Title: Snapshot
Author: pumkinteacup
Rating: T
Summary: The sight is all too adorable to take in and she wants to take a photo. She regrets it the instant her phone makes the loud shutter sound cameras usually do. Her face burns as Matt's movements pause, his face nothing but confusion and concern. "What was that?" he asks. "Nothing," she lies. Matt/Karen.
Author's Note: So guess who stayed up to 12:01 the day Daredevil premiered and finished the whole season within two days? This gal! Guess who doesn't know what else to do with their life now that they've finished it? This gal! *cue obnoxious laughter that turns to sobbing* No but on a serious note Daredevil is brilliant and it pains me that everyone I know is ether not watching it or taking forever to finish watching it. I've been coping the best way I can, rewatching and tumbling DD. And now writing DD fanfiction! Matt and Karen are soulmates who are obviously going to break all our hearts. Anyhow, hope ya'll enjoy and tell me what you think xoxo
Karen is the first one in.
The office is empty and filling with morning sunlight. She loves how they count on the free and dependable lighting that nature provides than the electrical and wired kind other offices do. It draws them apart and gives them the character other practices lack along with the century old equipment they have.
She's thankful for her job and embraces its small quirks that'll have others running like the lack of paycheck. She places her purse on her desk and box of doughnuts in the kitchen as she starts the coffee maker.
She's improving on her coffee skills.
She's bought some creamers and different sugar packets to impress any clients. She has them next to the microwave in a basket she got from the dollar store. They're lined up in rows of green, pink, and blue.
Karen enjoys shaking the sugar packets too much before ripping them apart and pouring them into her mug. Foggy says she's going to break her wrist if she keeps it up. She jokes that a couple of lawyers she knows will sue the sugar company if she does.
It's nothing but a usual day at the office until Matt doesn't show.
She asks Foggy where Matt is but he gives her a shrug as if she'll know more than him (she gets the feeling he knows more than he leads on but doesn't say anything) and says he'll give Matt a call.
Matt not coming in somehow develops into a routine at some point. It happens every few weeks but doesn't make much difference because one, he's one of her bosses therefore he can do whatever he wants and two, they don't have any clients.
It's a little past two when Foggy says she can head home early. He knows her well enough that by home he really means check in on Matt. She makes sure to clean up and grab some doughnuts before she leaves.
She makes it to Matt's taking in the new bruises and what she believes to be are stitches hiding beneath a band aide. He looks to have just gotten out of bed with his wrinkled shirt and sweats.
When she asks him what happened but he doesn't go into detail.
She frowns.
"You sure you don't need a dog? It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"It's fine Karen, really."
She doesn't buy it and it makes her worry. From what she knows Matt doesn't have family for the exception of Foggy where family and best friend is one in the same.
He almost never accepts any help that's given to him unless he's the one who asks for it. She doesn't know if it has anything to do with him being blind and trying to prove something or the fact he's stubborn.
She wonders what it really comes down to, his independence or pride?
She tells him about Marco. An old dog she used to play with as a child when her neighbors went out of town. She remembers it supposedly being fixed but still never losing the urge. She shares the first time she saw it humping one of her stuff animals and showing her parents, calling it 'dancing.'
Matt laughs at this.
She pulls on his arm in direction to the door because she knows of a place not that far. Matt declines because again, 'I don't need a dog, I just need to be more careful.' But Karen shares that maybe she'll be the one to get the dog.
"My stuff animals are awfully lonely," she says.
A laugh and quick change into shoes later and they're making their way to the pound. It's a few blocks away from the place she got doughnuts that morning.
The place is small and crowded. They walk in to hear the sound of small barks, meows, and whining children begging their parents to buy a stray.
When they get approached by an employee that asks what they're looking for, they get escorted to the back where the rest of the animals are. Matt takes hold of her elbow as she follows the older woman with the gloves and name tag.
His grip is firm yet gentle, an overall comforting sensation like he's the one guiding her and not the other way around.
"If you need help with anything just let me know," the woman says before walking away.
(Karen tries her best not to feel disappointed when Matt drops his hand from her arm.)
She takes a look at the different pets available and a brief glance at one of customers as they open a cage to retrieve a cat. She does the same to the small dog pawing at its cage door in front of her.
She watches as it becomes clear the puppy she selects proves to be the wrong candidate. It's full of energy and can barely stay within her arms. It wiggles to escape as if her embrace were far worse than the cage it was in. She sets it to the floor and laughs at its attempts to catch its own tail.
Karen and Matt both settle on the floor playing with the pup as it seems determined to win their game of tug-a-war, its loud and harmless growls trying to intimidate them.
Eventually it loses interest and takes to trying to eat Matt's face, licking every part, glasses included. Karen giggles at the sight as Matt tries to steady the pup and struggles to do so.
Matt throws his head back as he laughs. She notices that Matt's most genuine laugh is when he throws his head back. She watches as he does just that, laugh as candid and free as the moment he's in. His smile is broad and contagious making her cheeks hurt as she watches those precious crinkles around his eyes and cheeks appear.
"He loves you," Karen says (and she might too).
The sight is all too adorable to take in and she wants to take a photo.
She feels awkward because how do you bring up wanting to take a photo of someone who's blind? Usually the standard for someone who wasn't is to just take it, share it, and give it to them to look back on. But Matt would never be able to do both so wouldn't that be considered rude? Insensitive?
It brings her back to the night she stayed at Matt's after that cop tried to kill her. She had no idea what to do when he presented her with his shirt. Was she supposed to turn her back to him? Go into a different room? He couldn't see so was there still a point in trying to conserve her modesty?
But just like that night and those few seconds of hesitance, she quickly makes her decision.
She regrets it the instant her phone makes the loud shutter sound cameras usually do. Her face burns as Matt's movements pause, his face nothing but confusion and concern.
"What was that?" he asks.
"Nothing," she lies.
And before Matt could say anything else, the pup takes a bite for his nose.
It takes a few alarmed cries and yelps till they get some assistance. It takes a while but they finally succeed in securing Matt's nose. They leave empty handed and one of them looking like a certain red nosed reindeer.
"Sorry we couldn't find you a dog," she says.
Matt only shrugs, "Its ok, I'm allergic anyways."
"What?!"
And Karen hits his arm. Matt throws his head as he laughs and she finds it near impossible to stay mad. Her cheeks start to hurt again as they walk their way back. They say their goodbyes along with a promise stating Matt will make it to work tomorrow.
When Karen gets home she takes a look at the photo. It's beautiful and brilliant, Matt's smile and laughter perfectly captured along with the vicious creature trying to devour him.
Karen smiles and sets the photo as Matt's contact pic. She sees it everytime he calls.
Author's Note: Seeing that adorable posed photo of Karen show up on Foggy's phone when she was calling totally gave me the inspiration to write this. I wonder if Foggy has a photo of Matt when he calls!