Foggy Nelson knows three things about Mike Murdock:
One: he’s the most arrogant son-of-a-bitch to ever walk the earth. (Apologies to Matt’s mother.)
Two: he’s a shameless flirt. Men, women, every hot person in sight gets a dose of the Murdock charm.
Three: he’s cruel.
That’s the only explanation Foggy has when Mike shows up on days when Matt’s out, gives him a grin and insists on walking him home. Because this is something a friend or a -- a boyfriend does, and as much as Foggy loves Matt, that affection does not extend to his arrogant-flirty-cruel-rascal twin brother.
Mike grabs his arm. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“As you wish,” Foggy says with a sigh. But he doesn’t pull away.
They head down the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. Mike has a spring in his step that Matt doesn’t, and he hums under his breath in a way that Matt never has, and that should be enough to keep Foggy from falling into old habits, but.
“Let’s cross,” he says, when the lights change. And: “There’s a crack in the sidewalk two steps ahead of us.” And: “That guy was checking you out, Ma— Ugh.”
Mike laughs. “I saw.”
Foggy briefly fantasizes about punching him. “What are you even doing this for, anyway? I can’t imagine it’s more fun to harass me than to — do whatever you were doing before you came back into Matt’s life.”
“You’d be surprised.” Mike grins, but doesn’t elaborate.
When they get to Foggy’s apartment, he expects Mike to give him another jab and flounce off. Instead he gets: “Hey, Franklin, I’m thirsty! You going to invite me in?”
Foggy grits his teeth and thinks: This is Matt’s brother. This is Matt’s brother. This is Matt’s brother?
“Sure.”
That’s how he ends up with a self-satisfied Michael Matthew Murdock lying on his couch, drinking his beer and flipping through the channels on his tv. He seems in no hurry to go home, even though he wore out his welcome an hour ago. (He hasn’t even taken off his sunglasses. Only assholes and blind people wear sunglasses indoors.)
At last Foggy steps over and shakes Mike on the shoulder. “Time to go home, buddy. Or so help me, I’ll call Matt and make him deal with you.”
Mike laughs. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have him dealing with you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mike sits up, puts his legs on the coffee table. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed, Franklin! The way he talks about you. Even a blind man would know it! Matthew Michael Murdock is yours for the taking. Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted him.”
That’s the thing about Mike. He’s cruel. It would be so typical of him to come into his brother’s life and ruin it by telling Foggy the lie he wants to hear.
“I resent the implication you’re making.”
Mike looks at him appraisingly. Then, in a sweeping motion that’s more Daredevil than Murdock, he stands. He’s in Foggy’s space. Two inches closer and they’d be kissing.
“What is it, Franklin? Is it that he’s a man?” A pause. “Is it because he’s your best friend and you don’t want to ruin that?” Another pause. “...Is it because he’s blind?”
“...what?”
“That you’re not acting on it. Please, Franklin, the way you look at him! But you’ve never made a move. Is it because he’s blind? What, you don’t want to take advantage of him?” He grins. “Because, let me tell you, I am not blind, and I am fully willing to be taken advantage of.”
Oh.
Oh.
He really should have seen this coming. He’s alone with Mike Murdock. Mike Murdock, who is the identical twin brother of the guy Foggy’s been crushing on and lusting after for ten years. Mike Murdock, who is wearing very tight clothes and a smirk that seems to grow as Foggy blushes.
He hates Mike. He really does. Mike may be similar to Matt physically, but he doesn’t have Matt’s eloquence or kindness or intelligence. He doesn’t smile the way Matt does. He doesn’t listen when Foggy tells stories. He’s just — loud. A showoff. And... somewhat attractive.
But only because he looks like Matt.
“Well, Franklin?”
Foggy thrusts his lips against Mike’s, just to shut him up.
Mike purrs.
Fuck him.
Foggy grabs his arm, intending to lead him to the bedroom and wipe that smirk off his face. Mike stumbles a bit, but he doesn’t seem to mind when Foggy pushes him down and climbs on top of him. Mike grabs Foggy’s hair and pulls him down, and he’s still wearing those ridiculous sunglasses. Foggy reaches to take them off. Mike turns off the bedside lamp, leaving them with only street lamps for light.
Well, that’s just fine.
Mike starts off mouthy as always. Foggy starts angry, pushing and growling. This isn’t making love; this is getting the tension out.
Mike seems to like it rough, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The man dresses in red leather and seems to relish getting blood on his hands, of course he’d be into rough sex.
He keeps his eyes closed.
He moans, and it’s the dirtiest sound Foggy has ever heard.
Does Matt moan like that?
The thought makes Foggy stop mid-thrust. He really shouldn’t be thinking about Matt right now. If there’s anything more awkward than fucking your best friend’s brother, it’s fucking your best friend’s brother while imagining he’s your best friend.
But.
If Foggy closes his eyes, he can see it so clearly. Where Mike is scarred and bruised, Matt would probably have soft, pale skin. Where Mike demands to be fucked quick and hard, Matt would expect a gentler touch. Like making love.
Foggy wants to hurt Mike. He could never hurt Matt.
He’s snapped out of it when Mike snorts. “Done already? Come on, gimme more, I can take it.”
***
It’s always a guess which Murdock will be at the office the next day. Matt and Mike can’t stand to even be in the same room as each other, a quirk Foggy understands especially well now.
He hopes Matt’s in today, though. He has something to confess. (He does not want Matt to find out about last night from Mike. “Haha, I fucked your partner!” might be Mike’s idea of a joke, but nobody else will find it funny.)
Foggy hesitantly steps in the office, looks towards Matt’s desk — and there’s Matt, hair neatly combed, cane leaning against the wall, hands gliding over a page written in Braille.
“Hey, Matty.”
Matt jumps. “Foggy?”
“Yep. Hey, did you hear from Mike since yesterday?”
Matt presses his lips together, then shakes his head. “No. Did something happen?”
And.
And Foggy meant to come in today and come clean, but looking at Matt, he’s suddenly having a hard time coming up with the words.
So he says, “Nah, just wanted to make sure he made it home safe after… you know, the Daredevil stuff.”
“Ah.” Matt smiles and ugh, Foggy does not deserve that smile after what he did last night. “I’m sure he’s alright. My brother is very resilient.”
***
The next day, Matt’s in the office.
“I have something I have to tell you,” Foggy says.
“What is it?”
“You know, um, your brother? How would you feel if, um, I. Kinda. Dated him?”
Matt’s posture changes. He runs a hand through his hair, messing up the neat combing. Foggy can’t believe his eyes.
Mike laughs. “Fooled ya!”
***
The next time he runs into Mike-as-Mike, it’s actually Mike-as-Daredevil. Foggy is walking down a particularly shady street, he’s yanked into an alley, and — there isn’t even time for the would-be mugger to make demands before Daredevil punches him out.
Then he looks at Foggy and smiles, bowing in an exaggerated sort of chivalry. “Mr. Nelson! It’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” Foggy says flatly.
He turns to leave and gets three blocks before the devil is at his heels again.
“Please, let me walk you home, Mr. Nelson.”
“I’m not inviting you in for drinks.”
A pause. “We’ll see.”
And damn him, Mike is right. They end up in bed, again, and Mike keeps his eyes closed the whole time.
***
Matt comes into the office the next day with a pensive look on his face. He doesn’t talk to Karen or Foggy; he just goes to his desk and gets to work. Or tries to, at least. Foggy watches but he doesn’t think Matt is actually getting anything done.
At last he brings a cup of coffee and presses it into Matt’s hands. “You okay, buddy?”
Matt’s voice is soft: “Do you like Mike, Foggy?”
Oh, fuck, Mike’s told him.
“Um. I like him enough, I guess? I mean, I understand why you didn’t want to tell me about him, but, he’s okay.”
“Do you like him more than me?”
“...I am staring at you in confusion. What’s bringing up these questions, Matt?”
Matt sighs, wrapping his hands around the cup as though warming his hands. “I’ve… been thinking. Maybe you’d be happier if I was gone and Mike took my place.”
“...buddy, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m not going to hurt myself,” he says, putting a hand up. “I was just thinking…”
Just thinking about Mike flirting with Karen, sleeping with Foggy, taking up space in the office and probably invading every other area of Matt’s life, too. He had to know Matt suffers from depression like this, just like Foggy knew, and they both betrayed him like this. He’s the worst best friend ever.
Foggy steps around the desk, puts a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Hey, Matty. You’re my best friend. You’re brilliant. You’re -- you’re kind, and brave, and I can’t imagine living without you. Mike? Psh. He’s a novelty. He’ll come and go, but you -- you are the Murdock of ‘Nelson & Murdock’. The place is a lot better with you here.” He squeezes Matt’s shoulder, as a friend does. “I love you, buddy.”
Matt smiles at him.
Then, because he knows an unsupervised sad Matt is a dangerous Matt, Foggy says, “Want to come to my place tonight? We can order pizza and watch movies. Sound good?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
It is wonderful. They watch three movies, Foggy narrating everything on screen, Matt laughing at every joke, and this is what friends do, and it’s perfect.
Matt’s leaning on his shoulder. Two inches closer and they’d be kissing.
Matthew Michael Murdock is yours for the taking.
You’ve never made a move.
What, you don’t want to take advantage of him?
I am fully willing to be taken advantage of.
Do you like him more than me?
Foggy kisses him.
Matt returns the kiss, easily and passionately, like they’ve done this before. This has to be a dream. Foggy has to be dreaming, because Matt’s arms are around him, and. This is way more intense than he’d expected from a first-time experiment, but, hey, he’ll take it. He starts to pull off Matt’s shirt --
-- and Matt freezes.
“I have to go.”
“Matt, I’m sorry --”
“It’s -- it’s fine, it’s not your fault. I just -- I have to go.”
Matt grabs his glasses and his cane and hurries out.
See, Mike, this is exactly why I didn’t make a move.
Foggy buries his face in his hands. So this is his life, huh? The twin he hates is ready to jump into bed with him, the twin he loves panics and runs. Well. Well.
He can’t go on seeing them both like this. Sure, he technically isn’t dating either of them, but it’s still too much like cheating for his taste. A couple mistakes can be forgiven. Continuing to sleep with Mike, especially after tonight, would be difficult to overlook.
***
“Can I walk you home, Franklin?”
“No.”
Mike flinches. “No?”
“We’re done, Mike. What we were doing. Whatever we had, it’s over.” Foggy shakes his head. “I can’t do this to Matt anymore.”
He expects a jab along the lines of Don’t let Matt keep you from having fun, but instead Mike says, “You really care about him, huh?”
“More than anything.”
Mike frowns. Then he laughs, claps Foggy on the back. “You’ve got my blessing, Foggy.”
***
It’s years later, after Mike is dead, that Matt finally feels comfortable with Foggy making love to him. He takes off his shirt and lets Foggy see his scars, and suddenly everything is clear.