Chapter Text
The real reason they usually ended up at Matt's place wasn't so much the kitchen, or even the silk sheets, as it was the fact that Matt could sneak back in after his patrols. Foggy still didn't get him in bed the whole night, but he did get more of him than he might have otherwise.
That morning, however, something felt off. Foggy was colder than he was supposed to be – it turned out his favorite blind ninja was a champion cuddler – and his first sleepy thought was to wonder if Matt had never made it back to bed. That was enough to jerk him fully awake, reaching across the bed in a panic before he'd even opened his eyes. If Matt was off bleeding somewhere....
"Foggy. Hey." Matt's voice was low and warm, his hand catching Foggy's as his side of the bed suddenly dipped. "It's okay."
Foggy opened his eyes, the fear washing out of him in a rush. "Matt." He let out a breath. "Don't do that again, okay? I was afraid for a second you'd never made it back home last night."
There was a moment of shock on Matt's face – clearly, he'd never thought that part through – followed instantly by a rush of guilt. "Damn it, that didn't even occur to me. I'm sorry, Foggy."
"Hey, I'm fairly flexible as long as you're not actually bleeding out in an alleyway somewhere." Foggy let go of Matt only long enough to sit up, then immediately reclaimed his hand. "But in the future, I'd rather you be in the immediate vicinity even if you have insomnia. I'd rather wake up to you fidgeting than...."
"...like you did," Matt finished, pressing a kiss against the back of Foggy's hand. "I promise."
The tone of his voice was suddenly too serious, almost like a vow, and it was Foggy's turn to feel guilty. The last thing he wanted to do was trigger any of Matt's self-punishing tendencies. "Hey, don't do that. You're fine, I'm fine. Turns out I'm just slightly clingier than I thought I was." He tugged Matt closer for a proper good morning kiss. "Besides, forcing your heightened senses to deal with my morning breath is probably punishment enough."
Matt smiled against Foggy's mouth. "Kissing you more than makes up for it," he murmured, stealing another one.
Foggy melted, more than ready to pull Matt back down onto the bed and give them both a proper start to the day. Before he could, though, Matt broke the kiss. "I ... kind of made you something." He sounded hesitant, almost nervous. "It's ... you don't have to actually do anything with it. I just wanted to—"
"Matt." Remembering the conversation they'd had the day before, Foggy's chest went tight. At this point, he was prepared to wear a crown made of gum wrappers into court if that's what Matt had made for him. "Show me."
Matt hesitated for another moment, then pressed something into Foggy's hand. He looked down at what turned out to be a black braided bracelet that first looked like it was made of thick cords. Upon closer inspection, however, he realized that they were actually strips of fabric, twisted together really tightly so they could be braided.
He thought, suddenly, of the fabric that Matt had used as a mask when Foggy had found him in the middle of his floor. He didn't know if it was the same fabric – didn't quite dare ask – but even the reminder felt like it meant something important.
Matt cleared his throat, Foggy's heartbeat clearly not giving him enough of a response. "Listen, it was probably a stupid idea." He reached out to take it back. "You can just—"
Foggy yanked it out of the way. "The only reason you'd better be taking this bracelet back, Murdock, is if you're going to put it on me."
Matt stopped, hand still hovering in the air. "Really?"
"Yes, really." He handed the bracelet back to Matt, then held up his wrist. "My fashion destiny awaits."
The tension left Matt's face, his sunlight grin flashing as he tied the bracelet onto Foggy's wrist. His hands lingered afterward, thumb tracing over Foggy's pulse. "There," he said softly. "Feel free to take it off whenever."
Foggy leaned forward for another kiss. "I'm planning on never."
Matt chuckled. "Maybe in the shower."
Foggy grinned. "Okay, maybe the shower."
000
Once they made it into work, Karen noticed the bracelet almost immediately. "It's cute, but not exactly your usual style," she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Was it a gift?"
"Yep," Foggy said brightly, gesturing to Matt. "Turns out he's got secret crafting skills he's never told us about."
Surprised, she turned to Matt, and the pleased embarrassment on his face told her everything she needed to know. "Oh, how adorable." She looked absolutely delighted, immediately grabbing Foggy's arm so she could get a closer look. "Is this a special boyfriends-only bracelet, or can I ask for one, too?"
Matt, clearly surprised by the request, was caught without an answer. "I... why would...." He stopped, still looking bewildered. "You'll have to ask Foggy."
"Hey, I'm not about to deny the world your creative genius." Foggy smiled a little, running his fingertips over the braid. "You'll want to get him some fabric, though. He used the last of what he had on this one."
He had no idea whether that was true, or even if he was right about where the fabric came from, but he didn't want Matt to think he didn't recognize the significance of what he'd been given.
From the look on Matt's face, he understood everything Foggy hadn't said. "Yeah," Matt said. "And I wouldn't trust me to match colors."
Karen laughed, pressing a kiss against Matt's cheek. "I have a scarf you can use that would be perfect. Thank you in advance."
When she left the room, Matt pressed a kiss against Foggy's cheek. "Thank you," he murmured.
Foggy just smiled.