Work Text:
Foggy sticks his head out of his office door.
“Hey Karen?” he calls down the hall.
“Yeah?”
“Has Matt gotten in yet? I haven’t seen him today.”
Karen hesitates before answering. “No, I haven’t seen him.”
Foggy leaves his office and walks over to Karen’s desk. “And he hasn’t called in or anything?”
“Not that I’ve noticed, and I’ve been here for two hours.” She taps at the answering machine on her desk. “Looks like he hasn’t left any messages either. I tried calling him about half an hour ago but it went straight to voicemail. His phone is probably off.”
Foggy exhales slowly. “Shit… Sometimes he forgets to turn on his alarm. Or maybe he’s sick… or…” He trails off.
“Why don’t you go check on him. I’ll hold down the fort. It’s not like we have loads of clients today anyway.” Karen places a hand on Foggy’s arm. “I know you’re worried about him. Just go.”
Foggy startles when Karen touches him. “You sure about that?”
“Very.”
Foggy flashes her a grateful grin and runs back to his office. He reappears carrying his coat, keys, and briefcase and dashes towards the door.
“I’ll let you know what’s up, don’t worry.”
Karen smiles at him. “Be nice to him, ok?”
“I wouldn’t dream of anything else.” He closes the door behind him and runs down the stairs to his car.
***
No less than 15 minutes later Foggy reaches Matt’s apartment. He raps at the door and listens for a response. After a full minute of waiting he takes out the spare key from his wallet and opens the door a crack.
“Matt?” he calls into the room. “You ok?”
His heart rate jumps at the lack of a reply and he walks through the door, closing and locking it behind him. He turns on a light and makes his way through the main living area to Matt’s room, noting the place’s complete disarray. As he walks he picks up some of the books and clothing strewn around the floor and tosses it onto one of the living room couches, all the while trying not to panic about what could have happened to his friend.
His questions are answered upon reaching the bedroom. Matt is curled up in his bed, practically strangling himself with the sheets, his eyes puffy and red.
Foggy kneels beside the bed, gently placing a hand on Matt’s shoulder. The man spasms, quickly swatting away the offending touch. Foggy snaps his arm away.
“Got it. No touching. Sorry.”
Matt rolls over to face his friend. “Foggy?”
Foggy’s eyebrows crease slightly. “Yeah man, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s late. You weren’t at work.”
“Oh… right… sorry,” Matt says, blinking.
Foggy frowns, “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” Matt replies, pulling up the sheets to fully cover himself.
Foggy shakes his head. “Uh huh. You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I… maybe later.”
“Ok,” Foggy hesitantly consents. “When did you last eat?”
“Um… I think it was last night. I'm not sure.”
“You want me to make you something?”
“You’d do that?”
“Sure! You’re my best friend. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
Matt almost smiles. “Really? Nothing?”
“Well… maybe one or two things.” Foggy concedes. “But you know I’d take a bullet for you, and that’s gotta count for something, right?”
Matt chuckles softly. “And I you.”
“I know,” Foggy says, groaning slightly as his knees crack as he stands up. “I’m going to go make you some soup. You ok til I get back?”
Matt nods, almost imperceptibly. “Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” He rolls over again, facing the wall, and tucks the sheets up under his chin.
Foggy glances at his friend once more then turns around and makes his way to the kitchen. Once he’s confident Matt isn’t listening he dials Karen.
“Hey … You were right … Yeah, he slept in … Mhm … He’s pretty sick today … He should be back tomorrow … I’ll let him know … Uh huh … See you then … Bye.”
***
He returns with a tray full of food. A bowl of creamy soup, a plate of crackers, a glass of juice, and a bowl of apple slices. He sets the tray on the floor beside Matt’s bed and sits down next to it, describing to his friend exactly what he brought.
“I’m back. Now what do you want to start with?” Matt pushes himself up in bed and Foggy helps him arrange his pillows to help prop himself up.
Matt stares listlessly at the wall. “I…”
Foggy shakes his head. “Stupid question. Sorry. Here.” He hands Matt the bowl with the apple pieces.
“Thanks,” Matt says, taking the bowl from him. He picks up a slice and examines it before biting off a small chunk. He chews for a moment, then swallows. “You must think I’m completely pathetic.”
Foggy frowns. “Why would I? You’re a goddamn superhero!”
“You know exactly why…” Matt cuts off, as if to let Foggy speak. He’s met with silence - only a soft breathing and rapid heartbeat indicate his friend is still there. “You’d think a ‘superhero’ would be able to get out of bed in the morning. But some days I just… I can’t do it.” His voice cracks and he stops talking, taking another bite of his apple slice to keep himself occupied. He curls his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.
He takes a deep breath and continues. “I couldn’t even pick up the phone to call in sick today.” He dabs at his eyes with his sleeve. “And I tried, Foggy. I really did.”
Foggy slowly reaches out to take Matt’s hand. “I know. I know how life gets for you sometimes. And there’s absolutely no reason to be ashamed of that.”
Matt wipes his eyes again, listening to Foggy’s heartbeat to calm his nerves. “I know you’re right but I still feel worthless.”
“Well you’re not, you hear me?” Foggy says sincerely. “You’re an incredible person. So what if life gets you down sometimes? Everyone deserves to take a personal day or three every now and then.”
Matt’s mouth quirks up. “What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”
Foggy smiles back at him. “Blame the Columbia housing committee.”
Matt laughs lightly, “In that case, thank you for sticking around.”
“I’ll be here whenever you need me. I promise.”
Matt smiles, somewhat broader than before. “Hand me that soup?”
“Gladly.”
***
Matt finishes his food and kicks the bedsheets down to his feet. He runs a hand through his hair and immediately rubs the grease on his pants.
“I think I need a shower…”
“I’ll grab you a towel.”
“Thanks.”
When Foggy gets back, towel in hand, Matt is stripped down to just an old pair boxers. He grabs some spare underwear, a pair of sweatpants, and a t-shirt out of his dresser then takes the towel from his friend and allows himself to be lead to the bathroom.
“I’ll be in the living room if you need me,” Foggy tells him. “I’ll clean things up a bit. Books on the table, clothes on the the back of the couch. Just the basics.”
Matt nods. “I’ll meet you there.”
***
Matt walks into the living room, still rubbing at his hair with the towel. He tosses it onto a chair and sinks down onto one of his couches, curling up into a ball.
“Feeling any better?” Foggy asks, draping a throw-blanket over Matt’s shoulders.
“A bit,” Matt replies. “At least I don’t stink anymore.”
Foggy grins, sitting down on the end of the couch. “Always a good thing.”
“Can you-” Matt starts, then abruptly pauses.
“Can I what?” Foggy asks cautiously.
“Can you stay for a while?”
“I can stay for as long as you need me.”
“And Karen’s ok with that?”
“Yeah, I called her earlier. It’s all fine.”
Matt stiffens. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing specific, just that you were feeling sick today.”
Matt lets himself relax. “Good.”
“I figure telling her about this is your prerogative.” Foggy discretely takes out his phone. “Oh and before I forget - she said to tell you ‘get well soon.’”
Matt has to smile at that. “Thanks.”
A comfortable silence lingers. Matt focuses on his friend’s breathing and the familiar thumping of his heart. Foggy pokes at his phone absentmindedly until both men fall asleep.
***
Matt shows up at the office the next day at 9:00, immaculately dressed as usual.
“You feeling better today?” Karen asks, as he steps through the door.
“Mostly.” Matt nods. “Where’s Foggy?”
“He should be in his office.”
“Awesome,” Matt says, not bothering to drop his own belongings in his office and heading over to Foggy’s. He knocks lightly on the door. “Hey Foggy, you in there?”
“Door’s unlocked!” Foggy calls across the room. Matt walks in and sits down in the chair across the desk from Foggy’s, letting the door fall closed.
“I just wanted to thank you,” Matt states, not waiting for Foggy to say anything.
“Anytime,” Foggy says immediately. Matt smiles, detecting nothing but complete truth radiating from his friend.
“If you ever need my help-” Matt begins.
“I know I can always call on you,” Foggy interrupts. “You’ve shown me that every day since we met.”
Matt grins as he stands up. “Well… back to work. Catch you later?”
“Absolutely,” Foggy agrees.
Matt’s grin widens as he walks out the door. “I promise I’ll pick up the phone if you call me tonight.” The door swings shut behind him as he makes his way back to his office. Foggy listens to the faint tapping of Matt’s cane until his friend is out of earshot, then brightens his computer screen and goes back to typing.