New part! Not sure how in character Karen is but I tried my very hardest. Bit of an information dump this chapter but soon everyone is on the same page; with more plot appearing! Next chapter should have some of the action-y stuff and more on Foggy. I'm still hopeful there's only going to be 12 parts. Reminder bold AND italics is them together; as one.
The look on Karen's face would probably be one of the most amusing things Foggy's ever seen if he wasn't currently too distracted feeling Matt's fear/trust/relief/fear/whatifsheleaves? to take much note of it. Underlying all of Matt's thoughts is his complete and utter faith in Foggy choosing correctly and that itself is enough to both warm Foggy's heart and terrify him.
But first. Karen. Who's looking from Matt to Foggy with a mixture of disbelief, dawning realisation and anger. Like Foggy thought, an amusing look to be thought of later.
Best I've seen in a while Matt tries to joke but it falls flat as they both wait to see where the bullet lands.
That is an awful dangerstupidyourlifeissodangerous metaphor by the way.
Matt nods, then tries to rise. But Karen pushes down on his chest and Foggy can feel his reluctance to fight her attentions. Show her my suit.
Foggy nods and gets up, causing Karen to jerk in surprise. He heads for the cupboard Matt kept the last suit in. It's not there; I was tiredsoretired lazy last ni- notimelostforgot the night before and hid it under my bed. Without missing a step, Foggy changes directions to head into the bedroom, Matt's sensory map of his room in Foggy's mind's eye. The suit is exactly where Matt remembers it being and he brings it back out to Karen.
Who gasps in shock. 'You're Daredevil,' she breathes, turning back to Matt. 'But...how?' She waves her hand in front of Matt's eyes for a moment, causing Foggy to grimace. Understandable/annoying/haseveryright/painnotfaking/justified
Liar/annoying/keeptryingtoconvinceyourself. 'Karen, that's kinda rude?' She turns to give him a glare and Foggy shrugs. 'I meant the hand waving? It's really quite rude.' He walks past her to settle back down next to Matt.
'Oh. Sorry.'
Matt gives her a mild smile that shows exactly none of his feelings about her actions; about her belief that he's faking being blind. Foggy hadn't realised before now how deep and strong those feelings were. Suddenly some of Matt's vagueness about how his senses work makes much more sense... why try and convince someone you believe won't believe you anyway?
'It's okay. It's a valid assumption.' Matt, you gotta admit how much it painbetrayedpainnotfaking actually hurts to be called a faker. Foggy pushes as much comfort/bestfriend/sorrysorrysorry/nottotalliar/useyourwords/tellher as he can at Matt, hoping to get him to tell Karen.
But Matt ignores him. 'I am blind. It's just, my other senses... they make up for it.'
Foggy huffs. 'That's one way to describe it. What's the other? 'There's more than one way to see'?' Matt sends him the feeling of a glare even as Karen tilts her head.
'You said it started with Daredevil. The story of what happened. How'd it finish?' She finally moves back from Matt, allowing him to sit up. 'There's something up with the both of you tonight.'
Matt sighs. 'I... I make enemies. As Daredevil. And they threaten me sometimes; it's why I wanted to keep you guys out of this and safe-' Stupid choice Foggy thinks as Karen's eyes widen in belief, '-and last week a guy I took down made a threat. Last night, he acted on it.'
'What was the threat?' Karen asks softly, her anger nearly gone from her voice.
'That he'd make everyone I knew suffer and die.' The memory of that moment plays for Foggy and while there's no visuals, he can hear the certainty in the man's heartbeat and voice. But he can also feel Matt's instinctive fearpanicworry at the threat before Foggy's safe, they're safe nooneknowsmesecretsafe logic kicks in. 'I didn't believe him but then I got Foggy's call.'
It takes Foggy a moment to remember the phone call he'd made the second he'd started to think something was off. He hadn't waited for Matt to answer, just put his phone on mute and slipped it in his pocket before moving further into the alley. A stupid move, in hindsight Agreement/fear/idiot but one Foggy still doesn't have it in him to regret.
'What happened then?' Karen prompts, pulling them out of Foggy's thoughts. 'Foggy?'
'I'd walked into a trap, I think. Some person calling for help on the way home from the office,' Foggy does a vague sort of shrug, ignoring Matt's hypocritical IDIOT/PANIC/STUPID/FOGGY, 'in an alleyway and I walked in. Got nervous when they weren't right there so I called my friendly neighbourhood vigilante for backup. Good thing I did because there was a nutter with a gun there and he started monologuing at me.'
Karen raises an eyebrow. 'Monologuing?'
Foggy nods with enthusiasm. 'I know right! Actual monologuing, the type you really only see in the movies! I almost thought I was dreaming but he was waving that gun around talking about how destroying me would destroy Daredevil-'
'He was?' Foggy suddenly registers Matt's tenseness and fear and it dawns on him that he might not have mentioned any of this to Matt. Opps?
It's okay. Show?
Of course.
********
Slowly, Foggy feeds Matt his memory of the encounter. For a moment Matt can't process it; can't tie the light haired ranting man all dressed in black with his impressions of a man of average height and peak physical condition. But then Foggy's mind slips in closer to his and they remember. Remember the ranting and the raving - 'going to make everyone he knows suffer, if I have to ruin everyone in Hell's Kitchen to do it. I'll get someone the Devil loves eventually.' - joke/stupid/shouldIbescared? followed by the fear when the gun is turned on them. Then Matt is thrown out of unison by Foggy's panic/MATT nononononono when he runs onto the scene and takes the blast of light the gun fires.
Huh. Matt frowns. Where did h-
'Guys!' Karen's near roar cuts into their thoughts/sharing/existence and as one, they turn to look at her. Matt hears her heartbeat pick up. 'Okay, that's creepy.' She looks Foggy in the eyes. 'What. Happened. Then?'
'Matt came. And he took the shot from the gun.' Karen takes in a shocked and fearful gasp of air. 'Only it wasn't a bullet but some sort of light thingy?' Foggy shares Karen's surprised eyebrow. 'It hit Matt and he just, started screaming. And, ah... long story short, it turns out that that weapon kinda makes you able to read minds and emotions.'
Karen's eyes snap to Matt's face and he can feel the sensation of her gaze on his face. It takes him a moment to realise he's using Foggy's vision to get this impression.
He gives her a mild smile. 'Not anymore. We were with the Avengers, they fixed it so my mind is mostly my own again-'
'Mostly?'
Foggy shrugs, the sensation itching at Matt's shoulders. 'Ah, the only way they could Matt hearing everyone's thoughts was to make him feel every thought of one person. I ah,-'
By Karen's heart, Matt knows she's made the leap. 'You volunteered.' She shakes her head, the sound of her hair tapping her shoulders echoing in Matt's ears. 'No, this doesn't make sense, it can't be real.'
Time for proof maybe? 'Show Foggy something. Something on a screen or piece of paper. My senses don't work on those.' For a moment Karen hesitates but then Matt hears her fumbling and smells lint as she pulls some out of her pocket along with her phone.
Matt, we don't have to do this, Karen friendlovelywhatareyoudoing will believe us once the surprise-
Proof helps.
Fine. Blue square. 'A blue square,' Matt repeats. Then, 'Foggy. A yellow bird. You? Yes, you. A Christmas tree. A rob-wait that's what Iron Man looks like?'
Karen starts to laugh; a very nervous noise. 'Holy shit.' Matt hears her lower her phone then exhale noisily. Only to you Buddy. 'This explains... a lot of tonight.'
Matt is taken back and Foggy seems as surprised. 'What?'
'The random space outs you both have been having. Foggy's really sudden change in direction when getting your suit.' Karen has her hand up and is lowering her fingers as she talks. 'The fact Foggy knew to go get your suit. Um, the moving in unison thing? A lot of things.'
Oh shit.
Yeah. 'Obvious things?'
Foggy shares Karen's smile - beautiful/carefree/nowrare - with Matt. 'Only when I list them out like that.' She finally rises. 'I guess I should go?'
Matt tries not to seem as eager as he and Foggy feel. Karen is his friend but they need to be alone right now. 'Only if you want to.'
'I'm going. Thank... thank you for telling me.' There's a hitch in her voice, the same one that's been there for ages but magnified somehow. Maybe because Foggy can show Matt her face as she speaks. 'I'll see you tomorrow.' Head held high, Karen walks out before Matt can so much as offer to walk her to the door.
They track her movement to the edge of Matt's senses, to be sure she's safe.
You do this a lot? Matt can feel Foggy's distress/violation/bestfriend/privacy/confusion at the thought of Matt tracking him through Hell's Kitchen.
Not really. I listen for trouble when you leave the building but painoverextentiontomuch I usually tune everything out once you've left the block. Matt finds himself playing with a thread on one of his pillows and forces himself to stop.
Foggy nudges him mentally to start it up again and Matt's doing it before he can process what that means. Just to be safe?
Yes. I only ever wanted you safebestfriendlovewantprotect safe.
With a nod, Foggy stands. 'Okay then Murdock.' And Matt knows/feels/isFoggy that Foggy believes him. 'Ready to brave the big wide world?'
Matt blinks as he rises too, moving for his cane and glasses without thinking. 'What fo-oh,' he cuts himself off as the thought/image/memory of Foggy's clothes comes to him. 'You know what Nelson, I think I am.'
Fill: Clear and Honest Communication 7/12(?)
The look on Karen's face would probably be one of the most amusing things Foggy's ever seen if he wasn't currently too distracted feeling Matt's fear/trust/relief/fear/whatifsheleaves? to take much note of it. Underlying all of Matt's thoughts is his complete and utter faith in Foggy choosing correctly and that itself is enough to both warm Foggy's heart and terrify him.
But first. Karen. Who's looking from Matt to Foggy with a mixture of disbelief, dawning realisation and anger. Like Foggy thought, an amusing look to be thought of later.
Best I've seen in a while Matt tries to joke but it falls flat as they both wait to see where the bullet lands.
That is an awful dangerstupidyourlifeissodangerous metaphor by the way.
It fits.
'What?' Karen finally chokes out. 'How...no. You're Daredevil?'
Matt nods, then tries to rise. But Karen pushes down on his chest and Foggy can feel his reluctance to fight her attentions. Show her my suit.
Foggy nods and gets up, causing Karen to jerk in surprise. He heads for the cupboard Matt kept the last suit in. It's not there; I was tiredsoretired lazy last ni- notimelostforgot the night before and hid it under my bed. Without missing a step, Foggy changes directions to head into the bedroom, Matt's sensory map of his room in Foggy's mind's eye. The suit is exactly where Matt remembers it being and he brings it back out to Karen.
Who gasps in shock. 'You're Daredevil,' she breathes, turning back to Matt. 'But...how?' She waves her hand in front of Matt's eyes for a moment, causing Foggy to grimace. Understandable/annoying/haseveryright/painnotfaking/justified
Liar/annoying/keeptryingtoconvinceyourself. 'Karen, that's kinda rude?' She turns to give him a glare and Foggy shrugs. 'I meant the hand waving? It's really quite rude.' He walks past her to settle back down next to Matt.
'Oh. Sorry.'
Matt gives her a mild smile that shows exactly none of his feelings about her actions; about her belief that he's faking being blind. Foggy hadn't realised before now how deep and strong those feelings were. Suddenly some of Matt's vagueness about how his senses work makes much more sense... why try and convince someone you believe won't believe you anyway?
'It's okay. It's a valid assumption.' Matt, you gotta admit how much it painbetrayedpainnotfaking actually hurts to be called a faker. Foggy pushes as much comfort/bestfriend/sorrysorrysorry/nottotalliar/useyourwords/tellher as he can at Matt, hoping to get him to tell Karen.
But Matt ignores him. 'I am blind. It's just, my other senses... they make up for it.'
Foggy huffs. 'That's one way to describe it. What's the other? 'There's more than one way to see'?' Matt sends him the feeling of a glare even as Karen tilts her head.
'You said it started with Daredevil. The story of what happened. How'd it finish?' She finally moves back from Matt, allowing him to sit up. 'There's something up with the both of you tonight.'
Matt sighs. 'I... I make enemies. As Daredevil. And they threaten me sometimes; it's why I wanted to keep you guys out of this and safe-' Stupid choice Foggy thinks as Karen's eyes widen in belief, '-and last week a guy I took down made a threat. Last night, he acted on it.'
'What was the threat?' Karen asks softly, her anger nearly gone from her voice.
'That he'd make everyone I knew suffer and die.' The memory of that moment plays for Foggy and while there's no visuals, he can hear the certainty in the man's heartbeat and voice. But he can also feel Matt's instinctive fearpanicworry at the threat before Foggy's safe, they're safe nooneknowsmesecretsafe logic kicks in. 'I didn't believe him but then I got Foggy's call.'
It takes Foggy a moment to remember the phone call he'd made the second he'd started to think something was off. He hadn't waited for Matt to answer, just put his phone on mute and slipped it in his pocket before moving further into the alley. A stupid move, in hindsight Agreement/fear/idiot but one Foggy still doesn't have it in him to regret.
'What happened then?' Karen prompts, pulling them out of Foggy's thoughts. 'Foggy?'
'I'd walked into a trap, I think. Some person calling for help on the way home from the office,' Foggy does a vague sort of shrug, ignoring Matt's hypocritical IDIOT/PANIC/STUPID/FOGGY, 'in an alleyway and I walked in. Got nervous when they weren't right there so I called my friendly neighbourhood vigilante for backup. Good thing I did because there was a nutter with a gun there and he started monologuing at me.'
Karen raises an eyebrow. 'Monologuing?'
Foggy nods with enthusiasm. 'I know right! Actual monologuing, the type you really only see in the movies! I almost thought I was dreaming but he was waving that gun around talking about how destroying me would destroy Daredevil-'
'He was?' Foggy suddenly registers Matt's tenseness and fear and it dawns on him that he might not have mentioned any of this to Matt. Opps?
It's okay. Show?
Of course.
********
Slowly, Foggy feeds Matt his memory of the encounter. For a moment Matt can't process it; can't tie the light haired ranting man all dressed in black with his impressions of a man of average height and peak physical condition. But then Foggy's mind slips in closer to his and they remember. Remember the ranting and the raving - 'going to make everyone he knows suffer, if I have to ruin everyone in Hell's Kitchen to do it. I'll get someone the Devil loves eventually.' - joke/stupid/shouldIbescared? followed by the fear when the gun is turned on them. Then Matt is thrown out of unison by Foggy's panic/MATT nononononono when he runs onto the scene and takes the blast of light the gun fires.
Huh. Matt frowns. Where did h-
'Guys!' Karen's near roar cuts into their thoughts/sharing/existence and as one, they turn to look at her. Matt hears her heartbeat pick up. 'Okay, that's creepy.' She looks Foggy in the eyes. 'What. Happened. Then?'
'Matt came. And he took the shot from the gun.' Karen takes in a shocked and fearful gasp of air. 'Only it wasn't a bullet but some sort of light thingy?' Foggy shares Karen's surprised eyebrow. 'It hit Matt and he just, started screaming. And, ah... long story short, it turns out that that weapon kinda makes you able to read minds and emotions.'
Karen's eyes snap to Matt's face and he can feel the sensation of her gaze on his face. It takes him a moment to realise he's using Foggy's vision to get this impression.
He gives her a mild smile. 'Not anymore. We were with the Avengers, they fixed it so my mind is mostly my own again-'
'Mostly?'
Foggy shrugs, the sensation itching at Matt's shoulders. 'Ah, the only way they could Matt hearing everyone's thoughts was to make him feel every thought of one person. I ah,-'
By Karen's heart, Matt knows she's made the leap. 'You volunteered.' She shakes her head, the sound of her hair tapping her shoulders echoing in Matt's ears. 'No, this doesn't make sense, it can't be real.'
Time for proof maybe? 'Show Foggy something. Something on a screen or piece of paper. My senses don't work on those.' For a moment Karen hesitates but then Matt hears her fumbling and smells lint as she pulls some out of her pocket along with her phone.
Matt, we don't have to do this, Karen friendlovelywhatareyoudoing will believe us once the surprise-
Proof helps.
Fine. Blue square. 'A blue square,' Matt repeats. Then, 'Foggy. A yellow bird. You? Yes, you. A Christmas tree. A rob-wait that's what Iron Man looks like?'
Karen starts to laugh; a very nervous noise. 'Holy shit.' Matt hears her lower her phone then exhale noisily. Only to you Buddy. 'This explains... a lot of tonight.'
Matt is taken back and Foggy seems as surprised. 'What?'
'The random space outs you both have been having. Foggy's really sudden change in direction when getting your suit.' Karen has her hand up and is lowering her fingers as she talks. 'The fact Foggy knew to go get your suit. Um, the moving in unison thing? A lot of things.'
Oh shit.
Yeah. 'Obvious things?'
Foggy shares Karen's smile - beautiful/carefree/nowrare - with Matt. 'Only when I list them out like that.' She finally rises. 'I guess I should go?'
Matt tries not to seem as eager as he and Foggy feel. Karen is his friend but they need to be alone right now. 'Only if you want to.'
'I'm going. Thank... thank you for telling me.' There's a hitch in her voice, the same one that's been there for ages but magnified somehow. Maybe because Foggy can show Matt her face as she speaks. 'I'll see you tomorrow.' Head held high, Karen walks out before Matt can so much as offer to walk her to the door.
They track her movement to the edge of Matt's senses, to be sure she's safe.
You do this a lot? Matt can feel Foggy's distress/violation/bestfriend/privacy/confusion at the thought of Matt tracking him through Hell's Kitchen.
Not really. I listen for trouble when you leave the building but painoverextentiontomuch I usually tune everything out once you've left the block. Matt finds himself playing with a thread on one of his pillows and forces himself to stop.
Foggy nudges him mentally to start it up again and Matt's doing it before he can process what that means. Just to be safe?
Yes. I only ever wanted you safebestfriendlovewantprotect safe.
With a nod, Foggy stands. 'Okay then Murdock.' And Matt knows/feels/isFoggy that Foggy believes him. 'Ready to brave the big wide world?'
Matt blinks as he rises too, moving for his cane and glasses without thinking. 'What fo-oh,' he cuts himself off as the thought/image/memory of Foggy's clothes comes to him. 'You know what Nelson, I think I am.'
'Excellent.' It won't know what's hit it.