17 and Karedevil! 💕
Why, hello there!
Oh, boy. Karedevil. I struggled with this one. And, while assessing why exactly I was struggling so bad, I understood that it was not because I love them any less. I truly don’t. It’s just that Mr. Matt Murdock does not - help - the cause. Like at all. That little itty bitty trailer teaser we got? Boy, he’s already on my nerves.
But I got through it. Channeled those feelings from before he became the contrary son a bitch he once claimed to be, and, lo and behold, here it is.
It’s short. Something of an AU, because ,to be perfectly honest, that’s the only way I can write them right now. I hope it pleases. It’s been so long since I’ve written them. And I’m blaming Matt. It is all his fault.
Nevertheless. Here it is.
Much love ♥
Kiss + 17 (to distract)
Hymn for tthe weekend
He closed the door to the office and sighed while putting the keys in his pocket.
Having to work on a Saturday wasn’t even the worst of it - Karen had to stop by the Bulletin, too, so it even kinda worked -, and the case wasn’t even that complicated. It was the client that was making his shoulder ache.
This one, he was happy to charge for. A nice enough man, but so fidgety and anxious, the simple settlement case was giving him many unnecessary headaches. Plus, he could foot the bill just fine, so yeah. Matt was charging full price on this one. Foggy was, for once, delighted.
Loosening his tie while climbing down the stairs, he had the “You’re not gonna believe what he said today” on the tip of his tongue, to share anecdotes of his handful of a client with her, when he reached the lower level and heard her sigh, standing there on the sidewalk, phone glued to her ear - even if he had asked a million times that she didn’t just walk around on her phone.
“I know, I know.”
Slowing down a little, he tuned in further, recognizing that tone. Worried, tired and frustrated.
He recognized her brother’s voice on the phone, and clicked his tongue.
“I’ll talk to him. What about mom?”
Matt haven’t met her family yet, but he knew of all the troubles, little and big, news good and bad that happened to the Pages. Right now, Kevin and Mr. Page were having trouble seeing eye to eye, about everything. Two men that were too alike, so much alike that conflict was inevitable.
“Yeah”, she went on, and let out a breath. Matt made his way down the stairs slowly, to give her time. Still, he heard as she walked to and fro, five steps to the right, five to the left, left hand fidgeting with her keys.
Anxious.
“And what about that job offer in LA? How did that go?”
Matt heard Kevin sigh on the other end, and tell her that he had a video interview the week before, and it went good, and another one was scheduled.
“That’s good, right?”
When he opened the door to the building, Karen was saying that he should focus on that, and asking to speak to their mom.
He locked up and walked to her, placing his hand on the small on her back to set them on their way to the diner.
“He told me”, she was saying to her mother when they got there and he opened the door for her. “You know how they are, mom, you have to let it run its course.”
Karen greeted their usual waitress, still holding the phone to her ear, and the older woman guided them to their booth by the window, touching Matt’s arm to greet him.
“How you doing, sweetie?” She asked while Karen argued that her mother needed to ‘let it go for the time being’.
“Overworked, but good. You?”
The waitress - Sam, whose divorce Matt had handled last year, pro bono - told him that she was good, thank you, the twins had rescued a dog without her permission, and the thing was wreaking havoc at home, but all of them loved him already.
She had just stepped out with their order for the usual, promising to be right back with coffee, when Karen hung up, and sighed deeply.
“They’re at it again, huh?” He asked, a hand on her thigh under the table. He took the seat by her side instead of the one opposite her in order to do just that: physical comfort when she hung up.
“For the same reasons as every time”, she said, lifting a hand and pushing her hair back. “I swear it’s like a person fighting themselves, they’re so alike.”
“And your mom is caught in the middle.”
“She can’t help it. I told her to get some distance, let them work through it, but she just has to be in the middle of it, which makes everything worse.”
He rubbed her back and thanked Sam when she filled his cup with hot coffee and Karen greeted her properly.
“The LA job is still a possibility for Kevin?” He asked when they were alone again.
“Yes”, she sighed, this time with something like relief. “God, he can’t move soon enough. I’ll drive him there myself if I have to.”
It was 11:00 AM on a gloomy Saturday. A chilly wind was blowing, the sun peeking through clouds that promised a little rain, but not just yet.
“I hope he gets it”, she sighed again, preoccupied with the problems of her family, all the way back in Vermont, when she was supposed to be enjoying her weekend, right here in Manhattan.
“He will”, he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him in the booth, placing a kiss on her temple.
“I’ll bet you anything my dad will miss him the most. It was the same thing when I moved out. He wouldn’t give me a minute of peace while I was there. The minute I packed my stuff, he’s the most helpful, resourceful, patient man ever.”
“Some distance can be good”, he said against her face, running the tip of his fingers on the length of her arm, listening, but trying to take her mind off it. “It’ll be good for Kevin, too.”
“I worry about him.”
“He’s the big brother, Karen. They’re just crowded right now. He’ll be fine, you’ll see.”
She muttered an “I know”, and he lifted his hand to her chin, to turn her face towards his, touching his lips to hers in a lingering kiss.
Karen smiled against his lips when he didn’t back away, tightening his arm around her neck instead and cocking his head to deepen the kiss a little.
“You trying to give these fine people a show?” She whispered against his mouth, her own hand rising to caress his face once and then fidget with his tie.
“No”, he said, his voice intentionally low. “Just enjoying my girlfriend’s company on our first Saturday off in a month.”
“Not really off, you just came from your office.”
“‘Off’ starting now”, he conceded, moving to kiss her again when she rested her head against his arm, welcoming it. “Besides. No one is looking.”
She was shy about public displays of affection, so he kept it PG, but didn’t move from his spot by her side, even when she joked that the booth was too small for making out and eating at the same time.
“It’s barely making out”, he joked in her ear while she took a bite of toast, giggling. “That time on the ferry, that was making out.”
“Oh my God”, she said, her cheeks heating up while she blushed. “Don’t remind me of that.”
“I will. It was great.”
“Fifty people saw your hand on my ass under my dress, Matt, it was not great.”
“Yes it was.”
Her phone vibrated on the table, with repeated texts that were, no doubt, from her mother, and she reached for it, but he took it from her hand, turned it off and put it in his jacket pocket.
“Not while we’re eating”, he said when she tried, half-heartedly, to get it back. “No phones during make out brunch.”
Karen giggled when he kissed her again, and he kept at it, even while the man, three booths from them, payed them a little too much attention.
Normally, Matt would have his food and let her eat, and just hold her hand on the table, or something. He wasn’t a big fan of exposing their relationship in public like this, for a number of reasons, but today, he made an exception. She was too tense, and it was too early, and the weekend was just beginning. They had their fair share of problems right here without the added drama of her family on top of it. If it meant that she would relax a little bit, yes, he would take her phone hostage, kiss her and even let the creepy but harmless man watch a little bit.
“Will you let me eat my bagel?” She asked when he kissed the corner of her mouth.
“Yes, go ahead” he said, relaxing his arm around her, gesturing to the food on the table in front of them with his hand, giving her a limited berth to move and take a bite of her smoked salmon bagel with extra cream cheese, and took a sip of his own coffee.
He let her turn her phone on and reply to her mother’s numerous texts while they walked back home, but hid the device under a couch cushion while she changed back into her PJ’s - they had agreed, when he predicted rain, to spend the rest of the day inside, postponing the plans of walking around the waterfront to the next day, if the weather steadied.
Matt pulled her to the bed and under him when he heard her phone vibrating under the big cushion on the couch again. Not that he didn’t empathize with her mother’s situation, but Karen had given her advice. Let it go.
Now, it was his turn to help her do just that.
