Blindsided

It was probably not his smartest idea. But when had Matt ever thought before he acted?

After his call to Foggy, he managed to slip out of the compound. Now he was wandering aimlessly in the woods that stretched around the building, trying to figure out what to do.

He didn’t really know where he was going but he wasn’t going to admit that he was lost. Because he wasn’t. It’s just that the sounds of nature were calming and a nice contrast against the harsh and loud noises produced by human technology, it was easy to focus on those.

Every sound was new to his ears, the smells fresh and soft against his nose.

The sounds of the birds were new, so different from the birds in the city. He heard squirrels and beavers and deer and butterflies. He heard every leave rustle as the wind blew through them. And if he really focussed, he could even hear the air move the treetops, the creaking of the wood that had been around for decades.

His shoes had been discarded a while back, his toes brushing against the soft grass. The ground was damp, twigs snapped as he walked further into the woods.

His fingers brushed against trees, feeling every indent and every movement of the ants crawling up the bark.

Foggy would definitely find Matt’s new obsession with nature amusing.

*

The elevator dinged as Tony stepped out on the third floor. In his hand, he was holding a white cane that he and Peter had been working on for their guest.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive at Daredevil’s door and he knocked.

When there was no answer he knocked again, an impatient huff leaving his lips. “Hello? Horns, you in there?” he called.

The silence that followed made Tony frown. Daredevil rarely left his room, only to train and Tony had already checked the gym.

“Fri, locate Horns for me, will you?”

“He left the building two hours and forty-three minutes ago,” FRIDAY answered.

“Where’d he go?”

“It appears that Daredevil has wandered into the woods, sir.”

“Shit,” Tony groaned. A newly blind vigilante alone in an unknown building was one thing, but a newly blind vigilante in woods that he didn’t know? Yeah, that called for trouble.

Tony had no doubt that Daredevil could handle himself but it was their fault he’d lost his sight. He wasn’t going to allow the man to end up getting lost or even more hurt on his property.

“FRI, let Cap know I need him to come to my lab,” Tony said, turning to head back to the elevator.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked as soon as the doors to Tony’s lab slid open. The distinct smell of burned metal and motor oil hit his nostrils as he took in his friend.

“Your plan of letting Horns roam around without guidance has proven to be faulty,” Tony said.

The Super Soldier frowned. “What happened?”

“He’s in the woods.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “I gathered that, but what happened?” he asked, obviously missing the meaning.

Tony rolled his eyes. “No, he literally is in the woods. He left the Compound and decided to play outside about three hours ago.”

“And you think he’s in trouble?” Steve crossed his arms. He understood Tony’s reluctance of letting the now blind vigilante roam around free, but he knew Daredevil could handle himself.

“I don’t know. But I’m not letting him get hurt on my watch again,” Tony admitted.

Dum-E rolled over to its master and Tony petted its arm absentmindedly. The robot let out a series of happy chirps.

“It wasn’t your fault, Tony,” Steve said. He still felt guilty about not giving up the secrets even though Daredevil had assured him that he didn’t blame him. It definitely wasn’t Tony’s fault, though.

“Let’s not do this again,” Tony said. “I’m going to find him and I need your help. The woods are massive.”

Steve sighed. “Fine, I’ll help. But I’m sure D is fine.”

“Which way?” Steve asked when they crossed the first three lines of trees.

“Camera’s showed him heading that way.” Tony pointed vaguely to his right. “Can you hear anything?”

Steve shook his head. “Nothing but birds chirping.”

Eventually they reached a clearing and Tony let his eyes wander over the wide space. He let his gaze rest on something out of the ordinary and he walked over.

“Are those?” Steve asked, walking over.

“Yeah, they’re his shoes.” Tony shot Steve a look. “Still think everything’s fine?”

Steve pursed his lips, shaking his head. “Let’s keep looking.”

*

Matt jolted awake as his body shook. He barely registered the hand on his shoulder before his body moved on autopilot.

With a thud, he slammed the person in front on him on the ground, his hands reaching for the throat.

“Woah!” another person exclaimed. “You’re okay, Horns! It’s just Steve and Tony.”

Matt blinked, breathing hard as he became aware of his surroundings.

He was in the woods. There was someone on his left, their heartbeat slightly raised. The smell of motor oil clung around him and Matt dropped his hands when he recognised him.

The person under him moved and Matt scrambled backwards, his back pressing against a tree.

“Daredevil?” Steve asked. Matt heard him move until he was on his knees in front of Matt. “You with us?”

Matt focussed on the steady thrum of the soldier’s heartbeat before he nodded. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Then he frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Tony let out a laugh. “Could ask you the same thing, Horns. What caused you to wander out into the woods?”

Matt lowered his fist, that was still balled into a fist. His fingers moved to the soft grass, grounding himself. Right, he was in the forest.

“Needed fresh air,” he replied. “The air is too superficial inside.”

“And you thought that taking a walk in the woods was a smart idea?” Steve frowned. “You could’ve ended up lost.”

Daredevil was staring straight ahead, his eyes unfocused and moving around quickly. His fingers were digging into the ground.

It reminded Steve of the first days after his injection with the serum. The way everything seemed to have been heightened and overwhelming. He hadn’t been able to focus on anything either, had felt like clawing at his own ears or nose. He couldn’t imagine what it was for the other man to have to rely sorely on his other senses now that his sight was gone.

Daredevil shook his head. “I’m not lost,” he mumbled but he didn’t bother to elaborate.

Tony shot Steve a look.

Steve shrugged.

“Well, you ready to go back? We’re having a team night tonight, you should come,” Tony said, trying not to let the worry settle in his chest. He didn’t know Daredevil, he didn’t know if this was how he dealt with things. He didn’t want to feel worried for him.

“Sure,” Matt agreed, getting to his feet. His senses were still overworking, his hearing seemed to zone in on different noises all at once. First, it was the sound of a squirrel eating a nut, next it was a heartbeat from someone in the compound, then it was the rustling of leaves as a deer passed through. It was giving him a headache. It took everything in him not to scream or curl into a ball hoping it would drown out the noises or the smells or the feeling of the cheap cotton of his shirt rubbing against his skin.

He could deal with it. He had dealt with worse, had once stood in court while he was bleeding. He could deal with a little bit of too much stimulation. He was fine.