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It was tough to be the major. Luke had expected that much but at the same time he had underestimated what it meant. He was an idealist at heart. And that meant that he hated to compromise when it came to his vision. He looked at the papers spread all over his desk. He wanted to open a new playground in one of the poorer districts but the town was in desperate need of money. And the property the playground could be build on could also bring in a lot of money in a sale.
He ran a hand down his face. He was sweating. Not a surprise since it was a hot summer day.
Luke looked at his phone. Misty had texted him about a case she was working on with Colleen. The suspect was dangerous and they had asked for his support in taking him down. An invincible man would come in handy when you had to hunt a mad axeman.
Malcolm had texted him too earlier, but it was nothing important.
And then there was Danny. Ever since the election he had tried his best to get some distance between them. It wasn't a good look for a major to get too close to business heirs. It smelt of corruption.
It didn't change the fact that he was missing Danny. They had hung out more than a few times after they had taken out the hand. Sometimes Luke regretted that he wasn't really in contact with Matt anymore. The blind man had resurfaced but he had never really talked about what had happened tha one night. It was all quite strange. Luke had tried to ask Foggy about it, but he had either been unable or unwilling to give him an answer.
And then there was the matter of Jessica. They had hooked up occasionally. The last time just a few weeks ago but it had never been more than that.
His relationship with Claire had fizzled out. She was working for Doctors without borders now, which honestly seemed to fit her well. He had texted her a few times and she seemed happy. He was happy for his friends but he still felt alone and left behind.
"Mr. Cage?", Willow asked.
She was his secretary. A good girl, who had been through a rough stretch. It had led to addiction and prison time but he had hired her nonetheless.
"Yes?"
"Ms. Page is here."
Luke nodded. His interview with Karen. He wasn't looking forward to it but it was important. He usually liked talking to people. Specifically to his people. The people of this city. But he didn't like press talk.
"Let her in, please.", Luke answered and then added, "You can go home, if you want."
Willow nodded and held the door open for Karen to come in. Out of all of the reporters he liked her the most. Not just because of their mutual friendy she also understood not to push him about his superpowers or his superhero past. It didn't matter when it came to his current work. He couldn't go out on the street and punch people without trial. Not when he was the mayor. These days he only tried to protect. He protected his friends in difficult cases and he protected civilians when the need arose.
He had to admit that he missed his old life sometimes. But he was undeniably moving forward. And moving up. And in the end that was good. He was definitely happier than he had been some time ago and part of that was the fact that he could help people now.
"Mayor Cage.", Karen greeted, as she walked in the room. She held a small recorder in one hand and offered him the other one for a firm shake.
She was nothing if not professional. They had talked a few times after Midland Circle. They were actually on first name basis because of that. But once Luke had decided to run for major, they had dropped that to stay professional.
"I'm glad you could make it.", Luke replied.
She smiled and sat down.
Luke cleared his throat. He was never getting used to giving interviews. He wasn't a shy person. Actually he was far from being shy. But he didn't like talking to reporters, he didn't like how they tried to push their narratives and spin his words. He was still growing into his role.
At least Karen was nice. But he still tried to steer the topic towards his politics. He didn't want to answer questions concerning his private life, his past in prison or his life as a vigilante.
After they were done with the interview, Karen left the office with a polite smile, "I will do my best to write something that focuses on the work you do for the black youth of this town. It's admirable."
"Thank you.", Luke smiled back at her, "It was part of the program I won with. I intend to keep my word."
He meant it. He was trying his best to be the mayor this town needed. He intended to help the people who lived here. Not those who owned the money.
"Do you want to have a copy of the article before I publish it?"
"Please. Send it to Miss Winslow.", Luke answered. Willow was good at going over that sort of stuff.
Karen scribbled the instruction down on her notepad, then she lowered her voice, "Matt told me about a weapons dealer."
"I have work here.", Luke replied, "And we both know Daredevil is well suited to handle this."
She nodded and then closed the door behind her. Luke sighed and felt the tension ease. He could call it a day soon and maybe enjoy a free afternoon. It would be nice for a change.
"Mr. Cage?", Willow opened the door. She looked a little pale.
"Shouldn't you be home?", Luke asked with a teasing smile. He knew that Willow still tried to prove herself, no matter how many times he told her she didn't have to.
"I got a call from Ms. Wing."
Luke frowned, he had turned his phone silent. He hadn't expected any important calls. And since he was out of the superhero business, there was no need to be available at all times.
"I can call her back."
"It sounds very important."
He knew that Colleen didn't use that word lightly, that she wouldn't use it lightly, so he worried
"Hi Colleen.", he grabbed the phone.
"Luke. Danny has been attacked. He released himself from the hospital."
When Danny opened his door, his face was blue and red. Luke had to admit that he had been angry at him before. Angry because he had been too stubborn to stay put. Because that way he was risking further injury, but now he saw him looking at him this way. With these damn bruises all across his face. Luke wondered how much of it had already healed and how worse it had been an hour or so ago. Danny could heal fast through meditation.
"How are you?", Luke asked. If this whole mess had one upside, it was the fact that he didn't have to search for an opener for this conversation. He could just jump in with the important question.
"A little better? My pride is more hurt than anything."
Luke smirked, "That's good."
"I'm not sure. I'm just worried what will happen next."
"You should be at the hospital," Luke commented dryly.
"Nah, they would find out about my healing abilities then."
"Convenient excuse.", Luke commented dryly.
Danny smirked. Sometimes it surprised Luke how well he knew Danny. Part of it scared him too. If he knew Danny that well, did it go the other way around too? Did Danny know him back?
And if that was the case, how much did he know? Luke didn't like it when too many people knew everything there was to know about him. All his weaknesses and strengths. It was scary. And maybe it was part of the reason he had slight commitment issues.
"Are you okay?"
"Never been better."
Luke rolled his eyes, "So what happened? Who attacked you?"
"I don't know but he had an ax."
"That is concerning.", Luke eyed Danny's visible injuries. One bad thing about being unbreakable was that you quickly realized just how vulnerable the people around you really were.
Danny shrugged, "I guess. I was leaving my office, walking to my house and then- the swing came from behind. I dodged it partially. I turned around and only caught a glance."
"What then?"
"The guy disappeared."
"Like ran away?"
"No. He was just-", Danny made a gesture with his hand, "Poof."
"Poof?"
"I don't know how I should describe it."
"Misty and Colleen are on the case."
Danny nodded, "I heard that."
"I'll help them take this guy down."
"You are the mayor."
"But I'm best equipped to handle this- Besides - that prick made it personal."
Danny frowned, "What do you mean?"
"By going after you."
For a moment Luke was sure that Danny's cheeks turned slightly pink, but then he blinked and everything was normal.
"Okay, but I'm helping too."
"You shouldn't -"
"It's also personal for me.", Danny nudged him.
"Okay. Then we should talk to Misty and Colleen. They have already worked on the case for some time."
Misty's and Colleen's office was nice. It had the atmosphere of a rundown office of a film noir PI Agency. Maybe that was because the building was run down and probably had never been renovated. Despite that, the two women had made the best of it. The windows were covered in heavy but colorful curtains and the armchairs for the clients were old but comfortable.
Luke always felt a little at home here. It reminded him of what this city really was and what it was about. Without invitation Danny went to cook a can of tea while Colleen and Misty were still seeing a client in the other room of the office.
Danny seemed to be nervous but at least he had fully healed at this point. It amazed Luke. He wasn't sure what was more unbelievable: Being invincible or being able to heal this fast. He found both powers utterly amazing.
And in a way it made sense that they had found each other. Sure the healing wasn't Danny's mainpower. It was more of a side effect. Nonetheless there was something poetic about their friendship.
Danny sat down by Luke's side, "Do you think they are gonna talk to each other for a long time?"
"I don't know. I mean it depends on the client and his case."
"Fair point.", Danny smiled and then he leaned back in the chair.
Just then the door of the office opened. A small man walked out. He seemed stressed and upset. Luke wondered what had happened in there. He wondered what the case was about.
Just after the man came Colleen and Misty. They waited until the door had fallen shut behind the man and then Colleen sighed.
"Annoying client?", Danny asked with a knowing smirk.
"Absolutely.", Misty let herself fall down on the couch before she looked up at the others and added, "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Why not?"
"He wanted us to forge evidence that his client's wife is cheating on him."
"Prick.", Luke mumbled.
"How often does that happen?", Danny asked.
"More often than I would like.", Misty sighed and then poured herself a glass of water.
"Are you better?", Colleen asked Danny. Her head was tilted and she seemed to give his face a closer inspection.
"Obviously yes."
"The good news is that we have a name for our guy."
"You worked hard then.", Luke remarked.
"Of course. We're professionals.", Colleen smirked.
"But the problem is that our guy is not easy to find. Even if you have a name."
Danny put his head in his hands, "Can we begin at the start? Who is he? What has he done? Where can we help?"
Colleen took a deep breath, "He attacked multiple people in the city. And killed some of them. He always used an ax."
Luke knew that much.
"The good thing-", Misty added, "If you can call it that, is that the victims aren't random. There always seems to be a pattern."
Luke's head perked up at that. He knew that there was only a certain kind of victim. They were all from the rich upper class. But that included many people from this town. And what he knew about the victims was that they were different from his best friend, "Where does Danny fit in with this pattern?"
"The victims are all rich and-", Colleen started.
"There is a connection to Harold Meachum."
Danny stared at her. Luke felt as if the temperature in the air had fallen. He had heard only bits and pieces here and there. He had a vague understanding of what had happened between Danny and Meachum.
"Connection." It was all Danny said. It was as if he was chewing on the word. Luke understood the issue he might have with the phrasing considering what Meachum had done.
"So far they were all more on the- friendly side."
"Have you warned Ward?", Luke asked.
"He's out of the country.", Danny and Misty answered in unison.
"We didn't want to bother him.", Colleen twisted a glass with water in her hand, "And we felt like warning you wasn't the priority. Given that your relationship to Meachum is- Everything but friendly."
"But you do have a name?", Luke asked.
"As of a few hours ago.", Misty nodded, "Roger Claude. French. Worked with Meachum. The police has the name too but-"
"But?"
"We don't have anything more."
Luke didn't like that. He knew that he had a city to run. He had so many responsibilities. But this was his best friend. And it was personal now.
"What about the disappearing act?", Danny asked.
"What do you mean?", Misty leaned forward.
"When he attacked me, he just disappeared."
"We have no knowledge of that."
"You stay with me. End of the debate.", Luke repeated for the thousandth time, as he and Danny walked down the street.. He didn't want Danny to go out on his own. It would be stupid.
He was safest close to him. Where Luke could make sure that no ax would find the other man.
Even Danny's healing abilities had their limits and he imagined that they were quite easy to uncover with the help of an ax.
"What about you?", Danny asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean your office. You don't want to be seen with me for a reason.", he crossed his arms.
He had a point there. But that didn't matter. In the end it mattered more to catch this guy. In the end it was more important to keep this city safe than to keep it running.
People would understand. If Luke helped arrest a mad axeman, they would get it.
Or they had to get it. Eventually.
Luke could imagine a world where he wasn't mayor. That had been his reality not too long ago. But he couldn't imagine a world without Danny. It was odd. There had been a time where he had lived in a world without him. A time where he had lived in a world that had him but where he was unaware of his existence. And then there had been a world where he had been aware of the existence of that kid. But where he had believed that his existence had been wiped out in the Chinese mountains. He hadn't cared about that.
And then all of the sudden it had changed.
He sighed and then he reached out and touched his forehead. He was tired.
He liked being the mayor. But it was exhausting to juggle it with his superhero role. He didn't have a secret identity. But it was still tough.
He looked over at Danny, who was still examining him closely.
"I don't care. The priority is to keep you safe. Keep the people of the city safe."
Danny nodded, "So how do we do it now? Ever led a manhunt?"
"I mean in a way. When I was searching for Willis and the likes."
"I see."
"But this is different."
The idea was that Misty and Colleen did the research. Along with some support by Malcolm and Jess. Luke and Danny should act as a strike team. Come in and take the bad guy out. Without a scratch. That was the plan. Luke didn't like waiting. He was impatient and had always been that way. It had bothered his parents a lot. It was strange sitting by Danny's side now. Danny who was so calm and collected. At least most of the time. When he wasn't being consumed by his own trauma.
At the moment he seemed fine. He had sat down cross legged. It looked like he was meditating. And that left Luke to pace around the room.
He couldn't help but look at Danny. He had grown strangely attached to him. He was not just nice. There was something more to him. There was something more between them. They were close. And in a way Luke found it hard to compare it to most of his other friendships.
In a way it was more similar to his relationship with Jess than with other friends. And that- it raised a lot of questions.
And Luke felt like he wasn't really in a situation where his focus could be on anything but his job. Or his other job.
"You are making me nervous.", Danny mumbled, his eyes still closed and legs still crossed.
"I'm enough to make you nervous?"
"You are distracting."
Luke felt his heart race at the choice of words. Something about it tipped him off. Not in a bad way. It was actually good. It was like a compliment. Maybe even better.
"Sorry then."
"It's fine.", Danny replied, "But maybe we should -"
Just then Luke's phone rang.
He looked at the screen and saw Misty's number. For a moment he made eye contact with Danny and then he answered, "Misty?"
"Look. We are close.", she didn't even greet him but Luke didn't mind that at all. There was no need for unnecessary politeness. He put the phone on speaker and held it up between the two of them, "Danny's listening too. How close?"
"We have a location."
"Should we go there?", Danny asked.
"I'd prefer if it was just Luke. He can't get hurt and-"
"I can.", Danny finished, "And I don't care either."
He heard Mists's sigh. And he was pretty sure that he could also hear Colleen mutter something in annoyance.
All of them would prefer to keep Danny away from this. But Danny was stubborn. By the time it would take for them to convince Danny to stay put somewhere safe, the bad guy could be hiding who knew where.
"Send us the location then."
"We'll do." Colleen answered, "We are tailing the target. And make sure that we have our eyes on him."
Danny smiled, "We'll take my car."
"If you insist. But I'm driving.", Luke snatched the fingers out of Danny's hand before the other man could protest.
The address Misty and Colleen had sent them was that of a small book shop. It seemed to be a very strange place when it came to finding a murderer. But besides that, it meant that there were potentially civilians. It wouldn't be easy. It had to be the first priority to get these people out. Then they could take care of the rest.
Luke swallowed, as they drove into a parking lot.
He wanted to reach out and touch Danny, who was sitting in the passenger seat. It was an overwhelming urge. And it came out of nowhere.
Maybe it was the adrenaline or just something he had repressed for a long time. Probably a combination of both. He wanted to leave the car and get in the building, as fast as possible but he was worried. Worried about Danny. It had been some time since they had been out on a mission together. Mostly due to his position as the mayor. But his worry for his team mate had never been this intense.
And without really thinking about it before, he reached out and pulled Danny close and into a kiss. For a moment Luke could feel Danny's confusion. And then he felt his own fear. Until- until he realized that Danny was kissing him back.
"Whatever you two are doing-", Misty commented over the comms, "There's an axe murderer in the building on the other side of the street."
Luke pulled away. She had a point. They were on a job. And there could be cameras everywhere.
"Later.", Danny whispered.
They would discuss this later. It gave Luke an out. And time to consider things.
"Just don't get hurt.", he replied.
The store was silent and Luke didn't like it. It felt like there should be more sound. Like it should be busy. There had to be a cashier or shopkeeper somewhere here. Someone who needed help. Needed saving. He could do it. It would distract him. At least for now. Besides, he really wanted to help. He wanted to serve his city. And he wanted to be with Danny. It shouldn't feel this hard to make all of these things work.
He tried to forget the kiss. At least here and now.
He looked around the room and walked a little slower than he had before. He was a tall man and it was hard to walk sneakily.
Danny was tailing him, mask pulled down over his face. His steps were light. Maybe the slippers helped. No offense but Luke would never set foot into one of these.
He swallowed and then he looked down at his hands and flexed them. He had never been in this store before but he had a vague idea where the register would probably be. These sorts of stores where all build in a similar way. He tried to move in a way that would allow him to seek cover behind some of the shelves.
Not from bullets. But from sight.
He couldn't talk with Danny at the moment but somehow they moved in sync.
For a moment his mind went back. Went back towards that kiss.
That wonderful kiss.
He had to force that memory out and revisit it later. It was hard to ignore because of how fresh it was. But Luke tried. He genuinely tried. He rounded the corner and quickly moved backwards. He was close to knocking over Danny but the other man caught himself.
"What is it?'
"There's a room.", Luke whispered, "Pretty sure, I saw two shapes in there."
"The cashier and the bad guy."
"Yeah.", Luke nodded, "Seems like we actually have ourselves a hostage situation here."
"But how do we get in there?"
"There could be a back entrance.", Luke mumbled, "I mean considering the layout of this thing, there should be. You sneak out and sneak in there. I will give you three minutes until exactly 1:46. Then I walk through the front and you try to overwhelm him from behind."
"Sounds good.", Danny replied. He was already halfway at the door when Luke remembered that he hadn't meant to leave him alone. And he felt like that was the explanation for his quick exit. But this was the smartest way to handle this. At least the smartest plan he could come up with.
And they had to consider the hostage.
"Be careful.", Luke whispered.
He thought that Danny hadn't heard him but then the man turned around and nodded.
Luke took a deep breath and knelt down. He had meant to give Danny three minutes. Well they were closer to two minutes and a few seconds. It should be enough for Danny.
He was sitting crouched down on the floor. He looked at his hands and tried to calm his breath. At the moment he was only feeling slightly nervous but he hated waiting.
He hated having to wait for this to begin. It gave him enough time to consider the consequences. For the hostage and Danny. And for himself.
He took a few deep breaths and kept his eyes on his watch. He preferred it over his phone. Maybe he was a little old-fashioned.
He liked to be offline on occasion. Maybe it had been his time in prison, that had played a role here. He still tried his best to keep the city modern. To make sure that it transitioned safely towards the digital age. He shook his head.
Not the issue. This here was his other job.
And now it was time.
He watched as his clock showed him the time: 1:46.
Luke stood up and walked towards the room, where the hostage and the murderer had to be.
He tried to make as much sound, as possible. He wanted to announce his presence. And distract from Danny.
He trusted Danny to sneak up at the time he needed him to.
He wasn't sure why. He could have needed more time when it came to finding an entrance. Or he could have been stood up some other way.
But Luke believed in him.
He tried to give this a direct attempt. He reached out and knocked at the door.
He wasn't entirely sure what he was playing at. But he just had to be calm and prevent the guy from doing something stupid until Danny could make his move. It shouldn't be hard.
At least if that guy wasn't an absolute maniac.
He slowly opened the door with his foot and raised his hands. He wanted to show that he was unarmed and avoid looking like a threat. It wasn't easy due to his body size.
The door was leading to a small office that was stacked with books. Behind a desk was a man, his eyes wide with fear. Then there was another man behind him. He was white, tall and strong. His face was almost entirely covered by a dark beard with streaks of gray in it. He looked exactly how you would imagine an ax murderer to look like. And of course he was holding an ax against the neck of the hostage.
"Hi, I'm just here to have a little talk with you."
"You're the mayor.", the man said without sounding scared or surprised. That made Luke feel uneasy. He felt like he had walked into a trap and that guy was prepared. But he doubted that was the case.
"That I am."
"And the unbreakable man.", he added.
Luke shrugged and looked at the hostage. The man was scared. That much was obvious. He tried to give him a reassuring smile but he wasn't sure if it was helping.
He saw a window behind the two men and wondered if Danny was there. If he was just waiting. Either way he had to stretch this a little longer.
He had to make sure that the man was feeling a little more secure in this situation. He needed to feel like he had the upper hand here. Like he was holding all the cards. And Luke couldn't doubt that he was the one with the ace up his sleeve here.
He tried to meet the man's eyes, "I'm just here to have a little talk. Nothing more."
Just then he saw the window behind the man slowly open.
He had to force himself to avoid a smile. Danny was here and he was trying to make his way inside. But that left him with a key task. At the moment it was more important than before to keep the man distracted. And not just the man.
The hostage. Because if he saw Danny he might involuntarily give it all away.
Luke inhaled to come up with a small speech but then everything happened fast: Danny jumped and wrapped his arms around the man's neck. He pulled him down but his hand was still on his weapon. That was when Luke came charged forward and wrapped his hand around the ax. It didn't cut his skin. It couldn't cut his skin.
Luke turned around and he saw Danny keeping the man pinned down. Just like that they had won. They had actually taken this guy down.
He met Danny's eyes and smiled.
It took hours until Luke was done with police statements and press interviews. It had gotten a lot worse since he had become the mayor. The strangest part was, that his political opponents used these things against him. People were acting like saving lives was suddenly a bad thing under certain circumstances.
Danny had left the scene a little earlier to stay under the radar.
Sometimes Luke was jealous of that. He was tired and exhausted when he came to work the next day. To his surprise Danny was sitting in his office.
When Luke walked in he jumped to his feet, "There you are!"
"Well it's my office."
"True. Willow let me in ", Danny grinned and then tilted his head, "Are you okay after all of this?"
"What do you mean exactly? The fight? Or the press and the cops?"
"Obviously the latter. You handle yourself perfectly well in a fight."
"Not as good, as you.", Luke couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"Thank you.", Danny replied, blushing slightly. It was a bit of a surprise. Danny had heard this many times. It was completely expected. Danny was objectively a good fighter. But somehow the compliment seemed to affect him a lot.
Luke felt something warm in his chest. Hope. He remembered the kiss. He had wondered if it had been a one time thing, or possibly just a surge of adrenaline.
He had figured it out for himself somewhere between a few interviews. When he had been asked about any romantic afflictions with Colleen or Misty.
He didn't feel that way for them. But he felt that way for Danny. This felt like more.
It explained a lot and it answered questions he hadn't even asked himself.
He liked him. He liked him as something more than a friend or even a fling. He reached out and slowly touched Danny's shoulder, "I missed hanging out with you."
It was such a lame thing to say. But he had no idea what else he should tell him.
The truth was hard. It made things complicated. He was the mayor. He couldn't make out with billionaires. And Danny was his best friend.
So many things making this difficult.
And yet- Keeping these feelings unsaid was making things hard too. And the kiss had happened already.
It was a tough situation.
But maybe he had to allow himself to give it a try. He could figure this out eventually. His campaign manager would hate him. He would have to explain things. But on the other hand, what was the worst outcome?
Stepping down and going back to being the Hero of Harlem? Not bad either.
He stepped closer to where Danny was standing behind his desk.
It was possible that he had misunderstood. That Danny didn't want that. He might have changed his mind.
"I don't wanna go home yet.", Luke carefully whispered, "Not alone at least."
He was close now. Only an inch separating them.
"We could go to a bar?", Danny suggested. His voice was merely a croak. He didn't look away from Luke though. Both of them were staring into each others eyes.
"Or we could stay here." ,Luke whispered, "Or go to my place together."
Danny nodded and Luke was sure that he could see his heart beat with how nervous he was. Carefully Luke leaned forward and kissed him.
Danny's lips were soft but Luke could feel how strong his hands were by how they felt as the blonde wrapped them around his waist.
Luke let Danny push him towards his desk and straddle him there. Maybe he was a different sort of mayor. But he had always been that. So he might as well allow this to happen.
He might as well fuck a billionaire on his desk.