The Invisible String: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil

9

Tears welled slightly in Foggy's eyes, the faint scent of salt lingering in the air. He tried to blink them away, but the emotion was too close to the surface.
"What finally changed your mind?"
Karen asked softly, a small, hopeful smile tugging at her lips. Matt's head tilted subtly toward the bathroom door, where Annalise had just emerged.
"She did,"
he whispered quietly. Both Foggy and Karen turned to look as Annalise approached the table, her face radiant with happiness.

"Annalise?"
Foggy asked, confusion flickering in his eyes as she sat beside Matt.
"Hey, Foggy. Karen,"
she greeted warmly, a genuine smile lighting up her face.

"Wait a minute,"
Foggy said, pointing between the two of them with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you two...?!"

Without missing a beat, Foggy, ever the grown-up in spirit, made a suggestive hand gesture.
"Please put your hands down, Foggy,"
Matt groaned, shaking his head.
"No, Foggy. We're just friends. Good to know you're thirteen, though."

Annalise rolled her eyes playfully, while Karen pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at Foggy's crude humor.
"Kinda forgot you could, um, feel,"
she teased.

They all laughed softly, the tension in the room melting away. The oppressive shadows cast by Fisk's looming threats seemed to fade, replaced by a fragile but hopeful warmth.

"I didn't know Matt had friends. Not like that — you're usually pretty keep-to-yourself,"
Karen observed. Matt groaned again, standing up slowly and extending his cane.
"Bathroom,"
he said with a tired sigh, though a faint smile lingered on his lips. Karen watched him carefully as he walked away, her heart swelling with happiness that he was back in her life.

"We, um, we grew up together,"
Annalise said slowly, glancing back at Foggy and Karen.
"I only just got back."

"Please tell me, what was he like as a kid? Did he run around saving cats from trees or something?"
Karen laughed.

"Yeah, actually, a few times. He even made me do it sometimes. People started to wonder if he was really blind or just faking it,"
Annalise smiled at the memory.

Foggy chuckled as Karen laughed. The difference between this moment and the last night was stark — lighter, warmer.
"Your turn,"
Annalise said, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
"What was he like when you met him?"

She felt a pang of sadness thinking about how much of their lives had been spent apart. The only thing she had of him was a distant, fragmented memory. What did he seem like to his friends?

Foggy smiled, lost in reminiscence.
"He was the best person I knew — funny, smart, handsome. You know, that whole wounded bunny thing worked like a charm, even if he'd deny it now. Though, I definitely didn't know about his late-night escapades."

They both laughed softly, but Annalise's gaze drifted back to the bathroom, her heart sinking. The sound of a scuffle echoed through the walls and floor.

"Hey? Are you alright?"
Foggy asked, concern sharpening his voice.

She felt Matt's familiar groan of pain before running toward the hallway that connected to the bathroom. As she rounded the corner, she collided chest-to-chest with a man, the coppery scent of Matt's blood fresh on her knuckles tightening her jaw. The man's breath was ragged, heavy from exertion or panic.

He lunged at her, throwing a swift punch, but she dodged by mere millimeters. Her reflexes kicked in — a sharp jab to his throat followed by a hard kick to his stomach. He doubled over, clutching his throat in agony.

Before he could recover, she drove her fist into his nose with a loud crack that echoed satisfyingly in the confined space. The man crumpled backwards, his head hitting the floor hard enough to knock him unconscious but without lasting injury.