Matt stood with his cane between his hands, listening as Sam and Dean slammed the trunk of the Impala. Foggy was hovering by the car, still exclaiming over the sheer amount of illegal weaponry in the trunk. Cas, as always, was trailing behind Dean. Claire and Karen were standing a short distance away, talking about their shaken worldview. It seemed a little personal, so he tried not to listen, but it was hard not to. It was also hard not to listen to the city around them.

Rubble grinding against rubble as volunteers and firemen cleared out the destruction from the streets. Ambulances, people crying, news stations covering what had happened the day before. But there were also people encouraging others, finding each other, rebuilding. And Ysanne was right - the fact Daredevil had been working with SHIELD agents to stop the attack was good press. He could hear it playing on several networks from nearby apartments.

"Aww - okay, what are you listening to it? I have to admit, I kinda miss it. Okay, I miss it a lot. Why don't I get superpowers?"

Az was standing next to him, pouting, apparently. It was strange not knowing exactly what was going through the demon's head until they decided to speak it out loud.

"You have superhuman strength, can teleport, and are unkillable. I think those qualify as superpowers." Matt replied cheerily.

"Those are definitely superpowers," Foggy chimed in. "Wait. Holy shit. Are you going to become a superhero vigilante too?"

"Yeah - what are you going to do now, Az?" Sam said.

Everyone had grown quiet and gathered around, waiting for an answer.

Az laughed awkwardly, shuffling their feet and pulling on their hair - now long and curly.

"Well...I don't know. I haven't really ever thought about it before. And I've never really had my own body before."

"You could come with us," Dean said.

Matt's eyebrows flew up before he schooled his expression back into place. Despite Az's jealousy over his superpowers, they weren't quite enough to discern anyone else's reaction to Dean's offer.

"A demon traveling with the Winchesters? And an angel? That would be an interesting road trip."

Matt's lips twisted, wanting to speak, but he swallowed it back. He didn't want to influence Az's decision. He wanted them to be free. Besides, it was probably healthy that they got some space, right? After being possessed, the victim probably shouldn't want the possessor to hang around, right?

"Or you could stick around here," Claire said.

Az turned their head slightly, toward Karen and Claire and the others. Towards Matt.

"Yeah - if you decide to become a superhero I would feel better if there was someone to keep this guy in line. And if you don't, well - we're lawyers. We could help you get settled in a human life, if that's what you want."

Az turned their head again - this time directly facing Matt. Waiting.

Matt finally managed a shrug, and "It's true. Some company would be nice."
Karen groaned. "Oh my god. This is why it took you forever to tell anyone you were Daredevil. For a lawyer, you're terrible with words. Az, Matt would love it if you stayed in Hell's Kitchen. I don't think any of us would mind."

"But it's up to you." Matt said.

"Well, Evangeline wasn't working alone. If her friends ever come back I guess I should be here to help out."

Matt relaxed, not even knowing he had been tense.

"If her friends do show back up, give us a call. We'll be back to help out, too." Sam said, handing a slip of paper to Foggy.

"Where are you headed now? To fight a vampire?" Claire asked. Matt could hear her smug smile in her voice.

"No. Not yet anyway. Probably back to Kansas, get some r and r." Sam said.

"We could definitely use some of that," Dean said, clapping Sam and Cas on the shoulder. The hand on Cas' shoulder stayed longer than the other.

"Right, buddy?"

Az groaned. "Can you two just-"

Matt thwacked Az in the ankles with his cane, cutting them off. He felt Dean's cheeks warm slightly, though. His hand slipped away from Cas' shoulder and he crossed to the other side of the car.

"Alright boys, load up. We got a long trip ahead of us."

Cas gave a stuff nod. "It's truly been a pleasure. I hope we meet again."

"We're only a flap away, my man," Az said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Cas said, then joined Dean in the car.

Sam waved, hovering for a moment like he might say something more, but simply folded his too long legs into the car and closed the door behind him. Dean honked the horn, then the now-familiar thrum of the engine revved, and the tires rolled away from the curb. In a minute they were gone - out of sight, at least. Matt could still hear the engine for a few more miles.

He pulled his focus back to his immediate surrounding, tuning into Foggy's voice.

"So, if you're sticking around here you're probably going to need somewhere to live. And some identification. And income. Which means you'll need a job. Besides killing bad guys and general demonic activity, what's your skillsets?"

"I'm over 400 years old. I have picked some stuff up along the way."

"Like what?" Karen asked, making her way back towards the building entrance.

"Well, I used to be a tailor. Which was fun for many reasons - but I think I may have thought up a way to avoid work."

"Oh?" Matt said.

"Evangeline has property - those warehouses, at least. Maybe more. Who knows what kind of assets she had? And guess who owns it now?"

Foggy sighed. "Of course, it was silly of me to think you would get an actual adult job and work for money like everyone else."

"To be honest, Foggy, that was a little outrageous," Claire quipped.

Matt followed them up the stairs towards his apartment, chuckling as they continued to banter.

Once they reached his familiar living quarters, he remembered it was pretty much absolutely trashed. Furniture rearranged, clothes and drawers laying haphazard on the floor, cabinets and shelves emptied.

Matt sighed, then used his cane to safely walk to the couch where he collapsed.

"I know this is a mess, but I'm not cleaning it up right now."

"I feel that," Foggy said, falling onto the couch next to Matt. He heard Karen rustling in the refrigerator, then the clink of bottles as she carried a few beers over to the living room. She dragged a chair over and sat down, passing the drinks around. Claire sat next to her on the floor, and Az next to her. There were a few pops and fizzles as the beers were opened - Claire sipped, Karen gulped, and Foggy pretty much chugged his.

A few floors down, Matt suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, turn on the news. Channel nine, I think," he said.

Claire clicked the remote and the television flared to life.

"It's Hernandez!" Foggy said, and everyone leaned towards the screen slightly.

"-opened an extradimensional portal to another location. The perpetrator was taken down, and our agents are still looking into where exactly the portal led to. By working with Daredevil and our agents, we hope to be able to provide answers soon."

Another voice - the reporter, Matt assumed - began speaking.

"Right, Daredevil. Many people have debated whether the masked man was a menace or a hero, especially with some of his recent actions. What would you say about that, agent?"

"Without Daredevil, stopping this attack may have been impossible. He was an invaluable resource - I would say without a doubt the man is a hero."

"So does SHIELD condone his illegal vigilante activity? Or does he work for you now? Should we be expecting to hear about a new member of the Avengers?"
"I can't speak for all of SHIELD - or the Avengers. All I can say is Hell's Kitchen is definitely a safer place with Daredevil in it."

There was a sound effect, and several unfamiliar voices began talking, going over the strange events of the day before. Matt figured he should get used to hearing about it. Everyone and every news station would be talking about it for the perceivable future.

Claire clicked the remote again, and the tv fell silent.

"She was not lying about getting you some good press, dude," Foggy said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Matt said.

"And maybe now that you have a SHIELD agent in your corner, you won't end up bloody at my place so often. That would be nice." Claire said. She and Matt chuckled, though he noticed the silence from Foggy and Karen. Karen - right. He had a lot of explaining to do.

But not now. Now, he wanted to rest. He felt his eyes drift close - not that it made too much of a difference, but it betrayed how tired he was.

"If you're going to take the couch, I'm taking the bed. I'm sure the hospital will be calling soon enough. It's a miracle they haven't already." Claire said, standing.

"I guess I should head home, too…" Karen also stood, but Foggy flapped a hand at her.

"Take the bed. I'm sure Claire won't mind. Just like Matt won't mind me taking this end of the couch."

Matt grunted in response, and Foggy patted his leg.

"Come on. Sleepover," Claire said, trying to joke but voice too exhausted to really be humorous. She and Karen shuffled into the bedroom, drawing the door close behind them.

"I wasn't joking about taking this end of the couch. I hope I make a comfortable foot cushion," Foggy said.

"I hope my feet don't stink," Matt said.

The whole time, Az had been sitting in the same place, fidgeting slightly. But now they stood and started walking towards the roof access.

"Hey, where you going?" Foggy asked.

"Just getting some air," they replied, trying to sound casual. Matt heard their footsteps recede up the stairs then pat across the roof. He sighed, then shifted to get off the couch.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk. Enjoy the whole couch while you have it."

Foggy took that to heart, stretching out over the cushions with a satisfied groan. Matt was already up the stairs and stepping into the fresh air.

There were the usual city smells - trash, food, gas, sewage - but currently it was all tinged with a slight smell of smoke. Az was perched on the edge of the roof, looking out over the street.

"Hey," Matt said.

Az made a small noise of acknowledgement.

Matt joined them on the edge, swinging his legs over the edge and kicking his heels against the brick.

"Careful - if you fall I won't be there to get you back up again."

"Well, now that we have an angel on call, I'm not too worried about it."

"Breaking your legs and arms hurts a lot more when you're not a possessed."

Matt hummed, and they fell into quiet contemplation. After a few moments, Matt spoke up again.

"What are you thinking?"

Az huffed a laugh, "It's weird not knowing, right?"

"Yeah. Now we just have to do things the old fashioned way, and talk."

Az laughed again, then fell quiet. Matt gave them time, and after a minute or two was rewarded.

"I don't know what to do now."

"Foggy seems to have some ideas."

"I'm serious. For centuries, I've just been doing the same thing. Which was...nothing, really. Now I feel like I have this...this opportunity? A second chance? I don't want to waste it. I don't want to go back to who I was."

"Then don't."

"But how do I make sure not to do that? How do I know what the right decision is? There's no higher power calling the shots, just me. It's not like I really listened to the higher ups before, but now...I'm really on my own."

"You're not - you've got me. And Claire, and everyone else. And everything you just described - well, that's pretty much what every human has to worry about constantly. None of us know what we're doing. But we try, and we learn, and we change and grow. Which is what you're doing. You have time - more than the rest of us - to figure it out."

"Thanks. For having my back. And for...everything else."

"Anytime," Matt said, grinning a little.

"So - you're going to let me stay at your place until I find my own, right?"

Matt laughed. "Sure. But if you really liquidize all of Evangeline's assets, I think you'll be pretty well off. Maybe I'll come stay at your place then."

"Oh, I will definitely have the swankiest of lofts. And a new wardrobe. Maybe even a suit to match yours."

Matt quirked an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Well, your friends were right. You definitely need someone to watch your back. You are the most reckless person I've ever met, and I've met a fucking lot of people. That, and... Evangeline wasn't working alone. If she really was cozying up with the Hand, I doubt this will be the last you hear from them."

Matt sobered up a bit at that. "Great."

Az threw their arm around his shoulder, giving him a little jostle.

"But not to fear! Hellhound is here!"

"What? Hellhound?"

"Yeah, wouldn't that be a cool superhero name? And it's thematic."
"If your theme is puppies."

They shoved him, letting out an offended gasp.

"Hellhounds are not puppies! They're scary, and cool as shit! It's a good name!"

"Well, if you're really going to do this, you might want to get ahead of the press with the whole name situation. I didn't choose Daredevil, you know."

"Well...I'm glad it's what you ended up with."

"Oh, are you jealous? I will gladly trade."

"No, it's just...your name - Daredevil - that's what made me, well, come after you, in the first place. It made me mad. Calling yourself the devil. So...in a way, some reporter calling you Daredevil is what made any of this happen. Which - I know the first bit wasn't great - sorry about that again. But...well, I'm glad. Anyway."

Matt smirked. "That was so eloquent."

Az punched him in the shoulder - and it hurt, but not too bad. Enough to make Matt miss sharing that demonic strength a little.

"Okay, okay - I'm sorry. But…" he stood, offering a hand to Az. "For what it's worth, I'm glad too."

Az took his hand and stood. Together, they observed the city laid out before them. The city that they had saved, together. Matt's origins, Az's new beginning. It had shaped them both, created something only Hell's Kitchen could. They were a part of this place now - and when it needed them next, they would be here.

-fin-