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Matthew Murdock didn't even know how it happened. One day he was fighting bad guys, and the next he was training a protege. The only problem was Matt hadn't told Frank about Blindspot, aka Samual Chung. Matt was sure that Frank wouldn't have approved, so he thought about telling not Frank he was training a kid, well teenager, but Samuel was a kid compared to him and Frank. Matt always was biased about bringing kids and teenagers into the vigilante lifestyle as the younger would either be targeted more or easier to kill, but how could he ignore someone who wanted to help others?
Samuel Chung had first approached Matt after he had defeated some Hand ninjas with his invisibility suit, begging Matt to train him. Matt had to admit he was impressed when Samuel had figured out his identity. However, Matt originally told Samuel no and gave him his 'children shouldn't be a vigilante' speech which Samual promptly ignored. Matt gave in the third time Samuel came to him. Matt couldn't bear sending Samuel off a third time and figured that if he didn't train Samuel, someone more dangerous and with less than good intentions would. Thus began the mentorship of Blindspot.
Matt quickly grew fond of Samuel. Matt liked how smart, kind, and somewhat reckless he was. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen saw parts of himself in Samuel. He immediately started to train Samuel in the ways of fighting. First, he started off by bringing Samuel to Fogwell's. Secondly, he trained Sam similarly to the way Stick trained him. He wasn't as hard on Sam and he never taught Sam to push away his friends and people who care about him. He didn't want Samuel to end up like him or Stick. The third phase was Matt training Samuel in the streets at night.
On the other hand, Frank Castle knew exactly how it happened. He was put on patrol one night when he heard a scream coming from an alley. He promptly went for the alley, but when he had gotten there, he saw Amy Bendix standing over some men with a gun pointed at their bodies. Frank could easily tell Amy wasn't a shooter. The gun was still in safety, and she wasn't holding the trigger right.
Frank immediately decided to train Amy. He saw the potential in her and figured if he didn't teach her, she would look to other, more dangerous people. He just needed to keep it a secret from Matt because he didn't need to listen to his 'we don't bring children into this line of work' speech for the umpteenth time. Frank could count how many times Matt gave him the speech. This time, he intended to make sure his husband wouldn't find out about Amy until she was fully trained and ready to become a full-fledged vigilante.
With both vigilantes training a protege, things between them began to get tense. Matt couldn't remember the last time he and Frank actually sat down and spent quality time together, and Frank couldn't remember the last time he and Matt actually slept together, both a sin in it of itself. Both highly trained men were getting suspicious of the other, and both assumed the worst.
Matt Murdock was sure Frank was hiding something. Every time Matt would try to bring his suspicious actions up, Frank would always change the subject. Since Samuel was having a few days off, Matt was sitting on the roof of a nearby building from his office building. He tried to block out the noises of the city and focused on his breathing.
"I know you're there, Clint," he spoke up, hearing the archer approach him from behind. "What brings you to Hell's Kitchen?"
"Is it a crime to want to visit a friend?" Clint Barton, Hawkeye, smirked as he sat down next to Matt. "Are you planning to patrol tonight? Because doing it in a suit and no mask seems counter-productive." He placed his bow next to him. "What's bothering you? You have this 'I'm worried about something, but I don't know what' look."
Matt softly chuckled, shaking his head. "A lot of things, I guess." He shrugged, turning his head toward Clint. "Umm, so, I got a protege, and I haven't told Frank yet…" he trailed off, wondering to himself if he should express his concerns to Clint, who had his own family.
"What? The mister 'children don't belong in our line of work' Daredevil has a protege?" Clint gaped, eyes wide in shock. "Wow. Was not expecting that." He eyed Matt closely. "But that's not all, is it? There's something else bothering you. Something more important."
Matt's shoulders sagged. "Of course, you would notice," he sighed. "Things have been rocky these past few months between Frank and me. I know he's hiding something, but he always changes the subject. I love him, but I can't help but think...well, you know what." He tightly gripped the edge of the roof, his knuckles turning white.
"Hey, I get it," Clint replied. "Laura and I used to have arguments about some of my missions I wasn't allowed to talk about." He chuckled. "I still have arguments with Lila and Cooper about my missions. Things will get better if you just tell him the truth." He patted Matt on the back. "On the other hand, you have to bring your protege on a joint mission with Kate and me."
"His name is Samuel Chung," Matt found himself telling Clint. "He built his own invisibility suit." He proceeded to tell Clint about how talented Samuel was and how much he cared for the teenager. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm getting too attached. Stick always taught me to never get attached," he bitterly laughed, "and look how well that turned out. I worry that I made the wrong decision with Sam. I don't want to be the reason he gets killed in the field."
"Don't worry about it, Matt. That will get Sam killed," Clint said in a serious tone. "Don't second guess yourself. Protect the kid in the ways you can. Just remember you can't save anyone from themselves." He picked up his phone when he heard it ring. "Kate needs me. I gotta run." He got to his feet. "Matt, things will get worse if you keep hiding secrets."
Matt heard Clint leave and he, too, got up. Taking in a deep breath, he decided he would tell Frank that night. He didn't want to ruin his relationship over a mentorship. Shivering against the cool wind, Matt made his way back to his shared apartment that he lived in with Frank.
On the other side of Hell's Kitchen, Frank Castle sat in a diner with his best friend, Billy Russo. Both were on their third cup of coffee. The diner was mostly empty, and the two ex-marines were chatting over miscellaneous stuff before Frank cleared her throat.
"Uhh, listen here, Billy," he started. "I need to talk to ya 'bout somethin'." Billy raised an interested eyebrow in response. "Ya see, Red's been acting weird lately." He shook his head with a chuckle. "I barely see 'im anymore, and he seems to be hiding something. Ya see, I don't want to lose him, but I also don't want to be used, Ya understand?" He looked at Billy with a concerned look.
"I think I understand that you think Matt may be keeping dangerous secrets from you?" He took a sip of his coffee and rolled his eyes. "Listen, Frankie, couples fight and argue all the time, and they keep secrets. However, those kinds of couples quickly fall apart. You two should be honest with each other. Tell him about Amy. I'm almost positive he thinks something's up with you." Billy set down his mug and stared at his best friend.
"Are you serious?" Frank glared at Billy, sighing when he knew Billy wasn't going to back down. "That will just lead to another argument."
"You don't know that," Billy interjected, leaning forward. "Trust me. Don't keep secrets from him, and he won't keep secrets from you." He smirked and finished his coffee. "I'm your best friend. Have faith in me, and have faith in Matt. You two obviously love each other." He stood up and put on his black trenchcoat. "Talk to him. I have to go, but this was nice." He gave Frank a sort of sad smile before walking away.
Frank watched Billy walk away with a confused look. He opened his mouth to call out to his friend but closed it when Billy left the diner. "Alright, no more secrets." He grabbed his coat and phoned Amy. "Hey, kid, how about you meet me on the rooftop of Nelson and Murdock?"
Once he and Amy were situated, Frank called Matt, which went to voicemail. "Hey, Red, meet me at the roof of your office." He put his phone back into his pocket and left the diner to find Amy and get answers from his spouse.
A few hours later, Frank and Amy were chilling on the rooftop of Nelson and Murdock. The older man had already checked to make sure both Karen and Foggy were gone, which they were. Amy played with a deck of cards, clearly bored. "Are you sure he's gonna show?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He should–" Frank was cut off by two thuds. He turned around to see Matt with another kid, who looked a little nervous. "Red? Who's the kid?" Both adults asked each other, staring at Sam and Amy. (In Matt's case, head tilted in Amy's direction.)
Matt cleared his throat. "Oh, umm, Frank, meet Samuel, my protege? Before you give me a hypocritical comment, I know I broke my rule. It's my fault, and I should have told you about Sam. I just didn't want to cause any problems and–"
"–Red, shut up," Frank cut into Matt's rambling by grabbing his arm and turning Matt's head to look at Frank. "We both made that mistake," he softly smiled. "It's okay. I'm not mad. If I'm bein' honest, I am more disappointed in us jumping to conclusions."
Matt smiled and softly chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sorry." He hugged Frank and turned back to Sam. "Sam, meet Frank. Frank, meet Sam. Did you know he created his own invisibility suit?"
"This kid did that?" Frank eyed Sam, who looked back at him. "Impressive. Sam, Matt, meet Amy. She's the badass I've been training." Amy waved at them, popping her chewing gum. "Since we both made fools of ourselves, I say we take the kids home and have some quality time," he smirked at Matt.
Matt rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smile. "Subtle much? Sam, you know you're way back?" he asked the teenage male.
"Of course, teach," Sam grinned, giving Matt a two-finger salute. "See ya around. Bye, Frank. It was nice meeting you. Amy, we should hang out." He sent the others a warm smile before heading back to his small apartment.
"Yeah, bye," Amy chuckled, putting away her cards. She stood up and zipped her hoodie, shivering when a cool breeze started up. "I'm gonna head home, have fun you two." She smirked at the two lovebirds and seemingly went in the same direction that Sam went.
"Let's go home, Red," Frank smiled, picking up the younger man bridal style, smirking at the small yelp Matt made.
"Yeah, let's go home," Matt agreed.