company and a cat

TW: flashback involving abuse (if you wish to skip this, skip from "Artemis blinked, the word dog echoing in his head" to "Artemis wheezed.") and a panic attack

HIS DAY hadn't started well, and it didn't get much better as it went on. Artemis woke halfway off his bed, Kotik standing on his chest and his entire lower half alight with pain. With an unbecoming, disoriented wheeze, he shifted back onto the bed, a hand coming up to steady the cat, and Kotik let out a startled mrow, leaping off his chest and making a new bed on the pillow. He sat up slowly, taking care to breathe slowly and deeply as he shifted so that his feet were touching the ground. His hands stayed bracing himself on the mattress, his head swimming once he was fully up.

His apartment bedroom was dimly lit by the sun shining through the blinds, but the little light there was made his eyes ache. On his nightstand, the bright pink pill organizer Estelle bought him when they picked up his prescription sat, saying nothing as most inanimate objects do but still managing to mock him. With a grimace and shaky hands, he managed to pop open the first container, taking Sunday's dose. The pill felt like an intruder as he swallowed it, a dull pain the whole way down.

Risking a glance at his phone, his eyes widened at the time. It was almost noon—his first lesson of the day started at ten.

"Shit, shit, Гавно!"

He noticed an odd lack of calls from Estelle—found it even stranger that she hadn't just come into his apartment herself to wake him up, but he didn't think about it further as he pressed the call button on her contact.

She picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Is everything okay?" He began immediately, grimacing and wheezing as he bent down to shove his socks on. He babbled, taking no care to mask his accent, "I overslept; I will be there soon, do—"

"Artemis."

"I can still teach the last of my classes; did the first one go okay?"

"Artemis."

He grabbed his shoulder bag, ignoring how his legs buckled slightly when he stood, still rambling into his phone. "I am on my wa—"

"Artemis," Estelle snapped. He paused.

"Yes?"

He could hear her sigh over the phone, could picture her pursed lips. "You don't have lessons today, Artemis."

Artemis paused, all the earlier adrenaline and anxiety leaving his body, leaving him with the fogginess and pain he woke up with. He stumbled and fell onto the couch in his living room. He blinked. Huh. The room was spinning.

"Oh," he said, voice small—

♘

"—Sorry."

Matt listened to the muscles in Estelle's neck shift as she shared a look with Karen before turning her attention back to her phone. They were taking lunch at Nelson & Murdock, Estelle joining them since she was running her shop alone that day when Artemis called, babbling frantically.

"It's okay, Artemis," she said, oddly gently, her lips twitching into a brief smile. "Take it easy. How long have you been up for?"

"I just woke up," came his voice over the phone, American accent curiously and carefully back in place. "I just took my medication; I should be fine."

Estelle rolled her eyes, handing her sandwich to Karen as she replied, "I'm sure you will be, but for now, you're not. I've still got twenty minutes for lunch—I'll stop by and hang out for a while, make sure you're actually doing okay."

Artemis grunted over the line. "Do not," he said. "I told you, I'll be fine. Besides, Kotik is wonderful company."

"Yeah, I'm sure the cat is great company," she snorted. "Don't fight me on this one, Bell. I'm not even five minutes from yours—I'll be over before you can get far."

Matt leaned forward, slightly bemused at the implication that Artemis would run to try and escape Estelle. "Is everything okay?" He asked, hoping his face was the clean mask of concern he was going for.

Estelle hummed in ascent as she nodded, tapping a button on her phone, likely muting him. "Artemis is just being an idiot. Sorry to cut this short, but I'm gonna stop by and check on him before going back to work."

Matt tilted his head to the side briefly, mulling over his thoughts. "I don't have anything else scheduled today," he said eventually. "I can go."

She paused halfway out of her seat, muscles creaking as she turned her head his way. "I don't know," she said, but she sat back down. "He can tolerate me or Damien on days like this; I don't know about anyone else."

"Is he... okay?" Foggy asked, coming around with his cup of coffee. He lightly kicked Matt's ankle as he went. Be careful.

Estelle huffed, running her hands along her sleeves, fingers ruffling the short fur of her overcoat. "That's a loaded question," she said, "but he will be. It's not my story to tell." He heard her head turn back toward him: "You're welcome to try Matt—I'll give him a heads up, but I can't honestly say if he'd let you in right now."

Matt stood, his own lunch long finished, and reached for his coat draped over his chair. "I'll be back, then," he said, offering a wry smile as he left.

The walk to Artemis's apartment was pleasant enough, and he managed to make the trip in under four minutes. He knocked on the door, folding up his cane as he stepped back and waited. Artemis was (thankfully) still in his apartment, albeit slumped on the floor against the far wall, and though he made no move to get up when Matt knocked, his cat certainly heard it. Before he could knock a second time, the cat began scratching at the door, meowing incessantly.

"Okay, okay," he heard Artemis grumble as he stood. He sounded more out of it than he did over the phone, and Matt could hear the throbbing of bones and muscles that usually accompanied intense injuries. "Patience is a virtue, Kotik."

He opened the door, and the noise was slight as Artemis's eyes pulled into a squint.

Matt cleared his throat. "Estelle sent a text, but I'm filling in for her on the home check."

Humming, Artemis shuffled to the side, still staring at Matt with a dazed squint. "You can come in," he said eventually, sounding resigned. As he entered the apartment, there was a warm, purring cat winding between his feet. For appearance's sake, Matt stumbled a little, putting his hands out to balance himself.

Artemis grunted. "Sorry, Kotik's clingy around new people." He slowly bent down and scooped the cat into his arms, ignoring the way all of his muscles throbbed, presumedly in pain. Standing back up, he looked at Matt and cleared his throat. "Um, would you like to sit down? I can get you something to eat—"

Matt interrupted him, "Artemis, I'm supposed to be the one checking on you here."

"And you really didn't have to," he replied, depositing Kotik on the small couch in the living room.

Despite having lived in Hell's Kitchen for a few weeks—nearly a month, Artemis's apartment was still somewhat sparse. Sure, he had a couch, coffee table, TV, and other normal pieces of furniture, but it seemed to lack nearly anything that would make it a home. He could smell the cardboard from a small stack of boxes in the far corner, curiously empty.

Matt was drawn back to the present by the sound of Artemis's breathing; it was controlled but shuddering slightly like he didn't want anyone to hear it at all.

"Estelle worries," Artemis continued after a moment, "even if we haven't known each other for long. I think Damien exaggerated some things, but really, I'm alright."

"I'll be the judge of that," Matt said, the ghost of a smirk dancing on his lips. Like he would give up his opportunity to get information from him. "How long have you known those two, anyway?"

Artemis sat on the couch with a grunt, and Kotik immediately clambered in his lap. "Damien? Years." Tendons and muscles shifted as his face turned toward the ceiling. One hand went to Kotik, petting the long fur, while the other went toward his hip, adjusting what sounded like a heating pad. "I helped him out a while back, and he gets really weird about favors, so he helped me when I decided to move here."

"And Estelle?"

He hummed, almost in tandem with Kotik's purrs. "Estelle and Damien go pretty far back, and he offered my name when she mentioned she was looking for help in the shop."

"And earlier?" Matt prodded, hoping to get a little more out of him. "Is everything okay?"

Artemis offered a weak shrug. "I have bad days and good days. Today seems to be a bad day."

Matt forced a grin and a chuckle, both of which he hoped were believable. "Alright, keep your secrets then."

"What is a man if he doesn't have some mystery to him?" Artemis joked. Sobering, he shook his head, lips stretching into a crooked smile. "Sorry, but forgive me if I don't spill my whole life so soon."

"No, it's fine," Matt said, sighing. "I guess that's... fair." He paused, tilting his head. Artemis definitely hadn't eaten this morning. Or at all recently. He could easily hear the telltale signs of hunger, stomach acid attacking the lining. Pulling out his phone, he asked, "What's your favorite Chinese food?"

Artemis blinked at the sudden subject change. "What?"

"I'm ordering Chinese, so what do you want?" Matt answered simply, toying with the ringer while he waited on an answer. "My treat for bothering you," he added before the other man could argue.

"Um, chicken wontons," he said eventually, clearly too caught off guard to protest too much.

Matt dictated to his phone, pulling up his saved contact for the nearest takeout place, ignoring his own burgeoning hunger as he spoke into the phone.

Once he hung up, Artemis shifted on the couch. After a moment's silence, he spoke. "Thanks, but you really didn't have to."

"I know," Matt said, pocketing his phone. He felt for the couch, distantly noting the incredibly soft blanket draped over the side, sitting opposite of Artemis. "But I like to look out for my friends."

The pattern of Artemis's heart and his raised eyebrow told him he didn't buy it. "Is that what we are?"

Matt paused, considering his words. He had to play it carefully here; one wrong word could ruin any of his progress. "I'd like to be," he said eventually. "I think we got off on the wrong foot—I'm protective of the people in my life," he admitted.

"I can understand that," Artemis admitted. His hand went to his chest, wrapping around the pendant that rested there. "I had my own people I cared deeply for."

"Had?" Matt frowned, but before he could press further, there was a knock at the door.

Kotik was the first to react, meowing loudly as he bolted for the door. With a groan, Artemis stood. He really needed to train Kotik; if the cat kept going crazy every time someone knocked, he might have problems.

Can you train cats? I should ask Damien about it. He likes animals.

The delivery boy couldn't be older than seventeen. His face was dotted with acne, and he stood tall and awkward like he hadn't quite grown accustomed to his height. He held up a large plastic bag. "That'll be fifteen-twenty."

Artemis barely had time to think to reach for his wallet when Matthew sidled up next to him, his own debit card in hand. He held it out, just a little too far to the left, smiling. "Here you go; tip yourself three dollars, would you?"

"Sick," the delivery boy said, handing the food off to Artemis in favor of processing Matthew's card. "Super cool of you, dog."

Artemis blinked, the word dog echoing in his head, and suddenly, he wasn't in his apartment. He was in That Place, the one he had finally left—the one he was never supposed to return to.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A hand gripped him by his hair, forcing him to look up, meeting a faceless man.

"Dogs are not allowed to leave their cages; we've been over this."

The hand pulled, yanking him toward something hazy in his peripheral vision. The room spun; he couldn't focus on anything. "Do you understand?"

He breathed, chest aching. "I—I—"

Another slap echoed, his cheeks burning.

"Dogs—"

Slap.

"—don't"

Smack.

"—speak."

A punch, this time, straight to his chest.

Gasping, he fell to his knees.

"Artemis."

He fought to catch his breath, winded. The rest of his body ached, a horrible orchestra of pain.

"Artemis."

He furrowed his eyebrows. He never heard his name there, much less that one.

"—Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Artemis wheezed, his eyes trying to focus on the fuzzy form of whoever was crouched in front of him.

"That's it," whoever it was said, voice oddly calm. "Breath with me, Artemis. In, out."

Something touched his shoulder, pulling back when he immediately flinched away. He counted, one, two, three before something cold and wet was placed in his hands—he didn't realize he had made tight fists, blunt nails digging into his palms. The cold in his hands—ice, he realized— dripped down his wrists and arms, and he continued to breathe in and out in tandem with the voice.

"There you go," the voice said. Artemis blinked hard, once, twice. On the third time, things started to come into focus at last. Matthew was crouched in front of him, hands splayed between them.

He breathed in again, shuddering but calmer. "Matthew?" He asked, trying to make sense of what happened.

Matthew didn't seem much more sure. "Are you back?"

Shakily, he nodded before remembering Matthew couldn't see it. "Yes," he panted. Despite the tremors and ice steadily melting in his hands, Artemis felt warm, could feel the sweat beading on his face. He glanced down at the ice, ignoring a faint twinge in his neck, before looking back at Matthew. "How—"

"I think you had a panic attack," Matthew interrupted him, shifting to sit on the floor, "but I'm not sure what triggered it."

Matt listened to Artemis's shoulders shift as he shrugged. "I don't know," he said eventually, still wheezing.

Bum, ba-bum, bum.

Lie.

Clenching his jaw, Matt decided to ignore that one for now. Instead, he reached a hand out before remembering how Artemis had reacted less than two minutes ago. "Can I touch you?"

"Y-yes."

Matt swallowed. "Okay," he said, more to himself than anything. "I'm gonna try and move you to your couch. Okay?" Not waiting for an answer, he moved to Artemis's side, shoving himself under his arm and pulling him up. He knew exactly where the couch was, but he still consciously took his time, using his free hand to feel along the wall. When he felt the couch, he carefully angled Artemis onto it before reaching for the unfairly soft blanket, draping it over his shoulders.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked eventually.

Artemis laughed, a mirthless, breathless thing. "Objection—that is a loaded question."

Matt offered a chuckle of his own. "That's fair." Clearing his throat, he went back for the takeout, making a show of fumbling for the bag's handles. As he set it by the couch, his phone started buzzing in his back pocket.

Estelle. Estelle. Estelle.

Artemis jolted, and Matt could hear his eyes widen as he searched for the source of the noise.

"Sorry," Matt apologized, pulling his phone out. "Estelle's calling. I'll be just a second. You should try to eat," he added as an afterthought before stepping toward the entryway. "Hello?"

"Hey," Estelle said. "Is he doing okay?"

He pursed his lips. He could hear Artemis shifting, reaching a single hand out for Kotik, who followed his owner to the couch. "He's doing better, I think," he said eventually.

Estelle hissed. "Was he that bad?"

"I don't know what the baseline for that bad is, but it wasn't great."

Artemis had shifted and was now lying down on the couch, Kotik curled up on his torso. He mumbled the words to a song under his breath as he ran his hands through the cat's fur. Matt didn't recognize it, but it had the cadence of a lullaby.

"What happened?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not too sure," he admitted. "He was out of it when I got here, and I think he had a panic attack."

Estelle sounded like she wanted to say something but eventually settled on, "But he's doing better now?"

Artemis was still singing his lullaby, slightly out of tune but not unpleasant. "Yeah. He's good."

"I've closed up for the day—I can come take over if you want."

Matt tilted his head. He had stopped singing in favor of sitting cross-legged and digging through the takeout bag, Kotik grooming himself in his lap.

He could tap out; he knew he wasn't getting anything else out of Artemis. He had done all he could. But he listened as Artemis carefully laid out all the food, setting the wooden chopsticks on top of Matt's. He recalled how scared he was not even that long ago, recalled the fear that Matt could smell, hear, taste.

Matt sighed. Damnit.

"No, that's okay," he said finally. "I'll stay with him."

"Are you sure? You've done a lot already," she replied.

Matt nodded, taking another breath. "Yeah, it's no problem. I can handle it."

He could hear her sigh both over the phone and in her apartment. "Thanks, Matt. I owe you one."

Once the call was over, he made his way back over to the couch. Artemis had opened his food, the smell of his chicken wontons even stronger than through the thin container, though he had yet to start eating.

"Is Estelle coming to relieve you of your duty?" Artemis asked jokingly, absently rubbing his hands on his pants.

Matt shook his head. "No, no—she just wanted to check in."

The other shrugged, his muscles throbbing with the phantom pain that was slowly becoming associated with the man. "Either way, you don't have to stick around. I know you're busy."

There it was again; for the second time, he was given an out. And for the second time, something in the back of his mind told him to take it. There was nothing else he could gain from this; there was nothing that would benefit Daredevil in this apartment. But for the second time, he recalled Artemis, curled up against the wall, hyperventilating.

I like to look out for my friends.

"No," he said simply. "I think I'll stick around."

♘

wc: 3.1 k

status: edited

fun fact: Kotik is a Maine Coon! This is how I envisioned him—he's a fluffy boy but not too big (for now).

hello, i'm still alive! it's been difficult to set aside time for writing between school, work, and my other hobbies that just kinda pile on top of each other, so this chapter has been sitting in my drafts so long i'm actually almost done with the next chapters. which, speaking of, is becoming so long that i'm splitting it in two. so the next update (soon!) will be a double feature, haha.

anyway, i really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! we're almost in season two!