A knock. But Foggy was not surprised. He was never surprised when he was working late and there was a knock at his office window. Because apparently, Matt couldn’t use doors while wearing his suit. Foggy also didn’t bat an eye when Jess, Danny and Luke climbed in as well.
Foggy couldn’t remember agreeing to let the Defenders use their new practice’s basement as headquarters. Probably because it had never happened. But by now there was training equipment, some shelves with different genres of literature, a coffee machine and a small fridge. It was very likely that Foggy had missed the crucial point to object to them setting up camp here.
Their arrival was business as usual, but their overall state, on the other hand, was concerning. Jessica was limping, Danny held his left arm funny, Matt was ready for another game of ‘Guess how much of the blood on my suit is mine’ and, shockingly, there was a bloody scratch on Luke’s arm. Apparently, the “suspicious activity” in the abandoned house was no hoax at all.
“Who happened to you guys?” Foggy asked as he followed the Defenders to the basement. “Average drug dealers usually aren’t a match for you guys”
“Vampires,” Luke said. “Sharp teeth and fucking fast.”
Matt laughed. “There is no such thing,” he said while pulling off his mask. “But I admit they had sharp teeth. Probably mutants.”
“Danny says he sensed something mystic,” Luke gave back.
“Well, I don’t know what I sensed,” Danny admitted. “Could be wrong.”
“Whatever they were, they have something to do with those Hand assholes,” Jess growled.
“Why?”
“Murdock couldn’t feel their heartbeats,” Jess said. “The fighters of the Hand are the only ones who can do that, right?”
“As far as I know, yes,” Matt said
“Vampires don’t have heartbeats either,” Luke insisted. “One of them ran away after a bookshelf fell on him.”
“You could have done that, too,” Matt said. “Nobody says these are normal humans, Luke. But no need to get superstitious.”
“Danny had to summon the fist to hurt them,” Luke continued. “And it was the only thing that hurt them. A magic weapon!”
“So? The Iron Fist is one of the few things that can hurt you as well.”
“All the people we asked said they never see them in daylight.”
“Like many criminals they are active at night, Luke.”
“After we got separated, I got into a fight with one of them in the kitchen.” Luke lifted his scratched arm. “He did that. With his teeth!”
“Again,” Matt said patiently. “I’m not saying that they were normal. And yes, it is a bit concerning that they can hurt you. But that doesn’t mean they are vampires.”
“I don’t know, man,” Luke sighed. “There was something off about them.”
For a moment silence fell. Foggy couldn’t stand it and broke it.
“Let’s get you guys fixed up first. Then you can make a plan,” he said.
A nasty crunch sounded and Danny groaned. But then he shook his shoulder and gave a thumbs up. His arm looked normal again.
“I want to check on Colleen,” he said. “Jess, Luke? Want a ride home?”
Jess shook her head. “Let’s not split up, guys. I have a bad feeling.”
Surprised, Foggy raised a brow. Usually, Jess was the last person to insist on company. But her instincts were not to be underestimated so Foggy felt his own concerns rising.
Humming in agreement, Luke nodded. He was done cleaning the scratch on his arm, but still looked worried. “I’m with Jess,” he said. “I mean, I’ll probably be fine, but…”
“I… can’t reach Colleen,” Danny said. “Probably it’s just low phone battery, but…”
“How about that?” Matt got the others’ attention. “Danny checks on Colleen and takes Jess with him. Luke and Foggy stay with me. Later we all meet up here again?”
“Sounds good,” Danny said while Jess gave a grunt that could be interpreted as approval.
“Any crucifixes I can borrow?” Luke asked. “Just to be safe.”
“Seriously?” Matt laughed but when Luke did not chime in, he pointed at an old desk they had discarded from the main office because one too short leg made it wobble. “Upper drawer. There is an old bible.”
Biting his lip, Foggy watched Matt as he spoke. Foggy knew of course that Matt’s relationship to God was a bit strained at the moment. But the bible Luke gets out of the drawer is the one Matt used to have in the suitcase he took to the office or court every day. To find it in a thrown out desk was a surprise. And Foggy was not sure if he liked it.
“Thanks,” Luke said. Then he sat down at the old laptop. “I’ll do some research on those vampires.”
“They’re not vampires,” Matt laughed but let Luke be.
Danny and Jess bid their goodbye for now. Together they left to check on Colleen and ease Danny’s mind a bit.
Sighing, Matt let himself fall against the wall. “That could have gone better,” he said.
“Oh no!” Foggy hurried to say. “You are officially forbidden to play ‘Blame Matt Murdock’ tonight. We’re playing ‘Let’s lick our wounds and make a plan tomorrow’.”
Foggy’s heart skipped a bit as this earned him Matt’s genuine amusement. Throwing his head back, Matt laughed, one of the rare occasions his face transformed back to the sweet law school boy.
“Okay, buddy,” Matt assured him before lowering his voice a bit. “Hey, can we go to your office for a minute, please?”
Surprised, Foggy looked at him. “Um, sure, but don’t you need first aid?”
“Yes, actually.” Matt smiled that bright and boyish smile that always did funny things to Foggy’s insides. “But the involved parts are rather private.”
Blushing, Foggy nodded and grabbed a first aid kit.
“Sure thing,” he mumbled as his cheeks grew hot.
“Thanks,” Matt said. “After you.” He gestured up the stairs and Foggy walked past him. Shortly, Foggy wondered if the injured party should be the gallant one. Then again, he doubted there were official etiquettes for this situation. Having a vigilante as your best friend who regularly bled on your furniture and floor - and brought his colleagues to do the same - probably was not a widespread problem.
They entered Foggy’s office and Foggy hurried to clear his desk. He really did not need bloodstains on his documents. Quickly, he put the papers on his file cabinet to sort them later. Then he closed the blinds as he assumed Matt did not want the neighbors to see his naked butt.
When Foggy turned to Matt, Matt had just closed the door. With a weird crooked smile, he sauntered over to Foggy, entering Foggy’s space. Confused, Foggy waited for Matt to undress and let Foggy tend to his wounds, but Matt did not move any further.
“Should we… get on with it?” Foggy asked after a while. “No need to be shy. I saw this before.”
Oh yes, he’d seen a lot of Matt after discovering his secret had turned him into nurse #2. Way more than his younger self in law school had ever hoped to dream and under circumstances his younger self would not like.
Matt smirked and waved dismissively. “Oh. I’m fine,” he said and pointed at his suit. “Not my blood.”
“I understand,” Foggy said only to add a second later, “Wait, no, I don’t understand. Why are we here?”
Chuckling, Matt gestured toward the basement door. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “Those guys really grew on me, but I needed some space.”
“Okay, but why am I here, then?” Foggy asked.
“What a question,” Matt tutted. “Because I like your company.”
“Ah.” Helplessly Foggy looked around. “So I just… stand here?”
Thoughtfully, Matt hummed. “Actually…,” he said and reached out.
Foggy’s eyes went wide as Matt grabbed him. Firm, strong hand on Foggy’s shoulders, Matt pulled him in. Foggy’s legs bumped against the desk and he ended up standing between Matt’s spread thighs.
“I never really thanked you,” Matt spoke, voice husky and low. “For all you do for us. For me. Your patience, your hard work, your brain power - I don’t know how I’d do it without you.”
The hand that suddenly cupped Foggy’s cheek was cool against his skin and Matt’s smile was… off. Foggy would know. He was his own encyclopedia of Matt-smiles. By heart, he knew the genuine-amused smile, the soft-affectionate smile, the sarcastic-sneering smile, the smug-braggart smile and, of course, a cornucopia of mixed forms.
In this situation, Foggy would expect a soft-affectionate smile. But that one on Matt’s face right now? His mouth was curled into something teasing, but on the crueler side, and there was an almost predatory glint in the unseeing eyes.
So Foggy laughed nervously. “Aww,” he tried to sound jesting. “You’ll make me blush, Murdock.”
Foggy swallowed when Matt’s hands wandered to his waist to pull him closer.
“I don’t mind,” he whispered. “It’s a good look on you - well, as far as I can tell.”
One cold hand ended up in Foggy’s hair. Foggy wanted to take a step back, but Matt’s grip prevented that. Before Foggy had a chance to process the whole ordeal, Matt brought their mouths together. Roughly, he parted Foggy’s lips with his own to slip his tongue in.
For a moment, Foggy lost himself in the sensations. A long harbored fantasy came true when Matt moaned like he not only wanted but needed Foggy. So he allowed Matt to press their bodies together and whimpered helplessly when Matt’s lips left his and wandered along his jaw towards his neck.
But something was wrong. In Foggy’s imagination, kissing Matt was a feeling of belonging and home. Matt’s strong arms would keep him warm and safe. Now, however, Foggy felt cold and more like a meal than a treasured partner.
So when a noise from the basement distracted Matt, Foggy took the chance to untangle himself from Matt’s embrace.
“What was that?” he asked, hoping that the question was interesting enough for Matt to check.
“Luke letting out his frustration on my punching bag?” Matt guessed with a smirk and stretched his arms out. “Come back here.”
Instead, Foggy retreated further. “May… maybe we should talk about it?” he suggested. “I mean, you have to admit that it’s rather… um… out of the blue.”
Sighing, Matt got up. “It’s really not,” he said as he approached Foggy. “I’ve wanted you for so long. The only thing that’s changed is that I’m done denying myself for some righteous reason.”
“O-kay?” Foggy said while he kept walking backwards. “I… did not know that. Let’s not go too fast though, okay? Maybe we…”
Another sound rang from the basement. This time it was Foggy who became distracted and Matt took advantage. The fracture of a second later, Foggy found himself against the wall, his wrists pinned.
“There is no going too fast,” Matt all but growled. “I need you, just as you need me.”
“Matt, please!” Foggy tried to free himself, but Matt did not budge.
It was almost as if Matt had become even stronger. Of course, Foggy couldn’t be sure since this was the first time he felt the need to fight Matt off. The closest Matt had ever come to manhandling Foggy had been in the courthouse’s bathroom. But it had been an instinctive move and he’d let Foggy go immediately.
Now, he pressed his body, all heavy, trained muscle, insistently against Foggy’s. Trapped between Matt and the wall, Foggy couldn’t move at all. He gasped when Matt dipped his head down and buried his face in Foggy’s neck. Greedy, Matt mouthed at the vulnerable flesh while something hard poked against Foggy’s stomach. Despite himself, Foggy noticed his body reacting. Desperately, he struggled in Matt’s hold, trying to get his friend’s attention with a litany of “please”, “no”, “Matty”.
Then something gave. Matt pulled away. No, Matt was pulled away. Foggy and Matt turned their heads and looked into the face of Luke Cage.
“Matt, what the Hell?” he said, expression between incredulity and anger. “Foggy said no about 12 times. And that’s only counting what I heard after coming in. That’s not like you.”
“That’s between me and Foggy,” Matt answered.
A shudder ran through Foggy as he heard the ice in Matt’s voice. Matt and Luke glowered at each other for a moment, Foggy’s own shock reflected on Luke’s features.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Matt,” Luke said slowly. “But you will release Foggy. Now.”
A dark chuckle fell from Matt’s lips. He directed his gaze downwards and shook his head. When he turned to Luke again, both Luke and Foggy gasped.
Matt’s grin was sharp. Literally. As usual he smiled with perfect teeth, but his canines were long and pointed. Shocked, Luke loosened his grip on Matt’s shoulder, but before he could pull away, Matt grabbed his wrists.
“Sorry, big guy,” Matt said.
Foggy yelled as Matt threw Luke against the file cabinet. Luke Cage! Flying through the room like a ragdoll. When he collided with the drawers, Luke let out a pained groan and slumped to the ground, unmoving.
“Matt, what are you doing?” Foggy did not know whether he wanted to cry or shout or run.
Well, at least running was not an option because Matt was on him again.
“Shhh,” he soothed Foggy. “It will barely hurt.”
Crying out, Foggy felt the sharp teeth against his flesh.
“Matt, no! Stop!”
But Matt did not listen. If anything, his grip tightened and the pressure on Foggy’s skin increased. Tears filled Foggy’s eyes as he closed them. It was all too much. Matt, attacking him, attacking their friends, being… literally a monster.
A cry of rage echoed through the room. With an “oof” Matt let go of Foggy as something hit his shoulder. More precisely, it was someone and that someone was a very pissed Jessica Jones. She looked disheveled, even more so than after her first arrival. Her hair was a mess, she had several scratches on her arms and on her face. Most prominent was a purple bruise, right below her collarbone.
“Fucking hell,” she screamed as she kicks Matt against the wall. “Luke was right.”
Unlike Luke, Jessica was warned. She was the one who’d surprised Matt. But Foggy did not think she could win against normal Matt in a fight. Maybe she could, fighting dirty. But against vampire Matt who just threw Luke fucking Cage against a wall? Not so much.
Luke! Of course! He’d been right! And he’d wanted to be prepared. Reluctantly, Foggy turned his back to Jess and Matt for a moment.
Wincing, he regarded the unconscious Luke. Hurried, Foggy let his eyes wander across his office. Matt tossing Luke around had left quite the mess as the large man’s collision with the file cabinet had sent all files and documents Foggy had put there - ironically to keep them safe - flying. But the bible stood out between the scattered papers because it was dark black with a small golden crucifix.
Quickly, Foggy grabbed it. He turned back to the fight just in time to see Matt swing at Jessica, slapping her hard across the face. For a second, she was disoriented. Enough for Matt to take hold of her shoulders, lift her off the ground and slam her against the office wall. A groan indicated that Luke was coming to, but was in no state to fight. Grinning, Matt noticed this and turned to Foggy.
“Don’t fight it, Foggy,” he purred. “It is amazing. I need to share this with you.”
“No!”
Foggy held the bible between himself and Matt. Unfortunately, he did not get the reaction promised by folklore and movies. A low growl echoed in Matt’s throat and he hesitated. But he was in no way terrified or inclined to flee.
“Cute,” Matt said sardonically.
He was visibly uncomfortable, but he still approached Foggy, slow yet determined. Swallowing hard, Foggy retreated.
He was at wit’s end. Holding out the bible, he walked towards the office door. Since he did not dare take his eyes off of Matt he moved blindly backwards. But then what? Even if he could outrun Matt - which he could not - he did not want to leave Jess and Luke behind. Or Danny. Wait. Where the Hell was Danny?
Momentarily distracted, Foggy saw the change in Matt’s posture too late. Elegant and fast, Matt’s left leg came up, his foot hit the bible’s spine and kicked it out of Foggy’s hands. Too shocked, to scream or even curse, Foggy watched how it landed on the window sill. It was only a few feet away, but Matt stepped in his path.
“Now that this is out of the way,” he smirked and held his hand out to Foggy, “let’s talk. Yes, Luke was right. But it’s not a bad thing. He’ll understand and so will Jess. You want to be with me, too, right, Foggy? You can be. Forever.”
Foggy wanted to object. He wanted to say that while he would love to be with Matt, a shared life as supernatural predators was not what he had in mind. He also wanted to argue that it was easy for Matt to join the creatures of the night since he already was one halfway, but Foggy liked the sun and being out in daylight.
But somehow, words failed him. Looking into Matt’s unfocused eyes, he found it hard to concentrate. However, he could not look away either. Matt’s silken voice appeared to be wrapping around his mind and suddenly everything made sense.
Of course, he wanted to be with Matt forever. No matter the cost. Matt would take care of him, protect him, make sure Foggy had everything he needed. All Foggy had to do was trust Matt - and of course he trusted Matt. Matt would take the lead and sort everything out.
Now Matt was smiling at him and Foggy felt so incredibly silly. How could he have been afraid of Matt? Matt was his best friend and the love of his life. Good thing Matt loved him, too, and would forgive Foggy for being so slow and stupid.
Matt motioned to cup Foggy’s cheeks again. With a soft sigh, Foggy closed his eyes and leant into the touch. But a shuffling noise ripped him out of the moment.
“Now!” yelled someone.
Both Foggy and Matt whirled around to see Jess and Luke storming towards Matt. Matt took a defensive stance, but it was too late. With united force Jess and Luke managed to get him off his feet and shove him against the window. A cry of rage escaped Matt when his body collided with the glass. Shards were flying as Matt was sent through the pane, most of them scattering outside, but Foggy covered his face on instinct. When the worst was over, he rushed to the broken window. The fog around his thoughts was clearing, but still he longed for Matt - a longing that might as well be real.
“Matt!” he cried out, but before he could look down, someone grabbed him.
“I have the feeling, he’ll be fine,” Jess said and pulled Foggy with her.
“Good thing you came back,” Luke said as the two of them ushered the confused Foggy towards the exit. “Where is…”
“Danny is… affected, too,” Jess interrupted. “Made me believe the car was ‘acting weird’ so we had to get out. So dumb of me not to question why he stopped on the darkest road possible.”
“You couldn’t foresee this,” Luke said. “We need to trust each other. Usually…”
“Yeah,” Jess said dryly. “Anyway, he attacked me. But he was notably easier to fight than Murdock right now. He struggled to do his thing. Something was off with the fist. So I kicked him against a dumpster, jumped in the car and came back here.”
Nervously, they looked around as they stood in the hallway. They all pondered the same question. Assuming Matt was unharmed, would he take the stairs, the elevator or simply climb the outside wall?
Finally, Foggy spoke, “When he is in the elevator, you two punch him and we make a run for the stairs. If we meet him on the stairwell…”
“... our only way is back here,” Luke finished. “Good thinking, Foggy.”
“And if he is waiting at the main door, it doesn’t really matter,” Jess sighed and pressed the button.
“What’s the plan?” Foggy asked.
“Get to the car and find Colleen,” Jess said. “Danny wasn’t lying when he said she didn't answer her phone. Neither did one of you two, by the way.”
Foggy cursed. “Yeah, my phone’s in the basement. There is no signal down there.”
“Mine’s there, too,” Luke groaned. “I left it there when I went to check what took you and Matt so long.”
“Yeah, we’re not going back now,” Jess decided.
When a cheerful ding announced the arrival of the elevator, Luke and Jess took a fighting stance. Fortunately, it was not necessary as the booth turned out to be empty. Quickly, the three of them got inside. From now on, the way to the car was suspiciously uneventful and no sharp toothed Matt or Danny were waiting for them inside the vehicle.
They drove off to Chinatown, with two more problems and two men short.