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When Matt walked in the door with a new bruise collection Karen had to look away. What lie would he tell this time? A door? A fall? At this point it was obvious he wasn’t just clumsy; not with the constant stream of new injuries each worst than the last. He’d been coming to the office later and later recently. Something wasn’t right.
“We locking this now?” he asked as he walked past, gesturing to the door. The thickness of his voice could be chalked up to the current tension between him and Foggy, heaven knows her voice was just as thick, but on Matt it didn’t seem right.
“Seems like a good idea.” Karen nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Matt turned to face her as if to say something. A few heavy second later he licked his lips and spoke. “It’s late, you should probably go.” He turned and walked towards his office.
Karen took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking. “Matt… Is this what we are now? Three people that don’t even talk to each other?”
He stilled. “I know this guy.” He said gruffly. “We were close once. He told me if I uh… I have to push the people that I care about away, if… If I wanted to be affective at what I do.”
Karen clenched her jaw. “It seems like you listened.” Her mind raced, who was this man? “Yeah… I thought I didn’t. And this guy he has a way of getting in your head, you know?” Matt paused looking angry and lost and defeated all at the same time. Alarm bells rang in Karen’s mind. Whoever this guy was, their relationship didn’t sound healthy. Didn’t sound positive at all for Matt. “And here’s the thing,” Matt voice sounded like it was at breaking point. “And I had a really shitty night. The kind where you- where you think you’ve seen the bottom of humanity and the pit keeps getting- getting deeper, you know?” His breaths grated with every inhale, sounding on the verge of tears. “I- I cant-I can’t do this alone. I can’t- I cant I can’t take another step-”
Karen strode over and wrapped him in a hug. “You’re not alone.” She told him, sniffling slightly from her own welled up eyes. “You never were.” She hugged him tighter as they cried together. Her mind whirled; there was something she was missing, something Foggy knew. It concerned Matt’s injuries, and it made Foggy angry. But not angry at Matt, not really. It had a defeated edge to it, like Foggy had failed some expectation of himself.
Matt started to calm, his sobs becoming less frequent.
This breakdown held the last bit of information, the last puzzle piece. She didn’t know if Matt was attached or his preferences for that matter… But looking back he’d been drawing away from their trio for most of the short while she’d been a part of it. He’d not been hanging out with Foggy, which she only knew because he had complained to her about it. Now it had all snapped into place it was so obvious. How could she have missed this? She’d been to enough talks about it.
“Thanks.” Matt said as he detached himself from her. “I’m gonna see if I can get some work done”
“Y-yeah, no problem.” Karen wiped her eyes. “Any time you know?”
Matt smiled sadly at her before continuing into his office.
Karen grabbed her bag. “I’ll be back, I’m just going to tidy myself up.” She trotted down to the toilets digging in her bag for her phone. She stood in the corner as she ran Foggy.
“Hello?” He answered drowsily.
“Foggy I want to know why you and Matt are at odds.” Karen tried to make it sound like she hadn’t practiced and reworded that sentence multiple times. “He’s come into the office, with yet more injures and had a slight emotional breakdown about how he’s alone… He’s not ok!”
Foggy was quiet. “I’m sorry Karen… He doesn’t want me there. He knows my opinion on all this and well-”
“Well I think he does want you here and I think he needs our support!” Karen sniffed, trying not to cry again. “And if you don’t think he need your support, I do.”
“Ok, ok I’ll come down to the office, let me get some shoes on.” Foggy sighed. “How much have you worked out?”
“Well I know why he’s getting all those injuries, I’m just struggling with the who. I think we need to stage an intervention.” Karen said, relieved that Foggy would back her up.
“Well isn’t it obvious who he is? Daredevil’s-”
“You’re right! That’s so obvious!” Karen cut Foggy off. “He got so jumpy when we discussed Daredevil when he first appeared in the papers! You’re a genius Foggy, I’ll wait for you at the office.” She hung up, fixed her make up and walked back upstairs. “Coffee?” She asked Matt as she walked back in.
“Please.” He smiled a little.
As the coffee maker ticked away Karen ran through how she could get through to Matt, make him realise that this wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t ok and he could leave.
Foggy knocked on the glass, disrupting her thoughts. “I got here as fast as I could.”
“Ok, lets go and try to reason with him.” Karen handed Foggy one of the coffees, carrying two to Matt’s desk herself. She put one in front of him. “Matt I need to tell you something. I know you won’t like it and it might even seem impossible.”
Matt took the coffee, looking slightly anxious. “Ok.”
“This thing you have with Daredevil… It’s not healthy Matt! You’re constantly injured and jumpy all the time. You’ve been pulling away from Foggy and me when you should have been confiding in us. Or at least in Foggy! The relationship between you isn’t going to work, something is going to give and you could end up dead!” Karen sniffed. “I know it’s hard, but you’re better off without him.”
Matt’s jaw was clenched hard. “I’m not-”
“Matt I know you cant see yourself in the mirror but surely you can feel how badly you’re hurt?” Karen cut him off. “I know it’s hard to admit to this sort of thing but you can’t keep pretending that you’re ok. You’re obviously not ok. You need to look after yourself. You need to ditch Daredevil.”
Matt looked at Foggy.
“Don’t look at me, you know my opinion on all this.” Foggy crossed his arms with a sigh.
“Well it’s not just about me.” Matt ground out.
“Matt! He beats you up! Who cares how he feels!” Karen burst out.
Matt and Foggy gave her a look of confusion.
Matt regained use of his voice first. “What?”
“Well- You” Karen suddenly felt like she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. “Aren’t you and Daredevil…”
“..the same person?” Foggy supplied.
“Oh my goodness.” Karen blushed. “I- I thought…”
“You thought I was in an abusive relationship with Daredevil.” Matt was struggling to keep a straight face.
Foggy burst out laughing. “You know what, I can totally see it. Sort of.” He grinned at Matt, wiping a tear from his eye. “That shouldn’t be funny but wow.”
“Thanks, Karen.” Matt smiled. “For what you thought you were doing.”
“So you’re beating up gangsters? How do you do that blind?” Karen asked.
“I think we require drinks for this conversation.” Foggy grunted, standing up from where he’d leant against Matt’s desk. “Many drinks.” He glared at Matt, but Karen could tell there was less heat behind it now then there had been earlier that day. “Come on you dumbass.” He held a hand out in front of Matt.
Matt sighed good-naturedly and took Foggy’s hand with a smile. “Let’s go then.”
“To Josie’s!” Foggy declared, leading the way and dragging a laughing Matt after him. Karen looked at them fondly for a moment before turning to lock up the office.
“Come on Karen, most of the night is gone!” Foggy shouted as he walked down the stairs.
“Just give me a second.” She called back, smiling to herself. She put the keys away and caught up to the boys. “First drink’s on me!”