A/N: HEre I am with the new chapter.. Thank you for reading so far and thanks to zoeperja for her rewiev!

As usual, thanks to my saviour, InsertImaginativeNameHere

Feedbacks are really appreciated ^_^ I don't bite who rewievs, but I might bite who doesn't :D

Chapter 14: Being Daredevil Sucks

It happened exactly like in his nightmare, only worse.

He had insisted on going back to Stick alone, despite Claire and Karen's protests and objections; he didn't know what his reaction would be once he got there, but he knew for sure he wouldn't be able to leave them. Going away from the apartment had been already too painful, and the kiss didn't help.

He had convinced Claire to go back inside and reassure Karen; he had told her he needed some time alone, instead he had left, jumping from roof to roof until he had found the house he was looking for.

Stick's men were waiting for him, and he hadn't made a stand when they had attacked him; it was useless, they were too many and too well trained, while Matt was still recovering from the forced jump of the last week, and even if his wounds were getting better day by day, he wasn't in the best condition.

They had blocked him on the ground, then lifted him, pulling him on his feet, his hands stuck behind his back, and led him to his former mentor.

Stick didn't say a single word. Matt felt his hand raising, and the ninja executed his order. He was forced again on the floor and four on them blocked his whole body, making sure he couldn't move a single muscle. He choked back a groan of pain when one of them pulled his arm over his shoulders, right where one of the worst bruises was.

He heard Foggy's heartbeat change the moment he was forced into the room, before he was near to panic, but now, all he was feeling was anger. Matt heard him revolting against the ninjas

-Matty! Leave him alone you bastards!-

His sudden strength might have taken them by surprise, or more likely they weren't holding him so tight, thinking he would be terrified enough not to resist them, because Foggy managed to free himself.

-Foggy, run!-

Obviously, he didn't obey him. Matt felt his friend kneeling beside him, his hand reaching his forehead, the only part of his body not covered with ninjas.

-Matt... Matty-

-Foggy. I'm fine. I'm fine. Run, please. Run.-

But now it was useless, Stick was already on his best friend, and he took him only a single move to tackle the blond lawyer right beside Matt.

-Matty- Stick teased him -Please be kind and explain the rules to your buddy here-

His punishment had already begun, and for the first time since the day he had woken up blind, he was experiencing pure, paralyzing terror. -Matty. Don't make me ask twice- Stick's warning was more than enough to force him to talk.

-Don't talk, don't fight back and do as he says- he murmured.

-That's my boy-

-I am not your boy-

-He is not your boy-

He and Foggy had spoken at the same time, Matt as a reflex, Foggy with the precise intent of standing up for him.

Foggy got hit twice, probably just a couple of slaps on his head. Matt tried to rebel against that injustice, but he couldn't move even a finger, and as a result his best friend was struck another blow, strong enough to make him hiss.

-Stick, pl...- he stopped as soon as he felt the air motion of an arm directed on his partner. Stick didn't hit out, though, and Matt heard Foggy's sigh of relief.

-What's the new rule, kid?-

-I break the rules, Foggy gets beat- he recited, his throat hoarsened by fear and tension. His back was aching like hell, but he was trying to ignore his pain. He was cursing Foggy for that fucking deal he had made; he didn't want this, Matt didn't want his friend taking punches for him.

Stick gave a second order and the men that were restraining the blind lawyer left him alone.

-You move a single muscle, Matty, and your friend will pay for you.-

-Matty- he felt Foggy's hand touch his, but he didn't make a move to squeeze it; Foggy's voice was slightly shaking, but still clear with a point of serenity in it that made Matt wanting to cry. It was so genuine, so Foggy-ish, and he didn't deserve all of this: not after Mrs. Cardenas; not after Ben -It's gonna be alright, ok?- the last word was hissed, Stick was now striking him with his cane, but he didn't care, he kept talking to him, moaning when the blind man increased the power of his shots. -Matty, don't worry. I'm gonna be fine. Are you listening to me? Answer me, Matty- Matt didn't want to speak, or to do something that might add more pain to his friend -close your eyes, I know it's usele…. ah… but… please, close them...focus on Karen, only on Karen… shut me out, Matty-

Of course when he said Karen he meant Claire.

That was too much. He just couldn't obey him. He could only pretend to do so, for Foggy's mental stability.

He closed his eyes, but he listened to every single shot, every single heartbeat, moan, groan and scream of pain coming from his best friend, forcing himself to stay perfectly still, to not raise himself and fight Stick as he had done in the dream.

Foggy was trying to make as few noises as possible, until Stick had began to use real violence on him, hitting him with his belt and smashing glasses against his back, and Foggy simply couldn't restrain himself anymore.

Matt was now trembling in a mixture of fear and rage, all the sounds in the world covered by Foggy's voice, by the heat on his skin where it was, by his frightened heartbeat. Every shot was also his own, Foggy's screams penetrated his brain, completely overwhelming it. There was nothing else in the world but his best friend and his sorrow, and Matt was absorbing all of it as if doing so he could somehow soothe what he was feeling.

Please, please stop. Please hit me. He is innocent. Please.

Matt wanted to cry, to shout and to beg for Stick's mercy at the same time, but he stayed there and soon he had begun to pray for Foggy to pass out and put an end to all this.

He had lost count of the time that had passed since they had begun. It could be 5 minutes or 5 hours, he didn't know. To him, it had been ages, but eventually Foggy lost his senses, and Stick stopped the punishment.

-Ready to go, kid?-

-Please... Let me say goodbye- yes, he was begging, and no, he didn't care. He wanted to be sure Foggy would be alright, and, yes, hug him and thank him for the last time.

-You have an hour, Matty-

It was way more than he had expected, but he didn't complain about this sudden gift.

He reached for Foggy, who was still laid unconscious not far from him. As delicately as possible, Matt lifted his head and put it on his own thigh, supporting it, and he waited for him to wake up.

000

Being Daredevil sucks.

Foggy opened his eyes thinking about that. He had thought he had known what pain was when he was 12 and he had broken his arm after an incident with his bike, but that was nothing compared to what he was suffering right now. His whole body was no more an assembled selection of bones, muscles and organs. It was a mass of pain and blood, with one or two probable internal injuries, but he wasn't sure about that. It took a while for his eyes to focus on Matt's face. He was talking to him, caressing his forehead.

-Foggy? Can you hear me?-

-Being you sucks- he moaned, trying to shift to find a less painful position. He was rewarded by a slight lift of Matt's lips.

-Don't move so much. Be careful- he instructed him, and Foggy could see him moving along with him trying to be helpful somehow, supporting as he tried to put himself in a sitting position, but, at the same time preventing him from doing that too fast -You may feel a little dizzy, that's ok. Tell me if you are going to throw up-

-I am not- he answered, laying his head against the wall behind them and swallowing to convince his organs not to go on an adventure outside his body. Matt was crouched on his side. Dizzy was actually an understatement. -maybe I am-

Matt's hands found his shoulders and his hair. He was gentle but at the same time rude in making him duck his head just in time; blood, food and probably some of his bowels suddenly found themselves on the floor, his entire body shaking with the shock.

-Breathe, Foggy. Breathe. It's ok. It's ok. Breathe-

And he obeyed, following his partner's suggestions. Shortly he began to feel better. He was still in pain but it seemed as if his insides had decided to postpone their holiday.

Matt waited until the worst was gone before pulling him to his chest allowing him to rest on it.

-Do you have an idea of how gay is this, right?- he managed to say, feeling all Matt's tension through his muscles, and suddenly needy to hear his laugh, just one more time before his leaving.

-You are the only one who can actually see us so... I don't give a shit-

-Not if I take a picture and post it on Facebook- Finally he got what he wanted: Matt was grinning, finally. But it was a short victory.

-Foggy-

-What?-

Matt was a great lawyer, he always knew what to say and how to, but this was one of those times he couldn't, and that almost made Foggy to break into tears.

-Thank you- he eventually managed to say.

There was so much left unspoken in that line, but real friends don't need words.

-You are welcome, Matty- You are worth it, Matty, I'll die for you, Matty, he was thinking, but pointing that out would probably lead to a fight or something very similar he didn't want to face in that moment.

They stayed together, chatting about nothing, until Stick decided their time was up.

Foggy didn't remember exactly how he got from the house where he was kept to Matt's apartment, probably because his brain was still trying to be enlightened by an idea (any idea, actually, no matter how stupid or dangerous it could be, just a single idea idea) that would possibly convince Stick to take him with them, or maybe because the ninjas hadn't paid much attention to his wounds and he had passed out.

He remembered he had found himself being hugged by a koala version of Karen, and he could do anything but return the favour, forgetting for a while she was making it hard for him to breathe.

And then Karen was kissing him and oxygen was no longer so vital. He stood still just for a second before returning the kiss.

-Sorry- Karen murmured when they finally separated, and he was suddenly sure she wasn't the only one who had flushed.-Are you ok?-

-Yeah... More than good- she hit him on his shoulder -Oh..You mean... For the deal... Sure...- but the slowness and prudence of his movements gave him away.

-As soon as Claire comes back I'll ask her to check on you-

-Where is she?- he urged, suddenly worried for her. He didn't know exactly what was going on with the two of them, but he supposed Matt wasn't the only one in love.

-She went to the roof I think... She was more than pissed off when she discovered Matt has slid out off. Are they a thing?-

-Yes. No. Probably. We are talking about Matt Murdock, there's never a simple description for his love life... For his whole life, actually.-

-Yeah, I figured that... - Karen helped him to the couch, where he leaned on his side to not put his back in direct contact with the leather. He was thirsty, but he didn't want to bother Karen, so he forced himself to lay still for a while, allowing his body to melt into the soft cushions.

He felt guilty. He was here, in Matt's open space, safe, and the girl he had loved for some time had just kissed him while his best friend had been forced to leave everything he cared about behind to save all of them. He passed a hand on his own face, covering his tired eyes. It wasn't fair.

Not just this time. Matt had lost his mother, then his sight (ok, he had earned superpowers from that but, still, fuck) and his dad. And now this.

Foggy knew Catholics didn't believe in reincarnation, but he couldn't avoid to think what kind of bad person Matt might have been in a former life to deserve all that pain in this one.

-Are you ok?-

-Yes, Karen... I was just... Thinking-

-You look exhausted-

-I haven't slept much these days... Whenever I closed my eyes, I rewatched Stick throwing Matt out of that window... And keep beating the shit out of him... And Matt... He wasn't even moving... He was helpless... - he shivered at the memories, remembering how he wished to be blind so he wouldn't be forced to see such a scene. He let Karen pull him on her chest, her hand gently rubbing his back. -I'm scared, Kar... I've tried to think about something, anything to convince Stick to take me with them. I can't stand to think about Matt like that again, alone in an alley or a dumpster- he hid his face on the socket between her neck and shoulder, fighting (and failing) to choke back tears .

Karen kissed his hair but she said nothing to comfort him. She knew too well him and had seen the ninjas' way of making sure the job was done, and she was probably as scared as him.

Claire came back about an hour later, and Foggy discovered Karen had been honest when she said she was more than pissed off. She was so bloody furious at Matt that it wasn't easy being her patient. Even if she had tried to be professional, her hands were shaking so much Karen had to stop her a couple of times when Foggy couldn't help but groan out loud.

-I'm sorry, Foggy- she apologized -If you can bear the pain, I'll take some time to calm down-

He nodded, and she took the opportunity to take a shower.

-Claire?- he inquired when Karen had left to buy some food at thai for dinner, about half an hour later -What happened?-

-He left- she answered. too fast and too simple. Foggy didn't buy it. He knew she knew that, but he didn't push for a more detailed explanation. She wasn't Matt and despite everything he barely knew her and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

-He did the same to me a month ago- Foggy replied, nodding slightly sympathetically at her. -I know the feeling, but I know he didn't want to hurt you-

-Then why...-

-I think he is just a coward, deep down- he saw her frown, so he made himself more clear -when we were at college, the first year...and the second one too, actually, when holiday such as Christmas, or thanksgiving, you know, those kind of festivities you usually spent with your family, were near, you know, when the streets were decked out and so on, he'd get very quiet, withdrawn, his head so focused on his books I had almost to remind him he had to eat and shower and the last day, he simply disappeared before I came back from class.-

-Disappeared?-

-Yup. Every single holiday's eve, and it drove me crazy, because what sort of fucking friend ups and leaves you without a word? And after we came back, when I asked, he muttered something about an emergency. For someone who's basically a human polygraph, he sucks at telling lies.-

-What's the point, Foggy?- Claire argued, and he took it as a sign to not push her temper for too long.

-I'm getting it. By the way. The second christmas, I followed him. He had checked himself into a cheap motel room, all alone-

-What did you do?- her curiosity was now higher than her rage, probably, and Foggy couldn't help but being glad about it. She had begun to check him over again, but his story was helping her to focus on something else but Matt. He grinned, feeling only partially guilty for what he was going about to say.

-Well... I might have called the owner of the Motel and told him the guy in the room 55 was going to have sex with other men...-

-You what?!- Claire was looking at him as if she hadn't decided yet if she had to laugh or curse at him. Eventually, she came out with a mesh up.

-I wanted Matt out of that place. It worked, and Matt had to call me to pick him up. I discovered he had done the same every time, just because he didn't want hear me saying goodbye. He just can't handle those kind of things, I think it's because of what happened to his father. He went out for a fight, and he had found him dead in an alley, he had been shot. And then there was Elektra, too-

-Who?-

-A Greek girl back in college... She was the Greek Ambassador's daughter, and I think that was the first time I've seen Matt truly in love with someone.-

-What happened?-

-They went out for dinner and the day after she was gone-

-Did she die?-

-I don't think so. She just...disappeared-

Claire nodded and let Foggy hug her. He can feel the most part of her anger had gone by now; her touch on his skin was soft and he could barely perceive her fingers. Foggy recognized there was a chink in Matt's method of acting, because he was feeling the same sort of pain with Claire that he had experienced with Elektra (and Foggy knew Matt had been hurt way more he had let people see), but he really couldn't blame him for that. He had suffered so much so far that he could fully forgive him for being selfish this time.

-I'm done, Foggy- she said suddenly, and helped him to lay down on the couch. His ribs gave him a rush of pain he had to bit his lips to not scream- but may I suggest you to go to the hospital? You can say it was a robbery or something like that... I can treat your external wounds, but I'd like to be sure about a concussion or broken ribs-

He nodded. She was right, totally right, but right now he just wanted to pass out, sleep and then wake up just to discover everything had been a nightmare.

000

Foggy was at the hospital. She and Karen had decided to take him there when he had basically collapsed on the couch. Claire's hypothesis was the the adrenaline had kept him working until she had checked him over and then he had just let himself collapse into vomiting and, after that, unconsciousness.

The girls were sitting in the waiting room of metro general hospital while Foggy was subject to a full check up. Claire was a close friend of the doctor in charge that night, and she didn't take long to convince him it was unnecessary to call Foggy's sister (that was his first Emergency Contact) despite the evidence of assault.

Hours had passed since the moment they came here when they were finally allowed to see him.

He was half asleep on the bed, his injuries had been treated properly, and they were waiting for X-ray, TC and ultrasound scan, NMR results.

Foggy was awake, laid on the bed with a sad look on his face. Claire was a bit hurt by that. She had seen him furious and desperate when he had found Matt that night, but he had never been so mesto in front of her.

-I'm sorry- he apologized to both of them when they entered the small room. There were two beds in it, but the second one was empty, so the whole room was actually available for Foggy.

He had chosen to stay in the bed near the window, from where he could see the skyline of Hell's Kitchen; the purpose of that decision was so clear her heart was truly touched by that: he hoped to see his best friend's silhouette running and jumping through the rooftops of the neighbourhood.

-You don't have to apologize- she answered hiding a smile. She had lost the count of the times he had heard Matt tell her those words, followed by a thank you, after he had taken a beating. After the incident, he had told her maybe they had lost their meaning, but she had always perceived how he had put his soul and his heart in them every single time she had never thought they weren't real. -It's ok. You are going to be ok-

-Have you already seen the medical reports?-

-No, but you haven't puked any more and you seem quite in a good shape, so I feel like I can be optimistic-

He nodded again and Karen took his hand, making him smile like a teenager at the first rush.

-I have to go- Claire declared, mostly because she wanted to leave them some privacy -I have to report I'm coming back to work and find a new apartment-

-Wait, Claire?- Karen stopped her -Why don't you stay by Matt's? The rent has been already paid until December so...-

Claire looked at Foggy as a reflex. She knew perfectly well he wasn't Matt, but he was the closest thing she had in that moment. The nurse knew very well how reserved the blind man was, although he didn't have a second thought to open his door after the Russian had kidnapped her, and she didn't want to intrude upon his life like this, even if he wasn't there right now.

Again, even with a more-than-probable concussion, the man was able to read all that was in her mind as if it had been written in a book.

-I think he would be ok with that.- he smiled gently and moved his hand to slightly caress his cheek -you are the only one he really listens to, even in Daredevil or panic or stubborn-son-of-a-bitch mode, and trust me when I say it's the first time I've see something like that happen. So, please. Stay-

Claire had always thought to be a strong person, one that could bear almost everything and not so keen on whimpering, but once again Foggy was showing off another of his hidden qualities and she found her eyes suddenly full of tears he struggled to stifle. She realized in that moment she was really afraid this would be the last act of Matt's life, that there wouldn't' be a second chance to find him weeping in a church. That he'd die without her ever seeing him again.

-Claire, hey... - Foggy patted her cheek, wiping away her cry -It's Matty. He will be fine, eventually. Just give him time to kick Stick's ass-

She nodded and tried out a soft smile before leaving.

Three days later, when she came home after one of her most terrible shifts of her nurse life, she found a rose leaned on the doormat of Matt's apartment, accompanied by a small card.

She had decided to accept Karen's invitation and had moved in it, but she hadn't unpacked her things yet. She still hoped Matt would come back and, beside that, she didn't want to fill the loft with her things and scents, he wouldn't appreciate that. So she was sleeping on the couch, with a black mask on her eyes to shut down that bright as fuck billboard (and the light of the morning when she came back from a night shift). She used just one or two shelves in the kitchen and put only almost unscented foods in the fridge.

She was also showering at the hospital, but overall she was trying not to enter in his bedroom, as if it was some kind of sanctuary she didn't want to violate with her presence. When he would return, she wanted him to have his own uncontaminated place.

She sighed in exasperation.

The doctor who had welcomed Foggy had apparently misunderstood her kindness for interest and had begun to ask her for a breakfast after the shift, a lunch break and so on. She had refused until now, but he hadn't given up yet.

She picked up the flower anyway. It was beautiful, red and strong scented (but still not so much to result pesky to her nose) and its petals were soft and smooth under her fingers.

She was tempted to not open the card, but then her curiosity overcame her peeve and she couldn't avoid giving in and reading it.

Claire's heart skipped a beat or two (ok, maybe three) when she saw the only word written on it.

Well, maybe scratched was a more suitable word for the occasion. The handwriting was shaky and unsure, like if it had been written by a child or by someone unused to writing. The point of the pen had been pressed so hard that in some points the paper had broken for the pressure.

Welcome.

She couldn't help but smile.

Claire put the rose in the living room, near to the window, but not so close in case some horned vigilante decided to come home, then she started to unpack.

But still, she kept sleeping on the couch.

000

Stick looked at Matt, still fast asleep on the couch of the small hotel bedroom they had rented for that day. The boy had a hand on his side, and Stick could smell the blood coming out from the wound.

He sighed and shook him more gently than usual. Matt started, ready to defend himself.

-Calm down, kid. I just need to stitch you up before you bleed out in this room-

He felt him lift his black sweatshirt, revealing the cut. Stick used his fingers to feel exactly how deep and extended it was. -Still, kid. I don't want to hurt you-

-Now you suddenly care?-

His index finger might or might not have slipped into the wound, making the lawyer groan with pain.

Stick took care of it and then left him in the room. He still had to kill a Black Sky before it could be used as a weapon. It was a little girl, this time, and he had said nothing to Matt about it.

Things were different with him since they had left New York.

Matt was angry at him, but more submissive, and it was easier to handle. The punishment had worked, and now all Stick had to do to compel him to stay quiet was take his phone and treat his friends. At the same time, he was trying to not push him to the limit again. Stick was not an idiot, and he had realized how fucked up he was as soon as he and that Foggy had come back, and that was the real reason he had left him a week to recover.

He had stopped the punishments (well, most of them, actually) and kept him in the dark for the most of his missions.

A month had passed and everything seemed to work. They were almost done, at least for now.

Thanks for reading!