In a world where each and every person has their own unique way of discovering their soulmate, something we call a tell. I would argue that I was stuck with one of the worst tells there is. Some of the luckiest people get to hear their soulmates thoughts in their heads, some are able to communicate through dreams, and others have their first words tattooed on their wrist. I didn't get any of those. No, not those or the tell of share drawings through our skin and I didn't get the tell of a clock counting down towards our moment of meeting.
Instead, I have the tell of sharing my soulmates pain, and let me tell you, he has no shortage of pain to share.
At the age of 16 my tell first appeared, and it would seem my soulmate were the average person. Sure, he got scrapes and bruises more than the average person but nothing crazy or out of the ordinary.
That all changed a few years ago though. At this point I honestly could not tell you how this person is still alive. I don't know what they're doing, but during the night I will be woken with severe pain. Deep cuts and bruises. Sometimes even a broken rib or two.
It used to worry me, but now I'm only angry. The most intense pain he might get from me are period cramps and yet almost nightly I experience the most extreme pains I've ever had to experience in my life.
Even now as I walked through the streets of Hells Kitchen, I can feel the constant throb of pain in my shoulder, a deep cut that he had stitched up hours ago. It was Ana she I was having to ignore as walking alone in Hells Kitchen isn't the safest of activities.
My pace quickened as I passed a group of men who were smoking cigarettes in an ally, pinching my wrist with anxiety.
One of the men whistled loudly, "Hey, pretty lady! Why don't you come hang with us?"
They all laughed as I pointedly ignored them and brought my brisk walk up to a jog. When I felt I was at a safe distance I allowed myself to walk again, a slight burn filling my lungs as I took deep breaths. As I reached my destination I pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket, confirming I was at the right location.
"Nelson and Murdock," I whispered, staring at the sign by the door. I took a shaky breath before entering the building. It wasn't in the greatest condition but it seemed to serve them well. As I walked into their office I saw multiple people in chairs, waiting their turn to speak with the lawyers.
"Hi, how can I help you?" The girl at the front desk asked with a sweet smile. I quickly glanced her over, stopping briefly at the tattoo on the inside of her wrist.
"Umm I called the other day about getting help for my brother," I stuttered out, opening my bag and handing her a file with shaky hands. "You said you might be able to help."
She quickly glanced over the file, eyes widening with recognition.
"Yes! I remember speaking to you. If you'll have a seat we'll be with you as soon as we can." She handed the file back to me, gesturing to an empty chair. "My name is Karen, let me know if you need anything."
I sat down beside a heavily tattooed man. He gave me a small smile in greeting before turning his attention to his phone.
My focus fell to my shoes as I crossed my leg over the other. I anxiously pinched my wrist.
I sat there for almost an hour as the waiting area was slowly emptying out. Finally as the tattooed man left the office area, Karen called to me.
"They're ready for you now." She smiled. "I'm so sorry about that wait."
"Its no problem." I smiled back at her. I followed her into an office where two men sat at a table. One wearing dark glasses and the other with dirty blonde hair. They both stood to introduce themselves, reaching their hands out for me to shake. I assumed the one with glasses to be blind, knowing that at least one of them was. I came here on the recommendation of a friend. They said that these two were a miracle in the court room.
I stated my name as well and sat in the chair that Mr. Nelson gestured towards.
"Karen has told us some about your case but could you go into further detail for us?" Murdock asked. "It's your brother we'd be representing?"
"Umm, yes, yes sir," I breathed out, shakily pulling out his file and opening it on the table. "He, uh, he was charged with murder but I believe he's been framed."
"What makes you say that?" Their faces held sympathy, a sympathy that seems to just follow me around. My jaw clenched and I tried to ignore, instead focusing on getting my brother the help he needs.
"I know, I know how this sounds but I also know my brother. He could never do something like that. I mean, sure he might have got caught up with wrong crowd but he's never been caught for anything worse then vandalism." My words were fast and I knew I was talking to much but I couldn't stop myself. "Here, just look at the evidence they have. I know that all of it points to him but it's almost too perfect I think. It just doesn't make sense." I quickly flipped through the file looking for the specific pages.
An awkward silence filled the room as I flipped the papers over, scanning the words quickly as I searched.
"Shit!" I gasped, bringing my finger to my mouth. At the same time I saw Mr. Murdock shaking his hand aggressively as he winced.
"Umm, Matt," Mr. Nelson held a smug smile on his face, "Did you happen to just get a paper cut? At the same time as our lovely new client?"
I felt a deep blush cover my face as I processed what was happening. This lawyer got a paper cut a the same time as me, yet he wasn't holding any papers. Is this man my soulmate?
"Do you happen to pinch your wrist when you're nervous? Or anxious?" Mr. Murdock asked with a soft chuckle.
"Yes," I whispered, consciously resisting the urge to pinch. "Do you make a habit of getting beat up and stabbed in the middle of the night?"
We sat in silence for a moment before Mr. Nelson stood up with a loud laugh. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Matt!" He gathered the papers from my hands as he walked by. "I'll take a look at your brother and that evidence you were talking about and I'll let you know what we can do about it."
"Oh, but,"
"Trust me, I know what to look for. I'm gonna let you two soulmates get to know each other some." He winked at her. "Oh, and you can call me Foggy by the way."
Just a second later he was closing the door and walking to his own office.
We sat in silence for a moment and I took in his features. A soft smile sat on his face as he seemed to appreciate the silence for a moment.
"Uh, you can call me Matt. It's short for Matthew."
"Short for Matthew? I never would have guessed." I chuckled, feeling myself relax in my chair.
"I'm sorry," he laughed, "it's hard to know what to say at times like this."
"Are you okay?" I asked carefully, unsure if his night life was a touchy subject. "Your shoulder, I mean."
"Oh, yes. It still hurts some, but I'm sure you know that." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not sure if I should just come out and explain myself or beg you for the chance to get to know and understand me before revealing myself."
"Just think about it this way, if you tell me now, you've already gotten through the worst of it." I nervously placed my hand on the table. His hand was only inches away and the temptation to wrap it in mine was growing by the second. "Besides, I worry. It might help to know."
His pinky tapped on the table a few times before slowly linking with mine. We sat for a moment in silence, just appreciating each other's company.
"I know this is going to be a lot to take in, but, umm, I'm Daredevil. The masked vigilante in Hells Kitchen."
"But your," before I could finish I was quickly interrupted.
"Blind?" He laughed, "When I lost my sight the abilities of my other senses shot through the roof. I can hear your heartbeat as we speak."
"Do you think," I pondered, "do you think that Daredevil could take a night or two off? Just so his soulmate could get a better understanding of him?"
"He'll have to check his schedule, but I think he could make that work." He laughed, fully taking my hand into his. "How about I walk you back to your apartment? Get a head start on learning about each other."
"I would like that a lot," I confessed.
As we left the office we saw Karen and Foggy standing at her desk, suddenly looking around the office with nonchalance. My hand wrapped around Matt's elbow, his white cane in his other hand. My gaze sat on Foggy for a moment as we walked towards the door and Matt explained where he was going.
"And Matt, we'll be taking her case by the way," Foggy said with a grin, sending a nod my way. Relief flooded my body and I smiled at him in return.
As we reached the sidewalk I found myself moving closer into Matts side. Learning that my soulmate is a masked hero isn't something I was expecting or hoping for, but now that I know who my soulmate is, I can't imagine life with anyone else.