A New Kind of Stoic (Daredevil)

[justaquirkygirl]

Recently saw a prompt about a character acknowledging they're sick, and yet going on about their day as if nothing was wrong anyway. So, I had to write it as my favorite idiot Matt Murdock/Daredevil. TV show rather than comic, although I think there was a thin slice of time in there where this could fit in comic canon as well if you ignore a few details. Can possibly continue this, although I'm working on a much longer fic where I torture Matt for pages, so continuing here would likely take a back seat.

Matt sneezed into his fist as he entered the office, rubbing at his nose absentmindedly. “He’tech”. 

 

“Bless you buddy,” Foggy called from across the room. 

 

“Tha.. heh… thanks, eh-itsch!” Matt responded, sneezing into his elbow this time, sniffling heavily.

 

Foggy looked up sharply at the second sneeze. Matt rarely sneezed and twice was unheard of unless he was sick, in which case he’d sneeze constantly until unconscious or the cold ran its course. 

 

“Bless you again. Coming down with something, buddy,” he asked casually, fully expecting Matt to deny it. 

 

“Yeah, I’ve got a cold,” Matt responded offhand as he grabbed a napkin to wipe his running nose. He began setting up his desk for the day, turning on his computer and pulling up his refreshable braille reader. 

 

“Really?” Foggy asked, surprised that Matt wasn’t trying to deny it.

 

“Yeah, it-schtch! Every - heh-tisch - everyone gets colds Foggy,” Matt responded, wiping absently at his nose between sneezes. “Don’t see why het-itsch! I’d be any different.” 

 

“Right,” Foggy said slowly, trying to figure out what was happening. Mr. Show Up for Work Stabbed and Shrug It Off was fully admitting to being sick. “Bless you, by the way,” he finally said, unable to figure out Matt’s game. 

 

“Thanks, het-tish!” Matt sneezed again, barely turning to stifle it in his shoulder while he read the day’s work. 

 

Karen came in a few minutes later and Foggy cornered her, dragging her behind the rattling old heater in the hopes of keeping out of Matt’s earshot. 

 

“Matt’s got a cold,” he told her in a hushed voice. 

 

Karen sighed, “And he’s not admitting that he’s sick and should go home?” She rolled her eyes, assuming as Foggy had that Matt would try and deny his illness. 

 

“No! That’s the crazy thing! He totally admits that he’s sick. But he’s just… going about his day like he isn’t sneezing every two seconds. It’s really weird!”

 

“Huh,” Karen responded. “This I have to see,” she turned and headed toward Matt’s desk. 

 

“Morning Matt,” she called casually, trying not to be obvious that she was covertly checking him out. 

 

“Morning, Karen. Ah-tsch!” Matt grabbed another napkin and swiped at his nose, focus not wavering from his braille reader. 

 

Karen winced at the congestion in his voice, “Bless you! Matt, you sound awful! You feeling ok?”

 

“Ah-tsch! Caught a cold,” Matt sniffled heavily, rubbed his nose and refocused on his display. Then he turned back to Karen telling her, “You and Foggy should probably stay away from me today. Wouldn’t want you to get this. Heh-itsch!” 

 

“Bless you!” Karen told him, turning a stunned face to Foggy who nodded back toward the rattling heater. Karen nodded briefly then followed him there. 

 

“You’re right! He didn’t try and deny it at all!”

 

“I know!” Foggy whisper yelled. “It’s freaking me out! Stoic Matt hiding his pain, I know how to deal with. Somehow equally stoic Matt admitting that he’s sick and soldiering on anyway is not something I was prepared for!”

 

They were interrupted by a particularly loud sneeze from Matt, “Heh-itESCHEW! If you guys are done discussing it, could we get some work done?”

 

Foggy and Karen both turned red when they realized they were caught, but neither had any response other than to try and get on with the day. 

 

The morning continued on in much the same way, Matt sneezing nearly constantly, but otherwise acting like it was an average day and Karen and Foggy at a loss as to how to deal with this. 

 

Any offhand or direct comment by Foggy or Karen that perhaps Matt would feel better at home or that maybe he could at least take some DayQuil or something, Jesus Matt you sound awful, was met with a dismissive sniffle and a blasé, “I’b fide.”

 

It was only after lunch when a quiet cough began to intersperse the frequent sneezes that Foggy felt he had to put his foot down. 

 

He headed for Matt’s area, listening to the poor guy’s breath hitching as he fought with another sneeze, losing the battle just as Foggy approached.

 

“Heh heh huh HEHeitchsew!” This was followed by thick sniffing and several coughs that sounded like they hurt. 

 

“Bless you, buddy! Look, Matt, I realize that you are totally capable of finishing work for the day, but why bother? Karen and I can hold down the fort. Why don’t you head home early. Get some rest.” Foggy looked over his shoulder for support from Karen as Matt began shaking his head. 

 

“I told you, it’s just at’tsch! a cold et’tsch! I don’t need to go home.” He finished this noble speech with a shiver that didn’t escape his friends’ attention. 

 

“Alright, tell you what, let’s take your temperature. If it’s over 100, you go home. If it’s not, you can stay,” Foggy challenged him. Karen immediately responded by yanking him behind the heater. 

“What are you doing? If he doesn’t have a fever, we’ll never get him home! He’ll probably stay all night!” She whisper yelled at Foggy. 

 

“Relax. You forget that I was Matt’s roommate at Columbia. When he starts shivering like that it’s always because he has a fever. I guarantee this is how we’re getting him home.” Foggy was digging through the office first aid kit as he spoke, finally brandishing the thermometer when he found it. 

 

Matt was still sneezing miserably at his desk, while simultaneously ignoring anything beyond a casual nose wipe. He sighed when Foggy and Karen returned with the thermometer. 

 

“I - itschew - didn’t agree - etschew - to this,” he told them, sniffling wetly. 

 

“Too bad,” Foggy told him good naturedly, “You’re overruled.” And he stuck the thermometer into Matt’s mouth. 

 

Matt sat back in his chair with a huff, but didn’t remove the thermometer. Instead he closed his eyes against another building sneeze, hoping he could hold it off until this was over. 

 

He kept his lips clamped tightly so that his chest was hitching silently as he prayed for this to end. 

 

Finally the thermometer beeped and Matt pulled it from his mouth just as the sneeze reached its peak and exploded from his nose, “Heh-ITSCHEW!”

 

“Sorry buddy,” Foggy said, trying not to grin his triumph. “100.5 You’re out for the rest of the day. At least. New office policy; no coming to work with a fever.” He looked pointedly at Karen to back him up and she nodded. 

 

“I agree. Office policy and Matt, right now you’re breaking it. Want us to call you a cab?” She asked while she helped him pack his things.

 

“Fine. I’ll go home, but you’re both overreacting. It’s just a cold. People get colds, life goes on. Ha-itsch!” He grabbed for the final napkin on his desk to give his nose another swipe. 

 

“And no Daredeviling this evening, either!” Foggy yelled after Matt as he headed down the stairs. Matt raised a hand in acknowledgment, but continued on his way. 

“I’m coming by later, and so help me Murdock you better be home!” Foggy continued, before turning back to Karen. “Odds he actually goes home?”

 

Karen frowned, “50-50, I’d say,” she finally answered, looking out the window to the street below, hoping to see Matt emerge so she could see if he was heading toward his apartment or not. 

 

It was late when Foggy was finished for the day, having to take on Matt’s work as well as his own. He held his breath as he made his way to Matt’s place, worried that when he got there, Matt wouldn’t be. 

 

He was therefore not unpleasantly surprised to find Matt home, dressed in sweats and lounging on his couch while he read some braille briefs. A box of tissues,  wastebasket full of used ones, and a cooling cup of tea sat nearby. 

Matt himself was still shivering slightly and looked like he was having trouble focusing on what he was doing. Foggy sighed and decided that he needed to treat Stoic While Admitting He’s Sick Matt the same way he’d treat Stoic and Hiding His Pain Matt and simply take charge of the situation. After all, Matt was his best friend and he was many things, most of them good, but he was also an idiot that acted like he’d never heard of self-care. 

 

“Alright, that’s it,” he told Matt, grabbing his notes and setting them aside. “Have you eaten?” He waited for Matt to shake his head then continued, “Right, so first things first, food. Then you’re going to bed.” Matt was shaking his head but Foggy was adamant. 

“Yes Matt, people get colds and life goes on. It goes on because most people have the presence of mind to take care of themselves when they’re sick,” Foggy’s voice had begun to rise, and he lowered it again after seeing Matt wince. 

“And since you clearly can’t take care of yourself, I’m going to be forced to do it for you.” He paused again while Matt sneezed for what was probably the 5,000th time that day, then continued, “Bless you. So. Food, probably some cold medicine, then bed. And if you don’t cooperate,” Foggy grinned as he held up his phone and played his trump card, “I’ll call Maggie and have her come over to yell at you for a while.”

 

“You wouldn’t,” Matt protested, clearly not liking the thought of his tough as nails mother, the nun, coming to bully him into taking some cold medicine like a child. 

 

“Oh, wouldn’t I,” Foggy responded smugly. 

 

“Fine - et-tsch - you win,” Matt stood and started shuffling for the kitchen, but Foggy stopped him and pushed him back onto the couch. 

 

“Bless you. Again. And just sit tight; I’m going to go grab that spicy Thai soup from next door. You are going to rest until I get back. I can tell if you don’t, and I have Maggie on speed dial.”

 

Matt tried looking offended, but sneezed instead, “Ah-tsch! Fine. I will be here, on the couch when you return. Heh-tsch!”

 

“Finally, you’re making sense. Be back in a minute,” and Foggy headed out, finally feeling in control for the first time all day.

[starpollen]

Very cute 🥰 

[nova_592]

I love this! I had recently binged all of Daredevil and was disappointed to find not very many fics here. Now I’m so excited to see what comes next! 

[justaquirkygirl]

5 hours ago, nova_592 said:

I love this! I had recently binged all of Daredevil and was disappointed to find not very many fics here. Now I’m so excited to see what comes next! 

The lack of fics is what drove me to write this. I have the next one nearly done, and will be uploading very soon!

[Sickficsinger]

Yessss

This makes me need to rewatch Daredevil

[Lady Blessington]

Super super cute! 😍