Jubilee kept her distance as she watched Matt undress. âYouâre welcomeâŠâ Her tone was slightly below a whisper and she turned around when she realized that maybe she was staring for too long. Holding her hands together and mentally pleading with her powers to behave, Jubilee closed her eyes and asked quietly, âMattâŠcan you âŠcan you see me?â She kept her back turned as she waited for a reply and then wrapped her small hand around the pendant he had given her for her birthday.Â
Whatever was going on, it was affecting everyone. âItâs going to be okay. My powers arenât functioning properly either.â There were so many things she wanted to tell him but for now, she just wanted him to be okay.Â
âI can see you,â Matt whispered. He didnât want to sit on the couch, but he didnât want to stand either. He wanted to be floating, high above the world, no sounds or sensations to bother him.Â
âYou too?â he asked quietly. He turned towards her and blinked.Â
Jubilee kept her distance as she watched Matt undress. âYouâre welcomeâŠâ Her tone was slightly below a whisper and she turned around when she realized that maybe she was staring for too long. Holding her hands together and mentally pleading with her powers to behave, Jubilee closed her eyes and asked quietly, âMattâŠcan you âŠcan you see me?â She kept her back turned as she waited for a reply and then wrapped her small hand around the pendant he had given her for her birthday.Â
Whatever was going on, it was affecting everyone. âItâs going to be okay. My powers arenât functioning properly either.â There were so many things she wanted to tell him but for now, she just wanted him to be okay.Â
âI can see you,â Matt whispered. He didnât want to sit on the couch, but he didnât want to stand either. He wanted to be floating, high above the world, no sounds or sensations to bother him.Â
âYou too?â he asked quietly. He turned towards her and blinked.Â
He could see her. She was convinced he could see her. But how? The pain in his eyes broke her. She wanted to help but didnât know how. Slowly, the pieces were coming together. His surroundings were too much for him. She remembered his abilities and the things he had shared with her. Her powers were acting up, Julianâs and Evaâs too. Was his abilities the reason for his anguish?
His whispering only confirmed her speculations and she pulled out her phone, closing her eyes so that she could train her powers to behave. Hoping she wouldnât get shocked, she composed a quick message. âMy bike might be too loud. Iâll get a cab. Can you see this?â If she was right, her voice would be too much for him to handle. With that, she hailed a cab, instructed the driver where to go and told him sheâd be right behind him on her bike. When they arrived to Mattâs apartment, she parked quickly and ran to the passenger side of the cab to aid Matt out of the car. She didnât speak. She knew she couldnât. But she hoped he could see how much he meant to her by the concern in her eyes.
Matt nodded his head quickly when Jubilee showed him the message. He could somewhat understand, though he could barely understand written text when not in Braille. He got in the deafeningly loud cab and when he got home, he was nearly about to pass out. Jubilee helped him out of the car but he cringed as her touch felt like a ton on his skin. His own jacket was too heavy for his shoulders.
He opened the door and clenched his jaw when it squeaked. âThank you,â Matt whispered to Jubilee. He immediately took off his heavy coat and shirt, getting rid of the weight on his back.
Jubilee didnât quite process his words for she was too preoccupied with figuring out how Matt was looking at her straight in the eye. He wasnât wearing his rose tinted glasses and he wasnât carrying his usual cane. Her heart started racing and she looked up at his eyes to meet his gaze. âWhat can I do?â She spoke softly and looked down at her hands that were now glowing. Suddenly, she felt like she was in high school again and her powers would act up around someone that made her feel a certain kind of way.Â
She tried to look around for clues as to why he seemed like he was in so much pain and she wondered if he was also experiencing the glitches she was. âDo you need me to take you home?âÂ
Matt was enchanted by how Jubilee looked. Her jawline was soft, her eyes gazing intently into his own. But he had to tear his gaze away as he felt the sounds of voices crash into him again.Â
âUrrrgh,â Matt groaned and put his hands to his ears. âYes,â he whispered. âTake me home.â He felt like a kid again, asking his father to stop the noise, to stop the pain. A memory flashed by, from when he was in the hospital after the accident. The anguish he felt . . . the peace he felt when his father was there to hold his hand.
âThanks for the factoid,â Matt muttered sarcastically to the women and forced himself to stand up straight. He could even feel his muscles move under his skin. He started to walk, but even that felt painful and uncomfortable. The block of people began to turn their heads as he grunted in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that only made everything else more intense. He needed⊠He didnât know what he needed. He needed to go home, but that seemed impossible at the moment.
The individual here was attempting to move, and not making rapid progress. The difficulty of motion suggestedâŠarthritis? No. Not necessarily. Different conditions could be the cause. Eyes closed. Imperiled? Peril - serious and immediate danger. No, too serious. But pain seemed to be the operative word to describe what was being expressed here.
âSwearing can increase pain tolerance and reduce the fear of being in pain,â they said, turning their heads to follow his limited progress.
Matt felt annoyed. Would these women and these people stop staring at him? Then another thought crossed his mind. Was everyone staring at him? He glanced around. It felt weird, to be able to look around at people. People were staring, but not as many as he thought.Â
âGot any more interesting facts on you?â Matt said. He swore under his breath as he had to stop again and take a breath. The air entering his lungs was almost relieving, though he could feel every air current like it was a breeze.
There was a block on the sidewalk ahead, a group of people blocking the most efficient route to their next appointment. That was not conducive to maintaining an orderly fulfillment of the dayâs assigned tasks. They stopped short next to an open door decorated with bright logos and full of people. No one had provided any instructions in the schedule for particular problem.
The scent wafting out from the door was familiar, a sense memory that they could identify but not process any further than that.
â Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth.â
That was the closest approximation of information they could connect with the prompting stimuli. A man was slumped on a wall next to the building, not entering the building or challenging the knot of people blocking the sidewalk.Â
They turned their heads slightly toward him and said, âFinland is the most caffeinated country, where the average adult consumes the equivalent of four or five cups of coffee a day. â
âThanks for the factoid,â Matt muttered sarcastically to the women and forced himself to stand up straight. He could even feel his muscles move under his skin. He started to walk, but even that felt painful and uncomfortable. The block of people began to turn their heads as he grunted in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that only made everything else more intense. He needed. . . He didnât know what he needed. He needed to go home, but that seemed impossible at the moment.
âJust donât look at anyone. Donât touch anyone. Just walk, Jubes. Walk and get home. Find the gloves Logan gave you and youâll be fine.â She kept talking to herself to keep herself in check. It was no big deal really. This had happened once before. She just wished Logan was still around to help her.Â
Stuffing her hands into her trench pockets, Jubilee rushed through the crowds trying not to pay attention to the Christmas lights on the display popping as she passed by them. âOh you guys are in so much trouble when we get home.â She scolded her powersâsomething she hadnât done in quite some time. âYou just waitâŠâ She whispered and was almost at her bike when she saw Matt from a distance. It was a strange feeling. She had not seen him or spoken to him since her birthday party but it was something they had somewhat agreed on. The details were still something she couldnât figure out. But she missed him. She missed him terribly.Â
A part of her wanted to go the other way but it would make her a coward. The other part wanted to simply run to him and wrap her arms around him, show him she was wearing his necklace, tell him she wasnât being weird on purpose. Bam! Someone crashed into her and her eyes widened. âOh my God, Iâm so sorry.â She didnât offer anything else. She couldnât. Her hands remained in her pockets and while she knew she would be dangerous, she needed to see Matt. Mustering up the confidence she needed, Jubilee approached her friend and was about to greet him when she saw his visible anguish. âMatt? are you alright?âÂ
It was too much. . . Matt thought he was going to faint or pass out from the overabundance of sensations. It was way too much to focus on any one sound or touch or smell or thing; the images in his brain were rushing past like the train in the subway.
He heard Jubileeâs apology to someone from across the sidewalk. Part of him wanted to walk away, and avoid looking so weak in front of her, but he couldnât. He was stuck.Â
âWhat do you think?â he said, half-joking, then looked up at her. He could see her face, and he looked her straight in the eye.
âHo-ly shit,â Matt said slowly when gathered himself. It felt weird. Everything was off. Everything was loud. His voice, the sound of the sheets, everything. It was so loud!Â
He stepped onto the floor. It sounded like thunder. Then he realized. He could. . . Â he could see. What was happening? Every object. . . he could cry right now, but it would be too loud.Â
It felt like he had lost his vision all over again, except reverse. Sounds were amplified to the point of hearing the in-between ticks of a watch hand. He could hear silence. He could see details. But . . . how does one function when one has been blind their whole life?Â
He dressed, which was painful enough as was with the touch of the rough wool jacket on his fingertips, and went outside, this time without his glasses or cane. It was a whole new feeling. He could look at people now.Â
Somehow Matt ended up at Starbucks. Then he was scared. What if it was too hot for him? Everything this amplified, . . Â it felt like he was deaf in noise. There was too much to focus on, and he had to stop and lean against a building next to the strongly scented coffee shop.
âWhat, isnât sharing caring?â Matt joked as she fixed his collar, which he had felt was crooked all night but was too embarrassed to fix. He hadnât felt this light in a while, and it felt nice to be let off the Daredevil hook for once. The two swayed back and forth in a slow dance. He angled his face towards hers and his smile slowly turned into a look of soft joy.Â
âHmm. Not in this case. Let me be a little selfish with you, yeah?â She quipped back flirtatiously and then rested her head against his chest. She looked up, catching his smile and took a deep breath. âSoâŠwe should do dinner again. Maybe catch that Indian place on Lexington and 69th?âÂ
âHmm. . .â Matt jokingly thought out loud. âMaybe,â he said, drawing the word out. âOf course. I love y- . . . Indian food.â He stammered a bit, but caught himself from saying the word. âWhat time?âÂ
âDefintely,â Matt nodded in amusement as he sensed Jubileeâs embarrassment. âGreat to meet you in person,â he said to Alonso when Matt felt her pull him up and grinned when he felt  her hands on his chest.Â
âIâm all yours?â He raised an eyebrow in jest. âWhatâs that supposed to mean?âÂ
She looked back at her father and then at Matt, eyebrow raised in mild confusion. âHmm? Oh.â Jubilee placed her hands on his shoulders and guided her hands to her waist. âI mean I no longer have to share you with Mr. Private Investigator over there.â She chuckled into his chest and then lifted her head to fix his collar, looking up at his face with a small smile as they danced.
âWhat, isnât sharing caring?â Matt joked as she fixed his collar, which he had felt was crooked all night but was too embarrassed to fix. He hadnât felt this light in a while, and it felt nice to be let off the Daredevil hook for once. The two swayed back and forth in a slow dance. He angled his face towards hers and his smile slowly turned into a look of soft joy.Â
âYeah, I havenât heard a whole lot thought.â He rubbed the back of his neck as he talked. âWork tends to keep us both busy. She said you were a friend of hers. A friend of Juâs is a friend of mine.â Aiden arched a brow at that, finally moving to stand next to Pietro. âNice to see youâre done playing tourist.â
âShut up, Maximoff.â Aiden rolled his eyes. âMurdock? Arenât you that attorney in Hellâs Kitchen?â
âYou could say weâre friends. I met her by falling into the dirt. She gave me a shirt from her workplace.â Matt heard Aiden say his name, and he responded, âIâm âthatâ attorney, yes. Hellâs Kitchen born and raised,â he added proudly.Â
Alonso let out a boisterous laugh, throwing his head back and then shaking it. âWell, looks like you met the right person at the right time. You needed a shirt and you bump into a fashion designer. What are the odds, right? Meant to be.â He raised his glass and took a sip.
That was her cue to go and Jubilee stood up, gracefully pulling Matt with her. âPerdon, dad. Weâre gonnaâŠthis is our song.â It really wasnt. They didnât have a song and it probably would have been wiser to choose different wording but instead, she let out a small chuckle as Alonso waved them off and placed her hands on Mattâs chest. âNow youâre all mine.â
âDefintely,â Matt nodded in amusement as he sensed Jubileeâs embarrassment. âGreat to meet you in person,â he said to Alonso when Matt felt her pull him up and grinned when he felt  her hands on his chest.Â
âIâm all yours?â He raised an eyebrow in jest. âWhatâs that supposed to mean?âÂ
Who: Matt Murdock and Jack Murdock
Where: Hellâs Kitchen lofts, Mattâs apartment
When: Evening, November 10, 2015
What: Matt recalls the day he lost his most important sense.
Darkness was always Mattâs friend, but he never expected to have to share his entire life with it. Every night, when he closed his eyes, nothing. Nothing was there, nothing was ever there, not even colors or bright spots of light. He didnât know what light was anymore. But there was one thing Matt did know, and that was that the sky was blue.Â
The accident that left him blind also left him a hero. It heightened everything else to the point that it was nearly painful at first. Everything was amplified to the point of overwhelming Matt, and the only thing that would ever calm him down was his father.
Jack Murdock was a fighter, both literally and figuratively. It was devastating to him when Matt lost his sight, and he remembered the look on his sonâs face when everything became dark. Mattâs eyes had gone blank, full of fear yet still emotionless and dull. He remembered holding his son while the ambulance rolled up, blaring its siren and honking for people to get out of the way. Jack could only imagine what it would have been like for his son, being newly blind and having all these unfamiliar sounds around them.Â
Matt remembered what it was like, for the last time, to see the sky. It was a brilliant pastel blue, with puffs of white from the light clouds that looked like someone threw white paint on the canvas. He remembered his fatherâs face. Scared. Worried. Panicked. Calm. Matt remembered how intense everything was in the accident, the sounds, the squealing of tearing metal, the braking of tires. His senses exploded in the hospital when they got there, and he couldnât stop hearing everything. Babies crying, last breaths, they all reached Mattâs ears and he could not shut them out, no matter how hard he tried. It was chaotic and painful, and suddenly his father was there to calm him.Â
âMatty, Matty, itâs me!â Jack held Mattâs hands, and Matt squeezed them as if wringing out the sounds. âItâs Dad, Dadâs here.â
Matt smiled at the memory, though it was so chaotic and painful, it warmed his heart to have such good memories of his father. Of all the times he remembered, that one was the best, even though it was bittersweet.Â
Then he recalled the boxing match, and his smile disappeared into a resigned expression. The match reminded him of how strong his father was, how he was. Matt wished so desperately for his father to be alive, though Matt knew his life would be completely different had his father survived.Â
âAh, alright. I promise I wonât do my 21 questions. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you met my daughter?â Alonso offered Matt a drink, sliding it down to him.
Jubilee remained quiet for the most part glad that Alonso wasnât being his typical rough around the edge self. It was that cool and composed persona that she liked so much about Matt and it hit her then just how much she had missed him the last week and a half. It was almost scary feeling that way towards anyone and she was met with the stuggle of either pushing that to the back of her mind or just riding the wave.
âAfter this drink, Iâll let you two go for your dance.â Alonso wanted to add that heâd be watching but based off of Jubileeâs behavior, he could tell that would have gotten him a glare or two. That and the fact that she wasnât the same 17 year old girl that cried in his arms during her first heartbreak made him choose his battles wisely.
Matt gratefully accepted the drink. âGracias.â He took a sip and began his little story. âWell I was a mess when we met. I had dirt over my shirt; some kid ran into me on a skateboard. Jubilee offered me a shirt from her work and she gave me a dark blue one. I had to trust her judgement on what looked good.â Matt laughed at his own little joke, nudging Jubilee with his elbow. He took another sip of his drink.Â
âAh, alright. I promise I wonât do my 21 questions. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you met my daughter?â Alonso offered Matt a drink, sliding it down to him.
Jubilee remained quiet for the most part glad that Alonso wasnât being his typical rough around the edge self. It was that cool and composed persona that she liked so much about Matt and it hit her then just how much she had missed him the last week and a half. It was almost scary feeling that way towards anyone and she was met with the stuggle of either pushing that to the back of her mind or just riding the wave.
âAfter this drink, Iâll let you two go for your dance.â Alonso wanted to add that heâd be watching but based off of Jubileeâs behavior, he could tell that would have gotten him a glare or two. That and the fact that she wasnât the same 17 year old girl that cried in his arms during her first heartbreak made him choose his battles wisely.
Matt gratefully accepted the drink. âGracias.â He took a sip and began his little story. âWell I was a mess when we met. I had dirt over my shirt; some kid ran into me on a skateboard. Jubilee offered me a shirt from her work and she gave me a dark blue one. I had to trust her judgement on what looked good.â Matt laughed at his own little joke, nudging Jubilee with his elbow. He took another sip of his drink.Â
âAh, alright. I promise I wonât do my 21 questions. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you met my daughter?â Alonso offered Matt a drink, sliding it down to him.
Jubilee remained quiet for the most part glad that Alonso wasnât being his typical rough around the edge self. It was that cool and composed persona that she liked so much about Matt and it hit her then just how much she had missed him the last week and a half. It was almost scary feeling that way towards anyone and she was met with the stuggle of either pushing that to the back of her mind or just riding the wave.
âAfter this drink, Iâll let you two go for your dance.â Alonso wanted to add that heâd be watching but based off of Jubileeâs behavior, he could tell that would have gotten him a glare or two. That and the fact that she wasnât the same 17 year old girl that cried in his arms during her first heartbreak made him choose his battles wisely.
Matt gratefully accepted the drink. âGracias.â He took a sip and began his little story. âWell I was a mess when we met. I had dirt over my shirt; some kid ran into me on a skateboard. Jubilee offered me a shirt from her work and she gave me a dark blue one. I had to trust her judgement on what looked good.â Matt laughed at his own little joke, nudging Jubilee with his elbow. He took another sip of his drink.Â
