you had seen stranger from your abilities. You cocked your head in silent question and you could almost hear Karen’s voice in your head.

Please. Please get here in time. I don’t wanna die.

You glanced behind you and found your friends huddled together. Matt was listening for something, and given his struggle less than a minute ago, you didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, you discreetly hopped off the ledge and climbed down the building on your own.

You weren’t surprised when the ball of light led you to an area of town not that different from where you had killed Nobu. Or, where you thought you did, rather. You wouldn’t make that mistake again, you decided. He wouldn’t get back up if you got the chance.

Your new problem became the archers on the roof. You knelt at the ledge and tapped your mask to figure out what you were walking into.

“Nice of you to join me.” You commented as you scanned the building and you heard the familiar sets of footsteps join you on the roof.

“If you had told me you had something, we would’ve gotten here together.” Matt scolded.

“You two were sharing such a tender moment, I didn’t want to interrupt…”

“Are you.. jealous?” He chuckled .

“Anyways.” You stood and he nudged you playfully with his shoulder. “About twenty hostages. Two cops dead already and archers on the roof.”

“Nobu’s men?” Elektra asked.

“Crawling the building like cockroaches.”

“How many?”

“Probably an army.”

“Can you isolate Nobu?” She asked Matt.

“No.” He answered simply.

“We can’t move until we know he’s here.”

“Then you can stay here and play guard dog.” You sighed and stood. “I’m going in there because my friend is in there.”

“I didn’t come here for them. I came to take down Nobu and you said you’d help.”

“We will, Elektra, but right now, the people in that building-“ Matt tried.

“Were used to draw us out.” She cut in. “Saving them won’t help us.”

“I can handle it on my own.” You said easily, attaching your wire to your belt.

“Ex.” Matt warned.

“I have the most experience getting in and out of places I’m not supposed to be. You two worry about finding Nobu.”

“You go in alone, you’re as good as dead.” Elektra warned.

“По крайней мере, я могу умереть, зная, что сделал что-то хорошее.” You smiled sadly and turned to Matt. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” (At least I can die knowing I did something good.)

You fell backwards and slid down the side of the building. You landed lightly on your feet and were quick to disconnect from your wire. You flicked it hard so it would unwrap and retract. You let the little glow guide you to the right floor so you climbed the fire escape on the neighboring building. You shot your wire at the window frames and pulled your gun in one hand before swinging feet first through the windows.

You would’ve liked to have done it Matt’s way, but there were too many people at risk. You had to be quick and efficient. Meaning one shot, one kill.

You rolled through your landing and were met with an outcry of screams, though it was clear they weren’t all meant for you. You finished in a kneel and were quick to fire headshots, clearing four Hand ninjas easily and quietly. Soon after, Matt crashed through the other windows and took out the remaining two. You used the time to disconnect your wire and holster your gun.

“Are you okay?” You hurried to kneel in front of Karen while Matt directed everyone else out.

“How did you find us?” She asked quickly, her fear and panic still skyrocketing.

“Cause you were terrified.” You admitted. “I told you I’d look out for you, didn’t I?”

You reached for a discarded knife and cut through the zip ties around her hand as Matt came to her side. You moved and helped the man beside her get to his feet, but he limped heavily so you had to help him to the hall where another member of the group took over.

“When you get out, keep your heads down, okay?” You warned. “There’s men on the roof and I don’t know if I can get their attention first.”

There was a chorus of thanks and praise before the group hurried away. Karen was last to leave, stopping to tell you about the gunshot wound on Matt’s chest. Before you could get to him and check, you saw he was preoccupied fighting four ninjas. You picked up one of the discarded blades and hurried to his side.

You swiped the blade across the backs of two of the Hand that were fighting Matt. They turned on you quickly and you taunted the closer. One of them swiped their blade at you from the side but you avoided it with a fancy aerial move. As you landed, you had to throw the blade up quickly to block another attack.

You kicked one of them away and fired a quick red shot from your Bite. You gripped the blade tightly and threw the other Hand into a spin. You used the gap to pick up your own momentum and pierce his spine with the blade. You pushed his body over and hurried to Matt’s side. There was one more ninja that Matt wasn’t focused on so you moved in.

You ran at him and did a quick aerial to get your ankles around his neck. You continued your momentum to throw him to the side and out the window. When you unlocked your ankles, you reached for the remaining window frame and ended up with a piece of glass slicing through your hand. You cried out loudly as you tried to climb back up but Matt ended up grabbing your forearms and pulling you up.

His fingers traced the gash on either side of your hand and frowned. He pulled your glove with one hand and reached for the side pouch of your belt with the other. When his fingers slipped into the pocket, he gave a slight tug to pull you against him and you couldn’t stop the gasp as your bodies hit and he grinned. You furrowed your brows but didn’t stop him as he pulled a couple gauze pads and the tape. You smiled slightly to see he remembered as he brought your other hand up to hold the gauze in place as he taped it down. He handed you back the tape and glove with a slight smirk.

“Better than a bullet hole.” You joked as you put the tape away and your glove on.

“Barely a hole, okay?” He countered with a small chuckle.

“I thought you were bulletproof.” You teased.

“First time for everything I guess.”

You saw two more Hand members coming in from over Matt’s shoulder but before you could react, you saw the tip of Elektra’s weapons piercing through their bodies.

“Glad you joined us.” You smiled.

“I got bored.” She shrugged.

You chuckled slightly and pulled your staffs, interlocking them together as four more Hand members burst in. You flicked the dial for the long blade and moved in. You attacked with the single staff hard from the right side, slicing a deep gash across one of their stomachs. You turned and used the blunt end to sweep the legs before spinning the weapon over your hand and driving the blade down into their chest.

While Matt jammed the butt end of his club into one of their noses, two hands shot through the wall to grab Elektra. You quickly followed after her and slid on your knees, spinning yourself and disconnecting your weapon. You put the blade away and swung your staffs at his head after Matt kicked him towards you. Elektra finished the other and then the room was empty save for you three. Elektra winced and peaked at the back of her arm, your attention moving to it as well.

You summoned the heat of anger to your fingers and offered them to Elektra. She nodded quickly and you pressed the fingers along the length of her cut and she hissed as you burned the wound shut. Matt pulled you two up the stairs as you finished and you wiped the blood on your pants.

Matt barricaded the door after you all went in. You pulled him back and called on that anger again. Only instead of directing it to your fingers, you pictured it as pure heat. You held your hands to the slot where the bar fit and pushed the heat outward, watching the metals meld together.

“I’m not gonna lie to you… There’s a lot more coming.” Matt said simply.

“One thing’s for sure… We’re gonna die.” Elektra answered.

“I say we take a few more of them out with us then.” You shrugged.

“You wanna end it here or on the roof?” Matt asked.

“I’ve always liked the fresh air.” Elektra replied, earning a small chuckle from Matt.

You three climbed the rest of the stairs and you tapped your mask, seeing through the walls to the heat signatures outside.

“What’s out there?” She asked.

“Oh, Jesus.” Matt sighed.

“Remember that army I mentioned?” You answered.

“Packed with katanas and longbows… More from below with the same weapons.” Matt explained and you let out a long sigh.

Elektra dropped to the floor by the door so you knelt beside her. You offered a comforting hand on her arm and she covered it with her own.

“Even if we survive, the three of us may not see each other again.” She said quietly.

“What if… What if, from now on, if we make it…” Matt tried, kneeling in front of Elektra and removing his helmet. “Wherever you run, I run with you.”

“You’d leave?” You asked softly. Though you had done the same to him so long ago, you hated the idea of being in New York without him.

“This… This Is a part of me that I need.” He continued when Elektra didn’t say anything. “And you’re the only one who gets it.”

“The only one…” You repeated quietly.

The pain in your chest was hot, begging for acknowledgement but it was your own doing. By not telling Matt sooner, he didn’t know that you were the one by his side. You were the one who had saved his life, risked your own for him so many times. He didn’t know you were the one who fought beside him.

He didn’t know that you got it, too.

“I’m free with you, like with no one else.” He said firmly.

“You hide from yourself…” She said gently. “You don’t let anyone in.”

“I let you in.”

“And what about Y/N?” She spoke softly, giving your hand a small squeeze. “You let her in, too. Matthew, you love her. And you’d leave her?”

“She left once because she was running from her past.. I think she’d understand.” He reasoned, but he couldn’t hide the pain when he thought of leaving you. “Maybe not at first, but she would.”

“But you love New York..”

“Yeah.. I’d give my life for it but there’s one thing that makes me feel more alive… What do you say?”

You began wondering how long you could stay in New York if Matt left with Elektra. You’d have Foggy and Karen, but would that be enough? Matt, realistically, was the one thing that kept you from going back to London after your Bar exam. With the firm gone and the relationship you stayed for now fallen apart, what was left for you?

You decided then that if Matt left, so would you. You’d tell Foggy and Matt the truth, apologize for hurting them in any way, and be out of their lives.

At least you wouldn’t be able to hurt them anymore.

Elektra pulled you up with her, in turn pulling you from your spiral of thoughts. You three went out onto the roof and found the Hand’s army standing calmly across from you. You could vaguely feel a familiar presence not too far away, one that was calm and charming but also angry. You glanced around as you tried to pinpoint it but saw nothing in the darkness.

Rather, you saw Nobu. He made some short speech about destiny before attacking your trio. He threw his weapon at you first and it sliced across your arm. You cried out but wrapped the chain around your hand, gripping it tightly and pulling him closer.

Once he was close enough, you twisted your arm around his neck and stepped behind him. Your knee was jammed against his back as you steered into hit after hit from Matt and Elektra. Once the rest of the army realized Nobu was losing, they jumped in.

Nobu reached behind him and caught you by your shirt, dropping his shoulder to flip you over. He pinned the hand you wrapped with the chain under his foot and yanked the chain across your throat. You coughed as you felt the metal pressing on your windpipe. You used your free hand to slip under your back and reach for one of your knives.

Reaching up, you sliced through his calf. You planted one foot firmly against the floor and used the other to kick up at his head. When he fell off of you, you were quick to roll to your stomach. Matt came in quick from the side and slammed his knee into Nobu’s head. You were quick to unwrap your hand and grip your knife firmly, launching it into Nobu’s back and giving yourself room to get to Elektra.

You hurried to your friend and pulled another blade, reaching over a Hand member’s shoulder to slit his throat. You and Elektra kept your backs to one another, fighting and protecting each other. Squelching sounds of punctures and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the slowly emptying rooftop as the bodies began to pile up around you and Elektra.

Soon, it felt like it was just you three and Nobu.

The three of you alternated your attacks, one stepping in when another was knocked down. But none of you stayed down for long. The variations in your fighting styles kept Nobu on a constant defense, only getting temporary upper hands on any of you. Until…

He dislocated Elektra’s arm and she hadn’t gotten up yet. He kicked Matt so hard his helmet flew off. That only left you.

“There’s still room for you here, Exodus. Maybe we are your destiny, as well.” Nobu offered through heavy, tired breaths.

“I choose my own destiny.” You growled and charged back into the fight.

You flicked your knife towards his chest but he avoided it easily, just as you hoped he would. You ran towards him and hooked your foot behind his knee, reaching across his chest to grab his shirtfront. You dropped and pushed yourself backwards to flip you both and put Nobu on his face. You spun to kneel on his back and lifted your arm to wake your Bite. As the device glowed red, an arrow came and sliced your forearm.

You cried out and fell to the side, giving Nobu a chance to climb on top of you. He hoisted you up by your shirt and landed sharp jabs against your face, causing your head to bounce off the concrete beneath you. You grabbed the wrist holding you up with one hand and slammed your opposing arm against his, crying at the pain but hearing the deep snap of his bone. You curled your legs up and kicked out at his chest, sending him flying away and giving you a chance to get up.

You moved to Elektra’s side since she was closer and helped her up. You pulled her to her feet and turned to see Nobu grabbing Matt. Panic froze you momentarily before you felt Elektra grab you. Together, you ran to Matt.

You drew your staff and stuck it out in front of Matt, causing Nobu’s weapon to clatter against it. He switched grips and slammed his elbow into your nose which made you stagger back. When he turned to slam the weapon into your stomach, Elektra stepped in front and took the hit. Your mouth fell open but no sound came out as you felt everything drain from your body. The tears welled up quickly so you yanked your mask down.

She kicked Nobu away before falling to her knees. You hurried to catch her when she dropped backwards and Matt was at her other side and his panic rivaled your own.

“No. No, no!” You cried and shook your head violently. Matt pressed his hands over her stomach in an effort to stop the bleeding. “Don’t do this, El. Don’t die on me!”

“They have nothing now.” She said weakly. “I took it all away.”

Blue and red clouded your vision, mixing swirls of bright colors that remained their own. Your fingers burned but the rest of your body felt ice cold.

“I know now… what it feels… to be good.” She managed through broken gasps and tears.

“Please.” You whispered. “El, please!”

“Look after him…. He.. He needs… you.”

You shook your head again, as if you could deny the situation and it would change. Your shoulders shook with your quiet sobs as your eyes closed, holding your friend close for as long as you could.

“Does it always hurt this much?” She asked Matt and your heart broke even further.

“Yeah.” He sniffled. “It always hurts this much.”

And then she was gone. You felt her go limp in your lap and you gently crawled out, leaving her in Matt’s embrace. You collapsed over your knees, one hand clutching your stomach and the other was a tight fist against the ground. You took in a shaky breath and screamed, letting out a broken sound of pain as you slammed your fist to the floor.

You felt two hands on your side that were pulling you up. You let them, looking up to see Matt hauling you to your feet. You ran your sleeve across your eyes, smearing the tears across your blood splattered face. You ground your teeth and took one last glance over your shoulder at Elektra.

She seemed at peace, finally.

Looking back at the few Hand soldiers that were left, your vision had grown bright red. There were blue swirls at the edges but the focus was the manic haze, the sadistic bloodlust. You pulled your gun and sniffled, weighing the bullets you had left.

Eleven rounds. Four Hand members.

You looked over at Matt, feeling his anger at the same level as yours. But you felt something else too, something from behind you. Someone familiar, but you didn’t care to figure it out.

Matt moved in first, beating the two Hand soldiers that came in first. Once he pushed them aside, you stepped in and put a bullet in their skull. You raised your gun to fire on a third one but another bullet beat you to it. You quickly spun on your heel with your gun ready and saw Frank on the rooftop behind you.

You felt the slightest wave of relief, dulling the red of your vision as your arms dropped. Your hand covered your mouth as you smiled slightly, a fresh wave of tears coming. You saw him offer you a quick salute before firing on the Hand behind you. You returned the gesture before hurrying across the rooftop to Matt’s side, though he was already engaged with Nobu. Matt’s anger easily fueled him into getting the upper hand, but you were determined to have the final shot. As Matt threw Nobu off the roof, you followed.

You stepped over the ledge and flicked your wire at the railing. As you slid down the building, you drug your heels against the side to slow your descent. You aimed your gun and once he hit the ground, you pulled the trigger, watching the bullet pierce through his skull and bounce his head off the concrete. You hung there for a second, waiting to ensure he wouldn’t get up, but the growing puddle of blood that he laid in was enough of an answer for you.

You were climbing back up to the roof when part of Matt’s new club came towards you. You took a hold of it and he helped pull you up. He tapped your arm and pointed to the roof behind you where Frank was and he gave you the slightest smile, as if he knew you’d be happy to see Frank.

You pointed to yourself before your fingers made the shape of a phone and then you pointed to Frank, hoping he’d get the message that you would call him later. He nodded before disappearing.

You blew out a sigh to calm yourself and settle your deep anger. There was satisfaction in knowing Nobu was dead and that you had pulled the trigger. Not even for yourself, but for Elektra.

For your friend who gave her life for yours. For your friend who annoyed the hell out of you and pushed every button she could, who was arrogant beyond belief and stole the man you loved right out from under you. Your friend who was a liar, but also smart. Powerful. Beautiful. Vengeful and angry, but also just wanting to be loved for who she truly was.

You wished you could tell her that she was. That despite it all, you did love her.

Matt took your hand and walked with you back to Elektra, both of you falling to your knees beside her.

“I’m sorry…” You said quietly, more to Elektra than Matt. “I’m so sorry.”

Matt put a hand on your shoulder and you turned instantly, falling against his chest. His arms came around you quickly and held you tightly. You kept muttering the apology as a new wave of sobs ran through you and he hushed you gently, saying it was okay. You held him with all the strength you had left, terrified that he would slip through your fingers too.

He leaned his chin on the top of your head, seemingly trying to contain his own grief. You took a deep breath and pulled away, putting your hands on either side of his face. He tried to give you a smile but it broke instantly.

This time, he fell into you. He buried his face in the crook of your neck and you put one hand behind his neck and the other over his shoulders. You said nothing, other than a gentle reassurance that you were there.

You two stayed that way for a while, consoling each other despite your own grief. You only moved when Matt heard the cops getting close. Hesitantly, you followed him off the roof.

Sleep didn’t find you that night. You sat on the floor of your shower, letting the stream wash away the blood, sweat, and tears of that night. But nothing could help your pain. You didn’t even care to try and heal yourself, other than your hand.

At least you didn’t have to grieve for Frank anymore… Just Elektra.

A few days later, you still hadn’t slept much but you were beside Matt and Stick at Elektra’s grave. You had your arm linked with his and you leaned into him slightly, almost using him to keep you standing.

“I wanted to say a few words but… I don’t have any.” Matt said after a while of standing quietly.

“Can I?” You spoke up, though your voice sounded hoarse. You had sounded that way since that night, having cried so much and screamed so loud your throat was rubbed raw.

“Yeah..”

“Elektra was a lot of things, some good and some bad… But ultimately, she was my friend. She saw and did things that no one should have had to as young as she was, but maybe it’s because of that that we were the friends we were… She was complicated but loyal, willing to give her life for-“ You sniffled and took a deep breath. Matt turned to you and placed a small kiss to the top of your head, an old but not unusual gesture between you two. “Elektra was so loved… I loved her, and I’ll miss her.”

“God rest her soul.” Stick added solemnly. Despite their last spat, he still loved her as his own. “Was it worth it?”

“What?” Matt asked.

“Loving her.”

He took a deep breath as he thought, but decided not to answer. But standing beside him, you knew. It was worth it to him.

“One time in college, I brought her roses.” He said instead and you gave a small smile.

“She hated roses.” You chuckled weakly. “It was orchids, right?”

“Yeah.. She likes orchids… And yeah, it was worth it.”

“Matt, you are the toughest son of a bitch I’ve ever met.” Stick praised before leaning around to you. “And little lady, you are a close second.”

“I don’t feel very tough.” You admitted.

“What you see in yourself and what you are don’t always overlap.” He nodded. “Let’s go home.”

The car dropped you off at your apartment first. Matt offered to stay with you but you told him you’d rather be alone. Hesitantly, he let you.

When you got to your apartment, you headed for your bedroom and found your suit peaking out of the closet. The memory of that night flashed in your mind when you caught a glimpse of the blood stained on the front. It could’ve been the Hand or it could’ve been Elektra’s. You hurried over and slammed the case shut.

You had no plans of returning to that life anytime soon. You doubted Matt did either. And if you were going to take up Dex on the FBI offer, you couldn’t be a vigilante and a federal agent. It was too risky. You had to choose. Y/N or Exodus.

The choice was easy.

You shut the closet and pulled your phone, sitting on the floor and leaning against your bed. You weren’t sure if he had changed numbers but you had to try. You had to find out why.

“Hey.. I’m sorry about your friend.” He said gently, honestly.

“Thanks… How are you?” You answered, not sure how to bring up the main reason you called.

“Same shit, different day. Gotta finish what I started and see this through… For my family..”

“What’s the plan?”

“Nah, not this time, Princess.”

“You don’t need to coddle me, Frank.” You tried.

“I’m not.”

“Then why won’t you tell me? I thought you trusted me more than that.”

“Y/N..” He sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, alright? It’s not. It’s that I know you’re only using this as an excuse so you don’t have to deal with your pain. You wanna use any sort of fight you can to ignore what’s really going on. You’re so used to fightin’ that you can’t deal with peace.”

“Yeah, you’re one to talk.”

You wondered if Frank had always been able to read people so easily, or if you were just especially transparent. But what you really noticed, was that he wasn’t condescending about it. He never made you feel bad or inferior because of your struggles or your shortcomings. Frank was a real friend, even if your friendship was still new.

“… Why did you do it? Fake your death for a while with the boat explosion.” You asked instead.

“Cause Frank Castle is dead.” He insisted.

“So you’re nothing but the Punisher now?”

“You ever really think I was anything more?”

“I did… I really did… The Punisher isn’t the one who convinced me that it was my choice who I was. The Punisher isn’t the one who made sure Karen was safe. The Punisher isn’t the one who wanted to save me first on that boat. The Punisher isn’t all you are.”

He chuckled slightly.

“Gotta admit, Imma miss that, Princess. Your little optimism.” He said and you could hear the small smile on his voice. “Red really got to you, didn’t he?”

“I’m serious, Frank.”

“I know… But I can’t keep dragging you into this, alright? I just.. I’m sorry but I can’t. Not this time.”

“You don’t plan on dying for real this time. Do you?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

You sighed loudly.

“I can’t convince you to let me tag along, can I?” You tried.

He chuckled slightly.

“Not this time.”

“Alright… Just try not to then.” You said reluctantly. “I can’t lose another friend right now, okay? I can’t… Call me if you need anything.”

“Alright.. See you ‘round, Y/N.”

“Bye, Frank.”

You had gotten more sleep that night than nights before, and maybe that was due to the closure from Frank. You didn’t necessarily like that he was running off to a seemingly never ending battle by himself, but if anyone could handle it, it was him. Maybe it was also due to the fact that Elektra was put to rest. You said what had been bouncing in your head and felt a sense of closure in that regard, too.

The only thing left was telling Matt and Foggy.

Matt called you the next day and asked if you could meet him at the office, just for a minute he insisted. You reached into your closet and pulled the Red Room emblem out of the corner you had shoved it into. It took one of your knives and a lot of pulling during your most recent redesigning, but you finally got the enamel logo off. Part of you questioned if he would recognize it, given that the red was the point but it was better than throwing your mask at him. But just to be sure, you shoved one of your Bites into your bag

You got ready quickly, considering the cold weather, and hustled down to the office. You were shaking the loose snowflakes from your hair as you walked in, finding Karen already waiting. The room was stale and cold, dimly lit by a couple lamps. Any life from Nelson and Murdock had faded away just as the warmer temperatures had. The situation suddenly became very real as your once warm and welcoming office now felt like another world.

“Hey.” She breathed.

“Hey.” You smiled. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. You?”

“Not really but…” You shrugged. “Matt called you?”

“Yeah, said he wanted to talk about something.”

“I’m a little surprised you came, given everything with him last time I saw you guys talk.”

“Same could be said for you.” She gave you a small smile.

“You don’t know what I know.” You returned the small smile. “But that’s probably what this is for.”

“Should I be worried?”

“If how you reacted before is an indication, you’ll probably be pissed.” You nodded and sat on the edge of the desk as Matt walked in.

“Thanks for coming.” He said, pulling a brown bag from under his arm.

“What are we doing here, Matt?” She asked.

Your hand slid into your pocket and pulled out the small enamel design, twirling it between your fingers. You noticed Matt’s head tilt just slightly, likely the sound of the emblem against your pants as you pulled it out drawing his attention but he tried not to show it. He snapped back and focused on answering Karen.

“I, uh. I have something.” He explained as he stepped closer, reaching into the bag.

“No, I don’t want it.” She shook her head and moved to leave.

“Hang on.” You said gently, reaching to pull her back. “Just give him a chance.”

“It’s something I need you two to see.” He continued and you let out a deep breath.

Karen glanced over at you and you nodded. Her brows furrowed but she relaxed and turned to Matt again. You kept your eyes down as you heard him pulling whatever it was out of the bag.

The tension rose drastically and you knew it was what you thought it would be. Karen looked at you again in shock but when you lifted your eyes to meet hers, all you could offer was a silent nod of confirmation. You turned to the window then, rather than face Matt.

You knew it was Matt, had known for a little while. You had been practically taunting him and begging him to call you out for being Exodus ever since, but the idea of confessions made your heart squeeze. The emblem in your hand felt sharp now, like holding onto it - along with your secret - was going to physically pain you until you let go. Until you told the people who deserved to know.

“I’m Daredevil.” Matt admitted.

Silence passed over the group again so you decided to move. You stood, leaving the logo on the desk, and moved to stand in front of Matt. Gently, you took the helmet from his hands and you saw him swallow hard when your fingers brushed his. In any other circumstance, it would’ve made you smile.

You ran your fingers over the hard material, tracing the ghost of a line you remembered seeing after Frank shot him. You looked back up to him and found how terrified he was. He was surrounded by a yellow haze, but there was also pink mixed in. He was scared because of how he cared for you two.

You took a step back to stand beside Karen. She put a hand on your arm in comfort and when you looked to her, she offered a small smile. You could tell she wanted to look down, to acknowledge the helmet in your hands but she refused. Instead, you reached over and put it in hers.

She took it, only for a second, before shoving it back into your hands and practically running out the door. You watched her go as the door slammed behind her, making a face of surprise to yourself. Given how she chewed your head off after you told her, it went far better than you expected.

You took a step forward again to put your hand on his cheek and found he leaned into your touch.

“Say something… Please.” He mumbled.

“Matt…” You said finally and you saw some of the tension leave his face as you said his name. “There’s… There’s something you should know, too.”

His brows furrowed as you pulled your hand away and stepped over to the desk and reached for the small piece of enamel, placing the helmet on the desk in its place. You took one more deep breath and went back to Matt, taking one of his hands and pressing the logo against it.

His brows furrowed while holding the emblem in one hand, his fingers tracing it over and over. Every time his digits followed the shape, you felt the anxious knot in your stomach tighten.

Everything you had been avoiding since you got back to Hell’s Kitchen, revealing yourself to Matt and showing the blood on your hands, it was all happening right before your eyes. The uncertainty made you feel like you were standing at the edge of a cliff, teetering backwards and reaching for safety. Matt was the only one who could pull you back, but the question of if he would was yet to be answered.

“This is…” He trailed off, drawing your focus back to him. “Where did you get this?”

“It’s the trademark for the Red Room… It was part of every Black Widow uniform…” You explained carefully. “It was at the collar of my suit for a while until I changed the top… Then it was hidden and now it’s off.”

“The Red Room… Y/N, what..?”

Did he really not know?

“I… I’m Exodus, and I’m sorry. For everything. For- For the times I’ve hurt you. The times I tried to kill you… Matt, I swear, if I knew sooner that it was you...”

“Oh my god..” He said quietly, nearly a whisper. “No, there’s… Really?”

“I know it’s a lot to take in.” You shrugged, trying to fake calm though your heart was racing. You figured Matt could hear it, one of the few times you let your body give away your thoughts. You turned and moved to your bag, pulling your Bite before coming back. “And if you want to go our separate ways, I understand.”

“No, Y/N.” He stepped closer and reached for your hand. Though instead of letting him take it, you put your weapon in his hand which made him pause, only for a second. “I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

“What about what I’ve done? Matt, your whole stance as Daredevil is to not kill people and I’ve killed too many to count.”

“I don’t care.” He shook his head and stepped to put the emblem and the weapon on the desk. He came back to stand in front of you, hands finding your face. “I don’t. Because it’s you, Y/N… It's you.”

“I told you that I couldn’t be the one to corrupt you.” You said softly, feeling him trace the outline of certain scars as if to convince himself it was true. “I told you that I shouldn’t be the one that you make an exception for.”

“It’s not an exception… I know what you’ve done, sweetheart. But I also know why… And I know you.”

“Matt..”

“I love you, Y/N.” He admitted suddenly, making you take a step back and the back of your legs hit the lip of the desk. “I know who you are and I know what you’ve done but you are still you. You still feel the same, Y/N. You’re the same girl I met in college and the same girl that I.. that I love.”

“You don’t mean that.” You tried, though every ounce of your body was screaming for his God to let it be true. “You don’t.. You can’t. I- I- I’ve lied to you and I’ve screamed at you and I’ve hurt you! I stabbed you, right here-“ You took a step forward and placed your hand on his side where you remember throwing your knife. “-maybe a week ago!”

“I know.” He nodded with a small smile that only added to your bewilderment. “You’ve also saved my life and cleaned me up and been by my side.”

“This is insane..” You mumbled, more to yourself than Matt. “This is- This is crazy! You can’t love me! As much as I want you to, you can’t!“

“You want me to?” He repeated smugly. “Still? Even though I put on that suit and that mask, go out into that city every night, and throw punches in an alley?”

“Yes, because you’re the good guy!” You shouted and began pacing the room, hands pushed into your hair. “You’ve always been the good guy and I’ve been the bad guy. You can’t love the bad guy! I don’t- It doesn’t make sense! Daredevil hated Exodus.”

He reached out for your hand and pulled you to stop. You landed flat against his chest and you let out a small groan due to your still tender ribcage.

He snorted a small laugh. “Sorry.”

“I’ve had worse.” You shrugged and he broke into a grin, earning one from you now that your mind was snapped from its spiral. “Matt, you hated her.”

“I never hated her.” He shook his head, speaking softly as he dropped his forehead against yours. “I didn’t always agree with her but I would pick her by my side over anyone.”

“You already knew, didn’t you?“ Your eyes closed and you sighed to yourself.

“I had a feeling…”

“How long?”

“Since you yelled at me in Russian in the courthouse bathroom, for sure.”

“To be fair, you slammed the door in my face.” You reasoned, leaning back slightly to see him as he grinned again.

“What did you even say?”

“That I’d break both your arms.”

“Ouch.” He frowned.

“Don’t slam doors on people then.” You shrugged, holding your composure for a second before laughing. “I’m serious, Matt. How long?”

“I had a thought since we went to that art gallery and met Vanessa for the first time. I knew there was something bigger but I didn’t think it was this. This became a thought a little before we met Grotto.”

“I always knew you were doing something you weren’t supposed to.” You replied. “But I didn’t think this - or maybe I just didn’t wanna believe it - until that gala… You moved so much like him, I couldn’t ignore it. And..”

“And?” His brows furrowed. “C’mon, Y/N/N. Say it. It’s just you and me…”

“When you kissed me. It was the same. Same feeling, same movements, same taste.”

He opened his mouth to say something before closing it again and pursing his lips slightly.

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” You tried calmly as you moved and sat on the desk. “How do we both have these alter egos that worked together but couldn’t stand each other? And then we turn around and work together but also can’t stand each other?”

You picked his helmet up and turned it in your hands as he came and stood in front of you. You leaned your head back to look at him while he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the desk beside you.

“What do you wanna do from here, Y/N/N?” He asked, gently taking the helmet from your hands and putting it on top of his jacket. He flattened his palms on either side of your legs and leaned down slightly, taking a step back so he was more level with you. “Tell me to go and I will.”

“And if I want you to stay?”

His mouth lifted into a small smile. “Tell me and I will.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“Yeah.”

“It kinda looks like you wanna be with me right now because I’m Exodus.” You chuckled slightly, trying to joke and break the tension in the air.

There was a heavy lull as his brain mulled over your words before he spoke carefully.

“I started caring about her after Nobu.. That first night she - you - saw me, you were so relieved… You hugged me so tight.”

“I thought you were dead.” You admitted. “I thought… I thought I was too late and I couldn’t save you, that I made that deal for nothing.”

“That was when I realized that you really did care…”

“That was around the time you told me that I had my own light.. Do you still believe that?”

“Y/N, I’ve always believed that, whether you were in that suit or not. You’ve got one of the brightest lights I know.”

“Y’know, early on, I had these really confusing feelings for Daredevil. It felt like he saw me, with the blood on my hands and knees and all. He still wanted me around and I liked that. I felt safe with him. But he kept wanting to change me. It was like he just couldn’t accept who I was. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for him.”

“Y/N, I never-“

“Hang on.. Just, let me finish, okay? I need…” You paused to take a deep, steadying breath and put a hand on his arm. “I need to finally say this.”

He nodded.

“And then Fisk happened and he got in my way. I remember thinking ‘This is it. I’m done with him. I see him again, he’s dead’. Now, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t kill Fisk when I had the chance. I don’t know. But I do know that I just couldn’t bring myself to try and kill him. I still wanted him around but I couldn’t let myself want him…”

You turned and picked up your gauntlet.

“And then Frank came along and made things more complicated. Frank didn’t need me to change to be by his side. He didn’t challenge my morality, he just… Handed me a gun and considered me a friend.”

“Yeah, maybe… Maybe Frank wasn’t all that bad.” He offered and you smiled.

“He’s really not. Frank actually helped me find balance… He told me that I can’t let everyone else tell me who to be. But Daredevil isn’t bad either if you get to know him.” You teased and he grinned. “Matty, I love you too. But if this is something we want to try, I need to ask you a couple things.”

“I’m all yours.” He said softly, dropping to his knees and folding his arms over your lap to rest his chin on.

“Really?” Your brows raised playfully.

“Ears.” He corrected with a nervous smile. “I’m all ears.”

“If we keep doing the Daredevil/Exodus thing, do I have to play by your rules? No killing?”

“I would prefer.” He said carefully. “But I won’t fault you for it. Not anymore.”

“Why?”

“You know when to stop.” He answered simply, as if it should’ve been obvious. “You know when to pull your punches and when not to. I shouldn’t have been trying to change you this whole time. I should’ve been trying to just work with you, help you find some sort of… balance.”

“Do you really want to do this? Because I know you were in a whole ‘no friends means no distractions means I can focus’ phase.”

“No, I don’t wanna do anything without you by my side.”

“Last one… And it’s a hard one. Would you still be here, on your knees in front of me and telling me you love me, if Elektra was alive?”

He was quiet for a minute as he thought. You were both glad that he didn’t answer immediately and a bit hurt.

“I don’t know. I told you it was complicated with her..”

“Matt, I’ve been second to Elektra for you the entire time she’s been involved. I won't be the one you settle for because you lost her.”

“This isn’t about Elektra.” He shook his head gently. “You and I.. It always ends up being you and I, doesn’t it?”

You wanted to argue that but you realized he was right. Despite your leaving, you made your way back to Hell’s Kitchen, where you stayed for him. You fell in love with Marc and Steven, but you still loved him. Your first love, who showed you kindness and generosity when you were strangers. Who showed you that friendships were more than sparring matches and killing together.

You unfolded his arms gently and slid off the desk to sit beside him on the floor. He said nothing as you moved down and lifted his hand. You looked at the angry red blotches across his knuckles, thinking of your own broken skin and wrapped hands.

Neither of those hands were truly innocent in the eyes of the law. The vigilantes of the Kitchen operated on a spectrum, you decided. Elektra was one farthest end, shoot first and ask questions later. Frank - and you would soon realize yourself - was closer to the middle but not quite neutral, get your answers but still shoot. Matt was supposed to be the other end, never pull the trigger but get answers anyway.

Pairing you and Matt was like mixing chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It would work, but the appearance would always lean towards the chocolate. The vigilante that believed in redemption was the vanilla and the vigilante that believed in consequences was the chocolate. At the end of the day, you both bloodied yourselves for the Kitchen but who was right depended on who you asked.

Corruption was easier than redemption and that scared you.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Matt asked after the silence began to loom over you two like a shadow. “About everything…”

“Would you have forgiven me?” You asked softly, not bothering to keep the sadness away. “Everything that I’ve done, pretty much since I got out of there, was me trying to undo what I had to do there. I was a kid going through it, being weaponized and lied to and manipulated. But I wasn’t clueless. I knew what he was doing to me, to all of us actually. He said he loved us like his own daughters… That we were a family…That he was the only one that would ever love us…”

“It was never your fault, Y/N. Someone who loves you… They wouldn’t do that to you.” Matt offered and you sniffled.

Speaking so openly about your past was enough to make you cry. Being raised without any tenderness, any real compassion or sympathy save for that brief time in Ohio with your ‘Aunt Melina’, you didn’t expect any from Matt. How could you?

But you still wanted it. You wanted so desperately to be loved, for the truth. For everything you were, both good and bad. You needed it so honestly that your hands shook and your heart felt like a stone in your chest, weighing you down and growing heavier every time it tried to pump blood through your veins.

As Exodus, you could speak of the cruelties you faced with venom in your voice. You didn’t have to feel anything towards Dreykov other than pure spite, pure rage. It was easy to hate him and be angry at the universe and blame some higher power for what happened to you. But as Y/N, as just a girl trying to build some sort of normal life for yourself, you couldn’t speak of it without feeling broken. Feeling used.

But you knew Matt wouldn’t see you that way. He never did, not even when Ex spoke about it.

“I tried to erase my past.” You continued, trying to keep her voice level but the slightest of a waver snuck through. “But now I don’t think I would want to change it… Exodus and I, we share the same body and the same face. But we’re not the same… Whatever you felt about Ex, you can’t just translate that to me.”

“I loved you long before Exodus existed.” He insisted but you scoffed lightly in response. “I’ve loved you since we met in college, I swear.”

“You have to understand why I can’t believe that..”

Your head dropped to stare at your lap and you found you were still holding on to his hand, and he hadn’t pulled away either.

“If that’s true, then why did you start dating Karen? Why did you tell Elektra you’d leave with her?”

“Because I didn’t know if you felt the same way…”

“Why didn’t you say anything to find out?”

“Why didn’t you stop me?”

“When have I ever tried to get in the way of your happiness?”

Matt paused and you wondered what he would say. You knew the accusations were a bit unfair. You had never tried to get in the way of Matt’s happiness when you weren’t a factor. And even when he was pushing you away, you hoped he would find happiness. But you’d be lying if you said you didn’t selfishly want him to not be happier with someone else.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He finally answered and the sincerity made you lift your eyes. “I know nothing I can say can change anything that’s happened so far. I don’t expect you to forgive any of how I’ve treated you lately or that I’ve kept this hidden from you for so long… Just know that I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned.. But it’s not like you were the only one with a secret.” You offered honestly. “Can I… Can I see the rest of it? The suit..”

“Yeah.” He breathed, something like relief filling his chest.

He pulled you with him as he stood before you both gathered your belongings. You put away your Bite and emblem and he tucked the mask back into the paper bag before reaching for your arm.

204 notes · View notes

petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

nine - devil doesn’t bargain

tags: @astrobees @ironprincessstranger @americaarse @dusstory @johnmurphys-sass // eight // ten // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Word Count: 7,981

Summary: Comfort comes with the familiar as Y/N and Matt find a way to something softer than bickering. But even then, a new revelation shakes their relationship with an old mutual friend.

You waited until you heard Matt get out of bed. You kept your movements to a minimum and your breathing even as you listened, hearing him rummage through a closet and a crate before taking off. You gave it another minute or so before you got yourself up. You bolted out the door and to your apartment.

It took you only minutes to change and get to your rooftop. Though you did pause at the package when you saw a hastily scribbled Nat Romanoff as the sender. You opened it quickly and found a pack with two staffs in it. There was a white harness that would strap across your chest and there was a blue glow from the weapons and the pack itself. There was also a small note with it.

do some good with these okay? i know you can -nat<3

You tossed the note aside but clipped the pack on anyway. You rolled your shoulders and did a couple turns, deciding it wouldn’t get in the way. You’d have to thank her for it later.

You didn’t know where Elektra or Stick - who you were guessing was the old man - would be but you knew someone who would. Benefit of giving Matt the microphone so long ago other than hearing him was being able to track him… Potentially.

It was an old feature on the mics to have trackers and you weren’t sure if the mic was old enough. But as you tapped your mask, sliding your finger along the edge to change what it was searching for, you found it. You made a small noise of triumph before taking off.

“When it comes to killing, I’ve always been better.” Elektra said proudly as you entered the room.

“Agree to disagree.” You cut in with a proud smirk. “Hi, El. Thought you left town.”

“Exodus? What are you doing here?” Matt asked.

“I put a tracker on you a while ago.” You shrugged.

“I wondered if you were gonna show.” The old man commented.

“For someone who’s being attacked by the girl he trained, you’re more chipper than I expected.” You said honestly as you stepped around Elektra. “What are you doing?”

“He tried to have me killed!” She said angrily.

“I’m not saying you don’t have a point, but there’s something bigger going on that we can’t do without you two. You know it’s useless to try and convince him to be on your side, alright? So don’t do this.“ You tried before you were knocked to the floor.

Looking up angrily, you faced a Hand member. You scoffed to yourself and stood, slowly pulling your staffs out. You connected the ends and twisted, watching them interlock and extend. You made a small noise of satisfaction before you dove into the fight.

The blade was easy to block with your new weapon. You could tell the staffs were capable of more than just connecting and it made you excited to use them in future endeavors.

The attacks kept coming and backed you into the next room where five other Hand members were fighting Elektra and Matt. You disconnected your weapon and slid your hand to the top, finding a small piece that rotated. Flicking it with your thumb, a blade shot out. You examined both weapons for a second before smirking and swinging your weapon.

You moved in to help Matt, rolling over his back and slamming your feet into the Hand member’s head. He fell limply to the floor but another was quick to take his place. You tossed one staff up and flipped your grip so the blade was under your hand. You drove your hand down, sinking the blade deep into his chest before twisting and pulling it out.

You ignored Matt’s scowl of disapproval and pushed past him to continue fighting. You swiped your blades in high arcs, blocking the Hand’s blades and cutting long slices into stomachs and chests. None of you stopped until all the lights cut out. You reached almost instantly, pressing the center of your mask to hit the night vision.

You glanced around quickly and found no one but your trio so you tucked your new weapons away.

“They’re gone.” You announced.

“Yeah, and they took Stick.” Matt continued.

You three hurried out into the alley. You disabled nightvision and pushed your mask up as Matt pulled his off. You leaned against the wall and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. You realized then just how exhausted you were. It had been a very long day.

“They’re gonna rip him to shreds until they find out what it is.” Matt continued.

“Good.” Elektra resigned.

“Unless.. Unless we get there first. All of us.”

“He could know nothing.” You offered. “It might not be about the old man at all… Could be about one of you.”

“What?”

“The ledger. The professor that encrypted it. The train. Whatever happened to her after I threw her off the roof. You deserved that, by the way.”

She waved a hand at you in annoyance.

“What I’m saying is that the Hand could just be making it personal.” You shrugged.

“You want me to help you save the man who ordered my death?” Elektra turned on you.

“No, I don’t really care…”

“I do. And I am asking you.” Matt urged.

“There was this group - which could be another reason the Hand is after you.” You gestured to Matt. “There were all these chemicals in their systems and they were being drained for them. But when he saved them, the Hand came after them. I don’t know what they’re using them for and I don’t know what the chemicals were… But if you’re up for it, I got some time to be nosy.”

“I need to know why the Hand took him and what they’re planning next.” Matt continued.

“I’m done fighting his war.” Elektra said firmly.

“Alright… Then I’ll go alone.”

“You’re not alone, dipshit.” You pushed yourself off the wall.

“You pushed everyone out of your life and now you want to put what little is left towards saving that broken old man?” Elektra mocked.

“He gave me a life when I was.. When I had nothing, when I was alone… He was the one who was there for me.”

“He abandoned you. Just when you needed him most, because that’s what he does. He’s abusive and he lies.”

“You’re so sure you can convince him but I know you won’t..” You sighed, though Elektra ignored you. “The Devil doesn’t bargain with lives, El. He’s never gonna change.”

“I don’t care what Stick did.. I’m gonna save him.”

“There it is.” You mumbled. “There’s the hero complex.”

“Can you not-“

“No, because I think you need to hear this.” You shook your head. “You need to be the one at the helm trying to save every insignificant person in this city. You need to put everyone around you at risk just to save one person. You focus so intently on a single person versus a whole community!”

“Coming from the person who worked with Frank Castle?” He challenged.

“What I did with Frank ended up with him probably dead!” You snapped and shoved him by his shoulders. “You wanna end up like that?” Another shove. “This single holy soldier bullshit is gonna get you there.”

“If I get to Stick first, I’ll kill him.” Elektra warned. “And if you get in my way, Matthew, I’ll kill you too.”

You sidestepped to block Matt.

“You know I won’t let you do that.” You said firmly.

“Good luck trying to stop me.” She mused.

“Funny…” You woke your Bite and lifted it, using the other hand to fiddle with it and draw her attention to the glowing device. “I was going to tell you the same thing.”

Elektra left after that, leaving you and Matt in the alley. Matt sighed heavily and slammed a fist against a nearby dumpster.

“Are you trying to do this tonight?” You asked and leaned your back against the closest wall.

“If you don’t want to be here-“ He complained.

“It’s not that! It’s the fact that my friend died only a few hours ago and I haven’t been able to deal with that. But of course, my problems don't matter! Do you even care?”

“About Frank?”

“About the fact that a man is dead!” You shouted and slammed your hot fist on the wall behind you. “My friend is dead! And you don’t even care!”

“I’m not gonna lose any sleep over the Punisher being dead.” He scoffed.

“God, you’re an asshole.” You sighed and dropped to the floor with a thud. “Just when I think we can fix things, you go and say some jackass shit.”

“You cared that much about him?”

“Yeah… I did.” You threw a small rock at the wall across from you. “Don’t know why but…”

“You in love with him?” He asked quickly, like he wanted to know but didn’t want you to hear him ask.

You looked over and saw a faint green haze around him and you couldn’t stop the laughter that tumbled out. He looked over at you with furrowed brows for a second before laughing with you.

“Y’know, you’re kinda cute when you’re jealous.” You teased and he grinned a little wider as some of the tension melted away.

He came over and knelt in front of you. You were still tempted to kick him over but instead you crossed your legs and leaned forward, which allowed him to put a hand on your arm. He was close enough that you could drop your forehead against his shoulder without having to scoot forward too much.

“I’m sorry about Frank.” He said quietly and you hummed softly. “We can handle everything else tomorrow. I’ll see what I can find and I’ll call you.”

“Thank you. He was starting to like you.” You sat up and let him help you to your feet.

“No he wasn’t.” He laughed.

“He was.” You smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, you still pissed him off. But he was starting to see you the way I do.”

“Yeah? And how do you see me?”

You felt him give your hand a gentle tug and it pulled you a step closer. By then, all of your anger had faded out without you noticing. All that was left was your persistent admiration for Matt. When you didn’t answer immediately, he put his other hand on your upper arm and pulled you yet again, leaving only a few inches’ space between you. The hand that wasn’t in his snuck between to land on his chest and stop you two from getting any closer.

“I see you.” You said finally. earning a small smile from him. “And despite everything, I'm glad to have you.”

“I'm glad I have you too.”

You hadn’t realized he had moved a hand to your cheek until that hand started a move towards the back of your neck. He gently tried to pull you in as he leaned closer and you nearly gave in. Instead, the hand you had on his chest caught his chin and turned his head slightly. You gave him a quick kiss to his cheek before you stepped away and his hold on you fell away.

You watched him smile and shake his head in light disbelief, which made you laugh quietly. You turned to leave but a question came to mind.

“Hey, how did you know I didn’t have my mask on when we were on the boat?”

“What?”

“I know you can’t see everything… It’s not hard to put together cause you’re always listening or focusing slightly off to the side of whatever it is.” You covered.

“Your mask has a different kind of buzzing sound cause the electricity in it. I didn’t hear it earlier.”

“Hmm… Interesting.” You nodded and smiled to yourself when you got an idea to mess with him. “One more thing..”

“Yeah?”

“So uh… Your name is Matthew?” You grinned and he smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah.. Yeah, my name is Matt.” He nodded with a small, nervous chuckle.

“Y’know, I know this guy named Matt…”

“Yeah? You like him?” He still smiled, seemingly

playing along.

“Mhmm, he’s a good guy.. He’s been a bit of a jackass lately, kinda like you. I don’t know, maybe you are the Matthew I know.”

“Maybe… Depends on who you are.”

“Nice try, Matt.” You smiled, finally being able to use his real name and he seemed to like to hear it from you because it was easy to tell how happy he was even without your powers. “I’ve kept my secret for how long?”

“I bet Frank knew your name.”

“People that know my name tend to wind up dead. I’d hate to see that happen to you.”

He knocked on one of the plates of his suit. “I think I could take it.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were bulletproof.” You mocked and he gave a cocky shrug.

“You remember when your buddy shot me in the head.”

“Is that one of the many times I thought you were dead?” You continued and he laughed. “I gotta get going.. Call me when you’re ready?”

“Wouldn’t do it without you..”

You clicked your tongue in disappointment. “Gotta say though, you seem more like a Michael to me.” You had to bite your lip to keep your smile and your laughter back.

He let out a genuine laugh before offering you a lazy wave. With that gesture, you turned and hurried to your apartment.

You changed back into your comfortable clothes and practically sprinted back to Matt’s apartment. You got in before he did and was able to climb into the bed. That second time, you actually fell asleep.

You woke up the next morning alone in the bed again. You were confused as you sat up and you wondered if maybe Matt didn’t come back last night. You climbed out of the bed and wiped your eyes as you padded out into the living room.

“Matt?” You tried, though you got no response. “Matty?”

You frowned when you still didn’t get an answer. Glancing around, you found the closet shut and the chest that was out when you took off last night was put away, so he had been home at some point. You made your way to the kitchen and poured yourself a glass of orange juice, though you almost dropped the glass when Matt came out of the bathroom.

“Jesus!” You exclaimed, wiping your hand on your shirt after some juice splashed over. “What are you dressed for?”

“Sorry.” He offered an embarrassed smile. “I just wanted to run to the office and do some research.”

“I’ll come, too. Just need to stop by my place and get changed.”

“No, it’s okay.” He tried. “You don’t have to.”

“Well, there’s nothing else for me to do.” You shrugged.

“I’m sorry…”

You nodded slightly, not really having words. Matt took both of your hands - putting your cup on the counter - and led you to one of the chairs at the table. He pushed you gently to sit before he knelt in front of you.

“Talk to me.” He said softly.

“Everything feels like it’s falling apart.” You sighed and his brows furrowed so you continued. “You and Karen aren’t trying anymore, and I know she made you happy. You and Foggy aren’t trying anymore and you guys are best friends! Me and you aren’t the same. And Frank Castle… I feel like he’s worse off now than before we got involved.”

“Hey..” He spoke gently as he leaned up and put his hand on your cheek. “You’re the same to me. You’ve never felt any different.”

“But it is… Different. We’re not the same as when I first came back.”

“Maybe… But you, Y/N, you are the same. You still feel..”

“Yeah?”

“You still feel.. You make me feel like I’m not alone. You’re always with me. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

“What about you and Karen? I thought you guys were dating.” You asked as you gently leaned away from his gentle touch.

“Yeah… But it just didn’t work out.”

“Didn’t work out? Matt, she’s always had a crush on you.”

His head tilted back and forth in acknowledgment. “Yeah but I guess I like someone else a little more. Karen didn’t feel the same way she does…”

“And then the firm fell apart because I insisted on helping Frank. And I couldn’t even do that! He ended up in jail and-“

“What happened to Frank wasn’t your fault.” He insisted. “None of us could’ve done a better job than you did. You gave everything you had and if anyone’s to blame for what happened, it’s Frank. He’s old enough to make his own decisions.”

“If we didn’t take the case, Nelson and Murdock would still be together.”

“Yeah, maybe… Maybe not. It wasn’t just the Castle case that got to me and Foggy. It was something else too.”

“Elektra?”

“No.. She got between you and me.”

“Seems to be her trademark.” You joked weakly and he chuckled. “Did you want to get back together with her?”

“I don’t know.. It’s always messy with her. I want someone who gets it, every side of me. And she does but she also wants something else out of me. Something I just can’t give her. I need someone who doesn’t just expect one part more than the other.”

“You want balance.”

“Yeah… And I know who I wanna find that with.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

You took the silent moment to look at him, really see him in a way you felt you hadn’t been able to do in weeks. Maybe even months. His gentle, unfocused eyes still seemed to burn into you and find you. His hair was messy, but still out of his face. He seemed tired, exhausted and worn down by his devotion to protecting his city. You didn’t notice it when he was in his suit, under the cover of the night, but it was hard to miss while he was on his knees before you. He crossed his arms over your knees and leaned his chin on them, so you gently ran your nails through his hair. You watched the tension melt off him like snow off a roof and you gave a small, enamored smile.

“I never should’ve tried to push you away, Y/N.” He said softly, closing his eyes and leaning onto your lap.

“What?” You said softly and lifted his chin up. “Matty, stand up with me. C’mon.” You pulled him to stand as

you did.

“I know we’ve been at each other's throats lately but I was never going anywhere.” You said honestly. “In every aspect of my life, I want you with me.”

“I thought I could protect you by keeping you away.”

“I’ve never felt safer than when you’re with me.”

His bottom lip quivered slightly, as if that was exactly what his fragile heart needed to stay in one piece. He put his hands on either side of your face and yours found the fabric of his t-shirt at his waist. He leaned down and his lips ghosted over yours, your hands tightening around the fabric.

You tried to think of something to say, but your mind was empty. The mingling of your breaths sent electricity through your muscles. The gentle pressure of his hands made your skin buzz and your pulse thump heavy against your veins. Matt must’ve felt it because you heard the slightest gulp and one of his hands shifted to the side of your neck. And you didn’t even bother to hide the feeling.

You wanted him to kiss you. You wanted to close the distance yourself. You wanted to wrap your arms around his neck and keep him close to you while his hands gripped your hips and held you the same way. You wanted to lose yourself in everything Matt Murdock. His touch, his sounds, his smell. And judging by the way you felt absolutely ignited, you knew he had the same idea. You even let your emotion show, letting your pulse jump and your breathing change with his actions. You gave yourself away completely to Matt, practically begging for him to do it.

Instead, he forced himself to gain control. He shifted and placed a kiss to your forehead before he stepped back. His fingers lingered on your skin as he left you, dazed and dizzy from the charged moment.

You understood why he pulled back. A real kiss between you two - not something faked to save your lives or an accident in a photo booth or when you wore the suits and saw each other as someone else - meant acknowledging the real feelings you two had for each other. And as much as you two wanted it, maybe neither of you were ready to be the one to say it first.

He went to finish getting ready before you two went to your apartment, neither of you acknowledging the near-kiss. You were glad you had thrown your suit and accessories into your closet last night rather than leave them across your floor. You changed into jeans and an old college shirt before you and Matt headed to the office.

Matt didn’t tell you what he was looking into and you didn’t ask. You figured it had something to do with the Hand and if so, he’d tell you about it later. But sitting in the practically empty office, it made you realize that it really was over. You had to move on.

Maybe the FBI wouldn’t be an awful choice. It’d mean you’d have to hang up Exodus for good, but maybe you needed that. A real reason to give it up.

You opened your phone to text Dex when Foggy walked in.

“Hey.” You smiled.

“Hey. How’s your arm?” He asked.

“Really good.” You moved your arm in a small circle. “I heard in a TedTalk that the mind can influence the body for healing and stuff. So I tried it and now it’s just a little scar.”

“Huh.” Foggy nodded. “The more you know… What are you guys doing here?”

“Research. Looking for something.” Matt answered and when Foggy turned to you, you shrugged.

“I’m just tagging along today. I don’t know what he’s doing.”

“Well, I paid the electric bill through the end of the month so enjoy it while you can.”

“It’s really over, huh? Nelson and Murdock.” Matt asked as Foggy headed into his office with a box.

“You told us to move on. That’s what I’m doing.”

“Did you find a firm that would pick you up?” You asked, following him to his office.

“Marci said she would float my name and set up some meetings. Some of the higher ups with her firm were impressed with our work in the Castle case.” Foggy looked at you. “Said there could be some openings, meaning plural.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised.” Matt nodded.

“Neither am I. Not anymore.” Foggy smiled slightly and you felt the pride begin to radiate off him. “Castle case was a disaster in so many ways but it made me realize that I’m really good at my job.”

“You did great, Foggy. I’m happy for you.” You smiled.

“Nelson and Murdock was never just your job… It was you. You were there for every client that walked through the door. Rich, poor, didn’t matter.”

“Matt’s right. You were the heart of this place.”

“You trynna convince me it’s worth another shot?” His brows furrowed.

“No.” Matt answered for you and you frowned.

“There’s room for one more, Y/N.” He tried. “Word is they were blown away by your composure and conviction. Marci thinks they would make you an offer, too.”

“Actually, I have something else potentially lined up.” You tapped your phone against your palm. “Must’ve made one hell of an impression for this one.”

“What do you have lined up?” Matt asked as he moved to let Foggy out.

“Remember the guy from the prison?” You said carefully.

“The FBI agent?” You felt another ping of jealousy from Matt. There was something about Dex that he didn’t like and he clearly thought Dex had ulterior motives. It almost made you laugh.

“FBI?” Foggy repeated as you all moved to what used to be Karen’s desk. “You got an FBI offer?”

“He’s a special agent or something and he said he was looking for a partner.” You shrugged. “Just a thought, I guess.”

“If any of us could handle that, it’d be you.. I’ve never seen you not get up after a fight.” Foggy complimented and patted your arm.

“A couple community bare knuckle boxing fights don’t count.” You laughed. “But yeah, I think I’m gonna look into that.”

“You’ll do great.” Foggy nodded before turning to Matt, who was now gathering his papers. “What are you looking for?”

“You really wanna know?” Matt asked.

“Sure.” Foggy shrugged.

“There’s this group I’ve been following. They move through the city and then just disappear like magic. Last place I knew they were was 49th and 10th. Then they were gone… I thought maybe they’d be using subway tunnels.”

You stepped closer and glanced down at the map he had. Obviously, it was in braille but there was a line drawn down it. Foggy glanced at you and you shook your head, telling him that Matt hadn’t officially told you. Clearly, that fact had slipped Matt’s mind given how open he was discussing his current project.

“No.” You shook your head and Matt’s body tensed at your sudden contribution to the conversation. “Subway tunnels are too heavily patrolled and dangerous. You know how many aggressive homeless people are down there? There’s a reason I walk or take a cab.”

“My grandfather used to tell me about abandoned railway tunnels. They kept caving in so the city gated them up. Best thing that could happen for bootleggers like Grandpa, could go miles without seeing daylight. Probably wanna look for manhole covers.” Foggy explained, smiling at the memory of his family.

“That makes sense.” You nodded.

“Yeah, that’s really good work. Thanks, Foggy.” Matt nodded and hurried to the door.

“That’s what I do.” Foggy said happily.

“Did you want us to try and convince you?” You turned to Foggy. “About this. About trying Nelson and Murdock again.”

“Give it a try as Nelson, Murdock, and Y/L/N?” Foggy smiled slightly and you offered a slight shrug, as if to say ‘Yeah, maybe’. “I was hoping you would but relieved when you didn’t.”

You frowned.

“The last step was just us admitting it… Now, we’re done.”

You nodded slightly as Matt left. You thought about following him but you knew he wouldn’t do anything about the Hand with you behind him. You blew out a sigh and leaned against the empty desk instead.

“You okay?” Foggy asked.

“He’s yet to actually say it.” You said simply. “That he’s Daredevil. But if I wasn’t sure before, I definitely am now.”

“If you want to hear it from him, you’ll probably have to bring it up yourself.”

“But he just so casually did that whole thing, like he knew or just didn’t care.”

“Or he forgot that you didn’t know… Cause he’s stupid.”

You laughed slightly. “Unless he knows something else…”

“Y/N.. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You’re not.. You’re not her, are you?”

“Her?”

“Exodus…”

You nodded slowly with a small smile.

“It’s just..” He sighed. “You didn’t really seem too phased by any of this and the way you talk about things sometimes. Makes me wonder…”

Without answering, you pushed yourself off the desk and headed out the door.

“See you later, Foggy.” You waved.

“You didn’t answer my question.” He called behind you.

“Didn’t I?”

You went back to your place and considered putting on your suit. You thought about trying to find Matt and see what he was on to. See if you could help him save the bitchy old man. But as soon as you closed your door behind you, you fell against it and slumped to the floor.

For the first time since the night prior, you had a moment to process everything. You had an undistracted minute to let your mind wander, wander to a place you didn’t want it to be.

Frank Castle - your friend - was dead.

The grief hit you like a slap in the face and you broke. You cried, quietly at first but soon growing to full on sobs. Sobs that made you fold your knees into your chest and hug them tightly just to try and find some comfort. Sobs that shook your entire body until you felt you would be sick. Your ribs screamed at you and if you had anything in your stomach, you’d likely have thrown it up. But nothing could take away the pain.

The loss.

And you were tired of losing people. Tired of not being able to help them, to save them. So you took your grief and your sadness and you molded them into determination, into a laser sharp focus.

You got changed and hurried into the street, dropping down a manhole. Your feet landed lightly and you took a deep breath.

“I don’t know if you’re here yet.” You said quietly as you carefully walked the tunnel, tapping your scar to trigger your implant. “But I can’t let you do it alone. I can’t lose you, too.”

As you moved through the tunnels, you saw three shadowed figures running though their steps made no sound. You hurried alongside them until you were a few turns ahead. You moved to be in front of them and saw they were creeping on Matt.

You were quick to pull your staffs and ran towards Matt. He stood still, listening to everything around him. As the blade came down towards him, you were able to shoulder check him to the side and block it with your own weapons.

“You really need to use that microphone.” You groaned and pushed the ninja away.

“I figured you’d find me.” He shrugged with a small, knowing smirk as the fight ensued.

You swung your batons with a quick precision, aiming for soft spots and pressure points. You and Matt kept yourselves moving in a small circle, never focusing on one enemy too long. You made sure to pull your punches, only worried about knocking them out rather than killing them. Until the last one.

Two ran off and one stayed, watching Matt carefully. When you realized Matt couldn’t tell if he was there or not, you dropped your staffs and picked up the discarded blade before you stepped in front of Matt. Within a matter of seconds, the ninja came at you with a raised fist but ended up with the sword piercing through his abdomen. You pushed his limp body aside and turned to face Matt.

“Did you want him to punch you in the face?” You asked simply as you recollected your weapons and placed them in their pack.

“I couldn’t hear them.” He said in confusion. “It’s like.. like they don’t have heartbeats.”

“Looks like you’ll have to trust me then, huh?” You teased and tapped his arm to tell him to move.

“Guess so.” He said with the same joking tone and followed you.

As you two were treading the tunnels, something didn’t feel right. Deep in your chest you felt this sting of fear. Not your own fear but someone far away. Someone who you knew, someone you had a connection with. You had to try your best to ignore it, will it away and hope everything would be alright. No matter where they were, you wouldn’t reach them in time. Something in your gut told you that. Plus, you owed it to Matt to stick around for him.

You two followed the tunnels until you hit a wall. There was a ladder off to the side and Matt stood there for a minute, head tilted as he listened before nodding to you to follow him up. He helped you climb out of the hole and paused, waiting to hear if there was anyone there.

You, however, saw them immediately. You were quick to wake your Bite as he ran towards you two.

“Duck.” You told him and he did, just in time for you to take the shot.

“How many?” He asked as you moved in, swinging a sharp kick to the man’s jaw and watching him fall limp.

“Four more.” You glanced around and saw them coming closer while you pulled one of your staffs. Scanning their figures, you noticed they were empty handed. “They’re not using their swords…”

Just as the words left your mouth, you were hit with a sharp jab to your nose. You flicked your thumb over the top again and watched a curved blade unfold this time.

You swiped the blade quickly, forcing him to jump back. Your offensive didn’t cease and he had to quickly block and evade your attacks. When he turned his back and hooked the blade into his shoulder and yanked him back, jamming your Bite against his neck until he also fell limp. As soon as you turned back to the fight, you were met with a hard kick to your chest that sent you back into Matt. You rotated the top piece again and the curved blade folded back in and the straight blade shot out of the top.

You swiped the blade at the hands and feet that came at you, slicing sharp lines through their skin or chopping off chunks of meat. Two of them continued to try and pound on Matt while two came at you. It got to a point where you had to retract your blade because they were countering the swipes so easily. Instead, you kept one arm up to block as many hits as you could - though the contact with your ribs and face would argue otherwise - and slipped the other hand to your belt. You grabbed two of your shock discs and flicked them, forcing the Hand members back as they jerked from the electricity.

At the same time, Matt was able to figure something out and break their offense. You knocked your Bites together to clip the wire and kicked out the knee of one of them. You wrapped the wire around their throat and spun behind them, yanking hard to put him in the way of his buddy’s attack. You pulled your wrists apart to disconnect the wire and it retracted back into its home. You reached behind you for your knife but before you could fully pull it out, Matt had knocked out the last one. You couldn’t help the small smile on your lips.

“C’mon.” He nodded and you two ran.

Matt took out the member standing guard and you went for the man in the suit. You grabbed one of your staffs and slid between his legs, hooking the stick around his ankle as he fell to his face. He rolled to his back quickly and kicked out at your chest which sent you stumbling back slightly. You rubbed your ribs with a low growl as you put the staff away, opting for your knife instead.

You gripped it tightly and began an offensive strike. He tried to duck away from your hit, but even if he avoided your punch, your blade nicked him every time. You kept up your attacks until he backed against a wall. Then you kicked out his knee and one his fell, you grabbed him by his hair and banged his head against the wall until he fell limp. Dead or unconscious, it didn’t matter.

You tucked away your knife as Matt untied Stick. You kept your back to them and stood guard in case anyone else came for you.

“You got yourself.. one hell of a partner.” Stick told Matt and you smiled slightly.

“Yeah, she’s great.” He agreed.

“Save the sentiment.” You said, reaching a hand behind you to stop them. “Company’s here.”

“Hello, boys.” Elektra said as walked in. She tilted her head as she made eye contact with you. “You, I am surprised to see.”

You shrugged slightly as your hand hovered near your belt. “I had some free time.”

“Do you remember when we met? You told me you’d never abandon me.” Elektra said to Stick.

It was easy to feel her emotions. Her anger, her pain, her loneliness. She felt abandoned, betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust. The one person she was promised when she had no one else. It wasn’t that far off from your own. You remembered feeling that exact same way when Natasha left. You understood what Elektra was feeling and why she was on a warpath. You didn’t blame her at all. Any other circumstances, you probably would’ve helped her kill Stick.

But you had chosen to help Matt. Maybe you’d always choose Matt.

“They got you right where they want you.” Stick said, almost regretfully and you could feel the arrogance coming down the hall.

“Whatever you hid from her is about to bite you in the ass.” You warned as Nobu entered.

“It’s painful, raising children.” He said smugly. “We spend our lives teaching them to be strong, to be independent. Not realizing that one we have achieved that, they are no longer in our control.”

“Nobu.” Matt murmured.

“Didn’t I kill you already?” You called out, trying to draw his attention off Elektra. “I distinctly remember you burning up like a pile of scrap wood.”

“Ah, Exodus.” He smiled. “I have to say, I am surprised you’re here. Though, after your work against the Hand at the hospital, I must admit that I am impressed… I knew you to be formidable but that. That was astonishing.”

“Then you should be a little more worried about me being here.” You warned tightly and pulled your gun, easily pointing it at his forehead. “Let’s see you bounce back from a bullet through your brain.”

“Tell them.” He spoke past you. You took a step forward but were met with a sword at your chest. “Tell them why we’re all here tonight.. You, the loyal one, the disloyal one and it.”

“Let them go.” Matt offered from behind you, stepping closer to pull you back. Hesitantly, you let him move you and push your arm down. “Let these three go and you can have me.”

“I need it.” He countered. “But an offer could be made for her.” He glanced at you.

“My only offer is that bullet.” You sneered as Elektra spat “Call me ‘it’ again and I’ll cut you in half.”

“Seeing you fight, Elektra, I’d know you anywhere… But do you know who we are?”

“You call yourselves the Hand.” She answered.

“They’re pathetic.” You scoffed and waved your gun as you spoke.

“Your cracked ribs would say otherwise.”

“I think the six dead bodies I left in that hospital are far more telling than a set of cracked ribs.”

“Do you know who we serve?” He turned his attention back to Elektra.

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “Some mythical piece of shit called the Black Sky.”

“The Black Sky is not a myth…” Nobu began though you stopped listening.

You turned towards Matt and spoke quietly as you shoved your gun away. “Where is this going?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted in the same hushed tone.

“Black Sky.. Wasn’t that what you told me about that kid at the docks? A weapon?”

It hit you the same time Nobu said it.

Elektra was the Black Sky.

Desperately, Matt tried to convince Elektra that Nobu was lying. That it was all a game. But it all made sense to you. If the Black Sky was a living weapon, other than yourself, Elektra fit the bill. There was no way to convince yourself otherwise and Elektra understood the same thing. Elektra took the sword Nobu offered and turned to face you all.

“That’s why they all hated me, why everyone eventually does.” She said tightly, painfully.

“The woman I know is still in there.” Matt tried.

“Is she?”

“Elektra.” You stepped forward with your hands up in surrender. “I get it, okay? … Everyone in here is trying to decide who you are for you. They want to decide if your training and the blood on your hands is who you are or if it’s your heart. But it’s not up to them, okay? It’s not. It’s up to you.. Is this what you want?”

“You don’t get it.” She shook her head.

“I do!” You countered quickly, discreetly moving your fingers as you tried to find some emotion in Elektra that could calm her down. But all you found was pain. “If anyone in this room understands, it’s me.. Someone close to me told me that if I let everyone else tell me who I am, I’ll never really know for sure… So, I’ll ask again. Is this what you want?”

“You are home now.” Nobu said from behind her.

“The Black Sky is destiny.” She said quietly, as if accepting it.

“No, Elektra. Elektra!” Matt continued.

“Leave me.” She said simply.

“No, I’m not gonna-“

“Leave!” She shouted and pointed her sword at Matt’s throat, though you could bet it was an empty threat. Hurting Matt, it wasn’t possible for her.

But hurting you…

“Maybe this is my chance…” She said sadly.

“To what? To be loved?” Matt countered.

“Yes.”

“Then don’t let me get in your way.”

“No.” You grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Not you… She’d never be able to hurt you, Black Sky or not.”

“What are you doing?” He asked tightly as you stepped in front of him.

You unclipped your pack and pushed the straps aside. You undid the clasp on the collar to get the zipper undone before stepping forward and putting the tip of her sword against your sternum.

“If this is the path you choose, then this shouldn’t be an issue.” You said simply as you pulled your mask down to hang around your neck. Your eyes watered slightly at the thought of dying by your friend’s sword but maybe it was a fitting end for you. “Kill me… It’s okay.”

She let out a shaky breath and pressed the blade ever so slightly, digging into your skin but not quite breaking through.

“Prove them right if you really believe this is your destiny.” You said shakily. “Or prove them wrong and make your own decision about your future.”

“Ex.” Matt tried but you waved a hand to stop him.

You nodded to Elektra and she gave you a pleading expression, asking you not to do it.

“You never know when to give up, do you?” She said quietly.

“I forgive you.” You said in the same low tone and closed your eyes.

You were suddenly pulled away and your eyes shot open. You saw Matt pinning Elektra against him, holding her sword at her throat. You sighed loudly and wiped your sleeve across your eyes. You zipped your shirt, fastened the clasp, and clipped your straps before reaching for your knives. You pulled one for either hand and gripped them tightly as the Hand surrounded you.

Stick moved first, jamming one of the bamboo sticks into one of their throats. Elektra ducked under the swinging swords and moved to help Stick. You nodded towards her before jumping into the fight to help Matt.

One of the Hand swung their sword in a high arc so you had to spin to avoid it. You slammed your foot against it once it hit the ground and drove your knife into his throat. You lifted a knee to knock him back and free your blade. You hurried to Matt’s side and ducked under his aerial kick. You dug both knives into another one’s chest and yanked down with all your strength, cutting through the skin and cartilage. You yanked your knives free as Matt knocked out the last one with a devastating kick to the head.

You two hurried after Stick and Elektra as that fearful tug yanked your chest again. You willed it away but there was an underlying theme of hope, disbelief. You shook your head firmly and the feelings fell away like dust. It lasted only a few moments until you were drenched in the feeling of despair, sadness.

It was nearly enough to make you scream but instead, you used it.

You gathered all that sadness into your palms, watching the blue smoke creep from under your gloves and ghost over your blade. You two came across another group of ninjas and you were quick to take in one and shove your blade between their ribs. The blue haze series into the wound and practically pried it open as you yanked your blade out. You made a small face of surprise before moving on, running into Nobu around the corner.

“It will be ours. You cannot stop what we’ve started.” He said flatly. “But you can join us, Exodus.”

You turned to Matt with lips pursed. He turned to you and waited, trying to read your reaction.

“Let’s give him hell.” You said quietly, nearly a whisper.

He grinned and ran straight for Nobu. He tackled him to the ground and you planted your forearm against his back and hopped over, slamming your feet into Nobu’s chest as he was getting to his feet. You tucked your blades and knocked your Bites together in one swift motion to connect the wire as Matt landed a barrage of hard punches that the man couldn’t block.

You hurried behind the fight and climbed to the top of the small railing. You hooked one foot around the top pole as you waited for them to get just a few steps closer. Once you could reach, you leaned forward and hooked the wire around Nobu’s throat. You were quick to connect the ends to your belt and flipped backwards, hearing him choke and gasp as his back hit the poles. You landed lightly on your feet and leaned your weight back into a kneel before Matt landed a sharp upper cut that sent Nobu over the edge.

You disconnected the wire and stepped to the side so he crashed to the ground. Quickly, you climbed back up to the second level and reconvened with Matt. Together you went after Stick and Elektra again.

You were able to finally catch up with them after going through about ten more Hand ninjas. Your suit was splattered in blood, as was your face. Blood was dried under your nails and made your gloves stick to you, not to mention the busted open knuckles the gloves hid were stretching and burning every time your fingers moved. Your ribs ached and you felt the slimy sensation of a blood clot in your sinuses. You could feel the throb of bruises forming across your body and face. Your muscles burned from exhaustion and your eyes were heavy. And your mind… Your mind was everywhere and nowhere all at once.

You wondered who was so afraid earlier, who was reaching out to you. You wondered what gave them hope, if only for a second. You thought of Frank and how you survived, but he didn’t. Why would you survive instead of him? You wondered if Foggy ever worried about Matt when he was out as Daredevil and how often he thought of you as Exodus. So many questions, yet no means of getting answers.

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

four- new girl in town

tags: @americaarse @dusstory @johnmurphys-sass @ironprincessstranger // three // five // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt x Vigilante!Reader)

Word Count: 10,285

Summary: Helping an old friend leads to more trouble than it’s worth, especially when it interferes with the fate of a new friend. Dots are finally connected but is the outcome really worth it?

The next morning, you were dressing for your meeting with Elektra when a knock sounded at your door. You hurried over and opened it to find Karen outside your door with a cup holder full of coffees. You ushered her in before returning to your room to find your blazer.

“So I found out some stuff about Castle yesterday.” She explained from down the hall. “You were right about the DNR, but there’s also lots of government interest… His family.”

“That’s why he did all that, yknow.” You answered, coming back and shrugging your jacket on. “The people he went after were involved with their murder somehow. I just never got to finding out how.”

“You knew?”

“He mentioned his family last night before everything went to shit.” You shrugged as she handed you a cup. “You gonna keep digging?”

“Maybe… Should I? You think it’ll help anything?”

“I think Frank has the chance to push for trial. If I can get us in there, we can represent him and then both of us can try to help him…”

“I don’t know if the boys will wanna do that.”

“You in or not, Page? I can worry about the boys later.”

“I’m in if you are… You seem to be feeling better.” She tried with a hopeful smile.

“Just gotta keep going, yknow? If I let everyone decide who I am, I’ll never really know..” You sipped your drink with the hopes that the warm liquid would dull the cold regret sitting in your chest as you repeated your friend’s words. It didn’t. “Mmm, by the way, I'm gonna be late to the office today.”

Her brows raised in quiet accusation.

“Friend from college has a meeting and needs legal support.” You waved a hand. “It’s nothing bad… I hope.”

“Please tell me this is a Y/N thing and not an Exodus thing.” She sighed.

“It is. It’s just about releasing some family money from bad investments. I promise, everything will go through proper channels.”

“What about Matt and Foggy? Shouldn’t they know?”

“You can tell them or I’ll talk to them when I get in.” You shrugged. “They probably won’t be thrilled given who it is but it’s not up to them who I help out. To be fair, Matt would probably be more annoyed than Foggy cause he already told her no.”

“Yeah but if they don’t agree, isn’t it for good reason?”

“Usually I would agree with you and them, but this one isn’t just some-“

Your words were cut short when you heard a thump outside your door. Your head turned to the door and you listened carefully, hearing a light jingle as your doorknob shifted. It was easy to realize that someone was trying to pick the lock.

“Get on the other side of the couch.” You said slowly, reaching for the gun you taped under the table as you set down the cup. “Get down and stay quiet.”

Karen’s eyes went wide but she didn’t argue, moving across the living room quietly. Your mind raced as you inched closer to the door, wondering who it could be. Irish, maybe, settling for you since Frank was locked up. It could’ve been whatever was left of the Dogs of Hell if they saw you on that rooftop that night. But as you peaked out the peephole, you sighed and relaxed.

“I know you’re out there.” You called and leaned against the door, motioning to Karen that she could get up.

“I know you know I’m out here.” She answered as the jingling of your doorknob stopped.

“Then why are you trying to pick the lock instead of knocking?”

“Wasn’t sure I could trust you.”

“Funny.” You pushed yourself off and opened the door, crossing your arms as she stood. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

“I didn’t come here to fight you.” She said honestly. “I just want to talk, Cousin.”

You sighed inwardly and stepped back into your apartment, tossing your gun on the table before leaning against your countertop. She followed you in and glanced around, offering a small wave to Karen as she plopped two thick envelopes on your table.

“Karen, this is my cousin. Natasha Romanoff.” You said, glaring at Natasha. “Natasha, this is my friend, Karen Page.”

“Holy shit.” Karen breathed. “The Avenger?”

“I haven’t seen her since she escaped the Red Room and left us for dead.”

“That’s not what happened.” Natasha argued.

“You left.” You scoffed. “You left and didn’t come back for any of us. You didn’t help any of us. She’s just a lair.”

“The Red Room is gone.” She urged and you could tell by her desperation that she believed it.

“It’s not.”

“It is.”

“You didn’t take down the Red Room! All you did was abandon us! He despised the rest of us even more after you left! It was practically impossible to escape.”

“But you did.”

“No.” You shook your head firmly. “I made him let me go. You have no idea what I’ve done to get here. You don’t get to act like a savior or a hero when you did nothing to help us.”

“We rigged bombs and-“

“Who’s we?” You scoffed.

“Clint Barton.. It was the final step in my defection to SHIELD.”

“Whatever clears your ledger, hmm? By the way, where’s Yelena? If you’re so sure that place is gone…” You countered and her emotions dropped to disappointment, regret. “You can find me but not your sister?”

“You’re not exactly subtle.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you in the papers.”

“Чего ты хочешь, кузен? У меня нет на это времени.” You groaned and stepped closer, flattening your hands on the table. (Why are you here, Cousin? I don’t have time for this.)

“Извините, у вас уже были планы убивать людей?” She asked sarcastically. (Sorry, did you have plans to kill people already?)

“Нет, но если ты будешь продолжать злить меня, это можешь быть ты.” (No, but if you keep pissing me off, it can be you.)

“Ты что-то другое.” (You’re something else.)

“Просто скажи, что ты сказал, чтобы я мог забыть, что это когда-либо случалось. Вроде как ты забыл, что мы существуем.” (Just say what you came here to say so I can forget this ever happened. Kinda like how you forgot we existed.)

“Y/N.” Karen said at your side. You were so focused on arguing with Natasha that you hadn’t realized she came over. “It’s from the Supreme Court and the New York Courts.”

“My attorney registration and character review.” You realized, sliding the two envelopes apart. “Why did you have these?” You turned on Natasha.

“Your guy at the London safe house gave ‘em to Rick.” She explained with a slight smirk. “Said that he didn’t know how to get a hold of you anymore.”

“Marc?” Your brows furrowed. “Or Steven?”

Natasha shrugged.

“Who are Marc and Steven?” Karen asked you.

“Friends.” You said simply. “Thanks, Natasha. I needed these.” You grabbed the envelopes and shoved them in your bag. “Anything else?”

“Actually, there is.” She nodded. “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

“Excuse me?”

“You hated what we did and now you’re doing it by choice.”

“Meaning?”

“I know you’re Exodus. I’d recognize those gauntlets anywhere.”

“And what if she didn’t?” You jerked your head towards Karen and Natasha hesitated, mouth opening for an apology but saying nothing. “What’s your point?”

“You don’t have to-“

“I don’t want to hear it from you. I was his right hand and you were his left so don’t act like you’re so high above me. What I do now is my choice.”

“Is that supposed to make it better?”

“What I do helps people! For once in my goddamn life, I am in control. I don’t have to follow anyone’s orders but my own. But the papers don’t show that part, do they? Just the bodies left behind.” You shook your head, checking your phone to see a text from Elektra about the car out front. “I get enough lecturing and preaching from Daredevil, I don’t need to add hypocrisy from you to the list, too. Lock the door on your way out.”

You slammed the door behind you and hurried out to the car. Inside, Elektra waited for you. You two rode in relative silence after she passed you the folder.

“The research you asked for.”

You flipped the pages and found hard copies of the dealings between her father and Roxxon. You found their corporate ladder, names, and addresses. Everything you needed was there and more. You two were easily ushered into the building, cleared by security, and taken to the conference room.

“I’m sure you all have places to be, things to do. With your wives, your mistresses, but I have questions.” Elektra said smoothly as she twisted open her pen.

There was a sudden feedback ringing through your implant that you tried your best to ignore. You pressed your finger against the scar and the feedback slowly faded away, but that didn’t mean your ears weren’t lightly ringing the whole time.

“The first thing I want to address is this subsidiary.” You said, pulling the list from your folder and pointing out one. “What exactly is it?”

“A medical company.” One of the men answered simply, confident that it would be sufficient.

You chuckled in light annoyance. “What do they do?” You pressed.

“Studies.”

“How specific.” Elektra commented.

“Research for pain relievers, treatments for diseases. The name of which I mostly can’t pronounce.”

The man lied with such ease you wondered if he truly believed it.

“Right, well good thing I can read then. If that’s the case, what organizations are backing the research and testing? And where can I find the preliminary drafts of their research papers?” You asked as two men burst through the door in a panic that they tried to smother. “And also, I’m curious about your acquisition process. There’s no real system or theme here and I would assume, a company as large as yours, would have a specific criteria before investing. How does a ‘medical company’ fit into Roxxon’s long term business plan?”

The lingering sound in your ear finally faded as Elektra closed and hid her pen, making you wonder what type of pen that really was. You two were ushered out under the guise of “something coming up”. Once you got back into the car, you turned to Elektra.

“What’s with the pen?” You asked, nodding to her bag. “It made my ears ring.”

“Your ears?” She mused. “Interesting.. It’s a nifty little trick that crashes nearby servers. But now I’m wondering… What’s in that head of yours that-“

“It’s an implant, like a bluetooth.” You cut in. “It just picked up the signal, I guess.”

Subconsciously, your finger ghosted the region of your scar. You hated getting the implant but you had utilized it often in your recent endeavors. You had taken control of that piece of the Red Room you’d never get rid of. If you lost that advantage… You didn’t want to think of how you would have to adjust, the added caution you’d have to take.

“Mmm.” She hummed.

“You didn’t really need my help today, did you?”

“I guess not.” She shrugged. “But don’t worry. Your little firm can keep the money.”

“It wasn’t really about the money, El.” You groaned and rubbed your eyes. “I thought you-“ You sighed. “I hoped you were being honest, for once. I hoped I was getting my friend back.”

“Now that one stung a bit.” She pouted. “We’ve always been friends, Y/N.”

“Until I left, right?”

“Even then… I’m sorry, but I knew you wouldn’t have come if I told you the truth.”

“For exactly this reason!” You insisted. “I told you, I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t just cut and dry. But you lied.. Why were we really there?”

“Today, we infiltrated Asano, Roxxon’s Japanese branch.” She explained proudly. “With that little bug I planted, I’m pretty sure they’ll come for me but I’m not staying at a building in my name so as far as they’ll know, they’ll just be going after a hacker.”

“Who’s coming?”

“Probably Yakuza.” She shrugged.

“I could’ve sworn Daredevil took care of that a while ago.” You shook your head. “I burned who I assume was the leader alive months ago.”

“Apparently that wasn’t enough.”

“Why not just divest the money and be done? Easiest way, get off scot free and you wouldn’t have had to pay me for doing literally nothing.”

“Because that’s a coward’s way out. Would you do it that way?” She challenged and you pushed your tongue against your cheek as you thought about it. “Exactly. Somebody screwed with me, Y/N, and I don’t like that. Women like us aren’t taken seriously unless we make them. Everyone we meet just wants to sleep with us but I know what you and I are capable of, especially together.”

One thing about Elektra was that she was so damn convincing. The girl was hardly ever told no because she could talk her way into the presidency on a random Tuesday if it’s what she wanted. As irritating as she was, you respected how cunning and determined she had always been.

“And the Yakuza… If they come for you, what are you gonna do then?”

“Fight back, same way I always have… Will you?”

“Will I what?” You scoffed.

“Will you fight with me? We stand together and no one will dare stand against us… Tell me that kind of respect doesn’t entice you.”

“Lately, I’ve been hoping from one war to another. What’s one more tally to add?” You shrugged.

She grinned over at you.

“But I’m not going alone. He didn’t finish this so he needs to be there to clean up the rest of his mess.”

“Who? Daredevil?” Her brows raised teasingly as you pulled up to your apartment building. “You trust him?”

“In a fight, yeah.”

“But not in general?”

“I learned to only trust my friends. I’m hoping you fit in there, too..”

“So who is the man under the mask after all, hmm?”

“Don’t know, don’t care… But you can ask him yourself if it bothers you.” You winked and exited the car before she could ask you anything else.

The rest of the day was relatively calm. Foggy told you that Matt left early for some secret potential client and no one else was coming in, so he was going to leave early. Karen was out doing more Punisher research, which only left you sitting in your apartment.

You decided to open the envelopes Natasha had brought that morning. Pulling them from your bag, you found two small notes written hastily in pencil. Remembering that it came from the London safe house, it was easy to tell the two handwritings apart.

Marc and Steven.

i knew you could do it, xx :) -SG <3

PROUD OF YOU - M

Their short sentiments made your heart yearn, tugging in your chest like someone on the other side had a string attached to it. Your fingers traced their initials, chuckling slightly when you noticed Marc didn’t add an ‘S’. He knew you would know it was him.

Maybe you should call them soon…

You opened the envelopes - careful not to tear the little notes - and admired the papers that always seemed a thousand miles away. Your official approval by the Courts. Your Bar License.

It all felt so surreal to be a real lawyer. It drove a poker into your chest as you realized that it made Exodus that much riskier. Sure, you put your life on the line whenever you slapped that mask on but you could handle that. You defied death more times than anyone really should. Now, not only were your friends potentially at risk if anyone found out, your career was at risk. You could lose everything you had just gotten.

Made you wonder if it was worth it, helping people that way versus the way you and the boys always talked about. Helping through Nelson and Murdock. But if the DA had her high heels on the firm’s throat until the Punisher conviction was done, did it really matter what you did?

Besides, getting disbarred would probably be the best case scenario if everything went wrong.

Regardless, the night fell quickly and you were on the rooftop of your building in your suit. You tapped your burner against your palm as you argued with yourself about calling him. You sat on the ledge and kicked your feet aimlessly, thinking how far you could throw the phone.

You hated the thought of him. You wanted nothing to do with him. But you only knew vaguely of the Yakuza. It wasn’t enough to mount a full offense and help Elektra. Even with her skills and strength, could you two handle highly trained Japanese assassins? Especially not knowing how deep they would come against you? How aggressive they would be?

Maybe… Probably. But to be certain, you needed Daredevil.

You pressed the button and slid your finger over your scar, waiting for the dial tone. You let out a sigh of relief as you heard his voice in your head as he answered.

“And here I thought you didn’t want to talk to me again.” He said sarcastically.

“I don’t.” You agreed and shoved the phone into your belt. “But this is your mess that you didn’t finish. It’s not about me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Yakuza.”

“We- I ended the Yakuza.”

“No, you were being hacked to pieces like a chunk of meat at a butcher shop while I burned their leader alive. Looks like they just took a step back to recover… A man who fights and walks away is a man who fights another day.”

“Goddamnit.” He groaned. “Wait, how do you know?”

“I may have gone with a friend this morning to stir up some trouble.” You shrugged and he scoffed. “It’s none of your business who I work with. It never was.”

“Yeah, whatever. You’ve made that perfectly clear. What do you need me for?”

“I need you to get to her and make sure she’s not targeted tonight. She’s at a penthouse in Midtown.”

“A penthouse? In Midtown?” He repeated in disbelief. “Are you-“ He laughed in annoyance. “Are you talking about Elektra Natchios?”

You made a face to yourself before you answered.

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you know her but yes, Elektra.”

“That’s not really ignor-“

“Moving on!” You said loudly to cut him off. “Will you do this or not?”

“Why should I?”

“Because you know her.” You said simply. “And now that I know you know her, I also know you won’t leave her to fend for herself against God knows how many well trained Japanese assassins.”

“God, you’re manipulative!” He said loudly, angrily.

“Are we done here?” You deadpanned. “You know you love it on the downlow, especially if you know or like Elektra.”

“You’re obnoxious, too.” He continued.

“Glad you finally noticed. What’s next? Gonna call me crazy? Well I’d save your breath on that one. You don’t have to cause I already know. Are we done?”

“Okay, fine.” He huffed. “I’ll head over.”

“… Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for you.”

“No, course not.” You smiled to yourself. “That would mean I still matter.”

“Why'd you call me anyway?” He asked quietly, genuinely.

“I don’t have any other allies.” You shrugged, your voice sounding distant. You hadn't stopped to think that you were relatively lonely. “You put Frank in jail and anyone else I know that can fight is nowhere near here.”

“So I was your last resort?” He chuckled.

“Pretty much.” You agreed and climbed to your feet. “I’ll head over too, soon as I can. But don’t think this changed anything.”

“No… Course not.”

You ended the call before he could say anything else. Really, you didn’t know if Daredevil could get to Elektra before you could, but you knew having two bodies headed that way would have a better outcome than one. Plus, he had a bit more experience with the Yakuza than you did. Looking at the situation as a whole, bringing Daredevil in had the best possible outcomes.

When you finally reached Elektra’s building, you looped your wire through your belt before securing the hook into the ground. You dropped down, allowing the heels of your boots to skid across the widows as you watched for Elektra’s or Daredevil’s silhouette. It was about the ninth floor - hard to tell from the outside - when you found them already engaged in a fight. You detached the wire and dropped to the balcony, allowing yourself in through the glass double doors.

Elektra and Daredevil were both busy with their own fights, but the third Yakuza member noticed you come in. He hopped off the counter and came at you quickly with his chained weapon. You side-stepped his shot and hooked your hand around the chain. You pulled him forward and punched him in the nose with your chain-wrapped hand. The sick crack echoed through the room and you smirked at the sound.

You ducked under his sloppy swing and wrapped the chain around his neck. You kicked out his knee and yanked the chain up, hearing him cough and gag loudly. You felt the shape blade slice through your glove and your hold on the chain faltered. He tried to get free but you refused to let him, flipping over his shoulder instead and landing both of you on your sides. You shoved your foot between your bodies and pushed him away before angling your wrist and firing your Bite square against his forehead.

You unwrapped the chain from your hand once the man slumped over and got to your feet. You held your bleeding hand to your chest and moved to Elektra and Daredevil as they finished their own fights.

“Hungry?” Elektra asked with an excited smile.

“We need to finish it off.” You said, glancing around for one of the guns with a silencer.

“Relax.” She said easily. “It’s not like they’re going anywhere. And I like the little accent. It’s cute.”

“I didn’t come here to socialize.” You sighed as you let Daredevil grab your hand and gingerly prod at your wound. “I only came here to make sure they didn’t put a bullet in your head. Clearly, you didn’t need me.” You shrugged.

“Seems to be a running theme, don’t you think?”

“I hate you.” You groaned and took your hand back without a word. You stepped over the unconscious bodies until you found their silencer. You lifted it and pulled the trigger four times, once into each of their heads. “Now we’re done.. Good night.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Daredevil called after you. “You know that.”

“I don’t care.” You spat over your shoulder as you headed towards the double doors you entered in. “The Yakuza have to have their sights on something bigger. They’ll keep coming if you leave them alive to run and tell their little friends.”

“They do have a bigger plan, if you’re interested.” She called, making you stop with a hand on the door. “I’m not going anywhere so you can either work with me or stay out of my way. I could use some partners.”

You spun slowly on your heels with a disbelieving chuckle.

“You come to me, ask for his help and mine, and then threaten me.” You warned. “Now you want to turn around and ask to be partners? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I don’t need partners.” Daredevil scoffed.

“Clearly.” She gestured to you and Daredevil. “But I do. You two are the best fighters I’ve ever seen. Pair your skills with my knowledge, we can hit them fast and hard. They won’t have a chance against all of us.”

“Then you’re gone?” You asked carefully as you weighed your options.

Daredevil scoffed. “Anything for the right price, huh?”

“One night. All I ask is one night where you don’t make me want to punch you in the damn mouth.” You said tightly before focusing back on your conversation with Elektra. “Will you leave… him alone?”

“Who? Matthew?” Her brows raised and you scowled, earning a chuckle from her. “Yes, yes. I’ll leave and I won’t bother you or Matthew again. But I don’t think he’d be too keen on you making that choice for him.”

“He’ll never know it because you’re going to keep your mouth shut… Unless you wanna try and talk to him when your jaw is wired shut.

“Wait.. Matthew?” Daredevil turned to you but you ignored him.

“So we’re in agreement.” Elektra announced happily.

“Hold on.” Daredevil snapped out of his thoughts. You wondered momentarily what gears were turning in his head but you didn’t care to ask.. “I happen to respect human life.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“If we do this, you both-“ He pointed to you and Elektra. “-have to at least pretend to feel the same way… Nobody dies.”

“Oh my god.” You groaned.

“Understand?”

“Perfectly.” Elektra nodded.

“Ex?”

“Я действительно тебя ненавижу. И я не следую твоему правилу.” You ran a hand over your mouth. (I really hate you. And I’m not following your rule.)

“Exodus.” He said firmly.

“Everything I do depends on the circumstances. I promise nothing. If it comes down to my life or theirs, I’ll choose myself every time.”

“Yeah, you always do.”

“Guess that’s why you’re still alive, huh?”

You pushed through the double doors and reconnected your wire. As the doors were floating shut, you heard one last line from Elektra.

“I can’t believe you haven’t told her.” She laughed.

As you were climbing up to the roof, it made you wonder. Clearly, she was talking to Daredevil but who was she talking about? Was she surprised that he hadn’t told you who he was? Or had she figured it out and she was surprised whoever was under the mask didn’t tell Y/N? But the only guy that connected you two was Matt. And what did Daredevil care about a guy named Matthew anyway?

Matt couldn’t be Daredevil… Could he?

The next morning, you were in the conference room with Karen and Foggy. The man slid the small paper bundle to Karen about what happened with the shooting at Metro General. You peaked at it over her shoulder while

talking to the man.

“Are you new to New York, Mr. Roth?” You asked casually, though the look Foggy gave you showed that he knew you were poking around for something to undercut him with.

“Born and raised.” He answered quickly, almost defensively. Your brow quirked and you could see on his face that he was worried he said something wrong.

“And this is your first case? Pretty big one for a newbie.” You almost smiled.

“Uh, second actually. I won my first. Domestic violence… I believe in protecting women.”

“Thanks from all of us.” Karen said absently as you made a face. “This says Castle pursued me down the stairwell but I went down and he went up.”

Roth frantically tried to uncap his pen and scribble notes.

“Also I didn’t escape on foot. I had a car. I know I told NYPD about that.”

“Mhmm. Mhmm.”

“I also wasn’t Castle’s only target. That’s just flat out wrong.”

“What about Grotto?” You asked, leaning over to see the statement.

“Where did you get my statement from?” Karen challenged.

“Grotto?” He asked.

“Ты, должно быть, шутишь.” You groaned quietly. “Grote. Elliot Grote.” (You’ve got to be kidding me.)

“Oh! He’s right here under the victims list. Yeah, Ballistics matched him to one of the many guns connected to Frank Castle.”

“Are you sure the ballistics match?” You questioned, thinking back to that night on the rooftop. You remembered pulling your own gun, not using one of Frank’s.

“Yeah, that’s what they tell me.”

“But you didn’t read the report yourself?”

He shook his head.

“So if the report noted a soviet slug with no casing and someone called you on this, you wouldn’t have an answer? Those kinds of bullets are meant to be untraceable so how could they link back to Castle?”

“I- Um- Uh, I’m sorry, Ms…”

“Hmm?” You hummed, proud that you got to him so easily.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Just an example from an old textbook.” You shrugged.

“No. No, it wouldn’t be true. All the ballistics match.”

“In any case, matching ballistics alone, technically, wouldn’t prove he’s the shooter.” You pointed out and leaned your elbows on the table. “Just proves the same weapon.”

“But a guy like Castle isn’t gonna let his guns get into someone else’s hands.”

“Unless he had no more use for that gun. A man who was that active had to have a rotating artillery. And who’s to say that they’re all registered, let alone registered to him. There could be an unnamed third party involved. You don’t really have a lot of experience here, do you, Mr. Roth?” You smiled as you felt his nerves ignite.

“It is my first, uh, murder case. Yes.” He answered nervously.

“And do you know Frank Castle, Mr. Roth? Other than what the DA and the media have told you, of course.”

“What?” He swallowed hard as you saw Matt enter the office.

“I’m just saying…” You shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like you’ve done too much work on this outside of what you’ve been spoon-fed. You had the right to refuse this case, maybe pay a fee if the judge didn’t find your basis adequate, and keep on pushing. But you took it anyway… Why?”

“Early start?” Matt asked with a small smile as he heard the pressure you were carefully placing.

Matt once explained the way you talked to people like Jenga. He said that you were carefully adding and moving new pieces until the entire thing fell apart.

“This is Christopher Roth, the public defender on the Castle case.” Karen introduced.

“I uh.” Roth refused to make eye contact with you again. “I just came to get Ms. Page’s signature on this statement. Once we get that, we’re all done.”

“With this meeting.” Karen specified.

“With this case.” Roth corrected.

“Excuse me?” You chimed in as Matt asked “How so?”

“Castle’s awake. Soon, he’ll plead guilty then it’s open and shut.”

“Open and shut is good.” Foggy nodded. “New York‘ll sleep better when it knows Frank Castle is behind bars. I know I will.”

You slumped back in your chair with arms crossed. You stared at the table in thought, wondering how to get Roth away from the case and you on it.

“Sleep even better when he’s dead.”

“Dead?” Your head popped up. “New York doesn’t have the death penalty.”

“But Delaware does.” Roth answered slowly. You liked that you intimidated him already and you knew that would make it easier for you to get rid of him.

“The I-95.” You sighed and leaned an elbow on the table, rubbing your fingers against your forehead. “Someone hit the Dogs of Hell on I-95.”

“DA Reyes just has to link the killings to Castle and he can be extradited.”

“Are you and DA Reyes friends?” Foggy chimed in.

“I met her once”. He nodded.

“When?”

“Yesterday, when the judge assigned me to the case.”

“How is she going to connect Castle to the I-95 incident?” You asked. “From my understanding of the event, no one from the Dogs of Hell made it back from that run. Meaning no credible witness, only hearsay.”

“But if motive, ballistics, and lack of alibi all line up, there won’t be a need for a witness… DA Reyes is the one who caught the Punisher.”

“She didn’t catch him.” You scoffed. You almost said that you and Daredevil did, but then you remembered that wasn’t common knowledge. “Brett Mahoney did.”

“Still, she’s not going through all these paces to not put the final nail in his coffin.”

“Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, Delaware extradites him.” You said, waving a hand as you spoke. “Would you, Mr. Roth, be able to continue life knowing you helped sentence a man to death? That you didn’t even try to help?”

“Uh- I- No, it wouldn’t be me that did it.” He argued, though his reasoning wasn’t very solid. “I just- I’m doing my job, Miss.”

“Doing your job means defending your client. This isn’t defending him! This is handing him over on a silver platter.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Roth.” Karen announced, sliding the papers back. “I can’t sign this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“We’ll be in touch.” You offered a tight, fake smile before he left.

“That statement he wanted me to sign? Complete work of fiction.” Karen said as she began pacing the room.

“How much you wanna bet Reyes wrote it herself?” You snorted.

“It’d make sense.” Matt agreed carefully, like he had to walk on eggshells around you since your argument the night before. “Keeps Reyes looking clean.”

“We could write an anonymous letter to the judge, get them to assign a new public defender.” Foggy offered.

“Or I can just do it myself.” You muttered with a small shrug.

“No.” Foggy pointed to you.

“Oh, come on.” You tried. “We don’t even have to really defend him. We could just negotiate a plea deal.”

“Something without extradition or the electric chair.” Matt agreed. “Castle still goes away. Reyes gets her ticker-tape parade. Everyone wins.”

“Yeah, everyone except us.” Foggy pressed. “The open sign is up but nobody is walking in. If we keep messing with Reyes, we’ll be shuttered by the end of the month.”

“If we stand up to her, we can put an end to her incessant bullying!” Matt urged.

“And save this guy’s life.” Karen added.

“A murderer who shot at you.” Foggy countered.

“For reasons that I don’t fully understand yet.” She answered smoothly.

“He wasn’t shooting at her. He was shooting at Grotto.” You reasoned. “As bad as this is gonna sound, if he wanted to shoot Karen, he would’ve. You gotta remember he’s not some idiot with a handgun.”

“That doesn’t make it better!” Foggy insisted.

“Roth said Castle is gonna plead guilty, right? So we get in there. We talk to him first.” Matt planned.

“Ask him questions like what really happened to his family and why Reyes wants him dead.” Karen continued.

“We can build a fair plea and show the DA our justice system still has a backbone.”

“This is a bad idea, Matt.” Foggy said firmly.

“Alright, enough!” You cut in. “If you don’t want to do this, Foggy, you don’t have to. I’m not gonna force you. But I will, whether you guys are on my side or not.”

“I’m with Y/N.” Karen nodded.

“You can’t defend him, Y/N.” Foggy sighed and you felt his resolve crumbling. You just had to push a little farther and he’d agree. “Not on your own, not without a license. You know that..”

You glanced to Karen who offered a small nod of encouragement.

“Unless you know something else that you haven’t told

us?” Foggy tried when he caught the look you gave Karen.

Without a word, you stepped past Matt and into the main office where you left your bag. You dug through your bag for your wallet and flipped through it as you came back into the conference room. Your fingers closed around the card so you pulled it out and dropped it on the table.

“I actually can defend Frank.” You said proudly as Foggy picked up the ID. “Perfect chance to test those concentrations in defense and litigation.”

“Is that..” Matt asked as he reached for the card.

“My Bar license.” You nodded as Foggy handed the card back to you so you passed it to Matt.

“When did you even take the Bar?”

“When I first got back into town a while back.” You said honestly as he gave you back your card and shoved it away. “I didn’t plan on staying in New York after the exam. I was gonna go back to London and take some conversion courses but I ended up staying. Everything came in yesterday I think… Look, you guys talk it over but I’m going to see Castle today no matter what you decide. And I’ll do it as an independent party if I have to.”

You thought you felt jealousy from Matt but you figured you were mistaken so you said nothing about it. What was his deal against Frank?

“I won’t connect Nelson and Murdock to this case unless you’re both on board with it.” You added honestly.

“You’re already connected to the firm. You’re a paralegal here.” Foggy explained.

“So fire me. I’ll take the case and when it’s over, you can hire me back.”

“You’re too damn stubborn, you know that?” Foggy sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Yeah.” You smiled with a shrug. “You should be used to it by now.”

You nodded to Karen and she followed you out of the room, closing the door behind her. You sighed and tossed your wallet towards your bag. You looked up and saw Karen smiling at you. You shook your head with a smile of your own.

“Now that it’s official, can we throw you that party?” Karen teased.

“Let me get Castle off the chopping block first then we’ll talk.” You laughed.

“You’re just stalling.”

“It wouldn’t be much of a party if I know my friend is gonna die.”

After whatever conversation Matt and Foggy had, they were both willing to help defend Castle. The walk to the hospital was quick but it was still plenty of time to mull over the potential of Matt being Daredevil. When you really sat and thought about it, it made enough sense.

The night when Nobu nearly killed Daredevil, Matt claimed he got hit by a car and had a very familiar gash on his side. The morning after Frank shot Daredevil in the head, Matt called off and lost his hearing for a bit. Even the way he talked to Frank on that rooftop, the intention and care he spoke with, it practically slapped you in the face when you thought back on it.

Adding on, Daredevil had a connection to you outside the suit and cared what you thought about him and Exodus. The way Matt listened, paid attention to small things that nobody else did, it reminded you of Daredevil when you thought of them side by side. Elektra mocked him for not telling some version of you the truth. And maybe the most obvious piece…

Foggy knew Daredevil.

You stole a glance at Matt as your group was in the elevator headed up to Frank’s floor. You tried to picture him in the red suit, with the little devil horns and hidden eyes. But every time you saw him, all you could think was how much you adored him. Even if you two were changed, a shifted dynamic that allowed him to date Karen instead - which made you happy to see them happy together - you adored him. You loved him. You always would.

But for him to be Daredevil? That would change everything.

“…did theater in summer camp-” Foggy ranted, drawing your attention back to the current moment. “-which is exactly the type of thing these reporters will find out if they start digging into me.”

“They’ll find the two community theater musicals I did.” You shrugged as the elevator dinged. “Maybe they’ll call us something catchy.”

“You’re not funny.” Foggy deadpanned.

“I’m hilarious.”

“You did musicals?” Karen teased.

“Chicago and Hairspray.” Matt answered with a small smile. “Right?”

“Yeah. Chicago was a good one.” You nodded. “Cell Block Tango. Very inspirational.”

You were about to hold out your arm to walk with him but he reached for Karen instead. You bit down the twinge of sadness and stepped out in front of them instead. You zoned out a bit as Foggy and Matt were talking to Brett, until he tried to usher you four back downstairs.

“I want to represent Frank Castle.” You spoke up. “The public defender is a joke and I believe that I have better resources to defend him and his best interest.”

“Nelson and Murdock is better equipped as a whole.” Matt agreed, reaching over to tap you.

You weren’t sure if it was intended to ask you to calm down or to let you know they were behind you.

“Listen, every firm in the city has passed this case by. You’re chasing the wrong ambulance.”

“DA wants death penalty.” You spoke quietly, folding your hands behind your back. “She’s willing to extradite him out of New York to get it.”

“The public defender is practically begging to roll over and let her do it.” Karen added.

“We figure he’d respond to our strategy of keeping him alive.” Foggy shrugged.

There was certain hesitation bubbling inside of Brett but you could see through it to his belief. He believed that you guys would be best for Frank Castle because even though Frank blew holes through a good amount of the city’s population, Brett knew taking his life wouldn’t bring anyone back. He knew that wasn’t justice.

Your group was searched again, as well as your bags. You found yourself glad that you were too tired to grab your usual pocket knife or small handgun, only a couple of your shock discs were in your purse but they were tucked in a pocket under a pile of change. You were given a quick rundown of rules and expectations for going in before Brett opened the door. Your whole group seemed to freeze at the door for a moment so you took the initiative and stepped in first. Karen came second with Matt in tow and Foggy right behind.

You walked right up to the tape line, the toes of your shoes dancing at the edge. You glanced down and smiled to yourself before walking the line to stand as close to his bedside as you could.

You weren’t worried about getting too close to Frank. He was cuffed to the bed and regardless of that, he knew you. You two began your work together without the mask so he wouldn’t hurt you. The only reasons you stayed back was to not raise any questions among your group or have the cops outside the door burst in and cut your meeting short.

“Frank?” You said simply. “Sorry, Mr. Castle. My name is Y/N Y/L/N. I have my associates with me.” You gestured to your friends.

“Matthew Murdock.” Matt nodded and Frank’s brows furrowed as recognition crossed his features.

“Karen Page.” She smiled nervously.

“Franklin Nelson.” He waved slightly.

“Yeah.” Frank said, looking back to Matt then to you. “I know who you are….” Your brows raised as a small smile crossed your lips. “You protect shitbags.”

“Yeah, maybe.” You chuckled and he cracked the smallest smile. “But maybe that’s why we’re here. We’d like to make you an offer.”

“You think I’m a shitbag?” He joked and you shook your head with an amused eye roll. “Or you think I need protecting?”

“I think you need my help… Our help.”

“We don’t need money for our services. We’re not looking for fame or free advertising.” Matt added. “We don’t have to be here. Weren’t even assigned to your case.” Matt shrugged.

“So why are you?” Frank asked, though he seemed to be talking to you. “Hmm? Why are.. Why are you worried about me?”

“Look around.” You gestured to your friends. “We’re the only ones who are.”

“You’re very good at making powerful enemies, Mr. Castle.” Matt egged and you felt a strange irritation welling up inside him though it seemed he smothered out within a few seconds. You wished he would just shut up and let you do the talking.

“But we can be pretty strong allies.”

“The day you were admitted to Metro-General for the round you took to the head, a do-not-resuscitate order was placed on you.”

“And a shoot-to-kill order, just a few days ago.” Foggy added on from near the door.

Him and Karen were uncertain, scared to be in the same room. But Matt was practically as calm and confident as you had ever felt him to be, save for a few spikes every now and then. It was all the more reason the Daredevil idea made sense. And you hated it.

“Both orders were issued by the District Attorney.” You explained.

“And the fact that she’s had it in for us since we started asking questions tells us we’re on the right track. Someone in the DA’s office wants to dead, Mr. Castle, and we’d like to know why.”

“I’d like to take on your case.” You said honestly. “All of us, we can soften your sentence and give you a shot. In the process, maybe even find out who’s responsible for what happened to you… All of it.”

“We’re talking about your life here, Mr. Castle.” Matt added.

“Like you did for Grotto, hmm?” Frank scoffed. “What good that do him?”

“We did what we could.” You said quietly with a warning glare, though Frank knew better than that. You did, however, start to wonder if he would say something in regards to what you did that night. “You ask me, he was gonna bite the bullet sooner or later.”

“Not very lawyerly of you to say.” Frank turned to you.

“Yeah, but I meant it.”

The sound of Karen’s heels on the tile drew your attention as she stormed to his bedside and shoved a photo in front of him.

“You want answers? So do we but none of us will get them if you’re dead.” She insisted. “Don’t they deserve that?”

“Where did you get that?” Frank asked quickly, near a panic.

You pushed your way between them and put your hands on both of her shoulders. You walked her back until Matt came up behind her and took hold of her arms. You glanced down at the picture and glared at her. Once her eyes met yours, you saw the guilt cast a shadow over her features.

“From your home.” She admitted.

You wiggled your fingers behind your back to keep Frank calm. Looking back to him, you saw his expression was almost heart broken. Betrayed, even. Maybe those were the feelings you should’ve moderated instead, but you thought Karen should see the results of the line she crossed.

“You were in my home?” He asked in an eerily calm tone, thanks to you. “Why were you in my house?”

You heard DA Reyes yelling in the hall so you spoke quickly. Your hand stilled and seemingly, everything else in the room did too. You snapped back from the moment quickly and hurried to Frank’s side, this time ignoring the tape and cuffs as you grabbed his hand.

“Someone is lying about what happened to your family, Frank.” You insisted. “Please, let me help… For Lisa and Frank Jr. For Maria.”

“You four, out! Now!” Reyes screamed as she barged in.

You hesitated beside your friend as his eyes searched your face. You didn’t know what he was looking for but you knew your eyes were pleading. He gave the smallest of sighs and nodded as you were grabbed by your arm and hauled out of the room.

“Are you serious?” You pulled Karen aside and urged quietly. “You went into his home?”

“You wanted answers! I found them!”

“I didn’t ask you to violate his privacy like that!” You hissed. “And that little stunt right there-“ You pointed to the room. “-could’ve gone a lot worse if I didn’t keep it under control.”

“Frank wasn’t going to-“ She tried but you held up a hand to stop her.

“His home was the last untouched thing his family left behind.” You said sadly. “You think he would wanna know that someone he didn’t know was in there snooping around?”

“Elliot Grote.” Reyes pointed out, arrogance oozing off her like slime and to drew you to that conversation. “You can’t represent Castle when one of his victims was your former client.”

“Alleged victim.” Foggy corrected.

“Representing Grotto might’ve complicated matters but then again, all evidence of our work with him and our deal with you has disappeared from the public record.” Matt smoothly added.

“It’s almost as if someone didn’t want it known that you violated a witpro contract, jeopardized the safety of said witness, and ordered a shoot-to-kill on Castle. I guess it all would’ve been fine if it had worked out, could’ve played it off as an ambush… But, please, by all means.” You smiled and held your hands out to the side. “Feel free to confess to all of that in your conflict of interest complaint.”

“Who are you?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.” You held a hand to your chest and mocked her with a bow. “Defense attorney and litigation specialist.”

She scoffed. You could tell she was going to like you.

“Our case files back up our story. How’s your side looking?” Foggy asked.

Reyes was being backed into a corner and you could feel the tension buzzing through your muscles.

“The fact of the matter is, Ms. Reyes, the only person who shouldn’t be here is you. Seeing as it’s a breach of ethics for the prosecuting attorney to communicate with the defendant without his assigned legal counsel present.” Matt said simply.

“If you’ll excuse us, Ms. Reyes, we’d like to resume convincing Mr. Castle that we can actually help him.” You nodded.

“You already did.” Brett cut in from behind Reyes.

“What?” Foggy asked.

“Castle doesn’t want the public defender. Says Y/L/N and her friends are his lawyers now.”

Your group ducked into one of the other rooms to lay out a plan. While Matt and Foggy started bickering - which they had been doing a lot too now that you thought about it - your phone buzzed in your back pocket. You groaned and stepped outside, lifting your phone to your ear.

“Not a good time.” You said firmly.

“Car’s out front.” She replied smoothly. “Hurry up now.”

“El, I can’t.”

“You said you’d help.”

“I’m not some escort service that you can call up when it’s convenient for you.”

“I know that! Look, I need someone pretty that can lie and throw a punch.. Who better than you?”

“Yeah? How many times that line actually work on anyone?” You rolled your eyes and peaked back at your friends, seeing none of them acknowledging the fact you were gone.

“You wanted me to be honest.”

“You really get on my nerves, yknow that?” You groaned. “Hang on.”

You popped your head back into the room without ending the call, only holding the phone against your shoulder. “Hey, so it’s my landlord. A pipe burst in the apartment upstairs from me and they need to get in and check for flooding. I have to deal with this.. Catch me up tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah, for sure.” Foggy nodded. “Or call me when it’s all settled and we can go over to Matt’s or something. I’ll buy dinner.”

“You’re the best, Fog. Thank you!” You stepped out and headed to the elevator.

“You owe me.” You said into the phone again.

“Money isn’t-“

“Not money.” You cut in. Glancing back, you looked to make sure no one had followed you out. “You know who he is, don’t you?”

“And you want me to tell you?” She asked carefully.

“I just want you to tell me it’s not who I think it is.”

“Depends on what your theory is.”

You nodded to the man who stepped out and switched places, hitting the G button.

“I’ll tell you in the car.”

As you got in, you sat on the seat opposite of her. She gestured to the garment bag beside you and you lifted your brows in question.

“Green is still your color, isn’t it?” She smiled as you unzipped the bag. “Go on. Get changed.”

The dress was a deep olive color. It had a sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps and off the shoulder sleeves. The bodice was done in a wrap style to cinch your waist while the skirt was to the floor with a deep slit that would sit about mid thigh.

“I’m keeping this.” You smiled as you began to get changed.

“That was the plan, Y/N/N.” She chuckled. “Shoes are on the floor and a bag too.”

“What do you need me all dressed up for?” You questioned as you wiggled into the dress.

“I’ll explain when he gets here.”

“I’m sorry. When who gets here?”

“Speak of the Devil.” She grinned as the door opened.

You had just gotten the zipper up when he stepped in. You instantly blocked out everything in an effort to hide yourself. You were confused why Matt would be there when she said she would leave him out of it. Besides, he had already told her no, hadn’t he?

“Get undressed.” Elektra said simply as she passed him the outfit she had for him.

You had to give it to her. She always came prepared.

“What?” He asked incredulously.

“The invite says 7pm sharp and we’re waiting on you.”

You glared at her at the mention of ‘we’ but she shot you a playful wink instead.

“I have more important-“

“C’mon, Matthew. We’ve been working so hard. I thought we’d all get boozy and let loose for a night. Just like old times.”

“That’s funny.” Matt moved to leave.

“We’re going to a gala to steal a top secret Roxxon ledger that details certain illegal goings-on in Hell’s Kitchen.” She explained.

You made a face to yourself and reached down to change shoes. Matt’s head cocked towards you when your fingers nudged the buckles but he said nothing. You wondered if he was trying to piece together who you were given that you were as calm and flat as ever and you were intently saying nothing. In any case, he decided to move on and get changed.

“Our way in is Stan Gibson.” She gave you a pointed look.

Someone pretty that can lie and throw a punch.

It made sense now. You thought if there was a similar line she told Matt or if she just showed up and he came running.

“Armed?” Matt asked and it made your brows furrow. An innately specific question that made your suspicions harder to ignore.

“Doubt it.” She shrugged. “Works for Roxxon and according to my intel, every employee carries a keycard that grants them access to their super secret floor in the Yakatomi building.”

“Why Stan?” You mouthed and she smiled slightly, likely amused by your efforts to avoid saying anything in front of Matt.

“What sets our friend Stan apart is that he’s just an accountant. Zero fighting chops.”

You began switching out the items in your bag for the one Elektra brought as Matt spoke. His voice made your eyes glance up and you realized the scars on his torso and thought back to Daredevil’s fight with Nobu. Those were the exact same placements.

You were finding fewer and fewer doubts to hold on to.

“You’re gonna pickpocket his keycard?” He asked with a scoff.

“No. She is.” She pointed to you and you smiled slightly.

“In the middle of a gala?”

“Mhmm.”

You shook your head and went back to your project. You moved a few things you knew you would need along with your shock discs. You felt a wave of disappointment from Elektra and looking up, you found her looking out the window and Matt still getting dressed. You glanced between them, wondering only for a moment what you had missed, and shrugged before using your phone camera and fixing your hair just before you pulled up.

Elektra stood in the middle with you on one side and Matt on the other. Your trio gained the attention of almost everyone in the room and though it made your nerves ignite, you weren’t completely sure the buzzing in your body was a good thing.

“You two must look nice.” Matt commented.

“How would you know?” Elektra teased and you smiled.

“Turned a lot of heads.” Matt answered. “Raising a lot of heart rates.”

A very Daredevil-esque thing to say.

“I need a drink.” You muttered and waved over the server.

“Wait.” He turned to you and reached for your arm but you pushed a glass into his and Elektra’s hands before taking your own. “Y/N?”

He was definitely shocked and confused, maybe even a bit panicked. Clearly, if he had known it was you, he would’ve been more discreet. He wouldn’t have said half of what he did, but it was too late to take it back. All he could do now was hope you wouldn’t think anything.

But you were too smart for that.

“Mm?” You hummed as you took a sip. “Yeah, I’m just as shocked as you are.”

“”Relax, Matthew.” Elektra teased as raised her glass. “Don’t you just love Jazz?”

“What are you doing here?” Matt turned to you.

“Ms. Natchios, delighted to have you here with us this evening.” A man came over with a wide smile.

“You know I never pass up a chance to have my ass kissed, Mr. Hirochi.” Elektra smiled.

“Then unless your fine company has beaten me to the punch, allow me to be the first kisser this evening.”

“There’s our man.” Elektra nodded as the man left. You turned and saw an older man with a white suit at the bar. You had expected something easy but not that easy.

“Give me five minutes. Men like that are easy enough to work.” You said simply and began walking away, though Matt grabbed your arm to stop you. “Let go of me.”

“You’re not going over there alone.” He said lowly before his head turned, listening for something and the familiarity of it all made you want to punch him. “They’ve upped their security.”

“They’re smarter than they know.” Elektra mused. “Y/N, darling, they’ve got eyes on Stan. You’ve got to be careful.”

“You’re not going to stop me, Matt.” You warned and discreetly tugged your arm away. You turned to Elektra. “Ne le laissez pas m'interrompre.” (Don’t let him interrupt me.)

You approached the man with a wide, welcoming smile. He returned the grin and you made sure to keep his emotions on a playful, intrigued side. You made sure to giggle a bit more and strategically touch his arm to make his interest rise higher and higher. You kept him interested in you - and your fake french accent to pair with your innocently broken English - long enough that when you “accidentally” spilt your dark liquor on his shirt, he wasn’t angry.

“Je suis vraiment désolé ! C'est tellement embarrassant !” You said quickly, covering a hand over your mouth. “Please, let me help. My mother, she teach old French remedy to remove stains. S'il vous plaît. It only takes a bit of um… hand work.” You nodded vigorously with wide, apologetic doe eyes. (I’m so sorry! This is so embarassing! … Please.)

“Hand work?” He chuckled and you felt that idea of arousal rising, enough to make your stomach churn. “Sure thing. Come with me.”

He took your hand and guided you to the bathroom. You rolled your eyes to yourself and glanced around to find Elektra already watching you. You shot a quick wink before disappearing around a corner.

You turned on the tap and grabbed a couple paper towels as Stan removed his jacket. You slipped your fingers into your purse for one of your discs and tucked it into your palm. You began blotting the stain and gently untucking his shirt.

His skin was alive with desire, practically glowing with the want for you to touch him. It was nearly enough to make you gag, but you swallowed your disgust and blocked everything radiating off Stan.

He made a small noise when your fingers undid two of the bottom buttons and you forced a giggle. Looking up at him, you pressed the disc against his lower stomach and watched him convulse until he collapsed. The used disc dropped into your hand so you smashed it against the counter and brushed the remains into the sink. Once it washed away, you let yourself feign panic.

“Au secours ! S'il vous plaît, quelqu'un !” You announced as you stepped back and let his body slump to the ground. (Help! Please, somebody!)

When the two guards rushed in, you acted quickly. You grabbed one man from behind the neck and cracked his head against the marble countertop. You kicked out at the other man’s chest before closing the distance. You gripped his tie and tightened it quickly, shoving the knot into his throat. You held it there until he stopped squirming and fell limp atop his partner.

You flicked your hair from your face as you took their earpieces out. You dropped them to the ground and crushed them under your foot before finding the keycard on Stan’s unconscious frame. You hummed in delight and tucked it into your purse. With one last look in the mirror, you smoothed your dress and your hair before exiting the bathroom to meet with Matt and Elektra.

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

one - criminal

// tags: @ironprincessstranger //mad at god (s1)// two // masterlist

Pairing: Unofficial Matt Murdock x Reader (DD X Vigilante!Reader)

Word Count: 8,810

Summary: With Wilson Fisk in the past, Exodus tries to move forward without Daredevil. But a strange meeting leads to potentially another threat… Or maybe an ally.

“How you feeling?” Karen asked as you plopped on your couch.

“Exhausted. It’s hot even at night.” You sighed and threw your mask to your coffee table. “And avoiding Daredevil is harder than I thought it would. He’s everywhere.”

“So stop avoiding him and talk it out.” She laughed. “After all, isn’t he your friend?”

“No.” You said firmly, crossing your arms. “Well, not anymore. I’m still mad at him. All he had to do was mind his damn business for one night. One night! But noooo… If he hadn’t gotten in my way, I could’ve-“ You groaned and rubbed a hand across your face. “I could’ve made sure that Fisk was done. For good. Мертвый и ушел.” (Dead and gone.)

“You’re mad at him but you still wear the suit he gave you?” She raised a brow in playful accusation.

“It's very light and breathable and the- the- the plates are really strong and-” You tried to defend but the look she gave you made you laugh. “Okay, shut up!” You complained with a grin as you unzipped the top and threw it on the table with a huff.

“Look, Fisk is locked up.” She reassured gently. “You did that. Isn’t that enough?”

“Yeah, but do you really think it’ll last? I’m sorry but I just can’t shake this looming feeling that he’ll be back…” You turned to face her. “With that kind of money and influence, he can buy the best lawyers in the state and get off scot-free.”

“You and the boys won’t work for him though.” She tried. “And you’re the best lawyers I know.”

“I’m not a lawyer… Not yet at least.”

“You thinking of going back to school?”

“No, I already finished school. And I took the Bar Exam. All my t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted. I’m just waiting for everything to be official and come in the mail.”

“Oh my god. Y/N! That’s incredible! The guys don’t know?”

“No. I did my last few classes online while I was in London, picking up odd jobs with a friend. When I had to leave him, I came here and took my exam, finished the last few steps in the process… Should be coming in any day now, but I think I put the London address cause I didn’t plan on staying. I’ll have to call the guy I got the place from and have him send it over.”

“How could you not tell them?”

You raised your brows and gestured to your Widow suit, emphasizing your point by flicking the Red Room emblem.

“There’s a lot I don’t tell them, Karen.” You deadpanned.

“Okay, fair point.” She laughed. “But you have to tell them this!” She insisted with a wide smile.

“I know, I know. I probably will…”

“Probably? Y/N, they’d be so proud of you!”

“It’s just not a very pressing conversation topic lately.. Besides, they like to tease me about being half a lawyer… Which actually reminds me, I want a promotion.”

“Wait.” She chuckled slightly. “You want to downplay your success for the sake of your male friends’ egos? Since when!?”

“It’s not for their egos.” You laughed. “It’s just- I don’t know, easier? They’ll wanna make me a partner and put my name on the firm and I just- It kinda feels like one of those group projects where someone slaps their name on it so they don’t fail, even though they hardly contributed..”

“You deserve it, Y/N. You should tell them.”

“When the fancy stuff gets here, I will. I’ll even let you guys throw me a party.” You nodded and you held up a hand with your pinky sticking out. “Pinky promise.”

She faked a gasp. “So serious. You can’t break these, yknow.” She joked and hooked her small finger around

yours.

“I am aware, yes.” You giggled. “But for now, starting tomorrow, I’m a paralegal slash disabilities assistant. I know and do too much around there to not be a paralegal.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The next day at the office was full of small cases, civil suits that seemed a bit silly to you but Nelson and Murdock helped the little guy. You and Karen worked to get them organized and in some sort of a queue for when the boys arrived. You had just gotten everyone settled when you were able to take a breath and pull your hair up.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” You commented when they finally walked through the doors. “Let me guess. He-“ You gestured towards Matt “-fell in a hole and you-“ You gestured to Foggy. “-had to fish him out, leaving your office manager and your favorite paralegal to handle everything.”

“Good morning to you too, Y/N.” Foggy nodded with a smile. “Morning, Karen.”

“Hey guys.” She answered absently as she sorted some files.

“Paralegal?” Matt asked, stopping his steps to his office. He turned to you with a lazy, amused smile.

“As of this morning.” You nodded with a smile.

“That can only mean that you’re back on the lawyer train.” Foggy said proudly. “Nelson, Murdock, and Y/L/N is back in action.”

“Stop it.” You pointed to Foggy, who put his hands up in surrender. “It doesn’t mean anything as of right now.”

“Means a lot.” Matt said gently, reaching out to give your elbow a gentle squeeze. “So, what have we got?”

“Little bit of everything.” You said with a chuckle. “Karen?”

“Mr. Marino’s dog was viciously beaten by his neighbor after the dog um- “ She began and cleared her throat awkwardly, to which you chuckled. “-defiled the neighbor’s statue of St. Francis.”

You covered your mouth to hide your giggles as Matt laughed through his response.

“Defiled?” His brows raised playfully.

“Humped repeatedly until completion.” She answered with the same awkwardness.

“To the patron saint of animals, no less.” You playfully scolded, making Matt chuckle.

“How dare he?” Matt said with a grin.

“That is a dog I want to defend.” Foggy nodded, offering Mr. Marino a thumbs up.

“And then Mr. Maxwell was attacked in a bar fight last night.” You continued, pointing to the slightly roughed up biker.

“He started it.” Maxwell defended.

“I already called Metro General and the guy’s gonna recover, but if we start to lean towards a trial, it’s gotta wait till his jaw is unwired.”

“Your girl’s a badass.” Maxwell said proudly, looking at Matt more than Foggy.

“You’re not wrong.” You laughed, rubbing the mark ove ryour eyebrow.

The gashes from your mask jamming into you during your fight with Fisk were mostly healed, now just discolored scars that weren’t as long as they originally had been. Lucky for you, you could hide the cuts with makeup until they started to shrink and you could come up with an excuse. As far as the boys knew, one was caused by a broken zipper on your dress and the other was the dewclaw of a stray dog.

“And Miss Jacinto just got her third denial of working papers. Dad’s gone and factory work is all she has for her family… Karen pulled her DOE applications but I think we can do better.”

“Good, cause we will.” Matt nodded and stepped into his office, you and your friends following behind.

Foggy paused to acknowledge the small table of bananas and pie, giving an enthusiastic response after Karen explained it. You shut the door most of the way once everyone was in, knowing what conversation was coming next.

“So I had installed this free trial accounting software on my computer and um..” Karen began while you stepped around the group to sit on the edge of Matt’s desk. “We’re broke as in, our income can’t cover our bills.”

“We’ll manage.” Matt said optimistically with a shrug. “I don’t know how but I know we will.”

“Optimism isn’t enough, Matt.” You said simply. “I love what we do here but we can’t do it much longer if we go into debt.”

“I know but-“

“I can make a few calls.” You offered. “I know some people who can help. They’d probably love to.”

“No, we can figure it out on our own.” Matt answered.

“Matt, just let me-“

“It’ll be okay.” He cut in, a certain finality in his voice.

You simply sighed and offered a small nod, giving up on the argument. And that’s how disagreements had been going between you and Matt the past few times, creating a new pattern. You two would have opposite views and when the other tried to counter it, they were met with a short and almost final response. One that wasn’t open to continuing the topic. So the other person would drop it, but the lingering looks of concern from your friends and almost chokingly thick atmosphere of tension were hard for you to miss.

Everyone understood that there was a shift, in you and in Matt, which had changed the way you and Matt interacted with each other. There was more tension, more resignations. Neither of you would admit it, but you saw each other differently. Though neither of you understood what happened to the other to change their point of view, individually you both knew.

For Matt, though he would never tell anyone, it was thanks to Exodus. The way she left him on that rooftop, left covered in blood that was and wasn’t hers. The way her voice lingered in his head every night since, a voice without the Russian accent he had grown accustomed to hearing.

If you get in my way again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.

He didn’t doubt she would intend to, but he also believed that she wouldn’t. Maybe even couldn’t. They were partners, friends even. They worked together to take down Fisk and it was only a matter of time until they were on the same side again. He cared about her and the knowledge of her still combing the streets of Hell’s Kitchen at night without him, it hurt him more than he would ever admit. Especially on the night where he would find her, only for her to run the other way. But even so, the sound of her voice, it was too familiar to forget.

Like a voice he had been hearing for years, a voice he loved to hear. After that night, he started to wonder how he knew her…

You, on the other hand, were acting different because of Daredevil. The man who you had thought was warming up to you and your flaws had - from your perspective - turned his back on you. He ultimately chose to stand against you, rather than beside you. He chose to save Fisk, to put the monster in a cell rather than a coffin. And you hadn’t forgiven him for it. Maybe you never would.

Either way, it made you reevaluate the people you trusted. Karen had softened up towards you and was truly someone you could regard as a friend. You were beyond thankful for that, especially in those moments when you saw yours and Matt’s friendship cracking apart. Foggy had been never more oblivious to your nightly escapades so there was never a question there. But Matt…

He asked too many questions, held too many suspicions. And what made it worse was that he would ask the very specific questions.

What happened to your hands?

Your voice is scratchy. Are you sick?

You didn’t answer your phone last night. Where’d you go?

Are you sure there’s nothing going on I should know about?

What do you mean, you didn’t sleep? What kept you up?

There was a disconnect between you and Matt now because he was paying a bit too close of attention to you. And you tried mentioning it to Karen, that Matt was poking around a bit too much but she brushed off your concerns, saying that he just cared about you and was worried.

That night, Foggy convinced the entirety of your friend group to go out for drinks and it was the most normal thing you had done in weeks. You had almost forgotten how good it felt to leave the suit in its case and just breathe, to just live. You and Matt were making jokes while Karen and Foggy were shooting a game of pool. It almost felt like nothing had changed.

“You sure you’re not being hustled here?” Matt asked Foggy after Karen landed a great shot.

“That’s why I didn’t want to play against her.” Foggy pointed firmly to you, making you laugh and throw your hands up in surrender.

“I didn’t-“ You laughed. “What did I do?”

“I remember college.” He said firmly, squinting his eyes in suspicion that made you drop your forehead to Matt’s shoulder while you laughed.

“Oh no, I can’t shoot pool. Oh no, I’m terrible.” He mocked you and you began losing your breath and nearly collapsed as you laughed, remembering the night you fooled him. Matt’s free hand came up to your arm when he felt you wobble. “Then boom. Perfect break.” Foggy deadpanned.

“I-“ You tried, though the sound was more of a wheeze. You shook your head and waved your hands, signaling that you couldn’t answer.

“She got, what, twenty bucks out of you that night?” Matt laughed and pulled you a bit closer to him.

“Forty!“ Foggy exclaimed.

“That’s on you for betting that much.” Karen giggled, high-fiving you on her way around the table.

“Betrayal. All of you.” Foggy said simply. “Take over, buddy. Be right back.” He passed Matt the pool cue and ducked away.

“I’m a little offended he didn’t hand it to me.” You said, finally able to refill your lungs with air and stand on your own.

“Maybe he wanted to take it easy on me.” Karen said playfully.

“Cause you’ll go easy on Matt?” You raised a brow to which she offered a devious smile. “You’re going to hustle a blind man!” You laughed.

“You hustled his best friend.” She grinned in return.

“This place always brings out something special in Foggy.” Matt said fondly.

“Sure it’s not the alcohol?” Karen teased.

“It’s the company.” You smiled. “He loves when all of us are together.”

“Yeah, we’d be doing this the rest of our lives if it were up to him.” Matt continued.

“It’d be a good life.” You nodded in agreement.

“As long as you two aren’t fighting over something stupid.” Karen nodded.

“Low blow, Page.” You shook your head with a small scoff.

When it came time for Matt’s shot, Karen instructed him. You hung back, feeling their emotions spike when they got closer than usual or when their hands touched. It wasn’t quite love, but the longing and admiration were palpable. You smiled softly to yourself and twisted your wrist discreetly, mimicking turning up a dial. You upped both of their desires and watched as they both blushed and separated with nervous chuckles or coughs.

Karen would be good for Matt, you decided. As much as you adored him - probably even loved him - you knew your double life would be too much. And even if you told him, it was unlikely that things could ever be romantic after that. So friends you two would stay, and you knew over time, you’d be okay with it. But until then, you sighed as the sadness cooled your skin, admittedly a refreshing sensation compared to the recent heat.

“I thought you were gonna watch them.” Foggy scolded playfully when he came back to your side. “I was gone two minutes.”

“You didn’t tell me anything about babysitting.” You defended with a laugh as Karen headed over to the bar.

You turned to watch as she left while Foggy was talking but your attention caught on a shifty guy at the bar who ended up next to Karen.

He was staring at you three, nervousness radiated off him in waves. You could feel his apprehension but also there was a hard intent behind his stare. Though you tried to feel deeper into him, you couldn’t. Like there was nothing below those surface emotions. But the way he moved in his seat, the way his hand was tucked under his coat, you decided you had to get closer.

“I’m just gonna…” You trailed off as you headed to Karen’s side.

Gently, you put your hands on her arms and guided her to your opposite side to put yourself next to the man. She looked at you with furrowed brows but you simply shook your head. You discreetly jabbed your thumb towards the man, to which she nodded and was quick to bring the drinks back to the guys.

“You doing alright over there?” You asked casually once Karen was gone. You glanced over to make sure and saw she was talking to Foggy and Matt, who were both seemingly focused in your direction. “Seem a little tense.”

“It ain’t what you think.” He said tightly. “I got business here.”

“I don’t think you know what I think.” You chuckled in annoyance as you faced him. “Whatever business you have here, pack it up and find somewhere else to do it. I won’t tell you again.”

“Got business with Nelson and Murdock.” The man answered as he stood. You sidestepped to block his path as your hands tightened into fists at your side.

“What makes you think you can get to them?” You challenged with an upward tilt of your chin.

“Hey.” Matt said suddenly from your side, a hand landing on your lower back. His touch made your whole body tense but you were quick to relax, loosening your hands and crossing your arms over your chest. “What’s going on? Who’s this?”

“You must be the blind one.” The man answered. “Looking for Nelson and Murdock.”

Matt nodded and gestured for the man to come to the other side of the bar, your friend group joining him around one of the small tables. You put yourself between Matt and the other guy, Karen on Matt’s other side between him and Foggy. Matt had tried to get to that spot before you did, but you were quick to reach around and guide him to the seat next to you. He frowned at you and gently tried to pull you to switch but you refused to budge.

You tuned in and out of the man’s story. It seemed fabricated, dramatized to earn sympathy. But as you read his emotions, you didn’t find any hint of smugness or pride that normally comes with getting people to believe a story like that. There was remorse, fear almost, along with nerves.

“Burren Club, 47th and 10th. Can’t miss it.” He explained and you were quick to commit the address to memory.

Karen leaned around Matt to look at you and you offered a brow raise and an acknowledging tilt of your head. You saw her shoulders rise and fall with a quiet sigh before you turned back to the man from the bar.

“And your involvement in the organization is?” You asked simply.

“Who’s she?” He looked to Foggy and you scoffed.

“Answer the question.”

“Ran for Brannigan for a long time… Did some things I probably shouldn’t have… But the guys I work for, the guys that did this…” He let out a long sigh. “I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with that massacre.”

“Assuming you’re right and the Irish were hit by a powerful crime syndicate tonight…” Matt started. “If you’re the only one that survived-“

“Someone’s bound to come back and tie off this loose end.” You cut in, leaning your elbows against the table. “What do you expect us to do for you, Mr…?”

“Relax.” Matt said quietly, trying to discreetly pull you to sit back.

“Last time we took a case when we didn’t get a name, it was a shit case, right? You really trynna do that again?” You answered in the same hushed tone, to which he nodded reluctantly in response.

“Grotto.”

“Grotto what?” Matt pressed as if it was his idea to get a name.

“Just Grotto.” He answered, which made you roll your eyes as you sat back with arms folded.

“I just need you guys to get me the hell out of here before I permanently end up in the only place hotter than this.”

“Witness protection.” You nodded, knowing it wasn’t an impossible thing to ask. “Could be doable.”

“We’re a private law firm.” Matt began before Grotto cut in.

“Yeah, a trustworthy one… Got quite a reputation after you took out Wilson Fisk.”

The mention of that case made you grind your teeth, thinking of how it didn’t go down the way it should’ve.

“DA’s office is the only place that can make a deal.” Foggy explained.

“And I’m not walking to the DA without representation. I know and seen a lot. I’ll give the cops anything they want to get out of Hell’s Kitchen.” He said honestly, desperation practically spilling onto the table.

“We have a reputation of representing the good people of Hell’s Kitchen, not negotiating on behalf of career criminals.” Matt said and the words seemed to slice you more than they affected Grotto.

“And if that criminal wants to change careers?” You asked, staring at the table as you settled your riled up nerves. Karen cleared her throat and when you peaked up, you saw she was already staring at you in warning. “You’re gonna tell me you don’t believe in changes of heart? Second chances?”

“You’re actually on my side?” Grotto asked in disbelief.

“Wasn’t that your point?” You countered smoothly.

“You weren’t exactly warm and welcoming a few minutes ago.”

“And you haven’t taken that hand out from under your jacket since you walked in.” You pointed out, nodding your head towards his hidden hand. “So I really don’t think you should be challenging who is or isn’t on your side.”

“Y/N..” Karen said gently, though you felt the warning in her words. “Tone it down a little…”

“I know I got nobody to vouch for me and I can barely cover your fee but… Word is that Nelson and Murdock put their faith in people and I- I could use a little bit of that right now.” Grotto was practically begging.

Your friends were huddled together and muttering about what to do about it but you hadn’t taken your eyes off Grotto. You watched as his eyes went wide as he shook his head, swaying in his seat. Matt began to ask a question but the man collapsed and fell to the ground. You had already begun to move and catch him so you were able to get your hand under his head before he hit the floor. You glanced towards your friends as you knelt by Grotto’s side but only saw Karen coming over.

“He’s bleeding.” Karen noted, carefully moving his jacket out of the way.

After having gotten an ambulance to come get Grotto, Matt and Foggy decided to turn in. Karen offered to go with Grotto and asked what you would do. You shrugged and said there was a club you had meaning to check out, knowing you didn’t have to full on say it for her to get it.

You hurried home, changed into your Exodus suit, and headed to the Burren Club. It was easy to see the lights on the cop cars from blocks away so you tapped your scar and tried to listen in on police chatter. There were random calls from their dispatchers but nothing about that incident so you turned it off. Instead, you snuck your way to the rooftop opposite of the club and used the new lenses of your mask to get a better look.

But the first thing you saw was Matt and Foggy. Your attention snagged on the boys while they talked to Brett, likely trying to get some intel and check out the validity of Grotto’s story. But you noticed Foggy was doing most of the talking while Matt was just listening.

“What are you listening for?” You murmured, leaning over the edge a bit more.

As if Matt heard you, he tilted his head up and turned towards your hiding spot. You didn’t flinch and didn’t hide, rather you held your position with the confidence that he couldn’t see you.

But it did make you wonder if he heard you…

Matt turned and said something to Brett that you couldn’t hear but could tell was something of interest if Brett grabbed a passing officer to scold him. Your brows furrowed as the three stepped further from the crowds and you started to wonder if you would sneak a mic onto Matt’s cane. Out of curiosity, you followed the trio and hopped down into the nearest alleyway.

You crept as close to the street as you could while still having shadows to hide in so you could eavesdrop on what Brett knew. You focused on key words that you knew would likely mean solving more later; the theory was paramilitary, they were capable of taking out half the city, and the DA had no leads. You heard one of the other officers mention the Dogs of Hell had been hit recently too, being that their members were currently taking residency at the morgue.

Though the conversation didn’t give you too many leads, you knew it was something to start. You had to get a hold of local underground arms dealers, see if they’re selling bigger things than pistols and pump action shotguns. You had to check the usual back alley haunts for someone - or multiple someones - who didn’t belong.

You figured starting with the Dogs of Hell would be the best bet. If anyone has seen what happened, maybe there’d be more of a starting point. A silhouette you could watch for or a vague description you could work down to something more specific. But as you were approaching the building, you saw a familiar pink shirt entering the building.

“Он сам себя убьет.” You complained and slammed a fist against the wall beside you. (He’s gonna get himself killed.)

You ran across the street and hurdled the trash building up in the alleyway until you reached the back door. There were two men posted out back, playing cards and smoking. They didn’t even notice you until you were right beside them.

“He has an ace tucked into his belt.” You commented, your usual Russian accent dancing in your voice.

They both turned on you and held their guns up.

“I have questions, maybe you boys can answer. You help me and I don’t crack your skulls on the pavement.” You tried, though they yelled for you to leave. “What happened to your men last week? What do you know?”

When you were greeted with nothing but shouts to leave, you shrugged. You made a move first, running at one and jamming a knee into his chest to slam him against the wall behind him. The other tried to grab you so you reached up and hooked your arm around his neck.

You used the first man as a foothold and flipped over, pulling the second man into a very uncomfortable bridge position. You dropped to a knee and brought him down with you, his spine slamming against your opposite upraised knee with a deep and echoing crack. You pushed him to the side before returning to the first man and grabbed him by his shirtfront, leaning several punches to his face until the skin split and the man fell unconscious.

Just in time for the door to open.

You hand shot to your belt as you ducked out of sight between a dumpster and the building. The huge man was towering over someone he had thrown in front of him, but even without seeing him, you recognized the voice. It was Foggy.

“Put it away.” You warned firmly when you saw the glint of a knife. Your Bite was now glowing as you lifted your bloodied hand and stepped into view, the biker now turning to face you. “Put it down or I will make you.”

“Holy shit.” Foggy breathed.

“This ain’t about you.” The biker warned, though there was a waiver in his voice. “So mind your business.”

“You just made it my business.” You said simply. “I won’t ask nicely again.”

“I helped a guy named Foster.” Foggy tried, though the biker ignored him. “Ricky Wex? … Pope?”

That name caught the man’s attention but he didn’t lower the knife. You moved around him to stand a few steps behind Foggy, lowering your hand but not letting it disarm.

“You helped Pope?” He asked and you realized that Pope meant something to that man. A spark of grief. “Get the hell out of here.”

The man turned his back and you reached for Foggy.

“What happened to Smitty?” Foggy exclaimed.

“Ты шутишь?” You groaned as the man came back with his knife raised. (Are you kidding me?)

You quickly put your forearm up to block his knife and used your other hand to catch it as it fell from his grip. You hooked your foot around his knee and yanked it to bring the man to his knees. You held his own knife to his throat and gestured for him to answer Foggy‘s question.

“Your men were massacred last week and the Irish were slaughtered tonight.” You explained. “Unless you want to join your pals in the morgue, I suggest you talk.”

“If I don’t get answers, a lot of innocent blood could be shed.” Foggy continued. “Please.”

“You got guts, Harvard.” He nodded to Foggy. You took a second to survey the man and found his hostility had come and went so you flipped his knife in your hand and offered it to him by the handle.

“Columbia, actually, and it’s just sheer adrenaline right now.” Foggy replied and you snorted a laugh as you took a few steps to the side. “I wouldn’t be here if doing this wasn’t important.”

“Smitty was on a run down I-90 with four other guys, got hit by an army and cut to pieces. They were left there like roadkill.”

“An army sounds extensive for a five man job.. Who did it?” You asked.

“Some new crew.” The biker shrugged. “But we’re gonna find them and you’re gonna wanna be far away from that action.”

The biker turned and left after that, leaving you and Foggy in the alley. You grabbed Foggy’s arm and began hauling him away, feeling him practically deflate in your grasp.

“Are you insane?” You scolded, taking careful intent to maintain your accent. “He could've killed you.”

“Why are you here?” He asked in counter. “Shouldn’t you be out with Daredevil?”

“Сорвиголова.” You scoffed. “No. I haven’t seen him since he got in my way with Fisk. We aren’t working together anymore.” (Daredevil.)

“What?”

“Listen to me because I will not say it again.” You said firmly, stopping your steps so you could face him. “This is going to get very messy, very fast. You need to keep you and your friends out of it, alright? If anything, work from a distance. Wait for this to come down a legitimate path rather than some back alley bullshit. Got it?”

“Okay..” Foggy said carefully. “Thanks.”

You nodded and took off, not really headed anywhere other than away from Foggy. You weren’t sure where to go from there. Going down I-90 wouldn’t make a difference because it was probably cleaned up and the officers long gone. Local cops had nothing, meaning the morgue had nothing, other than a label for homicide across a herd of bodies. You got yourself to a rooftop and sat on the ledge, wondering what to do next.

Your implant was ringing in your head with your usual cell phone chime. With a confused tilt of your head, you double tapped the scar.

“Yeah?” You answered quickly.

“Where are you?” Karen said in a panic and you could hear the skirting of tires in the background. You quickly jumped to your feet and tapped your mask, looking around as you tried to lock on her cell signal.

“I see you. On my way.” You answered as you broke into a sprint. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Someone attacked the hospital!” She screamed and you heard the glass shatter. “He came for Grotto.”

“But you’re alright?”

“For now!”

“Okay. Did you see how many?”

“Yeah… One.”

One?

“Alright, I’ll take care of it. Get somewhere safe and call me back.”

You ended the call and heard the sounds of a fist fight as you neared the hospital roof. You stood on the ledge and checked the surrounding buildings, only barely able to catch a glimpse of the two men fighting. It was easy to recognize his fighting style, even in the dark.

You had just landed when you saw the spark of a gunfire and Daredevil went tumbling over the ledge. You screamed out and the sound drew the attention of his attacker. He scoffed and got to his feet, though now you were pissed.

“Вы заплатите за это.” You sneered. (You’ll pay for that.)

Your anger was collecting in your palms, burning through your skin. You ran at him without hesitation and ducked his shot. You kicked the small gun from his hand and blocked a heavy hit from him. You slammed your fists against his jaw, seeing red puffs of smoke escape each time time you made contact.

He grabbed you by your shirtfront and hoisted you up, his other hand wrapping around your belt as he moved to slam you to your back. You grabbed his wrist and as your fingers dug in, you noticed that where your skin met his was turning red, as if it were burning. Quickly you shook the thought and tucked your legs so you could kick out against his chest. The move sent you two in different directions and you used the gap to jump the ledge you saw Daredevil fall down.

It was easy to recognize that you couldn’t beat him on your own, not as distracted as you were. You had to bail and figure out an actual plan. But at least you gained something. You saw his face.

You turned back and saw the man glaring down at you, bloody faced and angry. You pulled one of your charge disks and offered a fake salute so the movement doubled as the flick. He groaned as the disk landed at the base of his throat and you chuckled before turning to find Daredevil.

He was face down and not moving, making your heart stop. You knelt beside him and carefully rolled him over and tucked your fingers under his cowl, looking for the pulse at his throat.

“C’mon…” You muttered and slid your fingers down. “Please, c’mon.” You repeated with a bit more urgency.

By then, the tears were fogging your mask so you aggressively pulled it to sit around your throat. Your breathing was shaky and you couldn’t even focus enough to get yourself under control. You didn’t even care if he saw what you looked like, if he remembered who you were from when what happened with the Russians. You didn’t care, just as long as he was alive.

Sure, you hadn’t been on the best of terms with Daredevil as of late, but that didn’t mean you wanted to see him die. Especially not by getting shot in the head right in front of you. By some no name, trigger happy bastard with a vendetta.

You let out a quivering breath of relief when you found his pulse and he moved, ever so slightly he had moved his arm almost like he was reaching for you. You slid over so your back was against the small structure that you couldn’t specify in the dark. You very carefully repositioned him in your lap as you leaned your head back and sighed towards the night sky as you slipped your hand into his.

You bit down on the finger of your other glove and pulled your hand free. You tucked the glove into your belt before placing your hand gently on his cheek. Your thumb traced his features idly as your mind raced, but the slow movement was enough to help you settle yourself and focus.

You couldn’t leave him there alone. You knew that much. But where would you take him? Metro General would raise too many questions. You couldn’t get him back to your apartment on your own and you had no idea where he lived. You thought about calling Claire but you didn’t even know if she was back in Hell’s Kitchen.

That would’ve been a good time to actually know each other’s names.

Instead, you decided to stay on that rooftop.

Next thing you knew, your implant was pinging loudly. Opening your eyes, you found it was morning. You wiped your eyes and realized your mask was still down. You were careful to reposition it without moving Daredevil as you answered the call.

“Hey.” You said, sleep hanging on to your voice.

“Thank God you’re alive.” She said quickly. “Are- are you alright?”

“I’m alright, yeah.” You answered.

“I tried calling last night but you didn’t answer.” Karen answered worriedly. “You can’t do that, Y/N. Not with this maniac running around.”

“I know. Yeah, I know. I’m sorry…I promise, I’m fine.” You nodded, looking down at Daredevil. “Someone else… Not so much.”

“What happened?”

“Whoever came after you and Grotto, Daredevil found him first. The guy shot him in the head.”

“Oh my god.” She sighed and you could feel her worry through the call.

“I’m just glad the guy had the protection in his new suit. The idiot’s alive, barely.” You slid your fingers to check his pulse again and while it was stronger than it was last night, it was still weak. “I’ve been on this roof with him all night. I didn’t know where to take him. I thought I didn't care and was done but seeing him like that, I wanted to tear that guy apart…”

“At least he wasn’t alone.” Karen tried and you nodded in agreement. “Well uh- I called Foggy and I told him. Grotto and I are at the precinct. The cops wanna ask him questions about everything.”

“Okay… Foggy say not to let anyone talk to him witho-“

“Without one of them here, yeah.” She cut in. “Yeah, he told me.”

“Good.. I’ll probably head over there when…” You trailed off, hearing footsteps across the roof. “I gotta go.”

You tapped the scar and flexed your hand, lighting up your Bite as the person came closer. You were more than surprised to see Foggy.

“Jesus.” You sighed, easily slipping back into your accent and disarming. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for him.” Foggy answered, kneeling at Daredevil’s other side.

“You know him?” You didn’t bother to hide your shock.

“You don’t?”

“I wouldn’t have stayed on this roof if I did.” You shrugged. “Guess you can’t stay out of it even if you wanted to, can you?”

“Guess not.” Foggy chuckled without humor.

“At least you have a friend you know can protect you.”

“Not if he gets himself killed.” He muttered and you couldn’t help but agree.

“Take care of him for me, okay?” You asked as you helped Foggy get Daredevil to his feet.

“I thought you weren’t friends anymore.”

“When I saw that guy take the shot and he went tumbling, something inside me…” You shook your head, deciding you didn’t need to explain all of it. “I just didn’t like what I saw. I tried taking on the guy on my own but I.. I didn’t have a chance. Probably too distracted but.. Look, just take him home, please.”

“Yeah, thanks for looking out for him.” Foggy nodded and you returned the gesture before heading to your apartment.

You had to get into your building through the rooftop door rather than your usual window. You slipped to your floor using the old stairwell that no one seemed to use anymore and got inside your apartment with no fuss. You ditched your suit quickly and showered, noting the blossoming bruises and busted knuckles as you got ready for the day.

Meanwhile, Matt was just lucky to have survived.

“Y’know, Exodus was there when I found you.” Foggy explained as he handed Matt the Aspirin.

“Exodus?” Matt chuckled. “You met her?”

“She looked like she’d been crying all night.” Foggy pressed. “She saw you get shot. Do you realize that?”

“She probably just would’ve rather been the one who pulled the trigger.” Matt pushed himself up with a groan.

“You’re not listening.” Foggy complained. “She cares about you, Matt.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Matt countered easily. “She only cares about herself.”

Matt didn’t fully believe that though. He was glad that Exodus was there and that maybe she did still care, at least a little bit. But as far as what her actions showed, she wanted nothing to do with him anymore and he wouldn’t force her to fight with him if she wouldn’t even talk to him. He knew saying she only cared about herself was hardly any different than when Fisk said she had no loyalty. And in both cases, it just wasn’t true.

“That’s why she stayed on that roof all night with you?” Foggy shrugged. “She went after that guy once you went down.”

Matt groaned in annoyance. Not because of what Foggy said about her being there, but at the fact that she went after the shooter on her own. He knew she was reckless and brave, but he never knew her to be stupid.

“All I’m saying is that you should try to make amends before you end up dead. Whatever happened between you and her, whatever you did to piss her off, you need to figure it out beca-“

“She didn’t like that I didn’t let her kill Fisk that night.” Matt snapped. “She didn’t like that I- I- I knew she could be better. I didn’t let her go around and take lives when it wasn’t up to her.”

“You look like shit.” Foggy resigned, knowing the argument would go nowhere with Matt. In that moment, he understood why Y/N didn’t bother arguing with him anymore. “Stay here. Get some rest. I’ll have Y/N come check on you later.”

“Foggy.” Matt sighed. Hiding it from Y/N was the hardest part of the secret, and with all of that, he didn’t know what he would say when she got there.

“Just don’t.. You already know she’s gonna come anyway when you don’t show up to work today.” Foggy reasoned. “And I’ve covered for you enough as it is. Just… Just stay here.”

You got to the precinct just before Foggy did. Grotto was tense, aggressively on edge. Him and Karen were both terrified, the fear from them vibrating through your bones. It was so dense that you felt it as soon as you walked into the precinct, not even near the interrogation room. You had to take a deep breath when you stepped inside and used it to blow away the frazzled buzzing in the air.

“Where’s Murdock?” Grotto asked when Foggy was the only one to walk in.

“He took a sick day.” Foggy answered before he went around the table to talk to Grotto.

You turned to Karen, who was looking at you with the same quizzical expression you wore. You leaned in and spoke quietly.

“He’s hiding something.” You said simply. “Look how freaked he is.”

“You think it’s about Matt?” She asked in the same hushed tone.

“Or the fact that he knows Daredevil and ran into her this morning.” You shrugged a shoulder. “Either way, I’m guessing it’s another ‘hit by a car’ situation like that one time.”

“Wait. Back up. What?“

You shushed her once the door opened. You nodded to Brett and he gave you a slight wave. After a brief conversation between Brett and Grotto, your trio and Brett stepped out to let him change. You blew out a sigh as you followed Brett, listening to what Brett knew about the shooter.

“Vigilante type.” Brett explained, causing Karen to sneak a glance at you. You were focused on Brett but you saw her glance at your peripherals. “Targeting different crime families.”

“But not in a Daredevil-type way.” You added. “He kicks some ass and the city cheers like we won the goddamn World Series.”

“Not even in an Exodus-type way either.” Brett agreed and your brows raised. “She’s something else but even she doesn’t do this… Anyway, he makes a lot of people question the whole ‘hero’ idea.”

“And what do you think about it? I’m guessing not a whole lot of cops love Daredevil or Exodus.”

“Whole force is split, actually.” Brett shrugged. “Some cops want ‘em gone. Some say they make the job a whole lot easier.”

“But what do you think?”

“I think it’s only a matter of time before the wrong person gets caught in the crossfire.”

“You put it that way, I guess copycats were inevitable.” Foggy added.

“Not even the first, just the latest.” Brett said simply.

You nodded slightly in acknowledgment. You thought about the whole thing while Brett continued talking to Foggy about it. You figured your actions would inspire others to do the same. But you hadn’t thought of how wild it would be. Would that man really have claimed you and Daredevil as inspiration? Could you two really be responsible for a man who opened fire in a hospital?

It made you want to crawl out of your skin.

Targeting the crime families was one thing. It was something you had your fair share of experience with, considering your elimination of the Russians not that long ago. But to put innocent people at risk, just to get to one man? That didn’t sit right with you and it only made you want to find him and get answers.

You needed to take a walk.

“Hey.” You asked Foggy when Brett left. “Do you got this? I wanna go check on Matt. He was fine last night so it’s probably just food poisoning or something with the heat lately but y’know…” You shrugged at your lame excuse.

“Uh..” Foggy looked around and sighed. “Yeah, I got it. Go ahead.”

“You sure? Cause I can stay if you need me.”

“Yeah.” He offered a small smile. “DA’s assistant shouldn’t be too hard to handle.”

“You’ve got Karen, too.” You added and Karen agreed. “I just-“

“You worry about him.. I know.” Foggy nodded and offered a knowing smile.

“Thanks.” You smiled and hurried out.

The walk to Matt’s was quiet so you were able to think. It wasn’t so much that you wanted to stop this new guy. Granted, you didn’t appreciate him blowing holes in people all over town, but it’s not like he was killing good people. He did what you did, but messier. You thought about how you get to him again, get a time where you could get him to talk. Find out his motives, his goals. From there, you could decide if you wanted to fight with him or against him.

You tapped on Matt’s door with two quick knocks. You waited a minute to see if he would open it but he didn’t. You assumed he was asleep so you let yourself in. Coming into the living room, you found Matt around the corner.

Before you could say anything, he had knocked over the glass of water on the corner of the table. You yelped in surprise and jumped back, letting the glass shatter at your feet. You tossed your purse and blazer onto the couch and stepped around Matt to get a towel from the kitchen. You came back to the mess and knelt down, laying the towel over the entirety of the mess.

Your actions stopped when you heard Matt shout. Your head snapped up and your fists tightened, mind racing. You instantly thought something had happened. Someone followed you, the shooter from the hospital maybe. He saw you without your mask last night and was coming to kill you. But looking around, you quickly realized no one was there.

“Matt?” You tried gently as you crossed the room to kneel beside him, though he seemed to ignore you and screamed again. “Matt?”

You reached forward carefully and put a hand on his shoulder, one he quickly jumped away from. You furrowed your brows and reached out again, only this time Matt took a sloppy swing at you. You leaned away easy enough and caught his wrist, slipping your hand in his instead.

“Who…” He said quietly, nearly a whisper. You didn’t need your ability to know he was terrified.

“It’s me.” You answered in the same hushed tone as you guided his hand to your cheek. “You’re okay..”

His thumb traced your cheekbone before following the bridge of your nose to your lips. It reminded you of the first time he felt your face in college.

“Y/N..” He said, so desperately it was almost a whine.

He shifted to lean his shoulders against the wall instead of his back while the hand that was on your face went behind your neck. His other hand wrapped around your waist and he pulled you into his chest. You let out a small ‘oof’ as you fell into his lap but your arms went around him while he buried his face in the crook of your neck.

“I can’t… I can’t hear.” He mumbled against your skin. “I can’t hear.”

You closed your eyes and focused on him. His fear hadn’t changed but there was a relief mixed in. He was glad to not be alone but also terrified of losing another sense. You thought of how you could help him if he couldn’t hear you, so you took a chance and used your power.

You knew that emotions could relay messages and hold weight, depending on how individual people interpreted them. As you had been recently developing your powers to be more precise, you began learning that if you put enough intention behind what you did, you could essentially send a specific message.

So that’s what you did. Through the close grip he had on you, you let yourself absorb some of his fear and replace it with comfort, safety. You focused until those two emotions were nearly balanced and the physical tension in his body subsided. His hold on you tightened, practically begging for you not to leave him.

You’re gonna be okay. You’re not alone.

“Thank you.” He finally broke the silence after you didn’t know how long. He loosened his hold on you so you sat back to see him clearly. You kept hold of his hands loosely while he talked. “I’m glad you came by.”

“Something happened…” You said sadly, though you didn’t expect him to hear you. His head tilted but you kept going. “I know you won’t tell me but.. No one suddenly goes deaf unless something drastic happens… But, again, you won’t tell me so, I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I don’t want to worry you.” He said honestly, giving your hands a squeeze.

“Then be more careful.” You scolded when you realized he heard you. “Cause if we lose you, I… I don’t have a lot left.”

“I’m sorry. Really, I am.” He offered a lopsided smile. “I’ll try, okay?”

“Promise me.”

“What?” He chuckled.

“Promise me.” You repeated firmly.

“Okay, okay.” He smiled, letting go of one of your hands to cross his heart. “I swear.”

“Thank you.” You nodded. “Now, I need to go.”

“Wait. Really?” Matt said quickly as you got to your feet.

“Yes, really. Foggy’s down at the precinct and the DA’s office is probably already there. We still have to figure out Grotto’s witpro. I can’t sit here on the floor with you all day.”

Even if you wanted to. Even if you wanted to remain in his embrace, listening to his heart beat. Feeling safe.

“Right.” Matt nodded, though his disappointment hit you in the chest like a brick.

“But call me if you need anything… Okay?” You said as you grabbed your stuff. “I’ll come as soon as I can.”

“Yeah, yeah, I will. Thanks, Y/N/N.”

“See ya later, Matty.”

You peaked at your phone on the way out and saw a text from Karen.

karen : DA office says it’s one guy.

karen: they almost have a complete profile

karen: “the Punisher”

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

two - glimpse of us

//tags: @ironprincessstranger @johnmurphys-sass @dusstory // one // three // masterlist //

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (ft M. Murdock x Reader)

Word Count: 8,228

Summary: Earning trust in Hell’s Kitchen is surprisingly easy when it comes to your newest ally. But one long night reveals more about all of you than you had expected (i haven’t read this since i drafted it so i don’t remember if i love it or not)

You were walking down the street, having just left Matt’s apartment. You were reading the messages Karen had sent about the DA meeting on your way to the office when your attention was caught on a vaguely familiar face. The man was ducking into a pawn shop. The man was broad shouldered, tall, with a buzz-cut. You pulled up short and saw him glance over his shoulder as he stepped through the doorway, almost staring at you.

Almost.

Once he fully entered the building, you hustled across the street and snuck in behind him. You glanced around at various objects in the display, pretending to be interested as you waited to see what the man was there for.

“I need an NYPD mobile communications rig.” The man asked the worker, his deep voice ringing through the small store. “One that get encrypted tactical frequencies.”

If you weren’t sure about his identity to begin with, you were after that.

You turned towards their conversation, eyeing the man for a second before making eye contact with the owner. You lifted a brow quickly, as if to ask what he was going to do. The shop owner swallowed visibly and you were hit with a wave of uncertainty. You smirked slightly and made your way to the main counter.

“Dealing in this shit is illegal.” The owner reasoned.

“Do we look like cops?” You asked smoothly, leaning an elbow onto the counter.

The man nodded slightly before dropping a stack of money on the countertop. The owner looked at the money for a minute before looking back to you two. His eyes darted between you and the large man beside you before nodding and disappearing.

“We?” The man - the Punisher - asked. “There’s no we in this.”

“If there’s anyone in this city you want on your side, it’s me. Especially considering how you shot the Devil in the head last night… You think he’s not gonna remember that? He’s not necessarily big on revenge, per say, but he sure knows how to get even.”

“How’d you know about that?” He turned to face you, brows furrowed as he studied your features. You held his glare with a slight smirk, gesturing to the side with the arm you weren’t leaning on. “Shit.” He chuckled. “That was you?”

“Mhmm.” You nodded. “And you shoot him like that again, you and I are gonna have real issues. Understood?”

He laughed again.

“I missed the part that was funny.” You said firmly, trying to find some emotion to use against him.

You came up empty.

“What do you want?”

“I was gonna ask you the same thing.” You shrugged. “You’re targeting specific gangs with phenomenal precision and results. I could help you, get it done and avoid Daredevil.”

“And what do you get out of it?”

You tilted your head side to side as you thought. Realistically, there was nothing you could really gain by helping him. And you were fine with that. Maybe you really just wanted something to do that didn’t partner you up with Daredevil. Maybe your finger was just itching for a trigger to pull.

“Nothing.” You shrugged a shoulder.

The owner came back with the equipment and unzipped the bag, allowing your eyes to scan the device until you found the serial number. You read the number over three or four times to commit to memory to make it easier to connect to later if you had to. There was a quick interaction and payment before the Punisher nodded for you to follow him out.

That was by no means a confirmation of your partnership but it was something to show he was interested. The owner had been yelling other items at you and trying to get one of you to spend more money. You were both nearly out when he said something that made you sick to your stomach.

“She’s barely twelve, guaranteed.” The owner offered as you two had reached the door, causing both of you to stop in your tracks.

The Punisher held the bag out to you but you scoffed. You leaned forward and flipped the lock on the door before turning the sign to read ‘Closed’. You left your bag on one of the counters and headed back towards the owner of the shop. You heard the Punisher following behind you but you didnt let it change your stride.

You grabbed the owner’s shirtfront and ignored his pleas as you put your hand on the back of his head and slammed his face into the glass countertop. He cried out as the glass cracked but you continued to ignore it and slammed his face down again. That time his head went through the glass. You shoved him back up by his shoulders and threw your fist, driving the glass deeper into his skin and feeling it split your own knuckles. You counted off in your head, every crack of his bones until you reached twelve.

“Barely twelve, hmm?” You repeated as Exodus after shoving the man away from you. He whimpered once he heard your accent, throwing his hands up to protect his face. You placed a bloody hand on the metal frame of the counter and jumped over it. “Guaranteed?”

You landed a sharp kick to his ribs, hard enough to hear him cough all the air from his lungs. You spat in his face before pressing your shoe against the side of his head, hearing him whimper in pain and desperation. The fear left a bitter taste in your mouth that made you want to gag.

“You so much as mention an underage girl like that again, I will come back and put a bullet between your eyes. Understood?”

He frantically nodded so you lifted your shoe before swinging a hard kick to his face. The impact sent his head bouncing off the wall behind him before his whole body went limp. You stepped into the back office to clean your hands before coming back and finding the Punisher still waiting for you.

“You should’ve finished it.” He said simply as you two exited the building.

You simply scoffed in response.

“Guys like that are just gonna do it again and again until someone stops them. Permanently.”

“Maybe not always.” You tried, but you knew it wasn’t you talking. Daredevil had made you soft. Well, soft-ish.

“And the voice.” He noted in a matter-of-fact tone. “What’s with the accent? I mean, really, what’s it gonna do?”

“At least I try to keep this shit a secret.” You laughed wryly. “You might as well be a walking billboard.”

“Look, I don’t need some amateur-“

“I’ve been doing this since I was a kid.” You cut in quickly. “I’m one of the deadliest assassins to come out of the Red Room since it started. So don’t stand there and call me an amateur or so help me God, I will cut out your voice box and shove it up your ass.”

You sidestepped and spun on your heel to block him.

“Part of me knew a man like you was inevitable, a man with a big ass gun and a vendetta who thinks the law belongs to him. But if you want to avoid Daredevil and the DA’s office - which are both chasing you down with the fury of hell behind them, by the way - I’m the one you’re gonna wanna make friends with… Unless you think you can take me, Daredevil, and the DA at the same time. And I promise you, Daredevil and I are not as easy marks as the Irish or the Dogs of Hell.”

He looked you up and down and chuckled slightly. You tilted your head as you read his emotions, though there wasn’t much there. He was annoyed at your pestering but also slightly impressed by your reputation and determination at that moment. He respected you, that much was easy to tell. There was an underlying suspicion of your interest in his work, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

“Alright.” He nodded with a smirk. “Sounds like I need you.”

“You’re damn right.” You agreed. “Last I heard the DA wants Grotto to wear a wire and meet with Brass but if I know anything about Reyes, there’s something else at play.”

“Okay. I can work my end and get information about where Brass is gonna be.”

“It’s gotta be a sting op.” You spoke slowly, letting your train of thought work as you walked. “Why else would Reyes be personally involved?” You laughed once when you put it together. “Grotto’s not a mole. He’s bait.”

“For what?”

“For you.” You pulled out your phone and called Foggy.

“Y/N, where have you been? Reyes has practically chewed my head off every time and I could’ve used your help.” He said as soon as he answered. “I was hoping you were gonna come back.”

“I heard.” You replied, somewhat regretfully. “I’m sorry. I was at Matt’s and he was going through a whole thing and just…”

“He okay?”

“It’s Matt… He hasn’t been okay since college, maybe. Anyway, I need the details about Grotto’s meeting with Brass.”

“You’re gonna actually be there?” He accused and you frowned, knowing he was right.

“That’s the plan.”

“I’ll text it all to you.” He said and you could tell there was a hesitation, something else he wanted to say. You glanced at your new partner - who wasn’t looking at you - and took a few steps away.

“Go on… Say it.” You urged and he sighed. “I know there’s something bothering you so just lay it out there. You and me. Right now.”

“You’re just…”

“Fog?”

“Everything you’ve been doing lately, the leaving and the excuses… I’ve seen it all before and if you’re doing what they're doing then I- I can’t have you both doing that.”

“What are you talking about?” You pressed. “Foggy, what’s going on?”

He sighed before answering. “Nothing, it’s- It's nothing. Just tell me you aren’t doing something that’s gonna get you in trouble or get you hurt.”

“I promise I’m fine, okay? I’m not doing anything I can’t handle.”

“Just cause you can handle it doesn’t mean it’s smart.” He countered.

You clicked your tongue and pressed your lips together to hide your smile. “You got me there.” You admitted and he laughed. “Text me everything about Grotto and I’ll do what I can.”

“Sure… And Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“… We love you.”

“We?” You chuckled. “You and Karen?”

“And Matt.”

Your heart jumped and your smile faded.

“Yeah, I know… I love you guys too.”

“Be careful. There’s been too many close calls lately.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later.”

You ended the call and met back with the Punisher - you’d have to ask his real name later. You two walked until your phone buzzed with a text from Foggy. There wasn’t much other than a time and place. Your new friend only said that he would see you there before you parted ways.

Made you wonder how long you two would really last, but given that you and Daredevil didn’t last long at all, you didn’t expect much. Regardless of that, you made your way to your apartment and began thinking of how you would approach the meeting.

Foggy expected you to be there and you had a responsibility to Nelson and Murdock. You had a paying job to do. The problem then became that if you went as Y/N, you wouldn’t have time to sneak away, change, and meet with the Punisher in time. You’d have no excuse to leave. And if DA Reyes was there, you’d have one hell of a time getting away without her breathing down your neck.

Exodus it was.

You had your mask hooked up to your tablet and were downloading some of the recent footage to go through later. Not that you expected much of value, but maybe it could be put to use creating a filter to blur Daredevil’s face if he ever wanted to take his helmet off around you. You ignored the texts from Foggy about you showing up and even ignored Karen’s call. She texted and asked you not to do anything stupid, but it was too late. You were already committed.

You changed into your suit, pausing as you were pulling on the plated jacket from Daredevil. You looked down at the engraved ‘E’ on either wrist plate, scratching lightly at the red stain with your thumbnails. The residue of that night never quite left, the night you two took down Fisk.

The blood was still there, stained on the edges of the plates. The scars on your face that hid behind the edge of your mask. The memory of how much rage was flooding your system, the pure red haze you were seeing though. Everything was tunnel vision that night. But you had been forced to pull your punches, forced to take a step back, forced to let him live. You still weren’t sure if you were mad at Daredevil for that or a bit thankful.

You had wanted to be better after all. Daredevil was helping you get there. Were you only mad that he was holding you accountable? Mad that he saw something in you that you didn’t - not always? Or maybe you were just mad at how good he was, knowing that you’d never be that way.

You shoved your arms through and forced the thoughts out of your head. You had a job to do.

You were Exodus.

You weren’t a hero.

So you dawned your mask and met with the Punisher. You two were on the roof, watching the scene below. You watched Grotto’s hesitation as he wandered the lot, felt his absolute terror that he tried to cover. You almost felt bad for the man your office was supposed to help as you watched the diesel plow through the gates. The Punisher moved to the top of the water tower while you waited underneath. You didn’t need to be there while he took the shot.

You listened in on the police chatter, interrupted by a call from Foggy. A call from Karen. It made you realize there was no call from Matt, but you guessed he hadn’t gone either. You didn’t have much time to dwell on it before you heard the clatter of metal on metal and the Punisher came flying off the water tower.

You cursed to yourself and ducked back, reaching for your belt. You thought quickly about what to grab but the brilliant blue glow of your Bite distracted you, not to mention the sniper shots. You kept low to the ground as you came out but were quick to disarm your Bite. The snipers had put holes in the water tower which meant the water made your electricity that much dangerous, and you realized it was only Daredevil.

You slid on the side of your leg and swept Daredevil’s legs as the Punisher came in hard with one of Daredevil’s batons. Your move was just in time to get him out of the way. You glared up at the Punisher and were ignored as he swung the baton downwards. You pulled yourself up to a kneel and crossed your arms above your head, allowing the baton to smack the plates. The impact pushed your arms into your head and you groaned as you wobbled on your knee.

“We don’t have time for this.” You said firmly, flipping your hands around the baton to snatch it from the Punisher.

You threw it to the side and got to your feet.

“Ex?” Daredevil spoke through heavy breaths, clearly disoriented.

“Shut up.” You spat over your shoulder.

“Who’s side are you on again?” He challenged with a squint.

Before you could answer, you heard the radio in your implant.

‘Take the shot. Repeat, take the shot.’

Your eyes widened for a second before you moved. You dropped to your stomach just as the gunshots came again. You aimed your wrist for the Punisher’s ankles and shot a wire, yanking hard to pull him to his back. You twisted to find Daredevil, seeing that he had dropped the same as you did.

You felt the yank on your arm and looked up to see the Punisher unwrapping the wire and throwing it to the side. The two began their brawl again, seemingly unfazed by the gunshots.

“Идиоты.” You grumbled as you made your way across the roof. (Idiots.)

You realized the two were close to a ledge and you remembered seeing a glass skylight earlier. With hope you were in the right spot, you ran at them. You kept an arm up to block gunshots - though your hip was grazed - and tackled them down. You felt Daredevil’s arms wrap around your waist as he turned so you would land on top of him.

You were shocked that he would prioritize your safety over his given your foul treatment of him lately, but there wasn’t much time to dwell on it.

The impact jarred you all and the pressure of your body landing on his only ignited the burn in your hip. As you all shakily got to your feet, you pressed a palm against it and winced at the pain.

“Можете ли вы вдвоем отрезать дерьмо на две чертовы минуты, чтобы мы могли снять полицейских со спины?” You nearly yelled, aggressively pointing a finger to the ground to prove a point. Your other hand was growing hotter at your hip and you could’ve sworn you smelt the searing skin. (Can you two cut the shit for two fucking minutes so we can get the cops off our backs?)

“Tell that to your little boyfriend.” The Punisher scoffed, though you doubted he knew what you said.

“Why are you so obnoxious?” You groaned before turning to Daredevil. You noticed he was wobbling on his feet, holding his head.

You quickly tried to remember if he had hit his head. Surely the impact would’ve made his head bounce up and hit yours, but you hadn’t felt anything. It must’ve been residual from when the Punisher shot him, you realized. You reached out for him but were shoved aside, the Punisher taking your place and kicking out at Daredevil’s chest.

The motion sent him backwards and he hit his head on the wall behind him before slumping down. You glared at your partner, who now gave you an expectant look. You groaned and moved closer, throwing one of Daredevil’s arms over your shoulders.

“You’re a dick.” You muttered as you two carried the unconscious vigilante, you desperately trying to push through your limp.

“Cause you’re some saint, right?” He chuckled. He glanced over and saw the blood leaking down your leg and his stride slowed, so casually that you barely noticed at first.

“Where are we taking him?” You rolled your eyes but got no answer.

The place, you soon found out, was nothing more than a random apartment building as far as you were concerned. The roof of the random building, to be specific. You refused to help chain Daredevil up, stepping to the side to acknowledge the aggressive stinging at your side. The bullet caught you just below where your belt sat, an irritated and bright red line that left the area sticky and wet with blood. You pulled some gauze from your belt and stuffed it under the hole of your suit, clenching your jaw as you pressed down.

“Hey.” You breathed once you got the bleeding to stop. “You speak Russian?”

“No, why?” The Punisher answered, though he didn’t pay much attention to you as he finished his chain project.

“Seemed like you knew what I said earlier.” You shrugged.

He chuckled slightly as he finished the lock. He made his way over to you and knelt beside you, carefully reaching for your newest wound. He pulled the gauze away and pressed around the opening, causing you to wince and smack at his hands as new blood bubbled out.

“I just figured you were talking shit.” He shrugged with a lazy but amused smile. “It’s not too bad. Does it hurt still?”

“Yes but no, more so when I walk on it.” You answered with a sight wince as you scooted further back to lean against the air vent behind you. “It’s just a graze though, doesn’t need stitches or anything. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re pretty tough.” He shrugged before leaning over for a small kit. “Anyone else probably would’ve dropped and not gotten up… Let alone tackle us down - what was it - two stories.”

“You guys are like two dogs fighting… Neither of you were gonna stop until something distracted you. Hence, a two story fall.”

He reached for your leg again, one hand behind your knee and the other on your shin. He pushed on your shin to bend your leg before he pinched the skin together. You let out a yelp as the two sensitive edges touched but you simply tightened your hands into fists while the Punisher meticulously placed butterfly closures.

“You have a name?” You asked when he finished, backing off so you could replace the gauze and tape it on. “Can’t really call you the Punisher forever.”

“Do you?” He retorted.

You offered a lazy smile and noticed the bullet wound on his arm. You climbed up to your knees and grabbed the needle and thread from the kit. You began to close his wound without saying anything and he didn’t try to stop you, even though you could tell his instinct was to pull away and do it himself.

“They say you don’t hear the bullet that gets you… Always thought it was bullshit till now.” He said, grimacing as you pulled the stitch.

“It is.” You nodded, focusing on the movement of your fingers. “Well, for me at least. I’ve heard every shot taken at me. They usually miss… Couple get lucky, I won’t lie. Learned the hard way to pay attention to everything.” You shrugged casually.

“What about you, Red?” The Punisher called, turning his head towards Daredevil. You hadn’t realized he was awake. “The other night when I cracked off your forehead, did you hear that?”

You tugged the next stitch hard and he glared at you. You raised your brows in a slight challenge as Daredevil thrashed against the chains. He nodded with a small smirk and raised his free hand in surrender.

“You can pull on those chains all night.” Your accent found you as you warned Daredevil before tying off the thread and biting off the rest. Your thumb ran over the now closed wound and you nodded in satisfaction. Not your best work but still pretty clean, given there wasn’t a ton of light on the rooftop.

“Only way you get out of here is if we let you.”

“We?” Daredevil scoffed. “You’re with him now?”

“You didn’t leave me much choice.” You rolled your eyes.

“Don’t give me that.” He shook his head. “There’s always a choice.”

“Not for me. Not after what you did. You’re lucky you’re even alive.”

“You didn’t take my mask off… Why?” Daredevil spoke, his expression hidden as he turned to you.

“Don’t give a shit who you are.” The Punisher answered.

“Not you. Her.”

You moved closer to your former partner, a slight limp in your stride. He must’ve noticed that your footsteps sounded different because you were hit with a brief feeling of concern, concern for you and your well-being. Part of you wanted to assure him that you were okay, that you just got nicked, but the bigger part didn’t care if he was worried. Sure, he was your friend - maybe - and your old partner, but those days were over.

Exodus and Daredevil were done.

You dropped beside him and his hand went searching for yours, despite his limited reach. You sighed to yourself and gave him your hand, just to be kind. A weakness, you knew, that only he could manage to create in you. His fingers wrapped around yours tightly and through both of your gloves, you felt that relief - the familiarity - jolt through your fingers.

It made you think that maybe Exodus and Daredevil didn’t have to be done. But which of you would change for the other? Which would break first?

“How do you know I didn’t?” You countered after a seemingly eternal silence as your thoughts had been processing. “When he shot you in the head, I was there… All night. I saw him do it. I could’ve seen your face then while I waited for your friend to show.”

“No, I don’t think you did.” He said softly and tilted his head towards you.

You wondered why he didn’t believe you. Maybe it was the fact that he knew the identity secrecy was your idea, how adamant you were that you two couldn’t know anything about each other.

But didn’t you want to know? The power you could have over him, the way he would have to beg for you to keep his secret. The way he would have to give control of his future to you. Didn’t you want that?

So really.. Why didn’t you look that night? Why waste time waiting on the roof?

Maybe it was just out of respect, a professional courtesy.

“Why would you say that?” You asked in the same low tone.

“You’re not one to give away your leverage.” He nearly smiled. “And I know you, Ex. This guy-“ He shook his head. “He’s not who you wanna be. He’s not-“

“You done over there, Princess?” The Punisher called suddenly.

You turned and saw him already looking at you with an amused smile and raised brows. You flipped him off and he chuckled.

“Call me that again and I’ll shoot you myself.” You said firmly.

You realized then just how often moments like that went with Daredevil. One of you would crack the other’s exterior, get a glimpse of the person under the masks and under the costumes. Only for reality to snap you back like elastic, pulling you out of that instance of peace and back into the fight. Back into the brawl. Into the blood.

You shook the realization and focused on keeping the men on the rooftop calm. You drummed your fingers against your leg, watching little white waves come from the light impact. They floated across the roof before dissipating and you felt irritation brewing, but it remained at a manageable level.

“You’ve killed everyone else… Why am I still alive?” Daredevil announced. “I’ve gotten in your way twice now. Her, I get.” He nodded to you and you rolled your eyes. The fact that he thought he had some insight into your logic made you want to shoot him yourself. “But you don’t seem like the kind of guy to just let that happen.”

“You should stop instigating.” You announced, pushing to stand. “You’re nosy, always have been. It’s gonna land you in a bad situation one day.”

“One like this?” The Punisher joked.

“Oh, yeah. Maybe.” You nodded before shrugging. “Hell, maybe one worse.”

“Military grade hardware.” Daredevil continued. You scoffed and crossed the roof. “And you carry yourself like a soldier… What are you gonna do with all this?”

“I’ll do what’s required.” The Punisher answered.

“Y’know I’ve heard that line before. That you have to do it and you’re what they deserve.” Daredevil chuckled bleakly and turned his attention to you, only for a second. “But you’re wrong. You’re wrong because it’s not-“

“Not this again.” You groaned. “You think you’re better than him - better than me - because you keep some moral high ground. And I’m tired of it! I’m tired of trying to be different, to be like you. Because I’m not and it’s exhausting to try.”

“How many does this make?” He yelled past you, though the Punisher was ignoring him. Your new partner offered you his thermos and you staggered over to see what it was. “Ten, maybe twenty times? How long has it been? Your whole life?”

“Nosy bastard.” You grumbled and sat beside the Punisher, sniffing the open thermos before taking a tentative sip.

“No one else has to die.” Daredevil continued. “You can stop now, walk away.”

“Walk away?” The Punisher repeated as you handed back his thermos. “Could you do that? Could you walk away?”

Daredevil was quiet.

“I tried.” Your voice filled the silence, though it sounded distant as you spoke. Your eyes remained fixated on a suddenly interesting crack in the concrete. “I’ve had to leave people behind and I thought I could walk away… Hang up these little bracelets and the suit and just be myself, live a normal life. But it never worked. I was always drawn back in because someone was trying to kill me. Or threaten people I cared about. Now they don’t get the chance.”

The church bells tolled, dramatically punctuating your words.

“Midnight.” You nodded and lifted your eyes, seeing the Punisher on the side of the roof.

“You gettin’ tired, Princess?” He teased, making you pick up a nearby rock and throw it at the back of his head.

“St. Matthew’s.” The Punisher chuckled as he looked in the direction of the church.

“You a Catholic?” Daredevil asked in gentle shock.

The Punisher looked to you. You shrugged slightly since it didn’t change anything for you. So was Matt and so was Daredevil. What did you care?

Matt and Daredevil… Hmm.

His attention flipped to Daredevil for a second before focusing back on his original task.

“Once.” He said simply.

“From New York?”

“Once.”

“You still go to Mass?”

“Stop it, Red. Stop digging.”

You listened quietly as Daredevil spoke. He spoke of New York with such tenderness, a deeper understanding of the city and how it affects people. He was quick to try and get your partner to open up, though those attempts were quickly shot down.

But you found that Daredevil’s voice was… different this time. He wasn’t speaking with the usual low gruffness he usually used. He wasn’t trying to be intimidating or cold. He was just talking but it was extremely familiar. The comfort you felt as you digested his voice - not his words - was something that you had only felt around Matt, Marc, Steven, and Natasha when you were younger.

But who exactly was he?

“You gotta be somethin’ when you’re not wearing the long johns.” The Punisher teased.

Daredevil glanced at you and it made you wonder if you were the only reason he didn’t outright say it, in that moment at least. “I’m just a guy.”

You zoned out of their conversation after that. They continued to antagonize each other in hopes of getting a confession. You paid it no real mind until you realized your new partner was gesturing to you as he spoke. By the time you focused in, his point was made and he was coming to sit beside you again.

“Why am I here?” Daredevil simply asked.

“Your way doesn’t work, in case you hadn’t noticed.” You chimed in. “I’ve told you before that you have to finish them, not just knock them on their ass.”

“So what he’s doing is better?” He asked bitterly. “You can’t trade lives.”

“What we do is out of necessity.” The Punisher clarified, earning a scoff from Daredevil.

“You’re not the only one, you know.” Daredevil pressed. “C’mon, who did you lose? Or you, Exodus? Huh? Someone you loved? Boo-hoo.” He mocked.

You shook your head and pushed yourself up while he continued to talk. There wasn’t much thought behind your actions other than a sparking anger in your chest, a burning disbelief that he could be so nonchalant about loss. You moved to kneel in front of Daredevil, silencing his words. You pulled your arm back and threw a right hook to his jaw.

“Loss doesn’t work the same for everyone, Red.” Your new partner chuckled.

Another punch. How dare he sit there and mock loss.

“We don’t pick what fixes us.”

Another punch. What did he know about what you’ve lost? What you’ve had to give up.

“Makes us whole.”

Another. Daredevil knew nothing. He could never understand the depth of your loss.

“Gives us purpose.”

One more hit before crossing the roof again. You heard Daredevil spit, likely a collection of blood. You huffed loudly as you sat back down, rubbing your tender leg.

“What kinda name is The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, anyway?” The Punisher continued.

“Quit instigating.” You groaned.

“I didn’t choose that name.” Daredevil defended.

“You’re not exactly running from it.” The Punisher urged as he gestured to the horns.

“I don’t do this to hurt people.”

“No? So what? It’s just a job perk?”

“You once said ‘I’m doing this because I enjoy it’ before putting a man in a coma.” You cut in quickly. “You burned and resuscitated a man that I could’ve killed and saved so much trouble. You saved a man who you called a cancer to this city when I had him on his knees, about to beg for his life. You’ve sent men to the hospital with broken limbs, comas, and one coughing fit away from their deaths. You cause more pain than we do.”

“I don’t kill anyone.” Daredevil reasoned but you were hit with a wave of his uncertainty, a wave of his disappointment.

“Is that why you think you’re better than us?” The Punisher scoffed. “That why you think you’re a big hero?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think or what I am.” He argued.

“What you think matters when it comes to me.” You accused firmly. “Then your opinion is the only one that matters.”

“People don’t have to die.”

“You believe that?” The Punisher scoffed.

“He does.” You sighed in annoyance as Daredevil answered “I believe it’s not my call and it ain’t yours either.”

“Deciding if they live is the same as deciding if they die!” You countered loudly, vividly remembering the first night you two met. “I’m tired of the same shit from you, day after day. Night after night, since I got back here! You put that costume on. You decided you were gonna beat the shit out of people and try to scare them straight.”

The Punisher pushed himself to his feet and you waved a hand. He helped you up and allowed you to limp ahead of him to Daredevil, almost as if he was making sure you didn’t need or ask for help. You knelt down and the Punisher was beside you.

“Guess what, Сорвиголова? It. Doesn’t. Work.” You said firmly. (Guess what, Daredevil?)

“I think you’re a half-measure.” Your partner pressed and you chuckled. “I think you’re a man who can’t finish the job. I think you’re a coward… And you know the one thing you can’t see? You’re one bad day away from being me.”

“He doesn’t believe you.” You sighed, dropping to sit flat. “He’ll never believe you. He thinks his faith in God and belief in second chances will keep him on the right path.”

“Someone’s coming.” Daredevil said, choosing to ignore you.

“I’ll say this once. You make one sound and I’ll open his head all over this roof.” The Punisher warned.

“Hey.” You said, reaching for his arm as he stood. “That guy has nothing to do with this. Don’t.”

“Better keep him quiet then.”

While the Punisher - Frank - spoke to the owner of the building, you stayed beside Daredevil. He continued to struggle and strain against the chains until you had enough. You leaned forward and positioned your knee between his legs, the other foot on the outside of his hip. You slammed your forearm against his chest and pressed your other wrist to his throat while the blue of your Bite shone. He let out a groan as he hit the wall behind him.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked you softly, nearly a whisper though his voice found the gruffness you were used to. “Why are you working with him?”

“Shut up.” You muttered, not looking at him.

“Exodus, come on. You’re better than this.”

“How would you know?” You faced him. Your eyes traced the hastily repaired line down his helmet, remembering the night it happened and the one who found him the next day. “How long have you known Franklin Nelson?”

“You know him?” He didn’t bother hiding his shock. “You really did stay that night…”

“Is he why you cared about Y/N?” You continued on your newest suspicion that arose from that night. That maybe you knew him outside the suits already. “When she was attacked by the Russians.”

Everything about him seemed to soften when you said your name. But it only made you more on edge. How did he know you? And who was he to you that the simple mention of your name, the simple thought of you, was enough to practically melt him?

“She-“ He began gently though Frank was already coming back. You moved to Daredevil’s side as your partner came into view. “You get off threatening innocent people?”

“Listen carefully, okay?” Frank said angrily as he came and pressed his gun to Daredevil’s forehead. “You listening? Feel it?”

Your old friend didn’t cower or move away, rather pressing his forehead against the gun. You hopped up as quickly as you could and pulled your own gun, pointing it at Frank.

“Drop it.” You said firmly. “Or I swear to God, Frank, I’ll put a bullet in you before you can thumb the hammer.”

He glanced over and saw your stance not faltering. He nodded slightly before taking a couple steps back and lowering the gun. You hesitantly did the same but kept an eye on Frank’s hand for a moment longer.

“You still gonna defend him? Despite the shit he’s been talking all night and the high horse he rides around on?” Frank challenged.

“I’ll suffer my own consequences for it later.” You shrugged. “You don’t get to kill him.”

“Fine.” He shrugged before facing Daredevil again. “I’m not a bad guy, Red. Neither is she if she’s willing to save your sorry ass.”

“You think you’re anything else?” Daredevil chuckled in disbelief.

“The people I kill need killing. That’s what I think.”

“You left men hanging from meat hooks!”

“You did what?” You asked Frank as he climbed a billboard later.

“He didn’t tell you about that?” Daredevil said in amusement.

“Neither did you if you found them like that.” You said over your shoulder.

“When was I supposed to? When you were dodging my calls?”

“Frank?” You turned away, annoyed once again with the masked vigilante.

“They got off easy in my opinion.” He reasoned from above.

“You shot up a hospital!”

“And nobody got hurt who didn’t deserve it.”

“My friend was in there.” You said firmly, thinking of how Karen screamed on the phone that night. “Would she have deserved it?”

“Don’t tell me you’re buying in to this crap.” Frank rolled his eyes.

“What happens the day someone decides you guys deserve it?” Daredevil called.

“Then they better not miss.” Frank answered simply as you replied “More than enough already did and failed.”

“You can’t treat this city like your personal shooting galleries!”

“What do you do?” You challenged. “You act like it’s a playground! You beat people up, throw them in jail and act like a hero. But guess what? They end up right back on the streets! You think what you do is better than what I’ve done? What he’s done? What happened when Wilson Fisk is back and goes after your precious little Y/N?”

That made him jerk against the chains and you smiled wickedly. Maybe you could use yourself as leverage, you realized.

“So you two will just put ‘em in the morgue, huh?” Daredevil replied bitterly.

“You’re goddamn right.” Frank said firmly, his conviction palpable.

“You ever doubt yourself?”

“Not even for a second.”

“She does.” Daredevil turned to you and your jaw tightened. “She doubted herself time and time again. And I was getting her through it. But then you come around and act no better for her than the Red R-“

“You don’t get to speak for me!” You cut in angrily, swiping a hand through the air angrily. You watched the red sparks at your fingers. “You hardly know anything about me or the Red Room so don’t throw that place around like it means anything to you.”

“I think you and me - you and her - me and her, we’re all the same.” Frank explained as he came to sit in front of Daredevil again. “You hit them and they get back up. We hit them and they stay down. Permanently. We make sure they don’t make it out in the street again.”

“What about hope?”

“You wanna talk about Santa Claus?” Frank mocked and you almost laughed.

“It’s real, Frank. It is. It’s real and it’s possible. She used to believe in it too, in redemption. Isn’t that what you wanted when you got here?”

“That’s what you thought I wanted.” You clarified calmly. “I gave up believing in that a long time ago and I told you that.”

“The people you kill deserve a chance.”

“What? To kill again?” You scoffed. “To kidnap another kid? To sell another girl into whatever hellscape will give the most money? You want that on your conscience?”

“To try, Ex. They deserve to try again. And if you don’t believe that anymore then there’s something in you that can’t be fixed.”

“Let me ask you something”. You knelt beside Frank to be eye level with Daredevil and you felt a sadistic urge tingling down your spine. “If Anatoly or Vladimir or even Fisk himself had killed Y/N because… Because they still thought she was me or they found out she had ties to you, would you let them off with a coma? With broken limbs or a fractured frontal bone.” You tapped the forehead of his helmet. “Broken nose, maybe. Or would you kill them? Would you make sure they never hurt another innocent girl?”

He said nothing but his emotions said everything. He didn’t know what he would do. He couldn’t say with certainty that he wouldn’t kill them, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to do it. Even for Y/N.

“Exactly.” You scoffed.

“You do this, Ex, you stick with him… And you’ll have to kill me this time around because I won’t stop coming for you until I take you down.” Daredevil continued.

“You’re giving me a goddamn ultimatum.” You chuckled in realization. “Are you that desperate?”

“I know there’s goodness in you, Ex. Even in you, Frank.”

“Опять не это..” You groaned and stood. (Not this again.)

Once you had moved, Frank knocked out Daredevil.

“And you used to work with this guy?” He asked you.

You shrugged. “He used to be easier to get along with.”

“How’s your leg?” He asked and knelt beside Daredevil and began fiddling with the chains. “That little limp’s getting more noticeable.”

“It’s just tender.” You admitted as you hobbled across the roof and sat with your back against the ledge. “I need to pick a place and stay there.”

He chuckled. “Can I ask you something?” He called out, not looking away from his new project.

“Sure.”

“The hell is the Red Room?”

“Place I was raised. Trained since I was a kid. Espionage, martial arts, weaponry, ballet, gymnastics, foreign language, culture, computers. Pretty much everything. They offered my parents money when I was a baby but Mom said no. We ran for a few months till Dad got tired of it. He went behind Mom’s back and sold me off a little after I turned one… And they’re still together.”

“That’s some heavy shit.” He nodded.

“You have no idea.” You agreed and your fingers went to where the Red Room emblem sat in your suit, though it was covered by the top from Daredevil. “And you… Marine, huh? Couldn’t have been easy.”

“Sounds like we both got a short end of the stick.” He said casually.

“Yet we both ended up here… Wonder why.”

“You believe in that?”

“I think there’s a point in the people you meet.” You shrugged, eyes landing on Daredevil for a second. “You think everything's a coincidence?”

“I just think shit happens the way it happens.” He said plainly.

“Simple.” You nodded.

“I’m not exactly the showy type like this guy.” He shook Daredevil by one of his horns and you chuckled.

“He’s not always so high and mighty, yknow.” You said honestly. “But you’re right. He is a half-measure.”

“I’ll be right back.” Frank said and disappeared into the building. “Got a little something for him…”

You craned your neck to see what he had done and saw a slight reflection off some duct tape. But what really caught your attention was the gun beneath the tape.

What the hell was he up to?

Daredevil began to stir not long after Frank left. But he was quick to come back with another man in tow.

“Caught this bastard trynna steal a car and skip town.” Frank explained as he threw Grotto to his knees.

“Grotto.” You gasped and tried to make your way over.

“He doesn’t deserve to die because you caught him stealing cars! It’s up to the law, not me or you or her!” Daredevil practically pleaded when he realized there was nothing he could do.

“Tell him a little bit about yourself.” Frank said in annoyance.

“I’m nobody, I swear.” Grotto pleaded.

“No? Lafayette Street, second floor. Tell him what happened.”

“What did you do?” You asked Grotto. You thought about that street but couldn’t remember any stories about it.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please!”

“What. Did you. Do.” You asked again, flexing your hand to wake your Widow’s Bite.

“Say it.” Frank pressed, punctuating his words with a right hook.

“Okay! I killed him! I put two in his head!” Grotto cried desperately. “I- I couldn’t say no! I couldn’t! I’m sorry! But I didn’t- I didn’t know the old lady was in the house!”

“What old lady?” Daredevil asked quickly.

“She started screaming and I begged her to stop… She saw my face. I had to!”

Your jaw clenched and you fired your Bite at his chest, causing Grotto to scream in pain.

“I’m not gonna shoot him.” Daredevil shook his head.

“Then I will.” You shrugged and drew your gun. “Unless you wanna kill me to stop me.” You teased.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Why not?” You laughed, a manic and bubbling sound that was oh so familiar to the teasing laugh you used on Red Room missions. “He’ll kill again. How many old ladies - or what if it’s a kid next time? Do you wanna live with that? Cause I won’t.”

“It won’t bring anyone back!”

“No… But it’ll keep him from hurting anyone else.”

“Shoot him!” Frank insisted. “Shoot him or shoot her. Either way you’re a killer.”

“Ты такой же, как и я, независимо от того, что ты выберешь.” You said firmly, knowing Daredevil wouldn’t shoot you. (You’re just like me, no matter what you choose.)

Instead, Daredevil shot the lock that held the chains in place. Upon hearing the gun fire, you pulled your own trigger and shot Grotto in the chest. Immediately after, Daredevil tackled you to the ground, your head bouncing off the concrete and your gun clattering away. Daredevil had one knee pinning an arm and the other was pinned by his foot as he began throwing punches, the gun still taped in his hand. You dodged what you could and found an opening to awkwardly aim your Bite towards his neck. You shot the burst quickly and he fell off of you, though the throbbing of fresh bruises remained.

Frank came to your side and helped you to sit. He carefully tilted your face to either side as he examined the blossoming lumps. You waved him off and wiped your sleeve across your face, clearing the blood from your nose and ignoring the pain. Your vision was blurry, head pounding as you shakily crossed the roof for your gun.

He took a second to lean over the ledge and fire across the street. Frank was quick to jump into the fight with Daredevil when he charged you again. You were loading your wire at your wrist when Daredevil knocked Frank unconscious.

“This is really who you wanna be?” He called to you as you got to your unsteady feet. “Last I heard, you were tired of killing.”

“Это уже то, кто я есть.” You grinned, despite the blood in your mouth. “Я просто больше не притворяюсь.” (It’s already who I am. I’m just not pretending anymore.)

You tumbled messily over the ledge and hastily shot your wire to catch your fall. You landed awkwardly and wobbled on your feet all the way back to your apartment. Once inside, you were quick to strip out of your suit and sit on the floor of your shower. You couldn’t even think how you were gonna cover your beating for work the next morning.

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

seven- only love can hurt like this

tags: @ironprincessstranger @dusstory @americaarse @johnmurphys-sass // six // eight // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Word Count: 9,239

Summary: Nelson and Murdock finally falls, leaving a cracked friendship in its wake. With a new development from Frank Castle, Y/N and Matt go to visit an old… adversary.

“Sorry I’m late!” Karen burst through the door in a hurry.

You sighed heavily and pushed yourself up, meeting her by her desk. You waved slightly and took a seat on the edge while she brought Foggy out. He offered you a small, sad smile and you returned the gesture.

“I’m glad you guys are both here. I wanna show you something.” She said quickly, rummaging through her bag. “Matt here too?”

“About Matt…” You trailed off sadly. “Karen, we gotta talk.”

“Let’s all take a long lunch today, hmm? There’s a lot we have to talk about.” Foggy added.

“You guys remember John Doe? One of the falsified reports.” She answered, not really hearing what you and Foggy were saying. “I think I found something.”

“Who’s house you break into this time?” You teased as you came around to Foggy’s other side so you could see better.

“No need.” She smiled slightly. “Just press passes and NYPD files and… Anyway, these pictures are all from the day Frank’s family was killed.”

“I’ve seen enough bloody bodies to last me a lifetime. Can we please just-“ Foggy tried again.

“Hang on. Just let her finish.” You said softly, putting a hand on his arm.

Maybe if Karen really was onto something, you’d have something that could distract you.

“Look at these two pictures. See this guy?” She pointed at one of the photos. “Now look.” She slid the photo to reveal a very similar one, only the body was gone.

Your brows furrowed as you reached for the photos. You flipped back and forth, comparing the two photos. You were hoping it was maybe a clear doctoring but the officers in the background were in different positions. What you did notice was that there had been another body, also removed, but the evidence tag number was only there for one.

“Maybe he was bagged and tagged already.” Foggy reasoned.

“That’s what I thought too but I couldn’t find any death certificates or anything. It’s like he was never there.” Karen continued.

“The evidence tag number is gone, too.” You pointed out, dropping the photos on her desk. “The body next to him is gone too but the little card isn’t. I’m pretty sure those don’t get picked up until the entire scene is cleared. Could be something..”

“What if he’s our John Doe?”

“Just… Let it go.” Foggy said, trying to remain calm though you could tell the topic grated his already sensitive nerves. “The trial is over.”

“But-“ She argued, following behind him and grabbing

your wrist to bring you with her. “No. There’s still a conspiracy. This guy could be the key to the cover up!”

“Maybe.” Foggy shrugged. “Somebody else’s problem now.”

You leaned against the doorframe, crossing your arms and fixing your eyes on the ground.

“But- Just like that?” She tried desperately. “I- I don’t get it.”

“We’re lawyers and I have bigger things to worry about.”

“Like what? Like.. like getting Nelson and Murdock back on top? This would do that!”

“Just tell her, Foggy.” You sighed, rubbing your tired eyes.

“Tell me what?” She insisted.

“There is no Nelson and Murdock. Look around.” Foggy explained, gesturing to the empty office space.

“Matt told us he doesn’t want to be a part of this anymore.” You said sadly. “He said Foggy should replace him with me or just close the office completely.”

“And you’re going to? What about helping people?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” You lifted your head. “I can’t make him be somewhere or do something he doesn’t wanna do.”

“But he listens to you!”

“Not anymore… When I talk, he just hears her. And I don’t know when that changed.”

Her eyes widened slightly in realization.

“Okay… Okay. You guys all fought at the courthouse a couple times but, you know, you weren’t your best selves. None of us really have been for a long time so-“

“I was my best self that day.” Foggy shrugged before gesturing to you. “Y/N was her best at the courthouse, covering for him. And so were you. You’re eerily good at this but Matt has-“

“He’s made his choice.” You shrugged. “He picked what he wants to prioritize and it’s not this firm. It’s not us. I’m sorry, Karen. Trust me. I know how you feel about him but…”

“The woman in his bed…” She turned to you. “The other night when we tried to get him to come back. Is this about her?”

“She knows how to get to him…”

“Okay, whatever.” She shook her head. “Whatever is going on with Matt, whether he’s not willing or not capable of making room for anything else in his life, it’s just right now.”

“You weren’t there… You didn’t hear the conviction in his voice when he told us to leave. I did.” You added.

“I should’ve warned you.” Foggy said kindly to Karen.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Karen shook her head, though you felt that disappointment. “If Matt doesn’t want to share his life with me, that’s between me and him. The same way your friendship with Matt is between you and him. I don’t need to be warned, Foggy. I just cannot be lied to anymore. All I want is the truth about something.”

“I get it…” Foggy nodded. “I’ll give you a call if something changes but for now, I suggest we all start thinking of a life outside this office.”

“Gimme a second and we can work on that together. Maybe we can still find some closure for Frank..” You nodded at Karen as she backed out of the room. You pushed yourself up and shut the door behind you. “Can I ask you something?”

“How did you know?” Foggy asked instead. “About Matt… You called him Red and he said that Castle started calling him that. I heard you say it before we left.”

“The night at the hospital, when I had to leave because the plumbing… Turns out, I don’t even have an upstairs neighbor. Elektra set it all up. She wanted me and Matt to go to some gala, said she needed someone pretty and someone that can throw a punch… I thought I was the one to fight but, turns out I was mainly the pretty one.”

“Did he know you were gonna be there?”

“I doubt it… I didn’t say anything until we were already there. But the way he moved and fought, he didn’t care. The entire way he handled that night wasn’t very Matt Murdock. From there, the pieces kinda fell into place and everything made sense. He’s yet to actually say the words and I haven’t said anything to him yet but I think he knew I would figure it out.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out like that. He was supposed to tell you himself.”

“I never would’ve found out that way though, would I?”

“Y/N… I’m so sorry.”

You shrugged slightly. “I knew he had his secrets. I have mine too so I couldn’t judge him. I can’t even judge him for this but… Foggy, I understand why he never told me. Really, I do. But why do I feel so…”

“Betrayed.” Foggy finished knowingly as he came closer. “Lied to. Because you care about him, even when he doesn’t deserve it. Even when he doesn’t want it. You’ve been there for him in every way you could since we all met… You still love him, don’t you?”

“Only love could hurt like this, I guess.” You shrugged sadly. “I don’t want to feel like this, Foggy.. I don’t want to look at him and see a different person. I- I don’t want everything to change because of a stupid costume. I just want Matt back.”

Foggy was quick to come around from behind the desk and wrap you in a tight hug. That embrace was enough to break every wall you had, allowing every ounce of pain and loss and regret and sadness that you’d been keeping out for weeks crashed into your chest with a force that was enough to buckle your knees. You sunk into his hug and cried quietly, Foggy rubbing your back gently. As you sobbed gently, you realized that it was the first time you could remember crying in front of Foggy. The first time you had shown any sort of vulnerability around him. And that only made you cry more.

Once you managed to pull yourself together, you headed back into the main office. You found Karen was already gone, a text waiting on your phone that told you she went to the Bulletin. You blew out a sigh and told Foggy you’d catch him later before walking out and aimlessly wandered down the street while trying to clear your head. Though nothing was going to be figured out anytime soon.

It was late by the time you got back to your apartment, the sun having gone down while you were out. You were drained by the time you flopped onto your couch. Out of habit - or maybe some twisted sense of desire - you reached for your burner. You checked the calls and found two missed from Matt. You almost smiled when you thought of how he still went to you for help, but it quickly faded as you chopped it up to Elektra being gone.

Ignoring it, you went to sleep. If it was that big of a deal, he would’ve left a voicemail or called more than twice.

All units, suspect Frank Castle, believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.

The words ringing in your brain the next morning made you jolt upright, nearly falling off the couch. You reached for your regular cell phone and found no new messages or calls. You hurried to turn on your TV but there was nothing on the news about it.

Maybe it was a dream. Maybe it was your brain trying to piece together something to make you feel anything other than empty. But would Frank be the ticket item?

Before you could think more on it, your phone rang.

Unknown number.

“Hello?” You answered quickly.

“Miss me, Princess?” Frank replied and you felt every muscle in your body tense.

“You’re insane, yknow that?” You chuckled and shook your head. “And I’m still pissed at you for blowing your trial so this better be good.”

“Yeah, I figured.. Listen, I’ll tell you everything, okay?”

“You’re goddamn right you’re gonna tell me! Because you don’t get to go on some bullshit rant - that not only closed your case but practically blew my firm apart - and expect me to just forget about it and be friends again.”

“I know, Y/N. I know, just.. Just gimme a chance to explain, okay?”

You sighed and rubbed your eyes, pushing yourself up to go get ready.

“Cops know you got out.” You said simply. “Heard it on their radios not too long ago… Thought I was hearing things at first but then you called and now it all makes sense.”

“I need you to hear me out.”

“I will… Just not right now. Stay out of sight - somewhere safe - and I’ll meet up with you later tonight.”

“No, it can’t wait that long.” He insisted.

Your phone buzzing in your hand made you pull away and check it, seeing a call from another unknown coming in.

“It’s gonna have to wait a little bit, at least. Something else just came up and I’m betting it has something to do with you. Just hang tight, alright?”

“Alright… Call me back when you can.”

You ended one call and accepted the other.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Y/L/N?”

“Speaking.” Your brows furrowed.

“We need you to report to the courthouse immediately.”

“May I ask what this is about?”

“DA Reyes has requested the presence of the entire Nelson and Murdock firm. That’s all we can say at this time.”

“Hmm… Okay, I’ll be right there.”

You rushed through a shower and got ready before grabbing a taxi and getting to the courthouse. You were met by a federal agent and led through the crowd until you reached Karen and Foggy.

“Hey. You guys alright?” You asked as you joined them.

“Security is nuts.” Karen commented. “Are you-“ She looked back at you. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You just look a little tired, is all..”

“Few rough nights.” You shrugged.

“With Frank Castle on the loose, I wouldn’t expect nights to get any better.” Foggy said as he glanced around, clearly looking for Matt.

“No, it’s too soon, even for Frank.” You shook your head and looked at all the commotion around you. “Something else has to be going on.”

“Guessing that’s what the DA wants to ask us about.”

“Okay but… What if-“ You began, trying to figure out the best way to word it without sounding like you knew something. “What if Matt was right? After the trial, when he said someone got to Frank… What if they did? What if someone helped get him out?”

“But who’d be able to do that in a day?” Karen asked but all you could do was shrug.

“Mr. Nelson, Ms. Page. This way please.” An agent came and ushered your friends away, leaving you on the stairs.

Just in time for Matt to get dropped off.

“Surprised you came.” You commented as he made it to where you were waiting. “After that very moving confession of not needing us anymore.”

“Y/N? You alright?” He asked gently.

“No, I’m not. One of my best friends turned his back on me and now…” You sighed and collected your thoughts. “Now, Frank is out and I’m pretty sure Reyes is gonna blame us.”

“But there’s no way you could’ve-“

“What do you know?” You cut in.

“Excuse me?”

“About this.” You stepped closer so you could speak quieter. “About Frank. You have to know something.”

“I don’t.” He answered with a shake of his head.

“Don’t bullshit me right now, Matt. You always know something.”

“Not this time.”

“Ms. Y/L/N, Mr. Murdock. We’re ready for you.” The same agent that took Foggy and Karen guided you and Matt through security.

Soon, the four of you were being led down the halls to Reyes.

“Y/N, Karen.” Matt called. “You two spent the most time with him. He say anything at all that could help us right now?”

You laughed once and shook your head. Matt knew damn well from the conversation you had just moments before that you didn’t know anything, yet he still felt the need to ask.

“Nothing about an escape.” Karen answered for you.

“Here, take a look at these.” Foggy said as he passed you a folder.

“What am I looking at?” You took the folder and flipped it open.

“Castle’s transfer paperwork. It’s not like he was waltzing into some country club. They were burying him in their highest security unit…”

“With all the other heavy hitters on cell block D.” You commented as you glanced through the pages before handing it off to Karen.

“Matt?” You said quietly.

Glancing to the side, you saw his head tilt but no other acknowledgement. “Frank wasn’t in the same block as Fisk, by chance, was he?”

You turned your head, making the gesture look like you were just reading signs on the hall, but you caught Matt’s reaction. His brows furrowed and jaw tightened. You could see the anger begin to seep off him before he cleared his mind.

That was all the answer you needed. And it let you piece together what Frank wanted to talk to you about.

You had to quickly swallow your anger for the time being. You knew the moment you got ahold of Frank, you were going to make it known just how pissed off you were with him.

“О, черт.” You sighed as you were all ushered into the DA’s office. (Oh shit.)

“Cell block D?” Matt asked as you three were left alone.

“Yeah… Why?” You feigned curiosity.

“That mean something to you?” Foggy piped up.

“Yeah, well I like to keep track of people who want to kill us.”

“The fact there’s a list is startling but go on.” You joked and Karen smacked your arm. “Only other person I could think that has it out for us - other than Reyes - is Fisk.”

“Exactly.” Matt nodded.

“Frank blows his trial and ends up on Fisk’s cell block?” Karen repeated.

“And a day later, he’s back on the street.” Matt finished.

“You were right. Someone got to Frank..” You said through your sigh. “Question now is what did Fisk have that Frank would want.”

“Hold on.” Foggy cut in. “Those are two very different dots. You can’t just connect them.”

“Come on, Foggy.” Matt urged. “I’m right. Fisk made this happen.”

“Look at how everything lines up, right.” You spoke up, knowing it would only come across as Matt’s ego talking if he kept going. “We put away Fisk so he has a vendetta against us. The Punisher case is plastered literally everywhere so he had to have heard about it and who else is on the front page? Nelson and Murdock. He has enough money left over to buy a couple guards, so he buys a guard that can get close to Frank. When Frank came into court that day, something was wrong and that guard was off. They end up in the same cell block and now he’s out. And how much you wanna bet I can request some records and find some sort of a trademark Punisher style brawl not dated that much earlier? As much as I hate him right now-“ You pointed to Matt.

“Hurtful.” Matt nodded.

“But warranted.” You countered. “Regardless, there’s some merit to this theory.”

The door opened and your conversation was as quick to halt. As you were ushered into Reyes’ office, her frazzled state jarred you. You had to take a step back because it hit you so suddenly. It was unexpected from a woman who had a stare so hard it could cut diamonds, so cold it could freeze Hell.

Your group took their seats, Karen and Foggy on the ends with you and Matt in the middle. You let out a deep breath and let it serve to blow the buzzing from the air.

“Let’s not bullshit, hmm?” You spoke up, leaning back in the chair and resting your elbows on the armrests. “You brought us here to try and bully privileged information about our client out of us.”

“Yes… if it helps.” She admitted easily.

“It doesn’t.” You smiled sarcastically.

“We have to get Frank Castle off the street before anyone else gets hurt.”

“We?” You scoffed and shifted to lean forward, causing her to lean back. “You think we’re going to help you after the stunts you’ve pulled against my firm?”

“If you want our cooperation, then we need to know what you know.” Matt interrupted.

Though you didn’t appreciate him cutting in, you could see what he was doing. He was thinking as Daredevil, as someone who promised to keep Fisk away and handle the Punisher. So far, Fisk was only physically away but his influence was still reaching. And Frank was right back, calling you like he hadn’t just escaped prison with multiple capital crimes against him.

“Everything.” You added firmly. “Or we don’t even consider it and we walk out that door.”

“I’ve made mistakes.” She said hesitantly.

You rubbed your fingers together and focused on her doubts, hoping to crumble them and leave her more open to talking. You felt her uncertainty wavering, cracking apart until it finally collapsed. You smirked slightly as she continued the story.

“Central Park.. Castle and his family. I screwed up.”

“Frank Castle’s family being gunned down is not a mistake. It’s a massacre.” Karen insisted and you nodded, pointing to her to show you agreed.

“Wait.” Reyes defended. “I swear to God, if I had any idea that people might get hurt, I wouldn’t have done that!”

“That doesn’t matter!” You said firmly. “Because at the end of the day, rather than make things right with Frank, you wanted to put him in the ground to cover your mistake.. You put the DNR to save your career. You don’t get to trade lives!”

You mentally facepalmed as soon as the words left your mouth. You sounded exactly like Daredevil and Matt knew it. He was practically glowing with pride.

“You don’t get to pass your consequences off on someone else because you’re afraid to own up to them.”

“Why am I not surprised your office was part of it?” Foggy said simply.

“They were more than part of it.” Karen said knowingly. You leaned around Matt to hear her better and she looked to you in return. “It was a sting.”

“How do you know that?” Reyes panicked.

You discreetly waved a hand to wipe the tension away and allow the information to keep flowing.

“I’ve gotten really good at digging up shit people like you wanna keep buried.”

“Probably not a good idea to..” Matt leaned over and whispered to Karen.

You watched as Reyes turned around and let her assistant tell the story. You scoffed quietly at how pathetic it was.

“Last year, the DA’s office learned there was a new player in the drug trade. Calls himself the Blacksmith. He wasn’t gonna flood the market, he was gonna be the market.” He explained. You didn’t have to manipulate anything to keep him talking.

“We were tracking kilos but he was dealing in metric tons. Volume like that should’ve made him easy to find but the guy was a ghost. No sign of how he was getting the product into the country, nothing. Then one of the cops we planted deep undercover got word that the Blacksmith was arranging a meet between three unaffiliated gangs.”

“Let me guess. Kitchen Irish, Mexican Cartel, and Dogs of Hell.” You said sarcastically.

“He wanted to broker a deal, set a meet for midafternoon in Central Park. Our guys were there and ready but the sting just went south.”

“Went south?” You laughed bitterly. “Went south is what you say when your drunk uncle starts a fistfight at the family reunion, not when a mother and her two children are gunned down in broad daylight! When you try to murder their father just to keep it quiet!”

“You didn’t clear the park, did you?” Matt challenged.

“I thought about it.” Reyes nodded, as if that would make it okay. “But I decided an empty park could show our hand. So yes… I greenlit the operation, civilian traffic and all.”

“You put innocent kids at risk.” You emphasized.

“Yes, but-“

“There is no but!” You cut in quickly. “You cannot justify something that hurts kids! You could've had officers in positions posing as civilians. Did you even think about that?”

“And then it all oh-so-predictably went to shit.” Foggy continued.

“Blacksmith didn’t show.” She continued and that time you did scoff.

“The gangs got rattled before we could move in and they opened fire on each other… Our undercover was killed and Castle’s family.. Goddamnit.”

“After that horrendous decision, you tried to make it worse. You tried to kill him and ruin us to save your own political ass.” Foggy shook his head in disbelief.

“Maria Castle. Frank Castle Jr. Lisa Castle. Frank Castle. All of them paid a price just to save your pathetic little career in this office.” You said viciously, venom lacing every syllable.

“You know what, lady, you’re on your own.”

“Wait!” Reyes insisted as you and Foggy began to stand. “This isn’t about me anymore.”

Slowly, you sat back down.

“I found this in my daughter’s backpack before sending her off to school.” Reyes explained and showed Frank’s cranial x-ray.

“Once he gets his sights on a target, he never stops. You know that.”

“So what? You think he’d hurt your daughter?” You asked seriously. You were almost offended that she would insinuate that.

“Where is she?” Matt asked.

“Upstate. Somewhere I can never know about. She’s surrounded by men with guns… Assigned to protect her.”

While you felt sympathy for her in regards to her daughter, you were still irritated since she thought Frank would hurt the girl.

“Frank wouldn’t target your family.” You said simply. “None of you will get this but he’s not heartless, alright? He’s not a monster. He has morals and a- a- a code, I guess, that he operates by. He only hurts people who deserve it.”

“And I’m supposed to trust that?” She scoffed. “What happens if he decides she does?”

“He won’t.”

“Look, I don’t care how much time you spent in an interrogation room with him. He’s coming after my child.”

“You don’t know that!”

“And you do?” She yelled.

“The man lost his own daughter!” You shouted and stood, slamming your hands on her desk. “He knows that kind of pain and grief. You really think he’d want that for anyone else?”

“Didn’t seem to stop him before “ She said, trying to mask her fear with anger.

“What do you want from us?” Matt asked, reaching for your arm but then deciding otherwise. Instead, Foggy reached forward and pulled you back.

“If he contacts you, just let us know.”

“You want us to break privilege?” Foggy asked, clearly insulted.

“I wanna make sure nobody else gets hurt.”

“Only because it’s someone you care about.” You pointed out, scooting forward to the edge of your seat but Foggy and Matt both put arms out to keep you from standing again. “If you weren’t scared for your daughter’s life, we wouldn’t be here. Would we? You’d go on some other crusade to take him down with another shoot to kill in place. And it’s funny that you didn’t mention or take responsibility for the DNR you ordered. You can’t even say their names…”

“I know what I’ve done here but…” Reyes began again but Matt grabbing your forearm distracted you.

He leaned over to speak quietly and you leaned into him to hear him.

“Get down.” He muttered.

You were quick to move to your side and take Foggy down with you while Matt dove to cover Karen. You kept your friend down until the bullets stopped then you slowly got yourself up. The only problem was that when you leaned your weight on your right arm, your arm collapsed and you fell back on the floor.

Frank was right. You don’t hear the ones that get you.

You rolled to your back and glanced down, seeing a bloody line carved into your shoulder and a red soaked bullet on the ground. You cursed softly and scooted up to lean against the wall. You clamped a hand over your wound and dropped your head against the wall, clenching your jaw tightly to keep the groans of pain quiet.

“Foggy.” You managed and tried to reach for him, though moving the arm with the bullet caused you to cry out loud. “Foggy. Foggy, Foggy, Foggy.” You repeated quietly as he knelt by your side.

“I need you to-“ You winced. “I need you to tear the sleeve off, okay? And I need you to tie it so the knot is- Ah! So the knot is over this.”

“Y/N, I can’t..” He tried but you shook your head quickly with your eyes closed.

“I need you to do this.” You whined. “Please.”

“I-“ He sighed and you felt his hands grip your sleeve. “Ready?”

“Just do it.”

You cried out as he pulled the sleeve and it ripped free from your shirt. You bit your bottom lip as he maneuvered your arm and tied the sleeve, squeezing the wound with the knot.

“Я убью Фрэнка, если он это сделает, клянусь Богом!” You muttered through heavy breathes as Matt came over to help you to your feet once he knew Karen was out safely. (I’m gonna kill Frank if he did this, I swear to God!)

Matt held you up as you all were ushered out of the courthouse. You were glad you had Foggy tie it off when you did, otherwise the blood loss would’ve been more catastrophic. Your footing slipped every now and then, but Matt was right there with arm around your waist to catch you.

EMTs were quick to the scene and rushed to check you out. They explained things you already knew. It was a clean shot, in and out. There was no bone damage but the muscle damage was deep, cutting right through your deltoid muscle and narrowly missing the bone of your upper arm. They recommended stitches but you adamantly refused, not wanting to waste anytime getting to Frank. Hesitantly, they told you to avoid strenuous lifting and movements for a few weeks. They cleaned and dressed the wound instead while they offered to take you to a hospital of your choice just to check and offered a few treatments but you refused.

You had to find Frank before the cops did.

“How do you feel?” Matt asked after the EMTs left you.

“I’m angry.” You said honestly, feeling the heat of your anger pulsing in your new wound. “But I don’t think this was Frank. He wouldn’t do that so recklessly when the four of us were in the way.”

“The man just shot you.” Matt scoffed.

“No, he didn’t. He wouldn’t hurt me!”

“Why do you still defend him?” He tried to walk away but you hurried to follow him.

“Why did you always defend Exodus?” You shrugged your good shoulder.

“They’re not the same.”

You thought about how that was a blatant contradiction to what he told Elektra, that all three of you were the same. But you knew better than to make a big deal about. However, it didn’t stop you from pointing it out casually.

“Maybe, maybe not, but that’s not what you told Elektra.”

That earned you a scowl.

“Point is, you saw something good in her at the beginning. You believed in her at one point, right? Well I believe in Frank. He’s not a bad guy, just been through so much trauma and grief and pain. Everyone has failed him but no one wants to make that right. No one wants to fight for him!”

“So what?” He urged. “You gonna pick up a gun and go shoot down people that piss you off, too?”

“Frank Castle isn’t the Punisher by default and no one understands that! Reyes created the Punisher through her own selfish decision. Why don’t you believe there’s some merit to him?”

“Why do you?” He stopped and grabbed your hand to stop you. You felt the heavy pulse of his next question roll through you. “Honestly. Why do you care, Y/N? Do you.. have feelings for him?” He finished carefully, as if he was afraid to hear the answer.

“No.” You laughed slightly. “I’ve only loved three men in my life and Frank Castle is not one of them.”

He let out a small breath of relief.

“I just know what it’s like to be so full of rage and pain and grief and not know what to do with it. He knows where to direct it and all he wants to do is hurt the people who hurt him.”

“That’s not justice, Y/N. It’s vengeance.”

“Sometimes they’re not so different.” You shrugged, which made his jaw drop slightly and his brows furrowed.

“What I’m trying to say is that he’s still a man. He’s a husband and a father. He’s strong in his beliefs and he’s honest. Everyone wants to criminalize him. I know he acts like some idiot with a gun and he’s supposed to be treated like a lost cause and even by the Devil’s rules, he’s a villain. I know what everyone believes and I know what I’m supposed to say but I just don’t see it.”

“I don’t get it.” He said softly. “How can you see so much good in him?”

You shrugged.

“He’s protective and he cares about people. He reminds me of someone else that I kinda know.”

“Don’t say Daredevil.” He scowled and you cracked a small smile.

“In some ways, he does.” You said honestly.

You hadn’t even realized it until your latest rant but it was true. Frank wasn’t all that different from Daredevil. The biggest and most obvious difference was the blood on their hands, or lack thereof. But the similarities were more noticeable now.

They both were protective of you while respecting you completely. They didn’t want you to get hurt but they both knew you could handle yourself. They stood strong in their beliefs, refusing to back down against anyone, and they weren’t afraid to take responsibility for what they did. They weren’t afraid to challenge you either.

At the basest level, the deepest core level of their activities, they were practically the same.

“I need to find him, Matt. I know you can help me.” You admitted.

“Why?” He asked simply.

“Because I want to ask if he shot me. I want to know why he worked with Fisk… And I want to hear it from him.”

Matt waited there for a moment, processing your words. You could tell he wanted to do this alone. He didn’t want you tagging along so you didn’t get hurt. But he also liked that you were going to him for help. He liked the idea of chasing a lead together outside the masks.

“Alright, come on.” He jerked his head for you to follow. “I know where to start.”

“I need a new shirt first.”

You two ended up at the prison after a quick detour to your apartment. It was easy enough to get in to see Fisk, though his own lawyer seemed to hover. He shoved affidavits into each of your hands and Matt signed his easily. You hung back and read it over while Matt was led in to talk to him. You leaned against the wall and tapped your pen against the paper in thought.

“Kinda extensive, huh?” A man asked as he came to your side.

“Yeah.” You laughed slightly. “Makes you wonder who’s really in charge around here…”

“I hate coming to deal with this guy.” He shook his head. “But everyone’s gotta draw the short stick every now and then.”

“You from his legal team?”

“God no.” He laughed. “FBI. You?”

You hummed and turned to face him.

“Part of the firm that got him locked up in the first place.” You smiled.

“Really? I am impressed.” He smiled slightly. “Harvard? No. Princeton?”

“Columbia.”

He clicked his tongue in disappointment. “That was my next guess.”

You laughed.

“So what brings you in?” He asked casually. There was a bit of suspicion in his voice but nothing that you couldn’t talk around, likely just part of his job.

“I got shot earlier and the prime suspect is a guy I think Fisk helped get out. Came to find out what he knows.”

“You got shot and the first thing you do is come pick a fight at a prison?”

“Pretty much.” You shrugged your good shoulder. “Why? Is that not the normal response?”

“You’re one tough cookie, aren’t you?” He smiled lazily.

“Oh yeah.” You nodded and gestured to yourself. “I’m a regular badass.”

“I bet.. I’m Dex, by the way.” He held a hand out for you to shake.

“You always introduce yourself with a nickname?” Your brows lifted as you shook his hand. “Y/N.”

He rolled his eyes in amusement. “Ben Poindexter. That better?”

“Very.” You nodded with a grin. “Think I can get away with signing a fake name?” You shook the papers from Fisk’s lawyer.

“Something tells me you can get away with a lot more than that.” He chuckled.

“Ms. Y/L/N.” His lawyer came to ask. “Have you signed it?”

You glanced between the man and your new friend before pushing off the wall. You shot Dex a quick wink and handed the papers back to Fisk’s lawyer. He skimmed them and scowled when he saw no signature.

“You don’t care about the affidavit.” You said convincingly, waving your hand to dismiss his intent. “You’re not worried about me or what I came for. Fisk is more than happy to talk to me.”

“I think it’ll be fine, just this once.” He nodded before going back, you assumed for Matt.

“Okay.” Dex came to your side with a chuckle. “Now I’m impressed. You ever get bored of this legal stuff, I bet you’d be great at the FBI.”

“Yeah?” You turned to face him.

“Yeah. Something tells me you’d make a kickass special agent.”

“Y’know, that may not be a terrible idea…”

“Here’s my number if you ever wanna try it.” He smiled and handed you a card.

“You just keep these on hand?” You laughed and tucked the card into your pocket.

“It works, doesn’t it?” He defended with a chuckle. Someone called for Dex so he offered a quick apology before taking off. You decided you needed to make a quick call so you weren’t walking in with nothing.

You stared at the contacts in your phone, two numbers shining back at you.

moon man<3

even steven<3

One number would lead you to the man you needed. The other would take you to someone who had no idea. You knew who you should call first, but you found yourself wanting to talk to them both. You let out a small sigh and clicked one at random, letting fate decide who you would talk to first.

“Hello?” He said carefully, a clear accent in his voice.

“Hi Steven.” You said softly. “How are you?”

“Y/N…” He breathed. “Hi.”

You chuckled gently. “Hi.”

“I- Uh. How- How have you been?”

You took a second and thought, drumming your fingers against your lips before answering.

“I’m doing okay.. You?”

“No you’re not.”

“What?”

“That little pause.” He noted. “You do that when you wanna keep something to yourself.”

“Almost forgot how attentive you are.” You smiled to yourself. It was different compared to the way Daredevil was attentive and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss it. “I’m struggling a little bit but I’ll figure it out.. I always do.”

“You don’t have to do it alone.. You could always come back. I don’t even really know why you left..”

“To take my Bar exam.” You nodded, leaning against the wall and chipping at the paint slightly. “I told you that.”

“Yeah.. But you didn’t say you weren’t coming back.”

You sighed and closed your eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, Steven. I never wanted to hurt you. Staying in New York was never the plan. You and M- … You were one of the very few ‘what if’s I wanted to come back to.”

“You still can.” He said softly, so gently that you barely heard him.

“I can’t.”

“Y/N..”

“I’m so sorry…” You sighed. “There‘s too much going on to just up and leave now.”

“I never stopped loving you. I’ve thought about you almost everyday.” He spoke quickly, as if there was a timer ticking down on your conversation and he wouldn’t get another chance to tell you that.

“I don’t deser-“

“Don’t do that.” He cut in quickly. “Don’t even try that. You deserve everything good, Love.”

“I’ve missed you.” You laughed sadly.

“Wait. Why did you call?”

“I don’t know… I just wanted to talk to you, I guess.”

“You’re a terrible liar, yknow that?” He chuckled sadly.

“So I’ve been told.. I’ve gotta go, okay?”

“Right, well, don’t be a stranger then. Laters, gators.”

You ended the call and held the phone against your chin. You felt the tears welling in your eyes and you hadn’t realized just how much you had missed him. Leaning your head against the wall behind you, you closed your eyes and sighed inwardly. As innocent as the conversation with Steven had been, you needed Marc.

You pushed yourself up and were using your phone as a mirror to check your eyes when you received a call back.

moon man<3

You cleared your throat and buried your sadness as you answered.

“What kind of trouble are you in now?” He said quickly, though any hint of an accent was now gone.

“Nice to hear from you too, Marc.” You rolled your eyes slightly.

“Cut the shit, Y/N. Where are you? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

You could hear things rustling around in the background, and you figured he was hurrying to pack a bag and gather together whatever he thought he would need. It was nice to know he still cared.

“I’m not in trouble.”

“Y/N.” He said firmly.

“Marc.” You mocked his tone.

“Seriously?” He scoffed.

“I promise I’m not in trouble.. But I do need your help. I just need you to help me find someone.”

“That’s all you need?”

“Yes.” You chuckled.

“Okay.. But you gotta answer one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why didn’t you come back?”

You sighed. “They found me. There were at least three of them and one of them might’ve been Yelena… I had to get them away from you but I wasn’t going to go after my cousin so I left.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“If I came back covered in blood, how do I explain that?”

Silence.

“I didn’t know if I would come back to you or Steven, but I knew the best way to keep you both safe was to leave. I came back to New York and took my Bar Exam. That wasn’t a lie. Like I told Steven, I didn’t plan on staying here.”

“So why did you?”

“Things got crazy and then Matt-“

“Matt?” He scoffed. “Your ex-boyfriend from college?”

“We never dated.” You corrected.

“Sorry. Should I have said ‘your first love from college’?”

“Are you done?”

“You seriously stayed for Matt, the guy you said picked some other girl over you, when you had me? And Steven?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Then what else kept you there?”

“Y’know, when I’m not talking to you from inside a prison, I’ll gladly answer that.”

“Goddammit, Y/N.” He sighed.

Silence passed over the conversation for a second.

“You ever get the envelopes?” He asked instead.

“Yeah… You’re talking to a fully licensed lawyer.”

“That’s my girl.” You could hear the smirk in his voice. “And I heard about your case, that guy Frank Castle. Hell of an ending.”

“Ha ha.” You said sarcastically. “Can I ask you something now?”

“Yeah.”

The memory flashed in your mind, laying on your back in some abandoned temple. Sand sticking to your body and your blood pooling around you. There was a voice, deep and rumbling and taunting as it tried to get you or Marc to agree. You remembered seeing Marc stand and then you woke up in bed and you almost convinced yourself it was just a dream.

“That night in Egypt, when we both almost died… How did I get out?”

“That’s when I started with Khonshu, remember?”

“Yeah but how did that help me? I remember seeing you get up and the suit but after that… Next thing I know, I woke up in the safe house.”

“I told him I wasn’t leaving you… He showed me that there’s certain instances where the healing from the suit can be used on someone else. Haven’t been able to do it since though. Guess it hasn’t mattered as much as it did with you.”

“You saved me…” You smiled softly.

“Cause I loved you.” He said simply, as if it was obvious.

It was your turn to be quiet for a minute as you thought about the past tense of the word. It stung a bit when compared to Steven’s confession just moments ago.l, but you recognized it was selfish to assume Marc would hold out feelings for you.

“I planned on coming back after my exam. You were the person I wanted to be with when everything came in. I just figured it was safer if I stayed away for a while longer and then I got caught up here…”

“I could’ve handled it.”

“Maybe… But I can’t change what I did. I can just say I’m sorry, which truly I am. You’re the only other ‘what if’ I wanted to chase… I’m not asking you to forgive what I did. I just need you to try and find someone for me, Marc.”

“Yeah, okay.. Give me a name and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Vanessa Marianna. She’s really into art but is probably gonna be somewhere around Europe without extradition. She’s also probably moving around a lot, high security.”

He chuckled. “She a contract for you?”

“I don’t take contracts anymore.. I’m working a case and I need leverage against someone to get information.”

“Just use your little tasers. That usually works.” He joked.

“Oh yeah.” You smiled. “I’ll walk into a courtroom with those and see how far I get.”

“Y’know, I’m proud of you, Y/N/N.” He said softly. “I really am.”

“Thanks, Marc… That means a lot.”

“I’ll see what I can find, alright? And if you’re ever in London again…”

“You’ll be the first person I visit. I promise.”

“Talk soon.” He chuckled.

“Bye.”

You turned back to see Fisk’s lawyer guiding Matt out and you could see the blood on his teeth. You shoved your phone away and hurried to him, tilting his head up and to the side as you checked on him. He gently

pushed your hands away, which was a good thing given how hot they were already getting.

“Let’s go.” Matt told you and you could tell his pride was a bit bruised.

“No, I’m going in there.” You said angrily, trying to push past him but an arm came across your chest. “Don’t do this here.”

“Let’s go.”

“No.”

“Woah, woah.” You heard the familiar voice at your side and you smiled to yourself. “Let the lady go and let’s talk about this.”

“I need to talk to Fisk.” You said simply. “He’s in my way.”

“You won’t get anything out of him.” Matt reasoned.

“I can be very convincing.”

“Y/N, come on.”

“Don’t worry about it, man.” Dex stepped in, patting Matt’s arm while you pushed him away slightly. “I’ll go with her. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“If Fisk touches her, I swear to God.”

“Scout’s honor, buddy. Nothing she can’t handle, right?”Dex nodded and gestured for you to go ahead.

You waved your hands at the guards, watching white haze cover their eyes as you cleared every feeling they had. They had no loyalty, no sense of purpose. No anger or worry or even interest. They were simply bodies at that point, though you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

You entered the small interrogation room and set your shoulders back as you got close to Fisk. You glanced back and found Dex nodding, gesturing that he’d wait for you in the hall.

“I knew our paths would cross again, though this isn’t how I imagined it.” Fisk said as you reached the table. “How’s business nowadays?”

“Why let Castle out?” You asked simply, pressing your hot palms against the cold table.

“Yes, I heard you were involved with Mr. Castle. The question is if you are involved in all aspects of his endeavors?”

“What do you gain by helping the Punisher?”

“I did no such thing.”

“Bullshit. You two ended up in the same cell block. You telling me that was an accident?”

“Must’ve been. It’s rather interesting the way fate has brought you to Castle, brought Castle to me, and now… It’s has brought you back to me.”

“What about the way no guards stepped in when you beat the shit out of Murdock just now?”

“The guards must’ve-“

You slammed a fist down onto the table, making Fisk flinch just the smallest bit.

“You can talk anyone else in circles but not me. I know your games and they’re pathetic. What. Did you want. Castle for?”

“Nothing…”

“Oh, man.” You stood tall and sighed. “I don’t know what Vanessa saw in you… But I guess I can ask her when I find her.”

“What did you say?” His anger finally sparked.

“I have eyes everywhere, big guy. But I bet you knew that. I have people in every country looking for her, but you were probably counting on that since you have her moving every so often. I’ve taken it upon myself and blasted her name, photo, and basic information to all of my contacts so it’s only a matter of time before she’s found… Do you wanna know what I’ll do to her when I find her?”

“You don’t hurt women.” He tried but his uncertainty only pushed your taunting further. “You protect them.”

“Maybe I’ve changed.” You shrugged. “But I’m sure Matt has already talked about Vanessa, pulling her Visa and all that legal stuff, right?”

Silence.

“You know what the Punisher has done. I guess you’d have to if he caught your attention. His work is gonna look like a children’s cartoon when I’m done with her. Her own mother won’t be able to recognize her… I’d recommend a closed casket.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Maybe letting out the one man who’s just as lethal as I am wasn’t the best idea, was it? Who's gonna stop me, hm? Unless you got Castle on your payroll somehow.”

His jaw clenched but he said nothing.

“Then I guess I’ll have to beat it out of you via Vanessa.”

He stood suddenly and grabbed your shirt front with one hand and locked the other around your throat. You smiled wickedly and grabbed onto his wrist. Your hands grew hot with a fierce heat that you pushed forward and he winced as you locked your fingers together. You hopped up, angling your feet against the edge of the table, before kicking off and tucking your knees so you would fall backwards. His face slammed the table and he dropped his hold, making you hit the concrete ground roughly. You rolled to your back and spun so your feet were at the table again, but when you kicked off, you pushed the table into his stomach and pushed yourself through a tumble. The impact worked in shoving him back into his chair so you stood proudly, rubbing your aching shoulder and feeling your sleeve grow damp with the blood of a reopened wound.

“You think you have power? You think you’re earning anything back?” You laughed as Fisk looked to the door you came in from. “Let me show you power.”

You shot your hand towards the door and closed your fist, picturing you were grabbing the controls of the guards. You twisted your hand over, raising their interest and concerns. Only they weren’t worried or interested in what you would do to Fisk. You made them worried about you.

You felt Fisk begin to panic as the guards turned towards the room and leaned in closely to watch. You flattened both palms again and leaned in. He reared back and threw a fist at you, his broad hand slamming into your jaw and causing a small pop to sound at the joint.

You couldn’t hide the manic laughter as you pressed the other side of your jaw and felt the grinding of your bones back into place.

“You can think you’re in charge here but you need to remember that I can dismantle everything you build.” You smiled wickedly as he slammed your face against the steel table.

“You’re weak.” You spat before you slammed your face again to prove a point.

“You’re insane!” He yelled.

“No, I just play this game better.”

“I should’ve killed you in that alley!”

“But you didn’t!” You shouted before another slam.

One final slam gave you the crack you were hoping to hear. You stood straight and smiled, knowing how unsettling the image would be as the blood poured down your face before you took a couple steps back and feigned panic.

“Help! Help, he broke my nose!” You cried and lifted your hands towards your cheeks shakily. “Please!”

Dex and two guards burst in quickly, slamming Fisk against the table. You leaned over and braced yourself against your knees as you taunted him one last time.

“Why let Castle out? Distraction from what you’re doing here? Or you just need him to do your dirty work?” You asked and he growled at you in answer.

“Second one it is.” You nodded and stood up. “You want him to clear the way so you can get back to the top with as few obstacles as possible. You can hope and plan to get out of this place… But just know, the minute you think you’re safe in your little penthouse, I will find you. And you will regret ever having contacted me in the first place.”

You locked your fingers and placed the heels of your hands against either side of your nose as guards hauled Fisk away. You yanked the cartilage back into place with a groan as Dex came to check on you.

“You really are crazy, aren’t you?” He asked as he gestured to your now bloody face.

“Still think I’d be good for the FBI?” You teased and wiped your sleeve across your face.

“You’d be one hell of a partner.” He chuckled and led you back to Matt.

“It was nice to meet you!” You called over your shoulder as you and Matt were leaving.

“See you ‘round, Y/N.” Dex saluted and you had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time you’d see him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Matt scolded as he dragged you out of the prison and into the cab that waited for you two.

“What now?” You groaned, using the cuff of your sleeve and your phone’s camera to try and clean the blood off your face.

“You instigated him into putting hands on you.”

“Didn’t you do the same thing?”

“No.”

“The blood still on your teeth says otherwise.” You answered in a singsong voice. “You can’t stand on the high ground when you did the same thing.”

“Difference is, I can handle it.”

“And you think I can’t?”

“Y/N, he broke your nose.” Matt scolded and you scoffed.

“I broke my own nose.”

“Excuse me?”

“I broke my own nose.” You repeated. “He wasn’t gonna hit me hard enough so I did it myself.”

“Why would you- Oh my god!”

“I needed to prove a point. I proved it. Can we move on? I don’t need you to protect me from everything, Matt. You have to understand that.”

“I know.” He sighed, though you knew he didn’t mean it. He knew you weren’t helpless but he didn’t think you could take the bigger, more dangerous situations. “I just-“

“I’m not helpless. I appreciate your concern and I love you for it. But I need you to trust me a little bit more than you do now.”

“I love you too. Y/N… And I do trust you.”

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

six- not my job anymore

tags: @ironprincessstranger @dusstory @americaarse @johnmurphys-sass // five // seven // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Word Count: 9,717

Summary: The People v. Frank Castle hits the pinnacle and it seems to take down everything else in her life, too.

You were going to kill her.

Elektra single-handedly blew your hail mary out of the water. By threatening the medical examiner and directly stating the defense, it got the entire testimony stricken from the record. None of it mattered as far as the case was concerned.

Granted, it gave you proof that there was a coverup at play with Frank’s family but you already knew that. You were really hoping to get answers as to why he covered everything up but now that chance was blown.

Once you were all dismissed, Foggy and Matt ran straight into the men’s restroom. You, however, had some choice words for Matt. As soon as you reached the door, you heard it lock. Karen was trying to convince you to wait and scold him after, but you chose to ignore her.

No, Matt was going to hear what you had to say.

With a scoff, you took two bobby pins and picked the lock in under a minute. As you were pushing it open, it slammed in your face. You took a step back and dropped your shoulder, forcing Matt away from the door so you could barge in.

“It’s gotta be Exodus, right?” Foggy said as you entered.

“Ты хлопаешь мне еще одной дверью, и я клянусь твоим Богом, я сломаю тебе обе руки.” You threatened, pointing your finger in Matt’s face and walking him backwards till he hit the wall. (You slam another door in my face and I swear to your God, I will break both of your arms.)

Matt’s head tilted as he processed what you said, though you knew he didn’t understand the words. You watched the spark of recognition cross his features and you wanted to slap it off.

“Y/N.” Foggy tried, obviously in shock of your outburst. “Can’t this wait?”

“It wasn’t Exodus.” You didn’t take your eyes off Matt.

“What? How do you know?”

“You want to tell him or should I?” You glared at Matt, who only clenched his jaw and shrugged at you.

“It was Elektra.” You turned to face Foggy. “She’s the one who threatened Tepper. She’s Matt’s private client. She’s the one he’s been running off to every goddamn night!”

“Elektra?” Foggy repeated.

“Mhmm.” You hummed.

“His ex-girlfriend?”

“Mhmm.”

“No.” Foggy shook his head. “She’s a.. a debutante.”

“Nope. She’s like him.” You jabbed a finger towards Matt.

“She’s different now and- and she’s dangerous.” Matt explained.

“That’s why you’re sleeping with her again, right?” You sneered.

“I’m not-“ He groaned. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, alright?”

“Then how the hell did she know about Tepper?” You asked loudly. “Because I didn’t tell her! After she lied to me about Roxxon, I haven’t done shit for her!”

“Really?” He laughed in disbelief.

“But here you are, ditching your job for whatever backwards ass nonsense she asks you to do!”

“You lied again.” Foggy realized sadly.

“That’s all he can do lately.” You said pointedly as you put a hand on Foggy’s shoulder.

“Me? What about you?” Matt tried and gestured to you.

“Me?” You scoffed.

“Yes! You knew Elektra was back and didn’t say anything!”

“Don’t try to flip this on me! My one meeting that lasted less than fifteen minutes didn’t result in me blowing off this firm!”

“You weren’t even a real part of this firm until a couple weeks ago.” He snapped.

A beat of silence fell and even Foggy knew Matt was wrong for that.

“You don’t get to talk to her like that.” Foggy said quietly, as if in disbelief that his friend would be so harsh.

“This is the part where you apologize.” You said quietly, trying to hold back the tears. Something about that sentence cut you deeper than anything else Matt could’ve said.

“No. This is the part where you leave.” Matt answered and you couldn’t feel any sort of regret for his last sentence. “It’s what you do best, isn’t it?”

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, Foggy took a step in front of you. It was almost a protective step and he kept a hand behind him to hold on to you.

“You both wanted to take this case.” He said firmly, slowly raising his voice to a yell. “But you are the one who missed strategy sessions, witness prep, opening statements and you criminally decimate-“

“No I didn’t! She-“ Matt cut in and Foggy rolled his eyes. “I never told her anything about the trial!”

“The one witness that could’ve helped us do what I wanted to do, which is take down Reyes!”

“She must’ve overheard me talking to Karen and moved on her own.” Matt tried to reason. “I didn’t sanction.. I would never-“

“Stop acting like these things aren’t your fault.” You stepped out from behind Foggy. “No one else is making these decisions for you! These things don’t just happen, Matt. Whether on purpose or on accident, Elektra found out because of you. You need to pick what your real priority is, cause I don’t think it’s this life.”

You moved to leave but he grabbed your arm.

“No, you don’t get to say something like that and walk away.” Matt said firmly.

Without thinking, you pulled your free hand back and threw a punch across his jaw. Foggy, who had moved close to pull Matt away, was now backing away with his jaw dropped in shock.

“You don’t get to tell me to leave and then try to keep me here after I call you on your bullshit. If the last few days are any indication, you sure as hell haven’t cared enough to be here so you don’t get to suddenly care now.” You said angrily, shaking out your hand in an effort to pretend that the punch hurt. In all reality, you were shaking the heat from your anger off as you watched the red mark blossom on his face in the shape of your fist.

“For the rest of this case, I will count on you for nothing… At least then you can’t disappoint me. And keep your fucking girlfriend away from my trial.”

You pushed him away and moved to leave. As the door was swinging shut, you heard one last thing from Foggy.

“Elektra’s not the problem, Matt. Neither is Y/N.. You are.”

You stormed past Karen and to the elevators, though she was quick to follow. She asked non stop questions as you waited.

“Karen, please.” You said quickly, trying to maintain as much of your composure as you could while you slammed the button over and over. “I am about three questions away from a complete meltdown that will end with me on trial next.”

“Talk to me.” She insisted gently, though you noticed her step back.

“You should just ask Matt.”

“No, I’m asking you.”

“And right now, I don’t care.” You said firmly. “Alright? Babysitting his flaky ass isn’t my job anymore. I need to get away from here and away from him… Прежде чем я вставил ему в спину чертову пулю.” (Before I put a goddamn bullet in his back.)

That night you went out on a mission. Find Elektra and maybe knock a few teeth out. You found her by herself on a rooftop, likely waiting for Matt in his stupid red suit.

You would have to do instead.

You walked up behind her and yanked her shoulder so she would face you. You grabbed her by her throat and bent her over the edge, pressing your opposing Bite against her cheek and having the glow shift from blue to red. In a panic, she clung to your forearm as her feet couldn’t gain any traction.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” You asked angrily - though you were mindful of your accent since Matt could show at any time - pushing her a bit farther. “Why can’t you mind your fucking business?”

“What are you talking about?” She asked quickly.

“I come out here and help you while you play whatever game you’re playing with Matt. Then you turn around and blow the goddamn case!”

“I don’t know what you’re-“

You pressed your weapon against her skin harder and she groaned.

“You got the entire medical examiner’s testimony thrown out! That goddamn witness was supposed to be a game changer, Elektra!”

“Let her go.” Matt called from a few feet away.

“Poor choice of words, really.” You shrugged and gave her a good push, sending her over the ledge. You turned to him with a sadistic grin and you heard her body hit hard against an old fire escape. “Hmm.. Too bad that old thing held up.”

“You could’ve killed her.” He scolded.

“Good.” You shrugged. “Don’t you see she’s using you?”

“It’s not your-“

“Yeah, yeah.” You cut in and waved your hand. “It’s not my call to make because it’s all up to God and blah blah blah. I’ve heard it all from you before, Red. Look, I don’t want to deal with you either so just get the hell out of my way and go be her pretty little lapdog.”

“No, I want answers from you first.” He said firmly.

“I’m not in a very cooperative mood, thanks to your other little girlfriend. So again. Get out. Of my way. Or I promise you, the Yakuza will be the least of your problems tonight.”

“Who are you?”

“Exodus.”

“Who are you?”

“A Black Widow.”

“Who are you?” He shouted.

“A killer. A spy. An assassin. A manipulator. Some would even say sadistic but...” You shrugged. “They’re right, of course.”

He stepped closer and grabbed you by your face, pressing you back until your back hit a back. You groaned as your head hit before chuckling darkly.

“I missed this.” You smiled. “It was better when you hated me, no?”

It was still so hard to see him as Matt, given how much bad blood there was between you two. There were so many times where you could’ve killed him, times when you wished you had. It was hard to realize just how messed up your relationship with Matt was now. It made you wonder if you could ever go back to what it was or if it was permanently changed, if you would have to pick what relationship you would keep.

Y/N and Matt or Exodus and Daredevil

“You’re gonna tell me who you are.” He said firmly. “Or I can beat it out of you instead.”

But you weren’t going to make a decision about that right then.

“I’m not telling you anything.” You countered firmly. “Do your worst.”

He pulled back his free hand and aimed for your face. You slammed your elbow into the crook of his arm that was still on your face so his grip loosened. You were able to drop to your knees just in time, causing his fist to hit the wall. From your kneeling position, you leaned into one leg to kick upwards, catching him in the stomach.

As he staggered back, you pulled a knife from your belt and he chuckled. He gestured to the protection of his suit and you scoffed. You just needed to get between the plates.

You ran at him quickly, using the ledge as a stepping point to jump off. You wrapped your legs around his waist while purposefully moving to catch his chin with your blade - just to prove a point - but he caught your wrists ,

holding them tightly as you swung around him. Your head was dangling above the concrete so you pulled yourself quickly to throw him to his back and land firmly on your feet. You dropped to one knee and moved your foot over, pressing your foot to his chest. You turned and chuckled before flicking your knife into his side, hitting its shallow mark right between the plates.

“You’ve changed.” You mused as you stood straight. “Ты становишься слабым.” (You’re getting weak.)

“If you’re gonna kill me-“ He groaned and you laughed, pulling your foot back and walking around until you could reach your knife.

“I’m not.” You said simply and pulled your knife out. “You’re worth more alive than dead right now.” You made a face as you thought to yourself if it was really true.

“Well, maybe.. In any case, killing you would set me back in more ways than one. Besides, I didn’t come out looking for you. See you around, Red.”

“Ex..” He groaned and sat up. “Wait.”

“You wanna know the worst part? I think you know she’s manipulating you.”

“And you’ve been doing what exactly? The entire time we’ve known each other, what have you been doing then?”

You stopped and glanced over your shoulder. The words cut through you, leaving you breathless for a moment. He was right. You had been manipulating him and you knew it. He clearly did too. So it didn’t make sense as to why he hadn’t bailed on you sooner.

Unless he really did know.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right… Have fun.”

You went home after that. Got into your pajamas and went to bed, ignoring the calls from Matt. You had more important things to worry about than his own guilt. Besides, if you talked to him, you’d start a fight that wouldn’t end well.

The next morning, your firm - minus Matt - were waiting in the hall.

“Where the hell is he?” Karen asked anxiously.

“I may have told him to just stay home today.” Foggy answered regretfully. “But he wasn’t supposed to actually do it.”

“What?”

“Good.” You shrugged. “It’s not like he’d be a lot of help.”

Foggy shot you a pleading look.

“After everything he said to me yesterday, I don’t want to see him.” You reasoned. “There was more when you weren’t around…”

“The whole city is watching, Y/N.” Foggy tried and you sighed, knowing he was right. “If we screw this up, none of us work in this town again. And-“ He turned to Karen. “-you’d probably never work again either, by association.”

“Stop thinking about losing, okay?” Karen cut in. “Just think about winning. Because you two are two of the smartest attorneys I’ve ever seen.”

“There’s always that deli you like to bring up, right? That apron should be coming in the mail any day now..” You joked and nudged Foggy with your elbow which earned you a grin. “We can handle this.”

Inside the courtroom, it was your turn for a witness. You were more than glad that Frank’s CO was willing to testify. But you were curious as to who else Frank would’ve tried calling on.

“Colonel.” You nodded and he returned the gesture. “How long have you known the defendant?”

“Better part of a decade, ma’am.” He answered simply. “Most of his career in the Marine Corps.”

You could tell he wasn’t one to draw out a story, which could be good for your side. Less room to poke holes or talk in circles. Tight knit was what you needed.

“That would mean you’re familiar with his service in the Middle East?” You specified. “In Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.”

“Yes, very.” He nodded.

“Could you explain the significance of the Navy Cross for us, Colonel?”

“The Navy Cross is the second-highest military decoration. It’s awarded to Sailors and Marines who display extraordinary heroism in combat.”

“Thank you. Now, it is my understanding that Lieutenant Frank Castle was a recipient of the prestigious Navy Cross. Is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Could you tell us how Lieutenant Castle won the Navy Cross?

“Precise circumstances of that mission are classified, given the nature of that mission.”

“Of course.” You smiled softly in understanding and as you folded your hands in front of you, you flicked your fingers to clear any and all pressing emotions of the jury to ensure they would be open to what they were about to hear. “Could you tell us about the information that’s not?”

“Lieutenant Frank Castle was part of a small team that was sent on close target reconnaissance in the vicinity of the Hindu Kush. The mission was quickly compromised and the team was taking enemy fire from three sides. Lieutenant Castle wanted to abort, believed pulling the plug would save lives. Commanding officer said no.”

“Can you tell us why?”

“Maybe he wanted more medals on his chest. Doesn’t matter because Frank was right. They were cut off, boxed into a canyon.”

“What happened next, Colonel?”

“The officer in charge of that mission had his arm blown off within the first hour, so Lieutenant Castle assumed command. His only goal was to get his men out alive. The enemy had set up an ambush at the only LZ that would accommodate one of our birds.”

“I’m sorry. Can you define LZ for the court?”

“LZ is a landing zone that can accommodate a helicopter.”

“Thank you. Please continue.”

“The enemy, they block this landing zone knowing it was the only shot the team had at getting out alive. All they had to do was wait. They knew Frank’s team had to come to them.”

“Like fish in a barrel.“

“So to speak, only fish don’t know they’re going to die. These men did.. Frank went to the LZ all by himself to draw the bastards away.”

“Given that Castle has assumed command, why didn’t he order one of his men to do it? He certainly could’ve and many in his position would’ve.”

The colonel shook his head. “Not his style.. The men hear the fire fight break out and all hell breaks loose. Frank against God knows how many, then there was silence. His men think ‘Frank’s dead and we’re next.’ Next sounds they heard is the helos - the helicopters. They get to the landing zone, you know what they see?”

“Please.” You gestured for him to continue.

“Frank Castle, standing there, grinning. Thirty two muj surrounding him, all dead. Son of a gun cleared the entire LZ all by himself.”

“Can you tell us how?”

“By being Frank Castle.”

“And his team. His men survived?”

“All of them.” The colonel nodded. “Including the idiot officer who got ‘em trapped in the first place.”

“If you had to sum up Frank Castle, how would you do it, Colonel?”

“I would say that Frank Castle is a man who would gladly give his life to keep others safe.”

“And about the crimes he’s accused of today.” You said carefully as you felt the uneasy tension in the jury. “Could the man you knew have committed them?”

“Absolutely not.” He said firmly. “Lieutenant Frank Castle that I know is a hero, a man who deserves our respect and our gratitude.. Not the same man.”

“Thank you, sir.” You offered a small bow and he nodded. “No further questions, Your Honor.”

You returned to your table and Karen scooted over to allow you to sit beside Frank. You noticed the tension in his body and realized he was avoiding eye contact with you, not even giving you a stupid comment on the questioning. All it did was ignite more questions in your head but you had to put them on the back burner for now.

You watched as Reyes tried to poke holes in the Colonel’s story, only to find out that he was the officer who got Frank’s team trapped. You bit your cheek to keep your smile down as you felt her panic rise.

“That’s a big win for us, right?” Karen asked as Reyes sat down with a huff.

“The jury was hanging on the entire thing.” You nodded slightly. “We’re in a good spot. Next witness yours, Fog?”

“Yeah, I got it.” He nodded.

Later, you sat at your table with pride as Foggy questioned Dr. Lee, the expert witness Foggy found to talk about the bullet Frank took to the head.

“Sure sounds a lot like PTSD.” Frank leaned over and murmured to you.

“That’s not where we’re going.” You answered softly, putting a hand on his arm. “Trust me, alright?”

He sighed but nodded so you took your hand back. You were so caught up in Dr. Lee’s testimony and Foggy’s brilliant work that you didn’t pick up on the pain in the audience until it was too late. A boy stood up and began shouting about his father, how Frank killed him. You silently cursed yourself for not paying attention and spoke to Frank about it afterwards.

“I did that, didn’t I?” He said plainly. “I took that boy’s father from him.”

“Yeah…” You nodded. “You did.. I’m not gonna judge you, Frank. We’ve both done things that affect other people. We just don’t always see what the other end looks like.”

“It was hard for you in there, wasn’t it?”

“It’s been a little overwhelming, yeah. Trying to manage everything and with Matt doing whatever he’s doing, I.. I should’ve clocked that outburst before it happened.”

“Don’t do that.” He groaned. “Don’t… Don’t try to manage everyone and blame yourself.”

“So what? You want me to just back off?”

“That’s exactly what I want, yeah.” He nodded.

You were quiet for a minute, pouting in your chair as you thought it over.

“I’ll back off, kinda let things play out, if you do two things for me.” You tried, an idea coming into your head.

“What’s that?”

“Most important is I need you to take the stand.”

He scoffed. “Come on, Princess. For what? Why would I…”

“The jury needs to know what happened. After that kid, we’ve lost so much traction with them. If you want me to let things run their own course, then you need to do something to try and help.”

“What do you really think is gonna happen? We’re not gonna win this thing.”

“Yeah, no shit.” You chuckled. “But we can still try and reduce the charges. That’s what I care about. That’s what Karen cares about too, alright? So many of them think you’re a monster but I know they’re wrong. You’re not a monster. You’re not.”

“You sure about that?” He challenged gently. “What if I find these men that did that to my family? What if.. What if nothing changes?”

“Do you believe that?” You countered.

“Y/N.” He sighed.

“When I left, I told myself that if I ever ran into the man who made me, I’d end it.” You explained, suddenly feeling a million miles away. “Even now, with him in the back of my head, even after Red, I’d do the same thing if I got the chance. Does that make me a monster, Frank?”

“What if this is just me now?” He shrugged.

“Then at least you get the chance to find out.” You answered smoothly. “No one gets to tell who you are but you.”

“Now who’s stupid ass advice is that?” He cracked a small smile.

“Old friend of mine.” You smiled slightly. “He was a pain in my ass, but he dropped a few odd pearls every now and then.”

“Sounds pretty smart.”

“He’s an idiot, actually.”

“Oh, come on.” He snorted.

“The other thing… Why did that bother you? What your CO was saying. I thought that was the point of having him talk.”

“That mission he’s talking about… All that classified shit that he can’t tell you… It’s cause what we did was off the books.”

“So it was illegal?”

“I hated it and I told him we shouldn’t. But he didn’t listen to me. Those men could’ve died and it would’ve been on him.”

“So why pick him as your character witness?”

“Cause I respected him. And I knew he would say what you needed to hear.”

You hummed slightly and reached over to tap his hand. His eyes came up to yours and you felt just how much that bothered him.

“I need you to help me help you. Please.”

There was some silence as he thought about what it said, as he examined the expression in your face. It was pleading, practically begging for him to agree. You didn’t need to use your abilities to get your point across because after what felt like an eternity, he agreed.

“Hey, guys!” You called as you met with them on the stairs outside. “He’ll do it. He’ll take the stand.”

“Seriously?” Foggy asked and you simply nodded. “How did we even get here? He’s a murderer! C’mon, you guys heard that kid. He’s killed fathers and brothers! I mean, why are we even helping him?”

“Do you honestly think Frank is completely and totally mentally healthy?” Karen urged.

“I think he’s batshit.”

“Then that’s why you help him.”

“If we don’t do this, we lose and Frank never gets help or- or justice and the system fails again. Reyes gets away with killing his family, Foggy. Or at least covering it up. If you don’t wanna do it for him, do it for them.” You practically begged.

“Okay..” Foggy nodded. “One caveat though. Matt does the questioning.“

“Hell no!” You laughed. “Are you kidding me? He’s been AWOL for most of this case! I don’t want him anywhere near Castle on the stand.”

“You two have been doing great.” Karen agreed. “You’ve been making Reyes play defense, right? You guys don’t need Matt for this.”

“We do!”

“Why?” You scoffed. “He told me I wasn’t really a part of this firm and yet he’s bailed on us more often than not.”

“He said that to you?” Karen asked softly.

“Yeah and I punched him in the mouth for it.” You waved a hand.

“We always talked about being partners for a reason.” Foggy explained. “There are some things I’m better at. There’s some things Matt is better at and some things Y/N is better at.”

“Fog, I literally have a litigation specialty.” You pressed.

“Matt’s barely spent two seconds with Frank!” Karen continued.

“I swear to you, Foggy, I can do it!” You nearly begged.

Though you knew Matt knew Frank better than that, you knew him best between your small group. You decided to keep your mouth shut and protect Matt’s secret for a little while longer, but you didn’t quite know why.

“I know.” He sighed. “But that kid nearly destroyed us in there. Right now, Matt is the best one to question him. Please, Y/N.”

“Fine.” You nodded slowly. “I’ll go talk to him…”

“I’ll go with you.” Karen offered and you shrugged.

“But when he doesn’t show, I’m gonna do it.” You said firmly.

“Thank you.” He smiled slightly.

“Don’t thank me yet.” You mumbled and gestured for Karen to follow you.

You two were quiet for most of your walk to Matt’s. You knew she had a million questions, about quite literally everything, but you appreciated that she decided not to ask. You kept balling your hand into a fist and flicking it open, feeling a burst of heat leaving your body each time. It felt good each time you got that much more of the pent up emotions out.

“I know you.” The old man pointed at you as he opened the door.

“Oh yeah..” You nodded as you stepped past him, Karen close behind. “The docks right? With the.. the kid. The bow and arrow was impressive, I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah, you’ve had some feats too, I hear.” He laughed and stepped around, waving for you two to follow. “Matty’s in the room.”

“Who’s he?” Karen asked quietly.

“I don’t know his name.” You shrugged. “I just know there’s a… mutual friend.”

“Make that two.” He corrected as he slid Matt’s bedroom door open. “You’ve got company.”

“El?” Your brows furrowed.

“Karen.. Y/N.. Hi.” Matt said awkwardly.

“You’re serious?” You scoffed. “This is why you missed court today.”

“Let’s um-“ He came closer and your hands tightened into fists as Karen stepped back. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Why?” Karen asked tightly.

“So we can talk.”

“No, we can talk here.” You blocked his path to Karen. “This is exactly the shit I warned you to avoid.”

“I know this looks crazy but it’s not.”

“I don’t care.” Karen said firmly, angrily. “Frank Castle is taking the stand tomorrow.”

“Despite my best efforts, Foggy wants you there.” You said as you glared up at him. “I don’t but I told him I would ask.”

“Your friend could use your help.” Karen added, grabbing your arm to leave. “That’s it.”

“Nice meetin’ you!” The old man called as you passed.

You didn’t need your abilities to figure out what Karen was feeling. Anger. Pain. Betrayal. You gave her the same respect she gave you and didn’t pry. You were open to talk if she needed to, but she didn’t ask.

“Wanna stay with me?” You offered when you realized she was still walking with you towards your building. “Help me plan some questions for Frank.”

“Huh?” She looked at you and seemed to have realized she was headed to your place and not hers. “Uh, sorry. No, I’m just… Just gonna head home. Sorry.”

“No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The next morning, the gallery was packed. Emotions were the highest they had been the whole trial and you knew it was coming. You had spent the night working out as much of the build up as you could, funneling those feelings until the physical reaction.

You made your skin hot with anger to the point that there was a faint glow and smoke from your fingers. You made your body run cold with sadness, turning your fingertips blue. You made different smokes and waves, watching different colors appear and have different effects. Some waves shook things, some moved things. Some cut softer things in half, meaning you had to replace the deco pillows on your couch.

All of that the night before just meant that you were more in control when you walked into the courtroom.

“He’s not gonna show.” You said simply with arms crossed. “I told you we didn’t need him.”

As soon as the sentence left your mouth, you heard his cane tapping its way over. You muttered a string of complaints in Russian as you took a seat at your table, running over your question list as Matt tried talking to Karen. She quickly redirected him to Foggy and you chuckled.

“Think I should cut him off?” You asked her quietly. “I can control the situation better. And if I’m being honest, I really don’t wanna let him do this.”

“Foggy wanted to give him a chance.” She sighed as the two boys sat at the table, still mumbling their conversation.

“Let me do it.” You leaned over to try. “You guys can pass me notes or suggest questions. I know Fra-“

“Your Honor, the Defense would like to call Frank Castle to the stand.” Matt announced as he stood, completely ignoring your suggestion.

“You’re gonna blow this whole thing.” You said quietly as the bailiff brought Frank in. You watched Matt tilt his head as he focused on what you were saying. “Don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.”

You couldn’t ignore the arrogance of the bailiff as he leaned away from Frank, having whispered something to him. You glared at the guard as he passed your table, Matt turning in confusion as well, likely hearing what the man said.

You couldn’t let Matt do it. You had to.

You pushed yourself to stand quickly, stepping past the boys and putting a hand on Matt’s shoulder as you passed. You pressed down a bit to keep him seated as you relayed confidence in your touch, asking him to trust you.

“Mr. Castle, you’ve been charged with multiple capital crimes.” You opened carefully, focusing on the gallery.

You kept your word to Frank that you wouldn’t manipulate the jury, but you needed the gallery to remain neutral otherwise they could blow everything for you. Though despite your best effort, you couldn’t drown out the heat from Matt’s pointed anger.

“A lot of people have a lot of things to say about you, about a lack of empathy. A lack of remorse.”

“Hmm.” He nodded slightly. “So I hear.”

“There’s been a lot of talk about the effects of a certain event, about the psychology and the neuro-chemistry of it. But we’ve yet to hear the most important part… Frank, can you tell us what happened that day? The day your family was taken from you.”

He glanced at the bailiff that brought him in before looking back at you.

You felt something in the air shift. You had to do something bigger.

“I understand that it’s hard, but I need you to tell us.” You urged, your power itching in the back of your head.

“Do you?” His brows furrowed. “Do you understand? Cause I don’t think you understand shit.”

You scoffed slightly and took a step back, slowly pacing back and forth in front of him. You could tell he was trying to instigate you, to fulfill whatever deal he made with the bailiff or someone behind the bailiff. But Frank had to know that you could play that same game.

“Your Honor. Permission to treat the witness as hostile?” You tilted your head before glaring back at Frank.

“Granted.” She said simply and a small smirk crossed your lips, lasting only for a second.

Frank lifted his head in interest and nearly smirked back. He saw what you were doing, that you were going to push him to talk and say what you needed but his intentions were set on something else. You had to try and break him.

“You don’t want to tell me? That’s fine.” You nodded as you strided closer to Frank. “Let me try telling you and you stop me when I’m wrong.”

Frank hummed but said nothing.

“Turns out, you’re the type of man this city needs.” You shrugged and turned to the jury. “Because I think we all know this city needs help. Not whenever the system can get around to or whenever the residue of corruption from men like Wilson Fisk can be washed away for good. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, at the beginning of this trial I asked you all to think past the titles of vigilante and hero.”

“Seems strange to mention it now, maybe. But think about why we have vigilantes in our city. Why Daredevil and Exodus and Frank Castle have thrived in our neighborhoods. Because the police can’t catch these people. The District Attorney and other members of this justice system are failing the people. They are created because this city creates them!”

The gallery applauded and you waved a hand as a gesture to settle them with your abilities and acknowledge them.

“Frank, you wanted to help your late wife and children find justice, right?” You turned to face him. “But you couldn’t get it the traditional way because you were shot.” You tapped your forehead in the same spot Frank was shot. “Someone didn’t want you to hold them accountable so they tried to get rid of you. How am I doing, Frank? Am I right so far?”

“Objection, Your Honor. Leading the witness.” Reyes chimed in.

“Overruled. The witness has already been deemed hostile.”

You nodded and changed routes.

“You took it upon yourself to find the people involved. Kitchen Irish, Mexican Cartel, Dogs of Hell.. Now, according to some of the Dogs of Hell members, in their depositions for this case, they referenced Exodus. Tell me. Was she there?”

“Yeah.” He said simply, though there was an underlying question in his answer. “Seen her a few times.”

“Thank you. Now, ladies and gentlemen, staying with the notion of consequences and accountability, I’d like to point out her lack of appearance today, in this courtroom.”

“Objection. Relevance.”

“Ms. Y/L/N, your point?”

“The system failed Frank Castle before by covering up the tragic murder of his family. There’s no other way to say it. It was murder. But, this system is heading towards failing him again and every person who was a victim of the crimes being charged today by not seeking out full justice.

“Frank, as far you’re concerned, tell me what makes you different from Exodus and Daredevil?”

“Objection. Calls for speculation.” Reyes tried desperately.

“I’ll rephrase.” You lifted a hand in surrender. “Exodus and Daredevil each wear masks. Why didn’t you?”

“Didn’t need it.” He shrugged slightly.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you to ponder these ideas. Would punishing the easy target - a highly decorated war veteran who was detained when he needed medical attention, who sits before you with cuts and bruises that have not fully healed - rather than both parties be any better than punishing no one for his family’s murder? Would it be real justice for those families who lost someone in these thirty some odd crimes to not put them both behind bars?

“He is sitting here today because his face was the only one known. All of these crimes, which to my understanding have ballistics as their biggest connections. Not fingerprints or eye witness accounts. Ballistics… All of these crimes are being pinned on one man because they have no one else to blame.

“At the beginning of this case, I asked each and every one of you to be open to the means rather than the ends. I’m not saying either justify the other, but we cannot deny that the means are understandable. The means are tragic and painful and something no human being - decent or otherwise - deserves. Frank Castle is at heart, a good man who was dealt terrible cards. He’s made mistakes but he doesn’t deserve to be locked away and forgotten. He needs help. He needs your help.”

“Your Honor, can I say something? Before she keeps going.” Frank asked tentatively.

You froze, shooting Frank a warning look.

“You may.” The judge agreed.

“Y’know, those people.. The ones I put down, that I killed? I want you to know that I’d do it again.”

“Goddamnit, Frank.” You sighed quietly and covered your eyes.

“This is a circus, alright?” Frank continued and you moved over to your table quickly. “It’s a charade, an act. It’s bullshit about how crazy I am.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do?” You asked your partners quickly as Frank continued and the gallery was getting riled up, given that you were making no effort to control it.

“You wanted to do it. You figure it out.” Matt shrugged.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want you here.” You sneered and pushed yourself away, back towards Frank.

“Mr. Castle, I’m going to need you to calm down.” You tried with a hand up, silently threatening to use your powers.

“I did it because I liked it.” He began shouting.

“Enough, Frank!” You called as the gallery began rioting behind you.

“Hell, I loved it! And it has shit to do with Exodus or Daredevil. I don’t give a rat’s ass about them and their punkass little masks.” He said, clearly directing that last sentence at you and Matt. “And I’m sitting here itching to do it again.”

Frank kept screaming and the gallery got louder, making you cover your ears with both hands. You closed your eyes tightly as you shook your head slightly, trying to block everything out. Block out Frank’s sudden rage but something about it just felt forced. Fake.

“You call me the Punisher? The big bad Punisher!”

Block out the anger and satisfaction from the gallery. Block out the bailiff’s arrogance or Reyes’ pride. You felt two hands on your arms, gently pulling you in a different direction and you didn’t fight them.

“Enough.” You said firmly - though your voice was drowned out in the noise - and threw your arms to the side.

Your eyes opened in time to see the faint white wave roll through the courtroom as everything fell silent. Glancing around in a panic, you caught glimpses of the same white haze covering people’s eyes as your power washed over them. You turned and found Matt to be the one guiding you away, his hands still on your arms.

Next thing you knew, Frank was escorted out.

You had just lost the case.

“How the hell did this happen?” Foggy asked angrily as you all left the courthouse.

You followed with Karen at your side. You kept one arm across your stomach and the other hand covered your mouth. After your outburst inside, you felt drained, weak and nauseous. Karen kept a hand on the back of your shoulder as a gentle reminder that she was there.

“That wasn’t the Frank I talked to yesterday.” You said quietly. “Foggy, I had them in the palm of my hand. I… I swear, I-“

“I know, Y/N/N.” He nodded. “You even had me believing it wasn’t his fault.” He patted your arm gently and you smiled.

“Guys. I think somebody got to him.” Matt announced as he caught up with you guys.

“And convinced him of what?” Foggy retorted quickly. “Screaming his way to multiple life sentences?”

“You provoked him.” You scoffed, forcing yourself to stand straighter.

“What?” Matt turned to you in disbelief. “I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who cut in!”

“You have barely been here and the one time you were, the goddamn testimony was thrown out!” You argued.

“You’re the one who said Foggy wanted me here!”

“I had it lined up perfectly! We were right there to get the charges reduced.”

“What?” He shouted back. “He wasn’t cooperating with you and you started talking about- about Exodus and Daredevil? They’re nothing like him!”

“What do you even care?” You screamed and wobbled on your feet slightly, though Foggy reached out to steady you. “About either of them? Are you sleeping with Exodus too or something?”

“Y/N.” Foggy tried but you laughed.

“No.” You shook your head. “No, I’m tired of being nice to him just because we’re friends! Whatever the hell your problem is, you need to figure it out. Because this-“ You gestured between you two. “- is getting exhausting. I’m tired of fighting with you!”

“I’m glad we lost.” Foggy said bitterly and began to lead you away. “I’m glad.”

“We were right there.” You mumbled sadly. “We could’ve had it.”

“I know.. You did great for your first real case.” He tried with a smile.

“Thanks, Fog. You did really good too.” You smiled. “There’s always the deli, right?”

You went home that day and collapsed face down on your sofa. It wasn’t long before you fell asleep while your body recovered from your exhaustion. Having never used your power with such intensity so suddenly, it took a tough toll on your body. You were physically and mentally drained to practically nothing, and your latest outburst with Matt helped nothing.

You didn’t know how long you were asleep when your phone began ringing.

“Hello?“ You grumbled, wiping the sleep from your eyes.

“Y/N. I need your help.” Elektra said in a panic.

“I really don’t feel like doing this tonight. I just lost the biggest case of my career - not to mention the first case and now probably only case. My career is probably toast now.”

“It’s Matthew.”

“I don’t ca-“

“The Yakuza got him.”

You sat up so quick it nearly made your head spin.

“How?”

“I need you to get here to Matthew’s apartment and I can explain everything. Please.”

“Who do you need?”

“I don’t care! Just get here!”

You jumped to your feet, grabbed your bag, and practically ran to Matt’s apartment. As you hurried through the door, you found Matt collapsed on the floor with an open wound through his chest and a dead body across from him with a slit throat.

“Is that..” You mumbled to yourself as you examined the body. You flipped him to his back and took in the empty eyes staring back at you. “Elektra! Is this a kid!?”

“He attacked Matthew! I had no choice!” She reasoned as she pushed past you with a bowl full of some strange liquid.

“Yeah, I bet that’s what you told Matt too!”

“Since when do you care who dies?” She poured the liquid into Matt’s wound.

“I care when it’s a kid! How could you? He was probably terrified and you killed him!”

“Don’t get high and mighty on me now.” She groaned as the cleanup crew came in.

You scoffed and moved to sit by Matt, gently lifting his head to place it in your lap. You leaned against the chair behind you and absently ran your fingers through his hair.

Yet again, Matt nearly died and you forget every harsh word between you two. The idea of losing Matt for good always seemed to wipe the slate clean and make you want to move past everything. But you couldn’t do that until you both admit the truth to each other.

Until you could both apologize for what you’ve said. And mean it.

“You can explain this to him when he wakes up.” You said simply. “I can’t defend this. I won’t.”

“It was self defense! He was going to kill Matthew. I didn’t have a choice.”

“But a kid, Elektra. Don’t you think that’s a little too far?”

“He wasn’t a child, Y/N. He was a weapon, same as you and me.”

“Then he didn’t have a choice, either. You didn’t even stop to think about that, did you? You killing someone to protect Matt is one thing. I get that and I’d probably do the same. But.. A kid, El. A kid is something else entirely.”

She came to Matt’s side and began dressing his wound, refusing to say anything else to you. Maybe it was a good thing. Otherwise you two would keep going and you’d sound more and more like Matt with every sentence. The only reason you cared was because it was a kid, a boy who had his whole life ahead of him. A boy who had lost everything in a matter of seconds.

You stayed beside Matt all night. Elektra slept on the sofa, though neither of you got much rest. She was worried about Matt and so were you, though you were more annoyed with her. She had crossed one of the very few lines you had.

The next morning, he woke up and instantly reached for your hand.

“Elektra.” You called and she hurried over from the kitchen.

“Y/N?” He said gently and you smiled slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore..” You said honestly as she came and helped you sit him up. You slid out and stood, moving to the kitchen while they talked.

You tried to ignore them but their conversation was the only sound in apartment, other than you pulling a drink from the fridge.

“You enjoy killing.” Matt said regretfully. “You and Exodus and the Punisher, you’re all the same. You and her.. You both say you want to be good but that’s not who you really are. Is it?”

Your brows raised as you nodded slightly, wondering if he was finally seeing Exodus for who she really was - who you really were. You wouldn’t go as far as saying you enjoyed killing but you didn’t care when you did it. You even thought about the first time you killed someone, how young you were. You had no choice and it would be a lie to say it didn’t feel wrong at first. But the more you did it, the better you got at it, the more it became an instinct.

The ideology of the Red Room was carved into every fiber of your being. It was stitched into your clothes, burned into your skin. It lurked in every thought and every movement. It haunted your dreams and echoed in various voices. Dreykov, Melina, Natasha. It never stopped, never gave you a moment of peace. It was ingrained into your soul. And there was no way around it anymore.

No matter how you wanted to be different for Matt or Daredevil, you would always be a Widow. And you’d always be a killer, whether he liked it or not.

“Goodbye, Elektra.” He told her and a moment after the door shut, he turned his body to you. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?” You answered, snapping out of your internal search. “Yeah? How do you feel?”

“Listen, about what I said… At the courthouse the other day. In the.. the bathroom, I just want you to know that I’m-”

“Is that an honest apology or just something to fill the silence?“ You cut in. “Because if you don’t mean it, then I really don’t want to hear it.”

“I shouldn’t have said that to you. It wasn’t fair.”

“Please, don’t.. I know I haven’t been the nicest to you so I don’t expect you to treat me any better but what you said was meant to hurt me while I’m just trying to piss you off. And… Every time we try to have a conversation about something serious, one of us says something vaguely accusatory but we never actually accomplish anything so we need to just stop wasting each other’s time and accept that we aren’t the same anymore.”

“No, I guess we’re not.” He said quietly. He came over to where you were standing in the kitchen and leaned against the counter near you. You couldn’t ignore the purposeful distance he left between you two. “But, Y/N, I shouldn’t have said those things to you. You were right.. I just- There’s been so much going on and I took it out on you.”

“I’ve taken it out on you in more ways than one.” You chuckled. “I don’t like where we are. I know exactly how we got here but that doesn’t make it any better. Things have changed to a point where we just can’t talk to each other anymore… We have too many secrets.”

“I don’t want to hide this from you anymore and I think you already know.”

“Matt, stop.” You had a feeling he was going to admit he was Daredevil, but you knew if he said it, it would all suddenly become real.

“I can’t lose you too, Y/N.”

“I-“ You sighed. “You won’t, alright? I just need to work through some stuff. And I need you to be patient. I see it in your face when I’m around that you want some confession from me. I know what you’re looking for. But I can’t tell you anything right now.”

“You’re scared?” His brows furrowed.

“Yeah…” You said quietly with a nod. “I am. I’m scared that you’re going to see the truth if you haven’t already. I’ve seen how to react to this stuff. It doesn’t end well. With the way Frank’s case went, I don’t have a lot keeping me in Hell’s Kitchen other than you and Foggy. That probably blew any chance of a career. I lose you and…. One person isn’t enough.”

“It is if it’s the right person.” He stepped closer and reached for your arm, pulling you closer.

Reluctantly, you gave in.

“What makes you think it’s me?” You asked quietly. “The right person…”

“I think it’s always been you.” He smiled slightly and put his hand on your face, thumb tracing your cheekbone. “And I think part of me has always known, just wasn’t ready to accept it.”

“If it’s me… What does it change?”

“Everything.” He sighed.

“It didn’t change for Elektra and you’ve loved her for a long time… Why would it change for me?”

“I can’t explain it. It just.. does.”

You took a step back and sighed.

“Therein lies the problem, Matty. It shouldn’t change just because it’s me. I don’t want it to change. Because if that changes, then that changes you and I don’t want to be the reason for that.”

“You’re not like Elektra, Y/N. You’re not. No matter what you try to convince everyone else.”

“You’re so unapologetically good. I can’t be that. I know that I can’t so I stopped trying. I can’t be the one to corrupt you.”

“You really think you would?”

“You don’t know what I know.” You said sadly. “If you did, I wouldn’t be the same person. It’s for the best that we don’t go down that road.”

“Don’t push me away.” He tried desperately. “You don’t get to make that choice for me. Because guess what? It’s not up to you. Alright? I decide who I want to keep around. And I want- No. I need you with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere but…”

“But you’re done talking about this.” He nodded.

“It’s just better this way, for now at least.”

Before Matt could keep the conversation going, a light series of knocks sounded at the door. You moved to open it, patting Matt on the shoulder as you passed. You let out a long sigh and couldn’t understand why you felt so twisted up inside. Like someone took a giant paddle and rearranged everything.

“Hey.” Foggy said as you opened the door. “Uh.”

“Hi.” You ushered him in. “Elektra asked me to come over.” You admitted. “Said she needed help.”

“Did she?” Foggy asked with a slight accusation. “Need help?”

“Yeah, she actually did.” You nodded. “Matt sent her away though.”

“Good.” Foggy nodded back as you two made it to the living room. “Actually, Y/N, I’m glad you’re here. I needed to talk to both of you.”

“Foggy?” Matt asked as he zipped up a jacket.

“You’re hurt?” Foggy replied.

“What makes you say that?”

“Stop it.” You warned as you sat on the couch. “What’s wrong, Fog?”

“I think we should shutter the office for a few weeks.”

“What?” You said quickly. “No, I thought the goal was to get Reyes off our necks so we could reopen.”

“It may be drastic but-“

“Drastic?” You cut in and Foggy sighed slightly. “Foggy, it’s insane!”

“With everything that’s happened, we need to think about priorities. To decide how to proceed with Nelson and Murdock”

Matt scoffed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Are you talking about our firm or you talking about our friendship?” Matt pressed.

“For a while, they went hand in hand.” Foggy answered, though the subtle anger was easy to spot.

“I think you’re right.”

“You can’t be serious?” You turned on Matt.

“No, I think putting some distance between us is smart.” He turned towards you. “Between all of us.”

“What a joke.” You muttered and stood, pacing the walkway behind the couch. “After everything you just said in the kitchen, you want to push us away?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” He countered firmly. “What you both want?”

“What I wanted was time to rethink things.” Foggy specified.

“Time isn’t gonna change who I am or what I do.” Matt said, his conviction vibrating through you.

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Foggy scoffed.

“Yes you do. That’s why you came here.”

“I came to talk to my friend, not the vi-“ He began but stopped, almost like he remembered you were in the room.

“Go ahead.” Matt urged. “They’re the same person.”

“You really wanna do this in front of her?” Foggy gestured to you.

“Whatever this is about, it’s not the firm.” You sighed, coming around to stand by Foggy. “Listen, we were really close to winning the Castle case. I don’t know what set him off but I know we had a damn good shot. And it’s because Foggy and I worked our asses off to cover for you. You don’t get to throw in the towel because you put too much on your own plate.”

“We deserve better than that.” Foggy agreed.

“I know.” Matt said simply.

“This is pathetic.” You scoffed. “You tell me one thing and tell Foggy another. It’s like you’re two completely different people to each of us. Why is that?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.” You pressed and you felt the look of concern from Foggy.

“Y’know what, say whatever you want.” Matt stood. “I'm done apologizing to you two for who I am.”

“Я запомню это.” You glared and his mouth twitched with an almost knowing smirk. (I’m gonna remember that.)

“If I'm holding you two back, then you should consider closing the office for good. Or having Y/N take over as your partner. Start over without the stuff that gets in your way. Without me.”

“That’s not what I came to say.” Foggy insisted.

“But it’s what I’m saying.” Matt offered with a finality.

“Why is it your choice?” You asked, fighting the tight feeling in your chest. Given you were still mentally recovering, you couldn’t block out everything you were feeling. “Why do you get to make that choice for us?”

“Because neither of you will make it for yourself.”

“You ever think maybe it’s cause we care about you? Cause we love you?”

Matt scoffed.

“But clearly you don’t need us…” You nodded in understanding. “Whatever it is you’re doing, I hope it doesn’t kill you. I sincerely hope the guilt of how you’ve treated us lately gnaws away at you until you’re haunted by your own actions. And I hope you wake up everyday, feeling like shit until you realize that you’re becoming exactly what that blind jackass of an old man said you had to be.”

“Good bye, Y/N.” He said and pushed past you. “Bye, Foggy.”

“See you around, Red.” You muttered before leaving with Foggy.

You didn’t bother to try and go home. Instead, you followed Foggy to the office. He began packing up his stuff but you were sitting Matt’s chair, staring at the wall blankly until you felt nothing.

You didn't want to be angry. Or sad. You didn’t want to feel betrayed, abandoned, rejected. You wanted to be numb, to feel absolutely nothing. To be mindless, functioning only by the automatic tasks drilled into your brain. But even that was too alive for you.

Maybe you would’ve rather been dead.

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

five - why am i like this

tags: @dusstory @americaarse @ironprincessstranger @johnmurphys-sass // four //six // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt Murdock x Reader)

Word Count: 11,064

Summary: The case of a lifetime. Frank Castle V The People. Benefits of working with the Punisher meant you knew who he really was and you were ready to go to war to prove it.

Your trio ducked into the elevator without a word. There was a thick tension between you all as you pressed the card to the reader. Matt was livid. He clearly wasn’t happy with your appearance but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care, even though his unfiltered anger was burning through to your bones. Everything you had seen from him that night was pointing you in a direction that you couldn’t fully believe.

Maybe you just didn’t want to believe it.

Matt Murdock was Daredevil, and as impossible as the idea seemed, it made perfect sense when all was considered. And that just made you hate the idea even more, and hate the fact that you couldn’t connect those dots any sooner.

What would it have changed? Would you have taken his words to heart about change?

What you couldn’t understand was how he could do all of that while being blind.

You took a second to check your phone in the elevator. You saw messages from Karen, most giving a brief recall of her conversation with Frank about his family. There was a message from Foggy about the deal from Reyes.

fogster: delaware doesnt have evidence. no death penalty

fogster: 3 life no parole down to 1 w parole in 25 but gen-pop :/

At least something was successful that day. You sent a quick message for him to tell you when it was done and you thanked him for pulling your weight with the case you insisted on.

After Elektra plugged in a small device, you three began wandering the floor. Matt stopped you all every so often, pulling you and Elektra around a corner or pushing you two down a short hall. Maybe you would’ve been thankful if he hadn’t been hiding the truth from you.

When you finally reached the office, Matt broke into the safe while Elektra watched the doors. You wandered the space, flipping through pages and peeking through drawers. You didn’t know what exactly you were looking for but it was a decent distraction. Glancing up at your friend, you found her panicking.

“I take it, it's not there.” Matt said in annoyance.

“It was supposed to be here!” She insisted.

You offered a quick whistle and pointed to the bottom hem of your dress, which was moving with an air current.

“Why is there air coming from under the wall?” You asked quietly, stepping closer and tapping lightly. You tapped the panel beside it and found a different depth to the sound.

“Do that again.” Matt said suddenly as he practically jumped up to be beside you.

You offered him a look but did it again, tapping the same few spots.

“Hear that?” You leaned around him to ask Elektra. “It’s hollow here.”

“There’s an electrical current running through it, too.” Matt explained, running his hand across the wall until the bookshelf. “There’s an interruption here.”

You decided you weren’t going to comment on how he could do that while Elektra fidgeted with the bookshelf. The door popped open and she hurried inside to find the ledger. You stayed outside the secret room, watching the door. It seemed unlike your group’s luck to get that far with no challenge so you tapped your scar. You slid your finger along it until you picked up the Yakuza’s radio frequency.

You didn’t need to speak Japanese to know they were on to you.

“The Roxxon ledger.” Elektra gasped.

“Great. We need to move.” You popped your head in. “Pretty sure they’re on the way to us, unless you guys want to take on however many people we’ve been sneaking away from all night.. Up to you.”

Everyone hurried over to the elevators but found they weren’t working. The power shut off and you cursed quietly. You grabbed Elektra, who grabbed Matt, and pulled her down the other side of the hall. After a short fight in a conference room, you three were able to get to the stairwell and down a couple floors.

You pushed them into a different conference room when you heard the door to the stairwell click open. You snatched the book out of Elektra’s hands and dropped your bag beside it. You pushed Matt’s jacket down his arms and tossed it over the book, making sure it was fully covered.

“Get on the table.” You pointed to Elektra, who happily sat atop the glass. You placed yourself between her knees and reached for Matt’s wrists.

“What are you doing?” Matt asked as you pulled him to stand in front of you.

“Trust me.” You shrugged. “Unless you want to get shot in the head. I can stop.”

He frowned at you but didn’t stop you. You tucked his hands behind you to meet Elektra’s legs. You felt her chin rest on your shoulder as she watched the movement of your hands. You tugged his tie apart and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“I see.” Elektra mused, draping an arm over your other shoulder. “But we should make it a bit more believable, don’t you think?”

“We don’t have a lot of time, El.” You argued quietly.

“We do have a little time.” She smiled and you turned to face her. You sighed slightly and raised your eyebrows expectantly. “Now this is like old times.” She said with a wink as she placed two fingers under your chin and gently pulled you closer.

“Not this time, babe.” You muttered as your lips brushed against hers, making her pout. “Nice try though.” You pulled away and grinned.

“Kiss me.” You told Matt as you turned back around.

“What?” He asked in disbelief.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable. Mix in that it’s more than the traditional two, no one will look that long.”

“You just want an excuse to kiss him.” Elektra murmured in your ear and you saw Matt offer a small smirk.

“Like you wouldn’t take the chance.” You chuckled slightly as Matt’s hand slid across your cheek to the back of your head, pulling your lips to meet his gently.

Kissing him back, you felt every inch of your body ignite, like a dream realized. Your own hands slid up Matt’s chest, behind his neck so your fingers could slide into his hair. He made the smallest sound in his throat, like he was trying to hide it, and you smiled slightly against his lips.

Elektra’s hands slid up your arms, over your shoulders and down your back until she found your hips. She pulled you back against her as Matt took a step forward to press his body against yours. You gasped slightly and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth.

You reached back to flatten a hand on the desk for balance but Elektra took your hand and placed it on her leg instead, inching your fingers under her dress. Her other hand gently brushed your hair over your shoulder, which sent a shiver down your spine.

Matt pulled away, trying to catch his breath as he grinned at you. The hand you still had in hair slid down, trailing down his chest and stomach and ghosting over scars and bruises. It almost slipped your mind that your little steamy interaction was only a ruse, especially given the electricity zipping through every inch of your body and the tingle of your skin everywhere it met his. Mixing in Elektra’s purposeful and featherlight touches, you felt yourself at the edge of melting

It was all you ever wanted, to feel Matt’s body heat pressed against you. His hands fitted to your body as if you two were made to fit together. Lips on yours as if they were always meant to be connected, like no one else should ever have the chance.

But all of those feelings, it felt like kissing Daredevil. And it twisted the entirety of the moment into something that just felt fake.

“Get on your knees.” He said lowly.

Despite your usual composure, you felt a heat climb your cheeks as you knelt down. You busied your hands at his belt while him and Elektra began kissing, just as the door opened.

“Don’t move!” The man called, forcing Matt and Elektra apart.

Matt hurried to help you up while Elektra flipped over dramatically to gather his jacket and the ledger. While the Yakuza came closer, you feigned your own intoxication and wobbled on your feet, giggling as you teetered and reached for your bag.

“Qui êtes-vous ? Pourquoi nous dérangez-vous ? Nous ne faisons de mal à personne.” You hiccuped, reaching for Elektra to steady yourself. The man pushed you two towards his partner while he checked Matt. (Who are you? Why are you bothering us? We’re not hurting anyone.)

“Vous n'êtes pas tous les deux amusants !” You pouted, making Elektra laugh. (You’re both no fun!)

You and your partners were allowed to leave, feigning your intoxication and innocence as you hurried through the party. You and Elektra giggled and bumped into people, offering slurred apologies and wide grins. You stole drinks off serving trays and left them half empty on open tables. You two stumbled down the stairs, laughing widely when you caught each other until you got back into the car. You sighed in relief and listened as Elektra explained what she saw in the book. You quietly gathered all of your original belongings when Elektra’s voice drew your attention.

“Quelque chose ne va pas ?” She asked and your brows raised. She must’ve figured it was something you didn’t really want to say in front of Matt. “Y/N?” (Is something wrong?)

“Il a déménagé et a agi beaucoup comme lui…” You looked up and frowned slightly. Matt’s brows were furrowed as he listened and you knew he wasn’t fluent in French, but he could understand some. “Je pensais que c'était impossible, mais maintenant je n'en suis pas si sûr. Mais c'est vrai, n'est-ce pas ?” (He moved and acted a lot like him… I thought it was impossible but now I’m not so sure. But it’s true, isn’t it?)

“Vous connaissez déjà la réponse, n'est-ce pas ?” She asked gently. (You already know the answer, don’t you?)

“Je suppose que oui.” You nodded. (I guess so.)

“Au moins, vous avez finalement eu un vrai baiser.” She tried gently. (At least you two finally got a real kiss.)

“Ce n'était pas plus réel que le photomaton.” You answered with a tight smile, trying to play it off like you didn’t care. “D'ailleurs, il a une petite amie. C'est aussi mon amie...” (That was no more real than the photo-booth. Besides, he has a girlfriend. She’s my friend, too…)

“I’m sorry.” She said honestly. “I’m sure this isn’t how you wanted to find out.”

“Maybe I was hoping I wouldn’t find out at all.” You shrugged. “Makes everything a bit more complicated, doesn’t it?”

Elektra dropped you off first. You thanked her for the ride and the dress before climbing out, carefully avoiding any contact with Matt. He began to say something but you closed the door before he could. Instead, you headed upstairs and began to change for bed.

You were microwaving leftovers when your phone rang so you tapped your implant.

“Yeah?” You said as you pulled a drink from your fridge.

“He pled not guilty.” Matt said when you answered.

“Shit.” You sighed. “Foggy tell you that?”

“Hey, Y/N.” Foggy added. “Sorry, Karen said you weren’t answering so I was gonna just tell you tomorrow but Matt insisted. How’s your flooding situation?”

Matt scoffed loudly.

“It’s fine.” You ignored the noise. “I gotta do a lot of cleaning but could’ve been worse. What happened with Frank?”

“Reyes pulled every string she has and fast tracked the trial.”

“Can we motion to extend?”

“We can streamline our case theory but we can’t waste time fighting the charges-“ Matt suggested.

“Wait. How many charges were there again?”

“Too many to fight right now.”

“That’s not a number.” You frowned.

“We don’t need a number if-“

“If some of them can get knocked off or dropped to misdemeanors, yes we do. And last I checked, you aren’t-“

“Can you guys stop?” Foggy cut in quickly. “I’m tired of you two bickering over everything! Any chance you get, you two are screaming at each other like you hate each other! I’m sick of it!”

“Sorry, Foggy.” You said softly as your microwaved beeped.

Suddenly you weren’t hungry anymore. You realized that it was yet another time where you had been so zoned in on Exodus, that your regular life was merely background noise. You knew you had been arguing with Matt a lot more lately, but didn’t really think it was affecting anyone else.

“Frank thinks he’s sticking it to Reyes or something. It must’ve been cause of what we said before, I don’t know… I just- I hope your schedules are clear and you two can get it together, because The People V. Frank Castle starts next week.”

“Сукин сын.” You sighed and rubbed your eyes. “Okay, okay, we can make something work. I’ll see you guys in the morning.” (Son of a bitch.)

The next few days went by in a blur. You were ignoring calls from Elektra. You ignored the few unprecedented messages from Natasha regarding her sudden interest in your mental status. You were in and out of Metro-General constantly, talking to Frank and trying to create a defense with your team.

You and Matt were able to keep your bickering to a minimum, thanks to you deciding not to speak to him unless it was about the case. It wasn’t your favorite course of action, but every time you looked at him, all you could see was Daredevil.

Then your skin felt hot with memories of where his fingers had left permanent stains on your body through your suit. All you could see were the hidden red eyes and little horns staring back at you instead of the boy who had swooped in and made a home in your heart.

There were even a few nights where you fell asleep at the hospital because you didn’t want to go work on anything with him at the office. Frank was better company than Matt through it anyways. Frank made you laugh and helped you be less mopey and distraught. He teased you about hating the same guy you loved.

By the time the trial rolled around, you felt as well prepared as you could and thought you had a good concept of who Frank really was. But at the same time, you felt like you were all going to fall flat on your faces and embers as yourselves in front of the hundreds of eyes that were glued to your case.

Maybe it was a bad idea to pick a fight with the DA.

The atmosphere of the room was tense when you were brought in to talk about the jury. Everyone in the courtroom had their own strong emotions about Frank and the whole room was divided. Some of the jury looked at him in awe, admiration, a few with desire even. The rest radiated hatred, contempt, disgust. Foggy was right. Everyone had an opinion on Frank Castle and that was gonna make your job that much harder.

“M’Naghten rule is still our best bet.” Foggy reasoned, drawing a scoff from you.

“What’s that?” Karen asked from the other room.

“Insanity plea.” You answered in annoyance. “And we’re not doing it.”

“We need to buy a ‘not guilty’ verdict.” He explained. “A high school debate team could prove that Castle did it.”

“I don’t care.” You rubbed your eyes in frustration. “He’s not insane and if you try to insinuate he is, he will fight you on it. Is that really the hill you wanna die on?”

“Really?” He frowned at you.

“Poor choice of words. My fault.” You nodded.

“Since when are you an expert in Frank Castle’s reactions?” Matt asked with a slight scoff.

You chose to ignore the fight he was trying to pick but you didn’t miss the pointed look Foggy shot him or the wave of jealousy that rolled off of him. When put together, it almost made you laugh, especially since Matt couldn’t see the look.

At least, you didn’t think he could.

You didn’t understand what he could or couldn’t see anymore given the way he fights as Daredevil.

“He’s intense, definitely, but he’s not insane.” You continued calmly. “Looking at the what happened without the why it happened would make anyone look bad.”

“I think Y/N’s right.” Karen agreed and you gave Foggy a triumphant look. “I’m not so sure he’s insane.”

“See? Even the girl who almost got shot doesn’t think so.”

“Okay, really?” She glared at you.

“It’s true!” You defended with a shrug.

“You’re both gonna tell me that he hasn’t at least driven past Crazy Town?” Foggy teased.

“Fog, c’mon.” You sighed.

“They’re right. Insanity only has a .12% acquittal rate in New York anyway.” Matt chimed in.

“Besides, Reyes would probably call some psych expert to tear that defense apart.” You shook your head.

“What defense?” Foggy laughed. “Y/N, we have nothing.”

“Could we- Y/N, could we push for a mistrial?” Karen asked you, causing you to turn and look up at her. “We talk about the DNR, the suits. Reyes’ involvement. We get her kicked off the case.”

“She wouldn’t see it coming.” Matt said.

You stood from your chair and began pacing, taping your chin as you spoke through your thoughts.

“I’m pretty sure the DNR should’ve only been signed by Frank, someone Frank would’ve designated as a medical proxy - probably would’ve been his wife - or the senior treating doctor. We’d need to see who signed it because she could’ve called for it and had the doctor sign it. Or even forged Frank’s signature and claimed it was done on arrival, unless he was noted as arriving unconscious. Then again, she could’ve had his chart changed, same as the family’s deaths.” You said to no one in particular. “But even then, we’d have a better shot if we had some sort of recording or written record of the shoot to kill from the attempted ambush the other night.”

“If we go down this road-“ Foggy added, standing from his own chair. “-we gotta prove, in a court of Law, that the government willfully hid evidence of the Punisher ambush against Grotto and that Reyes was involved.”

“I was there and you were there.” Karen gestured to herself and Foggy.

“You’re not exactly impartial. Remember that conflict of interest Reyes tried to threaten us with?” You countered easily. “The judge would throw the whole motion out.”

“Either way, we need an opening statement by tomorrow.” Foggy pressed.

“I can open with PTSD as a mitigating factor.” Matt tried. “Focus on his time at war.”

“Trauma is gonna get the same response as insanity.” You shook your head. “He won’t go for it.”

“I don’t exactly see you adding anything useful.” Matt spat back.

“I swear to God, Matt, you need to stop trying to make everything into an argument.” You said through gritted teeth.

“Both of you quit it.” Foggy mumbled.

“So wait.” Karen cut in and you let out a thankful sigh. “You think the war is what made Frank the way he is?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“Because it’s nothing fair.” You nodded.

“Y/N.” Foggy groaned.

“It’s true!” You threw your hands forward. “He thinks Frank is broken or a lost cause. He’s a hypocrite.”

“How am I a hypocrite?” Matt scoffed. “It’s not like I’ve killed anyone.”

“No, but if it was Exodus on trial, you’d be turning over every goddamn stone looking for a chance to help, right?”

“This isn’t about her!”

“It’s always about her!”

You felt the heat rising up your neck so you turned away and closed your eyes tightly, hoping to clear the red sparks facing across your vision.

“Will you two just stop?” Foggy shouted, so suddenly it made you jump. “You two both wanted to take this case so put aside whatever you’re dealing with and work together. Because I will not let your stupid little argument sink this firm!”

You took a deep breath and turned back to your friends, running a hand down your face.

“You’re right… You’re right, I’m sorry.” You nodded and reached to pat Foggy’s arm.

“Our only goal is to reduce the charges and set precedent.” Matt explained, clearly not feeling a need to offer any apology of his own and it made you frown. “Castle’s made a lot of enemies so if he goes into general population-“

“He’s as good as dead.” You cut in plainly and leaned your hands on the table. “PTSD could potentially open the door to somewhere more secure…”

“Somewhere he can get help and doesn’t end with him killing anyone else.” Matt added.

“None of us really know what Castle saw over there so it’s technically possible, yeah… And research suggests that PTSD can be triggered by new stressors.”

“Like losing your family.” Karen finished.

“It’s not great but it’s something to start with.” You nodded. “Not a bad idea, Matt.”

“I’ve gotta get to work on this opening statement but we need to find out if Frank will be on board with this.” Matt said as he gathered his papers and headed out.

You had to clear your throat to cover your scoff. You didn’t want to argue with him again.

“I’ll go.” You pushed yourself off the table, thankful for the excuse to leave. “I know he’ll talk to me.”

“I actually wanted to talk to him too. I might’ve found something” Karen piped up and you nodded.

“You sure about that? You two going?” Foggy asked as you were slipping between Matt and Karen in the doorway.

“Yeah.” You called from the other room. “I’ve never really been scared of him anyway.”

“Maybe you should be.” Matt argued.

“Does Exodus scare you?” You countered and he frowned at you. “You have to recognize they use the same ideologies, making sure people suffer their consequences and all that dramatic stuff. They’re both just the one with a bigger stick.”

“What?” Karen made a face.

“It’s something Howard Stark used to say, I guess. I read it in from old interview. He said that peace just means having a bigger stick than the other guy… They’re not afraid to bring a big stick.” You shrugged. “And let’s be honest, the Kitchen kinda needed it.”

“Well let me get you the list of questions I’ve been working on before you guys take off.” Foggy said and disappeared into his office.

“Y/N.” Matt said as he tapped your arm.

“Mhmm?” You answered, not looking at him but pretending to be very intently searching for something in your bag.

“That night with Elektra at the.. the Roxxon Gala.” He said quietly, leaning in so no one else would hear.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“The way you… The way I was… How we..”

“I don’t think we need to talk about any of that here.”

“Y/N.”

You knew exactly what he was getting at. He was worried you knew he was Daredevil - or just worried about what he could do as a blind man. And you figured he was piecing together that you weren’t just an orphan on the run. Maybe he was connecting the dots to your own secret, so feigning ignorance would be the least confrontational option.

“Matt, just-“ You finally looked up. “If you’re waiting for me to make a big deal about it or try and confront you or out you about anything, then you’re worried for nothing.” You watched as his brows furrowed but he said nothing so you kept going. “I don’t care what you’re doing. I don’t care if you’re sleeping with Elektra again or whatever has you fawning over her all over again.”

“That’s not what I-“

“It doesn’t matter. What we did doesn’t matter either because it was all fake.” You cut in firmly.

“Was it?”

“It wasn’t?”

“Not all of it…”

“What?” You asked softly before shaking the thought from your head. “No. No, you can’t do that to Karen. You need to make damn sure that you’re picking the right girl this time. Because I think we both know you screwed up last time you picked Elektra over m- … over anyone else.”

You reached for the clipboard Foggy came back with. “She told me that you said no.. To helping her the first time.”

“I did.” He insisted.

“Try to stick to the script. Please.” He stared pointedly.

“I will give it a shot. But I make no promises. Maybe I’ll get some inspiration, who knows…” You smiled deviously as you glanced over the sheet and directed your next muttered sentence to Matt. “And I actually thought you would’ve meant it but you’re wrapped around her finger just as tight as before.”

“Y/N.” He tried.

“You sure about this, Y/N?” Karen asked gently.

“I'm not one to pawn off the work with an excuse.” You chuckled before glaring at Matt as you headed out the door.

“I’m serious about the script!” Foggy called out as you were closing the door.

You paused to stick your hand back in, flipping him off. The small action made your office laugh and you smiled at the lighter atmosphere. Even if it was only a fleeting moment, it was a nice change compared to the constant tension among you all.

Security clearance at the prison was quick, though they took your paperclips. You kept your head high as you followed the guards through the halls, ignoring the few catcalls and whistles. When you got to the room, Frank was already there.

“Hey.” You smiled slightly.

“Princess.” He nodded.

“Please don’t do that here.” You groaned and sat at the table. “You’ll get me in trouble.”

“That’s what you’re worried about getting in trouble for?” He offered a half smile.

“Anyways.” You said pointedly as you pulled some papers from your bag. “We’ve been looking over similar cases with the same or at least similar legal precedent and we were thinking if there was someone from possibly your military unit that could speak to your service.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Character witness.” You answered smoothly. “Pretty much, someone who knows you and can speak to what you’ve been through, stuff you saw over there, things you had to do…”

“PTSD, huh?” He chuckled in disbelief.

“Unless you wanna plead insanity and hope that miniscule acquittal rate works in your favor.” You countered with a shrug, which earned you an annoyed mumbled response. “It’s the best shot we have at the moment. Unless you have some other idea?”

“Don’t do that. It’s an insult.”

“A lot of veterans experience it. I probably have some, too. It’s possible that-“

“I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about them. It’s an insult to people who are actually going through it.”

“Getting shot in the head counts as trauma, Frank.” You scolded. “So does knowing your entire family was murdered. Pair that with your service and it’s a viable defense.”

“Y’know what? I see what you’re doing, Y/L/N. You wanna sit here and label me as some crazy-ass combat vet who-“

“I’m not trying to label you at all, Frank.” You cut in firmly. “What I’m trying to do is help you find out the truth about your wife and kids. But if you don’t work with me, then we have no chance. It won’t matter who killed your family because you’ll be too goddamn busy wasting your life in a shitty little jail cell. Every day will be another fight for your life, because let’s face it, you’ve pissed off almost everyone in this city. And you alone are gonna face repercussions for every fight you’re in, whether you start it or not. Is that really what you want? Because I can walk out and hand your ass right back to the lapdog of a Public Defender and not lose a second of sleep over it.”

He chuckled slightly and stared at you for a second, making you crack a small smile.

“Y’know, I think you’re nicer when Red’s around.” He teased and your jaw dropped.

“Never say that to me again.” You laughed. “God, you know he probably heard that.”

“Yeah, he probably did.” He nodded with a small smile.

“He’s gonna rub it in if I ever see him again.”

“I thought you two made nice with each other that night. What happened?”

“You really think now is the time to talk about this?” You raised your brows in accusation.

“Unless you wanted to go and get drinks.” He joked.

“Nah, I don’t even think Josie would want you there.” You chuckled and dropped your eyes to your fingers that began drumming against the table. “We just… We’re on different paths and it’s more prominent now, I guess. And he’s been lying to me and I figured it out… I figured out everything.”

“Everything?” He asked knowingly. “Is that why you and Murdock can’t seem to get along either?”

“Wait, how did you know?”

“C’mon, it was the… the voice. He don’t hide that the way you do.”

“Now you see why the accent is a thing.” You nodded. “I haven’t told him that I know anything but I’m pretty sure he can tell something’s up… Hence why everything’s an argument.”

“Look, I don’t know a lot about you two but…”

You lifted your eyes and found him staring at you, with something almost gentle in his expression.

“You two need each other. Any idiot could see that, even a blind guy. You’ll figure it out.”

You cracked half a smile.

“You’re getting soft on me, Castle.” You joked and he gave you a sound of disagreement. “You sound like Red, trynna be my shrink.”

He snorted a laugh.

“I think he got to you too, at least a little bit.”

“Maybe you two just need some couples’ counseling.” He shrugged with a lazy smile.

“Yeah? That a service you offer now?”

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded. “I do all that bullshit. What do you say, we get you on the books, huh?”

“Nah, I think you’re all booked up with the literal murder trial we’re in the middle of.”

“You’re the big time lawyer. Aren’t you supposed to be figuring out how to get me outta here?”

“That’s why I’m here, dumbass.” You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms. “Trynna get you back to your successful counseling services.”

“I’m a regular Dr. Phil, yknow?” He shrugged and you laughed.

“Too bad we’re not together though.”

“You two bicker like you’ve been married for years.”

“Please. Never say that to me again either.” You chuckled.

There was a beat of silence as Frank thought about whatever it was he thought about.

“Colonel Ray Schoonover. My old CO. Ditch the PTSD defense but for a character witness, the Colonel, he’ll give you what you’re looking for.”

“Great, I’ll reach out… You got a backup in case he doesn’t answer?”

“Yeah.”

“You wanna give me a name?”

“I’ll give it if you need it.”

“You act like I’m gonna do something to your friends.” You rolled your eyes.

“Nah, I think you’d like that one a little too much.”

“I don’t think I wanna know what that means. Anyways, I have Karen coming in when we’re done. She thinks she has some major moving parts that people don’t want to be seen.”

“Alright.”

“Just be open to what she has to say… That’s all I ask.”

“That’s all, huh?” His brows raised.

“See you in the morning.”

You switched with Karen and headed back to your office. When you got there, you found Matt in his office and Foggy in his. You announced your arrival and Foggy was the first to call you over as Matt shut his office door.

“Look at these Dogs of Hell depos.” He said quickly, shoving the papers at you without looking up. “They’re practically written in crayon.”

“You think we can poke some holes in them?” You asked as you flipped through the documents.

“A blind man could.” He scoffed.

“So… Matt.” You joked and Foggy grinned. “I’ll go get him.”

You took the papers and offered a quick knock before entering. You noticed how quick he pulled his phone from his ear so you shut the door behind yourself and glared at him.

“It’s Elektra again, isn’t it?” You asked tightly and he sighed.

“Hey.” He said quickly. “What’s up? How’d it go with Frank?”

“Are you kidding me?” You chuckled in annoyance. “This is the most important case of any of our careers and it starts in the morning. Is your opening statement ready? Is it even started?”

“Y/N, I-“ Matt tried but you reached out and snatched the phone instead.

“What is it now?” You asked harshly.

“Hello to you, too.” She mused.

“Cut the shit. What’s going on?”

“That encoded page in the ledger.” She answered, though you could bet that sure had rolled her eyes. “This is our one chance to decrypt it before the Yakuza adjust their plans. Two hours, Barclay and Church. I’ll expect you both.”

“Vous dites que comme s'il savait qui je suis..” You said carefully. “Est-ce le fait ?” (You say that like he knows who I am. Does he?)

“You’ll have to show up and find out.”

You shoved the phone back against his chest.

“I’m not going and neither should you.” You said simply, even though you did wonder if you could make the time. Not even to help Elektra really, more to poke around and see if Matt knew anything he shouldn’t. “The Dogs of Hell depos are pathetic so Foggy thinks we can find something here. And if you don’t finish that opening statement before you go screwing around with her.”

“Y/N, that’s not what’s going on.”

“I don’t care anymore, Matt. I don’t. You want to throw everything away because of her again, that’s on you. I can’t help someone who is refusing to make a change and is willing to hurt anyone around him.” You shrugged. “But if that-“ You pointed firmly to his desk. “-isn’t done before your little date night, I’ll do it myself and I will lose a lot of respect for you.”

“I promise, I’ll take care of it.”

You left his office, slamming the door a bit harder than necessary. You dropped in a chair beside Foggy and began reading through the depositions with him, thankful that he didn’t ask any questions about Matt’s participation.

“Oh! What did Castle say?” Foggy asked suddenly.

“He won’t endorse PTSD, but I already figured that.” You explained. “I know he’s talking to Karen about some of the family stuff, probably can find some discrepancies. But he gave me the name of his old CO so that’s something. And if he doesn’t answer, he said he had another guy in mind.”

“That’s good but it’s still his word against whoever for the family stuff, and he was also shot in the head.”

“You have to think though… Why would he lie about something so traumatic happening to the people he loved? I mean, I know I couldn’t tell a lie like that about you and Matt.”

“I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”

“I know you don’t know him or trust him, but you can’t tell me that man didn’t love his family with everything he had..”

Foggy nodded as he digested your words but said nothing else on the matter.

You two combed the depos and were able to find a few inconsistencies. You found conflicting reports between members and some blatantly exaggerated details. You went home with the excuse of needing your laptop and began fashioning an opening statement basing it off the idea of the morally grey area majority of people operate under and whether the means can justify the ends, along with the way the system failed the Castle family. You were hoping to pull a sympathy card with the jury, try to get people to see why Frank did what he did rather than just seeing how he did what he did.

You worked relatively quickly to jot down your bullet points and wondered if you had time to meet with Elektra. Even though you one better than to get involved, it’d be a lie to say you weren’t curious.

It was about ten minutes after the time Elektra said when you got to the building. You passed two scantily dressed women ranting in what sounded like Korean. Given you weren’t fluent in the language, you were able to make out ‘rich asshole… arrogant… professor” and figured you were headed in the right direction.

As you entered the apartment, you found the man on the ground with Daredevil and Elektra standing over him.

“What’d I miss?” You asked as you moved between them to kneel at the professor’s side. The sound of your accent sent the bitter taste of fear to your mouth, likely from the man on the foot. You grabbed him by his chin and tilted his head to either side as you examined the blood on his face before shoving him away and standing.

“Our new friend, Phillip, is being a bit difficult.” Elektra explained. “He’s worried the Yakuza will kill him.”

“Then he’s worried about the wrong thing.” You shrugged before grabbing his robe and yanking him to his feet.

You walked him backwards until he hit the window behind him. You pulled a knife from your belt and pressed it under his chin, ensuring the tip dug into the soft skin at the base of his jaw while your elbow was skillfully placed against the center of his chest. He whimpered slightly as the blade broke skin and a small stream of blood leaked down the knife and over your gloves fingers. You slammed your free hand against the glass by his head, sending a threatening crack echoing through the room.

“How high are we?” You asked over your shoulder. “Twenty stories?”

“Thirty.” Daredevil - Matt - answered as he stepped closer.

“You’d make quite the mess.” Elektra spoke aimlessly as she peered out the window to the ground below. “More liquid than solid, I’d imagine. What say you, Ex?”

“Care to find out, Phillip?” You asked, jamming your elbow harder.

“Please.” He whimpered.

You raised your fist to hit the glass again but your arm was caught. You turned and saw Dared- Matt with a hand around your elbow. He pushed your arm down and hit the glass on his own. Your brows raised as the cracks in the glass deepened so you tapped your mask and waited the second while your lenses calculated the strength of the glass. With Matt’s hits and the weight of your body leaning into Phillip’s, the glass integrity was dropping every second.

Eighty one percent.

“I’ll pay you. I’ll do anything.” He whined.

“Once more.” Elektra said with an amused tune to her voice.

Another hit brought the glass to seventy percent.

“It’s gonna break.” Elektra mocked.

“It’s got a bit of give.” You tilted your head and she hummed in response.

Another hit. Fifty nine.

Forty seven.

Thirty two.

Twenty.

Eleven.

“Alright, I’ll do it!” Phillip panicked.

You listened as the glass continued to crack, just under the weight of his body being pressed against it. You tilted your head slightly as a small red alert flashed across your lens, signaling less than ten percent integrity. You let out a small chuckle as Matt grabbed you by the wrist you had across Phillip’s chest and pulled you away. You threw Phillip towards Elektra and while she talked to him about the ledger, you and Matt stayed by the window.

It shattered only moments after Phillip was away from it and you were hit with a cold wave, and it wasn’t from the new flow of air in the room. Looking over at Matt, you realized it was from him, though the specificity of the feelings were hard to place. He wasn’t afraid of what happened. He wasn’t angry with how far you were willing to go. He was upset that he let himself go that far. And even though you were still pissed beyond belief, you felt yourself feeling bad for your friend.

“You alright?” You asked lamely as you tapped the edge of your mask.

“Fine.” He pushed past you and it reminded you why you two were drifting apart in the first place.

“Придурок.” You grumbled and moved to stand with your friends while tucking your blade away. (Asshole.)

“Next one is tonight at 11.” Phillip explained. “Bay Ridge Rail Yard.”

“A train shipment?” You asked and crossed your arms. “What are they getting delivered by land? Yakuza get most things by water, no?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t say.”

You rolled your eyes and lifted your hand, showcasing your Bite.

“I swear! It doesn’t say!” Phillip panicked and threw the paper at Matt’s feet as he put his hands up in surrender. “I can’t help you anymore.”

“Then that makes you useless.” You shrugged and fired the blue shot at his forehead anyway, making him fall unconscious.

“Good luck, Elektra. Red.” You nodded to them.

“You’re not coming?” She called after you. “But you’ll miss the fun!”

“My world doesn’t revolve around what you need. I have a job that requires my attention for tomorrow. I can’t exactly do well if I’m up all night fighting Yakuza, now can I?”

“So what?” Matt scoffed. “You’re just gonna… run away from this?”

You froze at the elevator.

“Excuse me?” You sneered over your shoulder.

“You heard me.”

“You got a lot of nerve to try and talk shit to me.” You said firmly and tried to keep your anger under control, spinning on your heels to see them both coming towards you. “I didn’t even want to be here because I have more important things to worry about. But you, I bet, chose to be here instead of your regular life. Didn’t you?”

“Watch it.”

“I should watch it?” You laughed in disbelief. “I’m not the one bending over backwards at her beck and call, am I? Tell me.. Does your little girlfriend from your office know you’re with her every night?”

“My office? … What do you know?”

“Я все знаю.” You smirked triumphantly, any importance of your friendship slipping your mind. “Tell me. Does your girlfriend know you kissed Y/N at that little party?” (I know everything.)

“What?” He spoke softly.

“Enough of this lover’s quarrel.” Elektra stepped between you two. “Exodus, I need your help. Please. You said you would help us with the Yakuza.”

“Not at the price of my career.” You reasoned. “Besides, you have him as your lap dog. You don’t need me.”

“I’ve always needed you.” She reached for your hand but you backed away. “You’re my friend, believe it or not.”

“I don’t…” You groaned and ran a hand over your mouth. “I don’t need this shit. Friends or not, you can’t expect me to do everything with you.”

“Come with us, find what’s on that shipment, and then decide if you’re done… Y/N didn’t go through all that trouble to get that ledger for us not to follow it all the way through.”

“Ты сука.” You muttered as the elevator popped open. “This is better be quick.” You stepped in, allowing them to follow. (You’re a bitch.)

It was easy enough to get to the train yard and find the shipment. You hung back and allowed Matt and Elektra to do all the heavy lifting. They chatted about what was in the car, but a scan with your mask showed nothing worthwhile. You almost laughed when they opened the car and nothing but sand spilled out.

Matt was quick to pull you two away when he heard people coming. You had half a mind to yank your arm away and stay where you were, but you knew you’d be fighting alone, and what was the point in that?

You three snuck off to the nearest platform and waited for the guards to arrive. Utilizing your mask, you saw three men incoming, one for each of you.

You acted first, ducking the swinging barrels of their guns before singling one man out. You didn’t really pick out a target, rather you just kicked out at the first one you saw.

Your foot connected with the side of their head and he nearly fell to the ground as his gun clattered from his hands. Before any of his friends could come to his assistance, Elektra and Matt moved in.

The man reached for a knife instead and you almost got sliced by it. You leaned away and stuck up your forearm to block his attack. You landed two sharp body shots before stepping under his raised arm and slamming your elbow against his jaw. You brought your forearm up from under his arm to slam against his wrist and send his knife flying from his hand.

You caught the knife easily and slammed your hand down to drive the knife into his leg. He groaned loudly but you ripped out the knife as you brought your elbow up into his nose, hearing a sickening crack. You hooked your arm behind his leg and quickly jerked his legs from under him, making him land hard on his back. You brought the knife down a final time into the center of his chest, twisted to the right, and pulled it out, leaving your fingers coated in blood while he coughed weakly before he died.

You tucked the knife into an empty slot on your holster and glanced around for your partners.

“At least eight more.” You announced as you helped Elektra to her feet. “You gonna keep up?” You teased with a small smile and she gave you a small laugh.

“I knew you’d have fun.” She grinned as she pulled up her mask.

“Bien sûr, mais j'attends sa conférence pour avoir tué ce type pour ruiner l'humeur.” You shrugged before ducking behind some pallets and she chuckled. (Sure, but I’m waiting on his lecture for killing that guy to ruin the mood.)

The next set of guards put up more of a fight than the first, though maybe it was due to their numbers. Matt and Elektra handled the uneven battles well, as did you. You ended up cornered with two men, one with dual blades and the other with a gun. You were trying to calculate a good attack - maybe one that didn’t kill them both - when the swordsman attacked first.

He swung one blade high and you were hardly able to get an arm up to block it. You were quick to pin his other blade underneath your foot. Using your free hand, you grabbed his raised wrist and turned into his chest to wrap his arm around yourself. You put your foot on the pallet in front of you and kicked off, spinning both of you until his extended blade punctured the gunman in the chest.

You slipped out of the embrace and kicked at his back to drive the original blade deeper into his friend. You lifted the discarded sword just as the man pulled the first out of his partner and turned on you, a new rage and determination burning through him. He muttered something, likely a threat on your life, before coming at you in full force.

His attacks were hard and fast, almost too much for you to dodge.

Almost.

He landed a quick slice to your cheek and he grinned viciously. You chuckled and wiped the blood away with the back of your hand before you moved in again. You ran at him and drove the sword through his foot. He bent over and yelled in pain, allowing you to plant hands on his back and flip over him. You gripped his shirt in your maneuver, pulling him into an awkward arch and you landed in a kneel.

You spun on your knees and he cried out as the movement spun his punctured foot, making the blood splatter across the floor. You changed your grip to hold him by his shirt front as you slammed your Bite against his neck and released the full voltage your weapon could manage.

You tried to regain your breath as you found Matt and Elektra again. You picked up the discarded gun on the floor and fired two headshots to the last two men Elektra was against.

“Took you long enough.” She said through her own heavy breaths.

“Thought you didn’t need me.” You chuckled and tossed the gun away, wiping the persistent stream of blood from your face.

Glancing down, you saw the engraved ‘E’ was nearly unrecognizable with all the blood that’s come to stain it. You frowned at it, only for a moment as you remembered what you had been with Matt. Before you knew anything, before you even really suspected anything.

How had everything changed so fast?

“You’re hurt.” Matt commented as he stood in front of you.

“It’s nothing.” You said mindlessly, not realizing he was already in front of you.

He grabbed your face and turned you to face him and the action earned him a glare. His thumb grazed the fresh wound and you winced, pulling away from him.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.” He scolded.

“Let me rephrase then.” You said sourly. “It’s not your problem. Good night.”

“What about your job in the morning?” Elektra asked and you could’ve sworn there was genuine concern there.

“They’ll never know.” You shrugged before hurrying home.

You stared in the mirror when you got home, standing in your bathroom with your suit still on. You realized you hardly recognized yourself. Scars and blood and bruises were nothing new when you saw yourself, when you thought of yourself. But there was something lacking in your eyes, something hollow.

You used that emotion, that disappointment, and let it manifest as healing. As repairing the slice on your cheek. The wound flashed a dingy gray - the same color you would paint that disappointment as - before it disappeared, your skin as smooth as it was before you went out with only the slightest of discoloration. You blew out a sigh and thought you’d feel better knowing it was as if it never happened but…

You still felt empty.

Only a few blocks away, Matt was cleaning up Elektra’s wounds. They chatted momentarily about all the scars when Elektra had to ask.

“And Y/N? Has she seen the scars?” She asked gently as the two sat on the couch.

She meant no harm with the question. As much as she loved Matt and wanted to be with him, she thought Y/N was better for him than she was. Despite them both having their secrets, she saw Y/N’s heart and her soul. Y/N, regardless of the blood on her hands and the trauma of her past, was still a good person in Elektra’s eyes.

“A couple.” Matt shrugged. “But I told her I got hit by a car.” He chuckled slightly as he thought of how she scolded him when he broke it open again.

“And she believed that?”

“Not at all.”

“Smart girl.” Elektra smiled. “Oh! I haven’t seen this one.” She pointed out a scar on his stomach.

“Yeah, the Russians like their knives.” He explained. “At least, I think it was the Russians.. Might’ve been Ex, actually.”

“She’s still Russian, no?”

“I don’t really know what she is.” He sighed.

“Is this the one Y/N saw?” She traced the scar on the opposite side of his abdomen.

“Yeah.. How’d you know?”

“It’s cleaner than the others. Her handiwork, I’m sure.”

He smiled slightly as he remembered how gentle her touches were, how she wanted to make sure she didn’t hurt him. But Matt knew she could never hurt him.

“I’m glad you two found each other again.”

“I don’t know… It just feels off lately. Ever since Exodus and I put Fisk away, she’s been different.”

“Have you asked her about it? I’m sure she’d talk to you.”

“She’s been arguing with me every chance she gets.” He shook his head sadly. “It’s like she’s pulling away. I don’t know what changed.”

“Maybe you did…” Elektra offered and Matt tilted his head. “Maybe being Daredevil has changed you and it’s changing your relationships. But I know you, Matthew, and I know you need Y/N.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He nodded slowly.

He didn’t know why Elektra cared so much about his relationship with Y/N. He knew how he cared about her and how he hated what was happening between them but still, it wasn’t Elektra’s business. Besides, he had Karen.

And friends fight all the time so it wasn’t the end of the world to fight with Y/N. His fight with Foggy after the reveal lasted for longer than this, didn't it?

But if it wasn’t the end of the world, why did it feel like it was? Like everything he knew - everything he wanted - was crumbling beneath his feet?

Why did it feel like Y/N knew something that he didn't and it was exactly that secret that was pulling them apart?

The next morning in the courtroom, everything bordered on being overwhelming for you. Shutting out the emotions of the entire gallery was tough given how high strung everyone was. The chatter blurred together to a crescendo of a buzzing sound and the feelings crashed into you like waves.

Hate. Admiration. Respect. Repulsion. Disbelief. Awe.

Every emotion was another sensation, another taste in your mouth, another fog in your vision, another lingering feeling across your skin that made you want to rip it all off. You had to block out everything while keeping yourself in check.

This was the biggest test of your life.

“Alright, what the hell is going on with him?” Karen whispered urgently to you and Foggy.

“It’s fine.” You said through tight teeth. “I can do the opening.”

“You sure?” Foggy asked. “You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

“All rise. Court is now in session.” The bailiff announced.

“Don’t have a choice now.” You muttered as you stood.

You all were instructed to take your seats and your fingers tapped the table as Reyes delivered her opening. Foggy and Karen muttered among themselves about Matt and where he was, but that was the furthest thing from your mind.

You knew he was probably in bed, Elektra wrapped in his arms. The thought - mixed with the influx of projected emotions - nearly tipped you over the edge. The only thing that drew you back was when Reyes neared your table, only to point out that Frank wasn’t a hero.

You had to bite your tongue to hold back your scoff but you knew she didn’t miss your heated glare.

“Ms. Y/L/N, are you prepared to make your opening statement?” The judge asked.

“She’s good.” Foggy sighed.

“So is she.” Karen nodded as you stood.

“Yes, Your Honor.” You smiled and stepped out from around the table. You decided to funnel the emotions you were being fed into your words, words you directed at the jury.

You needed to win as many of them as you could. And maybe it was wrong to manipulate the jury. It would probably discredit your entire case. But there was no way anyone would know.

Right?

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury.” You began simply, taking slow and calculated steps as you ran through the thoughts you had prepared the night before.

But all you could picture was that stupid fight with the Yakuza at the train yard and you felt a slight burning of your cheek.

“Today makes the beginning of a landmark case… Today marks the start of something major for more than New York. I stand here, with my colleagues, in the middle of the case of our careers, to be honest with you all.” You chuckled nervously and you noticed a few jurors lean forward in interest and it was like you could see your words floating through the air and into their ears.

“I want to ask you all to imagine being young, in a foreign county, with a gun in your hand and orders in your mind. On the other side of a blazing desert, someone wants you dead. They’re shooting. They’re screaming. Men and women beside you are dying. There’s blood and dirt and bullets and bodies, all around you… It’s a scary thing, but you endure it anyway.

“You endure it for the life that you have waiting for you, your life here with family and the people you love. People who love you and are the ones to hold you up when you get back and all you feel you can do is fall to their feet. Now.. I ask you to imagine those people being taken from you.

“This man-“ You gestured to Frank. “-endured exactly that. An excellent husband, a doting father, and a decorated marine that just wanted to pick up his life… But he couldn’t, due to local criminals. And the police and our very own District Attorney did nothing to stand up for them.

“Mr. Castle never got home. He moved from one warzone to another without warning.”

The side door opening drew your attention for a moment as Matt walked in, as disheveled as you would’ve expected.

“Today is not about vigilantes. It is beyond people in masks throwing punches in an alley. It is about how the justice system failed him.” You pointed behind you and saw a few jurors nod. “It is about one man becoming a pawn to cover up that mistake. Life is not as black and white as we want to believe. Most of us actually operate in that little grey area, be it going a couple miles over the speed limit every now and then or ignoring our seatbelt because ‘it’s just down the street’ or not mentioning the twelve-pack of sodas at the bottom of the cart.”

You saw a couple shoulders shake with a silent chuckle.

“The prosecution is out for blood, but to get that, they need to prove their case beyond any reasonable doubt. What I ask of you today is not to consider Frank as a hero or a vigilante or even a criminal. I ask to keep an open mind and think about the why. Think about the means rather than the ends and I believe you’ll see another side to this man. Thank you.”

“Pretty thick slice of bullshit there, Counselor.” Frank commented as you returned to your table.

You offered a small smile in return as you slid into your chair, now between Matt and Foggy. Karen reached over to give your hand a small squeeze and you smiled in thanks. Foggy clapped you on the back and Matt said nothing, as you expected.

“You’re welcome.” You replied and he scoffed slightly, though you knew there was amusement in the noise.

Later in the hall, you snapped on Matt.

“Are you serious, Matt?” You tried not to yell as you pushed him by his chest. “You promised me that you would have the opening statement ready and this is the shit you pull? God, I should’ve known you were going to bail on me. You knew I would cover your ass so you just blew it off, didn’t you?”

“No, that- that’s not what happened!” He tried to argue.

“That’s exactly what happened!” You laughed in annoyance. “You ran off to do God knows what and ignored this! Matt, you promised..”

“I’m sorry, okay? Really, I am!” He insisted, reaching for your arm but you knocked his hand away with a scoff. “I caught some of your opening statement and, Y/N, you were great!”

“You were amazing.” Karen added. “The jurors were practically hanging off your every word.”

“Yeah, I can have that effect on people.” You waved a hand and Karen gave you a wide-eyed, knowing expression.

“I'm serious! The sympathy card and the emphasis on that grey area of morality, it was incredible!” Matt continued and you couldn’t help but pick up on his frazzled state.

“Yeah, no thanks to you.” You scoffed and moved to a nearby bench, gripping it tightly as you leaned forward in hopes to find something to settle yourself. Your stomach was still churning and you were honestly afraid you would vomit. “Karen, who’s on the witness list for tomorrow?”

She flipped through the pages until she found it and passed it to Foggy, who was now sitting beside you and patting your back.

“You okay?” He asked gently.

“Little overwhelmed is all.” You nodded. “Who’s on it?”

He offered a small smile before peaking into the folder.

“Tepper.” He handed it back to Karen. “Reyes is gonna call the Chief Medical Examiner.”

“From rocky start to hail mary.” You sighed in relief.

“What do we know about him?” Matt asked quickly and your nerves sparked again, forcing you to grip the bench tighter.

“I showed Frank a copy of his family’s autopsy report.” Karen chimed in and you mouthed a ‘thank you’. “He says they’re faked and Tepper’s name is all over them.”

“That’s great!” Matt said. “We should get him on the record.”

“We already said that.” You cut in tightly, turning your head to glare at him. “And you would’ve known if you had bothered to come into the goddamn office! At least when I take off, I call someone to get caught up or I get to it early in the morning. I don’t make mistakes that impact everyone else! God, Matt, do you ever just think about anyone else other than whatever bullshit you’re doing?!”

“Y/N.” Foggy said gently. “Take a breath, alright?”

“Yeah.. Yeah, you’re right.” You nodded and rubbed your hands over your face.

Matt came over and knelt in front of you, reaching for your wrists. You didn’t have it in you to fight him on it and you felt his thumbs slide under your sleeves and gently rub against your skin. Usually you would’ve thought it was just a gesture to try to help you focus on something else, but now you knew what he was really up to. He was trying to read your physiological response.

You settled yourself as best you could. Not nearly flatlined but close enough that Matt couldn’t discern anything specific.

“Let me take the lead on it, okay?” He insisted.

“Like you took the lead this morning?” Foggy scoffed.

“You two have made your point, alright? Let me at least try.”

“Even if we get the false reports entered into evidence..” Foggy began.

“Which is a big if since it pertains to an unrelated crime.” You said plainly and Foggy pointed to you in agreement.

“Odds are slim he’s gonna incriminate himself.” He finished.

“Unless three brilliant attorneys can figure out a way to trip him up.” Karen tried.

“More like two, since one of us isn't really present.” You muttered and pulled your arms away slowly to cross them over your chest.

Matt frowned but stood and stepped closer to Foggy.

“Y’know what? You want it? Knock yourself out.” Foggy gave in and stood. “But Tepper isn’t talking without a fight since the DA pulls his strings.”

“Not to mention he’s had plenty of time to bulletproof his story and we have, what, 12 hours to tear it down. I don’t know how we do that by tomorrow but go ahead, Matt.” You sighed and stood.

“Karen’s gonna catch me up and we’re gonna find a way.” Matt insisted. “I won’t let you down again, Y/N.”

“Whatever. I’m going back to the office and try to prep for the rest of this trial. Foggy?” You rubbed your eyes and let out a deep breath, feeling some of the stress and pent up emotions leaving with the exhale.

“Yeah, right behind you.” He nodded. “We can pick up food on the way, on me.”

“By the way, Matt. You look like shit.” You said simply before turning and leaving.

You and Foggy spent the night comparing reports from the medical examiner. You tried finding other discrepancies or repetitive claims that could be used as potential doctorings. You compared every report with every crime scene photo. You even took extra care to see if there was a mislabeled gun used compared to the actual gun used.

You had to ignore multiple calls from Elektra.

The trial the next morning was just as straining as it had been the day before, blocking out emotions and controlling your own. As Blake Tower finished his questioning of Tepper, you felt the vibration of his nerves.

“He’s nervous.” You muttered, thankful that you were seated between Frank and Karen instead. You glanced down at your papers and pretended to flip through them. “Look at how he’s biting his nails. Someone who deals with dead bodies all day doesn’t put their hands in their mouth like that… You think Matt can do this?” You turned to Karen.

“Yeah, he had some really good stuff last night.” She nodded.

It wasn’t long into Matt’s questioning before Tepper snapped about a confession and the gallery was cleared. Tepper confessed to everything, altering the autopsy reports on Frank’s family and an additional John Doe with multiple gunshot wounds from that same day. Your brain was trying to piece together who the unknown man could’ve been and why he mattered when Tepper’s next few sentences caught your attention.

“She said she didn’t give a damn who got to me before. If I didn’t tell the defense what really happened, she’d hunt me down and kill me.”

“Who told you this?”

“I don’t know… A woman. Her face was covered. Had some foreign accent.”

“Эта сука..” You mumbled and leaned your chin into your hand. (That bitch.)

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petertingle-yipyip · 2 years

Text

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER - MATT MURDOCK

three - thank me later

tags: @ironprincessstranger @johnmurphys-sass @dusstory @americaarse // two // four // masterlist

Pairing: Daredevil x Exodus (Matt Murdock x Vigilante!Reader)

Word Count: 7,612

Summary: Working with the Punisher was supposed to be simple. But Daredevil finds a way into the mix yet again and one long night brings some unexpected yet very welcome advice and insight into a new friend, along with an implosion of what was left standing.

Walking to work came easier and easier as the days went on but that didn’t mean the initial questions weren’t difficult.

“What did you do?” Foggy sighed when you hobbled in the next morning.

“It’s nothing.” You mumbled and made your way pathetically to Matt’s office.

“Y/N.” He said firmly and caught your arm.

“I was at the gym last night and I bailed a rep badly. The plate hit my hip.”

You were able to utilize your random, targeted healing ability that you were still trying to piece together to clear your face of the bumps and bruises before you headed in that day. But there was a faint purple tint to the skin at the inner corners of your eyes that you couldn’t explain. When Foggy asked - And your face? You run into the bar, too? - you had simply waved him off and changed the subject but that didn’t stop him from bringing a frozen water bottle for you later that day.

Only a busted lip remained now, and you were able to cover it with some skillful makeup work, but you couldn’t hide from Foggy’s concerned eyes everywhere you went around the office. You were wandering the familiar path to work and found a group of men carrying a dog out of a building in a hurry.

You slowed your stride to watch carefully before being grabbed and pulled behind a truck, which forced you to watch the scene through the windshield. One of the men hesitated, staring in your direction for a moment. Your hand slid into your purse and wrapped around the switchblade, thumb resting on the firing button. But he fell in with the rest of the gang and sped away. You then focused on your assailant, finding none other than Frank staring back at you.

“Friends of yours?” You nodded your head towards the speeding cars and crossed your arms over your chest.

“Not quite.” He sighed and stared at the cars for a second. “Took my dog..”

“The little Pit? Cute… You hear ‘bout the funeral for Grotto today?”

He snorted and looked back to you. “You’re gonna go?”

“No… I’m the one that shot him, wouldn’t be right.” You shook your head. “I doubt many people will be there other than my office but..”

“You still feel out of place.” He nodded. “You wanna help? Get the dog back. Find out what those pieces of shit want.”

“Sure but it’s probably a revenge thing. I’m guessing they went straight to your apartment for something, couldn’t find it, so they took the dog instead to send a message. Classic but sloppy.” You pulled a pen from your purse and scribbled across the back of his hand. The number to your burner. “Call when you’re ready.”

You headed in to the office and you were the first to get there. You saw a folder on Karen’s desk labeled ‘PUNISHER’ and it caught your attention. You dropped your purse on a chair and flipped through the folder, finding numerous crime scene photos of Frank’s kills. But one piece, a cranial x-ray, caught your attention.

“Hey.” Karen breathed when she came in.

You spun and smiled before turning back to the papers.

“How was the service?” You asked, though you didn’t really care.

“You know Father Lantom.” Matt answered. “How come you didn’t come?”

“Hmm?” You hummed, still focused on the x-ray. “Oh, I overslept. Phone died overnight cause I didn’t put it on the charger. I’m sorry… Karen, what’s all this?”

“It’s everything the DA’s office is putting together against the Punisher. Most of it’s about the victims but this was in the middle of it. Tower gave it to me..”

“Wonder why…”

“Maybe he shot himself.” Foggy shrugged as he peered over your shoulder.

“No, he’d be dead.” You shook your head. “Something this close, no one would survive.” You thought of Daredevil. “Unless there was some sort of helmet or armor. See how deep the bullet penetrated?”

Your finger ghosted the small bright spot that was the bullet in his head. “He shouldn’t be walking around at all… This kind of a shot isn’t an accident.”

“Do I wanna know how you would know that?” Foggy asked with a sigh.

“Crime documentaries?” You tried with a small, innocent smile that earned a chuckle from your friend.

“I know this is gonna sound crazy but what if… What if Reyes is trying to cover something up?” Karen continued.

“You think there’s something worse than a murderous psychopath?” Foggy asked with wide eyes.

“You had the same hesitancy towards Daredevil and Exodus, Fog. He turned out to not be that bad, right?” You said, dropping the x-ray to the desk and slowly pacing the width of the office. “And what about what happened with the Grotto deal? Didn’t you say she used him as bait?”

“You weren’t there?” Matt asked suddenly.

“No, my neighbor was harassing me about her missing cat and got the landlord involved. It was a big thing.” You waved your hand dismissively. “But Reyes didn’t get to DA without crossing some red tape. What if…”

“What if the best chance to protect Nelson and Murdock is to find him?” Karen asked, looking at you.

You opened your mouth to say something but Foggy cut in. It likely would’ve been a good thing, given that you hadn’t really thought of an answer to give in regards to finding Frank, especially considering how easy it would be for you to do.

“Best chance at career suicide maybe.” Foggy argued, leaving for his office to answer a call. “Or actually getting shot.”

“Is it insane?” Karen asked you, to which you nodded slightly.

“It’s dangerous.” You answered.

“Maybe he is a lunatic.”

“Maybe not.” You shrugged as Matt asked “But you care anyway?”

“I think it’s more curiosity.” She answered as she moved to sit beside him. “Between these files and Reyes’ obsession and the fact that people are generally complicated-“ She glanced up at you and you tilted your head in agreement. “ - I feel like there’s gotta be more to the story. Right? Y/N?”

“Hmm?” Your brows raised and you stilled.

“What do you think about him? The Punisher…”

“I think…” You began carefully, formulating a sufficient response. Any number of things you said could trigger any sort of response from Matt, which would raise Matt’s suspicions higher. “I think that morally, he’s no different than Exodus. They both kill people who have done shitty things.”

Matt opened his mouth to counter but thought better of it. Your brows furrowed but your response continued.

“Their methods are different by far, and the Punisher earned that title by making scenes with his victims. I mean, c’mon. You saw about the men on meat hooks… But at the end of the day, I’m not sure they’re not all that different. They kinda just show that there’s consequences to your actions, even here in the Kitchen.”

“So you don’t think he’s a lunatic?” Matt countered. He tried to maintain his composure but there was a hint of disbelief, of irritation in his words. “Cause I know you don’t think she is.”

“Maybe I’m just not the one to comment on it.” You resigned. “On any of the vigilantes, really.”

“Matt?” Foggy called, saving you from that conversation.

“You know him, don’t you? You’ve met him?” Karen insisted quietly once Matt was out of the room.

“Like you said, it’s complicated.” You sighed. “But that bullet in his head, he shot Daredevil the same way. Could’ve killed him but he had a helmet… What do you think you can dig up on that?”

“What do you need me to find?”

“If there’s a DNR and who signed it. Anyone else working that saw anything. Statements of nurses and staff.”

“Okay.” She nodded and gathered the files. “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna try and ask him.” You nodded.

You two hurried out of the office before Matt could come back to the room. You returned to your apartment and pulled your suit. You began patching the hole while you charged the rest of your devices. The patch job wasn’t perfect and you figured you’d need to pull out a new suit entirely by the time your Punisher endeavor was over if it kept losing integrity like that, but that was an issue for another time.

Your implant pinged and you tapped it while heading to your kitchen for a snack. You read Karen’s message that she was following a lead but could find something promising. You texted back and told her to be careful and let you know if she needed anything.

“Mhmm?” You answered.

“Carousel in Central Park.” He said simply before ending the call.

You grabbed your apple and went back to change. You were quick to head out and find him. He was sitting on a bench while the carousel was spinning but there were other men, purposefully alone. You climbed to the top of the carousel and waited, Frank nodding at you to stay where our were. You peered over the edge and watched as one of the men started a fight with him.

When four more came up, you pulled your gun. You fired at two while Frank handled the other two. But when Frank began to wobble on his feet, you nearly climbed down to help but the slightest wave of his hand told you to stay put. Instead, six more men approached before you could move so you ducked into the shadows and watched. Watched Frank get shot with a taser and be hauled away.

“Черт!” You groaned once the men were out of earshot. (Fuck!)

You dropped down and slowly crept the area below, hearing the distant sirens. You turned to see how

much time you had, but you couldn’t see any of the flashing lights yet. But your attention caught on a shadowy blob, groaning and crawling along the ground.

One of them was still alive.

You hurried over and came face to face with Daredevil. You rolled your eyes and grabbed the man, slamming him against one of the horses. You knocked the gun from his hand and kicked it away before digging your knee into his chest.

“Who did this?” Daredevil asked him.

“Can you wait your turn?” You spat over your shoulder.

“Where did they take him?”

“What do you care?”

You pressed your knee farther, inching it closer to the base of his throat and he groaned while clawing at your leg.

“Where is he?” You insisted.

Daredevil pulled on your shoulder and yanked you away. You glared at him as he took your place and began interrogating him. You scoffed as he bent the man’s wrist back to an unnatural angle, though it got the location you needed. You ran before Daredevil did but he caught you just across the street from where you were headed.

“Why do you care so much?” He asked, grabbing your arm so you couldn’t go. Turning to glare at him, you noticed a green haze around him. “About Frank.”

Was he jealous?

“Same reason you don’t.” You yanked your arm away and egged him on, wondering if you could squeeze a confession from him.

But what would it change? Would it bring you to some

sudden realization that you did want to be on his side? That you really could - and maybe should - stop killing? Being around Daredevil made things complicated in your heart for more reasons than one.

As much as you couldn’t stand him, you did like him… At least a little bit.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to, Red. It’s wri-“

“Red?” He scoffed and your brow quirked while the green seemed to pulse around him. “Since when do you call me that, Princess?”

“It’s written all in your body language.” You ignored him. “And your emotions. You hate what he does and how he does it. You hate that he’s doing what you never could and you hate that I’m on his side.”

“I do, okay?” He nodded. “I hate that he’s gotten to you.”

Despite the hesitations he gave you, you had to stay firm in your stance. You couldn’t let Daredevil get to you, not now.

“Stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you want to do better, Ex. I know you.”

“You don’t… You never did. Besides, I don’t owe you shit after you betrayed me with Fisk. I’m not gonna let you do that again.”

“Ex.” He reached for your arms. “I’d never betray you.”

“You already did.” You pushed his hands away and you felt his hurt at the action, making you nearly regret it. “I don’t want to fight you, Re- Daredevil. Not tonight. Right now, the Irish have Frank in that building and they’re gonna kill him.”

“Why do you care?” He urged and you groaned in frustration.

“He would do it if it were you!” You snapped, pushing him by his chest. “If I asked him to help me get you out, he would. He’d complain and talk shit because he’s an asshole, but he would.”

“How do you know?” He scoffed.

“Because it’s me.” You huffed, trying a new card. “Because it’s me asking you to help…”

“If I help you…” He said gently as he took his gloves off.

He closed the distance between you and put his hands on either side of your face. You felt the skin of your cheeks grow hot and you silently cursed yourself. You knew you should’ve backed away, smacked his hands and scolded him for crossing boundaries again. But instead, you smiled softly as the green haze faded to a soft pink, admiration.

Damn him.

“No killing anyone.” He finished in the same low tone, leaning down so his forehead rested against yours.

You could tell he was holding back, testing how far you’d let him go. Part of you wanted to close the distance yourself, to feel his warm lips against yours again and forget all of the tension between you two. You wanted to give in to his touch and hold him close, to embrace a moment where you could share something other than an argument.

“Just like old times?” You chuckled and he smiled. “You and me against the world, eh?”

“Just you and me.” He nearly whispered and something in your chest seemed to crack.

“C’mon.” You nodded and stepped back, feeling his fingers linger on your cheeks as you put distance. “We should get in there.”

“Exodus.” He tried.

“I can’t.” You shook your head and began backing towards the building you two had to get into. “I just- I can’t. I won’t.”

You turned and ran into the shadows, creeping through the building until you were close enough to survey the guards. You could see three but felt the emotions of six. Daredevil was quick to come up behind you, knocking his baton against the metal doorframes. As the men came over to inspect the sound, you and Daredevil landed combos that seemed rehearsed a hundred times over.

You two moved flawlessly with one another, ducking and sidestepping the other as if you’d trained together your whole lives. It was almost as though you two could anticipate each other’s next moves. It made you feel something nostalgic, something familiar you longed for.

“Is that a dog?” Daredevil muttered as you followed him down the hall.

Took my dog.

The little Pit? Cute.

“Go.” You urged and pushed him slightly, though he was clearly confused. “Go to the dog, you idiot!”

Again, you two were met with Irish. Daredevil utilized his batons while you made good use of your Bites, only allowing a blue glow to shine for his sake. You very well knew you couldn’t continue to play both sides. You had to pick, one way or the other. Fight and jail them like Daredevil, or fight and kill them like Frank. There was no real time to think and pick who you would side with. You and Red were on the last two guards who were shooting at Frank.

Daredevil handled the guards while you slipped in the room and found Frank ducking away and covered in blood.

“Jesus Christ.” You muttered and dropped in front of him. “The hell did they do?”

“I’m fine.” He grumbled as Daredevil came up behind you.

You stood and helped get Frank to his feet. He pushed you off and tried to stand tall, and you suspected it wasn’t for you. Rather than make a comment, you scoffed and moved to the other side of the room.

“Thank me later, then.” You mumbled with an eye roll.

You tapped your mask and saw the outlines of three more guards. You pressed yourself to the side of the door and whistled for Daredevil to take the other side. Old habit, you figured. Or maybe you knew he was in better fighting shape than Frank. Once the last guard stepped through the doorway, you moved in.

You wrapped an arm around his throat from behind and pulled, turning yourself so you could face the door frame. You jammed a foot against it and kicked off, throwing both of you into a backwards tumble. You kept rolling until he was flat on his face with you on his back. You dropped an elbow to the back on his head before turning to see Daredevil throw his baton at Frank’s hand.

“No killing.” Daredevil said simply.

“Altar boy.” Frank scoffed.

“Enough already.” You groaned and helped Frank to his feet again. “Can we just get out of here before you two start taking jabs at each other?”

“Whatever you say, Princess.” Frank nodded.

Daredevil’s jealousy spiked again and you nearly laughed. You left Frank with Daredevil as you went ahead, clearing a way out of the building. Occasionally, a baton ricocheted off the wall ahead of you as help so you caught it, using it smoothly. You liked the feel of it in your hands, balanced and easy to swing.

You found Frank’s dog on your way out. He was chained hastily to a lamp post so you yanked with all your weight until the cheap lock snapped. The dog jumped excitedly and did small laps around you three as you were walking. He only took off when you removed his collar and patted his side, giving him a gentle push towards the city.

You knew a dog as cute and gentle as he was would get taken in by the first family that came across him, so you weren’t worried.

Once you were out, your trio headed through the nearby cemetery. You slid Daredevil’s baton back into its holster just before the two men collapsed near a headstone. You took a few more steps and sat in the grass not too far from the conversation.

“I guess I was wrong.” Frank said.

“About?” Daredevil asked, not looking at your partner.

“About you being a pussy.”

“Don’t get all sweet on me now, Frank.” Daredevil teased.

You laughed slightly. “I’m surprised you guys can actually get along.” You joked.

“Yeah, it’s just for your sake, Princess.” Frank waved a hand dismissively.

“Aw. All that just for little old me?” You grinned.

“You two should go.” Frank said.

“And leave you here?” You scoffed. “Not a chance.”

He smiled at you weakly and shook his head.

“You’re a stubborn son of a bitch.” Frank chuckled.

“You get used to it.” Daredevil shrugged and you leaned forward to smack his arm. He chuckled and reached over to pat your leg. “That rhyme… What’s it mean?”

“What rhyme?” You tilted your head.

“The thing he says, right before he pulls the trigger.”

“You heard that?” Frank asked. “What the…”

“He kinda hears everything.” You explained.

“Sometimes I think you might really be the Devil.” Frank shook his head.

“Sometimes I think I might be, too.” Daredevil nodded.

While Frank explained the rhyme, you shifted yourself forward. You thought it was strange to hear your former partner say that he didn’t always feel like the good guy, given the morality he always flaunted. You sat beside Daredevil and took his hand, peeling his glove away. You knew he felt what you were doing judging by the open feeling of his heart. You held his hand in yours and leaned your head on his shoulder.

Maybe it didn’t mean a lot. Maybe it was more to comfort yourself, to know you hadn’t lost Daredevil despite your cold treatment of him lately. Or maybe it meant everything to him, to know you still cared and still believed he was good. Maybe he needed it just as much as you did.

The pain caught your attention. Looking over to Frank, you saw the pain rolling off of him in waves. Pain, regret, grief. All of it was blurring together into a thick, dark blue nearly black fog that was stemming from his heart. You had never seen much emotion out of Frank, other than irritation or light amusement. It felt wrong, almost, to see such vulnerability from a man you only knew to be tough. It seemed almost impossible.

But family can do that to a person. Losing the people you hold dearest can break anyone. It was the type of pain that you couldn’t take away because it never stopped. It would always ache and gnaw at you, creep into your thoughts and loom in the corner of every room.

“…I’d be holding her lifeless body in my arms.” Frank said sadly, painfully. “I think I’m done, Red…”

“I’m sorry.” You said honestly. It wouldn’t take his pain away, you knew that. But sympathy - empathy - could still mean something if it came from the right person, if it was honest. Especially someone who can make it tangible.

“You’ve been through shit too, haven’t you?” Frank turned to you as you heard the police sirens.

“I got it.” Daredevil said before leaving you and Frank to your conversation.

“Yeah, I have.” You nodded. “But nothing like that. Everything makes sense, why you did everything…”

“And you?” He asked carefully. “Why do you do it?”

“I was abandoned by the only friend I had in the Red Room. She left me for dead and I snapped. I killed my way out, escaped that place covered in blood, but he came after me… He sent Widow after Widow and I killed girls that I grew up with. Girls that we were taught to fight beside but we all learned to see each other as disposable… I never could though. And I never had anyone who understood what that was like so I kept moving, kept having to be what he made me. Then I found him but…” You glanced over your shoulder and saw Daredevil talking to one of the officers. “He doesn’t get it either.”

“I don’t know what happened in the Red Room. Hell, I don’t need to.. What I do know, about you, is that you’re always gonna be stronger than the son of a bitch that runs that place. Okay? I don’t care what you’ve had to do to get away, alright? You got a good heart. And no one can take that away from you. Not unless you let ‘em.”

You smiled slightly, tears collecting at the bottoms of your eyes.

“You’re probably the first person who actually gets all of it.” You said softly.

“Listen, if you let everyone else tell you who you are, you’ll never know for real. Trust yourself. You’re a smart girl.”

“You’re a good guy, Frank.”

“And you should keep Red around.” He nodded and you glanced back towards Daredevil before returning your focus to Frank. “He’s a pain in the ass but I think you two need each other.”

“Listen, you sure you wanna do this?” You asked honestly. “I mean, I’ve punched a cop before. And I wouldn’t mind having you around a little longer…”

He chuckled. “Nah, don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself, Ex.”

“It’s Ex, now?” You chuckled and stood up. “See you around, Frank… I’m glad we met, yknow.”

“Yeah, me too.”

You moved over to Daredevil, ignoring the calls of the officer that was headed to Frank. You stood in front of a kneeling Daredevil and almost made a stupid comment. Instead, you put a hand on his shoulder and faced the officer. Even in the dim light you realized it was Brett. You almost smiled.

“Take the credit for this..” You told him and his head snapped up. “C’mon, Sergeant. You caught him, not us.”

“Why would I do that?” He asked carefully, though the movement of his hands slowed to a stop.

“People have to know the system works.” Daredevil added.

“People need a real uniform to believe in, not two idiots in masks.” You gestured to you and Daredevil, using it as a cover to wave away his hesitation. “Not my justice or theirs, but real justice. They can’t take inspiration from our actions anymore.”

“I don’t know what y’all are, but I know you’re not him.” Brett said as he pushed Daredevil away. “Get out of here.”

He took your arm and pulled you away, though you turned for one last look at Frank. It felt wrong to leave him like that but something told you it was for the better. There was no worry or any emotion really from Frank. Just acceptance. Not quite at peace, but not at war anymore either.

You and Daredevil left the cemetery once you saw the ambulance coming. You two landed on a rooftop to a building that you didn’t care to look at, standing in silence for a few minutes. You slumped to the ground and leaned against the ledge with a huff, pulling your knees up to your chest.

“Did you believe that?” He finally asked.

“Believe what?” You replied hoarsely. You cleared your throat and looked up at him. “Believe what?”

“What you said about justice and uniforms.”

“Yeah, maybe. There’s been a lot of copycats, yknow.” You shrugged. “I don’t know… Nothing really makes sense anymore and I- I guess I’m trying to figure out what I actually believe in. It just feels like I’m trying to be two different people, one around you and Frank but another around my friends… It’s exhausting.”

He came over carefully, kneeling in front of you. You pushed your hands over your hair and let them hang at the back of your neck.

“Y’know, I thought my life was bad.” You chuckled bleakly. “Constantly running, leaving people behind, killing whoever came after me just so I could live another day, lying to people I cared about… My training and upbringing and the stuff I couldn’t consent to. All of that so they didn’t die.”

“Hey.” He said gently, putting his hands on your knees. “A friend of mine once asked if I believed in second chances, changes of heart… I didn’t answer her then but yeah, I do. You know who you are, Ex. You’re a good person.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

Your eyes darted between his own red covered ones and you sighed. You wished you could see his whole expression, to see what kind of eyes he was looking at you with. Were his eyes blue? Maybe hazel?

You remembered when you asked Matt that question at Josie’s. He hadn’t answered you then either, but you knew he did. You didn’t care then that he hadn’t answered but now, sitting across from Daredevil, you wished he would’ve said something.

“Did you only know Y/N already because you know Franklin Nelson?” You asked quietly.

“What?”

“Y/N… She means something to you. You get this little spike when I talk about her.” You smiled slightly as you felt it again. “Who is she to you?”

“She’s… I don’t even know how to describe her.” He sighed. “She means a lot to me, outside of this.”

Your brows furrowed slightly as you understood that you did know Daredevil outside the suit. But it didn’t make sense to you who he could be. You’ve met a lot of people in passing that you didn’t stay around long. It could’ve been so many people, but who would’ve cared about you and the Kitchen so much that they’d be a local masked vigilante?

“But she doesn’t know…”

“No… No, I don’t want to worry her.”

“But she believes in you.”

“Yeah but she..” He shook his head, as if deciding against what he was going to say. Whatever it was, it made him sad if only for a moment. “She believes in you, too.”

“Is that the only reason you won’t give up on me?” You realized, your eyes unintentionally starting to water. You didn’t even care to control it, to shut it out. “For her?”

His silence was all the answer you needed. Your heart dropped into your stomach. You stumbled to your feet and felt an unprecedented dizziness. Everything felt like it was falling apart, crumbling away and slipping through your fingers. He moved to support you but you pushed him away.

You felt your anger seething, burning through your bones and down to your fingertips. You turned away and grabbed the ledge, gripping the metal corner bend aggressively, the chrome now smoking and going soft. The anger drew tears, fogging your mask. You closed your eyes tightly, feeling everything swell like a pressure in your head.

“Exodus?” He tried, putting a hand on your shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“You lied to me!” You screamed as you turned on him, pushing him away and allowing your anger to throw a blast of heat towards him that knocked him to the ground. “You never saw anything good in me!”

“What are you talking about?” He asked carefully, wiping a hand across his face as he sat up on his elbows. “Of course I do!”

“Liar!” You screamed again, shaking your head. Using your forearm, you pushed your mask up enough to clear your vision. You swiped your arm down, creating a line of red smoke that collided with Daredevil’s chest and laid him out. “You never believed in me! You only pretended to care because of her!”

Yelling about yourself felt strange. Blaming yourself for Daredevil’s intentions left a weird tingle in your chest. But it made you realize that everything between you two, the seemingly honest acceptance and understanding, the friendship and maybe even romance between you two. None of it was real.

“Y/-“ He began and your eyes went wide as that final nail sealed the coffin. You took a step back as he staggered to his feet with a hand out towards you, as if you were a wild animal. “Exodus.” He said firmly, as if it was what he always intended to say.

“Don’t.” You said firmly. You lifted your wrist, seeing the brilliant blue glowing back at you. “How can I trust you anymore? Everything has been fake!”

“It was real, okay? I swear to you. Trust me because it’s me!” He shouted desperately, echoing your words from earlier. “It’s me asking.”

“What does that mean?” You laughed. “I don’t even know you!”

“You do! You do, I promise!”

“I don’t.” You said quietly. “I don’t…”

“Exodus, please…” He begged, daring to step closer. “You and me, remember? Us against the world.”

You fired on him quickly, seeing the blue burst slam into the left side of his chest. He groaned and fell to his knee with a hand grabbing at the area.

“Just stay away from me.” You growled and jumped over the ledge.

It wasn’t until your feet hit the ground that you could figure out where you were. Finding a route to your apartment, you ran. You didn’t bother to stick to shadows and alleys. You couldn’t think that far ahead. You just needed to run. To run away from Daredevil and away from the lies.

From the betrayal.

That’s what it boiled down to. Daredevil was projecting his care for Y/N into Exodus. He never cared who she was or what she did, unless what she did interfered with what he did. Then it suddenly mattered.

Getting inside your apartment, you didn’t know what to do. You yanked off your Bites and your top, throwing them onto your couch. You undid the buckles for your belt and slammed it down. You threw your mask to the floor and collapsed against the wall, sliding down until you hit the ground.

You cried, for the first time in you couldn’t remember how long. You cried, sobbed until your breathing turned ragged and your face was probably red. You cried until your head hurt and you had no sound left. And at that point, you screamed. You took the deepest breath you could muster and let it all out, screaming so loud that your voice broke. A cold wave of blue smoke blasted out of your chest, shaking everything in your apartment until you felt empty.

Nothing hurt anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

You sniffled and covered your eyes with your hand as you answered your phone, shakily bringing it to your ear.

“Yeah?” You managed, though your throat felt like it had been rubbed with sand paper.

“Y/N?” Karen answered worriedly. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“No.” You whispered, feeling a new wave of tears coming. You cleared your throat and gathered yourself as best you could. “What um- What’s up?”

“Foggy wanted to go out for drinks, told me to ask you to meet us at Josie’s but…”

“I think I’ll pass… Sorry.”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Daredevil.” You said quietly. “He never- He- He never really thought I could… It was all lies. He never cared.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry, Y/N. I know you-“

You cleared your throat and wiped your face with your free hand as you scooted taller against the wall. “It’s fine… Probably better this way.” You lied.

“Do you want me to tell Foggy to come to you? We can pick up some drinks and just hang out there.” She offered. While you knew she had the best intentions in mind, it didn’t make you feel any better.

“No, thanks… I’d rather process this alone.”

“I don’t think you should.” She countered softly.

“I appreciate it.” You sighed. “But I’m better on my own, really. I’m just gonna go to the gym. I need to… need to punch something. I don’t wanna take it out on you guys. It’s not fair.”

“You know Matt is gonna be nosy as soon as I tell him, right?” She teased and you broke a small smile.

“Yeah, I know… Tell the guys whatever you want, okay? Hell, you could tell them the goddamn truth for all I care.”

“I’m not gonna do that. You should tell them when you want to, not just let it slip because you can’t think straight.”

“Thanks… You’re a good friend, Karen. Better than I dese-“

“Don’t even try it.” She cut in. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Night.”

You changed out of your suit and kicked it hastily under your bed. You tossed your accessories into their case and shoved it away as well. You dressed yourself in gym attire, checked your bag for your usual gym chalk, headphones and hand wraps, and took off. You used some bobby pins to pick the old lock, smiling at the fact that it was just as easy as before and headed in.

As soon as you dropped your bag on the old boxing ring, your phone went off. Already knowing who it would be, you popped in your headphones and answered.

“Before you say anything,” You warned as you began wrapping your hands. “No, I’m not coming. No, I don’t want you guys to come to my place. Yes, I'll be in the office tomorrow.”

“Well that covers the basics.” Matt chuckled. “What’s wrong?”

“Karen didn’t tell you?” Your brows furrowed.

“She said you got into some argument with a friend… What kind of argument?”

You smiled quickly as you heard Karen’s excuse. You were glad she didn’t say anything but couldn’t help but think maybe it would’ve been easier.

“The kind that ends up with two people very likely not talking anymore.” You sighed, finishing one hand and moving to the next.

“With your boyfriend?” He asked carefully.

“We were complicated.” You admitted. “But he’d probably flip his shit if I ever said he was my boyfriend, so…”

“C’mon, Y/N/N. Talk to me.” Matt softy insisted.

“I don’t really want to talk about it. He lied, plain and simple.”

“Well, are you so sure he lied?”

You fixed the velcro on your second hand before moving to the punching bag. You began slow, one hand after the other.

“You think I jumped the gun.” You nodded.

“I’m just saying that maybe there was more to the story.” He tried to sound casual but there was something personal in his words, like he was drawing on his own experience.

“Well when I ask a straightforward, yes or no question and I get silence, doesn’t seem like there’s much of a story to tell, Matty.”

“Maybe he was thinking of the best way to explain it.”

“He wasn’t really trying all that hard to convince me… You don’t know him, Matt. Neither did I, turns out.”

“I think that’s a bit dramatic.” Matt scolded and you scoffed. Your hands began to speed up against the punching bag. “And you just, what, ran away?”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“When things get real, when they get meaningful, you find an excuse and you run. You did the same thing with me in college.”

“What are you talking about? I left because I had to.. It had nothing to do with you!”

“Yeah and you never say anything else about it.” Matt argued. “All you say is that you had to. You’re gonna tell me there isn’t more of a story there?”

“Not one you need to know.”

“Of course.” He scoffed.

“What kind of confession are you looking for right now?”

“I’m not looking fo-“

“Cut the shit, Murdock. This is one of the most leading conversations I’ve ever had.” You laughed bitterly. “You can talk circles around everyone else but not me. I was there when you figured this shit out. Whatever you’re digging for, let it go.”

“So that’s it?”

“What else is there?”

“Why do you keep doing this? You keep pushing and pushing until these arguments get out of hand. You trying to push us away too?”

“Too?” You repeated in confusion. “I haven’t pushed anyone away lately.”

“Point is-“

“There is no point!” You cut in, slamming your fist through the old leather of the punching bag. “Fuck. I don’t know what you’re looking for from me right now. But I don’t need this shit. Not from you, Matthew. Anyone but you.”

There was silence on the other end but you could faintly hear Foggy and Karen calling Matt back to them.

“Go be with your friends.” You said, staring at the hole in the punching bag while your emotions settled. “Have fun, for once… You’ve been so far away from everyone lately. Enjoy yourself.”

“What about you?” He asked, his anger seemingly dissipated too. “I’m supposed to just let you sulk and mope by yourself all night?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” You smiled slightly at his lame attempt to make you laugh.

“You know I love you, right?” He said kindly.

“Yeah, I know…Good intentions, poor execution. Kinda your speciality.”

“Now that was uncalled for.” He chuckled.

“I love you, too, Matt. Night.”

You ended the call and blew out a sigh. Even though you caught his lame attempt to corner you and force a confession, you couldn’t rid yourself of the lurking suspicion that he knew something he shouldn’t. No amount of reps that night could get that thought out of your head.

So many things bounced around your brain that night. Frank saying you should keep Daredevil around. Daredevil swearing that he cared. Matt trying to squeeze admission from you. You could hear so many voices mixing and trading places at the forefront until you screamed for the umpteenth time that night.

You didn’t leave the gym until your muscles ached and your throat was raw from screaming. You trudged home, every ounce of energy sapped from your body. You managed to get into your apartment but the sound of running water in your bathroom confused you and electrified your body. Glancing around, you found no immediate weapons. You hurried to your kitchen and grabbed the chef’s knife from your drawer.

You pressed against the wall by the door and waited until they came out. Your arm snuck around their throat and slipped your foot between their legs. You yanked them back as you dropped to a knee, forcing them to trip over your leg and go down with you. You slid your knee up to their chest and pressed the blade against their throat, only to be created by an annoyingly familiar face.

“Jesus Christ.” You sighed and dropped the knife to the floor. You scooted back and pushed her away, though she grinned at you. “What the hell are you doing here, Elektra? How’d you find me?”

“It was easy enough.” She shrugged, though her smile never faltered. “Same as I found Matthew.”

“So why didn’t you ask him for whatever you need?”

“I did…” She rolled to her stomach and propped her chin on her hand. “He said no.” She pouted.

“Matt Murdock told you no?” You laughed. “For the first time in his life, he told you no?”

“Imagine my surprise.” She answered bitterly. She sighed loudly and pushed herself up to sit in front of you. “In all seriousness, Y/N, I do need your help.”

“I’m listening.” You said tiredly, and you weren’t quite sure why you were willing to help her. Maybe you just didn’t have the energy for another argument.

Elektra had been the focal point of a lot of fights between you and Matt in college. And not so much because you had feelings for Matt - which you did - but because you could see through her. She was your typical narcissist, making everything about her and not caring how she affected other people. She was manipulative, abusing Matt’s trust and exploiting his faith in people. And yet, she made you laugh. She had her secrets, same as you and Matt, but she was never ashamed of them. She was powerful and confident, something you hated to admit you admired.

She was still your friend in some odd way.

“My father, before he died, had dealings with the Roxxon Corporation. Little bit of everything. Energy, cleaning supplies, macaroni and cheese, child labor, slave trade. I believe they called it diversification.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” You rubbed your tired eyes.

“They hold most of his wealth, thanks to shitty investments on his part. I have a meeting with the board tomorrow at the Yakatomi building and I could use some legal support. I pay well, too.”

“I’m not a lawyer, El.” You shook your head.

“Yes, you are.” She nodded. “I checked into it. Nearly perfect Bar score. Sound familiar?”

“It’s not official. Not until I get the little card.” You made the shape of a card with your fingers. “My speciality would be defense and litigation, anyway. I don’t think I’d be much help… There’s not enough time to put anything together anyway.”

“There’s about fifteen hours, give or take. You can brush up on some skills.”

“Fifteen?” Your eyes went wide. “Elektra, I’m exhausted as is. I can’t stay up all night doing this. If Matt already said no, there’s probably a reason.”

“It’ll be fun.” She reasoned with a wicked grin. “Just like old times, even.”

“Old times involved Matt and you and I almost getting into a fist fight once a week.” You laughed.

“That’s what made it fun!”

You shook your head with a smile. “If I do this, you have to be honest about what I’m getting into. I can’t take a dirty case.”

“It’s not dirty…” She tilted her head as she thought. “Well it’s not squeaky clean either.”

“Damn it, Elektra.” You grumbled.

“But I promise, I only need to get in there and get my father’s money.” She recovered quickly.

“If you want me to do this, you need to put together a file of what I need to know. Accounts, shareholders, CEO, CFO, who your father did deals with, any proof of those deals.” You pointed a finger at her. “I’ve been up for way too long and I’m not researching anything tonight.”

“Thank you, Y/N. You and Matthew are the only ones I can trust.” She nodded.

“You broke into my apartment.” You deadpanned. “But you’re talking trust?”

“You should get a better lock.” She shrugged. “It was easy to pick.”

“You’re annoying.” You smiled. “We got a deal?”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” She winked and pushed herself up to leave.

“Yakatomi building, right?” You asked as she reached your door.

“I’ll send a car.” She said simply before leaving.

You were so tired you didn’t bother to shower or even get off the floor. You reached for your gym bag, scrunched it up, and used it as a pillow to sleep on.

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