Find Home {Matt Murdock x daughter!reader}

Devils Don't Fly {Chapter 8}

Warnings: mentions of kidnapping

Word count: 1122

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Laying in bed, I clutch the note Karen gave me with all my heart. A sign of the outside with instructions to escape. I can't hear the hustle and bustle of the city from where I am; it's just silence and it's keeping me awake.

Honestly, I'm afraid I'll be killed if I try to escape, but it's my only chance to protect my dad and put Fisk back in jail. Quietly, I tiptoe into the kitchen, the loud snores coming from Fisk's room tell me he's asleep. The kitchen looks different at night, much more alone and empty.

I know there are guards outside the door, waiting. My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me out of my trance. I check it, but it's just an alert from the weather app. It's going to rain hard tonight.

Silently, I find my way to a window, opening it just enough so I can push my way through. It's a long way down, but I'm desperate to escape, so I'll just be careful climbing. I inch my way onto the ledge, slow and steady. Once I'm fully out, I close the window behind me.

This will require some patience.

My phone buzzed, startling me, but I pause to see who it was. A call from my dad. Answering it, I huff, "Now is not the time!"

"I'm aware. Wait right where you are. I'll come to get you," he tells me, hanging up. I look down at the ground, imagining the cartoon exaggeration of the depth for a second, realizing I could fall. Not really feeling like listening to him right now, I inch my way to the corner of the building, trying to see how I could get down.

A nearby building's roof is only a few floors down from here, so if I climb, maybe I'll make it. Turning my body slightly, I find a foothold for a window below me. Climbing down slowly, I try not to alert anyone inside. Hopefully.

One floor down, two more to go. I repeat this process twice, about an hour passing since I first stepped out. It's better to be slow than speedy. If the tortoise and the hare had ever taught me anything is to not rush stuff. Now all that's left is to make my way to the roof of the other building.

I'd say the gap between the two buildings is about ten feet, way too much if I tried to jump. "Rylanne," I hear a low voice from the shadows across from me. The figure of my dad peeks through.

"Hi," I greet, still trying not to fall.

"If you keep going about twenty more feet, there's a tree you can climb down," he tells me. Lo and behold, there it is. A nice oak tree about five feet from the building is just perfect.

I slide my way down there carefully, inching ever so slightly to the tree. As soon as I get there, I find a branch on the tree I can hold on to. It's just big enough to hold me for a few seconds as I find one larger to stand on.

Foggy's sister and my aunt have a house in the suburbs with a tree and I used to climb it all the time with my cousins. Climbing my way down this one, I reach the ground. I let out a sigh of relief. My dad must have gone down the fire escape, because he's right next to me, pulling his black mask off.

"Karen told me to escape," I explain, still not fully safe yet as we embrace in a long-lost hug.

"I know, sweetie. Let's get you home," he tells me, taking my hand. We race down the alleyway, forcing our way past a barking dog who was, luckily, chained up. My dad hails a taxi and we enter it.

"Where we going?" the guy asks, not really caring that there might be someone running from the FBI in his vehicle. Taxi drivers are cool like that.

My dad tells him the church's address and the guy takes off. Finally, I can breathe. I've been trapped in Fisk's apartment for about a week now, missing school, friends, and my family. My dad turns to me and in a hushed whisper, he asks, "Are you alright?" He already knows the answer, but he wants to hear it from me.

"I'm fine," I tell him, realizing just how exhausted I am. I can't believe that only two weeks ago, I had just found out he was alive. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Pretty soon, Fisk will find out you're missing and send out his men to find you," he starts, "You can't go to school or leave the church at all. It's not safe."

"I know," I lean my head against his shoulder.

"Leave your phone here in the taxi so he won't track you. I'll get you a new one later," he instructs and I take it out of my pocket, shoving it under the seat. "Good," he kisses my forehead as I close my eyes to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof of the taxi.

I wake up, still a bit groggy from my short nap, as the car pulls over in front of the church. We exit and I'm led to the basement with all of the crypts, where I saw my dad again for the first time in a long time. Sister Maggie was waiting for us.

"Rylanne? You're safe," Sister Maggie hugs me tight as soon as she sees me.

"Hi," I smile a little, unsure of what to do. This is where I'm going to be staying for the unforeseeable future.

"Rylanne," my dad starts, "Can we talk?" I nod and Sister Maggie steps out of the room to give us privacy. And probably eavesdrop.

"What's wrong?" I ask, noticing he looks a bit upset.

He hesitates, fumbling over his words for a second before he finally says, "I'm sorry for being a bad father." I pause as well, unsure how to respond, an awkward silence filling the void for a second.

"You aren't," I respond.

"But... I-" he sighs before he goes to sit down, a bit confused. He rubs his temples, a clear sign of a headache forming.

"You may have made mistakes, but that doesn't mean you're a bad dad," I tell him, hoping that will get through to him. Sitting next to him, I take a deep breath. "I know I lashed out at you, but... I just needed some time to process what was happening, you know?" I explain.

"I know. You're right," he says, but something behind his eyes tells me he doesn't entirely believe it...

"Love you, dad," I tell him, sighing a little.

"Love you, too, sweetie," he smiles sadly.

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A/N: Their relationship is a work in progress, but it's getting better