#i'm gonna use you're a headache and balls as an insult from now on | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gracethyomen · 6 months

Text

"Clear Cut Case"

Okay, so, I lied. This chapter is still mostly setup. But it was either two exposition parts or one exposition part that was over 5k words and I have ADHD so I can't read that much in one sitting without going crazy. So here's the second part of the first episode. I won't painstakingly go through every episode beginning to end like this, I promise, just setting us up for the organization of events following from here. There are gonna be skips every now and then for the sake of getting to what's important and this story still mostly being about Mattalie.

So bear with me, and if you're new, welcome! The first part of this story is on my page on the masterlist. If you're not new, welcome back! Thanks for coming, it means a lot. Either way, thanks for being here, and lets get into it.

Warnings: Mention of death, mention of blood, mention of homicide, SO MUCH PINING. Matt being a human disaster, Natalie being a simp. Matt also being a simp but quieter. These two idiots can’t express their feelings for the life of them.

Foggy was tossing a baseball between his hands. The hollow thumps punctuating the thoughtful air.

"I'm friends with Gary Feinstein in the DA's office. I'll give him a call first thing in the morning, see where their heads are at?" He mused.

Natalie nodded, her heels kicked off next to her chair. "I'm guessing they're gonna puff their chests, but they have to know murder two's a risk. We end up with manslaughter... get the right judge,- maybe she's out in five to ten?" She suggested, running a tired hand through her hair.

"We're not taking a deal." Matt said, hands on his hips and mouth set into a familiar line that Nat recognized meant that he wouldn't budge.

"No, this is why they have deals, Matt." Foggy argued. The baseball held in one hand as he dropped his hands to his sides. "So the straightforward cases don't waste everybody's time."

Matt pursed his lips, and Natalie sat back in her chair, waiting for him to make his argument. "I don't think she did it." He said simply.

Foggy blew a breath out through his lips. "She's the sole suspect, found at the scene covered in blood, with the murder weapon and no defensive wounds. If they offer anything, it'll be a gift, and we will take that gift."

Natalie winced, looking at Matt's stony expression. "Usually I trust your gut, Matt." Foggy confessed. "But we do not want this to go to trial."

"Foggy's right." Natalie confirmed, and Foggy gave her a quick thumbs up. To which she waved him off irritatedly. "Not only do we not want this to go to trial, we can't afford for this case to go to trial. Pushing on a trial for a case this clear cut will be the end of our careers." She pushed.

"Exactly." Matt said, causing Nat's brows to furrow. "They don't want this to go to trial either." He pointed out. "Why hasn't she been charged?"

Foggy started to toss his ball again. "They have 24 hours to charge her, and it's the weekend. They're gonna take every last second to collect the evidence before they move."

Natalie paused, starting to catch on to what Matt was trying to say. "They've got the evidence, you've just laid it out yourself." Matt continued. "This is a good arrest, Foggy. We should already be reading about it in the papers. There's something not right about this case. I can feel it."

Natalie sighed, stuck between both sides of the argument. She tilted her head down, massaging the headache building between her temples. "You can feel it?" She muttered, quiet enough that she knew neither of them could hear her, especially as Foggy started up again.

"All right." Foggy tapped his foot just once, again, pausing his throwing. "I'm just gonna say this once, and we can move on. You don't necessarily show the best judgement when beautiful women are involved, Matt." He took a long pause. "Except for..." He gestured vaguely at Natalie, and she looked up, sniffing at Foggy's attempt at not insulting her.

"Except for?" Matt asked, tilting his head expectantly.

Natalie rolled her eyes at the two of them. "He just...waved his hand at me." She narrated quietly for him.��

"How would I know that they- either of them- are beautiful?" Matt noted. "No offense, Nat." He added.

"None taken." She said, not quite truthfully.

"I don't know." Foggy shrugged. "It's kinda spooky, actually." He admitted. "But if there's a stunning woman with questionable character in the room, Matt Murdock's gonna find her. Which means Foggy and Natalie are going to suffer!"

Matt laughed, but Natalie felt that it sounded hollow. "All right... I don't disagree with anything you're saying."

"Thank you."

"But I need you to back me on this." Natalie sighed, rubbing at her temples harshly. The headache that had settled there made it all the more difficult to listen to their bickering. She let out a soft groan before responding.

"Alright, fine." She interjected, stopping the banter. "Let's start with the obvious, then. If she didn't do it who did?"

Foggy hung his head, nodding tiredly. "Right. She's right. We're dead in the water if we can't even give them an alternative scenario." He ran a hand through his gold hair, breathing out slowly.

"Nat's right, as always." Matt murmured, placing both hands on his hips and tapping his foot almost soundlessly on the shitty floorboards. "We need more information. If Karen didn't kill Fisher who did, and why?" He proposed.

Foggy nodded absently, pointing in Matt's general direction. "We need to take another run at our client. She may not be guilty, Matt, but that doesn't mean Ms. Page is telling the truth."

Natalie opened her mouth to agree before the phone rang loudly into the suite. Turning all three heads to the noise. She picked up the receiver and held it to her ear, scratching the back of her head where her clip was digging too far into her scalp.

"Nelson and Murdock, how can I help you?" She rattled off, already tapping her pen nervously. Her gut already told her what the person on the other end was saying. A call this soon after the arrest never meant anything good. "Oh, dear god." She whispered. "Yes we'll be there in an hour. Thank you." She hung up the phone, sitting back in her chair in shock.

"What was that?" Foggy pressed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Natalie looked up at him, mouth still agape. "That was the precinct." She explained, gaze floating between the two men. "Our client was just attacked in her holding cell."

The sound of Matt's briefcase hitting the metal table echoed in the concrete room. Followed by the sounds of all three employees at Nelson and Murdock sitting in their rickety chairs.

Matt immediately stiffened his posture and dropped his shoulders. If anyone else had looked, they probably wouldn't have noticed. But Nat noted the movement carefully, reading the tension rolling off of him in thick waves.

"I'll make this easy for you detectives." He began sternly. "Get the ADA in here to release Ms. Page and we'll recommend to our charming, media-friendly client that she not plaster the airwaves with how she was nearly killed in your custody." The detectives shifted uncomfortably at Matt's words. No doubt imagining the hellfire that would rain down upon them if what he said did come to pass.

Foggy took that moment to add on, with a self satisfied smirk. "And i'll agree not to make cooing noises for the rest of this meeting when I think of the civil suit that we have on our hands." Natalie fought the urge to kick him under the table. He never knew when to let things be.

Detective Blake made a face at both of the lawyers that made Natalie grit her teeth. "How do you know they're not charging her?" He pointed out, fingers tightly woven together on the table to hide his frustration. Not very effectively, she might add.

"Besides the fact that you were required to do so four hours ago if you were gonna do it at all?" Nat countered smoothly, raising a single brow at the detectives. "Along with how the security cameras on Ms. Page's detention area went on the fritz right before the assault." Blake glared at her, but she didn't move. She'd learned the hard way that if you give an inch officers like Blake would take a 5k. She didn't plan on budging.

"Yeah, we'd like to speak to Mr. Farnum about that, as well as what-" Matt added on, adjusting his crimson glasses carefully on his nose as he spoke.

"Get in line." Blake interrupted, furious. "He'll be arraigned in the morning." Matt's jaw clenched almost imperceptibly at the detective's tone.

The room was quiet before Matt spoke again, in a tone that was enough to put shivers down even Natalie's spine. "Get our client released. Don't make me ask again."

Natalie watched, rapt, as Hoffman whispered to Blake furtively. She didn't have to hear what he said to know he wasn't happy about it.

Blake sighed through his nose after Hoffman sat back, settling his gaze on Matt. "I'll call the ADA." He conceded, standing from his chair to tower over her friend menacingly. "But you take that tone with me again?" He gritted out at Matt. "I don't care if you're blind. I'll kick the shit out of you."

Foggy's eyes narrowed. All trace of joking manner gone. "Really?" He murmured. "We're gonna go there?"

Detective Blake gave one more scathing look at the trio before he and Hoffman left the room. Leaving Natalie to finally let loose a deep, nervous breath.

Foggy scoffed. "That was pleasant." He snarled.

Matt scrubbed a hand over his permanent five o'clock shadow. Deep in thought. "It doesn't make any sense." He insisted. "ADA had everything they needed..."

Natalie's face slackened as realization came. "Unless they had too much." She looked between Matt and Foggy.

She could almost see the moment Matt connected the dots. Right as Foggy looked over at them both as he often did when they got going on something. "What? Am I missing something?"

Natalie touched Foggy's arm. "What if someone else was in Karen's apartment that night? What if they have evidence?" She pondered.

"That'd be Brady material." Matt pointed out. "They'd have to turn it over." Foggy's mouth popped open, leaning back in his chair.

"Only if she were charged." He added. "She hangs herself in her cell, this all goes away." Foggy shook his head. "Clear cut case." He murmured mockingly.

Natalie stood from the table, pulling the door open to usher both of the men out. "Come on. Let's get her some clothes and get her the hell out of here."

Karen, Matt, and Natalie all sat at the faded, chipped table in what was meant to be the waiting area of the office. Karen wearing a hoodie and leggings Natalie had picked up from her apartment for her. She'd grabbed two of the items that were the biggest on her, but Karen's arms and ankles still dangled out of the ends.

Why did she have to be so damn tall? Or, she realized - with no small amount of embarrassment - why did she have to be so damn short.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Foggy entering the room holding a cup of still-steaming liquid. From the smell, she assumed it was tea.

"Sorry, we don't have any milk." He told Karen softly, passing her the cup before sitting down with the group.

Matt also seemed to smell the aromatic concoction because he turned to Foggy with a mixture of confusion and admiration. "We have tea, now?" He asked, bemused.

"Stole it from the Financial Office next door." Foggy said by way of explanation. Looking at Karen comfortingly.

Natalie also turned to Karen, trying to get a gauge on the woman now that she wasn't covered in blood and hysterical.

"How are you holding up?" She asked gently, fidgeting with her fingertips nervously on the table.

"Better." She gave a weak, grateful smile. "Thanks for getting me out."

Foggy sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. "Don't thank us yet." He corrected. "Just because they released you doesn't mean they won't eventually bring charges."

Matt nodded, tapping his fingers on the wood aimlessly. "Which is why it's crucial you don't speak to anyone but us about what happened that night." He explained, tone firm but caring.

Karen laughed nervously, cradling her cup of tea but not taking a sip. Natalie wondered if she'd forgotten she was holding it. "I don't have anyone to talk to, anyway." She joked. Although it sounded hollow.

"Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?" Matt asked, clearly creating some plan in his mind that neither Foggy or Natalie would know about until he decided it was time.

Karen seemed caught of guard for a moment, mouth dropping open. "M-my apartment's not far." She shrugged.

"You can't go back there." Foggy immediately interjected. Holding up a hand cautiously.

Matt cleared his throat, adjusting in his chair. "Ms. Page, our immediate priority is to keep you safe." She pressed his lips together for a moment, and Natalie zeroed in on the motion, watching the pressure turn the pink skin white. "In order to do that, we're gonna need to have a frank discussion."

Matt inclined his head at Natalie, who discreetly pressed the record button on the device in her lap.

"Do you know who's trying to kill you?" Matt started, at Karen's 'No' he continued. "Do you know why someone would try to kill you?"

There was a long pause where Foggy and Natalie looked at Karen, waiting patiently for her answer.

"Yes." The blonde muttered. Natalie closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Matt rolled his shoulders back as Karen began to speak.

And the hole they found themselves standing around became so much deeper.

a/n: I promise this is the last part before we return to the stuff I assume you guys came for. Wanted you guys to get a sense of not only the group dynamic and how these guys operate but also a tad of what Natalie is like. Yes, she's quiet for the most part. I promise that Matt brings her out eventually, but she's naturally reserved. Also, I don't tolerate Karen hate, she's badly written in a few places but I love her, and Nat does too.

Once again, thanks for reading, and if you liked this post consider leaving a note or following for more.

As always thanks to @abucketofweird consider this story dedicated to you and your initial interest. <3

Have a good day/night, whatever time it is.

-Sybil :)

#matt murdock x you #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock x ofc #marvel #daredevil #daredevil x ofc #daredevil x oc #daredevil x reader

11 notes · View notes