Cries for Help
Daredevil is reckless.
Clint sees this now, as Matt races into the burning building at the first plea for help that hits his ears. Without thinking, Clint chases after him, trying and failing to get him to stop. He follows him up a staircase, close on his heels, and Matt races into an apartment that Clint can barely make out from the thickness of the smoke in the air.
Matt, not impeded by a lack of sight, hurries to a bedroom. He flings the door open, and Clint sees a man passed out on the bed with a dog whining beside him. Matt grabs the arms of the man and hauls him over his shoulder, and Clint tries to grab his arm to stop him from straining himself too much, but Daredevil simply moves past him, shrugging off his attempt to help. The dog continues to whine, and Clint grabs him by the collar and heaves him into his arms, cradling him as the pair hurry down the stairs.
Once out in fresh air, Matt lays the man on the ground. He’s breathing, but just barely. The dog leaps out of Clint’s arms and hurries to the side of his owner, licking at his face. EMTs hurry over and begin working on the man, and so Clint turns his attention towards Matt.
He’s breathing hard. His suit is streaked with soot, and he’s bent over, trying to catch his breath.
“You’re an absolute idiot!” Clint says, a spark of rage igniting within him. He signs this also, simply out of habit, because Matt is not going to have the concentration at this moment to understand what he’s saying in sign. “What were you thinking?”
“They…needed…help,” Matt says, wheezing between words. He hacks out a cough and spits onto the ground. “I heard their cries. You don’t know what it’s like to hear the cries of everyone around you.”
“You are part of a team! You tell me there are people in there, and I go and save them. This isn’t just about you anymore, Matt!” Clint says, tears pricking at the edges of his eyes. He doesn’t know if it’s the smoke or the emotion getting to him.
“I’m not used to working with others,” admits Matt with another hacking cough. He wipes the spittle from his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
Matt takes a step towards Clint, but his movements are sluggish. Clint frowns at this, holding his hand out to steady Matt. The man staggers into him, swaying, and then he’s collapsing into Clint’s arms. Shocked, Clint wraps his arms around Matt as they both sink to the ground, protecting his head from hiding the cold, hard concrete of the floor.
“Help! Someone help!” Clint cries out as he shakes Matt’s shoulders, trying to get him to respond.
EMTs rush towards them. Without hesitating, one of them takes Matt’s helmet off, and so Clint shields his face from any potential onlookers. Soon Matt has an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, and Clint is comforted by the wheezing breaths that he takes into it.
One EMT pries open Matt’s eyelids and flashes a light into them. There’s no reaction from his pupil, as expected, however the EMT is now frantically inspecting Matt’s other eye. Clint, still cradling Matt’s head in his lap, simply says in a soft, low tone, “He’s blind. No light perception.”
“He’s Daredevil,” EMT One says with a frown as she pockets her light. “How can he be blind?”
“There are other ways to see,” Clint says with a shrug.
Suddenly, Daredevil is stirring beneath him. He’s wheezing and coughing and gasping for breath as he comes into consciousness, and he starts wrestling with the mask over his face.
“Shh, you’re fine. Keep it on, Mattie,” Clint says to him gently, putting a hand over the mask to prevent him from ripping it off and doing more harm than good.
“He should be fine. It’s smoke inhalation,” EMT One says to him, still looking shocked at the fact that a superhero could be blind.
“Please don’t tell anyone about this,” Clint says. He could call Tony up and get their lawyers involved, however he’s trying to count on human decency today.
“HIPAA,” the EMT responds with a small smile as she hurries off to attend to more injured.
“You’re an absolute idiot, you know that, Matt?” Clint says to Daredevil, whose eyes are now closed as he focus on taking in deep breaths. Matt lets out a little smile and sticks his thumb up.
“I don’t know how Foggy and Karen put up with you,” continues Clint as he starts digging in his pocket for his phone. With one hand, he sends off a quick text to Bruce to get ready in the MedBay, because his favourite and most often injured patient will be back. “I would be worried sick constantly if you were my partner. I mean, I’m worried sick about you anyway, but I think that would add an extra layer of worry to the pile.” Clint rambles on, which Matt seems to find helpful, as soon he's taking in deep, unlaboured breaths, and is pushing himself into a sitting position.
He still leans against Clint, but now is sitting up, one hand holding the oxygen mask against his face. His other hand is covering his eyes in an attempt to keep his face covered. Clint, looking around, can see there is no one close enough to be able to identify him, however he knows Matt has no clue if there are cameras around.
Eventually, Matt removes the mask from his face and turns towards Clint.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Matt says to him. “I think it’s time for me to hang my suit up, at least for now.”