A Really Good Lawyer [Spider-Man]

Chapter 5: Someone Who Will Listen

Daredevil spares a whole two minutes to let Peter talk. And although Peter's breath hitches and falters many times, he can't find any words to say. Matt doesn't deny Peter's accusation, which is confirmation enough, but he doesn't react to it either. The look of conflict had slipped from his face the second the name Matt had fallen from Peter's lips. His fists clench and unclench at his sides. His jaw is set. While Peter's sure he's got Daredevil beat in the strength department, he's not certain he'd win if Matt decides to take a swing. Peter's seen the videos. The second you let the Devil get close, you've already lost. Spider-Man may have brute strength, but Daredevil has skill and zero qualms about fighting dirty.

But Matt's figured out Peter and he has to know how. What is there left to connect Peter Parker with Spider-Man? There's hardly a Peter Parker at all-- not anymore. So he waits for Matt to break the silence just as Matt waits for Peter to do the same.

The wind whistles on the low roof-top, shaking the clotheslines hanging out nearby windows. Peter shivers as a gust blows through him. Matt could be made of stone for all he shifts. He's gone back to his posturing and while Peter doesn't think Matt's going to hurt him, he isn't going to pretend that his skin doesn't prickle from more than just the cold. There's a reason Matt's first moniker was the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, long before he had the horns to match. If Peter hadn't done his research to connect Daredevil to Matt Murdock, there's no way he would have connected the empathetic and kind-hearted lawyer-- who'd agreed to defend a teenaged superhero accused of terrorism for little reason beyond believing in Peter's innocence-- to the dark figure standing before him. There's a tremor of rage that suffuses the air around them. Not directed at Peter, not yet, but simply radiating off the Devil like a warning.

Daredevil-- Matt-- heaves a sigh, dropping his shoulders. He jerks his head to the side and takes off towards the next building. Follow.

Up close, Daredevil's parkour is a sight to behold. He hurls himself off rooftops and onto fire escapes without fear, tucking into rolls to preserve momentum. He doesn't bother to check if Peter is following. At least, he doesn't look back. And why would he? Whether it's through clairvoyance or enhanced senses, Matt is acutely aware of Peter's fumbling swings to keep up, staying in close enough range that even a normal person could spot him. Peter follows with his webs, crawling up the sides of buildings as Matt leads him deeper into Hell's Kitchen. They reach a building that's taller than the others in the neighbourhood, an old tenement building that's seen better days. Scurrying up the crumbling bricks, Peter pulls himself onto the roof. He falls into a crouch and rubs at his web shooters nervously.

It's quieter up here. The sirens that never stop in this part of town, especially so close to Metro General, seem to dampen so high up.

Matt's pacing about ten feet away.

"Wow, this is high. Are you planning on pushing me off here or something?" Peter hears himself ask. "Because like, yeah, it would have been dumb of me to follow you if that happens, but also, um, I got webs if I fall--"

Turning on the ball of his foot, Matt directs a wave of something akin to fury towards Peter. His lip is curled back in a snarl. "How long do I have?"

He jerks to his feet, biting back the urge to flee. "I don't--"

"How long do I have before SWORD or the Avengers or whatever it is these days come to arrest me? I can't hear them."

A sensation like ice water trickles down Peter's spine. This isn't going how he thought it would go. He'd pictured several scenarios after confirming Matt's identity, none quite as pleasant as an amiable agreement to network, but nothing so odd. What reason would Peter have to get a fellow vigilante arrested? And nobody's asked Spider-Man about any connection to his old life since Doctor Strange's spell. Peter had never bothered to check if he still had clearance at Stark Industries. There'd been too much to do, too much to avoid, too much hurt. Spider-Man isn't a hero anymore. He doesn't have the backing of the Avengers or Mr. Stark. That had been the whole reason to reach out to Matt Murdock in the first place.