Chapter Text
The first time Peter sees him again, it's a few months after the spell was cast.
Peter had taken up a part-time job in a small cafe in Midtown – juggles it with his being a photographer for The Daily Bugle, patrolling as Spider-Man during the night (and sometimes during the day, because crime does not wait for a specific time of the day to happen), and studying for his GED classes – and it was there that he saw him.
Him, being his former lawyer, Mr. Murdock.
(Or should he call him Matt? He remembers from before that the man had told him that it was alright to simply call him that, but Peter never actually got to doing so – had felt how unusual it was to call his lawyer so casually.
He tries not to dwell too much on the memory – afraid of the pain it will give him.
He tests the name in his mind, though, as he sees the man approach the counter.
Matt.
It suits him.
Him, with his brown hair and perfect five o'clock shadow and red-tinted glasses and gray suit jacket and pants.)
Mr. Murdock is standing beside a man with dirty blonde hair who wears a dark gray suit like him – a hand is tucked into the crook of the blonde man's elbow, and the other is holding his mobility cane.
One of them's got the vibe of a literal sunshine, but somehow Peter's eyes flit to Matt for a second.
He looks exactly like he did all those months ago, and Peter can't help the sudden flash of a scene from that day:
A brick crashing through the window from behind Matt, and his arm involuntarily reaching out to catch it – only to never do so because Matt's arm had caught it before him.
He breathes in and wills away the sudden squeeze in his heart, smiles as brightly as he can,
"Hello! Anything I can get for you guys?"
The blonde smiles at him just as bright.
"Hi! I'll have the salted caramel cappuccino – actually, make that two – and then he'll have the…"
He turns his head expectantly at the brunette when there's no immediate response.
Matt's got an ear slightly tilted towards him, and a puzzled expression on his face.
An elbow to his ribs gets him to unfurrow his eyebrows, looking forward to fully face Peter.
"Sorry! We actually have a braille menu if you want?"
Matt chuckles, sends a small smile his way and Jesus, Peter's gonna act like that didn't have his heart skipping a beat and blood rushing to his cheeks.
He's really gotta get out more if even just the smile of a pretty lawyer has him all flustered like this.
"No need, I'll have a black coffee."
Peter punches their order in the register, looks up after he's given their change,
"I'll put the order under…"
The blonde speaks up before Mr. Murdock even gets the chance to.
"Matt Murdock! Oh, well, you can just put it down as Matt, or Matt Murdock if you really want."
A laugh bubbles out of Peter's lips at Matt's shocked face that he schools into a smile,
"Alright, I'll call you guys up when your order's ready to go."
Noth of them let out a small thanks, before the blonde leads them to a table near the counter.
Peter has to pretend that he doesn't hear their hushed talking as he sends out their order.
"Foggy, what the hell was that?"
"What— I know you know that he's been looking at you since we entered those doors and that, like all other times, you know he's cute. That's why you had us going here today for coffee, right? You probably went through this street yesterday and sensed with your freaky senses that the cashier is your type."
He hears Matt laugh.
(Matt doesn't want to say it, but he did go through this path yesterday and sensed the person behind the counter. But contrary to Foggy's guess, he decided to get their coffee here today after hearing a peculiar heartbeat – one that struck a chord in him because he definitely knows it, he just couldn't remember exactly when and where and how and why and who.)
"All hail to the mastermind Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, then."
Peter tunes them out to respect their privacy and for himself, because his mind is frying up from all the information he's getting.
Matt thinks he's cute?
Holy shit!
He wants to scream as loud as he can.
Or slide down into a crouch behind the counter and stay there for the rest of the day.
Or run back to his apartment, jump on the bed, and muffle a scream into his pillow.
Yeah, that works the best.
Wait—
How does Matt think he's cute?
Before he spirals into his thoughts and because he's got a shift to finish, he closes his eyes and breathes in deep, holds onto the counter to ground himself for a moment before forcing himself back to life when their order is handed to him.
Sue him, he hasn't felt like this for months now. It's only reasonable that he wants to break down at a situation like this
"O–order for Matt Murdock!"
The blonde man (Foggy, Matt had called him, but Peter can't call him that because that would expose his eavesdropping on their conversation earlier) is the first one to the counter, taking the two cappuccinos with a smile and a nod of his head that peter returns.
He stays for a moment in front of the counter.
Then—
"Good luck."
Before he heads out the door, leaving Matt behind.
Peter raises an eyebrow at the same time that he hears a resigned sigh from Matt.
Matt shakes his head with a smile, before moving to stand in front of Peter.
"Don't mind Foggy, he's just… really weird sometimes."
Peter's mouth quirks up, and he ducks his head to purse his lips,
"No, no. He uh… he's the first ray of sunshine so far today, actually. I think that guy brings the sun to wherever he goes, contrary to—"
"His name, right?"
Peter nods his head before he realizes what he's done.
"Oh! Sorry, but yeah, I nodded!"
(Cute, Matt thinks as he grins and chuckles softly.
When he feels eyes on him before he hears the fast heartbeat beat just the slightest bit faster, blood rushing upwards to his cheeks, Matt licks his lips and leans slightly forward on the counter to get closer.
He pretends he didn't hear the cashier's heart skip a beat.)
"W–well, here's your coffee, Mr. Murdock."
He reaches out the hand with the black coffee, breath hitching when Matt's fingers brush against his before clutching onto the coffee cup.
"Thank you…"
He blinks for a few seconds, not getting the clue that Matt was asking for his name.
Damn his social skills,
"... Oh, it's um, Peter. Peter Parker. Just Peter's fine though, I don't even know why I had to mention the 'Parker'. But yeah, just— yeah, Peter's… fine."
His voice fades out when Matt graces him with another smile.
"Peter, then. And please, call me Matt – Mr. Murdock was my father."
Matt, Peter mouths,
"Have a nice day, Matt. I— we hope to see you again."
Christ, Parker. Way to keep a crush to yourself.
(Matt turns around to walk out of the cafe, wants to trip Foggy with his cane when an elbow is readily offered to him as they start heading towards the office.
He doesn't manage to do so, even has Foggy's words that are scolding him for not asking out the cashier – Peter – enter one ear and exit the other, because his mind is caught up in—
Mr. Murdock, Peter had called him.
And he furrows his brows when that strikes up a memory that somehow isn't a memory, with how his mind can't fully grasp onto it.
Odd.
He has an inkling that he knew Peter before – that voice, that heartbeat, that scent, that warmth.
But his mind clutches onto nothing.)
Peter, meanwhile, stays rooted to his spot inside the cafe.
He grinds his teeth and grasps on tight onto the edge of the smooth wood of the counter.
He's been able to stay away from anyone he ever knew for these past few months. Had bore days and nights of simply existing and being alone in his apartment. Peter had been able to stay detached to his emotions for the longest time, and had reinforced the image of the cut on MJ's forehead whenever he wanted to give in.
It's for the best, he had always told himself.
Anyone close to Spider-Man only gets hurt.
But with Matt catching him off guard and making him feel after so long,
He wonders what it would be like to finally give in.
Let someone in.
Let someone know who Peter Parker really is.
He shivers at the thought.
And if it's because of fear of ruining someone's life again, or anticipation of having someone care for him again,
He doesn't know.
<------------------------------>
Then,
The first time Peter sees Daredevil is later on that day.
Don't get him wrong, he's known of The Devil of Hell's Kitchen since before he was first bitten by that spider – back then, news of the other vigilante showed him in an all-black fit and a piece of black cloth hiding the upper part of his face. Then around the time that the Sokovia Accords were in discussion and Peter had been personally recruited by Tony Stark, he had heard news that the other was given the name Daredevil after incapacitating Wilson Fisk in an all-red suit with devil horns on his helmet. Then before The Blip, controversial events had occurred for Daredevil because of an FBI agent taking on the suit and killing people.
So yes, he knows of The Devil of Hell's Kitchen who isn't afraid to break some bones and beat the bad people up. He also knows of the fact that even if Daredevil rarely if never pulls his punches, he's never actually killed anyone since his first appearance.
It doesn't make him any less intimidating though.
Peter had been chasing down a runaway van that was involved in a drug trade when he unexpectedly entered the area of Hell's Kitchen.
Close enough, he shoots a web onto the van's wheels to get it to stop moving. And he's swinging down onto the street to web the bad guys when someone else gets there before him.
Daredevil's got two of the three guys down already, and Peter decides to help by webbing their limbs to the ground. The last of them emerges from the back of the van, and before the web that Peter shoots out can even reach the gun held in one hand, a billy club makes impact with the metal of the firearm – which hits the wall behind the guy.
Peter's web sticks the guy's empty hand to the van door, Daredevil knocking him out with an uppercut.
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen is a sight to behold with the warm, orange light of the lamp posts from above him. The red of his suit stands out from the lowly-lit streets, light reflecting off of the crimson-colored material that covers his eyes.
Peter can't help but stare at him.
Daredevil tilts his head to the direction of the street where the van came from.
"The police will be here in about three minutes. Unless you want to be here when they come..."
His voice is quite possibly the huskiest, deepest timbre that Peter had ever heard. And Peter can't decide if he wants to hear more of it or be afraid of it.
Daredevil cuts himself off before running into an alleyway. Peter maneuvers himself to follow, sees The Devil make use of the different surfaces available in the alley to make his way to the roof of a building. He swings his way up to settle beside dared5evil on the roof – and it's only when he's settled down that he hears the sirens.
About two minutes before they get here.
Double D must have a different kind of senses if he can hear them from a distance Peter, even with his spider-enhanced senses, can't hear.
(The shrill sound of the sirens fills the air, but Matt has his head slightly tilted back where Spider-Man is behind him. Beneath the helmet, he furrows his eyebrows when he hears a faster-than-normal, thrumming heartbeat.
Before the van entered hell's kitchen, he had thought that Peter was in trouble after hearing the unfamiliar heartbeat come closer and closer to Hell's Kitchen. Matt had smelled the faint scent of chemicals and spandex that he remembered from Peter earlier that day become stronger as the thwips of spider webs became louder – so he was more than ready to apprehend the incoming drug traders and rescue Peter.
Much to his confusion though, as the sound of webs became closer and closer along with pete5r's heartbeat and scent, they eventually merged into one.)
Peter, from his place behind Daredevil, finds himself unconsciously admiring the other vigilante and thinking that this man's got everything going for him.
Head tilting cutely as some sort of mannerism after having seen him do it before too, five o'clock shadow, soft pink lips, that figure and height that make him look like he could hold up really well against Captain America (oh, Steve, actually, because there's a new Captain America) – and Peter doesn't forget the rough, sandy voice that had spoken briefly just a little while ago.
God, talk about his luck today – definitely having two new crushes before the day even ends.
Daredevil's head is tilted to the scene, blues and reds lighting up the area as the police cuff the perpetrators.
Peter wants to slap himself, really.
He's been staring at the guy for so long while the other remains focused on the issue at hand;
(Matt's not, actually,)
So he decides to speak up.
"Hi? Not sure if you know about me, but I'm Spider-Man. I mean, I know about you because i've been hearing about you since like 2015, but I don't think we actually got to meet yet so. Hi."
Daredevil remains unmoving, silent for a few seconds.
(That voice, Matt thinks. There's no mistaking that voice.)
"Hell's Kitchen is a bit far from Queens, don't you think."
Peter's eyes widen, and the suit's goggles follow with an almost inaudible whir.
The Devil has his jaw set, hands curled into fists, looking like he's ready to strike any moment.
His heart beats faster with panic,
"I swear I'm not purposely intruding or anything – I don't think there's anything wrong with how you're handling your territory! You've always had it under control that's why you never needed help, so I'm not here because I i think it's not under control anymore! I was just chasing some bad guys tonight when they drove into Hell's Kitchen and even when I got here, you could clearly handle it by yourself—"
"Spider-Man."
(Peter, Matt almost calls him if he hadn't caught himself.)
Peter's teeth clack together with how quickly he closes his mouth to stop his rambling.
There's a smirk at the corner of The Devil's lips.
"I'm not complaining. In fact, it's… comforting… to have someone else here protecting the city."
(Matt isn't angry, not at all. If anything, he's puzzled as to why he's been hearing that Spider-Man has been stopping more crime around Midtown since the start of the year. He's always been focused in Queens.)
Peter untenses at that, body relaxing with an exhale,
"So… I can help out here anytime?"
Daredevil huffs out a laugh, starts walking towards Peter and past him.
A hand clad in blood red material softly grasps Peter's elbow for a second, before letting go as The Devil continues on his way.
Peter must be imagining how his warm fingers lingered.
"I'll see you around, Webs."
And then Spider-Man is left alone at the rooftop, cheeks burning and heart beating against his ribcage.