Chapter Text
Matt made his way to Clinton Church, leaving Bellamy to spend time with Leland alone. He knew she was going to tell Leland all about their fights as of lately, but that was kind of what he was hoping for. Everyone needed a friend to tell their secrets to, and Bellamy was no exception to that. He just hoped it would help soothe things between them.
He, on the other hand, was planning on talking to his priest.
Matt sat down in a pew, mulling things over in his mind. He’d failed to take out Fisk, though that wasn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world. He did figure out there was a good type of armor out there from trying to cut Fisk.
“Morning service was hours ago.” Father Lantom told Matt, interrupting Matt’s inner diatribe.
“I know.” Matt replied.
“Confession?” Lantom asked, and when Matt shook his head, he continued. “Latte?”
“Not today, Father.”
“Probably for the best, already had four cups. Decaf.” Lantom responded, getting comfy on the pew in front of Matt. “But you know there’s still a bit of caffeine in there they just can’t get out. Some things are just… too ingrained, I guess.”
Matt gave a half smile as Lantom continued talking.
“That thing… brought you here last time… didn’t go so well?” Father Lantom asked.
“Not so much.” Matt answered honestly.
“The man… you talked of… did you…” Father Lantom trailed off.
“No, I didn’t kill him.” Matt sighed deeply. “But I tried to.”
“And are you disappointed that you didn’t succeed… or maybe a little relieved?” Lantom pressed.
“A friend of mine says that if I don’t change the way I do things… the way I live my life… I will end up bloody and alone.” Matt replied.
“You believe that?”
Matt pursed his lips for a moment. “I’m not afraid of dying.”
“Lot of people aren’t, comes right down to it.” Lantom pointed out. “It’s living scares the holy crap out of ‘em.”
“You know what I do?” Matt asked. “Who I am?”
“Sacrament of Penance, like I told you.” Lantom responded, moving to sit closer so they could speak more softly. “Don’t have to worry about–”
“That’s not what I’m asking.” Matt interrupted.
“Yes, Matthew. I’m not an idiot.” Lantom lightly sassed. “I have a pretty good idea who you are… and what you do. How you do it… that’s something else entirely.”
“Accident… when I was a kid. Used to think it was God’s will.” Matt explained.
“Used to?”
“Yeah, He made each and every one of us with a purpose, didn’t He? A reason for being.” Matt said.
“I believe so, yes.” Lantom agreed.
“Then why did He put the Devil in me?” Matt asked. “Why do I feel it in my heart… and my soul… clawing to be let out… if that’s not all part of God’s plan?”
“Maybe you’re being called to summon the better angels of your nature. Maybe that’s the struggle you feel… deep within you.” Lantom answered.
“And how do you know the angels and the Devil inside of me aren’t the same thing?” Matt tilted his head slightly.
“I don’t,” Lantom admitted. “But nothing drives people to the church faster than the thought of the Devil snapping at their heels. Maybe that was God’s plan all along. Why He created him, allowed him to fall from grace… to become a symbol to be feared… warning to us all, to tread the path of the righteous.”
“Thank you, Father. You've given me a lot to think about." Matt nodded, getting up from his pew.
"Anytime, Matthew." Lantom stood up himself, grabbing his briefcase.
-x-
By the time Matt returned to the hospital, Leland was long since worn out and asleep again. Bellamy was sat in a chair beside Leland’s bedside, just listening to the soft and even sounds of Leland’s breathing. She was deep in thought when Matt entered the room.
Matt tilted his head, listening softly to the sounds of the room. Bellamy was breathing evenly enough, though he could tell her thoughts weren’t very happy. Tears sat on the edges of her eyes, threatening to spill. He could taste the salt in the air, among other things.
He didn’t necessarily want to interrupt, but his trip to the church had worn him out and Matt desperately needed to meditate. And he refused to leave Bellamy at the hospital alone any longer.
“Are you ready to go?” He asked gently.
Despite his soft voice, Bellamy flinched as she jerked out of her thoughts. The tears quickly evaporated as she blinked them away and gave a sniff.
“Yeah.”
Matt turned to leave the hospital room, knowing Bellamy would follow. And she did, her cane clicking softly over the linoleum as she made her way down the hall behind him. The pair left the hospital and easily flagged down a cab. The ride home was silent and Matt could tell Bellamy had a lot on her mind.
“Everything okay?” He asked.
“Why did you take us in so easily? I mean, I know you bailed us out from going to Juvy and we’re on the hook for the community service, but why not just dump us off at a group home or something?” Bellamy blurted out.
Matt wasn’t expecting that. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. But he did know one thing; he didn’t want to lose them. It didn’t matter if he barely knew them or not, he loved them like his own.
“Because I care about you.” He said simply.
“That’s not a real answer, Matt.” Bellamy scoffed.
“Fine. You want the real answer?” Matt pressed. “You’ll get it.”
He took a deep breath before launching into a rant.
“You’re arrogant and brash and headstrong. You run into things without a second thought to yourself. You don’t let your disability hold you back, which is a good thing, but you also treat it like a curse. You get yourself into situations you should never have to be in nor should ever experience in the first place.” He shook his head. “I took you both in because I see myself in you, because I see potential in you.”
Bellamy was stunned. Matt had never spoken so bluntly to her before. Sometimes he said things he didn’t mean, but she could hear his heartbeat and it was steady now. Which meant he was the world’s greatest liar, or he was telling the truth.
The cab stopped at the apartment before Bellamy could formulate a response, not that she knew what to say in response in the first place. Matt paid and got out of the cab, leading the way into the apartment building. Bellamy silently followed him, mulling over his words.
She was silent for the next few hours, while Matt sat on the living room floor and meditated. The only sounds in the entire apartment was the rain pattering on the window, Matt’s slow breathing, and the calm beating of both their hearts. If Bellamy could see, she’d be staring at the ceiling. As it was, she was laid on the bed lost in her thoughts.
Thunder rumbled throughout the sky and Bellamy sighed. She’d been having a lot of fights with Matt lately, but even after all she’d put him through he still cared. And he’d been telling the truth about it.
Matt’s fingers twitched and he tilted his head the slightest bit. Try as hard as he could, he just couldn’t seem to relax enough to meditate. His mind kept drifting to the fight two nights ago. The fire, the sharp tear of the blades as they went into his skin, Fisk’s yell of rage. He could still feel every single injury as fresh as if they were currently being done to him.
And what was worse was the fight he’d had with Foggy. That hurt worse than any slice of a blade over his skin or any pull of stitches. He’d kissed him, too. What had he been thinking? Matt was all about boundaries and consent, and Foggy’d given no indication about allowing a kiss.
He licked his lips as he forced his thoughts back to the fight with Nobu and Fisk. It was his worst fight to date, his hardest and most difficult. Of course, he’d fought two different enemies that matched his strength, but it shouldn’t have turned out the way it did.
As his brain raced through the events one more time, Matt’s eyes flew open, sightless and darting around. He needed to find the man that made Fisk’s cut proof fabric. He needed better armor, especially if he was to take on the man again.
Spreading his senses out, Matt knew Bellamy was distracted by her own thoughts. He felt bad as he got to his feet and made his way to his closet where his trunk was stored. He owned multiple pairs of the outfit he wore as the man in black, so he wasn’t worried about having to wear tattered clothes.
He changed quickly, so as to not alert Bellamy or cause her to try to stop him. The last thing he wanted was another fight with the teen. But this was something he needed to do.
Bellamy was pulled from her thoughts by the closing of the roof access door. It creaked and gave off a metal tang, unlike the wooden front door, so she knew Matt had left. She hopped off the bed and stuffed her feet back into her shoes before pulling up her hood to conceal her face. She refused to let him go on his own, not when he was still so severely injured.
She followed quietly via the rooftops as Matt chased a man through the alleys. The man had a gun and kept shooting it wildly behind him as he ran. Bellamy could sense where Matt was and the man was way off with his aim. But then, she figured that was his point. Things like this were psychological as much as physical.
Finally, the man fell jumping off the side of a short building onto another, his gun skidding across the asphalt of the rooftop. Bellamy hid on a different rooftop, senses spread out as she focused on Matt. She didn’t want to interrupt him, but she would if he got into something he couldn’t handle.
Matt stepped on the gun, voice menacing and breathing hard. “I’m really not in the mood for this tonight.”
“It’s cool, man. It’s cool.” The man breathed out, staring up at the intimidating figure in black.
Matt kicked the gun away.
“We don’t gotta do all that.” The man huffed, pushing himself onto his side.
“Go for the knife in your boot, I break your leg.” Matt warned. The man looked up at him, shocked, as Matt continued. “Go for the piece tucked behind your belt, I throw you off the roof. We good?”
“Yeah.” The man said. “Yeah, man, we good.”
The man started pushing himself up, so Matt decked him in the jaw, sending him sprawling again.
“I didn’t say ‘get up.’” He snarled.
“What’re you beating on me for? I ain’t done nothin’.” The man asked.
“It’s not about you. I want information.” The devil breathed.
“What I look like, a damn public library?” The man snapped.
The devil decked the man again.
“Ow! Jesus, all right!” The man sat back up. “What do you wanna know, man? Shit.”
“Fisk.” The devil said simply.
“I don’t know where he is, I swear.” The man shook his head.
“That’s not the question.” The devil bared his teeth, all smoke and anger. “Fisk wears some kind of body armor… light, strong. Where’s he get it?”
Bellamy perked up at that. Matt was after body armor? She was definitely interested now.
“The hell should I know?” The man snapped.
The devil grabbed the man by the shirt, wrenching him up off the gravel of the roof. He started marching him towards the edge.
“Then you’re no use to me.” The devil growled.
“Whoa! Whoa, whoa!” The man tried to catch himself. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!”
The man swallowed hard at the sight of the ground far below him.
“Body armor! Body armor, yeah. Yeah.” The man relaxed when the devil spun him back around. “Yeah, body armor. I think I might… I think I might know a guy.”
“Give me the name.” The devil demanded.
“Melvin Potter.” The man said, relaxing, before spouting off an address.
Satisfied he was telling the truth, the devil punched the man and knocked him out, dropping him to the top of the roof. Breathing hard, Matt turned in the direction he knew Bellamy was.
“Go home.” He ordered, knowing she could hear him.
Bellamy wasn’t even going to pretend she didn’t hear him or that she wasn’t following him. She gave him a small grunt as a response, but didn’t otherwise move. The pair had a standoff for a good five minutes before Matt started making his way off the roof. He knew the name, so he knew where to go.
Matt bobbed and weaved his way across multiple rooftops, making his way to a warehouse on another end of the city. Matt opened a roof access and climbed down into the warehouse. He knew he was in the right place, as his senses were picking up spools of fabric identical in texture to the one he’d tried to cut on Fisk.
He stepped further into the building, casting his senses out wide. He didn’t sense anyone yet, but he was overwhelmed by the amount of items in the small space. Fabrics, chains, scissors, and more. He ran his fingers over tools on a workbench; hammer, wrench, pliers. He moved on to a few chains hanging from the ceiling. The warehouse must have been a car workshop at some point.
He pulled off one of his gloves and touched the fabric. It was soft and durable. It was exactly what he needed.
Just as Matt’s senses picked up on Bellamy entering the warehouse, a man got the drop on him and wrapped a chain around his neck. Matt’s hands flew up to grasp the chain and prevent it from cutting off his air supply. He was yanked backwards and he removed one hand from the chain to elbow the man behind him.
He was met with a grunt of pain and the chain loosened enough for him to take charge of the situation. He used the chain as leverage to pull himself up and spin around, landing a kick to the man’s ribs. As Matt prepared to continue on the offensive, Bellamy did the unexpected - she jumped on the man’s back, drawing his attention to her instead of Matt.
Matt bit back the urge to yell her name, the action coming out as a strained growl instead. This was the last thing he’d wanted. He hadn’t wanted Bellamy anywhere near the activities he got up to at night and now her arms were wound around the neck of someone twice her size and likely twice her strength, at minimum.
Melvin released the chain and stumbled backward as Bellamy fisted one hand in his hair, wrenching his head back. Matt surged forward and tackled Melvin to the ground, sending Bellamy rolling across the ground. He focused his senses on her to make sure she was okay even as he started to punch Melvin.
Each punch landed with half his strength - he didn’t want to hurt the man anymore than necessary, considering he needed the man to work with him. It wasn’t until Melvin let out a cry that bordered on a pained whine that Matt stopped his assault.
“That wasn’t very nice!” Melvin sniffed back a bit of blood, scowling up at Matt. “You shouldn’t be here.”
It was like the fight had entirely gone out of the man. Matt stood up, tilting his head in confusion. But Bellamy understood. Melvin wasn’t a bad guy at all. He was just a Little mixed up in bad things. She could tell Matt was paying attention to Melvin in a way that he was trying to tell if the man was going to attack again or not.
Melvin simply rolled onto his stomach and let out a soft sob. Bellamy’s own heart ached at the sound.
“Y-you’re not supposed to be in here.” Melvin sobbed. “Mr. Fisk’s gonna be mad. He’s– he’s gonna hurt her.”
Matt froze and Bellamy knew he wasn’t sure what to do. She crawled forward, ignoring the soft warning noise Matt let out. She placed her hand gently on Melvin’s back and leaned closer. Her hood shifted further down over her face, which was fine by her - less chance of him seeing her features.
Bellamy could feel the ripple of muscles under her hand as she tried to comfort the sobbing man. He was impossibly strong, twice her size, and arguably stronger than herself. But he was also hurting and she knew all too well how that felt.
“Who’s he gonna hurt?” Bellamy asked softly. When Melvin didn’t respond, she tried again. “Melvin - that’s your name, right? Who’s Fisk gonna hurt?”
“Betsy.” The question just seemed to make the man cry harder and Bellamy felt for him. She couldn’t help but think of Leland in that moment.
Matt picked up on what Bellamy was doing as Melvin sat up. It was clear the man wasn’t going to attack again. Matt knelt by Melvin himself, his expression softening underneath the mask.
“Who’s– who’s Betsy?” Matt prompted.
“She’s nice,” Melvin sniffled, answering in a way that wasn’t entirely an answer. Bellamy tilted her head slightly as Melvin continued. “She helps me… when I… when I get confused.”
“Why would Fisk wanna hurt her?” Matt asked. But even as he said the words, he knew the answer. Melvin was just as much a pawn in Fisk’s twisted game as many others were. As Elena Cardenas was, and the junkie that had killed her.
“No one’s supposed to be here… in the shop… not unless he brings them.” Melvin sniffled again, but it seemed his sobbing had stopped for the moment.
“So you do work for Fisk?” Matt clarified, but he knew the answer already. He just wanted Melvin to confirm it.
“I said no, when he asked.” Melvin wiped the back of his hand across his nose. “Said no, Betsy wouldn’t like it. She wants me to be good. I gotta be good.”
Melvin’s voice wavered, the tone watery and scared. Bellamy could tell he was on the verge of dropping into headspace, and it triggered her own. She could also tell Matt noticed both of them setting one another off in that regard, but there wasn’t much he could do at the moment without giving away Bellamy’s Classification.
“I-I like to make things. I’m good at making things.” Melvin sniffed once more.
“I’m sorry, Melvin.” Matt said softly, shifting from a couch to sit on the dirty floor next to the man. “Fisk has hurt people that I care about, too. I know what it’s like to worry about them… wanting to keep them safe.”
“He make you work for him, too?” Melvin asked, voice shaking.
“No,” Matt shook his head. “I don’t work for Fisk. I wanna stop him from hurting anyone else… from hurting Betsy.”
“You could do that?” Melvin looked at Matt. Bellamy could hear the hope in the man’s tone. If anyone could do it, it would be Matt.
“Maybe.” Matt answered earnestly before gesturing to the cut-proof fabrics in the workshop. “Did you make a suit for Fisk?” He grabbed one of the pieces and held it out to Melvin. “Did you make a suit lined with this?”
“Made a whole bunch.” Melvin wiped his nose again. “It keeps him safe.”
“Can you make something for me out of this?” Matt pressed gently.
“You want a suit, like… like Mr. Fisk?” Melvin’s voice wavered again, fearful once more. He was clearly terrified of Fisk.
“No.” Matt responded. “No, I want something very special. And if you do this for me… I promise to get Fisk out of your life… and to keep Betsy safe.”
“You can do that?” Melvin’s voice cracked, barely audible, but Bellamy and Matt both heard him anyway.
“With your help, I… I think maybe I can.”
“What do you want me to make?” Melvin blinked back his latest onslaught of tears.
“A symbol.”
-x-
It only took a few minutes for Melvin to get Matt’s measurements, but Matt and Bellamy were still at the workshop nearly an hour later. Melvin had already started putting the measurements to good use, looking through different swatches of fabric to make the desired ‘symbol.’
Matt didn’t need to be able to see to know exactly what the expression on Bellamy’s face was. He knew exactly where her thoughts had gone without needing to ask. He could sense her shuffling around the workshop, her fingers brushing over various fabrics. So when she took a soft inhale and opened her mouth, he cut her off before she could say anything.
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything!” Bellamy said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You didn’t need to. I know exactly what you were thinking, and the answer is no.” Matt crossed his own arms over his chest, shifting his weight until he was leaning against a workshop table. He could sense Melvin pretending to try not to pay any attention to the two of them, but the man wasn’t doing a good job of pretending not to hear them.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you don’t get a choice, huh?” Bellamy sassed.
Matt’s jaw ticked as he fought not to stoop to her level. He had to remind himself that she was just a teenager, and even though she should know better, her attitude shouldn’t define his response. He took a deep breath in through the nose and let it out through his mouth.
“You haven’t even gotten your casts off.” He pointed out logically.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Bellamy scoffed. “I can get a suit sized properly to wear after they’re off, you know.”
Matt took another deep breath and pressed the tips of his fingers against his temples. Arguing with a teenager was harder than fighting a hundred bad men in a night. Or, at least, it felt like it. It was like punching a brick wall, except one that had an answer for everything.
“I just don’t–” Matt began, but Melvin cleared his throat and spoke up, interrupting him.
“It’s no trouble. Making an extra suit. I don’t mind.”
Matt could feel the smugness radiating off of Bellamy. He had to take another deep breath to keep from flying off the handle. He really wanted to wipe the smug smirk off the teenager, but he’d promised not to hurt her feelings again, and he was going to do his best to uphold that damn promise.
“It’s not that–” Matt tried again, but Bellamy interrupted him this time.
“Look, Ma– an,” Bellamy tripped over her words, trying not to say Matt’s name. Melvin didn’t seem to notice the almost slip that ended with her just saying ‘man’, so she continued. “There’s no reason for me not to get a suit. Hell, I can rescue animals if you’re so worried about me helping in other ways. It’s a win-win!”
Matt sighed, pressing his fingers into his eye sockets underneath his mask. She did have a point. And it wasn’t like she wouldn’t just sneak back to Melvin’s workshop behind his back. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something behind his back. It was better to just accept that she was going to get a suit.
“Fine.”
Bellamy had to stifle the cheer that bubbled its way up her chest and tried to force its way out. It wasn’t very ‘adult’ of her to cheer, so she cleared her throat instead. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, however.
“Thank you.” She responded as casually as she could.
Because Melvin had been listening, though pretending not to, he took that as a signal to make his way over to take Bellamy’s measurements. The task went quickly and he jotted down the measurements before frowning at the paper. Melvin had jotted down ‘man in the mask’ above Matt’s measurements, but as far as he was aware, Daredevil worked alone. He had no name to call the girl with Daredevil.
“What kinda symbol should she have?” Melvin asked.
Matt frowned as he thought about it. Bellamy hadn’t exactly made a name for herself yet. He didn’t really want her doing this in the first place, but he didn’t have a choice. He had, however, heard of a street-level hero that had recently been doing small-time crime work. Things like stopping bike thieves, purse-snatchers, and other smaller crimes. He couldn’t remember the name offhand, but that’s what he’d want for Bellamy.
“Same as mine.” Matt finally said.
“Okay.” Melvin replied before shuffling over to a stack of fabrics, all in the same cut-proof technology. He glanced back at the girl for a moment before turning back towards the fabric. He finally settled on a vivid purple, pairing it with a reinforced black.
Having no reason to stick around, Matt gently nudged Bellamy towards the exit. Bellamy shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets and followed Matt to the roof. The journey home was slower than the journey there had been, but then, Matt’s injuries had to be catching up to him.
Once back in the safety of Matt’s apartment, Bellamy pulled off her hoodie and narrowed her eyes at Matt. Neither of them could see, but the gesture was noticed all the same - Matt sighed. He knew he’d been hypocritical by going out tonight, but it had needed to be done. He needed a better suit.
“So,” Bellamy began, crossing her arms over her chest as best as she could with a cast. “It’s too dangerous for me to go to the hospital because I have casts on, but it’s not too dangerous for you to go all the way across Hell’s Kitchen with multiple gashes freshly stitched closed?”
Matt opened his mouth to respond but he caught himself before he could let his annoyance get the better of him. Bellamy was right. He’d been overbearing, worried about her so much as going to visit her brother in the hospital alone and here he was beating on people while he’d nearly died yesterday. He could practically still feel the Hudson on his skin.
“You’re right.” He finally conceded. “It was stupid of me, and I’m sorry that I worried you. I needed to see Melvin to get myself a new suit, but it could have waited until I was less at risk.”
“I can’t believe you! You bitch and complain about– wait,” Bellamy stopped mid-rant. She’d just started to pace, but she stopped to turn towards him, tilting her head in confusion. “What?”
“I said you’re right.” Matt said patiently. “I shouldn’t have gone out while I was so injured. I should have waited.”
“Oh.” Bellamy breathed out. She practically deflated, the tension leaving her shoulders. She hadn’t prepared for him to give in so easily.
“You seem disappointed.”
“No! No.” Bellamy shook her head. “I guess I’d just prepared for a fight, and maybe a bit of rubbing it in that you’re a hypocrite.”
That got a genuine laugh from Matt, which quickly turned into a wince as he held his side. He’d, admittedly, popped a few stitches while he’d been out tonight and it was coming back to bite him in the ass. His hand came back wet with blood, though not nearly as saturated as it could be all things considered. He cursed softly with a sigh.
“I should shower and meditate.”
“Yeah… I should go to bed.” Bellamy didn’t move, however. A beat of silence passed between the two of them before she added, “I hope you don’t go out again tonight.”
“I won’t.” Matt promised. “I’ve done enough damage for one night.”
“Okay. Well… goodnight, then.” Bellamy reached towards Matt but thought otherwise and instead shuffled into the bedroom.
-x-
The next few days went by at a snails’ pace. Matt spent as much time as possible meditating, which Bellamy had been skeptical of but after checking his bandages, she realized it was actually helping. The wounds, which should have taken weeks to heal, were healing at an accelerated rate.
By the time Leland was allowed to leave the hospital, Matt was walking normally. He didn’t even need to hide his wincing anymore, though Bellamy was still more than worried about him. Not that she’d say so aloud.
Matt and Bellamy made their way to the hospital and waited in the lobby for Leland. He was wheeled out shortly after their arrival, a stuffed toy clutched against his chest. Bellamy tilted her head as she tried to figure out what sort of animal he was holding, but she had no idea.
“An otter, huh?” Matt chuckled as the nurse walked away.
Bellamy didn’t know what that was.
“Yeah.” Leland said quietly, glancing down at the stuffed toy. He was covered in bandages and casts. “Nurse showed me this kids show with otters in it.”
“Aw.” Matt smiled as he stepped towards the wheelchair to wheel Leland outside. Most sighted people didn’t think about things like that, but it was fine. He may have been blind, but he could navigate well enough. Besides, he’d rather handle it himself. “Well, let’s get you home.”
The cab was still outside as Matt pushed the wheelchair through the exit. The driver opened the back door for Matt and he helped Leland into the seat. Bellamy shuffled around to the other side and slid into the middle. Matt soon joined them in the back and they were on their way back to Matt’s apartment.