There was a momentary look of confusion Matt's face at Eleanor's apology, a knitting of the brows on why she'd apologize for being emotional after such harrowing experiences, when it clicked for Matt. He might have compassion and understanding for Eleanor, but she held none for herself. She was the rock of her family, the foundation upon which everything had rested. Now that it was upturned, now that they had to figure out what this new normal was, it had upset everything she had built herself upon. She was a strong woman who refused to break, who thought she was doing right by the coldness she'd shown.
Foggy had been that rock for Matt. He couldn't return the favor now that Foggy was dead, but he could pay it forward. It would be what his friend would have wanted, anyway.
"Safe space," he murmured quietly, rocking her hand in his a little. "You don't have to apologize. What you said won't leave this room." Nothing she'd said was harmful, so he'd keep her confidence. Everyone deserved a place and a person to talk to, Matt felt that deep in his soul. "I know we don't know one another very well, Eleanor, and you know my loyalty is to Kate. That doesn't mean though that I can't lend an ear to what you're going through. I was very lucky to have someone to talk to for most of my life. I don't say it lightly that if you ever need someone to just listen, I don't mind. Unless it's gonna harm Kate or someone else, I'll listen and keep it between us.
I think you've been very strong for your family. It took me years to realize that showing up for those we love sometimes means making mistakes. Mistakes that cost lives. I'm not saying those mistakes are okay, and I don't think you'd want to be absolved of them like that. I just know that love is messy and complicated, and I do think you love a lot. I think you love like few do. That can be an asset. I have hope you're gonna make it one." Matt Murdock believed in second chances, he believed in redemption.
Maybe this wasn't the win he'd thought about with the task force, but sharing a moment with Eleanor? Maybe this was one in another way.
He gave a small snort at her asking him not to let those eat him up alive for his heart bleeding. "That's good advice. I'm shit at taking it, but you make a good point. Sometimes though, you put your faith in someone and they prove it was worthwhile." Eleanor could understand that on a religious level that nobody else in his life could. "We both know confession isn't about saying you're sorry. It's just the first step. Just know you're not alone in that path. Not if you don't want to be. So yeah. Get some sleep. Figure out what you want. Talk to Kate. Fight. We need people who are willing to stand up right now. It's time to stop fighting Fisk in the shadows. We're gonna bare his ass in the light. A reckoning is coming, and heaven and hell won't be able to stop it."
She couldn't quite wrap up her mind around him. Because, at first she'd figured that what this man and her daughter shared couldn't be all too different than how Clint Barton had taken her under his wing. But she'd seen the familiarity, watched them both Matthew and her daughter banter like family or truly close friends did. It was different from Hawkeye and how the man had set his boundaries, despite of how quickly Kate warmed to people and claimed they were best friends.
Kate truly meant something to Matthew.
Because Eleanor could not be fooled. Some people are willing to offeir their open arms both at strangers with the same ease they did to close, loved ones. And she can tell that Matthew is a generous man. But there's that subtle betrayal. The softness in his voice as he speaks about her. The true sweetness and how he bares his heart as he describes her.
Kate is in good hands.
"I'm not gonna keep my head down," Eleanor finally stated, trying to regain that strenght they had talked about, "I don't care if I end up in prison again. But I've see what he can do. I've endured his threats, living with the constant fear of what he could take away from me." Now, Fisk had always believed himself to be unstoppable, she was sure of ita. But even men like him can be so blinded by the sun itself that they don't see that they're flying too close to it. And he had never flown as high and in the open as he did these days.
Nobody can survive that fall.
"I appreciate your loyalties, Matthew. Trust me, in times like this there's nothing more I could wish for." Someone to put Kate's well-being above everything else. "But I need to do my part. If this money, money earned with blood, if it can do any good and take this man down? I'll give away every penny if that means I can protect my daughter."
Eleanor was nothing if not consistent in her fever, steadfast in her devotion. She would help against Fisk, she would side with their fight, because she thought it would do right by Kate. Eleanor's guiding principle, her true north, wasn't justice and the pursuit of right.
It was family.
Eleanor was the more elegant version of Frank Castle.
It clicked for Matt then, and with it, the awareness that this woman would have to be handled with careful consideration. Oh, Matt didn't doubt her heart, but her choices would never be deferring to anything but Kate's safety and welfare. It wasn't wrong, per say, not in the least. Many people operated not out of vigilante justice or lawful goodness. It just meant that any appeal to Eleanor wouldn't be found at the rosary's end, nor societal good. At least not yet, until she formed an identity outside of Kate's mother. If she ever did.
Was this what he was like? All calling?
Did anyone care like he did for Eleanor that she have more in her life beyond Kate's welfare?
He gave Eleanor's hands a squeeze.
"Talk to your daughter, then. See if she's willing to have you join her fight. If not, do what you will on your own. Either way, I genuinely do want the best for you, Eleanor."
She could tell it, could almost feel that invisible moral gap betwee them. And Eleanor was fine with it, she was glad to fight the only way she could. Like chess, she'd picked the pieces on the board she should focus on, was well aware of which one she wanted to protect before everything was lost.
Would Matthew be another one of her pawns?
"I can't thank you enough," she said with a last squeeze to his hand and finally getting on her feet. "For your time. For your kind words and how you've looked after Kate." And she meant every word. How long has it been since the last time someone's words had truly reached her heart? "Matthew, if there's anything you need that I might be able to help with, I beg you to not hesitate and ask."
Circling the table, she was finally facing him. "As for the rest. I'll talk to Kate."
Once they finally returned to the living room, Claire was found rushing in and out of her bedroom, gathering her things. After all those attacks in the city, the E.R was in need of any extra hands they could get.
Sister Maggie saw Matthew as Lantom did. As one of God's Hands. A catalyst, a man with a cause. He was a divine instrument, not a son first. Just as he'd been to Stick. Oh, there was love embedded, there was compassion and guidance, but at the end of the day? Since Matt was nine he was raised by people who saw an overarching war and guiding rightness as what mattered far more than Matt's life. It had molded Matt, shaped him, and he couldn't be angry at it because he believed in it, too. He served a higher purpose. There were things that mattered more than his life. His own mother would agree with it, as much as she might mourn his death if he died.
It was in direct opposition to Eleanor and the Bishop situation.
Was one right? Was one wrong? Was the story of Abraham and Isaac a testament to faith or child abuse? He'd read Kirkegaard's Fear and Trembling countless times and still found himself circling that moral quandary of where religious, social, and legal law met. Where did personal accountability blur into familial pride or religious devotion?
He gave Eleanor a small smile and nod, a smile that was tired and a touch sad, but understanding and not without sincerity. He genuinely did wish her well.
He made no promises on seeking her aid should he need help but he did say, "I hope your talk with Kate goes well."
Hearing of the trouble at the hospital, his eyes widened. Maggie was there. He stood up, fumbling a little in pushing the chair in.
"I'm coming with you." It wasn't a question as he moved to head out the door with Claire.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-05-17 06:52 pm (UTC)Foggy had been that rock for Matt. He couldn't return the favor now that Foggy was dead, but he could pay it forward. It would be what his friend would have wanted, anyway.
"Safe space," he murmured quietly, rocking her hand in his a little. "You don't have to apologize. What you said won't leave this room." Nothing she'd said was harmful, so he'd keep her confidence. Everyone deserved a place and a person to talk to, Matt felt that deep in his soul. "I know we don't know one another very well, Eleanor, and you know my loyalty is to Kate. That doesn't mean though that I can't lend an ear to what you're going through. I was very lucky to have someone to talk to for most of my life. I don't say it lightly that if you ever need someone to just listen, I don't mind. Unless it's gonna harm Kate or someone else, I'll listen and keep it between us.
I think you've been very strong for your family. It took me years to realize that showing up for those we love sometimes means making mistakes. Mistakes that cost lives. I'm not saying those mistakes are okay, and I don't think you'd want to be absolved of them like that. I just know that love is messy and complicated, and I do think you love a lot. I think you love like few do. That can be an asset. I have hope you're gonna make it one." Matt Murdock believed in second chances, he believed in redemption.
Maybe this wasn't the win he'd thought about with the task force, but sharing a moment with Eleanor? Maybe this was one in another way.
He gave a small snort at her asking him not to let those eat him up alive for his heart bleeding. "That's good advice. I'm shit at taking it, but you make a good point. Sometimes though, you put your faith in someone and they prove it was worthwhile." Eleanor could understand that on a religious level that nobody else in his life could. "We both know confession isn't about saying you're sorry. It's just the first step. Just know you're not alone in that path. Not if you don't want to be. So yeah. Get some sleep. Figure out what you want. Talk to Kate. Fight. We need people who are willing to stand up right now. It's time to stop fighting Fisk in the shadows. We're gonna bare his ass in the light. A reckoning is coming, and heaven and hell won't be able to stop it."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-17 07:50 pm (UTC)Kate truly meant something to Matthew.
Because Eleanor could not be fooled. Some people are willing to offeir their open arms both at strangers with the same ease they did to close, loved ones. And she can tell that Matthew is a generous man. But there's that subtle betrayal. The softness in his voice as he speaks about her. The true sweetness and how he bares his heart as he describes her.
Kate is in good hands.
"I'm not gonna keep my head down," Eleanor finally stated, trying to regain that strenght they had talked about, "I don't care if I end up in prison again. But I've see what he can do. I've endured his threats, living with the constant fear of what he could take away from me." Now, Fisk had always believed himself to be unstoppable, she was sure of ita. But even men like him can be so blinded by the sun itself that they don't see that they're flying too close to it. And he had never flown as high and in the open as he did these days.
Nobody can survive that fall.
"I appreciate your loyalties, Matthew. Trust me, in times like this there's nothing more I could wish for." Someone to put Kate's well-being above everything else. "But I need to do my part. If this money, money earned with blood, if it can do any good and take this man down? I'll give away every penny if that means I can protect my daughter."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-17 08:07 pm (UTC)Eleanor was nothing if not consistent in her fever, steadfast in her devotion. She would help against Fisk, she would side with their fight, because she thought it would do right by Kate. Eleanor's guiding principle, her true north, wasn't justice and the pursuit of right.
It was family.
Eleanor was the more elegant version of Frank Castle.
It clicked for Matt then, and with it, the awareness that this woman would have to be handled with careful consideration. Oh, Matt didn't doubt her heart, but her choices would never be deferring to anything but Kate's safety and welfare. It wasn't wrong, per say, not in the least. Many people operated not out of vigilante justice or lawful goodness. It just meant that any appeal to Eleanor wouldn't be found at the rosary's end, nor societal good. At least not yet, until she formed an identity outside of Kate's mother. If she ever did.
Was this what he was like? All calling?
Did anyone care like he did for Eleanor that she have more in her life beyond Kate's welfare?
He gave Eleanor's hands a squeeze.
"Talk to your daughter, then. See if she's willing to have you join her fight. If not, do what you will on your own. Either way, I genuinely do want the best for you, Eleanor."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-17 08:32 pm (UTC)Would Matthew be another one of her pawns?
"I can't thank you enough," she said with a last squeeze to his hand and finally getting on her feet. "For your time. For your kind words and how you've looked after Kate." And she meant every word. How long has it been since the last time someone's words had truly reached her heart? "Matthew, if there's anything you need that I might be able to help with, I beg you to not hesitate and ask."
Circling the table, she was finally facing him. "As for the rest. I'll talk to Kate."
Once they finally returned to the living room, Claire was found rushing in and out of her bedroom, gathering her things. After all those attacks in the city, the E.R was in need of any extra hands they could get.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-17 09:00 pm (UTC)It was in direct opposition to Eleanor and the Bishop situation.
Was one right? Was one wrong? Was the story of Abraham and Isaac a testament to faith or child abuse? He'd read Kirkegaard's Fear and Trembling countless times and still found himself circling that moral quandary of where religious, social, and legal law met. Where did personal accountability blur into familial pride or religious devotion?
He gave Eleanor a small smile and nod, a smile that was tired and a touch sad, but understanding and not without sincerity. He genuinely did wish her well.
He made no promises on seeking her aid should he need help but he did say, "I hope your talk with Kate goes well."
Hearing of the trouble at the hospital, his eyes widened. Maggie was there. He stood up, fumbling a little in pushing the chair in.
"I'm coming with you." It wasn't a question as he moved to head out the door with Claire.