A/N HI! Sorry for the delay, but I had to study 800 pages in 4 days for a test and you can imagine what my life had looked like in the last weekend. Good thing: I passed the test and now I have only one test left before my degree...

By the way, thank you for reading so far e for reviewing, and I can't forget my wonderful beta InsertImaginativeNameHere.

Enjoy the chapter and remember… I don't bite who reviews… but I might buy who doesn't :)

Chapter 15: We are done.

When Matt opened his eyes it took him a while to realize that something was wrong, the time for his brain to turn on and order his arm to reach for his phone to tell him what time it was. When the robotic female voice informed him it was 4.30 in the afternoon he almost jumped.

Stick was no longer punishing him as hard as in the past (which meant, basically, he had not thrown him out of a window in a while), but sleeping so much would cause him to lose his temper. A shiver ran down his spine.

He raised and compelled his tired feet to take him into the shower.

His hand reached for the shower gel, and there he found a piece of paper.

Stick and his damn orders. Again.

He removed the note with a single move and passed his fingers on it to read it, and he didn't know whether to be furious or euphoric.

He ran the water and decided to think about it later.

000

Life had settled into a new routine, eventually. Foggy had to stay in the hospital for a week to recover, then he had could try to move on with his life.

It wasn't easy, even if Karen was now in his life not only as a secretary, because Matt's absence was an empty space that was difficult to forget. His thoughts were always for his friend, wondering if he was doing as well as he said in the last email.

Because, this time, Matt hadn't completely disappeared from their life. Claire had told him about the rose and the card she had found out of his (her) apartment and some days he had received short messages in their firm email address. They were just few words, sent by a fake ID, but for him they were more than enough.

000

-I'll take a break- Claire declared after the tenth? Fifteenth? (She had lost count after an hour) drunk and drugged-up boy of the night.

This last one was barely coming of age, and he clearly had absolutely no idea on how to pick up a girl. Someone really should explain to him that a nurse who had just treated you for injuries caused during your own stupid idea of fun was definitely off-limits… and that in any case, you should never fondle an ass without permission.

She sighed and took a mug of that terrible coffee they had in the nurses' room. She hated that, but it was still better than the snack machine's abysmal attempt.

She needed some fresh air, and the small balcony outside the waiting room was now empty, so she choose that one as a shelter. She sat on it, her knees folded against her chest and, as a reflex, she looked and the skyline, looking for a red shape.

It was a mere delusion, she was sure if Matt did come back for any reason he would find a way to see her, or Foggy, somehow, but a part inside of her still hoped he might not do that, and hoped to find herself furious at him after spotting him running on a rooftop.

-I envy that boy right now- a voice beside her made her jump. It was deep and… it was coming from a direction where no one should be. No one with sense, at least.

000

After the shower, Matt had re-read (re-touched) the note… and he found himself on the edge of so many feelings his body menaced him to explode if he couldn't make his mind up.

"We are done. Go home, kid"

Stick had left him only a short message and just disappeared as he did when he was nine. He had scanned the room with his radar-like sense, and found out all the man's stuff had already gone along with him. (It's Stick. He's a dick, what else did you expect? His Foggy-bear voiced brain had told him, and he had to admit it wasn't completely wrong).

No explanation, no thank you, no apologies. Nothing except the already paid bill of the room.

At nine, he had been sad and disappointed by that, and the pain and the guilt he had suffered were nothing so different from his father's death, but at the time he was a lonely kid on the edge of madness, and the blind old man had been the first one who really helped him.

Now, he had Foggy waiting for him in NY and something very much akin to a start of a relationship with an amazing woman, even if he didn't want to rely too much on that. Claire was not the kind of princess who would await her prince (devil?) forever, and he had been away for more than a month. Nevertheless, he wasn't alone. Not anymore.

Then why was he so angry right now?

He should be happy, and already on a train back to his city, not standing in this chamber, with that piece of paper trapped in his fist, unable to do anything but feel the rage rising inside of him.

Hey, Little Horn. You are free. Move your ass back to Hell's Kitchen.

Yeah. Foggy was right. Screw Stick and his freaking war.

Finally, he managed to move. He didn't have much with him, so it didn't take him long to pack everything and leave.

When he asked for the train station, the amused and ironic laugh coming from the receptionist made him realize they were in some kind of small village somewhere in New Jersey. By the way, the man instructed him to the bus station. From there, he could reach Jersey City and there finally take a train or something to New York.

Awsome. Stick had left him in the middle of nowhere.

He considered the idea of calling Foggy to let him know he was coming back, but when he discovered it would take him several hours to get home, he decided to not make him worry for his sake, and not knowing how to answer the question "where are you" was something that could really make his friend freak out.

He finally arrived at the Grand Central Station just in time to have a quick dinner before wearing the Mask and jumping to the Metro General Hospital. He didn't know if she was on shift or if it was her day off, but it was worth a check, plus, the ER was nearer than his own home.

He crouched on the roof, covered by the darkness of the night, and slightly tilted his head to focus solely on his hearing. He tried to shut down the smells of the hospital a mixture of latex, antiseptics, medicines, blood, sweat, death and, overall, fear. They took him twenty years back, when he had opened his eyes only to discover they would never be able to see anything but darkness, and right now, for the first time, he really wanted to be here, because she was on the inside of that structure, his personal Hell, and to stay with her, Hell was a place as good as Heaven.

He scanned the whole ER. Fast, slow and normal heartbeats rate, tears of joy of a girl who had seen her baby for the first time, tears of desperation from a mother who had just lost her son in a car accident. A doctor had just said to a young man he was going to die for a cancer, his fear hit him loud and clear. He shook his head to throw everything out, to stop himself from being overwhelmed and kept searching for… there. Steps. They were sure, but the right foot always hit the ground with a little bit more strength than the left. And there, here it was. Her heartbeat. He could stay hours listening to it, wrapping himself in its sound as in a blanket. Matt stayed there, listening to her voice, soft and sweet while she was reassuring a kid with a broken arm, annoyed and angry with some kids off their heads on liquor; he grinned when he heard the last one slapping his hand on her bottom and she had barely stopped herself from returning the gesture on his face.

When she finally took a break, he followed her steps to that balcony. He couldn't wait a second longer.

There was a cornice just behind her. It wasn't big, but it was perfect for him.

-I envy that boy right now- he whispered just behind her ear.

He smiled when she jumped and stood. He took the chance to reach a safer position on the railing.

000

And suddenly, the Man in The Mask was in front of her, standing on the railing as confident of his balance as any normal person would be on a sidewalk. Claire backed a step and let him jump on the balcony, where she would not risk having a heart-attack.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, she couldn't restrain herself anymore and gave him the slap she hadn't thrown some minutes before; all the anger for his disappearance and the fear for his safety concentrated into her hand and exploded against his face.

-Matthew Murdock, don't you dare disappear like that again- but then she couldn't stay angry at him any longer and held him in her arms.

She could feel his whole body relaxing under her touch, and for a second she feared he would collapse again, but he held on, allowing himself to rest his head on her shoulder.

-Are you ok?- she whispered tightening her clasp on him, her nurse side overcoming the girl who had just met her almost-boyfriend after a month. She was relieved when he shook his head against the furniture of her workwear.

-Just..tired-

-Where's Stick?-

-Gone-

Gone? Was he dead? Obviously Matt wasn't in a talking mood so she didn't ask and enjoyed the sensation of his embrace, the warm of his body against hers.

-Are you staying?-

-Yes- it was the best he could manage. She hugged him even tighter than she already was. Her pager ruined everything. She turned it off, releasing him. -Work?- he asked.

She nodded and smiled.

-You should go and see Foggy. He is still in your office, he's working on a case-

000

And suddenly the man without fear was experiencing the exact emotion. The last time he had seen his best friend, Foggy had been just beaten in order to save him, and now, Matt was in two minds. On one hand, he really wanted to see him as soon as possible, on the other he was afraid of what he could find. Had Foggy fully recovered yet? Did he hate him? Would Foggy still be on his side?

-He's waiting for you- Claire insisted with her soft sweet voice, as if she was reading in his mind - He works late every night, hoping for you to get at the office. Go-

Finally, Matt nodded.

-Good night, Claire-

-See you at home. Get some rest-

A few rooftops later he was above his (maybe) former office. From there he could already smell the scent of Karen's awful coffee in the air and, along with that Foggy's unique heartbeat. He felt stupid, but he suddenly started to cry. His friend's presence moved him way more than Claire's. He loved her, of course, but Foggy, his office, everything in that building was screaming the word "home" in his heart, and it was just too overwhelming to hang on a second more.

He was home.

Matt let everything flow over his skin and inside him, breathing and absorbing every single sensation he could hear, feel and touch. It took him a while to recover himself and let his body climb down until the window of Foggy's office, the one that was open.

He landed without a single sound on the ledge and just crouched on it. His partner was sit at his desk, with his back to the window. Matt just waited for him to turn and...being Foggy.

It was maybe a bit cruel of him, but only God knew how much he needed something like that.

Matt almost laughed when Foggy stood up and made his way to the bathroom, walking less than 3 feet from him without noticing the black figure watching him, but somehow he managed to stay perfectly still. Foggy did basically the same when he came back, and it took him a whole minute to stop in his tracks and slowly turn toward the window with a start.

-I'm going to kill you, Murdock!- he greeted him, and they almost fell down for the force Foggy used to grab his arms and pulling him inside, hugging him with the same move. And Matt, the I-am-not-a-big-fan-of-hugs Matt, hugged him back with all his strength, while Foggy threw his mask away so resolutely it almost hurt, but Matt didn't care, he was almost relieved by the gesture. He was starting to hate the black outfit, filled with too many bad actions he had to undertake following Stick in his war. -Are you staying?- Foggy finally whispered and Matt couldn't help to notice Claire had asked him exactly the same words. He feel a knot in his throat and all he could do was nodding. Foggy bursted into tears, leaning on him, and Matt supported him as long as he needed. It was Foggy. He was home, safety, friendship and family.

Thanks, Stick.

Eventually, the blond lawyers managed to pull himself back together and released the blind man from his desperate and strong grasp.

-You look exhausted- he murmured looking him in the eyes, and Matt nodded. As he had told Claire, he really was. -Go home, buddy. Have some rest-

-Are you going too?-

-I wish, but I have a case I have to work to-

-May… may I stay? Maybe help?- Matt asked, almost shyly, like if he wasn't sure he belonged to Nelson & Murdock anymore, because he really wasn't. He had been away for almost three months, leaving Foggy alone to take care of everything. He hadn't paid his part of rent too, so he wouldn't be surprise if he didn't want him anymore.

-I have nothing in braille- His best friend replied, almost apologizing for not having printed those files for him. -But if you wanna stay… your office is waiting for you-

Matt allowed himself to relax at those words, but he didn't feel like he wanted to stay alone. He had been away for so long he physically needed Foggy's chat, his heartbeat and his involuntary twitches that had driven him mad in college.

-I don't really need braille, actually… so… why don't we move in the conference room? We can work together- and guessing the curious look in Foggy's eyes, he explained how he could easily read printed pages feeling the difference between ink and paper. He received a pen thrown by his best friend aimed directly on his forehead.

-You son of a bitch! You made me read all that crap for you during college and you could have done it by yourself! I hate you!-

Matt laughed and didn't bother to catch or avoid the small object.

-Thanks to those nights you graduated cum laude! I was helping you!-

-Shut up, little horn!- speaking of...

-Little horn? Seriously?- he asked.

-You have to admit that, man. Those horns on your costume are a bit too much… and little-

-I think they are cute. I miss them. Wait… are you arguing about the horns or the fact they are too small?-

Foggy laughed, then offered him a folder.

-You can start from here, Little Horn-

000

They worked in a relaxed silence for a while. Foggy felt like a new man now that his best friend had come back safe and sound.

He actually had a lot of questions in his mind, starting from what had happened to Stick and his band of ninjas or why he had let Matt go. He had excluded from the beginning the possibility that his partner had just fled from his mentor, not after what they all had experienced a month before. He was damn curious about it, but it seemed Matt wouldn't like to talk about it and Foggy didn't want to ruin the atmosphere around them by forcing him to speak. He would, eventually, because Matt had always spoken to him about everything (well, almost everything, at least). He also wanted to ask if he had already seen Claire, but when he decided to speak, he raised his eyes only to find Matt sleeping with the head leaned on his side of the small desk, his arm folded under it used as pillows.

The scene was so cute Foggy smiled and took a photo with his smartphone and sent it to Claire and Karen before going back to work.

000

Claire met Karen outside the Metro General, after the end of her shift. She was tired, but Matt's return was keeping her well awake. When she had seen the picture Foggy had sent her, she smiled with exasperation. Of course Matt would come back to work immediately without any rest.

-Hey- Karen greeted her and Claire felt a bit ashamed. The blondie was perfect in her light blue dress and her make-up and hair were great, while she was wearing sweatpants that maybe belonged to Matt and a simple t-shirt, but soon she decided she didn't care. The shift was terrible and she was exhausted -You look like shit-

-Thanks- the nurse smiled repressing a yawn and taking the coffee Karen was offering her

-Did Foggy send the picture to you too?-

-Matt's one?- Karen nodded.

-I can't believe he's back, finally- and Claire couldn't restrain the big smile growing on her own face. After his visit that night, everything had seemed easier to her, and she had given everything to go home (or in the office) with him, just to stay there and look at him.

When did you become that kind of girl, exactly? Her pride asked her, but she ignored it to answer.

-Yeah. Me too. I missed him-

-I want to kick his ass. A lot- the resolution in her friend's voice made her laugh and worry at the same time. They both had been disappointed when Foggy had walked through the door that day and they had discovered he had left without a word.

-I've already done it. Last night- the nurse replied while they made their way to the Nelson & Murdock office.

Karen opened the door with her key and they found the two lawyers fast asleep on the desk of their conference room, papers and documents spread almost everywhere between the table and the floor. Foggy's tie was on the ground too and the first buttons of his shirt were untied, while Matt somehow looked like a middle ground between the man in the mask and a lawyer. The result was that they both were so sweet that they smiled and Karen took a photo.

-What were you saying about kicking his ass?- Claire asked with a smile when she saw Karen's reaction to the cuteness of the situation.

-This goes directly in my office- she declared before waking up the two guys.

-I want a copy- Claire decided to follow suit shaking gently Matt's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't attack her. She felt how he tensed at her touch, but she whispered a soft good morning and he immediately relaxed, greeting her with one of his sweet smiles.

An hour later, they finally reached his (their?) home and she saw the surprise in his eyes when he discovered she hadn't touched his bedroom.

-Have you slept on the couch all the time?-

-I didn't want to leave my scent everywhere. I wanted you to have your own space-

He held her closer to him.

-I love your scent- then she saw him turn his head toward the library where she had put the rose and the card he had used to welcome her, raising his nose as if he was sniffing. That made her smile -You've kept it-

-What did you expect?- she answered kissing him softly on his cheek -It was the sweetest welcome I've ever had. Thank you, by the way-

From that morning, she didn't sleep on that couch anymore.

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