Work Text:
Matt was sitting quietly at his desk. He had just finished reading the documents for a case he was working on and he was taking a moment to listen to his city before heading home.
“Peter, Peter, Peter, Peter.”
He picked up his phone and accepted the call.
“Hey, Peter.”
“Good morning, Mr. Murdock! How’s it going?”
“All good, thanks. Do you need something?”
Peter gave a nervous little laugh. “No, just calling... you know, to make sure you’re okay after our patrol two nights ago.”
Matt winced slightly at the memory; he definitely hadn't enjoyed ending up in a dumpster, but he still replied gently, “I’m fine, kid. It’s not the first time I've ended up in a dumpster. Rather, tell me what’s making you so nervous.”
“How did you even...?” Peter said, confused.
Matt rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “Come on, kid, you know me. What do you need to tell me?”
“Well… let’s just say… in a way… because…” Peter was nervous, a lot nervous.
“Peter,” Matt called out to reassure him.
"Yes, Mr. Murdock?"
“Calm down, kid. Whatever you have to tell me, I promise I won't get mad.”
“Let’s just say… well, oh god, sorry, I’ll just tell you right now.” He took a deep breath. “The Avengers asked me to meet you.”
Peter blurted it all out in one breath, as if afraid of being stopped, then fell silent, waiting for an answer.
Matt was slightly thrown off. The Avengers, the world's mightiest heroes, wanted to meet Daredevil, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? He was definitely surprised. He remained silent for a moment, processing the information.
But Peter, hearing no reply, immediately assumed the worst. "Oh my god, you're mad. I'm sorry, Mr. Murdock, that's exactly why I called, because I know you don't like it when other people come into your neighborhood, especially the Avengers! And they… well, they just wanted to come over there and wait for you to show up. I'm sorry, I'll tell them right away to—"
Instead, Matt burst out laughing, genuinely laughing out loud. Sensing Peter's utter shock, he tried to compose himself. After a short moment, he managed to control his laughter, though a broad smile remained on his face.
“Are you okay, Mr. Murdock?” Peter asked cautiously.
“Yes, kid, I’m fine. It’s just that I can't think of a valid reason why the Avengers would want to meet the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.” Matthew was sincerely amused, and also very intrigued. Perhaps he would accept just to tell them to back off and stay away from his neighborhood.
“Actually, I can tell you their reasons.”
“I’m all ears, kid. Go ahead.”
Peter gave a soft sigh and began, “I think they want to find out more about you. I heard Mr. Rogers say that SHIELD has practically nothing on you, and they asked the team to look into it.” He paused for a second, then added more quietly and with some hesitation, “And Mr. Barton thinks you're a real devil.”
“A devil?” Matt raised his eyebrows slightly, perplexed.
“Yeah, like a supernatural entity that fights crime. Actually, he thinks you're just a legend, or that you sold your soul to Satan.”
Matt chuckled. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage.
“And why did they ask you to contact me?”
“I might have accidentally mentioned that I was going to patrol with you... I'm sorry.”
Matt could clearly feel Peter's guilt, but deep down, he knew this moment would come sooner or later. The Avengers would look for him, either to recruit him or to ask for help.
Even if it annoyed him, it was inevitable.
“Don’t apologize, Peter. I knew they’d try to meet me eventually. Honestly, I'm surprised they hadn't tried sooner.”
“So, will you meet them?” Peter asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
“Yes, I’ll meet them. How about tomorrow night? At our usual meeting spot to start patrols.”
“Alright, Mr. Murdock, I'll let them know.”
“Good… oh, Peter? Are you absolutely sure Mr. Barton believes I’m a devil?”
“Yeah I’m sure. And Mr. Rogers agreed with him before Miss Romanoff told him to be reasonable.”
“Alright, kid. Thank you.”
“See you tomorrow, Mr. Murdock.”
Matt put his phone back on the desk and took a deep breath. This situation promised to be very entertaining.
“Should I be worried?” Foggy said, walking into the office.
“And why would you be worried?” Matt asked in the most innocent tone possible.
“Because I think I overheard the words 'Avengers' and 'Devil' in the same phone call, and that doesn't sound like a good idea at all.”
“What doesn't sound like a good idea?”
“Whatever you're planning.”
“I didn't say anything, and I don't think you can read my mind.”
"You have that smile plastered on your face. The one you get when you have a bad idea and want to carry it out."
"I consider myself completely innocent."
"Yeah, right. Look, Matt, don't piss off the Avengers. I don't want you getting into too much trouble."
Matt smiled again, trying to be as reassuring as possible this time. "Don't worry, Foggy. This is my neighborhood. They won't catch me off guard."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Matt." Matt heard Foggy throw his hands up in surrender and walk out of his office.
Matt knew his friend wasn't truly angry, just a little worried about him. But Matt had no intention of doing anything dangerous. He just wanted to mess with the Avengers a bit, give them absolutely zero information about himself, and make sure they never came back to Hell's Kitchen.
◄§►
The night was strangely calm. Matt could hear sounds from six blocks away without trying too hard, so it wasn't difficult for him to notice when a group composed of two spies, a super-soldier, a spider-boy, and a man in a metal suit arrived in Hell’s Kitchen.
Matt followed them, keeping his distance as much as possible.
They didn't talk much, which surprised Matt because Peter rarely managed to stay quiet for more than five minutes straight.
They stopped on the rooftop Matt had specified, a fairly high and isolated one, honestly one of his favorites because it made it easier to listen to all of Hell’s Kitchen.
Furthermore, Matt had chosen that spot because one side of the roof featured a wall about two meters high, and he definitely felt like making a dramatic entrance to surprise them all.
“Kid, do you think he’ll show?” asked a voice Matt recognized from hearing it on television: Tony Stark.
“Yeah, he’ll show. We’re just early,” that was Peter.
“Man, I’m telling you again: he doesn’t exists, he is the devil” a male voice chimed in. Matt figured it was Clint Barton.
In reality, Matt was quite curious to meet Clint. Peter had told him that he was deaf but could see perfectly, basically the exact opposite of Matt.
“We’ve already talked about this, Legolas,” that was Stark again.
“If you say so, but for me, it’s still a possibility,” Hawkeye shot back.
“Come on, Clint, I think you’re way off base,” this was a female voice. Matt figured it was Natasha Romanoff: the Black Widow. He could even smell gunpowder on her.
Matt climbed up slowly and perched on the highest wall exactly behind the Avengers, who were looking the other way. No one noticed him.
No one except Peter, of course. Matt felt the boy's heart rate accelerate the moment he saw him.
“How do you even call him? Do you chant his name three times?” Barton asked again.
“Give it a try, Clint. I bet it works,” Tony Stark teased ironically
“Come on, Tony,” this was another voice he had heard before from television: Steve Rogers.
Matt heard Peter holding back a laugh.
“Am I supposed to summon Daredevil? Just the name? Don’t we need, like, chicken blood and a pentagram on the floor?”
“Technically, it’s goat blood,” Matt said, using the tone of voice Peter always described as his “Batman voice.”
Everyone’s heart rate spiked instantly, except, of course, Peter’s and Natasha’s, though she did flash her hand toward her gun.
“Jesus Christ, he appeared out of thin air,” Stark said.
“Blasphemy.” says Matt, completely calm.
“Is the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen Catholic?” Rogers muttered.
“I find ‘the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’ a bit too long. You can call me Daredevil,” Matt replied smoothly.
They all fell dead silent.
“Hey, Double D,” Peter chimed in.
Matt suppressed a scoff. He didn't like that nickname, but he could make an exception for the kid.
“Hey, kid. How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”
“But it’s so much easier to call you that,” replied Peter, who had walked over to the wall where Matt was perched.
Matt waved his hand to dismiss the matter. Meanwhile, he heard Black Widow move her arm and point something electrical at him.
“Shit, Nat, don’t point the flashlight at the Devil,” Barton whispered low, and only Black Widow was supposed to hear so Matt heard him perfectly clear.
Damn. They had shined a flashlight right at him and he hadn't reacted. Not that he could have, anyway...
“So, Daredevil…” Captain America began.
“Uh-uh, hold on a second. Why are you here in my territory?” Matt asked, eager to leave.
“Your territory?” Stark asked, sounding a bit annoyed.
“Yes, my territory,” Matt replied with absolute calm.
“Easy, guys,” Black Widow intervened, giving Stark what Matt assumed was a sharp glare. Then she turned to Matt: “We’re here on behalf of SHIELD. They sent us to gather intel. Their file on you is... let’s just say it’s lacking.”
“And we wanted to figure out if you’re Satan,” Barton said, thick as a brick.
Matt didn't reply.
“Clint!” Natasha snapped.
“Hey, that's what I'm here for,” he muttered in self-defense, then turned back toward Matt. “So? Are you Satan? Did you sell your soul to the devil, or are you just a ninja who’s really into satanism?”
Matt chose not to answer. He noticed everyone's heartbeats rising except for Peter's, who was holding back his laughter so hard Matt thought the kid might actually break a rib at any moment.
“I don’t ever want to see you in my neighborhood again. Unless the world is ending and aliens are dropping from the sky.”
With that, he dropped off the wall, vanishing into the darkness of the alley below.
Hidden behind one of those godforsaken dumpsters, he heard the Avengers arguing among themselves and chewing out Barton, while Peter finally let loose and laughed like a madman.
◄§►
The next day, he received a text from Peter:
– Great job, Mr. Murdock! They won't be coming back to bother you, and they were pretty impressed. They chewed out Mr. Barton, and it was hilarious. PP –
– They didn't manage to get any information at all. Plus, Clint actually believes you made a deal with the Devil now, and he is completely terrified of you. PP –
– Are we still on for our patrol tomorrow? PP–
Matt smiled and texted back:
– Yes, Peter. See you tomorrow. MM –
He had had a blast scaring Barton.
He’d definitely love to do it again.