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Contrary to belief, Matt isn’t as stubborn as his father says he is. For example, he’s been visiting Foggy’s studio for a couple weeks now and has successfully made two cups and three plates. (Jack had not appreciated the work Matt put into glazing The World's Best Dad for his cup. With a matching The World’s Best Blind Son that Foggy encouraged Matt to make for himself).
He may or may not have crushed two other cups including a Mini-Mini-Matt, but he blames Foggy for that.
Foggy can be quite distracting.
Matt later found out he could be equally distracting when he showed up to their second session with overalls and a backwards cap. Smirking as he heard Foggy grumble under his breath about how overalls shouldn’t make anyone sexy.
—-
“Hey Foggy, what exactly did you learn in art school?” Matt had heard about the four years Foggy put into learning art and how most of it was uh… educational .
“Eh, we did a lot of talking. Critiquing people’s work and trying to find deeper meanings behind things. We also did a bunch of demonstrations on random materials… Oh, I also learned to sculpt people’s faces.”
“Hm…” Matt hummed under his breath, a little distracted by the answer. It was interesting to think about what faces he could sculpt. If anyone would let him feel the structure of their face with his hands.
Weeks passed by and the casual conversation hadn’t left Matt’s mind. He wondered if Foggy would help him sculpt a face. Foggy’s face.
“Something on your mind, Murdock?” Interrupting Matt’s thinking process. He could feel the slight concern coming from Foggy.
“Nothing to report, counselor.” Matt grunted, resuming to work in comfortable silence alongside Foggy. He’s getting better at making plates but his cups are still struggling to get any taller.
He thinks about how art calms him, how he might have never found out the appeal of messing around in a studio. About how he might have not met Foggy.
Matt hears the gentle spur of the wheel rotating as Foggy continues to make more dinnerware for his shop. Matt learned the studio sold almost all of their own thrown pieces, a decent income for Foggy when he wasn’t teaching.
Foggy gets up and stretches, distracting Matt from his thoughts and he listens as Foggy unties his hair. There’s a gentle swoosh as the hair hits the fabric of Foggy’s shoulder as he lets out an exhale.
Matt hasn’t thought about attraction in a long time, nothing beyond the physicality of touch. He thinks about what he would want in a partner. Someone who would set him on the right path, and who would treat Matt like a human.
Someone like Foggy; he’s never met someone so unbothered by his blindness, as if it would never even occur to Foggy to be bothered in the first place.
It’s a nice thought as he packs up for the day, heading out and thanking Foggy for another great day.
—-
There’s a vague outline of Foggy’s face etched into his mind’s eye. Long hair and displaced valleys where Foggy’s features should be. It’s a canvas of intuition and colors, an associative feeling rather than a clear picture.
It’s not all too different from how he perceives other people.
Yet, in its own way, it's one of the most beautiful things Matt’s thought of in a long time.
It carves away at him sometimes. He doesn’t really ever wish his eyes worked again, mostly. That line of thinking doesn’t benefit him.
It's just that, some days, he really wishes he could have had a chance to really see Foggy’s smile, or to know what color Foggy’s eyes are without asking.
Matt knows Foggy would be beautiful.
Is beautiful.
—-
Matt may or may not be obsessed at this point. His dad seems to think so.
They meet up three times a week to chat and throw on the wheel. Some days they work quietly side by side, other days they lounge around and bask in each other’s presence.
Matts is definitely obsessed at this point. In his defense, Foggy flirts.
….
Matt flirts harder.
“Hey Fogs, do you think..” Matt pauses, feeling himself more nervous than when he gears up to wear the mask.
Foggy pauses for a second, giving himself to Matt’s attention.
“Matt?” Foggy’s heart rate slightly elevates. There’s a palpable tension in the air.
“DoyouthinkIcouldtouchyourface?”
Matt could feel his ears start to heat up at the rushed question.
Foggy stills for a second, shoulders tensing a fraction.
“Matt, wanna try that again?”
“...”
“Matt?”
“Do you... Can I… Can I touch your face?”
Foggy lights up like a bright star on Matt’s senses. A raise in temperature throughout Foggy’s face that glides smoothly down his neck, indicating a blush on him. Matt may or may not be smug about getting this type of reaction from him.
“... Sure buddy, what for?”
“Oh, just… you mentioned that you sculpted faces a while back. I’d like to try it, that's all.”
Foggy sat there for a second, trying his best to read between the unspoken words Matt’s always fond of. Actions that describe the underlying hope that Matt shows him every now and then. Like he’s scared of being judged or rejected.
“Just to sculpt?” Foggy asks patiently.
Foggy always knows Matt it seems.
“Uh… more than that.. I’d like to know what you look like, Foggy.”
They sit in silence for a second, Matt hearing the loud pounding of Foggy’s heart and trying to ignore his own, which is equally as fast.
A genuine smile spreads across Foggy’s face. The canvas of Foggy’s image in Matt blossoms into a beautiful array of colors.
“Of course buddy, do you wanna do it now?”
“Yes” Matt rushed out, not even bothered to be embarrassed by his excitement.
They rearrange themselves to sit closer and face to face. Foggy has his hair down today, judging by the soft rustling of his hair and sweet smell of green apple shampoo.
“Don’t be afraid to touch Matt, just let me know if you wanna feel my eyes so I can close them.”
Matt’s hands shake a little. He’s overwhelmed at the thought of finally knowing what Foggy looks like. It’s a rush similar to how he feels when he’s in the mask. It fills a different but equally large hole in his heart. Makes him feel more human and alive .
Matt takes the first step, his hands trace the contours of Foggy’s chin.
Matt only examined someone’s face like this when he was a kid. Back when the accident first happened, his dad comforted him with a hand in his hair. Matt desperately trying to keep the fear at bay. That even if his eyes don’t work, his dad would still be there.
Foggy’s skin is smooth to the touch, an arrangement of textures light up Matt’s mind as he traces thin layers of oils and sweat. The sensation draws Matt’s fingers to explore Foggy’s facial hair. Small pricks of hair that have grown since Foggy’s morning shave but do nothing to deter Matt.
His fingers continue to trace along Foggy’s face. Grasping textures and details that otherwise remain blank to him. He thinks about how soft flesh always feels. How pressing into the grooves of Foggy’s jaw and cheeks reveal the resistance of bone and muscle.
The soft intakes and thumping of Foggy’s heart makes his skin feel grounded. Sensations that help paint the image of Foggy into a complete painting.
Something better than a painting, something profound and beautiful.
The image isn’t static, it ebbs and flows with every new sensory input. Colors explode around Matt’s mind and their breathing lights a core within Matt’s heart. Grooves and edges blend together with every micro-movement Foggy makes. There’s a constant shift with each inhale, and the beginnings of a small smile starting in the corner of Foggy’s mouth.
It’s a feeling Matt will burn into his soul for the rest of his life. The memory of Foggy Nelson.
Foggy’s closed his eyes somewhere between Matt exploring the corner of his mouth and the ridge of his ear. He opens them for a second and realizes that Matt’s eyes are wet behind his sunglasses. He’s about to say something to Matt before he’s interrupted when Matt reaches up and takes off his specs.
“You’re beautiful Foggy.”
The moment seizes Foggy as he realizes two things at once.
Matt, honest to god Matthew Michael Murdock has a crush on Foggy Nelson.
And he himself, Foggy Nelson, loves Mattew Murdock.
Foggy’s hand reaches up to cup Matt’s chin before he realizes what he's doing.
“Matt, you’re beautiful.”
Foggy watches as Matt’s cheeks turn a bright red and spread to his ears and trail even further down his neck.
Foggy thinks the word beautiful doesn’t do justice to Matt Murdock. That Foggy could spend the rest of his life looking for a word that could hold the burden of his feelings for Matt. Matt is beauty itself, Matt is a bundle of feelings that burst with warmth whenever Foggy thinks of him. Matt is ineffable .
There’s a pause between them before Matt inhales and stares at Foggy, right into his eyes.
Matt continues to trail his finger upward to Foggy’s hairline, feeling the texture of his temporal before shifting his hand into Foggy’s hair. Letting it sit there for a second.
It’s wonderfully soft, Matt had hoped Foggy’s hair would be a cushion to his senses. He’s happy to be proven right.
They stay like that, minutes turn into hours and Matt explores the rest of Foggy’s face, painting a portrait of him in his mind. It makes Foggy realize how intimate and vulnerable both of them are. Foggy didn’t dream Matt would want to touch his face, let alone be his friend the first day Matt showed up in his studio.
It’s peaceful, showing yourself to someone in a way that only they can see.
Matt eventually leans in, using both his hands to cup Foggy’s face and then stares right into his eyes. Foggy basks in the light that is Matt Murdock, he looks serene like an angel.
“Foggy, would you like to go out on a date with me?”
Matt’s voice is so earnest, so filled with hope and something Foggy’s never heard in Matt’s tone. Foggy knows that he's already gone for him, ever since he walked into the studio and smiled at him.
“Of course I do, Matt.”
Foggy watches as Matt’s entire face lights up, how the corners of his eyes turn upward. How Matt’s perfect teeth come into view and shine against his pretty pink lips. How Matt lets out a small chuckle and shyly brings a hand to the back of his neck.
Foggy think’s that he also looks the same, a blush splayed across his face and a shyness overcoming him at the potential date.
Matt can’t stop smiling for the rest of the day, his portrait of Foggy used to be blank and obtuse. Hard to grasp and guided by the sound of Foggy’s voice. However, now Foggy’s entire being is a mural of colors and curves that convey even his smallest expressions. It’s what Matt imagines the creation of the universe to be like, stars and all.
“Hey, so did you wanna sculpt my face or?”
“Eh, it’s not as handsome as I thought it would be.” Matt chuckles at Foggy’s indignant yelp.
“I’ll have you know that not all of us can be handsome ducks Murdock.”
Foggy quips back heartedly but there's a strange tone to his voice. Matt gently reaches for Foggy’s face again, feeling a rush of courage overtake him.
“Yeah, some of us have to be handsome and the others have to be beautiful.” Matt emphasizes his statement by brushing his hand towards Foggy’s face.
Foggy’s face flushes at the compliment. Foggy knows he isn't a model like Matt, but he also knows that his charm is worthy of praise. That his personal brand of Foggy is sexy in its own right.
“Handsome? Beautiful? Aren’t they the same thing Matt?”
Matt thinks on it for a second. About how people started to show signs of attraction to him after his awkward teen years. How his previous thoughts on dating were orientated around how someone felt under his touch, rather than how they made him feel.
Matt thinks that being handsome is easy, that it's something a lot of people can achieve. Beauty, on the other hand…
Beauty is something otherworldly. Beauty is the warmth and almost painful tightness he feels around Foggy. Like whenever they laugh together or trade small comforting touches.
“They’re different,” Matt responds with a smirk.
“Only pretty princesses like you deserve to be beautiful, Foggy.”
Matt laughs as he ducks under the random tool Foggy throws at his head.
—
They plan a date for later, a nice coffee shop that sells homemade pastries and desserts. It’s a small gesture filled with hope and longing.
It’s wonderful. Shy smiles, yearning touches, and hearty jokes go around.
Matt’s flying high on endorphins and good times. It’s been a while since he’s felt this happy.
They go on several other dates, basking in each other’s presence.
Matt will occasionally grab Foggy’s hand, feeling the grooves and textures they earned from years of working with clay. Meanwhile Foggy will intertwine his elbow with Matt’s, not to guide him, but to simply hold him. It’s something Matt will never take for granted. Something that solidifies his foundation to Foggy. It makes him yearn to tell Foggy all his secrets and invite him to meet the most important parts of what makes up Matt Murdock’s soul.
“Hey Foggy, do you wanna meet my dad?”
Foggy freezes for a second, he knows the weight behind Matt’s question. The importance of meeting the person who raised Matt. The man who cared for him and brought him up to who he is today.
“Yeah Matt, if you’re sure that’s okay with you?”
Matt’s been thinking about it for a while now. A part of him will always be nervous, he’s never brought anyone to meet his dad.
“Yeah, it is.” Matt wants to share his life with Foggy, all the good and all the bad.
One day, Matt’s sure he’ll tell Foggy about the Man in The Mask.
One day soon.
—-
“Fuck”
Foggy’s been stressed for the better half of the week over meeting Matt’s father. Matt keeps reassuring him that his dad will like him, at least he won't try to hurt Foggy… He thinks.
It doesn’t reassure Foggy when he also learns that Matt’s dad is a bonafide boxer. A strong man who fights people for a living.
Who also knows mixed martial arts and a few other fighting techniques Foggy can’t pronounce.
It’s a miracle Foggy’s gotten this far, and what gets him through the fear is his adoration of Matt. Foggy keeps thinking of the way Matt called him beautiful. Can’t help but flush and stammer at himself over how giddy he feels.
He texts Matt to ask him a few questions about his dad. They’re supposed to meet later today to finally get introduced to each other.
[Foggy]: Hey Matt! What sort of gift does your dad like?
[Matt]: Foggy, you don’t have to give my dad a gift.
[Foggy]: Yeah fat chance, I don’t wanna upset your dad, let alone die because I’m dating his only son.
[Matt]: Oh, Are we boyfriends now? That’s good to know, although I was concerned you weren’t bringing it up
Foggy can feel the Matt's smirk through the screen, always teasing him at every turn.
[Foggy]: Actually, I’m dating someone else right now. Some dumb blind guy that thinks his dad won’t kill me
[Matt]: Hmmm, that’s a shame then, I was going to ask if you wanted to go on a date after meeting my dad. A nice restaurant and then I’d invite you to come over to my apartment after.
[Foggy]: Fuck the other guy, I’m going with you. Date after I meet your dad?
[Matt]: *Chuckle * Yes, Foggy.
[Foggy]: Did you just send the word “chuckle”??? And yeah, sounds great
[Matt]: 😏
[Foggy]: ???????
[Foggy]: Matt????
[Foggy]: ….
Foggy realizes that Matt distracted him from his original question. Guess he’ll just have to get a bunch of stuff to impress Matt’s dad. Maybe he’ll get some of his higher quality dinnerware to give to Jack, maybe even some cute little animal sculptures he’s made…
Jack is going to hate Foggy.
[Foggy]: Hey Matt, promise me you’ll let the police find my body after your dad gets me?
[Matt]: 👍
Foggy prepares some of his best plates, cups, and whatever random packing boxes he has around in the studio. He has no wrapping paper and debates using plastic shopping bags as replacement. He decides to forgo the bags and just use a nice plain brown box.
He turns to leave his studio, is about to go out the door when he spots a small raccoon figurine he made a while back when Matt mentioned he had raccoon neighbors. It took Foggy a while to recover from his laughter, only doubling when he realized Matt was serious about his raccoon friends. He quickly snatches the raccoon up and heads out, ready to brave the world and Jack Murdock.