cw in this section: anxiety attacks, more hints of past abuse
Matt needed help. It hit him as he listened to Frank taking a shower in the other room. It had been near murder to try and get the man to shower without explicit orders, and he was downright terrified. He needed help and he didn't know who to go.
That was one of the major issues that came with having nobody at all. Matt thought about going to church, to try and find some answers with God, but he immediately dismissed that idea. He couldn't leave Frank alone.
He called Karen, but she didn't answer. He thought about calling Foggy, briefly, but the discomfort of what he was enduring with Frank was already too much. He could not take the added pain of talking to his former best friend, he just couldn't.
Eventually, he got into contact with Claire. The nurse had moved and quit her job, but he still had her contact number.
"You only call me when it's an emergency, do you understand?" she had told him. "You better be missing a limb, Daredevil."
Well, he wasn't missing a limb, but he was caught in a cycle of panic that he could not escape. His heart was beating too fast and he needed someone who could help.
"What's going on?" she asked. It wasn't exactly the best way to answer a phone call, but he could not blame her, given all of the things that he'd put her through in the time since they'd met. "Matt...are you there?"
"I'm here, Claire," he murmured. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I just really need help and I don't know who to turn to..."
"What is it?"
"Did you hear about Frank Castle?"
"No," she murmured. "What is it?"
Matt laughed anxiously. Of course she hadn't heard about it.
"He got released into slavery," he explained. "The Slave Office invoked a rarely used law that states a defense lawyer can take possession of a client in case of that client's conviction. I took him. I really didn't have a choice."
To his surprise, she didn't argue with that.
"He'd have been tortured and killed otherwise," she said evenly. "Matt, this doesn't make him a good person, though, or someone you can trust. I mean, I still remember what it was like when he shot up the hospital..."
"I know that," Matt said quickly, although he tried hard not to sound dismissive. "Really, I do. I just... I don't know what to do right now and I thought you might have insight..."
"What about your friends?" she asked.
When he didn't answer immediately, he heard her soft disappointed sound. Immediately, Matt was ashamed. Claire had known that he was throwing everything away, but she had not figured out that yes, he really had.
Claire sighed heavily and then spoke up again.
"I don't know much about slave training," she admitted out loud. "I know that it's horrible and violent and that slaves rebel sometimes, but not enough for me not to be terrified of even thinking about what they do at the Slave Office."
"I don't really want to know either," Matt admitted. "He's skittish and afraid of crossing me specifically. That indicates that they trained him to know that I owned him..."
"Christ," Claire murmured, breathing deeply. Matt could hear her anxieties and he felt awful for burdening her with yet another problem. "You're going to be have to be really gentle with him. Have you ever dealt with abuse victims before? I mean, as a lawyer or...not a lawyer..."
"Yes, a few times," Matt murmured.
"I think that your best bet is going to be treating him like any other victim of abuse or trauma," Claire replied. Her words sounded awkward, like she was thinking through things as she spoke. "Be gentle and encouraging, and try to spark up very casual conversation."
Matt nodded. It was simple advice, but at least Claire was thinking rationally. He knew she was right. He did have to handle Frank like an abuse case, even if it was an exceptional one.
"Thank you," he said. "I didn't want to call, but I'm just...freaked out."
"It's okay Matt."
Matt sighed, and that was when he heard the shower turn off.
"He's getting out of the shower," he said. "I need to go."
He hung up, quickly.
Frank came into the room quickly.
"You feel better now?" Matt asked, finding his casual tone to be rather awkward.
"Yes sir," Frank said gruffly.
"Good," Matt said gently. "I'm sure that you really didn't have a lot of opportunity to get cleaned up nicely before."
Frank then stopped moving altogether. For a second, it was like his breathing had stopped too. He dropped down onto his knees, curled up into himself and his breathing started again, a rapid, terrified sound that Matt didn't understand. Then he realized.
Fill - The Only Man - 5/? - Frank/Matt - slave!au
Matt needed help. It hit him as he listened to Frank taking a shower in the other room. It had been near murder to try and get the man to shower without explicit orders, and he was downright terrified. He needed help and he didn't know who to go.
That was one of the major issues that came with having nobody at all. Matt thought about going to church, to try and find some answers with God, but he immediately dismissed that idea. He couldn't leave Frank alone.
He called Karen, but she didn't answer. He thought about calling Foggy, briefly, but the discomfort of what he was enduring with Frank was already too much. He could not take the added pain of talking to his former best friend, he just couldn't.
Eventually, he got into contact with Claire. The nurse had moved and quit her job, but he still had her contact number.
"You only call me when it's an emergency, do you understand?" she had told him. "You better be missing a limb, Daredevil."
Well, he wasn't missing a limb, but he was caught in a cycle of panic that he could not escape. His heart was beating too fast and he needed someone who could help.
"What's going on?" she asked. It wasn't exactly the best way to answer a phone call, but he could not blame her, given all of the things that he'd put her through in the time since they'd met. "Matt...are you there?"
"I'm here, Claire," he murmured. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I just really need help and I don't know who to turn to..."
"What is it?"
"Did you hear about Frank Castle?"
"No," she murmured. "What is it?"
Matt laughed anxiously. Of course she hadn't heard about it.
"He got released into slavery," he explained. "The Slave Office invoked a rarely used law that states a defense lawyer can take possession of a client in case of that client's conviction. I took him. I really didn't have a choice."
To his surprise, she didn't argue with that.
"He'd have been tortured and killed otherwise," she said evenly. "Matt, this doesn't make him a good person, though, or someone you can trust. I mean, I still remember what it was like when he shot up the hospital..."
"I know that," Matt said quickly, although he tried hard not to sound dismissive. "Really, I do. I just... I don't know what to do right now and I thought you might have insight..."
"What about your friends?" she asked.
When he didn't answer immediately, he heard her soft disappointed sound. Immediately, Matt was ashamed. Claire had known that he was throwing everything away, but she had not figured out that yes, he really had.
Claire sighed heavily and then spoke up again.
"I don't know much about slave training," she admitted out loud. "I know that it's horrible and violent and that slaves rebel sometimes, but not enough for me not to be terrified of even thinking about what they do at the Slave Office."
"I don't really want to know either," Matt admitted. "He's skittish and afraid of crossing me specifically. That indicates that they trained him to know that I owned him..."
"Christ," Claire murmured, breathing deeply. Matt could hear her anxieties and he felt awful for burdening her with yet another problem. "You're going to be have to be really gentle with him. Have you ever dealt with abuse victims before? I mean, as a lawyer or...not a lawyer..."
"Yes, a few times," Matt murmured.
"I think that your best bet is going to be treating him like any other victim of abuse or trauma," Claire replied. Her words sounded awkward, like she was thinking through things as she spoke. "Be gentle and encouraging, and try to spark up very casual conversation."
Matt nodded. It was simple advice, but at least Claire was thinking rationally. He knew she was right. He did have to handle Frank like an abuse case, even if it was an exceptional one.
"Thank you," he said. "I didn't want to call, but I'm just...freaked out."
"It's okay Matt."
Matt sighed, and that was when he heard the shower turn off.
"He's getting out of the shower," he said. "I need to go."
He hung up, quickly.
Frank came into the room quickly.
"You feel better now?" Matt asked, finding his casual tone to be rather awkward.
"Yes sir," Frank said gruffly.
"Good," Matt said gently. "I'm sure that you really didn't have a lot of opportunity to get cleaned up nicely before."
Frank then stopped moving altogether. For a second, it was like his breathing had stopped too. He dropped down onto his knees, curled up into himself and his breathing started again, a rapid, terrified sound that Matt didn't understand. Then he realized.
Frank was panicking.