Chapter 4
Awakening was always a bit scary for Matt since his accident. He could never quite shake the feeling of panic at returning to awareness and finding that everything was dark and loud and empty and he couldn't see. It was vulnerable and terrifying and he was always glad when it passed.
So when he felt the familiar stirrings of pain, he almost groaned at the knowledge of what was coming. He slowly rose from his fog, bracing himself for his senses to come back up again.
Except they didn't. Or they did, but everything felt odd and muffled and yet sharp and strangely distracting. He would have panicked a bit more if he'd been able to form coherent thought. He arched an eyebrow with his eyes still closed, trying to figure out what was going on without the sonar sense.
Okay, so he was cold. Sort of. He was lying somewhere...or was he standing? It was hard to tell. There was something soft beneath him, and there were fingers on his shoulder, moving deftly but gently. Also, something really smelled like whiskey. He almost felt comfortable, and he smiled slightly. Ah, life.
At least until he felt a needle drag through his skin. Ouch.
He finally reached out with his muffled senses and tried vaguely to make out what was going on. He recognized the couch in his apartment--and man, was he ever going to quit ending up on the damn couch after getting his ass kicked?--and there were two or three someones sitting next to him, stitching something he'd forgotten was hurt. He tried to focus on the person, but had no luck as whoever it was kept multiplying and wavering. Maybe Foggy was right, and Claire was now a mind-reader who knew by instinct when idiot vigilantes had bit the dust and needed assistance...?
The three-someones started slightly, then soothingly ran her---he was fairly certain it was a her--fingertips down his ribcage. "Daredevil? It is Wanda. You are safe. Just lie still so I don't mess these up, please."
He blinked, trying to match the voice to a name. "Scarlet Witch?" he mumbled. Wow, he was slurring badly.
There was a slight disturbance of the air as she dipped her chin. "Mmmhmm, that's me," she said brightly, and it sounded like she might be smiling. She probably had a nice smile.
He shook his head slightly, narrowing his gaze pointlessly. "I...feel kinda funny," he mumbled.
"Yes...sorry about that," Wanda sounded sheepish. "I..knew you would need painkiller but could not find anything. So I improvised."
He licked his lips, and found that they stung with the familiar burn of alcohol. "Oh."
"If you had had any real drink in here, you would have been out for longer," she grumbled mildly.
"Oh, this is fineee...." he said brightly. "It's kinda nice. I can't remember the last time I've been this cheerful."
"Maybe you should get wasted more often, then," she said, a bit taken aback. She fiddled with something on his shoulder, then said, "There. Now I just need to bandage it."
"Your accent is nice," he said without preamble.
"Um...thank you?" she replied with a chuckle.
"I mean, really, you sound so adorable. Like a...muffin or something."
She laughed out loud. "Muffins make sounds?"
"Yep, a fluffy muffin. I can do this internet thing. Foggy would be so proud." Matt nestled back against the cushions, smiling, then frowned as something tried to niggle its way to the front of his mind. "Hmm."
"What?" Wanda asked.
He shrugged. "I just..." Suddenly he remembered the fight and tensed up. "Foggy. I forgot all about him."
Wanda sighed. "Don't worry, he's fine. And he knows you're safe."
Matt sighed. "Ah. Well that's good." He reached up to scratch his nose, which had grown strangely itchy. Probably needed to clean the darn mask again...and it was gone. His mask.
He whipped his head in Wanda's direction. "Not to be rude, but how do you know where I live?"
He felt her face heat up, and she paused in unwrapping something--a bandage, probably. "I...um...I can read minds," she said quickly. "I do it occasionally without meaning to--but I don't do it on purpose unless it is necessary."
"Oh."
"Anyway, I needed to get you out of the warehouse, so...I read your mind and found out where you lived." She paused, and there was no sound except her unwrapping the bandage and the rapid thump of her heart. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine, you saved me and all, it's just..." he trailed off, listening to the air conditioning start up on the roof. "I'm kinda used to secrecy. And you took my mask off, so....there's that."
She was quiet, and her heartbeat was louder than ever. "I will not tell anyone."
"You mean it?"
"I swear it." There was no quickening. Nothing to indicate she was lying. Matt once again wished he could see facial expressions. He was helpless in that area, and the only things he had to judge her intentions with were her heartbeat and the altruism in her tone.
"Okay," he sighed. He really didn't have the energy to do anything about this, and since Wanda was an Avenger there was little he could do to prevent her from telling, anyway.
She sagged down a bit as well, then crumpled the plastic wrapper from the roll of bandages. He felt her carefully wrapping the cloth around his arm. "You know how to do stitches?" he asked, because the tension was starting to bother him.
He heard her shrug, not pausing in wrapping the bandages. "My brother used to get in a lot of fights. Some of them...with the police. So."
He was silent again, because what the hell were you supposed to say to that? "I used to stitch my dad up, sometimes." he finally said. Wanda said nothing, but she was inclining her head, so he knew she was listening. "He's dead." Matt immediately flinched and shook his head. "Damn, am I drunk. I don't know why I said that."
"It's alright," Wanda said quietly, and Matt sighed. He knew it was, but he hated being pitied. Poor Matt, losing his sight and his dad within a couple years...
Wanda finished wrapping the bandage, and began to tuck it in. He heard a little break in her breathing, and turned his head towards her. "Wanda?"
"He's dead, too." she said, almost inaudibly. "My...my brother is."
It was so quiet that the thumping of their hearts seemed deafening to Matt. "I'm sorry," he finally said.
Wanda pinned the bandage in place. "So am I."
She leaned back, tossing a few wisps of her hair back as she examined her work. "Do you need a change of clothes or anything?"
He shrugged, wincing when it tugged on his shoulder. "There's a closet full of hoodies in my room. Might be better for decency's sake."
Wanda sighed. "I'll go get one."
He heard her stand up and move away, and as he turned his head towards the ceiling, he felt adrenaline fading and the alcohol taking its toll, leaving only bone-deep weariness behind. He barely heard Wanda returning. He barely felt her gently removing the leather uniform and replacing it with a hoodie and shorts. "Thank you," he whispered when he felt her finish.
Her fingers brushed his shoulder once more, and he heard her smile again. "You're welcome."
Then she was gone, and so was he.
***
Usually, when Matt's alarm clock went off, it was loud and demanding right next to his ear. Now, however, he heard it some distance off, the shrill tone sounding over and over. What was going on...?
Then he remembered. He was on the couch. He had been trying to stop a gang from busting Fisk out of jail. Scarlet Witch had saved him.
Somehow, it was hard to think of last night's events as real...especially when his memory was impaired by being really drunk. His head was throbbing, and he wasn't looking forward to trying to navigate with his senses.
The front door opened, and he heard a familiar gait and heartbeat approaching, bags of groceries swinging. He sighed, sitting up carefully. "Morning, Foggy."
"Hello, Matt. How are you this fine morning?" Foggy asked far too cheerfully, setting his haul with a thump on the counter and turning to face him.
"Sore. Hungover. But alive."
"Small thanks to you. And man, you better come up with a damn good excuse to Karen next time you decide to be a no-show in the middle of the day, especially with your overly-responsible-catholic-kid thing. Unless we just tell her, which we probably should."
"I know," Matt sighed. "I just...I couldn't let Fisk get away, not after everything we've been through to get him locked up in the first place."
Foggy said nothing, and Matt knew that was his anger softening. "Look, Matt. If Wanda hadn't shown up, you would most likely be dead now. Or at least locked up."
"Yeah," Matt said a bit sheepishly. "Where is she, anyway?"
Foggy shrugged, turning back to what was most likely going to be breakfast. "She called me at around one in the morning, told me she had stitched you up. I thanked her, she said don't mention it and we hung up. By the looks of it, I think she slept here for a while before leaving. Not long, though."
Matt frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Slept where? I was on the couch."
Foggy sighed. "You're not gonna like this, but I'm pretty sure she slept on the floor."
"What?"
"Yep. The rug's a bit crushed in one spot. She probably went and got a hoodie and folded it up for a pillow."
He sighed. "She didn't have to do that."
Foggy shrugged. "I actually don't know much about her; there was a lot of speculation in the media when she joined the team, but no one really knows where she's from or anything. I kind of get the impression, though, that she is really not used to this."
"Yeah." Matt said. "Her accent is definitely Eastern European."
"Mmmhmm. Well, we're certainly lucky she was here at the time."
"Yeah." Matt felt a bit disappointed she'd left, though he didn't know why...what was she supposed to do, spend all night in the house of a guy she barely knew? Still, he was alright with lingering on the couch a bit longer than he usually would.
Foggy was bustling around the kitchen, and Matt could smell eggs and bacon cooking. He groaned. "Do I have to?"
"Greasy food is a cure for hangovers. Science and shit," Foggy reminded him. He stirred the pan and stepped over to the phone. "Hey, there's a message on here." Matt heard him press the button, and suddenly Wanda's voice was speaking on the phone. "Matt? Hi, it's Wanda. I'm sorry I had to go so quickly, but I figured it would be best for me to get back before everyone else was up. Anyway, I don't know if you would be interested, but all of us would love for you to come and train with us, sometime. If you'd like to, feel free to call me back. Anyway, I'm...glad I could help you. Hope to hear from you soon. Goodbye."
The line disconnected, and Matt blinked. Even Foggy was silent, which spoke measures. Then Foggy said, "Ohhhh. Oh man."
"Foggy..." Matt groaned.
"Ohhh, she likes you! She totally does!" Foggy crowed, returning to his pan of greasy breakfast food.
"So?" Matt shrugged desperately.
"So she invited you to train with the Avengers! The effing Avengers, man! Are you gonna say yes?"
"I don't know," Matt sighed.
"But they're..."
"The effing Avengers, yes, I'm aware, Foggy." Matt huffed. "I guess it just depends on whether or not I have free time."
"I will make free time if it means you make superpowered friends." Foggy said.
"I suppose I might be able to try it. I still want to hide my identity for a while. Maybe the old suit would be better for that."
"See? You're totally going to go," Foggy said, scooping a helping of food onto a plate. He gave Matt a friendly shove onto the couch. "Now, eat up."
Matt sighed, but acquiesced.
***
Wanda wasn't sure whether she expected Matt to take her up on her offer or not. The whole thing sort of slipped her mind for a month or so as training and missions intensified. In fact, she had almost completely forgotten about it when something finally came of it.
They'd just finished a day of training. Stark had shown up again to help out with some intel they'd retrieved on the last mission, and was thus being irritating in a mildly friendly way, as he usually was around the team. "I'm ordering enough pizza to feed a small army. You guys have no proper food around here. Requests?"
"Sardines," Rhodey called from the floor next to the couch where he was sprawled out.
"Just plain old cheese," Steve said from the hall as he came in carrying a bunch of ice and hand-towels.
"How about you, Miss Scarlet?" Tony called to Wanda.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I've only had pizza once or twice."
"WHAATT." Tony asked, shocked.
Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "Pizza isn't exactly plentiful in war-torn Eastern Europe, глупый."
"Oh. Yeah. Well, in that case, I'll get a bit of everything. Don't you worry, by the end of tonight you will be well-acquainted with all the pizza there is," Tony declared.
Wanda and Natasha both rolled their eyes, but didn't comment further.
Tony placed the order with much grandiosity, and when he'd finished he strode over and collapsed in the middle of the sectional, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
"I really do love it out here," he remarked. "It's so peaceful, quiet..."
The phone rang shrilly. Tony sighed and jumped up, and walked over and picked up the phone. "Yello, you've reached Avengers control central. This is Lord Moneybags. How may I help you?"
Steve sighed long-sufferingly.
"It's who now?" Wanda turned and glanced at Tony, who was leaning on the counter. "Daredevil? Holy shit guys, it's the Daredevil!" He increased in volume quite a bit in the last sentence, which had the rest of the team cringing. "So, what can we do for you?" There was muffled talking on the other end. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Well, that's probably more up the Capsicle's avenue. I'll get him." Tony turned from the phone. "Hey Cap! He says he wants to take y'all up on the training offer!"
Steve looked surprised. "We made him a training offer?"
"I did. Vision, too," Wanda spoke up quietly.
Steve shrugged. "Fine with me, I guess."
"Okay, when would work best for you? This Thursday? Yeah, that should be fine. Oh, do you need transport? You hadn't thought of that? Yeah, well, I'll tell Happy to have the helicopter waiting at 10:00. Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'm sure you all will have lots of fun. Pleasure, I'm a huge fan of the red leather. Makes a good impression. I might have to try it sometime. Yeah, thanks." Tony hung up. "So. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen, huh?" He glanced at Wanda. "How did you meet him?"
"On a mission a couple months ago," she said simply.
"Yep. He seems like a pretty cool guy," Sam said.
"I imagine." Tony returned to the couch. "Is he joining?"
"He said not, but you never know around here," Natasha said, dropping onto a barstool next to the island. When everyone glanced at her, she raised her hands. "And not because I have anything to do with it, guys. Sheesh."
"Wonder if he still wants to keep his secret identity," Rhodey said.
"I dunno. It's his right. Besides, I don't think any of us grasp the concept," Steve said wryly.
"I AM Iron Man!" Sam declared dramatically.
"Come on, it was one time," Tony groaned, and everyone else laughed.
***
The team was waiting out on the tarmac when Tony's helicopter landed at 10:00 sharp Thursday morning. Matt---Daredevil, Wanda reminded herself sternly, emerged from the copter looking slightly stunned, but he rectified that quickly and got a hold of himself before walking towards them. He wasn't wearing the leather; instead he wore a cloth mask that covered his face similarly to his other one, and what looked like simple athletic gear. Had he worn that to fight crime once? It'd be useless against beatings--and bullets. She would know.
He strode over to them, pausing a few feet from the group. "Well, this seems a bit awkward," he said amiably. They all seemed to agree, silence hanging over the group as they tried to figure out who should start first.
Finally, Steve stepped forward and held out his hand. "Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you."
Daredevil accepted the handshake. "Likewise. My best friend is a big fan."
"There seem to be a lot of those," Steve said warmly. "Look, I just wanna say that I admire what you're doing. My teammates told me about what you said when they tried to recruit you, and you're absolutely right. Your dedication to your city's impressive. Means all the more to me that you agreed to have our backs if needed."
Daredevil looked a bit stunned at that. "Um. Wow. Thank you."
Steve nodded, giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder. After he'd given his approval, the rest of the team quickly followed suit. Wanda waited at the back of the group, giggling under her breath when Natasha complimented his 'spiffy under-armor Matrix suit.' When it was finally her turn, she stepped up and smiled. "It is good to see you again."
His lips curved in a warm smile. "Likewise."
She dipped her head gently and stepped aside, letting him catch up to the others, who were headed into the building. He hung back near her, though, so she took her time. "How are your friends, by the way?" she asked quietly beneath the laughter and jokes coming from the front of the group.
"Very well. I'll tell them you said hello, if you want." he responded at an equal volume.
"I would like that, I think," Wanda said thoughtfully. "Did you...tell Karen yet?"
Matt sighed. "Not yet." He turned a rueful smile to her. "First opportune moment. I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Wanda responded easily.
"I endeavor not to." Matt said quietly.
Wanda felt slightly guilty for bringing up what was clearly a sore subject, and was considering apologizing when Steve spoke up from the front of the group. She glanced up and saw that they'd entered the gym. "So, we were thinking about starting off with Nat doing a wrestling demonstration. That ok with everyone?"
The general consensus was agreement, with a bit of good-natured grumbling from a couple of the guys, who had been manhandled by Natasha more than once. The Widow took her place in the ring, then called, "How about it, Daredevil? I've seen the tapes. Want to have at it?"
He shrugged. "I'd be fine with going a couple rounds."
Natasha grinned and lifted the ropes so he could get in. She took a couple steps back and positioned herself carefully. "Standard rules?"
"Eh, surprise me."
The two of them circled each other, obviously sizing the other up. Normally, this sort of thing would be boring to Wanda, but now she watched Natasha intensely, waiting for her first move.
It came quickly and unexpectedly. Natasha swung out her right fist. Wanda had seen this move before; the spy would catch her opponent under the chin, and whilst they were reeling from the uppercut she would ram her shoulder into them and flip them over.
Matt, however, had clearly dealt with this sort of thing before. He caught her fist in his, and shoved it just far enough to the left to keep it away from his face and to knock her off balance. Her wrist still in his grasp, he used her momentum to throw her forward and pull himself around her. It was enough to make Natasha stagger a few steps before turning to face Matt, who had already resumed his defensive position. Wanda could hear low sounds of amazement from a couple of the others at seeing Natasha outwitted.
The pause took up for a few moments again. This time, Matt made the first move, leaping over Natasha in a somersault and sweeping her legs from under her while she was distracted. She hit the mat with a thud and immediately sprang back up nimbly, catching Matt by surprise and landing a punch to his nose. His neck snapped back from the impact, but he didn't give any ground, swinging even as he was distracted and landing a punch to Natasha's side. He didn't stop, either, just kept landing them; to her shoulder, side, ribcage, and more. He never missed, and he never faltered, just kept up with an intensity that was almost disturbing. So this was where the devil nickname had come from.
Finally, when she was backed into a corner, Natasha raised a hand, panting. "I concede."
Matt immediately backed off, panting slightly himself. Natasha stayed in her corner, hands resting on her knees while she caught her breath, for a while. When she straightened, she smiled as she cracked her shoulders. "Impressive. I'm glad I'm not a criminal."
Matt smiled wryly. "Me too."
"So, what next, Steve?" Natasha said, then turned to glance at the group, frowning. "Huh. Wonder where he went?" Wanda glanced around and realized that the Captain had disappeared.
Natasha shrugged. "Oh well. What next?"
They elected studying the art of dodging, which mostly consisted of Sam flying around the ceiling shooting paintballs. Wanda was rubbish at this; she had made no secret of her disdain for the activity, telling Steve and Natasha that she could always simply deflect bullets with her telekinesis. They still insisted that she learn, just in case her powers ever failed her.
By the end of that session, she had three paintballs staining her t-shirt and sore bruises beneath. Matt had dodged everything without breaking a sweat. Smart-ass.
"Well, that was fun," Sam said cheerfully as he landed. "So, what...?"
Suddenly, the alarm went off. Wanda felt her heart skip in her chest, as it always seemed to do when that thing sounded. Maybe it resembled the air raid sirens too much. She didn't know.
"Oh boy, guess we have a mission." Natasha said. "Up to the briefing room, everyone!" They complied, with a clanging of footsteps up the metal stairs and frenzied discussion.
When they reached the briefing room, Steve was waiting, face grim. "Hill just got a message about a HYDRA base in rural Montana. Apparently they've uncovered intel that suggests that various hallucinogenic serums have been manufactured in bulk there to be sent to Europe. We have no idea what all is in them, but it can't be good. We need to intercept them before they get sent. Suit up."
The team nodded, and most of them hurried to get ready. Wanda paused near the door. "What about Daredevil?" she asked.
Steve started. "Oh. Sorry, it'd slipped my mind completely." He turned to Matt. "It's in the middle of nowhere, so media presence isn't likely to be there. It's your call. If you'd like to go, you'd be most welcome. If not, you're free to hang out here or head back to the city."
Matt hesitated for a second, then shrugged. "I think I'll tag along. It sounds like a big job. You could probably use every set of hands you have."
Steve nodded. "Then welcome to the Avengers. Temporarily. Take off in ten minutes."
***
As was fairly typical, everything went downhill quickly.
Wanda had suspected it was too quiet from the moment they'd first landed. There was no sign of any outdoor activity, and even less mental activity outside. What atmosphere there was practically stank of foul play. But her suspicions weren't confirmed until they reached the actual walls of the facility, which were tall and made completely out of wire.
Then there was a sudden whoosh, a loud hissing, and a cloud of something pink descended; from where she couldn't tell. And suddenly her eyes were burning with an acrid fume, her throat sore and her nose stinging. She coughed, staggering to the side and bumping into someone. She blinked furiously, and her tears burned, but it was no use.
She couldn't see.
Panic and instinct quickly took over. She ran, though she couldn't see where she was going, knowing that she would be a sitting duck in the open field leading up to the fortress. Somehow, she tripped over something, and wound up crawling along the grass because her balance was so compromised. Eventually, she came to something that felt like an alcove of some sort, so she crawled in and shielded her head as best she could. Her earpiece had become dislodged and fallen out somehow, and the fumes weren't going away. She coughed so hard she felt like her lungs were shrinking. She was paralyzed, and what if HYDRA caught her again?
She heard someone run by, panting heavily and stopping to cough. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she shrank back further. Whoever it was was coming towards her quickly, and she threw out a burst of energy in their general direction--
"Wanda, it's me!" Matt's voice. Matt's hand on her shoulder. "I know something went off. Some sort of pressurized container. What happened?"
"Burns," she coughed. "Can't see, either."
"Ah," Matt said. The pressure of his hand on her shoulder was sympathetic. "I know how that goes."
"How...do you stand this?" she choked between gags.
"I don't know. You make the best with what you've got, I guess." Matt was quiet for a second. "I'm guessing this was their distraction. The rest of the team's pretty scattered, too. Cap was near the highest concentration, so he's out until the serum can heal him. We need to stop that dispenser." He paused, and she guessed he was either thinking or listening. "Can you use your telekinesis without seeing what you're doing?"
"I don't know! I've never tried it before!" Wanda said, half-hysterically.
Matt chuckled warmly. "Well, there's a first time for everything." He grasped her hand. "I'm going to lead you out of here and to a better spot. Just keep hold of me, okay?"
She nodded, then realized he might not be able to tell. "Um, I just nodded," she stammered.
"Okay, then," Matt said. "Off we go."
He started off slowly at first, but soon he was full out running, and by the sharp cracks Wanda guessed he was dealing with gunfire. She remembered hearing the quinjet roar overhead and feeling bullets tear their way through her brother's heart and ran faster. Finally, he slowed down helping her sink down into the grass. "The dispenser is directly above and to the right. Think you can hit it?"
Wanda pointlessly closed her eyes, concentrating, as she loosed a burst of energy from her fingertips. She knew instinctively that it hadn't worked. She tried again, and again, with the same results. "It's not working," she groaned, frustrated.
"What if you used my vision to see it? Would that work?" Matt asked.
"I don't know, I haven't read anyone's mind since..." She nearly cried.
Matt's fingers were curling gently around hers. They felt warm and rough, but gentle. He was raising her fingers and pressing them to his temples. "Go on. Look in my head." Her fingers tensed slightly. "I trust you."
She pressed in gently, and her brain was suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of information it was receiving. As if wreathed in flame, she saw--no, felt, the air hissing from an oblong shape, perhaps fifty feet above the ground and easily three times that from her. It was far away, but not too far for her. She reached out for it with her power, curling the tendrils of her will around the valve, and crushed it. She felt it crumple and fail, and sensed the clouds dissipating.
She slumped against something solid and warm, coughing and gasping as clean air returned. She felt a hand rubbing her back carefully, and when she blinked her teary eyes again, the first thing that she saw was Matt Murdock's head above her as he held her against his chest, arms wrapped around her comfortingly.
"Fuck HYDRA," she whispered hoarsely, and she pressed against his chest as he laughed.