Chapter Text
Foggy and Matt were both working in the office. Karen had taken a personal day. She had told them the evening before and said she would explain another day.
Foggy was pretty sure there was more to it. She had dodged his questions and barely looked him in the eye. Matt had tilted his head slightly, which usually meant he was picking up on something. He must have realized she wasn’t actually sick. She likely needed a three-day weekend.
That morning, before work, Foggy had gone down a rabbit hole and watched videos online. People shared stories about swapping bodies with a friend for 24 hours.
Throughout the day, he kept glancing at Matt, wondering what it would be like to be in his body for a day. This idea was ridiculously distracting. If someone offered, he wouldn’t even hesitate.
Foggy stopped typing and called across the office. “Have you heard of these…experiences people share online?
“What kind of experiences?” Matt asked.
“Body swaps,” he said, his tone part curious, part amused. “People in New York are switching bodies with someone they know. Just for 24 hours. Everything happens voluntarily. No one shared the name of the guy who’s responsible for it.”
Matt tensed. Foggy could tell immediately that Matt had his concerns.
“Then it doesn’t necessarily have to be voluntary,” Matt said. “They could be forced to say that.”
Foggy shook his head. “Nah, I think the guy just keeps a low profile. Protects his identity and his family. Like someone else I know.”
Matt didn’t argue. “Come on, let’s go back to work. Forget it,” Matt said.
Foggy turned back to his work. But he couldn’t concentrate. The thought kept coming back. Matt seemed distracted, too. He hadn’t put his headphones back on, wasn’t reading anything, and was just sitting there, still.
A few minutes later, Foggy glanced over again and noticed Matt was now laser-focused on something. Curious, he got up and walked over to Matt’s office. On Matt’s laptop, a compilation video was playing. He was so absorbed, he didn’t even notice Foggy behind him.
That never happened.
“Oh, so you are interested,” Foggy said, grinning.
Matt took off the headphones. “Listen to this. Two male friends who swapped bodies. One of them had been deaf his whole life. At first, he was terrified, but afterwards he saw the world with new eyes. I see a pattern, Foggy.
“And what would that be?” Foggy asked curiously.
“The person searches for friends where one person has something unique to them, like amputees, someone with a disability, or sensory differences. It’s not random.” Matt said.
“You are not seriously considering this?” Foggy said. “Besides, how would we even find this guy?
Matt was definitely intrigued. And Foggy knew his friend. Once Matt got curious about something, he didn’t let go. He would do everything to find this guy. Foggy wondered if it could actually help them. It might change how they saw each other in the future.
Matt liked challenges. Foggy, not so much. But to be Matt for a day, to experience blindness and the heightened senses that came with it? That was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
And maybe, just maybe, Foggy would finally understand what it was really like to be Matt. That’s what all of the people in those videos said: that it gave them insight into someone else's world.
“I don’t know, Foggy,” Matt said quietly. “I can’t deny, it would be indescribable. People say the guy finds them, not the other way around. And let’s face it. We would be his target demographic.”
Foggy nodded slowly. “It would be interesting to have your point of view for a day. But you would need to give me a crash course first, before the day starts.”
Of course, Foggy knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Matt had spent years mastering his senses. A crash course wasn’t going to cut it. But Matt wouldn’t say that. He wouldn’t scare Foggy off if this really could happen.
“Sure!” he said. “Preparation time. So, you’d be up for it?”
“Yeah,” Foggy said. “I think I would. But don’t get your hopes up, buddy.”
Foggy went back to work, but it was clear Matt did not.
He was deep in thought. And honestly? He understood Matt’s curiosity. If he were blind, wouldn’t he want a day of sight?
He wanted this now, more than he wanted to admit.
He worked for another hour. They slowly ended their workday when he noticed Matt tilting his head, listening.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door.
“Hello, is this the office of Nelson, Murdock, and Page?”
The man looked quite young and unkempt. He seemed insecure and tense.
“We were about to close for today,” Foggy said. “You should come back tomorrow if it’s nothing urgent.”
The man shook his head. “I am not here for legal representation.
“Why are you here then?” Matt asked. “What is your name?”
“I’m Daniel,” the man said. “I came because I heard your call. And before you say you didn’t make one, you did. Just not with a phone.”
Foggy stared at him. Oh hell, this had to be the guy.
“Okay, Daniel, I think I know what you are talking about,” Foggy said.
“You do? Great. That makes it easier,” Daniel said. “You see, it started with a wish of mine. Doesn’t matter now. The point is: I sort of get these callings. I can grant people’s wishes to swap bodies for 24 hours.”
He made a dramatic pause.
“If two people truly want to understand each other, if they really want it, I can grant it. Starting at six in the morning. I don’t have any other powers. I can grant that one wish. I can’t use it on myself.” Daniel explained
Foggy glanced at Matt, knowing exactly what he was doing, listening closely to the guy’s heartbeat. He waited for the signal. Matt gave a small nod. Their silent code, that he’s telling the truth.
“That’s kind of a bummer,” Foggy said.
“I travel around to grant these wishes. New York is big enough that I can stay here for a while. But I can’t rest. I have to follow a call. If I don’t, I constantly feel…unsettled.” Daniel said.
He looked like someone who carried a burden he didn’t ask for.
“Do you know why you have to do this?” Matt asked
“Sort of,” Daniel replied. “I got a wish granted once, but it was really minor. There was no time for me to overthink it, and I was drunk.
Matt tilted his head slightly. “What was your minor wish?”
Daniel hesitated, then he saw him looking at Matt. There was an unspoken understanding between the two; Foggy could feel it. He felt like a third wheel in that moment. This whole situation had to be handled carefully.
“No one ever asked me that before,” Daniel said quietly. ”I wished to be able to talk to my plants in my apartment. I wanted to know what they needed. They were always dying.”
Foggy chuckled. “Only the plants in your apartment? Not all the plants? That’s minor indeed.” Foggy said. “So, what did the plants tell you?”
Daniel shrugged. “They were very dull conversations. They told me when they were thirsty or needed more sunlight. The most interesting thing was they hated the storm noises from the TV,” Daniel said. “I don’t own any plants anymore.
Foggy’s sympathy didn’t stretch very far. The guy made a choice and got into this mess himself. He apparently got a wish granted, so meaningless, and now lived with the consequences. There had to be more to the story.
“But why can you grant wishes now?” Foggy asked.
“There was a fine print I missed, so to speak,” Daniel said. “Since my wish was such a minor thing, I’m supposed to help others find meaning in their lives, something they couldn’t even imagine wishing for. Help them to understand each other on a deeper level. The day after, they tell me how their day went. I have to keep granting these wishes until…I find the biggest…the most striking difference in people’s lives. Only then will my curse break.“
Foggy leaned back in his seat.
“So you go around fulfilling the wishes of people who’ve been ‘held back’ by something, like a disability,” Foggy said thoughtfully. “That kind of change, that would be a striking difference.”
Daniel looked at him and nodded. “Exactly. These callings are strong. Usually, I go the day after. But with you two, this was stronger. In fact, the strongest I have ever felt. I was practically dragged here.”
Foggy looked over at Matt, studying him for a moment.
“Are you in?” Daniel asked.
This morning, considered it but had his doubts. But as soon as he saw Matt, he wanted this more than ever.
Matt spoke first. Foggy could tell he was carefully choosing his words.
“I’m in,” Matt said. “I want to participate in the body swap experience with Franklin “Foggy” Nelson for 24 hours tomorrow, Saturday, here in New York. After that, I won’t be…inheriting your powers or any other duties.”
Clever. Matt was a really good lawyer, even in magical wish contracts.
That’s fair,” Daniel said, nodding. “But you don’t have to worry.”
Then he turned to Foggy. “Franklin, are you in?”
“I’m in,” he said with a confident nod. “The same thing Matt said previously. Trust me, we’ll break your curse. Call it intuition.”
As he said it, a strange thought crossed his mind, fleeting but powerful. When this is over, I hope Matt gets to see people’s faces. Even if it’s just for a second each day.
He didn’t know why he thought it. Maybe he just knew how hard this would be for Matt.
“I hope you are right,” Daniel said. “Let’s meet here again, Sunday at 2 p.m. Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you kept my name to yourselves. You can share it if you want, but it’s just to keep me safe.”
“Deal.” Both Matt and Foggy said in unison.