When Matt woke up next, his senses felt a little bit better. They weren't back to where they should be, no, but at the same time he could sesne the world around him a little better. He listened to his own heartbeat, the steady thump that assured him he was alive -- even though a part of him was very afraid of that beating.
He waved his hands in front of his face. No, he couldn't see them, but he could sense the presence, the movement, and for a moment that was enough for him. He took a deep, steady breath.
Karen. He recognized that Karen was pretty close by. As he allowed himself to calm down, he could hear her voice. It was far away, but it was Karen all the same. She was talking to someone in a quiet room. They were several rooms away from Matt.
"Fisk killed people to send Matt a message," she said, delicately. "There's no secret to that. Even if he's dead, which I sincerely doubt, we have to deal with the fact that there is significant risk to this facility."
"I know that." That was Claire again. "I realize that, but we all agree that he's worth it."
"He may be dead."
That was Foggy. God, they were all here and they were discussing what to do about him. That was not how Matt wanted things to go.
"He may die," Karen agreed, "but that doesn't mean that this is over. There's no way that someone like Fisk didn't have plans put in place in wake of his death."
"That's true," Foggy murmured, hesitant to accept her words as truth. "But this place is secure, right?"
"Sure," Claire said, "but even if it was the most secure facility on earth, which it's not, Matt can't live here for the rest of his life. We have to figure something out."
Matt closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillow. There was nothing that they could do. As hard as they tried, Fisk was going to win in the end. He had already won, honestly, because he hadb broken Matt at his core. He was scared, he was tired and there was no hope for him.
"I'm going to go talk to him."
Karen. Damn it. Matt closed his eyes.
She walked into the room and Matt tried to relax his face, pretend that he was sleeping. Maybe she would buy it and he could at least delay the conversation that was coming to them.
"Matt, I know you're not asleep."
No. It was very hard to get things past Karen Page.
"Matt," she sighed heavily. "Come on. I know that you're not asleep, and I'd like to talk to you, for just a moment..."
The desperation in her voice was enough to make him open his eyes.
"Karen," he whispered. "I'm tired, and I don't really want to talk right now."
"Don't talk then," she said, pulling up a chair. He could hear the drag of the chair against the tile. She sat down across from him. "Listen."
Matt said nothing. He knew she'd speak whether or not he was talking.
"I can't even begin to fathom what he put you through," Karen said quietly. "I can't, and there's nobody else who can either. You were violated at the most basic level, and I can't change that, Matt -- but I've been there too. Not to the same extreme, but I have been violated, destroyed in the same exact way."
"Karen, please..."
He didn't want to hear this. He didn't need to hear it.
"I know how hopeless you feel right now," she murmured. "That much I can understand. You feel like what happened to you is going to define you forever. And while it's going to affect you for the rest of your life, it's not going to define you. We're going to get you through this. We're a family."
"It doesn't matter how I feel," Matt said. "Fisk nearly killed you because I fought back. What's he going to do now that I've escaped?"
"He's not going to do anything," Karen said. "Even if he lives and comes back ten times as strong, he's not going to do anything."
"How can you say that?" Matt asked desperately.
"Because," she said, reaching over and stroking her hand through his hair again. He leaned into the touch, finding that it calmed the buzzing inside of him, the nerves that couldn't stop firing, "we're together. We're a unified group. Foggy's brought in Jessica - oh, you have to meet Jessica Jones. She has connections to his law firm and they owe her a ton of favors. Claire's brought in her friend Luke and they both know this guy Danny, who's into some mystical shit that even I can't comprehend. We're all here and we're together."
"Together," Matt murmured.
"Yeah, together," she said. "You've always had to fight things on your own, Matt. You don't have to anymore."
The world was still upside down, but Karen's words were a comfort. They brought hope.
Fill - Upside Down - 10/10 - Matt, tw: noncon, rape
He waved his hands in front of his face. No, he couldn't see them, but he could sense the presence, the movement, and for a moment that was enough for him. He took a deep, steady breath.
Karen. He recognized that Karen was pretty close by. As he allowed himself to calm down, he could hear her voice. It was far away, but it was Karen all the same. She was talking to someone in a quiet room. They were several rooms away from Matt.
"Fisk killed people to send Matt a message," she said, delicately. "There's no secret to that. Even if he's dead, which I sincerely doubt, we have to deal with the fact that there is significant risk to this facility."
"I know that." That was Claire again. "I realize that, but we all agree that he's worth it."
"He may be dead."
That was Foggy. God, they were all here and they were discussing what to do about him. That was not how Matt wanted things to go.
"He may die," Karen agreed, "but that doesn't mean that this is over. There's no way that someone like Fisk didn't have plans put in place in wake of his death."
"That's true," Foggy murmured, hesitant to accept her words as truth. "But this place is secure, right?"
"Sure," Claire said, "but even if it was the most secure facility on earth, which it's not, Matt can't live here for the rest of his life. We have to figure something out."
Matt closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillow. There was nothing that they could do. As hard as they tried, Fisk was going to win in the end. He had already won, honestly, because he hadb broken Matt at his core. He was scared, he was tired and there was no hope for him.
"I'm going to go talk to him."
Karen. Damn it. Matt closed his eyes.
She walked into the room and Matt tried to relax his face, pretend that he was sleeping. Maybe she would buy it and he could at least delay the conversation that was coming to them.
"Matt, I know you're not asleep."
No. It was very hard to get things past Karen Page.
"Matt," she sighed heavily. "Come on. I know that you're not asleep, and I'd like to talk to you, for just a moment..."
The desperation in her voice was enough to make him open his eyes.
"Karen," he whispered. "I'm tired, and I don't really want to talk right now."
"Don't talk then," she said, pulling up a chair. He could hear the drag of the chair against the tile. She sat down across from him. "Listen."
Matt said nothing. He knew she'd speak whether or not he was talking.
"I can't even begin to fathom what he put you through," Karen said quietly. "I can't, and there's nobody else who can either. You were violated at the most basic level, and I can't change that, Matt -- but I've been there too. Not to the same extreme, but I have been violated, destroyed in the same exact way."
"Karen, please..."
He didn't want to hear this. He didn't need to hear it.
"I know how hopeless you feel right now," she murmured. "That much I can understand. You feel like what happened to you is going to define you forever. And while it's going to affect you for the rest of your life, it's not going to define you. We're going to get you through this. We're a family."
"It doesn't matter how I feel," Matt said. "Fisk nearly killed you because I fought back. What's he going to do now that I've escaped?"
"He's not going to do anything," Karen said. "Even if he lives and comes back ten times as strong, he's not going to do anything."
"How can you say that?" Matt asked desperately.
"Because," she said, reaching over and stroking her hand through his hair again. He leaned into the touch, finding that it calmed the buzzing inside of him, the nerves that couldn't stop firing, "we're together. We're a unified group. Foggy's brought in Jessica - oh, you have to meet Jessica Jones. She has connections to his law firm and they owe her a ton of favors. Claire's brought in her friend Luke and they both know this guy Danny, who's into some mystical shit that even I can't comprehend. We're all here and we're together."
"Together," Matt murmured.
"Yeah, together," she said. "You've always had to fight things on your own, Matt. You don't have to anymore."
The world was still upside down, but Karen's words were a comfort. They brought hope.