Matt Murdock has never been so confused in his life.
It all started when the bad guy of the week cast a spell on him, telling him, “Let us see who you grieve the most. Let us see whose loss broke your soul. And even better, let’s have you join them six feet below!” Of course, it was accompanied by a cackle and what he guessed was a bright flash of light (curse these magic users with magic that doesn’t have heat, doesn’t move the air, doesn’t make a sound! How is he supposed to fight what he can’t feel!).
What was most shocking was the sudden memories that assaulted him. He had always prided himself in his steel-trap of a mind. He could remember every word of his college textbooks. So when memories of his kid suddenly came back, he was rightfully confused.
He was also confused by the feeling of icy heat throughout his body and the sudden change in city smells. Hell’s Kitchen was gross, sure, but wherever he was now was worse. The smells and noises were minutely dimmed by the thin walls of the apartment or office he was in. He’d guess apartment by the smell of sandwiches, hard tap water, and body odor. His kids' body odor.
Right, his kid and new city. How the fuck had he forgotten Peter Parker? That kid meant everything to him and so many people so how the hell did Matt and everyone else forget him? Thinking back, it was a little odd that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had seemingly randomly returned from retirement to take control of Stark Industries. He could remember that Peter had taken over and then was just gone was day, not a thing mentioned.
They had even missed their patrols together. Matt may not have shown up at the meeting place but that never stopped the kid before. Peter hadn’t shown up at his office, begging for help to understand a legal document in months. It was wrong.
“DD? What are you doing here?” A small but greatly missed voice asked.
Matt let out a sigh of relief. “Jesus, Kid. How the fuck did my memories get wiped? Where have you been? Where are we now?”
He could hear his kid's heart rate spike as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Funny story… I maybe accidentally messed up a memory spell Dr. Strange cast to make everyone forget my secret identity? Then I kinda messed with a magic book and ended up in a different universe.”
Matt ran his hand down his face, glad to feel his mask was on. “So let me get this straight: the one thing me and Tony expressly forbid you messing around with, you did. Do you understand why we said no magic now?”
“Yeah… how is everyone? I miss them all so much.”
“The Potts-Starks left retirement to run their business. The other heroes are doing the same as normal. No one remembers you from what I can tell. What about you kid? Smells like you live in a shit-hole.”
Peter snorted. “Yeah, a bit. Gotham is the most crime-ridden city in this world and Crime Alley is the worse of it. It’s the Hell’s Kitchen of this universe. I’ve been… fine. I’ve got a job and everything.”
Matt opened his mouth to scold his kid some more when the fire escape outside creaked. A body dropped onto the landing outside Peter's window and knocked before sliding it up. “Hey Pete, brought you some dinner. I know you’ll forget to eat again and we can’t fucking have that. Oh hey, who’s your friend?”
Peter groaned softly, not panicking but not calm either. “Hi, Red Hood. This is Dare Devil. He’s… he’s my mentor. We got separated a while back and he just managed to get to me.”
The other guy, Red Hood, raised a hand and asked, “You a vigilante? I didn’t know the squirt was a hero. For shame, child, for shame.”
Peter sighed dramatically. “Says the vigilante crime lord. You are more hero than you think. Anyway, Dare Devil is a lot like you. A hero to the people who need it and the devil to those who deserve it. Thankfully neither of you kill anymore so we can all get along without protective posturing.”
Matt cleared his throat. “So how many vigilantes have adopted you in this u- over here?” Peter hadn’t said anything about other universes in front of this guy and Matt wasn’t going to be one to break the news. The kid would (and had) just slip out and let Matt deal with the fallout.
“Only one!” Peter tried to defend but Red Hood snorted and muttered, “More than he knows.”
Matt sighed. “Peter. Did you make friends with vigilantes out of suit again?”
“Hey! That’s not fair! Jess and Luke don’t count because they don’t have suits. Nor do the big guys. And don’t say Wade because I knew him in suit first. I don’t even know anyone here’s secret identity so it doesn’t count either.”
Matt huffed while Red Hood exclaimed, “Rude! I’m not the first vigilante that you knew? I thought we had something, Pete.”
“Oh my gods… I'm going to die, aren’t I? Two of my many father figures just met and are going to get along. I'm not going to survive this.”
At Peter’s mutters, Matt hesitated. “You trust this guy, kid?”
“Yes? I’d trust him with my life but I’m very concerned about why you're asking.”
Red Hood sputtered at Peter's confession. “Wait what? I thought we had just talked about how I’m not a good person.”
Matt chuckled while pulling off his mask. “Let me guess, the kid said something along the lines of ‘neither am I?’ Yeah he pulled that shit with me too. He’s a good judge of character, though. Unless you’re a cat. He will pet any animal while it’s mauling him.”
The guy sputtered again. “You couldn’t even use a new line on me?!? I’ve been betrayed! Might as well take mine off if we are going to do the whole identity reveal thing. The kid already knows.”
With a snort, Matt admitted, “It doesn’t really matter. For one, I don’t know anyone but Peter. Two, I’m blind.”
Peter seemed to perk up. “Did you know there’s a mute vigilante here? We need to grab her, you, and Clint since he’s deaf, and then we will have reunited the deathly hallows!”
“You know that’d make you the master of death, right kid?”
“Fudge. Can’t it be someone else? Like Jason? He’s died and come back before.” He pointed at the now maskless guy. Matt could admit he smelled comforting but he didn’t come to this universe for love. Well, he didn’t choose to come here but now that he is here, he’s staying for his kid.
Jason pointed at Peter. “You’ve died just as many times as me! I don’t want another burden on my shoulders. I’m perfectly happy fighting for control over my own life. No need to add death there too.”
Matt pinched his brow. “Peter. Did you die again? I thought we talked about this after the first three times. If I could, I’d call Tony, no, Pepper, and let her lecture you until her lips turned blue. Again.”
Ducking his head, Peter mumbled, “Maybe. It was the book's fault this time! And it was a casual heartstopper like the other times. I woke up perfectly happy and healthy.”
“That’s bull and you know it. Do you have anything to say to our kid, Jason? I don’t think he understands how much it hurts us when he goes and dies.”
“Uhh. Don’t die?”
“Rousing speech,” Matt deadpanned. “You should be the president with how moving that was.”
He pointedly ignored the way Jason’s heart skipped a beat and grabbed Peter's shoulder, guiding him to the couch. “Jason, bring over the food. Peter, turn on your listening ears.”
Once the trio was settled on the couch and Peter had taken a bite of the food, Matt began, “Do you understand how much what you did would have hurt your family if they knew? Tony would probably start drinking again and Pepper would throw herself back into unhealthy amounts of work. I know I felt your loss even without knowing you existed. How would you feel if Tony did this? If Morgan did this? You would be heartbroken if your little sister went and did what you did. Kid, you can't just play around with your life! There are people that love and cherish you so when you act like you're expendable, it kills us.”
Both Peter and Jason were tearing up a bit, rubbing their eyes. Curse vigilantes and their desire to sacrifice themselves. “Ah, man. Kid, if me and Jason promise not to treat our lives as expendable, will you promise it back? And honor your promise? Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your promise not to go into Hell's Kitchen when we first met.”
His kid nodded a few times and pulled Matt and Jason into a hug. He could feel his cheeks heating up a bit at the proximity to Jason but ignored it in favor of hugging his kid. “Any good movies here? You are still the best at describing them for me.”
Peter perked at that. “Well I don’t have a TV but I saw some super cool movies like Ghost Shark and Star Wars but the Star Wars isn’t the one we are used to..”
“We can use my TV. I live in the apartment above,” Jason interrupted, gesturing to the floor above.
With a cheer, Peter grabbed both men and started pulling. They had just enough to grab the remaining food before Peter's strength won out.
They settled into the couch, Peter sprawled out between the two with his feet on Matt’s lap and head on Jason’s shoulder. They listened to Peter narrate the scenes on screen, the occasion scream interrupting him. Matt laughed each time Jason jumped or helped and each time Peter choked on his words.
—
Jason had invited Peter and Matt to live with him a few months ago. It wasn’t a hard decision for Matt as Peter’s apartment barely counted as a studio apartment. It was more akin to a closet with a kitchen and a bathroom. The decision had been made solely for Peter’s benefit. (Definitely not for Matt’s. Not at all.)
Dare Devil had also started working with Red Hood. The pair protected Crime Alley, their similar morals and decision-making letting them work together seamlessly. Spider-Man returned to the game shortly after, making the duo a trio. The Bats had tried to convince Matt and Peter to join their side and not Jason’s because ‘Red Hood is a murderer and a crime lord. He can’t be trusted.’ That was a load of BS. They hadn’t even realized their kid was alive.
That was another development. Jason had sat Peter and Matt down and explained everything. He explained how he died ten years ago, who killed him, and what happened after he woke up. Even more, Matt had related. He shared his own story back and the pair had stayed up late (after forcing Peter to bed) and talked about the bad things they had done. The ones they regretted and the ones they felt terrible about not regretting.
Even with all those developments, Matt was still taken off guard when Jason handed him a bundle of flowers and asked him on a date. After a moment of shocked silence, he had agreed and they headed off to a homely diner that knew Jason by name.
Their date went on for hours, both enjoying the conversation. They had bonded especially easily over their love for Peter. Jason was eager to point out the similarity between the boy and Jason’s older brother while Matt pointed out where Peter and Jason were alike. They ended up going on dates weekly, sometimes bringing Peter along.
Jason had discussed the idea of helping Matt open a pro-bono law firm, even offering to get him fake papers. It had taken some convincing but Matt accepted with the condition that Jason declare himself alive again. He didn’t have to reconnect with his family but he couldn’t keep running from his grave.
And Jason had agreed. He had agreed to let Matt set up a court date to declare himself alive again. It had taken both Peter and Matt by surprise but it made more sense when Jason proposed to Matt. He had claimed he spent too long running from his past and wanted to run towards his future now.
The court date arrived before the wedding and without much surprise, all the Wayne’s showed up. Bruce scowled and gruffed, acting angry but Matt could hear his heart racing and the conversation the family had outside the courtroom.
“What if it is him? What if my Jaylad is alive? I let him die and wasn’t there when he came back!”
“We will deal with it together, B. I’m just as much at fault as you. We will get through this together.”
Dick seemed to be nice. He started crying the second he saw Jason, whispering his apologies and unfulfilled wishes. If it wasn’t for the courtroom rules, he would have already hugged his brother.
A DNA test and one fabricated story later and Jason Todd was once more alive. (“When I woke up, I was broken. I was lost on the streets of Gotham stuck in the memory of my death. All I could think about was how much I wanted my big brother and my dad to save me. When I saw the news about my dad adopting another kid, I was hurt and replaced so I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t wanted anymore. I made myself a life as Jason Bond in Crime Alley until my fiancé convinced me to stop running away. With our kid and his help, I got the courage to come here and live again.”)
Outside of the courtroom, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson lay in wait, each with a different ambush. Dick tackled his brother in a hug, smearing tears and snot all over his suit. The father laid a hand on his shoulder, pressing his forehead against his son’s. All three mummering the things they wished they could have said to each other over the years.
It was broken up by Jason reaching for his fiancé and introducing him. (“This is Matt Murdock. He and his kid have been living with me for a while now and I couldn’t love him more.”)
Bruce cried when he got the invite to the wedding. Dick started planning the bachelors party, including Matt’s when he admitted to not having any friends.
Peter was excited when he got to meet his uncles. He competed with Dick on who could do the coolest trick. He signed embarrassing stories about Jason to Cass. He showed Damian pictures of the street animals he cares for. He and Tim raced to see who could build something faster. Duke and Peter planned elaborate pranks. Steph did Peter's makeup and gave him some tips on perfecting his eyeliner. It took Matt and Jason hours to get Peter out of the manor and into the car where he spent the whole drive narrating his day.
The wedding was quite the event. Jason’s side of the aisle was filled by the Wayne’s and other heroes’ out-of-costume. Matt’s side was filled by the people he’s helped as a lawyer. Peter was the ring-bearer and Matt’s best man, mirrored by Dick for Jason. Alfred was the officiate. No one dared to say anything about the silent tears on his face as he married his lost grandson. (No one mentioned the tears on Bruce’s face either.)
The small family of three continued on, spending their days at their jobs, their nights on the streets, and their free time with their loved ones.
~They lived happily ever after. The end.~