#notdaredcvil

Running into Matt was never easy, and that was a change Karen was still slowly adjusting to. It had been quite some time since their breakup and fight on the courthouse’s steps, but to Karen, the second she saw Matt, the wounds always felt fresh. She could recall finding Elektra in his bed, a story she had never discovered the truth to, and she could recall feeling less and less like she mattered to Matt at all. It made maintaining their friendship nearly impossible, one of the reasons why Karen had temporarily paused it, and until those problems were solved, she highly doubted they could have any semblance of comfort or kinship. Still, they had tried in the past, and Karen knew better than to abandon Matt entirely. He would sense her presence like he always did, and knowing Matt, he would question why exactly Karen was out past curfew, lurking around the Empire State Building. It was very dangerous, but a few blocks away, hidden away on a rooftop, Karen reasoned that no one would be looking. Desperate for answers, Karen also reasoned that it was a last resort.

“What are you doing out this late?” Karen asked, moving away from the edge of the rooftop. Thus far, she hadn’t witnessed any suspicious activity, but surely she would see something strange. The demons would rush Doom’s home, attempting a coup, the President would leave unexpectedly in the middle of the night… there had to be something. “I guess I don’t need to ask that anymore,” she added, referencing Daredevil only in the vaguest terms. “Are you injured?” She asked quietly, unable to check his body for injuries personally without using a flashlight. Considering the patrols below their perch, Karen didn’t care to risk drawing attention to their rooftop hideaway.

Daredevil was not Felicia’s normal companion, but in an insane twist of events, they had similar targets this evening. In order to shift the pace of Felicia’s everyday targets, rich business men primarily, she had discovered a local gang — very small time, but very wealthy — that absolutely adored selling designer drugs to New York’s finest rich kids. Typically, she wouldn’t bother with a target that didn’t entirely benefit her, but these were families that she had been surrounded with her whole life, and the children were ones Felicia had watched grow up. Occasionally Black Cat could have a heart, and she was proud of that, especially under these circumstances.

Perched on the rooftop with Daredevil at her side, Felicia glanced over at Matt. “I can’t believe we’ve agreed that someone needs to be stopped,” she said dramatically. In all honesty, she agreed with what superheroes and vigilantes did, although Felicia wasn’t inclined to do the exact same. Her interests lay elsewhere, and with her father’s legacy — one she intended to best — Felicia doubted she’d ever be entirely kindhearted. It wasn’t in her nature, nor did she want it to be. “Are we going to do this as a team?”

Daredevil was one of few superheroes Felicia had revealed her identity to, although it hadn’t necessarily been optional. His enchanted senses had immediately picked up on the rhythm of her heart, the similarity to the beats of Black Cat, but luckily, he hadn’t exposed her criminal status. If that didn’t prove that they were very close friends, Felicia wasn’t sure that anything would, and in the interest of that very relationship (and stealing a file on a local billionaire), Felicia decided to pay a surprise visit to his new office. In order to prove that she was an exceptional, thoughtful guest, she brought lunch, of course. Matt would be thrilled to visit with her!

Rather than deal with Matt’s mousy secretary, Felicia slipped inside of his office unseen and unnoticed. When she arrived inside, Felicia was pleased to find it deserted. Within five minutes, she found the file required, thank god Matt was organized. Rather than hide her presence, knowing that Matt would recognize her scent immediately, Felicia took a seat at Matt’s desk and began flitting through the file. It was a riveting read! Mr. Stanley Price was quite the scumbag, and coming from Felicia, that a mean insult. She associated and tolerated the Kingpin. Luckily, within the next week, Mr. Stanley Price would suddenly lose his entire fortune.

When Matt returned from what she presumed was a meeting with a client, Felicia looked up from his desk and smiled brightly at him. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said with a smile. “I was just stopping by to have lunch with you, Murdock. I brought burritos, I remember how much you liked them when we stopped for a break, but I’m sure you don’t need a refresher on that. I’ve heard I’m unforgettable!” As she spoke, Felicia tossed the file onto his desk lightly. “How was your meeting?”

Matt would have already smelt her the second that she spotted Daredevil on a rooftop, most likely listening for the familiar sound of crime. God, his night job was incredibly boring while he waited, but Felicia supposed the violence made up for it. Matt had made it clear how much he enjoyed bloodied fists and temporarily ending crime sprees. Idly, she wondered how his religion justified his actions as Daredevil or if they did at all. Her parents had never dragged her to church, but ultimately, all that was irrelevant. With jewels and proof that Barney Falcone was a money launderer (among countless other dirty things), she was quite looking forward to confronting Daredevil. Running was futile, even if he did always let her escape. One day Felicia would have to demand an explanation about how she got away with her crimes, though she had her suspicions, all of them revolving around the fact that Matt was impossibly fond of her!

Grappling onto the rooftop, Felicia landed beside Matt easily. “Good evening,” she greeted him, pulling her loot from her bag. Wordlessly, she handed Daredevil the document, knowing full well he couldn’t easily read it. Felicia had every intention of explaining it. Tossing the jewels in her hand lightly, primarily to annoy Matt Murdock insane amounts, she said, “That’s proof that a Wall Street lawyer is very, very corrupt. He doesn’t run in your circles, but trust me, it’ll make for a great conviction. Lots of conviction, easy win, and I made sure the documents were accessible in his public email so the evidence will be admissible. Technically, I guess that’s a little corrupt, but you can handle it, can’t you?” She grinned at him cheekily, wondering if Matt really would go through with the legal process despite her meddling. “How are you, Daredevil? Miss me?”

When Daredevil struggling to follow a scent, Laura was genuinely concerned. She had learned that their senses were enhanced in similar ways, a fact that they had stumbled upon clumsily when he connected the dots that she was Wolverine, something she could tell by the surprised note in his voice, and in return, Laura informed him that she was aware of his nighttime activities. Although Laura frequented many circles, the majority of which were X-related, she spent many of her nights tracking down human traffickers and similar threats. That was how she had met Daredevil personally and how they formed a very functional working relationship. With similar abilities, she could not fathom any scent being impossible for the two of them to track.

When she arrived at the address Matt had given her, explaining that the scent was strongest outside the docks, Laura sniffed closely, attempting to pick up on anything specific. “It smells like three people have been here,” she informed Matt in lieu of greeting. “There’s lilac, body odour, and then… vanilla, chai and a male cologne. All of them have distinct scents. Are you sure it’s only one person that you’re following?” Daredevil making a mistake, especially about something like this, seemed highly unlikely, but Laura believed her question was warranted. “Who is the person that you’re tracking?” She asked, furrowing her brow as she continued to make sense of the scent. It was complicated, layered, like someone was purposely disguising their scent. “Could it possible they purposely disguised their smell?” Laura asked, voicing her thoughts. She gave several options to understand possibilities, it was crucial when formulating a calculated response.

In order to discover the truth, Karen was willing to go to any extreme, and the demons that plagued New York City’s streets was a question she and the public needed an answer to. With their president’s practical radio silence on the matter, Karen saw no other choice but to launch an investigation of her own accord, no endorsed by the Bulletin in the slightest. When she had proposed the idea, her colleagues had mostly balked at her, obviously wondering whether she was sane.

With that matter dealt with, Karen waited until nighttime to approach one of the demons, reckoning that no noble superhero or citizen would be compelled to intervene that way. If she was taking this risk, she was taking it alone, and absolutely refused to cause any harm to another person due to her choices. It wasn’t bravery, it was necessary in order for her — and New York’s hopefully — peace of mind. Hesitantly, she approached one of those demons, her phone’s recorder on, hidden away in her pocket, in case she caught proof that they were capable of speech. “Hi,” she greeted, unsure how to politely refer to the demons. Were manners applicable in these circumstances? Karen wasn’t sure, but disrespecting it hardly seemed wise, given the reports about incidents when the demons were provoked. “I was hoping that we could… talk or that maybe you could show you’re responsive,” Karen continued, unsure what to say exactly. The demon made no effort to prove that he understood her and so Karen sighed and then said, “Are you working for someone? If you are, you can say so, but I’m obligated to mention that I am recording this.” As she spoke, she reached into her pocket, and suddenly, the demon advanced towards her.

Gasping, a figure dropped down beside her, and Karen clutched her phone tightly in her hand. It wouldn’t do any good in a fight, but if she survived and recorded something worth exposing to the public, the Bulletin would do so. “Daredevil?” She questioned, recognizing the suit immediately. “I don’t need help. I was just having a conversation. See? It’s not hurting me,” she said quickly. After Matt’s confession and their complicated breakup, the last thing that she needed was more drama during her investigation, but she had missed him, and didn’t necessarily want Daredevil to leave.