#but only barely

[prince-septimus]

noise

pairing : matt murdock x reader

summary : grief and loneliness can break a person. you won't let that happen.

word count : 1.1k

warnings : spoilers for daredevil: born again.

Hell's Kitchen is loud, even at night. There's no escaping the noise no matter how many walls deep you are. It's louder on the rooftop, almost like the chill New York night air carries all the sounds to the top of the city, carrying them around the tops of the buildings.

You don't know how Matt does it - and maybe nobody does. All this noise, you're amazed he's able to stand it, but maybe he's had enough time to get used to it. You? It's overstimulating enough to make you want to turn around, get off this rooftop, and go find somewhere quieter. It's like the city doesn't know how to shut itself off.

That's why we have vigilantes, that small, usually quieter part of your brain says. All that noise down there that carries itself to the top, it's crime and pain and all sorts of other things that go bump in the night. New York is full of vigilantes and why? Because there's so much chaos that creates all this noise and the neighborhoods just don't know how to sleep.

The city is almost more alive at night than in the day, when all the creeps and haunts come out to play and hide in the darkness, waiting to attack. Even for you, there's no sense of tiredness in your body. You feel alive, and that's probably because of this city and the way it creates its residents. You never manage to escape the life Hell's Kitchen creates for you.

Maybe that's why Matt is up here, listening. You know he's given up the Daredevil moniker, deciding to fully pursue the life of a lawyer and let the law handle the bad guys. You also know that deep down, a part of him needs it - that noise - to be alive.

It's been months since Foggy was murdered, months since they charged Benjamin Poindexter and began the long process of putting him in prison. The city was safer with Dex behind bars - but only just barely.

You don't bother keeping your steps quiet as you cross the rooftop. Matt would hear you either way. Over all the sounds in the city and the chaos in his own head, he always managed to hear you.

"How's the new firm going?" you ask as you reach where he sits along the edge. Carefully, you mimic his position, looking over the city at nothing in particular.

A small smile crosses his face. He's taken his glasses off at some point before you arrived, and they sit on the concrete edge next to him. "Good. We've got plenty of new clients. Really setting a good pace."

Below you, there's sounds in an alley. It's too dark to see, but you hear faint sounds of arguing, and then slamming into trash cans. You're sure Matt can hear more, but he makes no move.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it to Foggy's funeral," you tell him, the sincerity in your apology leaking out. "I was out of town when everything happened, and couldn't make it back in time. I barely missed it."

It wasn't a lie, and Matt knew that. Your flights had been delayed and there was nothing more you could have done.

"I wish I could have been there," you add on softly.

Even with no sight, Matt's eyes show plenty of emotion. You can see the grief that crosses his features, those feelings pouring back into his body. After months, the wound was still fresh. Not just of his best friend's passing, but of what it all meant for Daredevil.

Karen had called you and told you everything. About Dex shooting Foggy, the fight in the bar, and then Matt shoving Dex off the roof to what should have been his death.

Dex had survived somehow. Karen had mentioned something about the repairs he had on his spines and his bones being reinforced, but neither of you completely understood what that meant for the man. All you knew for sure is that he had survived the fall and been arrested, while Matt was left with the grief and the regret that came with Foggy's death and his reaction.

You reach for Matt's hand, gripping it lightly. He allows you to entwine your fingers in his, letting your thumb caress his skin. "I'm sorry, Matt. That I haven't been around as much. It was hard to get in touch. Karen's kept me updated, but she warned me you might not want to talk."

Matt scoffs. "How'd you know I was here?"

The building you currently reside on belongs to the old apartment Matt lived in when he still lived in Hell's Kitchen. The giant billboard everyone complained about was still across the way, but Matt's apartment was abandoned after his decision to get out of Hell's Kitchen.

"Karen mentioned you didn't visit Hell's Kitchen anymore, but I knew that couldn't be completely true."

"Am I that easy to figure out?" Matt chuckles, squeezing your hand.

You smile. "Sometimes."

There's a lapse of silence where the two of you just sit - Matt listening to all the noise, and you staring out at the city.

Finally, you let out a sigh. "I figured you needed someone," you admit. "And I really am sorry for not coming around sooner, but it was hard."

"I felt like I had lost everybody," Matt responds, his voice cracking just a bit. "Foggy was taken from us, and then everything changed. That wasn't supposed to be how it goes."

"I know. Karen moved and I wasn't around, and nothing was the same anymore." Your hand is holding onto his tightly now, and you lessen your grip, still holding on. "I'm here now, if that counts for anything. And I plan on being here for a while. In New York, I mean. Not necessarily Hell's Kitchen."

"I don't think any of us could stay here anymore."

"Yeah," you agree. "I don't disagree with your decision to leave the Kitchen, and I think Karen had a point in moving to San Francisco too."

A pause, waiting to see how Matt reacts to that. You felt bad that Karen had wanted to leave the state completely, moving across the country, but in some grief-stridden way, you agreed with her choice. Maybe that was why you had waited and stayed away.

You knew what the decision to be made was now. To stay in New York and be by Matt's side. To give him just a of normalcy in all the changes he had made in his life. Just a bit of what he had before everything changed.

You scoot closer to Matt, pressing into his side and resting your head on his shoulder. He leans into your touch, his head moving to rest against yours.

"I'm happy you're here," he says finally.

You nod against his shoulder, knowing he can feel the movement. "Me too."

[elizabethrobertajones]

"I'd really argue with your definition of a rock as a 'tent'."

"I'm a Hellsguard. We're out of the wind, it's shelter, it's a tent."

roerenwolvember: storm/exploring

dawntrail didn't NEED to give me the Shaaloni zone but :)

Live Turbulence Reaction:

[touchlikethesun]

jin ling, barely coherent thru his sobs: w-w-why???? why did you kill my father????

jin guangyao: well, a-ling, why was your father such an arrogant self-absorbed bitch? have you ever thought about that? hmmm?

[lara-cairncross]

hmmm

fairy au is over. i'm ending it here and deactivating my account goodbye forever

[spacedlexi]

i just wanna say TYSM for continuing to make twdg fanart, i swear i got into this fandom so late bc i was like ages 4-11 during the duration of the games😭😭 but srsly i love ur art sm and the violet x clem doodles (Ugh MY HEART 💜), keep up the awesome work 🫶

the first game is so old now im always surprised when i see people under 20 that are into it. every now and then it seems like it gets a little resurgence before it goes quiet again. but im still here... im still here....... 😭

i just love clem sm 🥺😭💕 if no ones drawing clem im dead. and i also love vi so much?? and theyre in LOVE??? i have everything i could need here this little playground was tailor made for me i am having so much fun with my touys :) glad other people are enjoying it too

[therantingsage]

When the world's not perfect, when the world's not kind, if we have each other then we'll both be fine.

[letsboldlygomotherfuckers]

btw yesterday's ep canonised obi wan and Cody's force bond where they can communicate with each other telepathically, if you even care

[cardentist]

people will make fun of the "idk I just think boys belong in dark academia and girls belong in cottage core <33" as obviously just being gender role stereotypes with an internet subculture coat of paint

and then turn around and be like "yuri is when two delicate maidens have a pure romance with themes and feelings and yaoi is when two pig men blast each others hogs"

[pianokantzart]

I swear if I have one more dream about getting more Mario Movie content I'm breaking into Illumination Studios myself.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

chloe smallville can do no wrong. i forgive her for everything ever.

[jamswhams]

Damn I never finished rewatching merlin, as literally every single time I've gone for a rewatch in the past decade I stop at s5 💀

[miaeons]

not joinin any *tumblr communities* im rly just on the outskirts in my witchy swamp hut n thats that. i must be trecked to, sought out w purpose. i do not linger or mingle amongst yall! unless its for a seasonal feast/ ritual ....n id shownup late n leave early 😇 👀 (save a few other ethereal lone wolves... id fly a pidgeon to w a letter, or maybe invite over for a fancy tea once in a blue moon) however, yall may enjoy each other. i view from afar n afar only 🧘‍♀️✨

[neve-gallus-girl-detective]

Spencer Reid is absolutely AroAce and nothing changes my mind about that lmao

[spaciebabie]

less of a horny your type but if you haven't already maybe check out Dungeon Meshi for Senshi? hes a lil gross (monster blood in his beard) but!! hed make you a good meal and has big thick arms and legs to cuddle up to?

i just personally love the anime and the manga and want to recommend it to everyone lmao 😅

OH THIS GUY

a bit nsft but i know about him only b/c of that post showing off how the manga drew his bulge in the panty shots XD

anyway. yeah id cuddle that guy

[sunshinemarauder]

seeing this on the TV was the best moment of my life

I cannot stress how much of a percy jackson fan I was back in the day. Actually, scratch that, even now. You name a crazy fan behavior, I bet I've done it and MORE. So this show means a lot to me 💗

[ilaliya]

i need to inject caffeine directly into my bloodstream