Chapter Text
Hell’s Kitchen was an interesting place.
It was dark and corrupt and infected with men who had the power to bring it all burning to the ground. It reminded Laurel of the Glades, of Starling City and it made her skin itch.
She was only there for the weekend. Visiting an old friend from law school that had taken a job in a mid-level law firm in Hell’s Kitchen. “You wouldn’t believe the crime statistics,” Jessica had told her. “The amount of double dealings and backyard corruption?” Laurel could practically hear her shudder over the phone. “It’s everywhere, a sickness, and it’s like no matter how hard we try there’s no curing it. We do the best that we can, but it just seems like everyone who’s good and honest pays the piper.”
Laurel sighed and said, “But you gotta try, right?”
Jessica laughed. “Exactly.”
Yeah, Laurel knew exactly how that was.
She opted for a hotel room instead of staying with Jessica. She didn’t want to put Jessica out, and since the trip was for her surprise 30th birthday party it wasn’t like she could clear it with her beforehand. The party went perfectly. Everyone screamed, “surprise!” at the right time and Jessica cried happy tears and ate two pieces of cake.
Laurel may or may not have had three, but in her defense they were really small pieces.
She left when the booze started flowing more freely. She wasn’t tempted, not even a little, but she could feel Jessica watching her and decided to call it a night so her friend could enjoy all the margaritas she wanted without the guilt weighing her down.
“You don’t have to go!” Jessica assured her.
“I know, I know,” Laurel said, hugging her tight. “The flight took a lot out of me. I’m beat!”
Jessica hugged her back even tighter. “I’ve barely gotten to see you!”
“I don’t leave until Monday morning so we can do brunch tomorrow or whatever works best for you!”
Jessica released her and starting bouncing up and down. “Oh! There’s this great little mom and pop place downtown and they have the absolute best cannoli. The first time I ever had it I thought of you. We should totally go there for a late lunch?” Ah, yes. Laurel had been obsessed with cannoli back in college. They were her go-to junk food when it came time to study for finals. It made Laurel a little warm and fuzzy inside that Jessica had remembered.
Laurel grinned at her old friend. “You’re too good to me.”
“You deserve the best, Dinah,” Jessica said with a wink. Laurel rolled her eyes and managed a quick look of indignation.
When Jessica had found out that Laurel’s first name was Dinah and that she just went by her middle name, Jessica took it upon herself to only call her Dinah. “That’s my mother’s name!” Laurel had shouted. Jessica’s eyes had only widened and the need to call her Dinah had only increased. Laurel gave up the fight their second week into law school and Jessica had not so secretly considered it a grand victory.
“I’ll pick you up a little after one tomorrow, okay? And call me as soon as you get back to the hotel. I know Starling City isn’t great, but Hell’s Kitchen is no joke either. You took self-defense classes, right? But maybe I should walk down with you? You rented a car, yeah?”
Laurel only laughed. “If you walked down with me then you would walk back by yourself, so no. I'll be fine. And yes, I rented a car. And I’ve been, um, taking a lot of defense classes as of late.”
“Oh, good! A girl should always know how to kick a little ass.” They both giggled at one another and Laurel kissed her on the cheek and waved goodbye to the people she knew and the people she had just met.
It was quiet outside of the building. It had long since fallen dark and a few of the street lamps were broken. It was eerie, but Laurel didn’t feel as unsettled as she would have a few years ago. She could handle herself.
Her phone buzzed and it was a text from Nyssa. Apparently the delivery guy was taking too long and Laurel didn’t have enough sufficient snacks in her apartment.
You’ll live, she texted back.
Ugh, was Nyssa’s response.
Laurel was distracted, and that was the only reason she could think as to how some goon got one up on her as he grabbed her by the arm, yanked her around until her back slammed against the wall. Her head connected with the brick and the crack that emitted around them rung in her ears. He reached for her, she wasn’t sure whether it was to grab her purse or hit her, but she didn’t let him decide.
Her left arm shot out, grabbing his right one, turning it into a painful arch before curling her right hand into a fist and shoving it in his throat. He choked, gasped for breath, hands flapping to his meaty neck and stumbled backwards as she arched her right foot up, careening her left leg into the air and connecting her boot clad foot right into his face. He tripped over his feet, landing on the concrete floor with a heavy thud.
Laurel stretched for her phone that was lying on the ground. Her case was a little scraped, but other than that her phone was still intact. She quickly punched in 9-1-1 and waited. The operator picked up on the second ring.
“A man slipped on the sidewalk and hit his head pretty hard. He’s breathing, but out cold. It’s right out front of 540 Meyers. Thank you.” She hung up as quickly as she called. She slid her phone in her jacket pocket and picked up her purse before slinging it over her shoulder.
“Huh,” a voice said from behind her. Laurel spun on her heels, arms raised and fists clenched, but the very last thing she had been expecting was a man in a red catsuit crouched on a fire escape landing. “Here I was ready to rescue a woman from a mugging and turns out I was in for a show.”
“Daredevil,” she said. His lips curved upward into a twisted, but amused grin.
“That’s what they call me,” he leapt down from the fire escape with an ease that told her he’d done it a million times before. He walked towards her and it reminded her of a cat almost, all grace and ease and intent, but with just a hint of lethality. “That jab was straight out of the ring.” His voice was rough, and it was dark but she was almost sure he had some stubble.
Laurel shrugged, not taking her eyes off him. “I have a friend who’s a boxer. He showed me a thing or two.”
Daredevil laughed at that. “A thing or two,” he echoed, disbelief caked into his voice. “You know, most people wouldn’t stand around and chat with a masked vigilante.”
Masked vigilante.
That was an interesting way for him to describe himself. She had heard all about the infamous devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Laurel wouldn’t say she was obsessed, but other vigilantes, other people who dedicated themselves to fighting crime in their cities- it was something that fascinated her. And Daredevil had done exactly that. He fought for his city, no matter that they turned against him, and in Laurel Lance’s book that made him a damn hero. And he should call himself as such.
She didn’t say any of that, though. Instead she went with another part of the truth. “I’m from Starling City.”
He laughed at that and it turned out that Daredevil had a very nice laugh. It was warm and rich and made her smile despite the fact she was standing outside in a strange neighborhood at ten o’clock at night with a man who had attacked her passed out on the sidewalk at her feet.
“So you’re used to masked vigilantes,” he said. He quirked his head just the slightest. “And there’s a lot of them there.”
“We’re practically overrun,” she joked. This time it was her lips curved upward in a grin. Oh, if only he knew.
He smiled again. His head turned to the side, almost as if he heard something, but Laurel could only hear the honking of steady traffic from the main street a few blocks over. He turned back to her. “Duty calls,” he said. “Stay safe.”
He latched back onto the fire escape he had jumped from only minutes before, pulled himself up as easily as Laurel breathed and scaled upward. His muscles moved underneath his suit, but he didn’t slow, only climbed and climbed and climbed until he reached the roof and then he pulled himself up and was gone.
“That is some serious upper body strength,” she murmured. The devil of Hell’s Kitchen was even more impressive than she had originally thought. And she absolutely loved it.