AN: So I wanted to write something small for Halloween and then Frank came stomping his way into it so it ended up being not-so-small. I'm aiming for 4 chapters but I haven't finished it yet, so who knows :D

"Oh my god."

Matt turned towards Foggy, dragging himself out of the pumpkin-spice, stale cinnamon and sickly syrup smelling hell he'd found himself stuck in as they waited to cross the street outside their favourite coffee shop on the way back to the office.

"Are you seeing this?" Foggy said, a genuine laugh in his voice. "Well, not seeing, but you know, using your magic powers to get the general idea of what I'm seeing."

Matt snorted before tilting his head to the side, trying to work out what Foggy was so excited about. The scent of bags full of candy (and two apples and a turnip, for some reason) overpowered the pumpkin-cinnamon-syrupy monstrosity, the joyous giggles of a group of children high on sugar almost drowned out the sounds of the traffic, and the exhausted sighs of parents as their offspring dragged them around Hell's Kitchen in search of treats reached his ears. It could only be a small gang of trick-or-treaters.

"Isn't it a little early for them to be out?" Matt questioned. He was no expert, he hadn't been trick-or-treating in a very, very long time what with him being a grown adult who knew no children and grew up in a very Catholic 'Halloween is when demons are strongest' orphanage. The last time was the Halloween after his accident when his dad had disguised his cane as a ninja stick and dressed Matt in all black before he'd led him through the streets – which in retrospect turned out to be very ironic considering how Matt now spent his nights. He was fairly sure trick-or-treaters were only supposed to come out at night though, and it was barely 5 o'clock.

"Bah, humbug," Foggy joked. "I guess their parents don't want them out and about in our crime-riddled city where parkouring ninjas are flying around the rooftops." He paused. "Well, maybe not this group."

Matt didn't hate Halloween and wasn't a 'Halloween Scrooge', as Foggy constantly insisted every year as soon as October hit. In fact, Matt loved Fall. The crispness of the air kept him wide-awake, the smell and taste of the coming frost was beautiful on his tongue and reminded him of his childhood when he and his dad would take walks through Central Park, and whilst the more frequent rain obscured most people's vision, it allowed Matt to see clearer than ever. The crunching leaves under his feet, the smell of burning logs, and the relaxing and welcoming warmth of a fireplace or the church after a hard day's work always brought a smile to his face. For Daredevil, the darker nights meant he could go out for longer and save more people, could sneak up on criminals easier and make it out with less scrapes if he stuck to the shadows, and there were actually less violent crimes in Fall and Winter. For many people, Spring was the season of new life and a fresh start, but for Matt it was the Fall – where the old started to fade and was replaced by the freshness of a cleansed city.

Fall was good for him.

Halloween was not.

The smells that Halloween-themed foods and drinks produced always clashed with each other, causing a stifling cloud of disgusting aromas that had Matt scrunching his nose up. Pumpkins and their discarded innards, which Karen assured him did not smell great to anyone, made him want to vomit, especially when they started to rot in the dumpsters down alleys and on the street. Then there were the decorations: noisy, cheap, and activated at random moments that even he couldn't predict, and the smoke machines some families (including Foggy's) used clogged up his nose and left him hacking. If it was just the one day, Matt could handle it, possibly by locking himself in his apartment and getting drunk enough he fell asleep early, but the week leading up to it – and arguably the entire month – was an explosion of orange and green and pumpkins and skeletons, and Matt couldn't lock himself away for that long. He had things to do.

Foggy, however, absolutely loved Halloween, and Matt wasn't sure 'love' was even a strong enough word to describe how Foggy felt. He came from a big family and the Nelsons went all out during the holidays. Every year they offered special deals in October on their products that were somehow Halloween themed, renamed some of them and had special versions only available for the month; Matt didn't see the appeal of pumpkin-spiced turkey but the locals went crazy for it. The Nelsons decorated their store and house with the same zeal they did at Christmas and every couple of years they turned it into a haunted house after hours, which Matt had been to and it was legitimately terrifying. Mob bosses, arms dealers, homicidal maniacs he was fine with, but pigs'-blood covered tables and Theo waving a cleaver around with relish was not his idea of a good time. Then of course there was the time Matt had caught Mr Nelson dressed as a giant pumpkin making out with Mrs Nelson dressed as a vampire bride in the kitchen and Matt had never been the same since.

Matt didn't have the heart to tell Foggy 'no' to any of his Halloween requests though as they brought him so much joy, and as such he let him wax poetic about pumpkin-spiced lattes, compare good and bad Halloween films with as much attention to detail as he did with his cases, and debate (with himself) over whether the Nightmare Before Christmas was more appropriate for Halloween or Christmas. It was also the reason why their office currently smelt like a witch's cauldron and looked, according to Karen, like 'a serial killer's dungeon.' Matt was glad he couldn't see it.

"It's what they're wearing that matters, what's interesting…" Foggy continued.

Matt frowned in concentration, focusing all his attention on the small group. Now that he was paying attention, he could tell there were actually only five children – three boys, two girls, one of whom was a baby - and two adults, all carrying bags full of candy. Matt brushed away the question about who gave the adults the treats, and started to analyse their clothing.

All of their costumes were home-made, with the tell-tale signs of fresh stitching, decent quality fabric, and the pin-pricks on the mother's fingers. It was a nice change; nowadays, every costume seemed to be store bought, and the smell of all the cheap polyester and Lycra made Matt's nose twitch. One of the little girls was clearly a witch with a tall pointy hat with whisps of hair atop her head and a broomstick in one hand. The boys seemed to be dressed as Captain America, complete with a hand-painted shield, a vampire, as indicated by the fangs and cape, and what Matt suspected was a werewolf based on the furry mask the kid was wearing, although he wasn't sure what was up with the body paint. The baby he couldn't work out because she was just wearing a onesie with a hood and some sort of intricate pattern. Matt wasn't sure on the mom either with her costume consisting of combat boots, a t-shirt with something painted on the front, and a very clearly fake gun at her hip. The dad Matt guessed was another superhero with his mask, boots, and a holster containing a, again very fake, baton. The baby was strapped to his front with material that matched that which kept his holsters attached to his leg.

Matt paused as he sensed two little bumps on top of the dad's mask, but decided to ignore it to save his own sanity.

"Well…?" Foggy urged.

"One witch, one vampire, one probable werewolf, Captain America and another superhero. I couldn't work out the mom or baby though."

Foggy shook his head in wonder. "You scare me sometimes. Although it's an actual crime you cannot see the costumes in all their vibrant, colourful glory. Honestly, that's the greatest thing your blindness takes away from you."

"Well, it's not an actual crime," Matt countered with a smile. "We're not defending people from a lifetime prison sentence for not being able to tell some college kids are dressed up as the cast of Scooby Doo or Frankenstein's Brides."

"Firstly, Frankenstein only has one bride. You're thinking of Dracula, and we will be re-watching all the old horror movies until you get that right." Matt groaned. He'd watched those with Foggy so many times now he thought he could recite them all line-by-line. He knew Foggy could. "Secondly, it's Frankenstein's Monster's Bride people dress up as for Halloween. Frankenstein is the doctor, going as his bride would probably be a really dull costume that wouldn't win any awards." Matt knew that, he'd listened to the audiobook. He also knew Foggy was an expert in Halloween costume awards because Foggy's parents had happily showed off all of Foggy's trophies that he'd won for best costume the first Halloween they knew each other. "And thirdly, people should go to jail if they can't tell someone is dressed as Dracula's Brides – or Mrs Frankenstein – because they are totally the most obvious costumes ever. It's a crime, Matt. A crime."

Matt wasn't going to win this argument. He wouldn't win any argument that was Halloween related with Foggy, it was impossible. He jerked his head forward to where the family were walking a few paces in front of them. "So what was I supposed to be looking at? What's got you so excited?"

"Oh, they're the best costumes I've seen this year," Foggy said, and there was something in his voice that Matt didn't like; something darker, something that implied there was more to what he said, and the mischievous smirk tugging at his lips didn't help. It scared Matt.

"The 'probable werewolf' is actually what I am going to dub a 'Hulk-Wolf'," Foggy said casually and shrugged. "Basically, he's supposed to be what the Hulk would look like as a werewolf."

"Why?"

"Why not, Murdock?" Foggy said, holding his hands out to the side. "Why not?"

Matt didn't have a good reason, or at least not a reason Foggy would accept, so he kept his mouth shut.

"The baby is dressed as the most adorable Spider-Man I've ever seen," Foggy continued. "It's super detailed, and she has these cute little blue and red boots she's trying to kick off. Seriously, if I was a criminal and Spider-Man was as sweet and well-dressed as that baby, I would arrest myself."

Matt didn't tell Foggy that Spider-Man was barely out of his teens, that wasn't his secret to tell, but he turned his face away in case Foggy could read it there. It surprised Matt slightly that someone was dressing as Spider-Man, even if it was a baby. Captain America was understandable, he was practically a government-issued superhero: they used him to fight, were very public about his existence and his saves and were proud to have him – at least it seemed that way. Spider-Man wasn't like that. Sure, he was one of the Avengers, but he was more of a street-level fighter these days, protecting the people of New York rather than the planet. Matt respected that and they had even teamed up a few times.

"The mom, her taste isn't so great," Foggy said. "She appears to have decided going as a serial killer is socially acceptable." Foggy turned his head to look at Matt pointedly and lowered his voice. "The Punisher."

"What the hell!" Matt blurted out. The people in front turned to look at him but quickly averted their gaze when they saw Matt's 'I am an innocent blind man' facial expression and Foggy's grin. "Frank?"

"You know any other Punishers?" Foggy asked. "Wait, don't answer that, knowing you that's a possibility." He hummed consideringly. "It's not a bad attempt at mimicking him actually. She's got the skull on her shirt, that fake gun, her hair's even arranged to make it look like a buzz cut. There's one thing that ruins it though." Foggy paused before continuing dramatically. "She's smiling."

Yes, that definitely would break the whole 'I am Frank Castle and I am a badass ex-marine who will shoot you in the face if you so much as think about touching my cereal (it had happened one time and Matt hadn't known Frank was so protective of it) and I can only communicate in grunts and curses unless you are a minor or a dog' image Frank had going for him. Matt didn't know whether Frank would be horrified or elated someone was imitating him for Halloween and made a note to tell him the next time he jabbed him in his side for trying to bazooka a drug den.

"And then the best costume of the lot," Foggy continued with flair. "The dad is dressed as, wait for it," Foggy clapped. "Everyone's favourite horny ninja who gets grumpy when someone drinks his coffee and spends half his time passed out in dumpsters due to blood loss."

Matt stared at him, his mouth slightly open as his brain tried to comprehend what Foggy was saying. Foggy was practically buzzing next to him, bouncing along with a spring in his step as he tried to contain himself.

"You're joking, right?" Matt said eventually, his lips twitching up nervously. "You're making fun of me? Doing one of those jokes where you pretend there's something there saying 'Look…Oh, wait, you can't see.'?"

Foggy gasped. "I would never! Those jokes are offensive!"

Yeah, Matt would believe that if Foggy didn't know Matt secretly enjoyed blind man jokes.

Foggy was trying not to laugh but Matt caught the way his voice shook slightly as he failed to contain his amusement.

"In all seriousness, there really is a guy dressed as Daredevil in front of us," Foggy said.

"But why?" Matt paused and pointed an accusing finger at Foggy. "And don't you say 'why not, Murdock.'"

Foggy's mouth audibly closed and Matt felt a thrill of victory at that.

"Well, people either dress up in scary costumes or as people they like," Foggy said. "And I guess Daredevil fits both those profiles: he literally dresses as the Devil and puts the fear of God into criminals, and the people of Hell's Kitchen like him. Some people, who don't know you, actually think he's cool."

Matt would admit that made him feel kinda good about himself - that the people of Hell's Kitchen, his people, liked and appreciated him. Enough to emulate him it appeared, although Matt wasn't sure that was wise with all the enemies he'd made.

"Oh, or maybe they think you're sexy," Foggy finished as an afterthought. "Sometimes people dress up to look hot."

Matt didn't know what to do with that. Should he be flattered? Or worried that people found some stranger dressed as the Devil whose face they'd never seen attractive?

"Hey, you should totally go out tonight," Foggy said conversationally. "Wear your costume and patrol the streets."

"I go out every night, Foggy. That's literally what I do. Patrol the streets and stop crime."

"Yeah, but you could literally just stroll down the street tonight rather than fling yourself across rooftops because you'd blend right in! And you'd get all the compliments for a realistic Daredevil costume!"

"Because it is the real Daredevil costume."

"Exactly!"

"No."

"Buzzkill."

Matt laughed and the two of them walked in silence for a moment.

"I dare you to wear your Daredevil costume to Marci's Halloween party tonight," Foggy said suddenly.

Matt snorted. "Karen would kill me."

"Yeah, but you'd win the costume competition so it'd be worth it," Foggy said confidently.

"And then when I told her it was your idea, she'd kill you too."

"On second thoughts, don't. I value my life, it's not worth the risk."

Matt laughed loudly, until a familiar sound echoed from the family in front of them. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk, a couple of people swearing at him as they swerved to avoid slamming into his back, and his face fell in shock.

"What is it?" Foggy asked worriedly, stopping beside him with his hand hovering over Matt's arm in concern.

Matt kept his attention focused forward and raised his hand from Foggy's arm to point at the family.

"Are they…?" he asked, trailing off. He knew the answer, he was just hoping he was wrong and his senses were playing up again, and that Foggy would deny everything.

The air moved as Foggy turned to see what Matt was pointing at, and the high-pitched squeak that followed let Matt know that he was correct.

The family in front of them had pulled over to the side, the kids hurrying into one of the local stores to attempt to get candy whilst their parents and baby sister waited outside. The slightly wet and smacking sounds indicated that the parents had decided to take this time to show some affection to each other, and kiss quite fervently and passionately in public. Daredevil's hands were resting gently on The Punisher's waist, pulling them closer so their hips touched. One of The Punisher's hands was buried in Daredevil's hair whilst the other was cupping his cheek, bringing their lips together hungrily.

Matt wasn't sure whether he should be concerned that he was kinda turned on by it all.

"The Punisher and Daredevil are married and Spider-Man is their baby," Foggy said, sounding dazed. They watched as the children came hurrying out of the store, their bags fuller than when they went in, and the parents broke apart, before the family started to walk off in the direction of the next candy-stop. Foggy waited until they'd disappeared from view before he shivered and turned to Matt. "You and Frank haven't secretly been fucking and adopted Spider-Man, have you?"

"What? No!"

"Because they must've got the idea from somewhere," Foggy insisted, squinting his eyes in suspicion. "There are no rumours floating around the criminal underworld of Hell's Kitchen that The Punisher and Daredevil are getting it on, are there?"

"Not that I've heard," Matt said, though he'd make sure to listen out for it because Foggy raised a good point: why on earth would anyone think Daredevil and The Punisher were the ideal couple's costume? Had he and Frank done something to make people think that? They'd worked together a few times recently but that had been purely professional and as far as Matt was concerned they'd done nothing out of the ordinary for two vigilantes. Certainly nothing romantic.

"And I suppose you would know," Foggy said, tapping an ear pointedly before offering his arm to Matt again. Matt took it and they continued the walk to the office. "Maybe it's the cute nicknames you give each other."

"We do not give each other cute nicknames."

"Really?" Foggy said, and Matt could've heard his raised eyebrows even without his enhanced hearing. "Because Karen told me when he talks about you he either refers to you as 'Murdock' or 'Red.'"

"He's always called me Red. He called me Red when he had me tied to the chimney the second time we met."

It felt wrong hearing the name from Foggy's lips – that nickname was something only Frank called him and belonged to him – but Matt knew saying that out loud would just further convince Foggy there was something going on. He was curious about what it was Frank had said about him to Karen, though, and it felt sort of nice that he thought about Matt enough to bring him up in conversation with others.

"And you talk about him a lot," Foggy continued, a dawning realisation in his voice that Matt really didn't like. "And then there's all that sexual tension…Oh my god, you're dating The Punisher and you didn't tell me?! I thought we said no more secrets, Matt!"

"I am not dating Frank!" Matt said, a little too loudly. Several people turned to look at him but quickly dismissed it as nothing and continued on their way. Mrs Chen, who owned the convenience store they frequented if they needed supplies, gave him a concerned look before shrugging and continuing to restock her chocolate display. Matt lowered his voice. "We are not dating and there is no sexual tension."

Foggy hummed, his disbelief evident.

"And even if there was," Matt said, ignoring Foggy's little 'ah ha!' noise. "Which there isn't, is that something you'd really want to know?"

"Of course! I am your best friend, I am very interested, and invested, in your life and your happiness," Foggy said. He paused. "Besides, now I am in a committed relationship, I need to live vicariously through others and, let's face it, you've always been good with getting action. You're my best option."

"Yeah, but Frank Castle?"

Foggy hummed thoughtfully and was quiet for several moments as he genuinely seemed to consider it.

"If you're dating someone, I do want to know," Foggy said slowly. "Especially if it's serious – which by your standards I mean 'more than three dates.' I care about you so want to know what's going on with your personal life, and I need to interrogate the poor person you've decided to seduce into a date with you to make sure they are a suitable life partner, won't scare easy and won't hurt you." Matt had the brief mental image of Foggy squaring up to Frank Castle and giving him a piece of his mind, and had to smile. He wasn't sure who would win, Foggy could verbally eviscerate people if he wanted too but insults just seemed to bounce off Frank. Foggy's tone changed to sheepish. "But maybe keep some of the more personal details to yourself. Frank Castle looks like he'd be into some kinky shit, and I know you are too."

"I am not."

"I've seen those ropes in your closet, Matthew."

"Those are for training!" Matt defended, hoping he wasn't blushing.

"Whatever you say, buddy."

They lapsed into silence again before Matt smiled. "Thanks, Fogs." Foggy made an inquiring noise. "For being the best best friend ever. I'm not dating anyone, especially Frank Castle, but if I am you'll be the first to know."

"As it should be," Foggy said sagely. "So, what are you wearing to Marci's party later?"

"A pirate costume."

"You do that every year!"

Matt grinned as Foggy went off into a rant about his lack of imagination when it came to costumes and how it was sacrilege to wear the same costume twice. His parents always asked if his finances were alright and if Matt was okay physically and mentally after Matt came to their parties as the same thing because, in their opinion, 'nobody who was happy and could afford it would wear the same costume twice.' Foggy had told them Matt just really liked pirates, which explained a lot of the gifts Matt got for his birthday, but it didn't stop his parents fretting over them both. Matt's argument that he was wearing a different pirate costume this year fell on deaf ears, and by the time they'd reached their office their discovery of the Daredevil and Punisher couple costumes was all but forgotten.

At least by Foggy.

Thanks for reading! Drop me a review if you have some time xxx