Matt Murdock Shorts

Dumpster Boys

Matt's making his way home from a night of getting his ass handed to him. He's exhausted, and in pain, and is planning on pulling you close and passing out the second he gets home. Then he hears meowing coming from an alley he's passing. It's not an uncommon thing but tonight it tugs at his heartstrings. He finds himself walking down the alley and crouching down by a pile of garbage. He listens as little paws make the trash bag crinkle as they walk across it.

"Hey, kittykitty, come here." Matt makes little kissing noises as the cat follows his voice. "Come here. Kittykittykitty." He laughs to himself, imagining the criminals he apprehends watching him try to coax this kitten out of the garbage.

The cat makes a little half purr half meow as it hears Matt's voice. When it gets close enough, Matt scratches behind its ears, before he picks it up. "Hey, little guy. Are you all alone?"

The cat stops it's purring to meow at Matt.

"Yeah?" Matt holds him closer. "Okay. you don't have to be alone anymore."

-0-

"Foggy, it's just until her birthday."

"Are you sure you're going to get the reaction you're wanting by giving your girlfriend a stray cat you found in the garbage?"

"I'm 95% sure. She told me about her cat that she had before he got old and died. He was feral when he was a kitten and she loved him. I don't think she'd ever get an animal that wasn't a rescue."

"Of course not. She's dating you."

Matt furrows his brows. "What?"

"Oh, come on. You're over there with your puppy eyes- that are too effective for a blind man, might I add. And your recklessness and your Catholic guilt. Claire literally found you in a dumpster and saved you, for Christ's sake. You are this cat. And that's not even counting that you're both gingers."

"So will you keep him here?"

Foggy sighs. "Yeah, fine."

"Thanks, buddy, I owe you one."

"Yeah, I'll add it to your tab."

-0-

You wake up in an empty bed on your birthday. It's disappointing but not surprising. Your disappointment melts away though when you notice a note in Matt's messy scrawl on his pillow.

I was hoping you'd sleep through this, but since you're up, I'm getting breakfast. Be home soon.

With that knowledge, you wrap the covers tighter around yourself and let yourself drift back to sleep.

-0-

You wake to the bed dipping with a familiar weight. You poke your head out of the covers to see Matt getting situated against the headboard.

"Hey, Matt."

"Hey." He murmurs, kissing your head as you sit up next to him. "I got you something."

"You didn't have to."

He laughs. "Well, it's for both of us."

"It's not lingerie, is it?"

"If it was, I'd be feeling pretty dumb right about now. I'm pretty sure that's the exact tone you used last April when you had to file your taxes. And no, it's not lingerie. If it makes you feel better, I found it in the trash."

"Is it you?"

He throws his head back. "That was one time. Claire is going to ruin any chance I had at looking like a badass to you."