Shook Hands With the Devil

Chapter 3 - Umbra

AN: Just for clarity's sake, Matt does not realize that you are also Umbra, and vice versa. For now :) Also Matt is currently Daredevil, and you are Umbra

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You got home rather quickly, crisp air motivating you to walk briskly. You passed Mrs. Soddenheim in the lobby of your complex, and she gave you a warm smile. Climbing up three flights of stairs, you made it to your humble abode. Locking the door behind you, you walked inside, quickly shoving off your shoes.

As you shuffled out of your work clothes, you began to select your attire for the night. You prefer to wear all black, to become one with the shadows completely. You opted for a pair of black cargo pants that were loose enough to move freely, and a thin black turtleneck for your top.

Additionally, you put on a pair of black leather gloves and a voice-mod necklace that was gifted to you by an old friend, and a black bandanna that covered the lower half of your face. Tying your hair back, out of reach of any hands, you exit through the fire escape stairs, eager to get out on the streets.

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Matt could hear your footsteps as you made your way to where he was. He stood atop some random building in Hell's Kitchen, maybe an apartment complex based on the sounds he heard coming from it.

"Hey Horns," he heard from behind him, and he chuckled at the nickname given to him.

"You're awfully loud today," he replied, noting the lack of wraithing. You were one with the night, so he's been told. You can turn into a puff of blackness, practically a wraith. You could move through walls, through people, through attacks. You were also incredibly silent, which is why he noted the loud footsteps.

"Well, saying last time I snuck up on you I was nearly thrown off a building," you remarked, and Matt could hear the voice modulator whirring. He could sense your presence approaching him, so he turned around to where he thought you were.

"So," you began, "hear anything with your freaky hearing, Horns? Any robberies or break-ins to prevent?" You sat at the edge of the building, feet swinging over the drop.

Matt always liked working with you. You held the same moral code as him, which made things run very smoothly. You were also a formidable fighter, and he never had to worry about someone getting the best of him when you were working with him. The banter between the two of you made his normally lonely nights ones of laughter and ease.

You started patrolling Hell's Kitchen about a year ago. His first encounter with you was intense, to say the least.

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Matt had been tracking this new vigilante in Hell's Kitchen, and they were referred to as Umbra. He had learned of you dismantling a human trafficking ring that had begun to mass kidnap younger kids, and he just had to meet the elusive ghost of Hell's Kitchen.

He had the last laugh. Before his senses could even detect another person, you were tackling him to the ground.

"Why have you been following me," you had hissed in his ear. Instead of responding, he had flipped you over, and pinned your wrists to the ground above them. Instead of struggling, as Matt anticipated, you turned to smoke in his hands, and he stumbled with the lack of person under him, his face almost hitting the cold ground.

A foot pressed into the nape of his neck, not hard enough to choke him, but enough to practically pin him down.

"Why. Are. You. Following. Me." you emphasize each word with a firmer push on his nape. He shot a hand behind him, latching onto your ankle. He pulled, hard, and you let out a surprised yelp. Instead of the normal thunk of a body hitting the ground, there was nothing. You had turned back into a fog, and you reappeared in front of him.

Matt kicked at you with a hefty thrust of his leg, and you evaded. He punched at you, jabbing and crossing, slowly cornering you into a wall. You parried each punch with expertise, professionally trained like Matt was.

You two sparred for a good two minutes, with each of you dodging the other's punches and kicks. Finally, you had gotten the upper hand, and you landed a blow to the back of Matt's knee, causing him to fall. With a thrust you kicked him in the back, shoving him into the ground, his face rubbing against the gravel.

You had crouched beside him, cocking your head as you analyzed him. You could only see the lower half of his stubbled face, and Matt looked to where he believed your eyes were.

"What are you waiting for," he grumbled, his face half mushed into the floor. "Kill me." Matt thought that this would be a worthy end, a finale to all the pain he caused.

"No."

You had said it with some much force that Matt was slightly taken aback. No one would give up the opportunity to kill the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. He felt your hand intertwine with his, and you huffed as you began to pull him up. Matt, obviously heavier than you, helped alleviate some of the weight by putting his legs up from underneath him.

You brushed off some of the dust that had gotten onto his back shirt as your hands left his. He missed the contact instantly. "Answer me this time. Why were you following me?"

"I had heard that you dismantled a human trafficking ring, and y'know," he gestured to himself "I was curious. Normally someone with your abilities wouldn't use them to help others. So I wanted to make you my acquaintance. Sorry if I creeped you out."

"Thanks?" you had said, an air of confusion in your voice. This was not how Matt expected this encounter to go. "I'm Umbra, by the way."

Matt nodded at you. "Daredevil. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He smirked, and he mentally noted the uptick in your heartbeat. He didn't know that this encounter would flower into a trusted work partner and a confidant. If he could do it with Umbra, then maybe he could do it with you.

Since then, you had been dubbed the Devil's ghost, since you were always seen with him, fighting alongside him. The Devil and His Ghost were the talk of the town, the masked vigilantes protecting Hell's Kitchen.

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"Horns, you hear me? Your ears plugged up?" you jabbed at Daredevil, noticing his sudden stillness as if recollecting something. That seemed to snap him out of the trance-like state he was in.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking," he replied.

"Well don't think too hard. You might break something."

"Ha," Daredevil deadpanned, but a ghost of a smile was evident on his lips.

"Come on now, I'm hilarious!" you exclaimed, kicking your feet out for emphasis.

"Ha. Ha. There, you get a second one. You're welcome."

"Let's go!" you pumped your arm in a celebratory motion, gloating in the face of this "victory".

Suddenly, you notice Daredevil still beside you, all humor was gone from his expression. "Horns? What's goin' on?" You stood up to stand next to the red-clad man, his body rigid with anticipation.

His voice was gruff when he responded, sending shock-waves through your core. "Follow me."