streetlevel | IC Texts/Threads/Overflow Post

"The last time this happened, my powers just came back when the swelling in my brain went down." A beat. "I kind of just sat on my apartment floor until then." Even back then he hadn't felt safe going to a hospital. It had made Matt Murdock Sense to just simply wait things out and hope it got better. It had worked, though? "Before we start dragging in other doctors, maybe see if that happens again this time?" How long had he been without powers then? A day? Two? What would happen if they never came back even after the swelling went down?

A spasm of pain radiating out from where his old gunshot wound was made him arch his back, a groan escaping him that ended in a cough. Instinctively he leaned into Kate's soothing touch, craving the physical affection until the spasm went away. Somehow in the middle of that his hand had found hers.

Giving her hand a little squeeze, he tried to smile weakly at her. "Let me know if your butt goes numb sitting on the floor," he joked. "Maybe there's a cushion or something we can borrow while we're at it." A beat. "And I saved you half the water. You should drink it. I know you're wearing enough water, but you're still probably dehydrated, too."

Kate grew silent. They had options here, they had a chance of tackling this before some irreparable damage was done! Just like her father, Derek Bishop's daughter had never been good at sitting things out when she needed answers. Waiting for danger to pass? That she could do, time had taught her that sometimes there was no alternative. But as the fear of making a huge mistake crept up on her, she realized she had to accept Matt's wishes.

"Okay. We can wait and--"

As a violent cough took over Matt, Kate's hand instantly came to his chest as she froze, unsure of how her touch might make matters worse. But Matt's handed reached for hers. Not to stop her. Because he needed her here.

She stroked his knuckle with her thumb, silently being there for him and breathing out a chuckle as he joked about her butt going numb. He was right. It probably would be soon, but she didn't admit it outloud. "I'm not thirsty, Matt," not terribly so, anyway. She feared he needed it more than she did. She could always get more water from the sink's bathroom later once she really needed a drink. "Give me a second, yeah? I wanna have a look around." For a cushion. Or anything to make him more comrtable. Just as Claire had adviced.

With only a little hesitation, she pulled their joined hands up to kiss the back of Matt's, promising she'd be back soon.

It was only dawning on her now that, without his enhanced senses, Matt's disability had suddenly made his world smaller. She remembered how he had asked her to keep talking back when they were on the run. At the moment, she had been a guide. Right now, she didn't want him to feel alone.

"So, how many hours do you think you'll sleep after this? A full day? I once slept like fourteen hours in one go," she told him as she started looking around Melvin's working place. Sure, she could just ask him, but it felt a little wrong to bother the poor guy again. She wouldn't blame him if they finally got on his nevers and he kicked them out.

"Aha!"

It wasn't a blanket, but all that fabric would sure do a good job at keeping Matt a littler warmer. And if she was honest? Kate could do with an improvised blanket as well. Because even though Betsy's clothes were great, she wishes she'd had a spare shirt to wear, aside from the one they had used to put some ice on Matt's face.

Pulling on the fabric, Kate had expected to find underneath more of the boxes scattered around the place. But this? She had absolutely hit jackpot!

After slapping the old leather a bit to get the dust off it, Kate dragged the big bean bag to where Matt waited. "I found something way better than a cushion," she stated as she set it near their wall. After asking if he was okay to move, she helped him up and guided him down to take a seat. "Fair warning, you might feel a little dip."

She talked to him this time. Matt relaxed more at hearing her voice, the sound of it mattering more than what they were saying. "I'm not sure. Does 3 hours count as a full night's sleep?" He knew it didn't. "What happened that you slept for fourteen hours?" he asked curiously. Not that it was unheard of, but he wanted to know what had happened to inspire that much slumber. "When I had the flu and bronchitis, I probably slept that much once I made it home." That had been another questionable night of being Daredevil some years ago. Another time his powers hadn't been totally gone but were on the fritz, going in and out. He'd nearly gotten beaten by an easy opponent. Then though he'd only put himself at risk.

He did have more people to think about now.

Matt huffed out a little sigh but accepted when Kate wouldn't take the water. He drank it then himself, greedily sucking it down and feeling better for it. He'd mentioned the cushion for her sake though, so when she tried to get him to sit on the beanbag chair and be covered with the fabric, his own stubbornness rose to the surface. He shifted, moving to the edge of the beanbag as best he could and said, "Either this cushion and the fabric is big enough for us to share, or I'm not using either one." She couldn't really expect him to rest when she was sitting on a hard ground while cold. He remembered her teeth chattering, it seemed as though she got cold more easily than he did, anyway. He patted the beanbag next to him. Yes, it would leave them smooshed together, but it wasn't inappropriate. What was the alternative? "C'mon. Either there's something else for you to rest on or you're joining me. Or nobody is using it."

"Finals overlapping with a fencing tournament." There wasn't much of a need to elaborate, because having gone to law school Matt was sure well aware that finals were enough to guarantee several nights of sleep deprivation.

Proud as she had been of her finding, Kate's jaw dropped as she watched Matt wiggle to the side, worrying that all that weight shifting would make him fall on his ass off the beanbag. "Okay, okay! Just stop! You're gonna hurt yourself, be careful."

She wouldn't admit it outloud, but she was truly thankful that Matt decided to share. Sure, changing her clothes had come in handy, but she was still freezing her ass. She could feel it even in how tense her body felt, almost as if it was putting barriers to protect the little heat it had recovered.

Careful, she held onto the leathery bumps and lowered herself, letting the dip pull her to the center of the bag and against Matt's body. As he set the fabric over their bodies, Kate seemed to shrink against him, her whole body suddenly shaking as she rubbed her legs together, her fists tucked against her collarbone. The leather felt cold against her skin and she knew her body needed to grow used to this new warmth that was embracing her.

"F-f-fuck, I'm never swimming at night ag-again."

Matt gave a slightly smug smile at having won the argument. He felt Kate slink down to sit next to him, their combined weighs making them lean into one another beneath the bean bag's cushion. He folded the fabric over them, making sure she was completely covered. Even without his powers he could feel how tense her body was. On instinct he folded an arm around her, holding her close. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm to try and help warm her. It felt natural to Matt to try and take care of her even now. It was a position that he enjoyed, that came to him without a second thought. He tried to absorb her coldness and share his heat with her, what heat there was.

"So, no Polar Bear or Penguin challenge?" he joked at her. A part of him had wanted to try those, mostly because Matt had a hard time hearing about a challenge and not wanting to complete it. It hadn't been something he'd trained and traveled for, though. Yet. "Nightswimming is a great song, though. Maybe just make it in a heated pool next time." He was talking mostly as a distraction for her and himself from the stress and anxiety of the situation and the physical discomfort they were in.

He hummed for a moment then said quietly, "You know, meditation can also help raise body temperature. I don't think either of us are in a state to do it right, but it can be a good healing tool." One of those practices that Matt had learned from Stick, who'd no doubt been trained in it by the Chaste.

She had to admit it. As terrible as she felt for how she sucked taking the protector role, it felt so good to finally be able to have Matt taking care of her instead. Looking after each other. As he pulled her into an embrace, most of her worries about an innapropiate closeness were something she finally allowed herself to ignore. Kate wrapped an arm around Matt's chest and nuzzled it, finding it strange how those clothes didn't smell at all like him.

But it all felt so good.

Little by little, their joined body heat grew stronger and warmer, sheltered under that improvised blanket. Kate stopped shaking, the goosebumps on her arms disappearing almost as if Matt had stroked them away.

"I'll gladly be a penguin in a hot t-tub," she offered, still shaking lightly in random short outbursts. "You ever tried one? There's one at the pool in mom's place. My friends always made such a big deal about it," she shared, a smile reaching her lips at the memory. It was a much more simpler time.

"You've mentioned meditation before." How that had always helped him after a fight, after the rough times. "I've tried a few guided ones on YouTube since you told me about it. But I doubt that's what you're talking about."

"I've been in a hot tub before," Matt confirmed, debating whether he should share the details before admitting, "I broke into a house that had one. The girl I was with at the time and I used it." He and Elektra really had been terrible influences on one another during those college days. "It was a dumb, shitty thing to do." Using their abilities to do whatever they wanted, thinking nothing was really hurt by their antics. "The hot tub was nice, though. I'll have to try it again someday. Legally." Well, Kate had wanted to know about his wild youth. He supposed there had been more moments to it than he'd initially remembered. He didn't like the entitled person he'd been back then, and Foggy had always resented Elektra because of encouraging Matt to act that way. Not that it was her fault. He'd made his own choices. They both just tended to make terrible ones when together.

He kept rubbing her arm and back to warm her, pausing only when a spasm of pain overtook him. He'd hold his breath in those moments, counting, until the moment passed. Then he'd resume his trying to keep her warm. Eventually his eyes started to feel heavy, his hand slowing but stubbornly not stopping.

"No, not quite the same. I could show you sometime. A few lessons. See if you like it. Controlling your breathing and body temperature, focusing in on areas that need energy to heal. Stick was big on it. He was big on control in general." A spartan lifestyle, rough edges that all cut. A living weapon. Elektra had taken to those lessons much better than Matt had, which was why she'd ended up being his pupil longer. In a rare moment of what Matt now knew was compassion as much as it had been abandonment, Stick had left Matt behind before initiating him into the Chaste with a kill.

"No way!" At Matt's confession, Kate lifted her head off the spot between his chest and shoulder, looking at his face as if this was the very first time she saw his true colors. "You?" The fact that a girl had been involved was hardly shocking, but Kate was thankful that she had not shared a much deeper opinion on his little hot tub adventure before Matt passed judgement on his younger self. Because, to be honest? Kate felt that was far from a dumb or shitty thing. It sounded like a pretty fun plan.

Just as Kate started to settle back down, tempted to ask him to elaborate more on these crazy adventures with that ex of his, she noticed Matt's body became tense. His gaze, was focused on an invisible point, like he was waiting for something to pass. Kate carefully tried to pull her weight off him, off his chest, hoping that would help him with his damaged lungs.

But even as she tried to put distance between them for his own good, Matt always seemed to pull her right back in.

With gentle gestures of love and care, he held her close, her heart claiming a spot near his. Kate understood that, regardless of what stayed the same between them or what could possibly change, she was there for good. There to stay. To be lured back in as long as they shared the same city, same lifetime.

"You totally check the teacher vibe," she pointed out playfully. Adjusting their cover, the fabric practically reached her chin, and so she tried her best to cover Matt's own chest, his collar too. Keep him as warm as he did with her. Taking good care of Matt. "You're gonna have to put patches on the elbows of your jackets now."

Her fingertips found his beard, the dry crust of blood. Gently, she tried wiping it off him, noticing how he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"We should rest."

"Yes way," Matt confirmed wryly. "I'm a lot more respectful of other people's property these days." Well. "When I'm not breaking in to help protect someone." He didn't break into houses now just for the selfish fun of it. There was a distinction, even if it wasn't always necessarily a lawful one. He knew there were always risks and that they weren't worth taking for a bit of fun. He could just imagine though the threat that someone might bring with them if they had abilities and lacked a moral compass, if they did put their own whims above all else. It mattered so much to have influences that told people when they were veering down the wrong path.

He made a soft noise as she tucked him in better, as she cleaned his face, making sure that he was warm, too. Between the leather, the beanbag, and Kate's warm weight against him with her heart beating close, he was quickly being dragged into slumber. "M'fine," he mumbled, but he didn't last much longer before his eyes fell closed and his hand stilled around her. "Got you." The words slurred out of him with a quiet protectiveness before his breathing evened out and he fell into a much needed sleep. Or had he meant he was fine because he had her looking out for him?

How much time passed he wasn't entirely certain. It wasn't as if he could sense the light, as if he could hear the sounds outside. He jolted a little when he was awake, that disoriented feeling that came when one woke up in a strange place. For a moment he forgot he didn't have his senses and that sent him into a panic. He squirmed, heart beating fast, "K-" wait. Slowly what happened last night came back to him. It was with a sinking heart that he realized he still didn't have his powers back.

Maybe it hadn't been that long. Just a few hours.

He could still be fine.

His body told him that he needed the bathroom. He wasn't sure if he'd woken Kate or not, but in case he hadn't, Matt tried to get up sneakily. Given his head injury, his aching body, and his lack of powers, the jury was out on how well he was managing trying to stand up while sharing a bean bag without bothering the person next to him.

Edited 2025-05-12 18:27 (UTC)

Later, Kate would realize that this had been the best sleep she had enjoyed in a long time. Because even though the place was dusty and in the morning whatever tv show Melvin had been watching on cell phone and his laughter had woken her up, sleep had lured Kate back in. It was like resting in a nest, one in which Kate had been lulled back into resting by a coccoon of warmth and strong arms that held her close. She had shifted, one of her legs now tucked between Matt's and her forehead resting againts his neck. One of her arms stretched across his chest and protectively almost wrapped around his head.

But maybe it was those words that did the trick. She couldn't remember hearing something that made things as right as hearing those last words before he fell asleep.

Like a promise that everything would work out.

"Hmmmm." Kate frowned, hiding her face against his shoulder as everything shifted. She was the kind of morning person that refused to be a morning person, always striving for at least an extra half an hour in bed.

But sleeping on a bean bag was nothing like a mattress and, when Matt tried to get off it, Kate practically rolled into the empty spot, face-first.

"Umph!"

"Shit." Unsurprisingly, he hadn't been that stealthy. Rather than actually standing up, all he managed to do was roll his way off the bean bag. He knelt beside it, putting the trip to the bathroom on hold as he turned to face the beanbag and Kate's now crumpled form on it. Still blind but wanting to help, Matt's hands reached out fumblingly to feel for her and try to help her in a better position. He didn't realize that his hands initially fell on her ass. It took a moment to realize. "Wh-sorry! I'm sorry!" He felt upwards more to find her hair and face, then her shoulders that he could try and awkwardly help to turn her around in the sunken bean bag. His face was a little flushed at that mistake. "I was trying not to wake you."

If the sudden drop onto the middle of the beanbag had not been enough to wake Kate up, that sudden hand groping her ass definitely did the trick. She froze, completely shocked as she fought the moving sands-like contraption that was this seat, propping herself up while Matt clumsily helped her turn around.

She had never seen a more mortified man in her entire life.

Not able to help it, Kate bursted out laughing.

Hearing Kate laugh, Matt first huffed out a breath and tried to say it wasn't funny, but the ridiculousness of the situation caught up with him. The huff ended in a laugh of his own as he sat back on his heels. At least she was taking it in good spirits and wasn't offended by his unintentional touching. He really hadn't been trying to grope her, but it seemed Kate knew that about him. He seemed more embarrassed than she was about it. "Okay, okay. Not my finest moment." He was sure she wouldn't let him forget about it, either. His muscles still felt sore and his head still hurt, but there wasn't the bone crushing weariness that had weighed down his body the day before, nor the intense pain in the gunshot wound area. The side of his face and head was still swollen though, if not quite as bad.

His brow furrowed, straining to regain his senses, but to no avail yet. There was a momentary look of dejection on his face before he focused in on Kate. "How are you feeling?" He very carefully reached out to grab the blanket, trying to ensure it covered her. "Still cold?"

"Sorry, I'm not sorry. If I say it's funny then you have to accept that it was hilarious." Half drapping herself on the side of the beanbag now that she felt more in control of it, Kate's smile grew impossibly wide as she watched Matt finally joining in and laughing along.

He looked much better. Less weary, at least. And that was a lot to say.

"Im fine, actually. This thing was warmer than I expected." However, as much as her day had started in such high spirits, his clumsy hands spoke for themselves. Matt still couldn't hear any better than she did. "Honestly, crazy as it sounds, it was the best sleep I've had in ages."

Maybe, like finding a home, it's the people you share with and not the place what does the trick.

"What about you? Do you need anything? Water?"

He did like the sound of her laughter. Even if he couldn't hear all the nuances in it like he usually did, it was still a sweet sound to his ears. His smile turned a little tender when hearing it even as she teased him. "Yeah, yeah, laugh away." Please, do keep laughing. It was nice.

He looked relieved at hearing she was all right. "Glad to hear it. I feel a lot better as well." Not great, but better. He'd take it. He hoped that meant he was on the road to recovery. "I didn't miss a mattress and silk sheets last night. I was out like a light, too." Their bodies had clearly needed the rest. "I can't remember the last time I slept like that." Certainly not since Fisk had risen to power. Maybe not since Foggy had died.

"I was going to the bathroom," he confessed, a flawed plan from the start. He couldn't find it on his own, even if he could reach his walking stick. He tried to get to his feet, but a dizzy spell made him stumble and reach for the wall until it passed. A beat. "Do you know what time it is? We should probably be heading out soon." Not that he could easily go back to Heather's like this. Oh, he knew his way around her apartment, but to explain how he looked? He'd need a story for it.

"We seriously need a break," Kate stated. Unlike other times when she had sternly told him that he needed to take things easier, this time there was a gentle certainity in her voice. Like a kind of acceptance and knowing that this time Matt couldn't deny it.

Specially not in this state.

Watching him barely be able to stand on his feet, Kate pushed off herself the fabric they had shared as a blanket. She rushed to her feet, coming to Matt and grabbing hold of his forearm as her other hand found his lower back. It was so strange. How many times has she pretended to assist him? Now that it all had become real, she was unsure if she could do a good job at it.

"No idea. But let me help you to the bathroom and I'll check, yeah?"

"Did last night not count as a break?" There was some genuine confusion in Matt's voice that bespoke to how much of a workaholic the man was. He felt more rested, so surely once his senses came back...

... which they hadn't yet. Which they wouldn't if he didn't take it easy until they did. He didn't know how long that might be. A few more hours? A day? Days? He certainly hoped not the latter, but the more he pushed himself now, the longer his recovery might be. He made a face that said he'd come to the logical conclusion on his own, but he didn't like it.

"Hopefully I'll be fine in a few hours," he muttered, almost apologetically as Kate had to help him stand. He hated having people go out of their way to help him even when they didn't mind. It always made him feel a little guilty. Like he was a burden. He knew it wasn't true, but society's standards were hard to eschew completely. "Thank you." He did know he was lucky to have her there with him.

He let her help him to the bathroom, him taking it by himself once he was at the door. He found the sink afterwards to wash his hands and then used his hands on the wall and doorframe to find his way out. He'd counted the steps from the beanbag to the bathroom and he tried to make the walk back by himself. He ended up stepping on a wrench on the floor and grimaced, cursing a little under his breath for his attempt at independence.

Hoepefully. Maybe sooner than you know it. Sure thing.

Kate could have agreed in so many ways, but she didn't want to lie to Matt and have a guess. Instead, she tried to make her point. "I'm talking about the whole package, Matt." Shit, that kinda sounded wrong. "You were shot on the head and the chest. You inhaled smoke. You've been barely sleeping at all. Passing out a few hours is not gonna fix all that and your body is screaming it."

Oh, God, was she truly being the voice of reason in this situation? Kate felt almost dirty about it.

Reminding him that he had no reason to thank her, she closed the door behind him and went to find her things. Her clothes, which she had dropped as a wet bundle on the floor were, unsurprisingly, still wet. Matt on the other hand, having spread his suit, had got better results than she did.

Finding her phone, not only did Kate check the time, but she also sent Alice the footage she'd filmed in the harbor. Quickly checking the news, she was relieved to find that while they were recovering the night had been, for New York's standards, a quiet one.

"It's 8:30," she let him know. "Let me give you a hand." She pointed out, not even realizing he had stepped on something already. "There's stuff like screws and wrenches on the floor."

A part of Matt sincerely wondered if she meant 8:30 in the morning or night. She probably meant it in the morning. His usual way of knowing day and night were all gone to him, and he'd slept so hard that who knew if they'd slept for 6 or 16 hours. Either way they'd probably used up enough of Melvin's hospitality. He tucked his hand around Kate's elbow as she guided them around the items on the floor so his bare feet didn't end up worse off than they were.

"I can put back on the suit." He didn't mind if it was somewhat wet. It was almost summer, it was warm enough to be a little clammy. "Or just use something to wrap over my head. So I can say goodbye to Melvin. Then I guess we could go to your place? Or Josie's." He figured she'd want to change out of Betsy's clothing into her own. He conveniently did not mention going back to Heather's.

Home.

Heather's was home now.

He also didn't mention going to the office. He'd call Kirsten to check in there.

"I'll get us an Uber. You can wear the shirt on your head to talk to Melvin. You can take it off once we go out." After all, they would just be a pair of weird civilians carrying wet clothes with them. Nothing too crazy near the harbor. In all honesty, she was too tired to jump from rooftop to rooftop this early in the morning.

"Just... Let's go back to the bathroom a second. I should probably wash your face." The swelling was good, but he still had crusts of dry blood on his hair and some smudged to his face.

"We can go to my place and you can shower," she offered then, guiding him as she had requested. "You can then borrow some of my dad's clothes if you want? They might not be a perfect fit but they'll probably go better than Big Guy's."

Kate would make sure to dry clean them and bring back a gift for Melvin, Betsy and Thor with them.

Matt let Kate wash his face, then stepping out of the bathroom he said, "It's okay, Melvin. You can come out." He wrapped his face before Melvin came out.

Melvin paused, then he came out. He was eating a microwaved burrito and had his phone playing cartoons in the other hand. He studied Matt wearing his clothing. "You got skinnier."

"It's the clothes," Matt assured him. "They're nice, though. Thank you. I'll make sure you get them back." He leaned against the wall, putting on his boots.

"Saw you got a new suit." Melvin didn't keep the hurt out of his voice.

Matt paused then asked gently, "I wasn't sure you wanted to see me again. Did you?" A shrug. "Would you have wanted me to visit you in prison?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Melvin was getting agitated having to deal with these complicated emotions. He shifted a little. "I might have ratted you out if I saw you. But I missed you. You were my only friend. I didn't want to sell you out. But I wanted you to save me."

The way he put it all out there, the contradictions, the honesty. It took more bravery than Matt had. He shuffled forward and reached out to touch Melvin's arm. Melvin guided his hand to it.

"Sometimes we have to save ourselves, Melvin," Matt said quietly. Sadly. "And sometimes we aren't saved, but those we care about are instead." A beat. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you."

"I'm sorry I tried to get you killed."

A snort. "Even, then?"

"Your new suit is shit. It's all flash."

"Well. Sounds like we need another meeting. I'll bring the gelato." A sound if displeasure. "Fine. I'll bring the microwaved burritos." That earned approval. Even if it hurt Matt's soul, he'd bring microwaved burritos as they were Melvin's favorite.

Melvin then turned to Kate. "Arrow Lady." He handed her back her bow and arrows. "I'm sorry you met us when we were mad. You shouldn't be mad in front of strangers." Betsy told him that. There were private talks and public talks. "But maybe you're not a stranger now, so it's okay. D's my friend, so if you're his friend, we can be friends. You were nice last night. You gave me your stuff and most people won't trust me.

I'm gonna make an arrow for you." He nodded as though it was decided. "I made D's batons, and his suits, so I can make arrows. Maybe something warm so you won't be cold after you use it." He had ideas.

For a moment, Kate almost felt as if she was intruding, but the more she heard of the exchange between both men, the better was her guess on what had gone down between Melvin and Matt. Melvin, who apparently had sold Matt out to protect Betsy. Matt, who could't risk walking into the lion's den to save the man who had betrayed him.

As much as it had hurt him to leave an old friend behind.

Watching them leave that old wound behind was far more satisfying than Kate could have anticipated. Melvin was indeed a good guy. Someone that clearly just needed more friends and the right people to trust. If he had known Matt better he should have known that he would have never let Fisk touch him or Betsy.

"We're definitely not strangers now," Kate agreed, excited to see Melvin was making her part of the conversation. "And since we are friends, you can call me Kate." She thanked him, taking back her equipment.

"You know," she considered if it was rude to ask for something specific. "Now that you mention new suits, there's something I've had in mind. Since summer is coming soon, you think you could make me something more appropiate for a warmer time? All these layers are gonna be hard to deal with in a few weeks." She pointed at his phone then. "Also, is that The Fairly OddParents? I love that show!"

"Kate." Melvin let the name roll off his tongue as he shared his phone with her to see the ep. He was about to talk more on the show when she mentioned suits. There was a gleam in Melvin's eye. His work was what he truly lived for doing, other than being with Betsy. There was no knocking him off his path once he was on that trail.

He waved a hand at Matt. "I know what D wants, what he needs, but we need to talk, then. Every suit has a feel to it. It has to speak with the wearer, so they say something in harmony. I need to know what you want your suit to say." He moved, muttering, already bringing out a scroll of paper to start writing and sketching some preliminary ideas. "You're an archer. That's already giving us these three foundations for maximum movement. Are you a ninja like D, too? Are you a symbol of the city? Symbols are different than shadows."

A beat. He was getting ahead of himself. He looked at Matt, who was just smiling in utter amusement and charmed by this, but looking extremely tired already from standing upright.

"D needs to rest. You can come by later. With or without him. We can talk. Without him is better, he talks a lot. But first he should rest. The city needs Daredevil. He needs to hear again what the city needs."

"Did you hear that?" Matt said charmingly to Kate. "I think I was just uninvited to the next meeting you two have."

"Suit making is private," Melvin huffed at him. "You come on your own time."

"Oh, I remember the rules." Matt's smile widened. "I'll come alone." It made Melvin relax.

"All right." He got them some plastic bags to carry their current suits in and shyly waved goodbye to them.

Shameless as she had felt after making her request, all worries were sweept aside at Melvin's enthusiastic response. Honestly, Kate had spoken for hours with Clint about suits and their brand, colors and symbols. She had even brainstormed with the LARPers before they made them the incredible suit she still wore to this day. But a seasonal upgrade? That couldn't hurt!

Oddly enough, as Melvin started making all those questions, suddenly Kate felt lost. She was equally glad when they decided to postpone the talk, almost as if she had been spared of a surprise test. She was gonna spend hours thinking about this, though. Honestly, knowing that she had time to think about it? It excited her.

Thanking Melvin for his help several times, Kate promised she'd soon return the borrowed clothes and come to discuss her future suit with him. Maybe even watch together an episode or two of The Fairly Oddparents. Waving back enthusiastically, she walked out with Matt.

With their suits and helmets in those bags, Kate called and Uber and walked down the road with Matt to their meeting point. Her arm was looped around his to guide him as they walked side by side. But she couldn't help herself. Making excited noises, she practically skipped a few steps, bouncing every couple of steps in her excitement. "I'm gonna have a new suit!"

"I don't know why everyone always says I talk a lot," Matt playfully complained as he headed out with Kate, one arm on her elbow and the other holding the bag with his suit in it. Daredevil's suit in a bag as he got into an Uber. There was something a touch tragic and amusing about that. He'd said a sincere goodbye to Melvin, feeling lighter that they'd started to patch up the past between them. Matt's heart was big enough to forgive what had happened. Whether he could grow to trust Melvin beyond what they had, he'd see. The man's loyalty would always dance upon Betsy's line. Matt respected it, but he was also cautious about it. It wasn't just his life on the line or at risk should Melvin's loyalties turn.

He believed in second chances, though. Third chances. And he'd always kept a watch out for Betsy. Betsy, and now the cat. He supposed he was bringing cat treats now, too.

He'd bring the burritos and treats, visit with his suit, and see where the night took them.

How excited Kate was though made Matt smile despite his playful grumbles. He was feeling lighthearted himself at having made up with an old friend and getting some sleep, even if his body was already worn out again. Head injuries apparently weren't any joke. "You are. Have you already got ideas for it?" Not that she could tell him in the cab. Best wait until they got to home.

To Kate's place.

In the cab Matt nearly fell asleep against her. He couldn't keep an ear out like he normally did, with his super senses. He kept jerking his head up to stay awake, mumbling, "Sorry," over it. Even as tired as he was, he stopped by Walter and had a talk. It warmed Matt's heart to chat with him and he felt a little more invigorated taking the elevator up to her penthouse after it.

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