Matt was ready to finally get some sleep after fighting all night long. He hadn't been sleeping well, knowing he was still lying to Karen and Foggy.
He made his way back to the church, not paying attention to his surroundings. He walked in and sighed in relief that it was empty and no service was being held. He might actually be able to fall asleep early..
He walked down the stairs and into his room, being immediately met with the hushed voices of his friends. They all three stood there, staring at each other in shock. Matt didn't know if this was real or just part of his sleep deprived hallucination, so he waited for someone to say something.
Finally Karen took a step forward and muttered out "Matt. I didn't think was true. You're alive" while Foggy rushed forward and embraced him in a tight hug. Matt was still in shock but felt his hands slowly move up and hug Foggy back. After a long moment they both stepped back and waited in silence until Karen stepped forward and shouted "How dare you."
Matt kept his head down and walked around her, taking off his mask and sitting down on his bed. He put his head in his hands and sighed, saying "so you found me then."
Karen let out a breath and shook her head in disbelief, "what the hell Matt. Where were you? We looked everywhere"
Matt leaned back onto his bed before saying '"I've been here. I didn't want you to find me. It was better this way" They were quiet, Karen shaking her head while Foggy looked confused. He ran a hand through his hair before walking over and sitting next to Matt asking "what happened?"
Matt sat up, wincing, and grabbed his side. He took a deep breath, waiting for the pain to dissipate. Foggy looked worried as Karen walked over to them saying "so that's what you've been doing then? Getting hurt while we grieved you."
Matt was quiet and sighed, muttering out "Elektra's dead."
Foggy looked confused, stuttering out "What? Your ex girlfriend. Matt what are you talking about. You haven't seen her in years."
Matt just sighed and said "Well she was here and she died. And it was my fault." He pushed himself off the bed, wincing again and walked over to his closet, wanting to change into some actual clothes.
As he raised his arms and started to lift his shirt, he inhaled sharply and exposed the deep knife wound running along his ribs. He looked down and saw blood. He must have reopened it. He started to feel light head and began swaying slightly on his feet. Foggy rushed over to him and guided him over to the bed, but Matt didn't make it there.
The last thing he saw before his body hit the ground was Karen yelling out his name.
When Matt woke up, he was immediately met with panic. He tried to sit up, but was blinded with intense pain in his side. He tilted his head and listened around him, sensing Foggy and Karen. This sent instant relief through his body and he relaxed back into his bed.
He thought everything was OK until Karen asked accusingly "Matt what happened to your leg?" His blood ran cold as he sat up and reached down to feel that he was changed out of his Daredevil outfit and into sweatpants.
He froze for a second, trying to calm the panic brewing in his chest, before responding quietly "It happened a couple nights ago. I was just too slow against a man with a knife. It's nothing."
Karen looked upset and took a few steps away, shaking her head while Foggy asked "Matt, there's at least 20 cuts and they're too straight to be from a mission. How did it happen?" Matt turned his head away and tried to blink away the tears welling in his eyes. He could feel them spilling out and falling down his face. He tried to hide it by putting his hands over his face, but this didn't stop Foggy and Karen from seeing.
Foggy got closer to him and asked again "how did it happen?" More tears fell from Matt's eyes and he heard Karen walk over to them. All it took was her putting one hand on his arm for the dam in his heart to break. He let out a sob and tried to stop, but soon his whole body was shaking from the force of his cries.
He turned to face Foggy, allowing himself to be pulled into a tight hug from his best friend. Karen put a hand on his back and they let Matt cry, really cry, for the first time since he had been abandoned as a kid. After a few long minutes, he started hiccupping and tried to slow his breathing. They gave him some space and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain.
He took a deep breath, before shuttering out "it's been a hard few months without you guys."
Karen shook her head sadly, asking " why didn't you let us know you were OK. We could've helped you. You didn't have to go through this alone." Matt stayed silent, trying to muster up the courage to tell them what he'd never told anyone before.
"I didn't want your help. I wasn't ready for it. I just wanted to be left alone because I thought I deserved it. And then it all just became too much. I deserved to feel pain, so I caused it myself."
He let out another sob so Foggy spoke up and said "You don't deserve that Matt. You deserve to be happy, with us. So just come home."
Matt nodded and wiped his eyes, saying "I'm so sorry. I never should've left."
Karen smiled sadly, saying "It's OK Matt, all we want is for you to be happy."
Matt's lips curled into a small smile and nodded saying "lets all go home. I think I'm ready to try"